Archives for December 2019

The Wood Brothers: “Cry Over Nothing”

After a decade and a half of separate songwriting branches, bassist Chris Wood and guitarist Oliver Wood embraced their fraternal bond as The Wood Brothers. And in light of Chris’ interest in contemporary jazz juxtaposed against Oliver’s grasp on R&B, funk, and blues, these Boulder born brothers quickly found a middle ground of introspective Americana, transcendent folk, and soulful country on their 2006 debut album. Multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix completed the trio, who’s since gone on to release four live albums and six studio albums, including the 2018 Grammy-nominated One Drop of Truth.

The Wood Brothers are set to peel back the bark and show off some impressive growth rings on their upcoming eleven-track LP, Kingdom in My Mind, out January 24th. Catch The Wood Brothers 8PM tomorrow night at The Paramount and cross the drawbridge into Kingdom in My Mind with the record’s second single, “Cry Over Nothing”!

Photo: Alysse Gafkjen

Another World – Holiday Sidewinder

Episode 2 of the Song Confessional Podcast is here! In it, you’ll hear an interview with Australian, synth-pop wunderkind, Holiday Sidewinder, the world premiere of the song “Another World”, and the skydiving horror story that inspired this babushka-approved bop. You’ll also find out how Holiday got that fantastic name of hers and how she and producer, Jim Eno, made the music feel as ‘Soviet’ as the story itself.

Give it a listen, find it on the socials @songconfessional and if you feel like showing us a little more love, leave us a review! Don’t forget to subscribe!

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Don’t Let me Die in Waco – Croy & The Boys

Welcome to the Song Confessional Podcast Episode 1! In our inaugural episode, you’ll hear the world premiere of “Don’t Let Me Die in Waco” from the ‘woke’ outlaw cowboy outfit, Croy and the Boys, and an anonymous ‘confession’ involving a Greyhound bus, binge drinking, Febreze, and death that inspired it. You’ll also hear head songwriter Bad Boy Croy’s thoughts on songwriting, outlaw country, the current state of the Austin music scene, and one of the most optimistic takes on sports fandom in America.

Give it a listen, find us on the socials @songconfessional and if you’re feeling frisky, leave use a review! Don’t forget to subscribe!

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Love Is Gonna Test You

If you were lucky enough to catch Jordan Moser‘s instore performance late last month at Waterloo Records, you know. Or perhaps you caught Moser’s excellent Studio 1A performance on KUTX last August. Though making music now for over 10 years, the multi-talented filmmaker and ballet dancer made an outstanding label debut on Keeled Scales with the ruminative folk-country of Long Night. Hear the latest music when Moser starts his residency tonight at The Volstead, 1501 E. 6th St.

The residency covers the first three Tuesdays of this month, and tonight’s show includes sets by Little Mazarn and Jesse Woods. The music starts at 8 p.m. Very recommended.

-Photo courtesy of the artist.

Megan Thee Stallion & The Grammys

This week on The Breaks:

In his Unpopular Opinion segment, Fresh explains why he thinks Megan Thee Stallion wasn’t nominated for a Grammy in the “Best New Artist” category.
Confucius and Fresh talk to Austin’s Eazy Boi about his new record “Griffin,” fatherhood and his thoughts on the city’s hip-hop scene.
Confucius implores people to stop complaining about how there’s no good music being made today in his Confucius Says segment.
Confucius and Fresh interview the organizers of the Down South Love – Black Friday Show Texas Hip Hop Showcase. The show which features acts like Milkweed, Vontay Galaxy and DJ Confucius Jones, will be from 7pm – 1 am at Come and Take It Live.

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show

Texas Standard: December 3, 2019

He ran for senate, then he ran for president. Neither worked out as he expected. Now Beto O’Rourke has a new plan. We’ll look at what that might mean for Texas. Also, a federal plan to open up Texas forests to fracking. And from Wall Street to Y’all Street? Why a city in Texas is being talked about as a potential new capital for high finance. Plus, you may have seen him on the posters at Subway sandwich shops. But who is Pitmaster Ramone? And is he real? All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Tomar and The FCs: “Innocence”

Although Austin’s Tomar Williams has always felt right at home singing lead, he’s only fallen back into the frontman role in recent times. After raking up a road-bound reputation across the Chitlin Circuit with his family band, Williams resigned himself to hip hop production for a few years before returning to his soul singer roots through Tomar and The FCs.

Palpitations of funk, blues, and rock course through the quintet’s debut album Heart Attack, where tight arrangements and electrifying performances earned Tomar and The FCs the title of our January 2017 Artist of the Month. Winter wraps up with exciting news from Tomar and The FCs, who’ve promised even more nostalgic, emotive energy on their upcoming sophomore album Rise Above, due out February 1st. Catch these Studio 1A veterans this Friday and Saturday at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul and again towards the end of the month for the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar but before you do, let The FCs state their case with Rise Above‘s lead single, “Innocence”!

BOII: “Footwork” [PREMIERE]

For London singer Adam Welsh and Brooklyn producer Joshua Hoisington, a few thousand miles wasn’t about to get in the way of working together. The duo met in New York’s live theatre community just last year and, in light of obvious geographical obstacles, quickly became remote collaborators under the name BOII. And even though they’re trading recordings over email, Hoisington’s grasp on alt-pop, folk-tronica and deep house continues to provide the perfect foundation for Welsh’s mentally explorative lyrics and vocals, already heard on BOII’s first two singles from 2018.

Today BOII announces their debut EP for a Spring 2020 release alongside their sole track of the past year, and it’s one hell of a sentimental banger on a bittersweet beat: “Footwork”!

Photo: Alex Hutchinson

Some Gospel

San Angelo-born artist Oscar Ornelas has twenty years of experience behind him as both songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. That’s twenty years of blood, sweat, tears and soul going into every project he’s dedicated himself to, and it’s all made crystal clear on Ornelas’ latest fiery solo release, Some Gospel.

Dig the gospel and beyond as Ornelas kicks off his new Monday night residency tonight at Stay Gold, 1910 E. Cesar Chavez. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. Kickin’ Monday to the curb, baby. Recommended.

-Photo courtesy of the artist.

Omarion & Pettiness

This week on The Breaks:

Confucius explains why he’s a fan of Omarion’s pettiness towards Lil Fizz.
Confucius and Fresh discuss Lil Uzi Vert’s twitter rant about his record label, Generation Music Group.
Austin artist Jake Lloyd talks about his headlining show at Stubbs on December 7th and his views on being an urban artist in Austin, Texas.
Fresh explains why GoldLink’s comments on Mac Miller and the Grammys made him uninterested in supporting the artist.
Confucius asks people to let their successes be the narrative of their lives in his Confucius Says segment.

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show

Texas Standard: December 2, 2019

21 dead in a shootout south of the border involving Mexican forces and drug cartels. Drug related violence or terrorism at the Texas border? What’s in a name? Although president Trump has threatened to designate Mexico’s drug cartels terrorist organizations, people in Mexico view the violence through a more complicated lens, according to a new survey…We’ll have the latest. Also, the outline of the AR-15: a form factor in the debate over gun control, now facing another test before the supreme court. And the Texas ranch sisterhood. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Sherri Shepherd (Ep. 52, 2019)

This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Sherri Shepherd, actress, comedian, author, game show host and television personality best known for her work as a co-host on the award-winning television program The View.