Austin Music Minute

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June 1, 2021

Thanks For Having Me

By: Laurie Gallardo

Sometimes, all it takes is the magic of simplicity – and a few funky dance moves, and you’ve got yourself a badass music video.

The Stacks“Chicon,” is a nighttime traipse through empty parking lots and a few assorted spaces brightly lit by neon revealing a mostly deserted city. Shot in April 2020, the camera follows guitarist/vocalist Jake Ames along the empty streets and passageways like it’s Adventure Time, because…what else is there to do in the too-quiet, shuttered-down landscape? These are images of the pandemic’s beginnings, only this vibe injects a bit more hope than desolation. Gotta keep dancing. Even if “I’m the only one / Dancing in this town / I’m the only one dancing / To the beat.”

Now The Stacks brings us “St. Michael,” directed and produced by Stewart Parker, opening with a cautionary warning shouting at us in all caps, “CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES,” from what appears to be a ’70s corporate safety video. Accidents! Injuries! Some blood, at one point, and – one WTF moment – electrocution? Damn. It’d be nice if the archangel was in the vicinity, because yikes… All in the midst of “St. Michael’s” vibrant pop shimmer.

Catch The Stacks this Friday, June 4, at Radio Coffee and Beer, 4204 Menchaca Rd. Another awesome line-up with Hong Kong Wigs, Lizzie Buckley, and Chase Weinacht (Marmalakes). The music kicks off at 7 p.m., and social distancing is in effect.


Episodes

October 2, 2023

It Might Get Loud

Earplugs are not optional for this one. The double headliner at Mohawk tomorrow night, Tuesday Oct. 3, is over the top sick. Tokyo heavy sludge masters Boris share an explosive bill with one of the most influential bands in several things heavy, from sludge to grunge, noise to doom, Melvins. Like, what the hell?! Both […]

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September 29, 2023

The Homecoming

Put this in your 2024 calendar, in case you missed out this year. On Sept. 21, Mayor Kirk Watson officially declared the day as David Shabani Day in the City of Austin, presenting Shabani with “a proclamation for their craft and work in the industry both locally and abroad.” This is meaningful for Shabani on […]

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September 28, 2023

Worktape

Truly a Renaissance man. No exaggeration. Songwriter. Musician. Multi-media artist – which you’ll know first hand if you’ve ever been to Mobley performance. And now, in the recent words of Jonny Jukebox, “Are you ready for the next level?” Mobley’s journey takes its next cue from a collection of demos titled Worktape, and that’s exactly […]

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September 27, 2023

Black Rainbows

We’re all guilty of building up expectations. So, you might spin Corinne Bailey Rae‘s latest blazer Black Rainbows and find it something of a departure for Rae, in terms of a style that incorporates R&B, jazz and soul. This one gets loud, bold, experimental in many parts, powered by guitar and unapologetic vitality, all inspired […]

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September 26, 2023

Miles and Miles

Put the go-to retro label aside for a minute. The Heavy Heavy moves beyond that with a multi-layered ‘60s sound on their debut EP Life and Life Only. The way Georgie Fuller and Will Turner channel psych and mod influences with folk and soul in a timeless shimmer feels more instinctive than imitative. Then again, […]

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September 25, 2023

Zachariah…And Pamela Anderson

Truth be told, your nerdy AMM host is drooling like a goblin over Hyperreal Film Club‘s upcoming scary October screenings at Hotel Vegas. This Austin-based film lovers’ club, formed in 2016, does badass pop-up screenings of independent films of every genre at various spots around town, and provides a platform for guest columnists to write […]

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September 23, 2023

Bootcut

The humor is just as beautiful as the damn album, and the album is gorgeous. It starts as soon as you drop the needle on “Girls Bugging Me” on BOOTCUT. You clearly hear Afie Jurvanen, better known as Nova Scotia-based artist Bahamas, attempting to record something, but his young daughters are not having it. “…Can […]

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September 22, 2023

Crew Vs. Crew

In any exploration of the origins of bboy subculture and its crucial role in the development of hip-hop, one of the best rabbit holes to dive into is the work of Bronx street photographer Ricky Flores. The stark black and white imagery from these formative years carries a unique fluidity and exuberance, but Flores was […]

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