What could be one of the most consequential Supreme Court cases this term, affecting tens of thousands of people in Texas. The nation’s highest court set to hear arguments over DACA, the program that protects some 700 thousand people from deportation. President trump’s tried to unravel it. We’ll look more closely at what’s at stake. Also, is Mexico taking a page from president Trump’s policy toward migrant families? Separation south of the border. And what does it mean to get good at responding to mass shootings? All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Archives for November 2019
Milky Chance: “Daydreaming” feat. Tash Sultana
It’s been almost a full decade since bassist Clemens Rehbein first linked up with guitarist Philipp Dausch in their one-time jazz quintet Flown Townes, but in those seven years since performing as Milky Chance, the group’s creativity is far from curdling. This Kassel, Germany-based duo primarily identifies their sound as “electronic folk” though you’ll hear elements of indie, reggae, dancehall, and alternative rock imbued across their eclectic arrangements.
And in light of Dausch & Rehbein’s newfound fatherhood statuses, Milky Chance has dedicated themselves to reducing waste and elevating environmental consciousness, a mission embodied in the title of their third LP Mind the Moon. Mind the Moon‘s dozen songs find Milky Chance frothing with greatness and lathering with high-calibre collaborators. Mind the Moon is out this Friday, and you can begin to get in phase with MC’s lactose probability with one of the album’s centerpieces, featuring Tash Sultana – “Daydreaming”!
Social Movement: Naomi Klein
The Secret Ingredient with KUT’s Rebecca McInroy, Raj Patel, author of A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things, and food and agriculture correspondent for Mother Jones, Tom Philpott explore the future of the Green New Deal with Naomi Klein, author of “On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.”
Higher Ed: Want An Exciting Life? Ask This Question At Graduation (Or Anytime, Really)
Most of us have the best of intentions when we graduate from high school or college to make our way in the world and lead meaningful and productive lives. But the minutiae of everyday life can eat into our plans to exist outside our comfort zone. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore one way to keep those dreams alive.
Ed has a tradition at Southwestern University called the President’s Dinner. At some point during their time at Southwestern, each student will get invited to dinner at the President’s house with about 12 other people. Part of the dinner conversation will revolve around answering a provocative question.
At a recent dinner, Ed posed the following question: “What would surprise you about yourself 25 years after graduation?”
After hearing the discussion the followed, Ed wanted to bring that question to “Higher Ed” podcast listeners, too.
“What’s something that you could imagine and dream about doing but you really don’t think you would do in practice?’
Ed maintains that asking that question at any stage of life will prompt us to then figure out what concrete steps can we take to get there. And that pursuit, he believes, is the “joy of life.”
“When people go to our funeral, let’s say ‘we left it all on the field; we lived this full life,'” says Ed. “So even the surprising things we’ve tried.”
Ed says conversely, it might be just as valuable to consider the places where we do not want to be 25 years after graduation.
“How can we go to the dark side,” cautions Ed, ” and then what can we do with intentionality to make sure we avoid that?”
Ed says we may be our own worst enemy when it comes to this type of exploration. He encourages people to put their education into practice to overcome that obstacle.
“We are all biased about our individual selves. ‘ I am supposed to do this. I am good at that and I am not good at art’ or whatever it is,” says Ed. “To overcome that internal bias about you, and to say ‘well, maybe I can be an artist’ is an open-minded attitude which all education that’s focusing on personal, intellectual growth should be offering.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear more about how to surprise ourselves 25 years after graduation (or at any point in life). It is also time to see what kind of puzzler we are dealt in this episode.
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
For all the Higher Ed episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here
Dr. Aldon D. Morris, pt. 1 (Ep. 49, 2019)
This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. begins a conversation with Dr. Aldon D. Morris, the Leon Forrest professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University and author of The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Dubois: The Birth of Modern Sociology.
Levitation Weekend
Welcome to this celebration of music inspired by sounds within the psych vein and beyond. LEVITATION has two more days of assorted badassery happening in the Red River District and East Austin. Your Austin Music Minute maven has a few picks for your wanderings about the festival, including:
-A few early sets this afternoon by Acid King and The Well at Barracuda, 611 E. 7th St. (music starts at 2 p.m.); Allah Las and White Fence at Empire Control Room, 606 E. 7th St. (2 p.m.); and AMM fave Chelsea Wolfe and Ionna Gika at Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 8th St. (music begins at 4 p.m.).
–Tonight features LEVITATION founders The Black Angels sharing a bill with John Cale at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, 801 Red River; Blushing, Tan Cologne and Single Lash at Cheer Up Charlie’s, 901 Red River; and Flipper with David Yow at Hotel Vegas, 1501 E. 6th St.
–Tomorrow includes Dinosaur Jr. and Kurt Vile at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater; AMM fave Dallas Acid and Black Moth Super Rainbow at the Mohawk, 912 Red River; and a free Creek Show at Waterloo Greenway (1111 Red River) with another AMM favorite, Annabelle Chairlegs at 8 p.m. And, as featured on today’s AMM, much love for A Place To Bury Strangers, who have a Sunday night performance at Barracuda, with Christian Bland & The Revelators, and Ringo Deathstarr.
These are but a few selections for your LEVITATION weekend. Visit the website for a complete schedule. So recommended.
-Artwork from another phenomenal poster design by Robin Gnista. Robin is a badass.
BluMoon: “Melt Away”
How should I begin to describe, BluMoon, a musical trio from San Marcos? For starters, I would say alternative Jazz, but that’s not quite right. Their unique sound is a fusion of funk, jazz, & soul. Kendra Sells gives us chilling vocals with Andrew Harkey on bass and Isaac Pulido on drums. BluMoon’s 2019 release, Slow Burn, is a fluid album where the sound seems to melt into the next track. The group will bring their music to the Austin documentary series Fembeat’s Birthday Fundraiser, supporting Fembeat’s mission to provide a platform to different self-identifying women and non-binary folx. Good music and a good cause…it doesn’t get any better than that. To give you a taste of the good vibes Blumoon is going to provide let’s take a listen to your KUTX song of the day, “Melt Away.”
-Simone Puglia/KUTX Intern
Levitation: Day 2
Welcome, music freaks, to day two of LEVITATION, a celebration of music influenced by the psych realm and beyond. Touring and local artists are performing at venues along Red River and in East Austin, and as you’ll see by today’s Austin Music Minute, it’s a bit overwhelming – in the best way possible. Tonight’s shows include:
-The glorious visual spectacle and mind trip of The Flaming Lips, with Mercury Rev and ATX-based band Holy Wave at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, 801 Red River.
-Near and dear to your AMM host’s dark little heart, David J. (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) performs at Elysium, 705 Red River, with an awesome line-up that features Dallas-based tradgoth/punk outfit Rosegarden Funeral Party, and darkest of dark ATX artists Curse Mackey and SINE.
-Experimental psych/surf rockers Strange Lot take over Cheer Up Charlie’s, 901 Red River, with Astragal and El Lago.
-Memphis noise-punk badasses NOTS let loose at Hotel Vegas, 1501 E. 6th, sharing the bill with Hash Redactor, Aquarian Blood and Benni.
-The mighty Black Mountain (featured on today’s AMM) performs at the Mohawk, 912 Red River, along with Kikagaku Moyo and Stonefield.
Check the LEVITATION website for a complete weekend schedule.
-Artwork from poster design by Robin Gnista.
Meija: “Kid”
When it comes to channeling your inner child amidst the terror of adult realities, you can forget the name Peter Pan and replace it with Meija. Los Angeles producer-songwriter Jamie Sierota adopted that moniker just this past year, as a platform for his brand of synth-soaked, indie pop rock.
Meija’s been teasing his debut EP with a string of singles across 2019, and today finally marks the release of the five-song So Long, Kid. And even though we’re getting into the weekend, you can let Sierota help you reckon with responsibilities of adult life, starting off with the album’s title track, “Kid”!
Texas Standard: November 8, 2019
It’s been a long time coming, but now that a state takeover of Houston ISD is happening… We’ll look at questions that remain about how it will unfold. Vetting migrants has always been a talking point for President Trump. Now a new facility is giving border agents access to classified information they haven’t had before. Plus Texas voters passed a measure supporting tax money for parks. We’ll look at how that money will be spent. And remembering a Puerto Rican astrologer who crossed borders of all sorts. Also, have you ever felt a song is about you? Taking that to the next level. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Soup Weather
A cold front has cooled much of Texas — at least temporarily. One way to celebrate the fall temperatures is with a bowl of soup. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
KUT Weekend – November 8, 2019
Why it took Travis County almost till 4 a.m. to finish counting election results. Plus, Capital Metro crunches the numbers on future transit plans. And why you might see tarantulas around town. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
Memory, Trauma, and Treating PTSD
We may underestimate the role that our emotions of an event play in our memory of that event. But it turns out there are ways to manipulate those memories and separate the emotion out; even from Flashbulb memories.
In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk about why looking at how traumatic memories are formed has led to new treatments for PTSD that are not chemical-based.
Levitation 2019
First, a bit of background for you: LEVITATION got its start as Austin Psych Fest back in 2008, founded by ATX-based band (and longtime AMM favorite) The Black Angels. The band is extremely reverential when it comes to the artists who paved the way for today’s psych-rooted musicians, so the festival is named in honor of ultimate psych pioneers, The 13th Floor Elevators.
LEVITATION is now a world-renown music festival with curated events in France, Chicago and Vancouver, in addition to several other international happenings, but Austin remains the official HQ, where it all began. This year boasts another great set of line-ups, always a fantastic mix of local and touring artists, at various Red River and East Austin venues. Of course, one of the big performances coming up is The Black Angels sharing a bill with John Cale at Stubb’s on Saturday night. (As in, the John Cale.) Portland-based band formed by Collin Hegna, Federale makes an excellent opener.
Things kick off tonight with recent Studio 1A guest Angel Olsen, Devendra Banhart and Vagabon at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, 801 Red River; High On Fire at the Mohawk, 912 Red River; Kikagaku Moyo at Barracuda, 611 E. 7th St.; TR/ST (featured on today’s AMM) at Empire Control Room, 606 E. 7th St., and more.
Check LEVITATION’s website for complete show schedules and venues. Recommended.
-Artwork from LEVITATION poster design by Robin Gnista.
This Song: Matt and Kim
Indie electronic duo Matt and Kim talk about how “The Mullet Burden” by The Dillinger Escape Plan showed them how intense music could be.
Matt: “I did not even realize that music could be as extreme as that was. Like if I thought that music could be turned up to 10 , it was like, oh wait, you could actually turn up to 12 — there’s like 2 more notches on this thing that I didn’t even know existed.”
The couple also explores how they’ve tried to bring that same kind of intensity to their music, especially their live shows, the toll that intensity has taken on their bodies and what they see as the next phase in their musical lives.
📸: Caleb Kuhl
Listen to This Episode of This Song
Check out The Matt and Kim Podcast
Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song
Texas Standard: November 7, 2019
Women and children killed in northern Mexico. Questions remain about whether they were targeted and what happens next. That massacre in Mexico an example of the violence asylum-seekers from the country say they need to get away from. We’ll have a report. Plus, the state’s most populous county had big delays in election results. A dispute over who and what is to blame. And something you do everyday could be contributing to the population decline of monarch butterflies. We’ll explain. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Sorcha Richardson: “First Prize Bravery”
You’ve heard her on an array of singles and remixes since 2012, and for the first time ever, Sorcha Richardson is set to conquer a full-length entirely on her own. Richardson’s youthfully passionate vocals, pristine guitar, and gentle piano provide an essential palette for her introspective style, one that’s already earned her millions of streams.
Tomorrow Sorcha Richardson releases her debut LP, First Prize Bravery, inspired by the transition from New York back to her native Dublin and navigating a path between indie rock, bedroom pop, and electronic-folk across its ten tracks. The album’s title track takes cues from Feist’s Pleasure, bares an appreciation for the quiet little moments in life, and is available to add to your collection right now!
-Jack Anderson
Photo: Cáit Fahey
Denial River
Imagine: It’s just you, and the open highway. Somehow, Wil Cope pens the songs that shape that very vibe into music. It’s haunted. It can be desolate. It’s loaded with memories and twilight times, maybe a few regrets, always a string of best-laid plans that might’ve gone south.
Cope’s 8-song EP, Denial River, is arguably his strongest work yet. He recorded it with producer and band mate Doug Walseth, and something about it carries an otherworldly shadow hovering above a long stretch of road, alongside a shimmering body of water flowing toward somewhere unknown, unexplored. There’s Cope. And there’s no turning back now.
You’ll get to hear some tracks from it and then some when Cope plays tonight at Hole In the Wall, 2538 Guadalupe, sharing the bill with North Carolina-based artist Alma Russ. The music starts at 9 p.m. So recommended.
-Photography by Jacqueline Badeaux.
Texas Standard: November 6, 2019
The tally from election day 2019 in Texas: we’ll try to read between the numbers to see what message Texas voters were sending. Where do we stand with new constitutional amendments and a major mayoral race in Houston.. We’ll get caught up. Plus, what a new survey reveals about Texas attitudes on immigration and climate change as we head toward that next election cycle. And how to keep college students from leaving their Texas hometowns for good. Plus a weekly Politifact check and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Tan Cologne: “Cave Vaults On The Moon In New Mexico”
Austinite multi-instrumentalist Lauren Helene Green first fronted the fuzz rock outfit Mirror Travel before diving into her eponymous solo project LRN GRN and relocating to Taos, New Mexico, where she linked up with Marissa Macias and co-founded Tan Cologne. This new duo lathers up a blend of ethereal vocals, billowing guitar riffs, and a variety of interconnected tones.
Tan Cologne is set to release their debut full-length in February, capturing tales of natural disasters, extraterrestrial encounters, the place of humans on Earth and more on Cave Vaults On The Moon In New Mexico. You’ll have a couple opportunities to hear some of the new stuff this weekend, this Saturday at Cheer Up Charlie’s for Levitation and again, 10pm this Sunday at The Electric Church. And to crack into Cave Vaults early, enjoy its lead single and title track!