From pandemic to political upheaval, a budget shortfall and beyond, what promises to be a Texas legislative session like few in recent memory. We’ll have more on tomorrow’s start of the Lone Star legislative session. Also, after the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the role of Texas’ junior senator under growing scrutiny amid calls for his resignation. And a new strain of the COVID virus found in Texas, what it means for doctors and for Texans at large. And did air pollution make Hurricane Harvey worse than it would have been otherwise? New findings from Texas based researchers. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Archives for January 2021
Good Vibes Only
It may be what you need right now – good vibes only. And music is the way to go.
Good Vibes Only is The Long Center’s free streaming series of performances by local music artists, recorded following social distance guidelines at The Long Center’s Rollins Studio Theatre.
This week, the series features a set by longtime AMM fave The Deer. Get your dose of psychotropic folk from The Deer starting at 7 p.m. (Central) this Wednesday, Jan. 13, on Luck Stream. And make sure you check out the LP Do No Harm, as well as last spring’s two-track release, Acid Wash / Superstition Mountains.
Luke and the Lonely: “My Baby Loves Heavy Metal”
What with quarantine, cabin fever, and yesterday’s surprise amount of snow in the Lone Star State, you might’ve developed a need for company over the weekend. That’s why we’re easing you back into the workweek with Austin four-piece Luke and the Lonely. First sparked in 2017 and finalized in the summer of 2018, this indie pop rock quartet dropped their debut EP The Age of Enlightenment just under two years ago, but’ve decided to hit 2021 running with one of several Chris “Frenchie” Smith-produced singles.
Their first-of-the-year “My Baby Loves Heavy Metal” came out on Friday, giving us all the refined but aggressive strength to help us coast through to see another weekend.
Remembering The Late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Ep. 6, 2021)
This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a tribute to the late Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his ninety-second birthday, with highlights from Dr. King’s addresses and speeches, as well as commentary from his widow, the late Coretta Scott King, The Honorable Andrew Young, and former United States President Barack Obama.
Playing and Losing By The Rules
It can be hard to lose, and at times, to play by the rules, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, politics is more than just a game.
Virtual Church
For your Austin Music Minute host, the fascination began with an unofficial SXSW showcase presented by Church of the Friendly Ghost several years ago in East Austin; a wonderfully strange mix of undefinable genres that made for one of the best moments of musical discovery.
Created in 2003, CoTFG is an Austin-based volunteer-run arts organization supporting all manner of creative expression, from music and sound experimentation, to theater and film, to a wide array of multi-media projects. Their dedication and commitment to this kind of support has led to incredible projects like the New Media Art & Sound Summit, attended by artists and admirers from throughout the world.
CoTFG also loves facilitating mind-blowing collaborations between artists, and they’ve got one coming up this weekend with the sonic brilliance of Aural Canyon and bassist Rick Reed. The collab/event also includes Aaron Wharton, Bryan Gary, Shane Renfro (RF Shannon), Eduardo A. Garcia, Neil Lord (Future Museums), Mari Maurice, Charlie Russell, Michael C Sharp, and Matthew Hanner.
Catch the stream at 3 p.m. (Central) tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 9, on CoTFG’s Twitch, YouTube and Twitter.
KUT Weekend – January 8, 2021
Austin prepares a field hospital at the convention center as hospitals fill with COVID patients. Plus, we’ll hear from two members of Congress while they were locked down as pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol. And the Texas Legislature gears up to start their once-every-two-years regular session next week. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
Texas Standard: January 8, 2021
Will prominent Texas politicians who sided with unsubstantiated election fraud claims pay a price for that position after Wednesday? And what is a coup? It’s a question many Americans are asking about and arguing over after the invasion of the capitol. We’ll talk with a Texas scholar whose focus includes authoritarian regimes. And she’s one of the few health providers for miles around in a rural part of east Texas. And right now she’s overwhelmed with demand for vaccinations, we’ll talk with her. Also the impact of the pandemic on the future of Texas public schools, the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
January 6, 2021
The events of this day will go down in history. How will we remember them? That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
The Los Sundowns: “Al Final de La Tarde” (feat. Alex Chavez)
For more than two decades, Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Beto Martinez has imprinted Austin with his Latin-leaning outputs: Grupo Fantasma, Money Chicha, and Brownout. And though psychedelia’s always been a major factor in Martinez’s formulas, with some conceptualizing on behalf of Dos Santos drummer Daniel Villarreal, the two have dawned on a new Latin psych-soul project, The Los Sundowns.
In a little over a month The Los Sundowns will release their debut self-titled EP, stacked with a roster of talented collaborators from Villarreal and Martinez’s combined rolodex and issued through Beto’s new label Lechehouse Music. And while we all anticipate auspiciousness from The Los Sundowns when drops on February 12th, the group’s tided us over with their lead single, featuring fellow Dos Santos veteran Alex Chavez, “Al Final de La Tarde”!
Welcome To The Gallery
Before the pandemic, chances were pretty good you’d catch Bonnie Whitmore working her magic at The Continental Club Gallery, maybe even sharing a bill with James McMurtry, and most definitely doing a set with Stephanie Marlar – as Marlar was taking a break from tending bar, by the way. In summary: Badasses owning the room, as you may have already guessed thanks to Whitmore’s soul-scorching releases, Last Will & Testament, Coyotes Life and After Life, and unapologetic burner F**k With Sad Girls.
These days, The Gallery is still not be available as COVID-19 spikes to worrisome heights in Austin. However, Whitmore keeps the music lit with her weekly livestream residency The Virtual Gallery, in which she and now online co-pilot Marlar present live performances, conversation and special guests. To start the new year, Whitmore and Marlar are joined by Austin-based producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Scott Davis. Catch the show at 8:30 p.m. (Central) tonight, Thursday Jan 7. Ticket and month-long pass information can be found at Whitmore’s website.
Texas Standard: January 7, 2021
A normally ceremonial ritual of democracy stalled by the storming of congress. But it didn’t stop the confirmation of change. After violence at the capitol inspired by unsubstantiated claims of a fraudulent election, congress defies a mob and confirms Joe Biden as the next President of the United States and Kamala Harris as Vice President. But the political spectacle shocked many in the U.S. and around the world as images seldom seen from the capitol city recalled the toppling of the government of other nations, and the dissolution of the rule of law. We’re talking with Texans helping to make sense of Wednesday’s mayhem and what it means for our future, today on the Texas Standard:
Lost Cat Magnet & Joshua Thomson: “Moon Man”
When you find an ideal musical partner but touring schedules keep you apart, sometimes a lockdown can be a blessing in disguise. At least that’s how it’s gone for Californian-turned-Austinite Lost Cat Magnet and former Michigander Joshua Thomson, two star-crossed collaborators who’ve finally had a chance to create something new and extraordinary between themselves.
Between LCM’s beat-making finesse, Thomson’s expansive ability to improvise and interpret melodies on sax, and a shared universe of influences and tastes dating back a half century, these two built their Low Orbit EP from the ground up, only using a computer to touch up analog recordings. Co-produced by Brazilian music aficionado Tiago da Silva and releasing tomrorow, Low Orbit is sure to keep you gravitated into its field with exotic electro-jazz and funk-house inspired grooves, even on tracks that can’t be identified under any one genre, like “Moon Man”!
Reggie Williams (Ep. 5, 2021)
This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Reggie Williams, former NFL linebacker, NCAA Football Hall of Famer, Cincinnati City Council member and co-autor of Resilent By Nature: Reflections From A Life Of Winning On And Off The Football Field.
Texas Standard: January 6, 2021
As Georgia goes, so goes Texas? What the results of the senate runoffs in Georgia may tell us about changing politics in the Lone Star State. Major population growth, shifts in suburbs once reliably republican… sound familiar? Could politics in the peach state tell us something about political change coming to Texas, too? Texas based ABC News analyst Matthew Dowd with a closer look. Also, Texas’ two senators, both Republicans, not on the same page when it comes to certification of the electoral college vote…more on that plus why people of color in Texas may have less of a shot at getting the COVID-19 vaccines they need. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Alive From Whispering Pines
Your Austin Music Minute host recently revisited Lord Huron releases, including AMM personal fave Vide Noir (2018) and two glorious EP’s you really must absorb back to back, Mighty and Into the Sun (2010). KUTX has also featured “Meet Me In the Woods” off of Strange Trails (2015). Of course, a great introduction might be Lonesome Dreams (2012). Ridiculously rich, gorgeous listening all around. Now imagine a livestream that takes a dive into not only Lord Huron favorites, but those massive deep cuts as well.
Sign me up. Lord Huron presents a brand new livestream series, kicking off with Episode 1: Alive From Whispering Pines, beginning at 7 p.m. (Central) Thursday, Jan. 7, on Noonchorus. Your virtual ticket gets you into the show.
Bonus Episode: Interview with Chaka from Riders Against the Storm
In this bonus episode of The Breaks, Confucius and Fresh talk to Chaka from the Austin Hip-Hop Duo Riders Against the Storm about his experience as the first Black chair of the City of Austin’s Music Commission, his work to create the Black Live Music Fund, why he created the DAWA fund, and what’s next for Riders Against the Storm.
The Consequentialists: “Puzzle”
When it comes to philosophy in punk music, raw always wins the luck of the draw. Take, for example, Austin outfit The Consequentialists, who knocked out the pre-production for their debut EP under the primitive restrictions of an iPhone’s built in microphone and the entry-level limits of Garage Band, over-dubbing only what they needed to pack a punch after the fact.
The resulting self-titled record is an unfettered offering of aggressive energy, putting The Consequentialists high up on our list of artists we can’t wait to see live. And with The Consequentialists finishing at a compact fifteen minutes, you definitely have the time to pilfer through its five tracks, starting with the album opener, “Puzzle”!
Texas Standard: January 5, 2021
Even as more Texans get vaccinated, hospital beds fill with COVID-19 patients and Texas may be approaching a critical tipping point. COVID-19 patients now occupy one in 5 hospital beds in Texas, and many ICUs statewide are at their limits. The state of the state of care and what health officials fear may come next. Also many Texans eligible for vaccination, but can find anyone to administer the vaccine. And asylum seekers south of the Texas border hoping for change from the Biden administration. Plus what that change at the White House might mean when it comes to Texas and the courts. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Cosmic Convoy: “Up For Grabs”
You’re no doubt looking for some new music to complement the new year, but without trying to get nostalgic over 2020 (how could you?) we’re actually going to spend the next couple days looking back at some stuff you might’ve missed. Enter Cosmic Convoy, an Austin-based quartet founded over a mutual love of vintage genres, whether it be it outlaw country, ’60s R&B-soul, or classic rock. The four began playing covers back in 2017 but have finally passed the limen and progressed into writing and performing their own tunes.
In November of last year Cosmic Convoy saddled up with their debut EP, Together Again for the First Time, channeling the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Son Volt, and Gram Parsons across six songs. We’re hoping that this is just the first entry into these fellas’ discography, so climb aboard the Cosmic Convoy with one of Together Again‘s boldest, “Up For Grabs”!