Taylor Wallace

Night Drive‘s Brandon Duhon and Rodney Connell don’t hide their taste for dark music. Their 80s-flavored synth-pop is inherently dark and Depeche-Mode like, relying on a thick web of samples and sounds to create an atmosphere and energy that is simultaneously appropriate for an arena of several thousand people or a damp, smokey nightclub of a couple hundred. (It’s also worth noting they were the first group to bring smoke machines into Studio 1A.) Selling out shows across town for a while, Night Drive’s sound and essence offer an experience that literally no one else in Austin is delivering. Their latest single covers the National, plucking it from its minimalist comfort zone and injecting it with the buzzing life force that is uniquely Night Drive.

“Anyone’s Ghost” is available now via Night Drive’s Bandcamp.

-Taylor Wallace // Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Photo by Jason Quigley

After nearly two decades of releases and unyieldingly inspiring songwriting, Laura Veirs prepares for the release of her 10th solo album, The Lookout, a fitting title for an album about protectors. Its themes and influences hit chords on every scope, concrete and abstract, personal and universal. For her, it addresses the turbulence of being a parent and a woman working through the personal challenges and opportunities for growth presented by the throes of midlife juxtaposed with post-election America and its disdainful and heartwrenching racial divides.

The album is the result of implementing years of lessons and experiences in songwriting, collaborating, and re-songwriting, sometimes writing five versions of one song, something Viers said never occurred to her two decades ago when she was writing punk music in college. Written over the course of a year, The Lookout invokes many of the songwriting tricks Veirs has collected in her toolbox over the last ten albums, working with long-time collaborator and producer Tucker Martine to create another album of beautifully melodic and intricate folk-pop, releasing not only another benchmark in her discography but in the genre as a whole.

“Watch Fire” appears on The Lookout, out tomorrow via Raven Marching Band Records.

-Taylor Wallace // Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

At just 22 years old, London’s Tom Misch releases his largely self-produced debut album, showcasing his suave jazz guitar grooves and lyrics that slip from his delicate, buttery-smooth vocal chords, creating a sound that strikes a perfect balance between danceable energy and subdued chill. Citing J Dilla and Madvillain as early chief influences, Misch was a true-to-the-trope millennial bedroom producer releasing downtempo beats on SoundCloud, but shifted to his current jazz-infused R&B sound after learning his fans like him on the mic too. A bedroom producer no more, Misch’s debut album features a handful of industry notables and icons, including this four-minute treat with De La Soul.

“It Runs Through Me” appears on Geography, out now via Beyond the Groove.

-Taylor Wallace // Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

 

If “spontaneous dance party” was a genre, Austin’s CAPYAC would be the God-tier poster child. Invigorating the hips and grooves of audiences for years, these party-time enigmas brew a blend dance, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and some other spices in their cauldron and use buttery-smooth incantations of Eric Peana (AKA Ducky Limón) to create a sonic landscape as textured and conspicuous as their outfits and stage presence. Their latest album has the group “taken over” by the mad genius Donny Flamingo (keys player Delwin Campbell) who’s brought on the high-yet-chilled energy of saxophonist Papa Mongoose and the talent of one of the cities best MC’s RuDi Devino to fill-out CAPYAC’s stacked line-up. Every show they put on is sensationally unforgettable and today’s Song of the Day gives you a taste of their intoxicating energy and original sound. Give yourself some room.

The studio version of “Fade Out” appears on Who Is Donny Flamingo?, out now. Check out the rest of their latest Studio 1A here.

-Taylor Wallace // Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Joan Wasser is Joan As Police Woman, a talented force in her own right and a veteran collaborator with some of music’s biggest names including Lou Reed, John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, RZA, and Sufjan Stevens (the last two just being since the release of her latest album). Her 6th album Damned Devotion is a sonic benchmark in her discography. On this effort, she strips back her usual dense, polyphonic soundscape to reveal a more accessible, bare-bones sound and sharpens focus on beautifully harmonized lyrics that can be deeply personal and reflective or boldly declarative and inspiring, emoting on issues in her own life and those we face as a population at large. “Tell Me” leans on the former, though it’s theme is one any of us can relate to, summed-up with the song’s repeated (and brightly harmonized) phrase “Tell me, tell me, tell me…what do you need/want.”

“Tell Me” appears on Damned Devotion, out now via PIAS.

-Taylor Wallace // Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

 

Imagine Lou Reed and Belle and Sebastian writing an album together and you’ve got Nap Eyes, a Halifax-based indie-rock band that’s not afraid to blend alt-country-twanged guitars with their dark 60’s rock influences. Their third album I’m Bad Now is the band’s most conscientious record to date, marrying their refreshing, downtempo sound to lyrics that range from failed relationships, struggles with inner-demons, and some philosophical contemplation on some of life’s bigger-picture issues. “Every Time the Feeling,” hits all of those notes. Enjoy!

“Every Time the Feeling” appears on I’m Bad Now, out now via Paradise of Bachelors.

-Taylor Wallace // Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

If the week’s deluge is leaving you clamoring for solid footing and fiending for the calmness of the eye of the storm, L.A.’s Sasha Spielberg’s (…yes that Spielberg) got your order in spades. Collaborating once again with Chilean-American composer and musician Nico Jaar, Spielberg’s latest project is Buzzy Lee, a downtempo, soul-infused dreampop venture painting over your mood with perky, ethereal vocals and soft, rose-tinted synth tones to hug your weary soul and expunge it of the dread and toxicity the week can bring. “Coolhand” is the lead single from the upcoming Facepaint EP due out next month, and if you really are drowning in the deluge of obligation, listen with headphones. The rest of the world will stop and you’ll run into all that breathing room you’ve been searching for.

“Coolhand” appears on the Facepaint EP, out April 27th via Future Classic.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Photo by: Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon

Another SXSW has come and gone and with it comes two things: breathing room accompanied with a restored sense of sanity and the discovery of some incredible new talent. Jade Bird‘s been on our radar for awhile, and SXSW this year proved why with the festival awarding the Londoner the esteemed SXSW Grulke Prize for Developing Non-U.S. Act. Bird’s unparalleled charm is matched by her talent for songwriting that goes well beyond her twenty years of life experiences, possessing not only a proclivity for the axe, but for the pen as well. Her lyrics are honest and complicated, regardless if it’s about healing from a toxic relationship or lamenting her own role in them. And on that, we bring you “Cathedral,” recorded live last Friday at the Four Seasons.

 

 

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Love is a sticky wicket, and Soccer Mommy‘s Sophie Allison knows this well. Her latest album Clean is like reading her private journal, an open-hearted journey through the pitfalls of love, toxic relationships, and the emotional wreckage they leave behind. She uses the album to expose her vulnerable heart in the name of solidarity, offering-up her own deeply personal stories and emotions and allowing listeners to commiserate upon their own strained affairs of the heart, past and present.

“Last Girl” is a song dedicated to her current boyfriend and lead guitarist, Julian Powell. Where many musicians default to cherry-chapstick-flavored pop songs about falling in love, Allison writes about a darker, more honest side– the very human tendency to compare ourselves to a new partner’s past loves, wondering if they think of us as a fun, lovely, new experience or a consolation prize. Set to lo-fi, guitar-driven, indie-pop sounds that are just upbeat enough to create something that sounds like the external nervous excitement of new love, but speaks of the nervous anxiety happening in your head, that’s exactly where this wicket is gonna stick.

“Last Girl” appears on Cool, out now via Fat Possum. Check her out at Stubb’s on April 13th.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

All this week, Song of the Day exclusively brings you artists playing SXSW 2018 (official and unofficial) 

Caroline’s back! And this time she’s got a loaded bag of tricks exploding with different sounds and moods to match any and all of yours. Track-to track her sophomore album Loner shifts between smoother indie pop gems and shorter, edgier dance anthems. “Bikini” lands squarely on the latter, and as Caroline herself puts it, “it’s my riot grrl feminist surf punk anthem.” A venom-tongued song about the suffocating standards the entertainment industry puts on the female-identifying and the toxic quid pro quo they’re expected to not only accept, but be grateful for, Rose cleverly pens these riot grrl lines to surf-rock-meets-rockabilly sounds that slap your ear hairs with Wanda Jackson flair in a 2018 head space.

Caroline Rose SXSW Dates
Wednesday, 3/14 || Austin Festival Express Day Party
Wednesday, 3/14 || Stubhub Next Stage **
Thursday, 3/15 || Vinyl Me Please: Rising SXSW Showcase **
Friday, 3/16 || Antone’s **
Saturday, 3/17 || Brooklyn Country Cantina
** indicates SXSW official showcase

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

All this week, Song of the Day exclusively brings you artists playing SXSW 2018 (official and unofficial) 

If folk noir is a genre, Montreal’s Common Holly — real name Brigitte Naggar — has got it wrapped around her capo. Making use of the white space between layers and breaths, Naggar’s album Playing House is the product of introspection and experience, a meditation on taking what life gives you in stride and using the experience to better arm yourself for the future. “Nothing” specifically takes on the emotional fallout of romantic love and having to make the mature, though difficult, decision to leave someone be in order for them to heal, even if it kills you. Her writing is that of a young sage, coming from a personal and contemplative place that is unparalleled wisdom without pontification. The song’s theme and sonic landscape are reminiscent of Margaret Glaspy’s Emotions and Math EP — dark, emotional, and complicated– but Naggar’s softer perspective allows her to maintain a sound and voice all her own, highlighted by her minimalist use of her guitar and full use of her voice, harmonizing with herself in a way that at the same time feels haunting and beautiful. Her music might make you a bit sad and pluck at some of those heartstrings you worked so hard to silence, but one thing you won’t feel is alone.

Common Holly SXSW Dates
3/14 || Sports Day Records
3/15 || After the Gold Rush VI
3/15 || Brooklyn Vegan
3/16 || Music For Listeners
3/16 || Pop Montreal
3/17 || Biker Gang Booking

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

All this week, Song of the Day exclusively brings you artists playing SXSW 2018 (official and unofficial) 

 Photo by Félix De Portu 

Pulling you off the wall, through a time warp, and onto an 80s dancefloor are local indie heartthrobs TØMA. Imbibing heavily from the fountain of British new wave and noshing a bit on the sounds of contemporary groups like Phoenix , co-frontdudes Waldo Wittenmyer and Henry Johnson share a songwriting soul, juxtaposing charming harmonies and high-energy melodies with deeply emotional lyrics, usually concerning affairs of the heart. Now with a couple releases under their belt, the quartet (filled out by bassist Dillon Randolph and drummer Stijn Dobbelaere) is moving towards capturing their fun-if-not-anachronistic energy with a series of singles and music video releases. Their newest single wastes no time getting to the core of their sound, hitting you full-on in the face with poppy synth bloops and a bass line that grooves. Everything that comes after is classic, danceable, tasty TØMA.

Check out TØMA’s 2017 Studio 1A

TOMA SXSW Dates
Tuesday, 3/13 || Hole in the Wall Day Party
Tuesday, 3/13 || Empire Control Room
Thursday, 3/15 || Ginger Man
Thursday, 3/15 || Hole in the Wall
Thursday, 3/15 || 21st Street Co-op
(all shows are unofficial)

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

For the next two weeks, Song of the Day exclusively brings you artists playing SXSW 2018 (official and unofficial) 

Photo by Kate Blaising

Dropping on you like a new-wave charm bomb and exploding with as much color, attitude, and energy as your younger sister who threw-up rainbow-colored cake at your 9th birthday party comes Go Fever, a pop-rock-meets-new-wave outfit who, in just 2 years, has gone from obscurity to ubiquity– making the ascension from hopping on bills where they can to becoming a go-to headliner for almost any booker and venue in this city.

Equal parts charm and attitude is the magic formula here, brilliantly executed by their force of a frontwoman, Austinite-by-way-of-Australia Acey Monaro, who splices her charming melodies with razor-tongued, tell-off lyrics before letting it organically flow from her aura to yours and heimliching whatever pedestrian funk you’ve been choking on. All of Acey’s infectious songwriting is consistently delivered at the funkiest of standards thanks to her band, bulked-up with Sweet Spirit drummer Josh Merry and Star Parks’s Benjamin Burdick and Keith Lough. Go Fever have a new record coming out later this year (that we’ll be keeping our finger on), but today we kick it with one of their setlist standards, one you’re guaranteed to hear at at least one of their many, many shows this SXSW. A meditation on the emotional journey, for better or worse, from romantically being somebody’s everything to being nobody’s anything.

Check out Acey’s recent My KUTX guest DJ session and Go Fever’s Studio 1A debut.

Go Fever SXSW Dates
Saturday, 3/10 || NLand Surf
Monday, 3/12 || Do512 Strange Brew- Hotel Vegas
Tuesday, 3/13 || Spiderhouse
Wednesday, 3/14 || MGM Showcase- Lucille’s**
Friday, 3/16 || Nine Mile Records Showcase- Hotel Vegas **
Friday, 3/16 || OVRLD Party- Fine Southern Gentlemen
Saturday, 3/17 || Project ATX6 Showcase- Maggie Mae’s**

** indicates official SXSW showcase

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

 

For the next two weeks, Song of the Day exclusively brings you artists playing SXSW 2018 (official and unofficial) 

Hailing from the Okie lands of the North comes Norman Oklahoma’s BRONCHO, a high-energy garage-punk outfit whose sound and lineup have evolved throughout their 8-year, 3-LP history. The group’s sound has smoothed out as its filled-out, trading sharp-nosed guitar riffs and a gritty edge for buttery melodies and a more subdued, indie attitude that sets the guitar in the thick of the sound instead of driving it. BUT, as great as their newer sound is, the heart of the punk-rocker still beats on underneath, and we’re celebrating that classic BRONCHO momentum with this gem we dug out of our archives.

“Record Store” comes from their first Studio 1A appearance back in 2013 in support of their debut album Can’t Get Past the Lips. Ironically both anchored and driven by catchy guitar riffs laced with frontman Ryan Lindsay’s androgynous voice and loose enunciation, it’s garage-punk to increase your heart rate and curl your lip, wrapped in just the right amount of pop-punk to make it all stick in your head.

Check out the rest of that Studio 1A session here.

 

BRONCHO SXSW Dates
Monday, 3/12 || Hotel Vegas
Tuesday, 3/13 || Spider House
Wednesday, 3/14 || Parish**
Thursday, 3/15 || Bungalow**
Friday, 3/16 || Little Woodrows
Saturday, 3/17 || Mohawk
Saturday, 3/17 || Clive Bar**

** indicates official SXSW showcase

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Photo by Daniel Yates

Take a breath, slow down, and let the weight of the week lift from your weary aura and float away on the ethereal sonic waves of Caroline Says. But don’t let the open-air aesthetic fool you—everything Caroline Sallee writes and brings to life is leaden with substance. Making a departure from the surf-rock vibes of their debut album, the group’s follow-up turns the dial back a little without sacrificing momentum or interesting arrangements. Inspired by a trip to her small Alabama hometown where the juxtaposition of the constant whirl of the Austin cyclone and the apathetically accepted static state of Huntsville left her feeling unsettled and introspective, Austin-transplant-by-way-of Alabama Sallee fleshed out and recorded an entire album within months of 2017’s 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong. The setting for recording the album—her dreary, cave-like basement apartment— highlights the album’s darker mood, and the wealth of inspiration is evident in her songwriting.

“I Tried” is a shining synecdoche of the album’s darker tone. The energy is soft, each layer has room to air out and dissipate gracefully, and Sallee’s aerial vocals float on top of it all…with a hint of bossa nova to keep the momentum strong and your shoulders bouncing.

“I Tried” appears on No Fool Like An Old Fool, out March 16th via Western Vinyl. Catch Caroline Says recorded live in Studio 1A on KUTX next Thursday, March 8th at 9 PM.

Upcoming Caroline Says Shows (note: some may be SXSW official showcases)
Sunday, Mar 4th || Barracuda
Saturday, Mar 10th || Hotel Vegas
Sunday, Mar 11th || Hotel Vegas
Tuesday, Mar 13th || The Volstead
Friday, Mar 16th || Buffalo Billiards
Friday, Mar 16th || Scholz Garden

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

 

Photo by Katrina Barber

Marmalakes have been an Austin underground mainstay for the greater part of a decade, a household name with anyone who kicks it with the city’s indie scene. Formed through the friendship of lifelong buds Chase Weinacht and Josh Halpern, Marmalakes are folk-pop fun without sacrificing the integrity of their storytelling or songwriting, even when they’re slow and meditative. Their words are honest and their music is effortlessly smooth and endlessly interesting, like a good peanut butter that sticks in your head instead of your mouth. Pointing to the complicated and talented minds behind two of this city’s most warm-spirited musicians, their music has the singular ability to float about as soft, introspective indie-folk then appropriately inject growling electric guitars or bubbly keysmelodies to add texture to the Marmalake’s surface. At long last, following a handful of EPs and many, many shows and tours, comes the group’s long-anticipated debut full-length Please Don’t Stop, out in May. Their infectious tuneage is punctuated by their real-life energy, abundant in their live performances and heartily evident in their new video for one of the group’s softer, melodic songs, “Not Gonna Control You,” shot last week with KUTX’s multimedia team.

“Not Gonna Control You” appears on Please Don’t Stop, out May 11th via Austin Town Hall Records. Pre-order available now.

Upcoming (non-SXSW official) Marmalakes shows:

Sunday, Mar 9: Spiderhouse || All the Friends Ball
Thursday, Mar 15th: Kitty Cohen’s || Noisy Ghost PR & Graveface Records SXSW
Saturday, Mar 17: Butterfly Bar || w/ Carry Illinois and Star Parks
Sunday, Mar 25: Flat Track Coffee || Vinyl Party

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

A name like Rosie & the Riveters paints a fairly specific image in your head. You think of a vintage sound, a majority or completely female outfit, and some sharp-tongued lines in songs with a lot of real talk. If that’s about what you’ve got in your head, go all in with that hand because that’s exactly what these Canadian female dynamos deliver. Back with their sophomore LP Ms. Behave, the trio returns with each member more developed individually and more gelled collectively. Their stark difference in approach to this album is reflected probably the most in the lyrics. Their debut featured a lot of songs that were positive and inspiriting, but the 3 or so years between the albums afforded ample time to contemplate the state of womanhood on all scopes. The result is an album chock full of acid-laced lines and thought-provoking perspective. “Ms. Behave” epitomizes all of this.

“Ms. Behave” appears on Ms. Behave, out April 6th and available now for pre-order.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

When you hear Austin’s Midcentury, you’d swear their discog was several albums deep. Their sound is developed and carefully crafted in such a way you’d think they share neurons, and the members gel so well together, it feels like you’re listening to a band that’s had it down and together for years…just the sort of perks you enjoy when you are in a band with your buds and you have been playing together for years (in several bands). These righteous dudes stopped by our Studio 1A last week in support of their debut album Modern Nostalgia–an incredibly accurate title. Taking spheres of yacht, indie, and classic rock and funk and orbiting it around a 21st-century center of energy, the danceable grooves are augmented by Bruce Smith, Jr’s deep and carrying vocals and punctuated by the 80’s-inspired sax stylings of Leslie Matthews. Just try to sit still.

“Warrior” appears on Modern Nostalgia, out now. Check out the rest of their Studio 1A here.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Photo by Michelle Waggoner

The young and talented-beyond-her-years Bonnie Montgomery comes strolling with purpose out of the dust of a small Arkansas town and onto the rising country scene. Her music is of a different time, but her progressive lyrics (don’t worry, she talks about the classic country cases too) offer a refreshing update to the sometimes less-than-savory stories and lines from the outlaw country songs of yesteryear. Inspired by Willie Neslson’s Phases and Stages album and recorded in Dale Watson’s own Ameripolitan Studios right here in Austin, Texas, Montgomery’s sophomore album Forever picks up just where her debut left off, this time forming a concept album about life, the proverbial road, and “the mysticism of West Texas.”

“No More,” is like an outlaw country anthem for the #metoo movement. Implementing pop-country influences from an era more Yoakam than Lynn or Cline, Montgomery tells it like it is with an appropriately sharpened tongue. “You treat me just like trash…I’ve seen this before…I ain’t gonna be your woman no more.” Backed with a catchy arrangement and a satisfying amount of fiddle, this song is the song all the proud country women should be shouting and singing along to over and over and over again.

“No More” appears on Forever, out now via her website.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Despite being made-up of two married couples, the controls of the Blushing machine are (wo)manned by the wives. Kicking it back to 2015, Christina Carmona had a written a number of songs she knew were ready to be brought to life, but she needed a band and more immediately, a singer. Turning to friend Michelle Soto, the two formed a band and began the quest to fill out the instrumentation, which they ended-up finding perfectly in the men who introduced them–their spouses, longtime friends Jake and Noe. Together they recorded Christina’s songs and released their debut EP in 2017. Now, their follow-up EP Weak is much more collaborative, a reflection of time writing and playing together with the people you’re most intimate with.

“Bound” epitomizes the Blushing brand. A dream-pop wind-tunnel that has plenty of drive and momentum, but takes pockets of time to slow down and let the layers air out and feel their way around each other, all with Soto’s lofty vocals serving as the eye of the tunnel. Waxing and waining between the soft pockets are fuzzy storm clouds of layers and layers of shoegazey-tastiness.

“Bound” appears on the EP Weak, out now via Austin Town Hall Records. Check out the rest of Blushing’s Studio 1A here.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli