Jack Anderson

The Rumjacks: “Bloodsoaked in Chorus”

The lightly-irreverent, endlessly-perseverant energy of Celtic punk is truly a unique one, capable of both riling unrest and encouraging excess within the same three-minute sprint. That’s straight out of the playbook for Sydney five-piece The Rumjacks, whoseraucous take on the genre has led to a decade-and-a-half-long success streak. The Rumjacks have managed to keep it fresh after all that time, most noticeably with the addition of a new lead singer just before last year’s highly-acclaimed full-length Hestia. But as we all know, in the punk world, shorter is often better. That may be why The Rumjacks opted to release their first EP since 2009, Brass for Gold, earlier this year. Brass for Gold offers an efficiently-packaged eight-track punk experience, embossed in years of growth. The release has also landed The Rumjacks a spot on tour alongside The Dropkick Murphys, which continues soon at Stubb’s. You can catch ’em both next Monday and let loose with your buddies, belting out tunes like “Bloodsoaked in Chorus”!

Evelyn Taylor: “Look At Your Life”

We’re just past halfway through Black History Month but have only scratched the surface of Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Record Story Vol. 1 & 2. This compilation preserves the legacy forged by producer Juan D. Shipp and engineer Clyde Leoppard and their incredible roster of Memphis ’70s-soul acts by digitizing these rare 45s for the first time ever. But if you’d prefer to listen to these remasters on wax, you can snag Sacred Soul on vinyl and lift up your spirits up across all four sides with steamy gospel originals like Evelyn Taylor‘s “Look At Your Life”.

The Grahams: “Searching The Milky Way” (Luck Mansion Sessions)

You may have gotten wind of Luck Reunion’s 10th Anniversary lineup that was just announced yesterday, which’ll feature several KUTX favorites and take place a month from now out in Spicewood, just a stone’s throw away from Austin. But don’t get confused between that Texas treasure and another “Luck” legacy in the country music world – Tennessee’s Luck Mansion. This East Nashville parlor room’s been home to the likes of Sarah Jarosz, Rodney Crowell, Margo Price, Shovels & Rope, Allison Russell, and many more – including Alyssa and Doug Graham – over the past half decade. Raised in the Northeast and based in Nashville, The Grahams have been polishing their unique Americana style since 2013. Now, after four full-lengths, The Grahams and their affectionate laissez-faire aura are at the top of their game, as heard on the Live At Luck Mansion EP – out today. The Grahams embark on a two-week-long UK tour in late April and paid a passionate tribute to producer Richard Swift with the Luck Mansion rendition of “Searching The Milky Way”.

Abigail Lapell: “Ships”

Regardless of the providence, Canada and its vast countryside has always made for wonderfully nuanced folk music, be it through Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, or the late Leonard Cohen. Toronto’sAbigail Lapell has been carefully creating her own legacy of modern folk, threading a needle between dark and bucolic. Lapell first showed off her pipes on 2011’s Great Survivor and further rooted her multi-instrumental talents on both 2017’s Hide nor Hair and 2019’s Getaway.

For her upcoming fourth LPStolen Time, Lapell’s masterful skills on finger-style guitar, harmonica, piano once again return to effortlessly complement her eerily beautiful vocals. Abigail Lapell’s going to be in town forSXSWonWednesday, March 16th, and shares Stolen Time on April 22nd. So make the most of Stolen Time‘s two preceding singles between now and then by discovering what ‘Canadiana prairie noir’ means to you. Hint hint, the crawling groove and dynamic range of “Ships” (and its accompanying music video) is a damned good representation, both stylistically and performance-wise.

Good Looks: “Vision Boards”

With South By South West 2022 just a month away, the “must-see” previews are beginning to pop out. And if you’re the type that prefers to soak up as much Austin music as possible during SX, you’ll want to check out the Keeled Scales official showcase on March 17th at Cheer Up Charlie’s. Among the roster of great talent on the bill that includes Sun June, Katy Kirby, and Lunar Vacation is indie four-piece Good Looks, founded by South Texas singer-guitarist Tyler Jordan after a bold stint of 6th Street busking.

These poltically-minded Replacements-esque rockers enlisted producer Dan Duszynski (who’s worked with KUTX favorites Cross Record, Jess Williamson, and Loma) to help realize Good Looks’ debut album, Bummer Year, out April 8th. Good Looks is currently taking the record on the road for the Midwest leg of a two-part national tour. So if you like arid indie rock atmospheres and a healthy amount of tongue-in-cheek lyrics, make some room in your collection for Bummer Year and its head-bobbin’, “yeah”-inducing sophomore single, “Vision Boards“!

Geoffroy: “Strangers On a Train”

Although Valentine’s Day is filled with Hallmark moments and sweet nothings for couples across the globe, many prefer to ditch those saccharine stereotypes and instead celebrate the date by…well…treating it like any other. Montreal multi-instrumentalist Geoffroy probably falls in that latter category, considering theephemeral energy and active conscientiousness imprinted across his new album Live Slow Die Wise. Geoffroy put his mindset to music in the early isolation days of COVID-19, and brought Live Slow Die Wise to life with the help of producer Louis-Jean Cormier. Geoffroy’s already on the road for across-Canada tour in support of the album and is set to release an accompanying performance film Live Slow Die Wise in Mexico next week. Those sentiments of travel and reflection aside, Geoffroy’s sure to make you cozy regardless of your relationship status with “Strangers On a Train”.

Hollyy: “Someone Just Like Me”

Along with Detroit and Memphis, Chicago was a major hotspot of classic soul back in the ’60s and ’70s, so it’s no real surprise that the sound persists in the Windy City today…although not always in the places you’d expect. Say hello to “retro rock” quintet Hollyy, who released their 2020 debut album Miss the Feeling within their first year together. True to their double-consonant/double-vowel handle, Hollyy’s sound splits the difference between Daptone-style soul and rock that lands somewhere between ’90s indie and ’70s folk. With the help of engineer/producer Mark Needham (who’s worked with Fleetwood Mac, The Killers, Elton John, and more) Holly just shared their sophomore EP If You’re Ever Lost this morning. This new record may be a bit shorter than Miss the Feeling, but boasts a natural cohesion and infectious blending not quite achieved by its predecessor. But going back to Chicago soul, you’ll hear that influence right away with one of If You’re Ever Lost‘s top tracks, “Someone Just Like Me”!

Midlake: “Bethel Woods” (Studio 1A Version)

COVID-19’s still constricting the ways we can safely connect, so you as can imagine, our beloved Studio 1A’s been pretty quiet as of recent. That said, before Omicron took over, we managed to nab a couple standout acts late last year, perhaps most notably Denton six-piece Midlake.

These prog-folk rockers got their start all the way back in 1999 as “The Cornbread All-Stars”, leaning into their experience as jazz students at UNT before migrating to a more classic rock sound. Midlake made a big splash in 2010 with their third full-length The Courage Of Others and kept their creative waters bubbling with the indie-psychedelia of 2013’s Antiphon before shifting their focus to the supergroup BNQT.

Now, two decades since their humble beginnings, Midlake is flowing towards the release of their fifth album For the Sake of Bethel Woods, produced by Grammy Winner John Congleton. For the Sake of Bethel Woods comes out March 18th, right around the same time Midlake embarks on an international tour that extends through late May. We were treated to an early listen of the new stuff when Midlake stopped by Studio 1A late last October. And now you too can enjoy both the three-song video set and a one-off for Bethel Woods‘ title track.

Chief Cleopatra: “Fortuity”

For just over a week now we’ve graced KUTX’s airwaves with our February 2022 Artist of the Month Chief Cleopatra, the Corsicana, Texas-born singer-songwriter who conjures a seductive concoction of rock, psychedelia, and soul. That’s not to say that Cleo’s a complete stranger to KUTX, considering her appearances on The Breaks and genre-bending performance during their 2020 Summer Jam, both following the release of her 2019 debut EP. In the short time since then, Chief Cleopatra’s ascended to a higher plane, now harnessing even more impressive celestial interpretations. You’ll hear those refined spirits on Chief Cleopatra’s upcoming EP Luna, out March 4th, plus appearances from fellow KUTX favorites Curtis Roush and Jack O’Brien (ofBright Light Social Hour) as well as Song Confessional host/multi-instrumentalist/producer Walker Lukens. Hopefully you’ve already made acquaintances with Luna‘s lead single “Friends”, because the album’s sophomore offering “Fortuity” (and its music video, which just premiered over at Flood Magazine) is here!

Darkbird: “3-2-Wake Up”

Los Angeles and New York City are both considered major hubs for musicians to “make it”, and plenty of Austinites have made that move and never looked back. But for Kelly Barnes (who left L.A. after a dissolved marriage) and Brian Cole (who relocated from NYC after a house fire), the Live Music Capital of the World became a nest for their duo Darkbird. Cole and Barnes clicked creatively after finding one another through Craigslist, and together they’ve shared a series of singles since 2015. 2022’s set to be a big year for Darkbird, who just announced their upcoming EP Ballad of a Junebug, out April 1st, along with a release show that same evening at 3Ten. You can expect Darkbird to spread their indie-pop-rock wings more than ever before on Ballad of a Junebug, as made clear with the record’s lead single, inspired by a hypnotherapy session undertaken by Barnes, “3-2-Wake Up”!

Elizabeth King & The Gospel Souls: “I Heard The Voice”

Last Tuesday we introduced you to Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story Vol. 1 & 2, along with a promise to share some of the bounty over the course of Black History Month. Before this compilation dropped your best bet to hear these Memphis rarities was finding low quality turntable rips on YouTube or buying the 45s yourself. But now with Sacred Soul we’re able to enjoy the sounds of ’70s gospel in as high of fidelity as when these songs were first recorded. One of the more recognizable names on Sacred Soul is Elizabeth King, who at age 77 released her full-length Living in the Last Days just last April. It’s great to see King still in command of her chops, but even more so when you pair the new stuff against her genre-defining backing band The Gospel Souls and their iconic D-Vine recordings like “I Heard The Voice”!

Harry & Emmy: “Starseeds”

Bassist-guitarist-vocalist Harrison Anderson was a fairly common sight around town in the mid-2010s, performing with Austin groups SMiiLE and Dreamboat, and has since grown into a confident and charismatic solo act. As for singer-guitarist Emily Whetstone, she’s also enjoyed some stripped-down sets outside of her fronting/chief-songwriting role in Van Mary, whose track “Hug” has been a KUTX rotation favorite since it dropped. Well, after one fateful night of karaoke duets, these two star-crossed collaborators discovered an undeniable chemistry between them, and their eponymous duoHarry & Emmy was born.

Harry & Emmy ditch theBud Light pop-countrycommercialism in favor of some old-fashionedwell-whiskey twang. It’s as if the prime-era voices ofKitty Wells and George Strait stitched themselves together across the decades and harmonized without even trying. Their natural gravitation towards midcentury-style classic country has made for a rowdy residency at Hole in the Wall over the past weeks, but that’s all been a warm-up to Harry & Emmy’sfree indoor show 8PM tonight at Radio Coffee & Beer along with Batty Jr.. So don’t be cruel to Harry & Emmy as they mark the occasion with their first-ever studio single release, “Starseeds”.

Tr38cho & Ajent O: “Coup De Grace”

As we all know, New York is one of hip-hop’s central hubs so it can be tough to keep track of everything coming out. But there’s one EP in particular from last year that you won’t want to gloss over,Project Mayhem. Two of Buffalo’s finest – rap-punk vocalistTr38cho and producer-emcee Ajent O – went in hard on Project Mayhem, and as you can imagine from the name, the record’s full of transgressive energy and societal dissonance. This feature-filled eight-track also covers a ton of sub-genre sonics, be it with gritty piano chops, classic breakbeats, and Neptunes-esque percussion. So instead of trying to fight Project Mayhem, become a part of the movement with the album’s lead single (and music video) “Coup De Grace”!

Kiko Villamizar: “Poncho”

There’s aninherently international quality to the original tunes ofKiko Villamizar, theMiami-born, Colombia-raised singer, songwriter, and gaita flautist who currently calls Austin his home. You might’ve caught Kiko’s My KUTX session a couple weeks back, seen him do stand-up around town, heard some of his contributions to Money Chicha’s latest record, or gotten wind of his annual WEPA Cumbia Roots Festival. But going back to that thread of “world music”, Villamizar’s soon set to release his third full-length Todo El Mundo – out February 18th. Recorded at his very own WEPA Recording Studios, Todo El Mundo showcases Kiko Villamizar’skiller vocals, vigorous compositions, and transcontinental vista of worldly influences. Villamizar was going to celebrate with a release show tonight at Antone’s, however that’s been postponed until next month. So whatever the weather (butparticularly in the midst of a winter storm), you can still simmer in the steamy crawl of one of Todo El Mundo‘s punchiest offerings, “Poncho”!

Elder Ward & The Gospel Four: “A Change Is Gonna Come”

By design, Song of the Day tends to feature up-and-coming artists and contemporary releases. But in honor of Black History Month, we’re gonna shake things up just a little bit. You’ll still get the usual mix of modern acts over the course of February, but each week we’re also offering a unique piece of Black History.

Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story Volumes 1 & 2 showcases a collection of rare 45s – never digitized until now. Each track is a remarkable document from producer Juan D. Shipp and engineer Clyde Leppard’searly ’70s Memphis label, D-Vine Spirituals. At nearly thirty singles, Sacred Soul will captivate you with these historical gems and their context of faith, tribulations, and hope. Elder Ward & The Gospel Four kick off the tribute with their funky, upbeat rendition of “A Change Is Gonna Come”.

Guesthouse: “Mood #1: Red-Violet”

Though you may not have known him by name, you’ve almost certainly heard multi-instrumentalist Sterling Steffen play around town, be it with Mother Falcon, Sometimes A Legend, The Watters, Wild Child, or even Father John Misty. But outside of his status as a complete savant in the woodwind world, Steffen’s been preparing to unfurl a back catalogue of exotic beats with his solo electronic project – Guesthouse. Guesthouse’seponym came from his cramped Rosedale living quartersalmost a full decade ago, but only now with the additional engineering elbow room of his home’s garage studio has the project begun to take flight. You can expect lots of analog synth, unconventional-but-satisfying rhythms, some fascinating Foley work, and yes – even the occasional saxophone. So show some hospitality to Guesthouse today for the premiere of his driving debut single “Mood #1: Red-Violet”!

Roxi Copland: “House of the Rising Sun”

Under the Covers weekend is well underway and with only a few days left of Love Austin Music Month we’ve found a perfect intersection among those overlapping circles. Classically trained pianist-vocalist Roxi Copland has shown off her Americana-jazz-pop chops across town since 2012’s Pretty Lies and now – a full decade later – this Austinite’s announced a new five-song EP. I Come From Crazy was recorded at Austin’s King Electric Recording and is set for an April release. If you’re the jet-setting type you may very well catch Copland performing at Austin Bergstrom International Airport before then. But going back Under the Covers, today Copland’s treated us to a fresh take on a traditional folk song. Copland’s version of “House of the Rising Sun” may veer far from The Animals rendition we’re all familiar with but its tightrope walk between revision and familiarity (including lyricsmore faithful to the original) is a great reminder why this Austin artist should never be overlooked.

David Ramirez: “I Believe You”

Austin icon David Ramirez has been a major station staple of ours since KUTX’s humble origins. You’ve no doubt heard the Americana-connoisseur on our airwaves and we’ve had him in Studio 1A more times than we can count but the big news this week is the announcement of a new live EP.

Rules & Regulations not only marks the tenth total collection of songs from Ramirez but also the completion of a new challenge – recording and mixing six tracks to tape live in the studio with zero overdubs – all accomplished at Austin Signal in a mere two days. Hearing Ramirez in this new environment is already a treat and to top it off the special EP Box Set for Rules & Regulations also comes equipped with a coffee roast personalized by the man himself. Rules & Regulations is out February 25th and the album closer “I Believe You” (inspired by the Kavanaugh-Ford hearings) testifies to the top-tier quality of these previously unreleased songs.

Pleasure Venom: “Lose It”

As Love Austin Music Month starts to lull, we’re at the final offering fromAustin Music Foundation’s Artist Development Program and ATX Gen Next: Adventures in Person. Punk groupPleasure Venom has certainly helped to make this iteration of ATX Gen Next pop out compared toprevious versions, thanks topowerful verses chock-full ofpolitical views and vivacious arrangements that pack a serious punch.

You’ll be able to enjoy some of Pleasure Venom’spunk on vinyl later this summer when ATX Gen Next comes out on wax. For today though, toss out the predictability and get vicious with Pleasure Venom on the lengthy-yet-evolving “Lose It”!

San Gabriel: “Castles”

It’s safe to say that 2022’s started off strong with the year’s first Artist of the Month, San Gabriel. Seasoned multi-instrumentalist James Bookert only recently started releasing solo recordings after longstanding stints with Wild Child and Whiskey Shivers but his uniquely uplifting pop style has already laid out an impressive and accessible brand. San Gabriel just gifted us with a shop-shot live set (available below) and plays every Friday in February at High Noon. That video session gives a sneak peak into San Gabriel’s debut full-length (out this fall) while packaging retro percussion, heavy vocal reverb, and killer chord progressions into exciting originals like “Castles”!