KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Archives for July 2019

Plastic Picnic: “September Second”

The heat is climbing and the ants are hungry but if you’re still hankerin’ for an indulgent indie rock outing, it might be time for a Plastic Picnic. Although their members share ties to the Pacific Northwest, the New York setting of a separate-duo chance meeting established Brooklyn as Plastic Picnic’s home back in 2016. The rippling synth-guitar pop heard on Plastic Picnic’s self-titled debut has already earned their songs spots on Homeland and Shameless, and next Friday they’ll be exploring their second chapter of sound progression.

Plastic Picnic’s sophomore EP Vistalite takes a more reflective and naturalistic approach than previous releases, thanks in no small part to Father John Misty and Fleet Foxes Producer Trevor Spencer. Vistalite is warm, spirited, and organic and even though it’s not out for another week, you can still make like Yogi and unpack the basket with a confessional single that premiered today, “September Second”!

KUT Weekend – July 12, 2019

The University of Texas at Austin plans to give a free education to students whose families make less than $65,000. Plus, how the Travis County District Attorney is changing the county’s approach toward low level drug offense. And who’s the guy with the giant bird in South Austin? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

Uppercut

Austin Music Minute raves a-plenty for Futon Blonde‘s latest LP, Uppercut, following the release of album sneak peak “Breakdown” last month. Merely describing it as groove-based pop-rock barely scratches the surface of this cool, multi-melodic collection, from the opener “Breathe Deep” (Show me love and I’ll murk it/This whole thing isn’t working), to the gorgeous mope of “Last One” (I pay to play/Hooray/I willed myself awake…), and the frustrated longing of today’s AMM pick “Let Ya Back” (Let’s not break a sweat/My little Percocet/We could live life like a comedown cigarette). The shifting moods and tempos throughout are a thing of poetry.

Don’t miss out on Futon Blonde’s album release show tonight at Hotel Vegas, 1501 E. 6th St. Austin bands Animals for Hands and Hand-Me-Down Adventure make it a winning line-up. This is an early show that kicks off at 7 p.m. Very recommended.

-Image courtesy of the artist.

Texas Standard: July 11, 2019

The latest disturbance in the Gulf seems to be on track to hit Louisiana. But the next one could head this way. We’ll take a look at how Houston’s prepared since Harvey. Plus, a new school being built in the Texas Hill Country is billed as the most water efficient in the state. How it’s doing that and whether the model can be replicated. And strife in the tech industry. We’ll take a look at how planned Amazon protests are just one example of a potential shake-up. Also, we’ll look at teen curfews. Why some cities are reconsidering laws that punish minors for being out late or on a school day. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Julio Nickels: “Local Support”

Between Polite Sleeper, The Yellow Press and more recently with Total Heels, Jason Orlovich is a tried-and-true six-string sensation. And after decades of recording and touring the globe, Orlovich has adopted a fictional persona for his new solo project: Julio Nickels. The alias occupies a solitary world filled with lowly bar staffers and music venue wallflowers, unabashedly interpreted from Orlovich’s longstanding personal observations in those environments.

Julio Nickels comes to life tomorrow on the debut album, Feeling Fickle, an experimental rock-oriented nine-track completed in France with the help of Thurston Moore producer Johannes Buff. For today embrace the abstract absurdity of Julio Nickels with a song that wraps up the first third of Feeling Fickle, “Local Support”!

Posies Pop

It’s mind-blowing to realize that The Posies got their start in 1987, when core members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow were just teens. The two are the creative collaborators behind the pop brilliance that fans have followed all these years – and newer fans have been introduced to through recent album reissues like Dear 23, absolute must-have Frosting On the Beater (today’s Austin Music Minute features the track “Solar Sister” from that album) and the tumultuous 1996 angst-ridden Amazing Disgrace.

Following this afternoon’s acoustic set at Waterloo Records, The Posies hit the stage tonight at Empire Control Room, 611 E. 7th St. Two fantastic Austin-based bands, A. Sinclair and Poly Action, start out the evening right. Doors open at 8 p.m. Don’t miss out.

The Texas Crutch

By W.F. Strong

I like that Texas is so famous for certain things that those things carry the Texas brand all around the world. Like Texas toast, for instance. Or Texas Hold ‘em poker. The Texas two-step. Texas-style brisket. And even within the specialized world of backyard chefs, the brisket has a sub-specialty technique known as the Texas crutch. This technique allegedly originated in Texas, and therefore carries the Texas name throughout the barbecue world.

I’m going to teach you about this technique over the next three minutes. It may come in handy this summer when you are slow-smoking a fine brisket over the required 15 hours and suddenly need to hurry it along without ruining it. This is merely a suggestion. I know all too well that you don’t mess with Texas and you sure as hell don’t mess with a Texan’s brisket. So I go gently forth with this option.

Suppose, for instance, that you have invited people over to the house to eat at 8 p.m. You remember saying, “Y’all come on over for brisket at 8 p.m. and y’all bring the neighbors. Plenty for everybody.” But now it’s 5 p.m., the brisket has stalled and you realize it won’t be ready until probably 10 p.m. or later. Time for the Texas crutch.

The point of the Texas crutch is to speed up the cooking without losing the holy grail of tenderness. So what you do is get some foil or butcher paper and fashion it into a big, sturdy boat that will hold liquid. Put your brisket in the boat and then pour about a half a cup of apple juice into the boat – not over the brisket because it will rinse off the rub. Some people use bourbon or beer or red wine, but apple juice is preferred because of the enzymes that work diligently to tenderize the brisket.

The next step is to cover the brisket completely with foil or butcher paper and put it back to cook. Crank up the heat to about 250 degrees or 275 degrees, and let the apple juice and heat work their dual-action magic until the core of the brisket is 200 degrees, or twice the outdoor temp of the average Texas summer. Then take it off and let it rest an hour. Now you will have splendid, tender, awesome brisket that all those friends and neighbors will rave about and beg for seconds. The only problem is they will want you to do it again next week.

I love knowing about the technique and using it when I must, but I love even more knowing that in the book on brisketology, there is a chapter called “The Texas Crutch.” I enjoy knowing that the Texas name is on things that travel ’round the world, serving as a kind of advertisement for our culture. It’s our one-of-a-kind branding. And that branding is priceless. A manager at H-E-B told me that products sell much better if they have the Texas star or Texas flag or “Made in Texas” on them. And that branding works just as well in the Mexico H-E-Bs as it does here at home. And if we could trademark the Texas name and symbols, license and sell them, I’m sure we could make enough each year to buy a brisket for every family in the state for what I would call National Texas Brisket Day. Might need some beer and ice cream to go with it. Wonder who could help us out with that?

Texas Standard: July 10, 2019

The Trump Administration’s so-called Remain in Mexico program expands to include Laredo. We’ll take a closer look at the impact. Also at the border, Texas National Guard troops are being deployed to help. But what are they doing exactly? We’ll explore. And remembering Ross Perot: the legacy of the self-made Texas billionaire. Plus, a Hemp rush. Texas farmers are scrambling to plant the crop, but there are hurdles to clear first. And helping students with dyslexia. The new path forward for kids in Texas schools. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Mary Bryce: “Lemon Trees” [PREMIERE]

Although she’s shied from calling herself “chief songwriter” for her collaborations, there’s no doubting the sheer talent and fronting presence that Austin’s Mary Bryce possesses. You’ve heard her vocals in SMiiLE, before that with Dreamboat, and you can’t forget about Bryce’s killer one-off with CAPYAC. But every once in awhile when she’s not having a blast with the best friends that double as her bandmates, Bryce pours her heart into her solo project.

Bryce shows off incredible vocal command when it comes to performance and arrangement, plucking only the finest tones to match her compositions while leaving plenty of space to appreciate the instrumentation. Her idiosyncratic brand of feminine folk jazz hasn’t been heard solo since 2018’s “Flowers”, and Bryce’s gorgeous voice returns front-and-center with the premiere of a new single. Here’s a KUTX-clusive listen to the genuine, sweet, and dynamic “Lemon Trees”, produced by SMiiLE’s Jake Miles and co-produced/recorded by Dan Businski, who’s engineered Molly Burch and Jess Williamson!

Texas Standard: July 9, 2019

A new court ruling on the so-called “broken” Texas foster care system and efforts to fix it. We’ll take a look at where things stand now. Plus, the U.S. withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal, and Iran is now violating it. Where that leaves allies and what’s next. And poking holes in the “Texas Miracle”: a new picture of how the state’s recession resistance didn’t benefit the whole state. Plus, drag racing returns to a Texas border town reviving a cultural past time and just something fun to do. We’ll take you to the track. And we’ll check in on the latest drama over the citizenship question on the U.S. census. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Kate Davis: “Cloud” [PREMIERE]

Beginning on violin at five years old and continuing on bass at thirteen, New York’s Kate Davis became a valued member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Grammy Jazz Ensemble well before the time she’d finished high school. And since graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, this virtuoso multi-instrumentalist has had no problem getting gigs at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, earning acclaim from NPR, MTV, PBS, BBC and beyond, and sharing the stage with acts like Herbie Hancock and Alison Krauss.

But at twenty eight the dangerously talented Davis is in the midst of an indie rock re-awakening, a phase change that’s required her to loosen her ties to jazz while still making use of the discipline she’s earned performing the genre. With that, Davis’ first round of calculated, intimate solo songwriting takes inspiration all the way from TV On The Radio to Beach House to Elliot Smith and lyrically reflects on the difficulties of early adulthood, the loss of her father, and a bevy of poignant self-observations. The result is Davis’ prized twelve-song debut, Trophy, written entirely from the seclusion of her Harlem bedroom, and it’s out November 8th.

Kate Davis has graciously allowed KUTX to premiere Trophy‘s lead single, “Cloud” and we can’t help but feel like its very first lyric is fitting for this Sharon Van Etten “Seventeen” co-writer who’s about to elevate her status as a solo artist…

 

Texas Standard: July 8, 2019

Texas continues to lead a fight against the Affordable Care Act. We’ll take a look at where things stand now and where a win could leave the state. Plus, battleground 2020… or maybe not. Is Texas really up for grabs as Democrats try to make their mark in Austin and Washington? We’ll explore. And going to the moon: A Texas researcher’s invention tapped to make a trip. Why he says the experience is bringing him full circle. Plus a book about the me too movement that will make you laugh, and reviewers say that’s a good thing. That and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Eli Raybon: “Primitive Man”

At twenty one Eli Raybon has already proved his commitment towards music over all else. He was on track to study computer science and mathematics in New York, but at the last minute Raybon had a change of heart, tapped into his childhood love of analog synthesizers, and dedicated himself to weird, retro-futuristic songwriting.

Nowadays Raybon gets to geek out as full time musical mad scientist in LA and soon we’ll hear his boldest offering yet, Supertoys. The ten-track sci-fi concept album fuses a nostalgic, surreal narrative with disco-born beats and ’80s-style avant-garde electronic tones and you can hear it all this Friday. So tap into Raybon’s brand of future funk and go back to the basics with “Primitive Man”!

Photo: Kevin Blackburn

Valerie Jarrett (Ep. 31, 2019)

On this week’s In Black America program, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a conversation with Valerie Jarrett, former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, moderated by Brittany Packett this past spring at the Summit on Race in America: Liberty and Justice for All.

Close Talker: “Pace”

Hailing from the misty and damp forests of Saskatchewan, indie rockers Close Talker concoct hypnotic lush melodies with blunt earnest undertones.

On their latest single “Pace” (off the upcoming fourth release How Do We Stay Here, out August 30th), Close Talker mirrors yearning layered harmonies and looping guitar licks akin to Local Natives to transport your mind to the evergreen forests they create their tunes in. In their latest music video for “Pace”, Close Talker paint a picture of growing pains and the uncertainty that comes with them. Their newest track is addictive and atmospheric while managing to make you tap your toes … introspectively.

–Claire Hardwick, KUTX Intern

KUT Weekend – July 5, 2019

Why Austin ISD is planning to close some of its schools. Plus, how a wet spring is causing a relatively cooler summer in Austin. And why the state’s surge in wind power has some people in remote areas of West Texas complaining about the view. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

Totally Lit

What do the kids say? It’s been a minute since Matthew Logan Vasquez played a show in Austin. With good reason, of course.

Vasquez and his family made the move to Norway a couple years back, but the Delta Spirit front man returned to the states in mid-June for his solo Light’n Up EP tour with shows along the West Coast. That makes MLV’s show tonight at the Scoot Inn, 1308 E. 4th, a mega-homecoming show with a killer line-up including quite a bit of his extended musical family. Wild Child vocalist/violinist and Vasquez’s Glorietta bandmate Kelsey Wilson is performing with her outstanding new project, Sir Woman. And Vasquez’s tour bud Spencer Garland is bringing all the magic and badassness that is PR Newman to the table as well.

All that in one night. Doors open at 7 p.m. Very recommended.

×