This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a tribute to his old “marble-shooting’ buddy”, the late Ron Banks. He was a founding member of the legendary soul and R&B vocal group from Detroit, The Dramatics. Ron Banks passed away in 2010.
Archives for May 2020
Texas Standard: May 13, 2020
What next? A new report says it’s time to think big about a post-pandemic Lone Star State. We’ll look at a just released roadmap for a more inclusive, resilient Texas. Former state senator Kirk Watson of the University of Houston and Steven Pedigo of UT unveil a joint nine point proposal for a stronger Texas after COVID-19. Also dangers in the fields of the valley where essential workers labor unprotected. And can you run a railroad with no tracks? An implausible sounding question with major implications for the Texas Bullet Train. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Hanni El Khatib: “ALIVE”
Although his name might not ring a bell right off the bat, you’ve heard Hanni El Khatib‘s sharp guitar work on recordings by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Wu Tang Clan’s GZA and solo act Freddie Gibbs. Under his own name, however, the L.A.-based songwriter’s released four solo albums, exploring a full spectrum of rock ‘n’ roll across punk, blues, indie, and soul. On top of steady critical acclaim, El Khatib’s solo rock has also been heard in major television commercials (including a Super Bowl ad) and series, as well as a movie and video game, but his success ultimately led to alcohol and tour exhaustion, and eventually depression and anxiety.
Having reunited with close friend and producer Leon Michels (Lana Del Rey, Travis Scott, Eminem, etc.), Hanni El Khatib’s not only tossed the bottle out the window but also any dedication to the garage rock sound that made him famous. Instead, FLIGHT finds El Khatib and Michels experimenting with psychedelia and sample-heavy hip-hop, evoking classic records like Paul’s Boutique, Odelay, Donuts, or Madvillainy while maintaining the singer’s robust vocals. The rejuvenating LP is out on Friday, and you can pump up your hump day energy with the reborn version of Hanni El Khatib on, “ALIVE”!
Stream Pick: Bully
Bully‘s cover of Nirvana‘s “About A Girl,” released as a cassette single and sold out color vinyl at the beginning of this month, is ridiculously cool. It’s sick. Leave it to vocalist Alicia Bognanno to doing it her way, owning it with her style, while remaining true blue to the track itself. It’s no mere homage. Bognanno just makes it extra cool.
A recent revisit to the LP Losing is yet another reminder of Bognanno’s musical and lyrical prowess – a lightning rod of intense emotions, fiery ambush and vulnerable remorse that doesn’t morph into the area of what some would call a breakup album. No. This is tension and earnestness shot from the hip.
Bognanno is playing a solo set tonight, Tuesday May 12th, at 7PM (Central) at Noonchorus. The performance will include tracks from Losing and a handful of requests made by fans. Your virtual ticket supports the artist, and links are provided to the band’s merch. Buy it up and represent
-Photo courtesy of the artist.
Texas Standard: May 12, 2020
Who’s entitled to cast a mail in ballot? A new lawsuit says the Attorney General’s advice might have broken election laws. We’ll try to sort out the confusion. Plus, is 2020 the year Texas turns blue? A perennial question reemerges with a little more oomph this election season. And oil plummeting rising unemployment, what else? A new report on a hit to the Texas economy few in our major cities are talking about. And the decisions faced by some families on whether to get loved ones out of nursing facilities. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Teddy Glass: “Wannabe”
Fans of Hello Wheels won’t waste any time identifying singer-guitarist Peter Shults and drummer-vocalist Josh Halpern, and while they still continue the stomp-folk fun in Hello Wheels, they’ve also cut out a decidedly different duo effort, Teddy Glass. These Studio 1A veterans’ fuzz-infused psychedelic R&B-soul won over a completely new fan base with their debut Nights and Weekends, and speaking of weekends, last Friday Teddy Glass broke out a new standalone single.
It’s a hazy, incandescent arrangement that’s ideal for today’s stormy weather, so warm up with “Wannabe”!
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Stream Pick: The Mastersons
You know the story. You very well may have heard some variation from…well, just about every band or songwriter you love.
The Mastersons (Eleanor Whitmore and Chris Masterson) were ready to celebrate the release of their fourth studio recording, No Time For Love Songs, with instore performances (your AMM host is more than certain that Waterloo was on that list) and a tour supporting the new LP. But, the best laid plans…
That doesn’t mean this dynamic duo isn’t keeping busy. Join them each Monday at 5PM (Central) for Mastersons Mondaze, where every show has a theme, and you get to hear those sweet, sweet Mastersons harmonies. Find the show on their Facebook Live. Donations are welcome via their Venmo profile and on PayPal at themastersonsinfo@gmail.com.
And head over to their website for some of the coolest merch – those t-shirts rule. Seriously.
-Photography by Curis Wayne Millard.
Tekashi Breaks the Internet
This week on The Breaks Confucius and Fresh discuss:
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- Tekashi 6ix9ine’s return to music and social media after his time in jail.
- The recent deaths of legendary producer Andre Harrell, rock n’ roll icon Little Richard and R&B singer Betty Wright
- The Verzuz battle between Eryka Badu and Jill Scott
- Their next Verzuz style battle for the better year in hip-hop — 1998 or 1999
- In an Unpopular Opinion inspired by The Last Dance, Fresh argues that Michael Jordan’s first three championships were against weak teams.
- In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages people to celebrate their mothers not only on Mothers Day but every day.
- This weeks Local Song of the Week is “Introvert” by CP Loony
Listen to this episode of The Breaks
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Check out this playlist from that battle
Texas Standard: May 11, 2020
Under Governor’s orders, restrictions on businesses lift bit by bit. But can Texas really be a little bit open for business? Reporters from across the state on how and whether the incremental reopening is taking hold. Also floating storage facilities start crowding parts of the Gulf Coast offshore, we’ll hear why. And the first graduates of the new medical school in the RGV ender a brave new world. Plus something’s going missing in Texas. Namely the difference between certain vowels. The latest Texan Translation and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Syd Silvair: “Heroine”
The moral panic of “Satanic ritual abuse” is well behind us and certainly eclipsed now by the COVID-19 pandemic, so escapism is not surprisingly in high-demand right now. And what’s to stop you from upping the ante from “escapist” to “occultist”? For New York-based singer and certified tarot reader Syd Silvair, absolutely nothing.
Silvair’s daytime divinations definitely fuel her mystical and macabre lyrical character akin to Stevie Nicks, but unlike the White Witch’s idiosyncratic contralto, Syd Silvair’s breathy vocals on vintage-sounding disco art-pop make for a more sanguine sound. Last week Syd Silvair shared her debut EP, Reverie, cast with the same archetypes and mysticism involved in her 9-to-5 across four bold tracks, each inspired by a specific tarot card. You can start interpreting the dreamy four-track with the final draw on Reverie, inspired by the Temperance card, “Heroine”!
Stream Pick: Best Seat In The House
It’s not only the Best Seat In the House, it’s your party invitation to a massive tribute to a musical icon. A badass.
The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), in partnership with Visit Austin Texas, is presenting a big live stream show to benefit HAAM, featuring all these great performances by Austin-based artists honoring the one and only Willie Nelson.
Check out this big line-up: Ray Benson, Kevin Russell (Shinyribs), Hayes Carll, Caryolyn Wonderland, Miles Zuniga (Fastball), Gina Chavez, Walker Lukens, Suzanna Choffel, and it’s all hosted by Nakia. Totally the Best Seat in the House, starting at 7 p.m. (Central) tonight, Saturday May 9th, on Visit Austin Texas’ Facebook Live.
-Artwork courtesy of Visit Austin Texas.
Avoidance Avoidance Conflict
We may think that decision making is a process that we undertake in the same way no matter what the choices are that we have to make, but in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about how our brains work differently when both choices have negative consequences.
KUT Weekend – May 8th, 2020
This week, the first class from Dell Medical School gets ready to graduate in the midst of a pandemic. Phones are a lifeline for homeless Austinites. That’s especially true during COVID-19. And we talk to two KUT Digital team members on collaborating from a safe distance.
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
Stream Pick: SIMS’ Sofa Sessions
Despite the worldwide pause on many of life’s activities, one constant keeps pushing forward: Music. From new releases to live streams bringing the tunes straight to your living room, it hasn’t stopped. It won’t. Ever.
The SIMS Foundation, the local nonprofit providing access to mental healthcare for Austin musicians and their families, understands and appreciates this means of survival. And in celebration of music’s healing power and of Mental Health Month, SIMS presents the SIMS Lounge Sofa Sessions live stream music series. The Wind and The Wave (featured on today’s AMM) performs this evening, Friday May 8th, followed by Shawn Pander and Krister Axel on Saturday May 9th, Max Frost on Sunday May 10th,, and Jaimee Harris on Monday May 11th. More performances to come as the series continues through this month.
All performances start at 5 p.m. (Central) on SIMS Foundation Facebook Live, on the SIMS YouTube channel, and on each performing artist’s Instagram account.
-Photo of The Wind and The Wave courtesy of the artist.
Texas Standard: May 8, 2020
New data in one of the most closely watched political contests in an ongoing Texas election season, we’ll have the latest. Also, honoring Moms in the biggest border city in Texas. Why this year is doubly special. And dealing with a deadly and highly contagious virus, not the one you’re thinking of, that’s affecting other mammalian populations in Texas. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
What To Do If You Run Out Of TP
It was one of the first signs that life was going to get strange for a while: toilet paper started flying off the shelves. The supply still doesn’t seem particularly stable. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
White Denim: “Slow Death”
As folks begin to trickle back to work with anxiety in the air, the worldwide kenopsia still lingers. But never a group to pass on golden opportunities, Austin standouts (and KUTX favorites) White Denim have overcome the hurdles of quarantine with their self-assigned thirty-day album project, World As A Waiting Room.
Keeping the obvious constraints behind World As A Waiting Room in mind, it’s absolute madness how polished these nine new tracks are, all of which stay true to White Denim’s indie pop rock backbone. We know you’ve got time so take a number for World As A Waiting Room and blow off some steam with one of the record’s B-side offerings, “Slow Death”!
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Stream Pick: At Home With ACL Live
Missing all the cool performances at ACL Live? ACL Live wants you to know that hell yes, they’re missing them, too. That’s why they’re presenting At Home with ACL Live. And this week, the live stream series presents a performance by one of your Austin Music Minute maven’s favorite storytellers around, Hayes Carll, Friday night May 8th at 8 p.m. (Central). And don’t miss Alex Maas (The Black Angels) on Wednesday May 13th at 8 p.m. (Central).
Don’t forget to get all the details, RSVP and watch the show at ACL Live’s website. Donations are welcome via Carll’s PayPal and Venmo account. And, if you’re able, ACL Live has also suggested making a donation to the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM).
-Photo courtesy of the artist.
Texas Standard: May 7, 2020
As many Texans face economic hardship, a new study shows a growing trend toward taking debtors to court, we’ll have the latest. Also, anyone else ready for a haircut? Are you sure? As the governor relaxes orders to keep salons and barbershops closed, concerns about reopening on Friday. And Dr.Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio taking on more listener questions about COVID-19. And higher ed students finishing studies for the year, tho many cant go home. Plus Omar Gallaga with the scoop on scooters hitting Texas sized potholes. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Diana Burgess: “Beast” [PREMIERE]
Fans of neo-classical Austin outfit Mother Falcon are already familiar with the insane talent behind master cellist Diana Burgess, but even the most hardcore Falconers haven’t heard everything she has to offer. Burgess was quietly working on her solo debut when she was struck by the sudden loss of three grandparents in just one month. But rather than let the grief discourage her process, Burgess turned those powerful emotions into a vehicle of empowerment and tribute for the upcoming You Run, co-produced by Curtis McMurtry.
Diana doesn’t shy away from heavy subject matter on You Run, instead challenging listeners to keep up with Burgess’ poignant lyrics and haunting vocals, not unlike the intensity heard in Feist or Fiona Apple. You Run is out on Juneteenth, and today Diana Burgess has unfurled its eerie lead single with each layered instrument performed entirely by Burgess, “Beast”!
–Photo: Marshall Tidrick
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