Jack Anderson

If there’s one man who believes in the musical mythos of the Lone Star State, it’s Robert Ellis.

You can see Ellis coming from a mile away with his idiosyncratic white tux and bouquet of yellow roses but his knack for honky tonk-inspired songwriting and understanding of Texas culture will easily impress natives, transplants and Tex-pats alike. Around the same time he released Texas Piano Man, Robert Ellis joined us in Studio 1A and he plays 7:15pm tomorrow night at The Bluebonnet Stage at Old Settler’s Music Festival. And in case you’re still not convinced of Robert Ellis as a beacon of Texas music, take a sip from his Studio 1A performance, and his love letter to one of our home state’s favorite refreshments, “Topo Chico”!

While she’s been compared to the likes of Emmylou Harris and Patty Griffin, the musicianship behind Americana artist Jaimee Harris is entirely unique. Born in Waco, Harris moved to the Live Music Capital ten years ago and immediately fell in love with the vibrant music scene and late night energy. But after falling in with Austin’s hard-partying nature, Harris collected herself, reckoned with her demons and doubled down on her passion: songwriting. Harris’ 2018 debut LP Red Rescue chronicles her path to sobriety over the course of ten intensely personal tracks and her live shows are oozing with emotion.

Jaimee Harris joined us in Studio 1A back in February and plays 5:35pm tomorrow on the Campground Stage at Old Settler’s Music Festival. For a taste of Harris’ stripped-down acoustic performance, listen back to the Studio 1A rendition of her first single, “Depressive State”!

Old Settler’s Music Festival is almost upon us so we’re dedicating the rest of this week’s songs to some must-see acts, starting off with this North Carolina two-piece. Songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz have just entered year ten as Americana-folk duo Mandolin Orange with their highest-charting record to date. Their sixth full-length Tides of a Teardrop came out in February and solidified everything we love about Mandolin Orange: delicate but decisive arrangements, shared vocal responsibilities, emotional lyricism, and a soft sound that’ll make you wanna bundle up in your sleeping bag.

Mandolin Orange brings their acoustic citrus to Old Settler’s Music Fest, 9PM this Friday at the Bluebonnet Stage. And in case you can’t make it out or if you just need a little pick-me-up, let Mandolin Orange keep you company this Tuesday with “Lonely All the Time”!

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Photo: Kendall Bailey

One of Seattle’s best kept secrets is out of the bag and coming to a dance floor near you. Although they’ve been around for half a decade, seven-piece act The Dip just put themselves on the map for soul lovers with their sophomore album The Dip Delivers. And true to its title, these ten tracks take you into a time machine of classic pop and vintage R&B, evoking the sounds of the sixties but with the clarity of modern production. The Dip’s tight live performances match the discipline of their concise studio recordings and you can expect to be left wanting more when they stop by 3Ten ACL Live tomorrow night.

The Dip Delivers is available now and here’s a little soulful somethin’ to get the ignition started, “She Gave Me The Keys”!

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Photo: Lauren Stelling

Even if you’ve never tuned into The Breaks (which…shame on you if that’s the case), you’ll likely recognize the name Jake Lloyd. This hungry, young genre mixologist is constantly pushing himself out of his R&B comfort zone with influences ranging from rock, soul, funk and hip hop. Lloyd’s wolf-like energy channels through his growling-yet-smooth vocal chords, and across his regular live performances and studio recordings, he’s got an undeniable sense of braggadocio and showmanship.

Last Monday Jake Lloyd premiered his new music video exclusively through KUTX in advance of his upcoming album, MoonLit Mornings. Jake Lloyd plays next Wednesday at Hotel Vegas and you can kick off your weekend right now with Lloyd’s latest single, produced by fellow Austin artist DSII, “Daily Interlude”!

Singer Rod Melancon‘s upbringing in the Louisiana swampland has always been integral to his voice, one that wanders between spoken-word, growlin’ and croonin’. Melancon’s inherently Southern style and Cormac McCarthy-esque lyrics are already well-established on his first three records, but never as boldly as on the cinematic and concept-driven, Pinkville. Recorded by Adrian Quesada, Pinkville is set about a half century back with echoes of the Vietnam War and character-defining truths steering this sultry album amongst guitar-heavy Americana, Louisiana soul, Texas blues, country rock and beyond.

Pinkville is available everywhere tomorrow but a copy of the album comes with each ticket for the release show, 10PM tonight at the Saxon Pub! For your fix of Melancon ahead of the show, enjoy a free download of Pinkville‘s lead single, “Rehabilitation”!

In the two decades since their inception, Peter Bjorn and John have become a household name for indie rock, with their 2006 hit “Young Folks” heard daily on radio, TV and ringtones across the globe. The Swedish trio dropped their eighth full-length Darker Days late last year to critical acclaim and followed it up this February with their three-song EP EPBJ, the former considered a return to form for the group’s signature sound and the latter, a bold addition to band’s increasingly dynamic catalogue.

Peter Bjorn and John keep the momentum rolling with a sold out show at ACL Live at the Moody Theater on Friday, April 26th. And while the concert’s still a few weeks out, today we have a new treat from these folksy Swedes! Peter Bjorn and John gave KUTX an exclusive first look at their brand new music video, one that accompanies the dark, acoustic, reverb-laden final track from EPBJ. So without further ado, say hello to the brand new PB&J music video, “Saying Goodbye”!

It’s still chilly across the United States and because we could all use some bubbled up heat, let’s dive into Jakuzi. What started on cassette three years ago quickly gained widespread attention for this Turkish group, whose debut Fantezi Müzik showed off their native underground sound to the rest of the world. And while the upcoming sophomore release Hata Payı expands on Jakuzi’s synthpop sound, it does so in a decidedly darker realm. Turkish-language vocalist Kutay Soyocak credits this shift to his personal journey and an exploration of relationships, mental health and the human condition, with touches of post punk, krautrock, and ’80s synth sounds supporting his lyrical tones.

You can pre-order Hata Payı before it comes out on Friday and get the ball rolling today with a free download of “Istemezdim”!

Does anyone really care about free music more than cute animals?! Heck no! It’s time for your KUTX Dog of the Day!

Meet Rudiger. Rudiger is a thirteen-month-old labradoodle who lives in East Austin. In addition to being an adorable ball of fluff AND man’s best friend, Rudiger is also a producer, vocalist and turntablist with a knack for avant garde, sample-based hip hop. And when he’s not busy chasing his tail or antagonizing the mail man, Rudiger’s in the studio crushing beats! Complete with canine sensibilities and with the help of his fellow neighborhood pooches, Rudiger just released his debut and the first ever song written by a dog, “Woof!”

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Happy April Fool’s Day!

Composer. Music Director. Producer. Call him whatever you want but there’s no doubting the musical genius behind L.A.’s Dexter Story.

Between pursuing his Ph.D in African Studies & Ethnomusicology, participating in community outreach, producing albums and playing a management role for Snoop Dogg, Story somehow finds time for his own songwriting. Story’s brand new full-length, Bahir, picks up where his debut Wondem left off in Story’s personal exploration of African music. Based on Story’s time there, Bahir incorporates nearly a dozen different styles ranging from Ethio-groove to Somali soul and features an insane lineup of international talent.

You can hear Bahir in full now and if you want a look at one of those fresh features, enjoy a track vocally embossed by Sudan Archives, “Gold”!

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Photo: Farah Sosa

A decade and a half into his extensive multi-media mania, Bill Baird still impresses listeners just as much as he weirds them out. Currently calling Oakland his home but with deep roots in Austin and San Antonio, Baird has created renowned installations in both California and Texas, was a key member of SOUND Team and once went under the moniker Sunset.

Now writing and releasing under his own name, Baird has earned international praise for his vast discography, with records that push the sonic envelope of psychedelia and veer into the realm of experimentation. Baird’s latest endeavor combines his bold songwriting with viscous soundscapes and a live installation to create the album Owl and its visual counterpart The Cube. Owl came out late last year and today you can officially purchase it on vinyl! If you’re not sold on the analog quite yet, maybe the modular midpoint from Owl will do the trick. Here’s “Strigidae”!

With well over a decade of experience as an industry professional and production extraordinaire, Austin’s Brandon Wayne DeMaris has helped players get the push they need and he only recently began to share music of his own. DeMaris’ therapeutic songwriting was stylistically influenced by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers but definitely has a unique sound on the upcoming record Brave Bones, due out next Friday. The album makes use of some of Austin’s most talented artists including David Messier in DeMaris’ backing band and features from Akina Adderley, Ray Prim and Grace Pettis, not to mention DeMaris’ own production expertise.

The release show for Brave Bones is Wednesday, April 10th at Antone’s and if you want to get a jump on DeMaris, check out his dream realized on the album’s penultimate track, “Shooting Stars”!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know who Grupo Fantasma is. The Grammy-winning KUTX favorite has been together for nineteen years and currently numbering at nine onstage and in-studio, they bring some serious heat to the table. This weekend Grupo continues their discography with American Music, Vol. VII a fresh iteration of Fantasma with a lot of the band’s signature sounds peppered in.

Catch Grupo Fantasma tomorrow afternoon at Waterloo Records, Thursday evening in Studio 1A for KUTX After Hours and Friday night for the release show at the Mohawk. Spice up your Tuesday and indulge yourself with one of the album’s most vibrant tracks (featuring Austin’s Tomar Williams), “Let Me Be”!

After nearly three full decades together, Boston four piece Guster has never sounded so powerful. These iconic alt-rockers aren’t just veterans but indeed shapers of the late ’90s/early 2000s scene and only a couple months back they put out their vigorous eighth album, Look Alive. The record comes almost exactly four years after their last one and on Look Alive we hear Guster experimenting with electronic elements, favoring synth work in its arrangements.

Guster continues their national tour in support of Look Alive this Thursday at Stubb’s along with Saintseneca and today you can download Look Alive‘s midpoint, complete with a pseudo-English accent, “Overexcited”!

As Austinites, we usually take advantage of SXSW to enjoy major international acts as well as discover lesser-known up-and-comers, but it’s rare that we catch an artist that’s almost a blend of both. Last week a lot of locals saw Heart Bones for the first time, a recent collaboration between Har Mar Superstar‘s Sean Tillmann and A Giant Dog & Sweet Spirit‘s Sabrina Ellis. Their individual reputations precede them and after two years together, they easily channel the chemistry of acts like Sonny & Cher and Sam & Dave while giving you the same electricity heard pulsing throughout the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

In fact, Heart Bones and their six-piece backing band wrapped up 2018 with a national tour of Dirty Dancing, where they teased some of the new singles that KUTX listeners heard Live at the Four Seasons last week. Be on the lookout for more from Heart Bones in 2019 and experience their early morning energy once again with this exclusive live recording of “Little Dancer”!

To say the very least, Belfast-born songwriter Naomi Hamilton gets major points for eccentricity. Hamilton’s project Jealous of the Birds still feels fresh five years into the endeavor and her off-kilter style of psychedelic indie rock continues to surprise and entertain listeners (both longstanding and new).

Jealous of the Birds just shared the new EP Wisdom Teeth and recently returned to SXSW two years after Hamilton’s very first visit to America, gracing us with her presence at our Live at the Four Seasons broadcast last Saturday. Don’t fret if you missed it on air and enjoy a free download of “Russian Doll!”