Archives for October 2020

KUT Weekend – October 30, 2020

Record voter turnout in Texas! Plus, the latest on COVID-19 trends in Central Texas. And a show celebrating the achievements of African Americans marks 50 years on the air at KUT. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

Live Music, Mad Daddy

Greetings, resident freaks. Your Austin Music Minute selected a few Friday show picks to get your Halloween weekend going, a mix of treats that includes socially-distanced shows and badass livestreams. Granted, All Hallow’s Eve is looking decidedly different this year, but it’s all good, ghouls. Check it:

-My twenty-four/seven Halloween heart is a-flutter. The White Ghost Shivers terrorize the town tonight at The Far Out Lounge, 8504 S. Congress Ave., with Selena Rosanbalm and Ida Red on the bill. Music kicks off at 7 p.m. Table seating only, and masks are required.

-Early show alert – and a damn great happy hour at that. Harvest Thieves‘ front man Cory Reinisch plays a solo acoustic set starting at 4 p.m. today at Trace at The W, 200 Lavaca. Masks required.

Eu amo essa música. Boogarins are the featured band on Levitation Sessions, a livestream starting at 7 p.m. (Central) tonight.

Sally Can’t Dance is a massive livestream tribute to your AMM host’s favorite deviants, The Cramps, presented by The Bowery Electric. So many artists playing this one, along with a badass house band. The ATX represents tonight with performances by Kathy Valentine, Jeff Klein (My Jerusalem), and The Ghost Wolves. The show starts at 8 p.m. (Central).

Ofrenda: A Decimation Of People, A Celebration Of Life

Today is the day when we present our Ofrendas, our offering of sounds honoring the lives of those who have left us. A decimation of people a celebration of life. We’ll take a look at the soothing tradition of remembering the dead. On a year where Texas has been hit again by natural disasters, a global pandemic and an economy that is fighting to stay afloat, we still have a presidential election coming up. We’ll see Texans pulling together to feed each other. And how the mystery of the Monarch butterfly invites us to think about re-birth and the afterlife. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Fall In Texas

The weather has changed. The sights and smells of a new season bring with them memories of seasons past. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: October 29, 2020

Early voting numbers in Texas have been high. Texas still leading in the raw numbers of youth turnout. But what’ll that mean come ballot counting time? We’ll explore. Plus, what’s going on at Texas Juvenile detention centers? A new complaint indicates some big concerns. We’ll have the details. And 5G is coming. You’ve probably heard it means faster speeds, but will it, really? And staying at home to watch your favorite scary movie is a pandemic-friendly option this Halloween. We’ll examine why The Texas Chainsaw Massacre might be the top choice in many homes across the state. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

After the Fall

The new album by The Sideshow Tragedy almost didn’t happen.

Songwriter and vocalist Nathan Singleton seriously considered the unthinkable – quitting. As in, not making music anymore. It was that soul-shattering. Sheer exhaustion and a personal life in absolute shambles did not make matters easier. Yet, in the summer of 2018, with drained soul and shaken disposition, Singleton and drummer Jeremy Harrell wearily made their back to Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY to work again with longtime colleague, producer Kenny Siegal.

Rather than having a collection of tracks ready for recording, as they typically would, they only brought scattered pieces and shreds of unfinished ideas that would eventually turn into After the Fall. It was borne from a period of hell on earth, frankly. But that Sideshow Tragedy grit remains intact, reflecting a new era and a new feeling.

The Sideshow Tragedy shares their latest in a livestream release show at 7 p.m. (Central) tomorrow night, Friday October 30, on Bud’s Live and Direct on YouTube.

-Photography by Ryan Dorsett.

Matt Bradshaw: “Whatever It Takes”

Having already provided both trumpet and keyboard for Wild Child as well as Austin’s Cake tribute group Icing, Matt Bradshaw is fully equipped to ignite the next phase of his songwriting career. You can expect a string of singles in the coming year that’ll encompass Bradshaw’s bold ’80s-inspired synth-soaked solitary hype-up aesthetic, and you can also expect to add his Walker Lukens-produced premiere, “Whatever It Takes”, to your own personal heavy rotation playlist!


Jack Anderson

KUTX supports Austin music; your support makes KUTX possible. Donate today.

Texas Standard: October 28, 2020

Election day is just around the corner. We’ll start the show with what you need to know here in Texas to make sure your vote is in on time. And we’re watching some U.S. House races that could be up for grabs. There’s been a lot of attention on historically red seats going blue, but at least one Democratic incumbent also appears vulnerable. And we’ll also turn our sights away from election talk for an update on something else with long-term effects on the state: coastal flooding and how a new policy change could impact how we prevent it. And we’ll fact-check a claim about Texas taxes and business regulations. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

The Ghost Wolves Pop-Up Session Premiere

Hope you don’t mind, but the Austin Music Minute is doing things slightly different today.

The AMM is proud to present a special KUTX pop-up performance premiere of the dark ‘n’ eerie “End of It All” by Austin-based blues rock duo (and longtime AMM fave) The Ghost Wolves. And it’s all in anticipation of forthcoming 7-inch vinyl releases they’ve ominously titled The Ghost Series, featuring the dynamic duo playing covers of their favorite artists who have moved on…to the next realm…

Seriously super cool. The first is a tribute to an Austin legend, How The West Was Won: Love To Blaze Foley, with the tracks “Oval Room” and “WW3.” The second release will pay homage to ghoulishly gorgeous fiends The Cramps. Digital releases of the music are set for Tuesday November 3, with vinyl preorders available now. And word from the Wolves is that special editions with handmade block print ink covers by Carley Wolf will also be available.

And speaking of The Cramps, The Ghost Wolves are on the line-up of a huge livestream tribute to The Cramps presented by one of the Wolves’ favorite NYC venues, The Bowery Electric, on Friday October 30th at 8 p.m. (Central). You may recognize a couple of fellow Austin-based badasses on that bill, Kathy Valentine, and Jeff Klein (My Jerusalem).

-Photo: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for KUTX. Video: Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon. Sound production: Jake Perlman.

Roots & Tings: “Election Time”

You’ve still got a couple days left of early voting in Texas, and even if you’re the type to wait until Election Day, Bay Area group Roots & Tings has the perfect track to get you through whatever lines you may encounter. It’s only been two months since Roots & Tings released their debut All of This, an album that thoroughly demonstrates their unabashed brand of socially conscious, Caribbean-tinged hip hop/reggae fusion, but R&T has already followed it up with an absolute knockout.

Be sure to check out the Headnodic remix featuring Rico Pabon when you can, and if you haven’t made a plan to vote quite yet, don’t worry; it’s still not too late for “Election Time”!


Kam Franklin and Friends

A friendly reminder: Early voting continues in Texas through this Friday, October 30. November 3 looms on the not-so-distant horizon. And songwriter / activist / The Suffers‘ front woman Kam Franklin is taking the lead with a gargantuan virtual event to remind folks to get up off their butts already and vote.

Kam Franklin and Friends is a livestream concert celebrating Southern music, poetry, and the importance of voting. Curated by Franklin, the free event features artists, bands and poets from cities throughout the Southern region – including Texas, with plenty of familiar names from Houston and Austin. Fat Tony, The Suffers, Tiarra Girls, AJ Haynes (Seratones), KUTX Artist of the Month Jackie Venson, Devon Gilfillian, Mobley, Joshua Asante, Mama Duke, Riders Against the Storm and many others are part of a huge bill that will blow your mind.

The big party starts at 7 p.m. (Central) tonight, Tuesday October 27, on Musik Houston’s YouTube channel. And Head Count will be on hand to provide voting and poll location information. Proceeds from the event benefit Raices and Shape Community.

Texas Standard: October 27, 2020

There’s some hope from the left Texas could go blue in the presidential election, and some likelihood it could when it comes to the state house. We’ll explore. Also, the divisive state of politics right now has many concerned about the risk of violence on or after Election Day. We’ll dig into news Texas Army National Guard troops will be deployed. Plus, misinformation going out before an election is nothing new. But evidence it’s targeting Spanish-speaking communities. Also, when counties can turn any building into a polling place it often means many of those buildings won’t be fully accessible. And a small-town Texas story is getting its shot on the big screen. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

YATTE: “Spirit Calls”

With the winds as high as they are in Austin right now, there’s no excuse not to fill your sails and cast away. Enter the Live Music Capital’s leading authority on yacht rock, Alex Chod, and his appropriately-christened vessel YATTE. YATTE (“YAH-tay”) has an uncanny ability to emulate and evoke sounds of the late ’70s and early-mid ’80s while interjecting a bit of modern wit and self-aware sarcasm every now and then.

Last Friday YATTE apprised their loyal crew of listeners with the reveal of their upcoming album Sweet Shelter, and this announcement came alongside a new Steve Winwood-esque single and animated music video, created by Chod himself with the magic of Blender. You’ll see Chod become the cartoon captain that he’s always internalized and the nostalgic high you’ll get from “Spirit Calls” is guaranteed to make you want to blow the dust off your old N64 cartridges and desperately dig through boxes to find that ever-elusive RGB adapter.


Jack Anderson

KUTX supports Austin music; your support makes KUTX possible. Donate today.

Busta Rhymes vs. T.I.

On this episode of The Breaks”

  • Hosts Confucius and Fresh discuss Busta Rhymes desire have a Verzuz battle with T.I. and T.I’s consistent refusal to do so. Plus  they discuss the upcoming Verzuz battle between T.I. and Jeezy.
  • Both hosts point out that no one from the Austin City Limits Festival has reached out to them about to talk about the lack of hip-hop on this year’s virtual ACLfest.
  • In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh states that homecoming means much more in college than it does in high school, especially if you attend an HBCU.
  • In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius makes it clear that any artist accused of physical or sexual assault against a woman will no longer be supported by The Breaks

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Texas Standard: October 26, 2020

Coronavirus case numbers exploding in El Paso. We’ll look at how the city is trying to treat patients as hospitals reach capacity. Also, just over a week left to Election Day and it’s far from just the Presidential race on the ballot. We’ll highlight one sheriff’s race that’s heating up. Plus, transitioning from oil is something even the oil companies are thinking about. We’ll learn today why hydrogen might be a clean, but not so simple, option. And remembering Jerry Jeff Walker. Texas troubadour, Cosmic Cowboy, and misbehaving musician. Those stories plus a local debate over masks, a spooky anthology and more today on the Texas Standard:

Ten Years Ago…

Your Austin Music Minute maven had the pleasure of hosting an awesome stripped-down acoustic set by The Drums in KUTX’s Studio 1A last year, during the band’s tour supporting Brutalism. However, for this week, songwriter Jonathan Pierce is taking it back a decade, when fans got hooked on their first single “Let’s Go Surfing.”

The Drums’ self-titled ’80s-pop/post-punk debut LP totally smashed it in the summer of 2010. Now they’re celebrating its ten-year anniversary with a performance of the entire album on a livestream show at 8 p.m. Central tonight, Monday October 26, at Noonchorus.

-Photo of The Drums’ Jonathan Pierce by Gabriel C. Pérez for KUTX.

Elijah Ford: “The Line”

As the son of Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford, California-born and now Austin-based songwriter Elijah Ford has had the spirit of rock n roll coursing throughout his veins, even before he began touring with his father’s group Fuzz Machine at age seventeen. Collaborators have seemed increasingly keen on working with Ford, whose company has been enjoyed by the folks like Ryan Bingham, Juanita Stein, and most recently The Killers touring member Jake Blanton.

Blanton and Ford’s creative partnership is set to culminate with a dual effort LP sometime next year, preceded just last Friday with the release of its lead single, “The Line”!


KUTX supports Austin music; your support makes KUTX possible. Donate today.

Failure (Rebroadcast)

Failure is a word that carries a lot of baggage, arousing emotional responses that we’d usually rather avoid. But what about success? Why does the thought of success conjure images and feelings of comfort and satisfaction?

This week,  Two Guys on Your Head‘s  Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke examine how the heights of success and the “training wheels” of failure impact our everyday lives.

Haile Thomas (Ep. 47, 2020)

This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Haile Thomas, an international speaker, wellness and compassion activist, content creator and author of Living Lively. Ms. Thomas is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and founder/CEO of the non-profit HAPPY.

Planet Afropunk

It’s a movement, a festival, and an opportunity for endless musical discovery.

This year, Afropunk presents Planet Afropunk 2020, a virtual event with a global stage putting the spotlight on music, art, activism and creative thinking illuminating the experiences of Black artists around the world.

Today’s AMM shared a few artists participating this year: Saturday Oct. 24 –  Ari Lennox, Jonah Mutono, trio Johnny Cradle, Blinky Bill, underground duo Duma, KIRBY, Larissa Luz; and Sunday Oct. 25Bootsy Collins, Grammy winner Robert Glasper, Grammy-nominated producer Terrace Martin, Cintia Ramos, the Balimaya Project, Juliana Vicente and more.

Full listings and schedule info can be found at the Planet Afropunk website.

-Artwork from Afropunk’s festival website.