Austin Music Minute

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February 6, 2021

Love Austin Music: Graham Wilkinson

By: Laurie Gallardo

Feelin’ the love! It’s Love Austin Music Month, presented by KUTX in partnership with the City of Austin Music and Entertainment Division and the Austin Music Foundation. It’s a friendly reminder to support Austin musicians, and part of the celebration includes the AMM’s features on upcoming online performances by local artists.

Songwriter Graham Wilkinson has a new LP Cuts So Deep on the way, set for release March 5th, paired with the release of eight new music videos. Five years in the making, the album includes songs Wilkinson had forgotten about during the rush and bustle of touring, only to rediscover them later and give them new life with help from longtime collaborator Patrick Herzfeld. It was kind of like listening to each track with new ears, though each one resonates more powerfully now than ever, in the midst of a pandemic, and the debilitating health issues Wilkinson’s father is experiencing.

“The songs are simple reflections of what life is truly like, fleeting moments of beauty interwoven  between the worry and stress that consumes our thoughts and hold us back from whom we really should be,” Wilkinson says. “Most of our experiences are tangled up in challenges and moments that test our resolve…

‘Balcony’ (the track on today’s AMM) really sums up so much of where my head is this past year,” he adds. “My father’s Lewy Body Dementia diagnosis and his cognitive decline gave me courage and inspiration to put this album together, and the thought of having to say goodbye is the central theme of that song, which is why I wanted to bookend (the title track) ‘Cuts So Deep’ with it.”

Wilkinson’s album release shows are scheduled for next month – a livestream set on Purple Bee TV on Friday March 5th, and a socially-distanced show at The Far Out Lounge and Stage on Saturday March 6th, but you can see him perform on a livestream at noon (Central) tomorrow, Sunday February 7, on Facebook Live.


Episodes

April 7, 2021

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The words, “I’ll break your heart again,” enter one ear then promptly fly out the other. Are lessons ever learned? Is happiness a real thing? Fingers crossed, wishes made, but it’s hoping against hope. Lolita Lynne‘s newest single “Leave Me Alone” crosses this threshold, ever mindful of too much time spent inside one’s head. Following […]

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April 6, 2021

Strickland Vibes

The timing seemed perfect. It was on the first day of spring, and Scott Strickland was invited to do a pop-up performance on behalf of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), in partnership with Kendra Scott. People paused at the street corner where Strickland was playing to take in the show, while other folks […]

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April 5, 2021

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As evidenced by personal stories you may have heard on Pause/Play, many local musicians have been cautiously navigating any prospects of performing live as the pandemic continues to impact the music community. With things looking a bit brighter on the horizon, Harvest Thieves recently began making their own transition back into live shows with a […]

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April 3, 2021

Long Live Music

This Easter weekend, Luck Reunion and The Long Center wrap up the latest edition of the Long Live Music series with a powerhouse group known for uplifting and redefining the traditions of gospel music, the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama. This is monumental. The Blind Boys of Alabama show, on the Long Center front lawn, […]

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April 2, 2021

The Fire

Harry Edohoukwa‘s impassioned debut Fire on the Mountain is, without hesitation, the fire within. Edohoukwa’s powerful voice manifests the turmoil ravaging his soul. From the very first breath on opening track “No Rule” (featured on today’s AMM) Edohoukwa agonizes over what piece he’s missing in the puzzle – or why there’s even a puzzle in […]

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April 1, 2021

I Am Here All Day

It’s all in the eyes. Whether striking an intriguing pose, such as Lindsay Mackin (Annabelle Chairlegs) holding a gilded framework mirror; or holding one’s guitar, like Carrie Fussell (Calliope Musicals) or Jackie Venson; or riffin’ on what would typically be relaxing moments, like Corey Baum (Croy and the Boys) at the grill, or Ray Prim […]

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March 31, 2021

That (Virtual) Gallery Life

FOLLOW THAT T-REX. If you know, you know. Songwriter Bonnie Whitmore continues her fabulous Virtual Gallery livestream series with a new season of special guests joining her every Thursday evening throughout April. Everything kicks off tomorrow, Thursday April 1, with Lord Friday the 13th, doing a stripped-down acoustic set of their tracks, including their newest […]

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March 30, 2021

Interstate

Last summer, Altamesa released a new 7-inch, “Interstate/Yellow Sky,” on Austin-based label Mr. Pink Records, with front man and songwriter Evan Charles noting that these tracks are decidedly more uptempo than previous releases. Still…that enigmatic Altamesa storyteller remains a prominent figure. Take in the black-and-white mystique of the video for “Interstate,” visualizing a tale of […]

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