Archives for May 2019

Garçons: “Pedigree”

Toss R&B, soul, funk, and a bit of modern ingenuity into a food processor and you get Ottawa two-piece Garçons. Nigerian-raised singer Deelo Avery first teamed up with producer-director Julian Strangelove half a decade back and ever since the landmark decision to make music together in 2017, they’ve been catching lightning in a bottle. Last year we got their debut record Body Language and coming up in the fall Garçons shares their as-of-yet untitled EP, one that promises even more excellence from this soulful twosome.

The album’s lead single (and music video) finds Avery and Strangelove in a playful, edgy, and most of all groovy mood, topped off with a retro Fela Kuti-esque afrobeat feel for an absolute toe-tapper. Garçons’ sophomore EP isn’t out until August 28th but today you can begin the bump with “Pedigree”!

Don’t Cross My Line

This is what you need to do, if you haven’t already: See the documentary L7: Pretend We’re Dead. It’s education time. It’s a live wire. It’s a frenzy. And someone may or may not have been attacked by a poodle, I don’t know, but…

L7 is also living proof that you can have it all – as in punk, rock, metal, noise, pop and all elements in between. You can do whatever the hell you want, and sing about it loudly. At the top of your lungs. Without censoring yourself for the sake of societal expectations dictated by gender. Founded in 1985 by Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, L7 withstood the challenges and ridiculousness of the music industry. And at one point, at the insistence of their fans, they returned from an indefinite hiatus to sell out shows around the world.

Don’t leave the earplugs at home. L7 plays tonight at the Mohawk, 912 Red River, on the outside stage. Doors at 6:30 p.m., and Le Butcherettes open the show. Ruthless and very recommended.

-Photo courtesy of the artist.

Lisa Moore on Adrienne Rich

“If I can write better poems I can live a better life. It’s a spiritual practice for me…it helps me figure out how to tell the truth. Which, reading Adrienne Rich also helps me do.”-Lisa Moore

Poet and professor Dr. Lisa Moore talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain and KUT producer Rebecca McInroy about the profound and urgent work of the poet and activist Adrienne Rich.

Moore reads Rich’s poem “What Kind of Times are These” and discusses various other works including one of her most famous poems “Diving Into The Wreck” from her book Diving Into The Wreck: Poems 1971-1972.

The conversation ranges from the depth of her poems to her work as a public intellectual and her role as a mother and civil rights activist.

Texas Standard: May 14, 2019

A bill killed by the LGBTQ caucus in the Texas House is revived in the senate. A battle in the culture wars? We’ll have the latest. Plus with the final day of this legislative session fast approaching, The Texas Senate appears to be fast tracking a religious liberty bill opponents say amounts to a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. We’ll have details. And, the helium shortage and Texas’ oversized role in it. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Briston Maroney: “Caroline”

For the first phase of his life, Briston Maroney bounced between Tennessee and Florida and couldn’t find permanent ground to plant himself. Now rooted in Nashville, the twenty-one year-old rock singer-songwriter has already come quite a way since the release of his 2017 debut EP Big Shot. This Friday Maroney releases his third record, Indiana, a four-song meditation on the dichotomy between adolescent aspirations and the realities of adulthood.

Maroney spends the next couple months on an international tour and joins us for both weekends of Austin City Limits Music Festival in October. Indiana is out in a few days and today you can tear into one of the record’s lead singles, “Caroline”!

Photo: Nolan Knight

Absolutely Golden

Your Austin Music Minute host is pleased to inform you that visual artist and songwriter Paige Renée Berry heads into the studio with her band this July to begin recording a new album. Good news for your eager ears. Fans have been enjoying Berry’s live performances, but it’ll be great to have an album available as well.

Speaking of which, you can see Paige Renée Berry tonight at Cheer Up Charlie’s, 901 Red River, on an excellent bill featuring two other longtime AMM favorites, melodic pop outfit My Golden Calf (“Painted Backside” from the album Perfume Brute can be heard on today’s AMM) and the gorgeous nocturnal-landscape vocals of TAFT (do check out TAFT’s 2019 release goodnight, plum – like, now).

This is badass all around. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the music begins at 9:30 p.m. Very recommended.

-Photo of My Golden Calf courtesy of the artist.

Texas Standard: May 13, 2019

Tick tock… the clock is winding down on the Texas Legislative session. But there’s a lot left to be done. We’ll have the latest on what affects you from under the dome. Also, the big business of toy guns. So realistic, police can’t tell the difference. And that’s had deadly consequences. And if you take the back roads through rural parts of Texas, you’ll see towns dotted with dance halls. Many have been shuttered or lost to time, but there’s a renewed effort to get them swinging again. Plus, efforts to highlight and reframe the story of the Alamo keep bumping up against other important parts of Texas history. We’ll have the latest on that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Lady Lamb: “Strange Maneuvers”

What started off for Aly Spaltro at a video rental store in mid-2000s Brunswick, Maine has since blossomed into Lady Lamb. Now at two EPs and three LPs, Lady Lamb has been chopping through the conventions of indie for some of the most honest, heartfelt songwriting you’ll ever hear.

Spaltro spent a good amount of time off the grid for her latest record, Even in the Tremor, in the process uncovering vulnerability, self-acceptance and a commitment to creating only what is necessary in light of anxiety and life’s other afflictions. Even in the Tremor came out last month and Lady Lamb’s been on the road ever since, continuing with a show tonight at Antone’s! Be sure to catch Spaltro onstage and negotiate Even in the Tremor with one of the album’s centerpieces, “Strange Maneuvers”.

–Jack Anderson

The Bart Starr Awards, pt. 1 (Ep. 23, 2019)

This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents highlights from the 2019 Bart Starr Awards, held during Super Bowl week, honoring Calais Campbell, the 2019 recipient of the Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award for outstanding character and leadership.

Cumbéalo

Superfónicos went tearing into 2019 like they were on fire. Seriously. Following their debut EP Suelta, along with explosive performances at a massive New Year’s Eve show at Auditorium Shores, at SXSW, and at Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater, they keep the momentum going with two tracks, “Cumbéalo” and “Tropidelico,” on a new 7-inch vinyl release. Both were produced by Jim Eno at Public Hi-Fi Studio, and the 7-inch is the first release in the new Spotlight Series created through a partnership between Public Hi-Fi and Gold Rush Vinyl.

Get your own copy at Superfónicos’ single release show tonight at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center, 600 River St. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the music starts at. 8 p.m. Recommended.

-Photography by Magnetic Focus Photography.

KUT Weekend – May 10, 2019

A plan to increase the state’s sales tax is dead. Plus, black advocates demand changes in library policies after a 13-year-old’s arrest. And how did Texas become the only state with its own toast? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

Joy

What is joy? That is the question that prompted this week’s edition of Two Guys on Your Head with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

You might vaguely understand the definition of joy, but when it comes to the psychology of joy the more know the better equip you are to set yourself up to experience more joy in your life daily.

Texas Standard: May 10, 2019

It’s a new rule designed to answer concerns about sex abuse in the Catholic church, although some victims say it’s nowhere near enough. We’ll have the latest. And do you remember acid rain? Problems in the Permian with a new warning from a national environmental group says recent reports by the energy industry itself indicate dangerous and illegal amounts of sulphur dioxide in west Texas, we’ll take a look. And so so-called good samaritans at the border with Mexico arrested. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Roadkill

No matter how careful you are, it can be an inevitability on Texas roads. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Carlton Jumel Smith: “Help Me (Save Me From Myself)”

Raised in Harlem near the legendary Apollo Theatre, singer Carlton Jumel Smith is inspired by some of the finest names in funk and soul. From Al Green to Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack and beyond, Smith has kept a meticulous personal list of the sets he’s seen at the Apollo to keep his mindset among the greats.

Now backed by Finland’s Cold Diamond & Mink band, Smith brings the classic spirit of his idols to the 21st century on his debut full-length, 1634 Lexington Avenue. There’s a certain elegance and class that Smith’s vocals invite to these already rich arrangements over ten tracks of punching horn lines, frenetic rhythm guitar, and drum fills that keep the adrenaline flowing. 1634 Lexington Avenue is out today and although it’ll be hard to help yourself from checking out the full thing ASAP, enjoy one of the album’s centerpieces, “Help Me (Save Me From Myself)”!

Dynamic

This is how it is. This is where it’s at.

Magna Carda is led by Austin-based badass duo Megz Kelli and Dougie Do. While hip-hop is at the core of what they create, the foundation, they also draw from influences ranging from jazz, to R&B, to electronic. The inspiration is endless. There’s no obligation to one genre.

Do not hesitate. See Magna Carda tonight at Stubb’s indoor venue, 801 Red River. KUTX May Artist of the Month The Bishops share the bill. Doors open at 8 p.m. And an added bonus: DJ Dougie Do has the tracks to keep the mood right.

You in? Very recommended.

-Photography by Jesus A. Acosta.

Texas Standard: May 9, 2019

A showdown between congress and the executive branch over the Mueller report. Many calling it a constitutional crisis. But is it, really? In the fight over control of the Mueller report, it may come down to the courts to decide whether the executive branch can justifiably assert executive privilege and stop congress from getting an unredacted copy. We’ll explore what’s at stake for the separation of powers. Also, a new report spots a growing trend: the upwardly mobile mexican migrant, we’ll take a look. And the budget premium smartphone: an oxymoron? Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Drinker: “Model”

If you’re parched for some calculated electronic psych-pop, the duo Drinker is just for you. New York producer Ariel Loh has joined forces with L.A. singer-songwriter Aaron Mendelsohn to create some of the slickest beats and synth arrangements 2019 has to offer. Last Friday Drinker’s debut full-length, Fragments, broke apart whatever expectations a first-time electronic music listener may have, proving that just because it’s heavy on electronics, it doesn’t have to be EDM.

Through nine tracks of coast-to-coast cool, hints of indie rock, and Mendelsohn’s waxing-and-waning vocals, pinning down Drinker’s sound on Fragments other than “really good” is almost a lost cause. For a complete look at Fragments, you can stream and download the full thing at your own leisure, and for today get a baseline with “Model”!

How Did Texas Become The Only State With Its Own Toast?

It started almost 80 years ago, with a restaurant and some too-thick bread.

Texas Standard: May 8, 2019

Austin’s the largest city in the U.S. without a public defenders office, but that may be about to change. We’ll look at why the push and what it means. Also, we’ll meet the Texas doctor developing replacement internal organs using 3d printers. And delays for trucks trying to cross the border, the U.S. and Texas in particular stand to pay a high price. And is Austin the first city in the south with a paid sick leave policy? A politifact check that could get contentious and so much more today on the Texas Standard: