Jack Anderson

Some of the UK’s finest dropped by Austin for SXSW last week so today we’re looking back at London outfit HAELOS.

With only two albums under their belt including the upcoming Any Random Kindness, the music of this still-emerging quartet has been described as, “dark euphoria”, with indie, electronic, and prog rock coming together over droning synth pads, pop vocals, and driving rhythms. Last Thursday HAELOS made a pit stop in their international tour for KUTX Live at the Four Seasons and are now back on the road, returning to their hometown in June.

Any Random Kindness is out May 10th and to tide you over, here’s one of the more upbeat numbers from HAELOS’ Four Seasons performance (complete with chopped vocal samples), “End of World Party”!

Since his 1986 debut album, Guitar Town, San Antonio’s Steve Earle has been one of the biggest driving forces of outlaw country and rockabilly in Texas and beyond. And in case you haven’t been keeping up, the past few decades have witnessed Earle overcoming addictions and embracing outspoken political views over the course of nearly twenty studio albums and countless live shows.

Still supported by his ever-ready Dukes, the latest endeavor for Earle is his upcoming Guy Clark tribute album, Guy, out next Friday! Last Friday Steve Earle and The Dukes paid us a visit at the Four Seasons before getting deep in their current national tour and in a belated St. Patty’s Day spirit, let’s listen back to Steve’s live cover of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues”!

With South By South West officially in the bag we can finally return to our normal lives, but do we really want to?! All this week we’ll be revisiting our favorite KUTX Live at the Four Seasons recordings, starting today with legendary songwriter and producer Wyclef Jean.

Already a household name for his critical role in The Fugees and subsequent solo career, Wyclef has just released the collaborative album Wyclef Goes Back to School (Volume 1), a record that highlights young hand-picked up-and-comers worthy of international recognition. Last week Jean featured Jeremy Torres and Jazzy Amra when he stopped by the Four Seasons for a stripped-down acoustic performance, filled with career-spanning insights and a healthy level of braggadocio from the French-Haitian superstar. In between Jean’s boastful but uplifting storytelling, he showed off the his raw musicianship and right now you can relive the intimate early morning rendition of “Hips Don’t Lie” – originally performed by Shakira and produced by Wyclef Jean!

If you’re thinking of joining a cult, you might want to ditch the cloak and double up on the Dutch post-punk, courtesy of Iguana Death Cult.

These snarky Rotterdam rockers have put out several singles and an EP since 2015, most recently with 2018’s double-side “Femme Fatale/Faster Faster”. Iguana Death Cult has been bringing their eccentric energy to local stages all week for SXSW, continuing with five live shows this weekend, including 5PM today at Volcom Garden. Get ready to get rowdy for your SXSW wrap up, starting now with “Femme Fatale“!

Iguana Death Cult’s SXSW Dates

3/15 –  5PM @ Volcom Garden

3/16 – 4PM @ Spiderhouse

3/16 – 8PM @ The Lakehouse

3/17 – 11:30pm @ Hotel Vegas

3/18 – 11:30pm @ Volstead Lounge

SXSW gets hairier before it gets easier and we commend all these cats clawing their way through it! We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Black Pumas, the silky retro soul collaboration between vocalist Eric Burton and producer-guitarist Adrian Quesada, who became a KUTX favorite after the release of their song, “Black Moon Rising”. Black Pumas have hinted at more recorded material for a while now, and they recently put out their sophomore single just in time for their SXSW!

Last night Black Pumas played at Banger’s and they unleash their dark feline ferocity once again tonight with a show at Barracuda and again tomorrow at the Radio Day Stage! Spark up the new single before you see ’em get live and wild with “Fire”!

Black Pumas’ SXSW Dates

3/14 – Barracuda, 10pm – Official ATO Party
3/15 – Austin Convention Center, 4pm – Radio Day Stage

SXSW is a great time to discover international artists and provide a platform for local up-and-comers. Speaking of which, Austin songwriter and visual artist Blair Robbins just made her official festival debut alongside her quintet Ama. Robbins had been an integral member of the group Milezo for years and when she’s not leading Ama through avant-garde and melancholy indie rock, she holds her own as an accomplished solo performer .

Last night Ama played to a full house at 720 Club and you can expect their full-length Both/And sometime in the near future! You may just bump into the talented players behind Ama somewhere in the SXSWild and to help you with your musical discovery, check out a previously unreleased single from Both/And, “Hold”!

Like it or not, SXSW is officially in full swing! Joining the thousands of musicians making their annual pilgrimage is Seattle singer-songwriter Austin Crane, best known as Valley Maker. Crane began landscaping Valley Maker’s indie folk sound with his 2010 self-titled debut that also doubled as his senior thesis project at the University of South Carolina. Crane hurdled over creative crests and came out on top with 2015’s When I Was A Child. Most recently he went deeper into the sonic canyon with 2018’s Rhododendron, an album engrained in nature and Crane’s most cohesive record to date.

Valley Maker is in town with four shows for SXSW starting tomorrow. For today let’s illuminate somethin’ good from Valley Maker, “Light On The Ground“!

Valley Maker’s SXSW Dates

Wednesday 3/13 @ Barracuda

Thursday 3/14 @ Native Hostel

Thursday 3/14 @ Hotel Vegas

Friday 3/15 @ Cheer Up Charlie’s

Let’s face it. If you’ve listened to KUTX at any point in the past five years, you’re all-too-familiar with the name Walker Lukens. Walker got his start around the same time we did, with his 2013 debut Devoted, and he’s since become one of the most beloved and heralded songwriter-producers Austin has to offer. With his trusty backing band The Side Arms always at the ready, Lukens and his loop-heavy cocktails of pop, rock, electronic, soul and blues make electrifying audiences look easy.

In late April we’ll hear Walker Lukens’ latest full-length, ADULT, an apt marker of musical maturity in Lukens’ still-budding career. Walker Lukens performs this Saturday at Barracuda as part of SXSW and to get you in the mood for the new stuff, listen to this vape dream of millennial homeownership, “Heard You Bought A House”!

Montreal-based five-piece Pottery crafts a chaotic, high-energy brand of post-punk that echoes early Devo in a decidedly modern fashion.  Frantic vocals and noodly guitar riffs layer over [strict] drums, creating a sonic   tension that eventually crashes into resolve. Their double-sided single, released in November 2018, is a promising debut that’s created an air of excitement and mystery around the up-and-comers, who as of yet have a relatively small online presence.

The boys of Pottery are hitting SXSW hard this year with 9 shows stretched out across four days, kicking off their USA/Canada tour with Viagra Boys.

Keep an eye out for what’s to come for this exciting new act and enjoy a free download from Pottery  “Hank Williams”!

– Emily Wilson

Pottery’s SXSW Dates

Happy International Women’s Day!

In the spirit of the holiday let’s take a minute to acknowledge Herizen F. Guardiola, known mononymously as Herizen. Historically Herizen might best be recognized for her role as Mylene Cruz on Netflix’s The Get Down, but with the show wrapped up, Guadiola’s got plenty of time to write killer tunes and sing her heart out.

Last year Herizen dawned onto the music world with her seven-song debut, Come Over to My House, featuring classic R&B formulas laden with lush, exotic tones. Most recently Herizen’s focus has been on a series of upcoming singles, highlighting deep electronic grooves and Guardiola’s effortless pop vocals. While you’ve got that on your radar, be sure to see Herizen live at SXSW for three performances! And for today get in the weekend mood with the tantalizing title track from “Come Over To My House“!

Herizen’s SXSW Dates

March 11th TwitterHouse Lustre Pearl 11:00pm-11:40pm

March 13th FLOODFest Cedar Street Courtyard 1:30pm-2:00pm

March 13th Bandsintown Big Break Showcase Maggie Mae’s Rooftop 11:00pm-11:40pm

It’s less than a week out from SXSW and we’re ready to put some proverbial hair on our chests! Taiwanese trio The Fur. got their start in 2016 and broke out from their stomping grounds early last year for an international tour, earning praise across Europe and the UK. In late 2018 The Fur. dropped their debut studio album, Town, an eight-track featuring far-from-matted performances and well-combed production, all untangled over an indie dream pop spectrum.

Their current tour includes stops in Japan, China, and the US, and The Fur. graces us with their presence for two official shows next week for SXSW! Drift into this Taiwanese dream right now with the introductory track from Town, “Short Stay”!

The Fur.’s SXSW Dates

If you don’t remember the band Dreamboat, all you need to know is that it was essentially phase one for what is now one of Austin’s most prominent indie pop rock groups, SMiiLE. Singer-guitarist-producer Jake Miles fronts SMiiLE, joined by vocalists Mary Bryce and Annie Long and further rounded out with bassist Harrison Anderson and drummer Greg Clifford. These best friends-turned-bandmates and their flipped frown sound have consistently led to packed shows with a lot of emotions in the air. SMiiLE has been teasing their upcoming sophomore album with a series of staggered double side releases, and we’re officially four tunes in!

Join the positivity 7AM next Friday when SMiiLE kicks off Day 3 of KUTX Live at the Four Seasons and check out the dimple-inducing music video for one of this quintet’s latest songs, “The Way You Remind Me“!

Chicago’s DIY scene has become more and more prevalent thanks in no small part to groups like NE-HI and Lala Lala, not to mention solo projects like Accessory and Vail. So naturally when Jason Balla of NE-HI and Accessory met up with Emily Kempf of Lala Lala and Vail, sparks flew, and with the addition of first-timer Eric McGrady on drums, their project Dehd had emerged. All three personalities ring through reverb-heavy surf-infused alternative rock and on their upcoming debut album, Water, Balla and Kempf had to reckon between breaking up romantically and maintaining Dehd’s musical integrity.

Turns out their songwriting chemistry is too good to pass up, and we’ll see the trio perform in Austin well before the May 10th release date for Water. You have eight opportunities to catch Dehd next week during SXSW, where you’ll undoubtedly hear some (if not all) of the baker’s dozen of new tunes appearing on Water. No wristband? No worries! Dehd just put out the music video for Water‘s lead single, available today for free download: “Lucky”!

Dehd’s SXSW Performances

Tue. March 12 – Austin, TX @ The Parish – Get A Grip (SXSW)
Wed. March 13 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas – Desert Daze (SXSW
Wed. March 13 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda – Ground Control Touring (SXSW)
Thu. March 14 – Austin, TX @ Pearl Street – Pond Mag (SXSW)
Thu. March 14 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas – Levitation (SXSW)
Fri. March 15 – Austin, TX @ Container Bar – Dr Martens / Collide (SXSW)
Fri. March 15 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Annex – Romancing the Wax / Fire Talk (SXSW)
Sat. March 16 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda – Do512’s The Big One (SXSW)