Jack Anderson

Carla Olson & Brian Ray: “Whiskey Train”

In a city as dense as Austin, we’ve got our fair share of transportation problems. Each year we hear exponentially grander solutions to herding a mass of people from Point A to Point B, including the hyperloop design of Elon Musk’s Boring Project. Those bold, sometimes impractical ideas can lead us to reflect on the milestones of mass transportation that’ve largely occurred in the past century. And when you add cultural capital into the equation, there’s nothing quite like the “iron horse”. That just about brings us to Americana Railroad, a tribute to our nation’s treasured railways. The compilation was conceived by Austinite Carla Olson (who co-founded The Textones with future Go-Gos frontwoman Kathy Valentine in the late ’70s) and puts nineteen iconic covers on a whole new set of tracks. With a roster of high-caliber collaborators, these locomotive etudes pass by like a series of uniquely-graffitied railcars, each with their own spin on otherwise-familiar freight. So before Americana Railroad pulls into the station this Friday, hop onboard a rolling rendition of Procol Harum’s “Whiskey Train” performed by Olson and longtime Paul McCartney Band contributor Brian Ray.

Casie Luong & waverly: “blessing”

There’s an adage that’s true for many things, but especially applicable to high-caliber collaborations; “you can’t rush greatness.” In the case of queer, second generation Vietnamese-American songwriter Casie Luong and Cambodian-born producer Wil Brookhart (who recently rebranded himself as waverly), they’ve actually known each other for quite some time, thanks to the Mother Falcon Music Lab, of which both are faculty members. Their mutual interest in the modern pop-R&B sound has overlapped their personal friendship for awhile, but it’s only been within the past year or two that they’ve actually made music together.

Inspired by the flirty, mischievous tones of Ariana Grande’s 2020 LP Positions, Casie Luong crafted the first draft of “blessing” at home over pastries and coffee last Fall. And while we’re sure that initial version was more than just a morsel, with the implementation of slick drum programming, vocal effects, and synthetically plucked strings (almost a call back to Mother Falcon), waverly has helped turn “blessing” into an absolute trap-R&B treat. Fingers crossed that this the first of many collaborations between waverly and Luong, and the best of luck to them on their journey to increase Southeast Asian representation down here in the Lone Star State and impact the demographics of mainstream music culture.

Steady Legend: “Bad Boy”

Think about all the musical milestones that have come with the introduction of a new lead singer. There’s AC/DC with Brian Johnson, Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio, Pink Floyd with David Gilmour and Roger Waters, and Jefferson Airplane with Grace Slick. Now, Austin soul-rock outfit Steady Legend isn’t quite as well-known as those groups…at least not yet. But they are fixing to pass the torch to their new head vocalist, Analysa Gonzalez, whose choir and church band background have given her the chops to wow a packed house without breaking a sweat. The sweltering passion of Gonzalez’ singing style led Steady Legend to re-tool their sound more towards funk and soul, and after two years of careful tweaks, they’re ready to make that transition official.

Steady Legend just announced the inauguration of Analysa Gonzalez through their next EP, Say Hey. Say Hey was written entirely by Steady Legend guitarist Michael Mancuso, and produced and mixed by Incubus, Matchbox Twenty, and U2 engineer CJ Eiriksson. Say Hey drops July 1st, and Steady Legend celebrates with a release show Saturday, July 2nd at The Green Jay along with Shaws of Awe. Today Steady Legend shared Say Hey‘s debut single, “Bad Boy”, whose defiant horn-laden energy and confident strut flips the script on the traditional “breakup song”.

Cujo Moon: “In the Stars”

If you’ve ever listened to Neon Rain, The Wild Jays, or Dream the Electric Sleep, you’ve already heard some of Trevor Willmott’s handiwork. Outside of those groups, this Lexington-born Nashville-based singer-guitarist-producer has also racked up millions of streams with his indie-alternative-folk solo project Cujo Moon. Cujo Moon first crept up in late 2020 with his debut EP Bridges and returned with its sequel, Bridges II, the following March. Cujo Moon’s third record Tides rolled in last August, inspiring comparisons to Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, and Bon Iver based on Willmott’s soothing guitar strums and gentle vocals.

Last weekend, Willmott bayed away a multi-month studio leave and embraced a crepuscular mindset on Cujo Moon’s fourth EP, Horizons. As with the rest of Cujo Moon’s catalogue, Horizons was written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered “lone wolf” style – entirely by Willmott alone. It’s a testament to the artistic impact that only comes with an auteur approach, something many solo songwriters overlook. Be it literal or through the use of emotional metaphors, Horizons sets its sights up to the celestial spirits and complements that connection to nature with earthy, ambient sonics, including piano and synth. You certainly don’t have to be an astronomer to appreciate Horizons but tracks like “In the Stars” will have you looking at the sky with a whole new sense of understanding and affection.

Holy Wire: “Twenty Six”

In some ways, everyone’s a historian; we reflect on our past, rewrite narratives, review documents from before our prime and re-contextualize them so they’re readily-applicable today. That’s doubly true for musicians like Alain Paradis, whose grasp on ’80s music makes his own modern songwriting sound like it came straight out of a time capsule. Paradis’ from Brooklyn, but has recently brought his project Holy Wire down here to Austin. The endeavor’s first iteration was ‘Order of Operations’, a fitting handle for someone as methodical as Paradis, but Holy Wire captures the sacrosanct circuitry of Paradis analog modular synth setup as well as the chords that connect his music across decades.

This morning Holy Wire blessed us with the title track from his latest EP, Twenty Six, which traces the strands of new-wave, post-punk, and synth-pop across three tunes. Abe Sieferth and Joe Lambert (both of whom have worked with LCD Soundsystem) handled the mixing and mastering, respectively, exalting the audio even higher. Thematically Twenty Six tackles the turpitude of your twenties, alternating between fond memories and grief over the end of an era. But you don’t have to succumb to FOMO regardless of your age, considering the “Twenty Six” single release show is 8PM tonight at Hotel Vegas. Holy Wire doesn’t hit the stage until 11PM, so give “Twenty Six” a few spins to familiarize yourself with the lyrics so you can sing along in person.

Adrian Quesada: “Puedes Decir De Mi” (feat. Gaby Moreno)

Thanks to the mainstream success of Black Pumas, Adrian Quesada has become a household name internationally. But we here in Austin are already well-acquainted with Adrian’s preceding projects – be it Grupo Fantasma, Brownout/Brown Sabbath, Glorietta, and even Ocote Soul Sounds. It’s no embellishment to say that Quesada’s a musical visionary, since his ability to revive rare styles in a new context is nearly unparalleled. And although Quesada pulls all that talent out of his cranium alone, his top-tier collaborations bring those cross-genre compositions to another level. Last Friday Adrian Quesada shared Boleros Psicodélicos, a feature-laden full-length that offers some serious Pan-American appreciation. True to its title, this dozen tiptoes between traditional and trippy, ’70s-psych and century-old South-of-the-Border boleros. Check out a phenomenal interview between Adrian Quesada and The Texas Standard‘s Michael Marks all about Boleros Psicodélicos, and tear into this intercontinental achievement with a track that vaunts vocals from Guatemalan icon Gaby Moreno, “Puedes Decir De Mi”!

Vivi Rincon: “If We Lived On The Moon”

First and foremost, Happy Pride Month! Today we’re celebrating by shining the spotlight on blooming Houston songwriter Vivi Rincon. She may only be 21, but between her virtuoso vocal range, fearless lyricism, in-the-pocket guitar patience, and deft sense of dynamics, Rincon’s already proven an amazing talent well beyond her years. While attending Berklee College of Music, Vivi Rincon met her current girlfriend, who’s also a producer. Together they carefully crafted Rincon’s debut single, “If We Lived On The Moon”, a performance of which has already racked up a million views on TikTok.

“If We Lived On The Moon” paints a picture of that blossoming relationship as well as Vivi Rincon’s personal passage of self-disclosing her sexual orientation. The track dropped on Wednesday in commemoration of National Pride Month, and will continue to wow you through repeat listens with Vivi’s impressive interval jumps and infectious intimacy.

The Suffers: “Don’t Bother Me”

Without traumatizing yourself too much, try to tally up how many major moments of turmoil our society’s experienced over the past half decade. It’s a lot. And without trying to sound too hippie-dippie, we’re not going to heal with more hatred. Although she primarily applies it to the constant grind of songwriting, recording, and touring, Kam Franklin of The Suffers shares a similar philosophy, that “it starts and ends with love”.

Tomorrow this one-of-a-kind Houston soul octet drops their third studio full-length It Starts With Love. This record reinvents The Suffers’ sound by exploring the retro synths and drum programming of the 1980s, like a modern day take on the Miami Vice soundtrack. But thanks to mixing from Grammy winner Adrian Quesada and mastering from Chris Longwood (who’s worked with both Khruangbin and Parliament-Funkadelic), It Starts With Love rounds out nicely with the group’s existing catalogue. It Starts With Love comes out tomorrow, and The Suffers play this Saturday at The Mohawk with fellow Houstonian Fat Tony. Between Franklin’s fierce vocals, lyrics grounded in America’s afflictions, and Latin-inspired percussion and horns (all of which can be heard – and seen – in “Don’t Bother Me”), the unbeatable energy of It Starts With Love absolutely demands a comfy set of dancing shoes.

Nick Mulvey: “The Gift”

The COVID-19 outbreak, the anxiety it caused, and the ever-changing conditions of self-quarantine have become a great equalizer; they’ve affected everyone across the globe, regardless of social status, and given us all a little bit of extra empathy towards our fellow man. That phenomena lends itself to the idea of interbeing – the interconnectedness of all things – a concept that has charmed Cambridge-raised singer-guitarist-producer Nick Mulvey. Up until 2011 Mulvey was mainly known as co-founder of the instrumental outfit Portico Quartet, but he’s since switched up from jazz and ambient to alternative-indie-folk and enjoyed a fulfilling solo career. However, it’s been a whopping five years since our last offering from Mulvey, 2017’s Wake Up Now.

Thankfully, Nick Mulvey’s finally returned to counter our difficult decade with his third full-length, New Mythology. Less of a revision and more of a “refuge for listeners”, New Mythology grounds abstract ethereal teachings into readily-relatable human experiences. It’s an amalgamation of Mulvey’s mentors, from close relatives to past teachers to ancient cultures and long dead authors. On top of it’s brilliant lyricism, New Mythology also marks a bold progression in Nick Mulvey’s cross-genre arrangements. You’ll hear a lot more of that when New Mythology drops next Friday, but today you ought to treat yourself to a track that’s equal parts boom bass, Citizen Cope-style acoustic guitar, Spanish-influenced rhythms, and of course, Mulvey’s magnificently mellow vocals – “The Gift”.

S.G. Goodman: “All My Love Is Coming Back To Me”

With the creeping commercialization of folk, you’ll find a lot of lyricists embellishing an idyllic upbringing or a Snow White-level connection to nature like they’re modern day Thoreaus rewriting Walden. But then you’ve got poets like Shaina Goodman, who was treated to a true bucolic lifestyle by her father, a farmer in Delta, Kentucky. Goodman translated those recondite naturalistic experiences to music with her Southern rock duo The Savage Radley, who released their sole album Kudzu in 2017 before calling it quits. Shaina’s songwriting is still going strong though, thanks to her eponymous garage-folk/post-punk outfit S.G. Goodman. In 2020 the singer-guitarist officially rebranded herself as S.G. Goodman with ten Jim James-produced masterpieces on her debut full-length Old Time Feeling. This Friday she shares her sophomore LP Teeth Marks, then sets off on a six-month long international tour, which includes an opening slot ahead of Jason Isbell next Tuesday. With a voice that’ll never stop giving us goosebumps and arrangements that seamlessly cross genres, S.G. Goodman’s work on Teeth Marks (including its latest lead single “All My Love Is Coming Back To Me”) is guaranteed to leave a lasting imprint.

Brian Wolff: “Motion”

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major milestone in the way we look at recent times, an unstable start to the 2020s. But of course we can also measure the turn of that decade by looking locally. For the last three quarters of the twenty-teens Austin was home to Fair City Fire, whose masterful heartland rock set the soundtrack for two studio full-lengths, five national tours, and even an official City of Austin declaration of “Fair City Fire Day” on August 31st, 2019. The pandemic was quick to follow, leading Fair City Fire to hiatus and eventually disbandment. However, FCF frontman Brian Wolff wasn’t all that eager to hang up an avenue for his songwriting altogether. After acclimating to the “new normal”, Wolff (along with his backing bassist Tim Moen and drummer Joe Valadez) joined forces with producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith at The Bubble last summer. Now the trio is set to unleash the fruits of their labor, The Punch EP . True to its name, these five new tracks don’t fuss around with any fluff and instead cut straight to…well…you know. Brian Wolff celebrates The Punch with a Standing Room Only EP release show 9PM this Friday at Lambert’s with opener Britny Lobas and today you can get your workweek wheels rolling with “Motion”.

Dog Island: “True Love Will Find You In The End”

If you take your pooch down to the free section of Barton Springs, you’ll recognize that Austin’s a pretty dog friendly town. You could also pick that up from show bills, considering we’re home to groups like A Giant Dog, Dog Beach Rebels, The Ghost Wolves, and the now-defunct Growl. There’s also Dog Island, the pet project of multi-instrumentalist/producer Dave Hanson, who moved here from Florida four years back. That move lined up with the release of Dog Island’s last record New Breed (2019), but the subsequent pandemic and the pain it caused provided Hanson with some new, deeply emotional songwriting fodder. The result is Only By Love, an eight-track penned in Hanson’s home studio that keeps a leash on Dog Island’s experimentation and synth work but also invites previously-untapped orchestral elements into arrangements. Only By Love dropped this morning, and Dog Island celebrates with a free, all-ages release show 7-9PM tomorrow night at Cloud Tree Gallery. Now, full disclosure, Dog Island won’t actually be playing, but they will be releasing a one-of-a-kind zine alongside performance art, installations, and an ambient electronic set from Jared J. Standish. So go ahead; tear into Only By Love, fall for Dog Island’s idiosyncratic style, and admire the optimistic curiosity captured in the Daniel Johnston cover “True Love Will Find You In The End”.

Old Sea Brigade: “5AM Paradise”

A cursory glance at the name Old Sea Brigade may conjure images of surly seventeenth-century sailors, but it’s actually the solo indie-folk project of Nasvhille-via-Atlanta singer-guitarist Ben Cramer. Cramer dropped his eponymous debut Old Sea Brigade in 2016, which quickly accrued acclaim and earned Cramer touring spots alongside the likes of Julien Baker and Hiss Golden Messenger. Old Sea Brigade’s since released two full-lengths (most recently with last year’s Motivational Speaking) and had his songs featured in television soundtracks ranging from Grey’s Anatomy to Nashville. Today Old Sea Brigade announced his upcoming third LP, 5AM Paradise, due out October 28th. As you can guess from the title, this record is somewhat of a celebration of those early morning hours, but more so the maturity that surrounds them; Cramer, who recently entered his thirties, has reframed 5AM as the start of a productive day rather than a wrap on a raucous all-nighter. The ten tracks on 5AM Paradise feature some of Cramer’s closest collaborators, not to mention some of Nashville’s finest session players (including Willie Nelson bassist Eli Beaird, Hayes Carll guitarist Kris Donegan) and The Whigs’ drummer Julian Dorio. With synths reminiscent of Joy Division, effortlessly floating vocals, and one hell of a hook, the title track off 5AM Paradise may just become your new wake up alarm.

What You Will: “Time Holds Her Tongue”

What You Will isn’t the easiest band to Google, so we’ll break down the basics for you here. Chris and Jenni Wiggins started the group in 2010 as a straightforward folk duo, and after cutting their teeth at the Kerrville Folk Festival, the band’s expanded into an alternative-indie-folk-rock sextet. For the past year, Jenni and Chris have tided over listeners by uploading intimate performances at NeWorlDeli to their YouTube channel. But despite the charm of those stripped-down renditions, What You Will deserves to be experienced in full, which brings us to Nothing To See Here. Engineered by Justin Douglas at King Electric Recording right here in Austin, Nothing To See Here serves as a perfect studio debut for What You Will. True to its name, it’ll captivate your senses (no visual enhancements required) with some really well-thought out folk fusion and fantastic instrumental interplay. Nothing To See Here drops this Friday, so do What You Will with that information. But your official recommendation comes courtesy of one of the record’s rowdiest – “Time Holds Her Tongue“.

Jesse Malin & Eugene Hutz: “If I Should Fall from Grace with God”

Back in 1943, Woody Guthrie garnered some serious attention by painting an ambitious message on his acoustic guitar: “this machine kills fascists“. Fast forward about four score to the present year and a different global conflict, where a new generation of musicians are picking up where Woody left off. Take for instance, New York’s Jesse Malin, whose 2010 crowd pleaser “All the Way From Moscow” makes a passing reference to Gogol Bordello’s Ukrainian-born frontman, Eugene Hütz. Hütz on the other hand, teamed up with Billy Strings and Les Claypool last month for a tribute to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky entitled, “The Man With The Iron Balls”. But just like how Woody Guthrie’s songs have provided timely commentary well after his passing, sometimes revamping a classic track can make more of a statement than working up something entirely new. Hütz and Malin had already bonded over a mutual adoration for The Pogues in the early days of their friendship, which led them to revisit the title track of 1988’s If I Should Fall from Grace with God. The lyrics are obviously still up for interpretation, but considering that the proceeds from this Bandcamp exclusive benefit The US-Ukraine Foundation, we have a feeling we know where their heads are at. All politics aside, “If I Should Fall from Grace with God” is a passionate, 21st century reimagining of The Pogues perfect for longtime fans or newcomers.

NOT THE MAIN CHARACTERS: “bad things”

Hyperpop…despite its glittery surface-level sound, it’s decidedly not just a genre for teenage girls. But let’s be honest, it’s primarily produced for and consumed by women of younger generations, so you need to cater directly to that audience. Enter NOT THE MAIN CHARACTERS, an L.A. “girl group” that’s really not all that different from The Supremes or The Go-Gos; they write about peer pressure, insecurity, bad friends and even worse guys but it’s only the dramatic, digital-age pop sonics that separate NTMC from their analog predecessors. When you take this trio’s confidence and candor into account, it’s hard not to mistake them for pop protagonists. Their debut EP, bad things come in 3’s, leans into that superpowered mythos with sub-rattling bangers and party anthems for a new generation. NTMC dropped bad things come in 3’s last Friday, so make like Professor Utonium and witness the birth of an awesomely empowered triad with the album opener and title track, “bad things”!

Matt Koziol: “Loving You Loving Me”

When a player becomes a hot commodity within their musical community, there’s an unsaid understanding that they could probably demolish a solo set all on their own. A perfect example is singer-guitarist Matt Koziol, who’s collaborated with country legends like John Paul White, Abby Anderson, and Jimmie Allen and enjoyed a creative partnership with Bre Kennedy as Koziol Kennedy. But as with many others, it was moving to the country music Mecca of Nashville that sealed the deal in terms of pursuing a solo career. It’s been a little over two years since Matt Koziol and Jars of Clay member/producer Matthew Odmark began taming the ten tracks on Koziol’s debut LP Wildhorse. And considering how crisp and thought-out it sounds, we’re glad they took their time with Wildhorse rather than grab it by the mane and ride it on barefoot hooves. The record dropped this morning, finally harnessing Matt Koziol’s towering talent and making it available for the masses. With summer temperatures on the rise, Wildhorse is a damn good album for a mid-May weekend. So when it’s time to clock out, saddle up with a slapback delayed country rocker that gets rowdy without kickin’ shit, “Loving You Loving Me”!

Primo the Alien: “Worlds”

Pop’s a broad spectrum, a mega-genre that pushes the boundaries of modern production but becomes plenty accessible thanks to foolproof earworm formulas. Austin singer-producer Primo the Alien is something of a pop stalwart, with a discography primarily defined by ’80s-style synth-pop. But it’s the 2020s, and Primo’s keen to keep with the times. So with the added encouragement of an Austin Music Award “Best Pop” nomination this year, Primo the Alien’s beginning to move towards contemporary electro-pop. Primo’s got a lot on their plate for 2022, including an appearance Weekend One at Austin City Limits Music Festival. Primo’s also playing For the Love of SIMS: A Benefit Concert to Support Emotional Wellness in Our Music Community 7:45pm tomorrow night at Far Out Lounge, opening for fellow KUTX favorites Max Frost and Sir Woman. However the biggest piece of news from Primo comes today courtesy of a new standalone single. Intended as an empowering anthem for women who feel marginalized in the male-dominated music industry, “Worlds” will wow you with Primo’s impeccable vocals, saturated synths, and brain-draining dubstep breakdown in its finale.

Cola: “Fulton Park”

Supergroups on any scale are just plain exciting. You get some residuals from the previous groups and they hardly ever underwhelm, especially when they first come out of the gate. Enter Cola, a new post-punk project that features Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy of Montreal art-punk quartet Ought alongside Toronto drummer Evan Cartwright of U.S. Girls fame. The trio got cracking on their first batch of songs in 2019 and formally announced the emergence of Cola late last year, the same day Ought called it quits.

This Friday Cola releases their debut full-length Deep In View, bubbling with a refined post-punk flavor that packs in spasmodic moments like a child dizzy on carbonated caffeine. And even though post-punk’s one of the more acquired tastes in music, Deep In View masterfully packages these ten tracks in a way that’s accessible to all listeners. In mid-June, Cola embarks on a month-long North American tour in support of Deep In View, including a stop in Austin on July 2nd at The Parish. So as you crest over hump day, ignore your dietary restrictions and treat yourself to Cola’s latest refreshment, the final lead single (and music video) off Deep In View, “Fulton Park“.

A. Sinclair: “How Things Got Done”

If you listen to our airwaves a lot, then you already know the name A. Sinclair. That’s the eponymous indie rock project of Austin multi-instrumentalist Aaron Sinclair, who doesn’t typically stick to one tempo for long and steers clear of 4/4 time as best he can. That said, A. Sinclair’s secured a reputation of accessibility, even when stripped down to the basic elements of vocals and guitar. But like countless other creatives, the COVID-19 pandemic presented A. Sinclair with plenty of songwriting fodder among the hurdles of social distancing. A. Sinclair embraced that obstacle of remote collaboration on his latest LP South Padre, working with a dozen contributors across five different states. The resulting masterpiece sounds so organic you’d never guess it was primarily conceived through voice memos, texts, and emails. South Padre came out last Friday, just in time for summer, so embrace the rising temperatures with A. Sinclair’s heated dynamics on tracks like “How Things Got Done”!