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January 7, 2019

Chris Cohen: “Edit Out”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Happy New Year! We’re only a week into 2019 and we’re already thrilled for another year of exciting new music, so let’s get right to it!

In the late ’70s, multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Cohen entered the world of music banging on drum heads when he was just three. Fast forward to to the mid-2000s, where Cohen the “singing drummer” provided his talents for a variety of groups, most notably in The Curtains, Ariel Pink and Deerhoof. In 2012 Cohen took his solo psychedelic pop to the studio and has self-sufficed across several recordings since.

Chris Cohen wrapped up 2018 with his first new song in a couple years, doubling as his first solo material recorded with other musicians (Tuneyards saxophonist Kasey Knudsen and composer/pianist Jay Israelson), rather than entirely on his own. Cohen’s new single teases more music to come in 2019 so let’s highlight Cohen’s latest and start the new year off on a revisionist note with “Edit Out”!

Photo: Ebru Yildiz

November 8, 2018

Júniús Meyvant: “High Alert”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Recognize the name Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson? No?! If that doesn’t ring any bells, perhaps his musical moniker Júniús Meyvant does. This Icelandic singer-songwriter began writing and releasing originals after years of creatively-induced cabin fever cooped up in his parents’ home. The constant surge of ideas and unwillingness to slow down convinced Sigurmundsson to undertake the compositions all on his own rather than work with a band, and in 2014 Júniús Meyvant was born.

Sigurmundsson’s sultry vocals and compelling arrangements accommodate a folk pop aura with splotches of soul, and the latest from Júniús Meyvant is out on Friday. Júniús Meyvant second full-length Across the Borders is out tomorrow and you can get the pre-emptive mental klaxons firing with the record’s lead single, “High Alert”!

October 29, 2018

Rich Jones: “Dreaming” (feat. Nnamdi Ogbonnaya)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

There are a ton of moving parts in the Chicago hip hop scene and one of the most active names in the community is Rich Jones. His current performance style lands somewhere between soul singing and laid back rapping but across all the solo singles he’s dropped and events he’s organized over the past few years, Rich Jones’ sound definitely doesn’t fall in one place.

Two years since he was voted second best rapper in Chicago (right after Chance the Rapper), Rich Jones is set to release The Shoulder You Lean On, an album that celebrates his singer-songwriter status and explores a sense of urgency, restlessness and life decisions. The record comes out this Friday but you can begin to drift towards The Shoulder You Lean On right now with a single featuring Second City multi-instrumentalist Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, “Dreaming”!

Photo: Katie Levine

October 23, 2018

Texas Standard: October 23, 2018

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

Setting records statewide as early voting gets underway across Texas. Meanwhile President Trump turns up the volume on immigration as a migrant caravan from Central America makes its way through Mexico to the U.S. border. We’ll have the latest. Also, watch what you wear before you head out to the polls. Why that favorite shirt or cap could land you in trouble with the law. And tornado alley winding its way eastward? Climate experts track a surprising long term weather pattern. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

October 18, 2018

Willy McGee: “Double Text”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

A quick listen to Austin singer-songwriter (and filmmaker) Willy McGee gives you two immediate impressions: light-hearted lyrics; serious music. McGee put out his self-recorded debut a dozen years ago (when he was still in high school) and through the films and records between then and now, he’s been building up his skills on vocals, piano, guitar and more.

Last Friday Willy McGee released a baker’s dozen of tunes in form of his brand new LP You Gonna Eat That? The record finds roots in Texas electric blues but bounces between songs that sound like Quicksilver Messenger Service, Aaron Neville, and even Christopher Cross. The new McGee is available online and on vinyl and you can dig into You Gonna Eat That with the album’s midway point (offering sage advice for the smartphone generation), “Double Text”!

September 27, 2018

demitasse: “Sorry (I Only Wanted to Make You)”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Sounding less like star-crossed lovers and more like bar-tossed brothers, San Antonio duo demitasse is one of the tightest acoustic groups you’ll ever hear. Erik Sanden and Joe Reyes consider this a side project to their art rock band Buttercup, and although “demitasse” describes a small cup of coffee, the close-knit chemistry behind the group brings a plentiful portion of folk pop to the table.

Tomorrow demitasse releases the follow-up to their 2014 debut record Blue Medicine, an eleven-track full-length affectionately entitled powercouple. In less than twenty four hours you’ll be able to enjoy the intimate acoustic arrangements on powercouple and for now, here’s “Sorry (I Only Wanted to Make You)”!

June 29, 2018

Red Baraat ft. Heems: “Sound the People”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Psych, jazz and hip-hop all together at once? Sign me up. Add some modern day Bhangra in the mix and you’ve got Brooklyn six-piece Red Baraat. Are they a party band? Undeniably so. That doesn’t change the fact that on their fifth album Sound The People, Red Baraat proves once and again that the biggest party possible comes in the form of cross-cultural unity.

If this brand new Red Baraat record sounds to you roughly like an international version of Run The Jewels, you’re not far off; RtJ co-producer Little Shalimar took the reigns alongside in-group producer Sunny Jain to create a bizarre and beautiful aural landscape. Aptly fitting in this nine-song forge, Sound The People pairs pop culture references with a discussion on South Asian diaspora, migration and the 2018 US political climate. Heems of Brooklyn hip-hop outfit Das Racist leads the discussion on the album’s title track, so perk up your ears and add a little extra heat to your summer weekend with “Sound The People”!

-Jack Anderson (Host, Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

June 28, 2018

GUM: “The Underdog”

Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

Ahead of the release of his fourth solo album as GUM, multi-instrumentalist Jay Watson admitted that at this point, he doesn’t even pay attention to what kind of music he’s making, he just does it. Traversing a buffet of genres that serves-up everything from prog rock to disco, Watson seamlessly stitches them into Jay’s Psychedelic Dream Coat, allowing the trademark sounds of his other projects Tame Impala and Pond to spill over while maintaining his own flavor. Watson’s passive-if-not-self-deprecating modesty is noted in everything from his decade-long silent involvement with Tame Impala to the GUM discography itself, yielding names like Glamorous Damage, Flash in the Pan, and the current [the] Underdog, but the caliber of his psych-rock disco casts a shadow of irony across his effort to make incredible music under the radar. Give yourself some boogie-room for this one, chief.

 

“The Underdog” is the title track to GUM’s latest record, out now via Spinning Top.

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

June 20, 2018

Christina Cavazos: “Forever”

Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

The list of achievements already acquired by 18-year-old Austinite Christina Cavazos reads more like a bucket list of many musicians twice her age. Radio play several times over, gracing several of Austin’s most illustrious stages, and having her choice of some of the country’s most elite programs available to college-bound recording artists. Cavazos’s music and songwriting is folk elegance at its best, earning a reputation for being mature, reflective, and introspective, with each component of every song carefully conceived and placed, culminating a sound that is commanding but controlled. Proving you don’t have to have the amp juiced-up to 8 or a cache of catchy pop melodies to make compelling music, her 3rd EP confirms her place in the Austin songwriter’s spotlight, proving she’s not one of the city’s Americana artists to watch out for, but one you should already have firmly in your crosshairs. Truly, she belongs on a Spotify Essentials playlist alongside Kacey Musgraves and Margo Price.

“Forever” appears on her Mile Marker EP, out now. Catch Christina at the Continental Club Gallery on Thursday, July 5th with Jaimee Harris.

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

June 11, 2018

PR Newman: “Go To Hell” (Live in Studio 1A)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Described once as a sort of “punk rock Randy Newman”, Spencer Garland didn’t need much more impetus when he started his local band PR Newman around three years ago. Garland has centered his own virile vocals over much of the group’s compositions, allowing for a beyond-compelling dynamic range across the band’s discography. PR Newman doesn’t just shine in the studio; their live performances are a captivating breed of their own, thanks in no small part to Garland’s genuine sense of humor, wit and general ability to move a crowd.

Piggybacking off of last Monday’s Austin Music Minute, PR Newman has the pleasure of entertaining audiences each Monday this month as part of their June residency at Cheer Up Charlie’s, continuing tonight at 9pm with Indoor Creature and Magic Rockers of Texas. Make the next several hours go by a little bit quicker with an exclusive live recording from PR Newman’s appearance in our own Studio 1A this past January, the album opener for their last LP Turn Out – “Go To Hell”.

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

June 8, 2018

Kiefer: “What A Day”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Los Angeles-based professional pianist and beat arranger Kiefer Shackelford, best known simply as Kiefer, is back with a baker’s dozen of bangers! You may have already heard Kiefer’s subtle production contributions on tracks by artists like Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada and more. Kiefer’s investment in the tried and true pairing of hip hop and jazz stems from his array of inspirations, ranging from his contemporary Karriem Riggins, all the way back to classic icons like Bill Evans.

Kiefer’s newest musical exploration comes to us today as Happysad, thirteen tracks whose vague titles leave blurred lines across the emotional spectrum. In contrast to the straightforward bleakness of Kiefer’s 2017 debut Kickinit Alone, Happysad leaves the tone up to the listener, allowing them to soak up every note, beat, chord and nuance. Be sure to burn through the whole record at some point this weekend and you can start right now with “What A Day”.

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

May 9, 2018

Tracyanne & Danny: “Alabama”

Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell and Crybaby’s Danny Coughlan have been friends and mutual fans for years and have talked about collaborating for over half a decade, but it was the untimely passing of Camera Obscura’s keyboardist Carey Lander in 2015 that both put off and put into motion the duo’s new project, aptly named Tracyanne & Danny. Taking a break from music after Lander’s death, Campbell and Coughlan finally came together to record their self-titled debut, a ten-song effort that sounds like a well-blended indie smoothie of the two musician’s individual sounds.

“Alabama” appears on Tracyanne & Danny, out May 25th via Merge.

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

May 2, 2018

Ten Songs About Lovin’ The Lone Star State

Stories from Texas

By: W.F. Strong

About six months ago, I took a look at songs about Texas towns – “Amarillo by Morning,” “Galveston,” “La Grange,” “Streets of Laredo,” “China Grove,” etc. Now I figure, why not just do Texas? Let’s talk about songs that show their love for Texas in a Texas-sized way – paying homage to the whole state and her irresistible charms.

So this would leave out songs like those already mentioned, and also those that have Texas in the title, but are either primarily instrumental songs or have no specific lyrics of Texas praise or adoration. Much as I love Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Texas Flood,” it doesn’t qualify here. Neither does “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” since it is a song about loving one incredible Texas woman, but not the state.

We must begin, I suppose, with our official state song, “Texas, Our Texas,” written in 1924, by William Marsh, a British immigrant from Liverpool.

Another early classic would have to be “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” written in 1941 and first recorded by Perry Como. But probably the best-known version is this one by Gene Autry.

Just a few years later, Ernest Tubb gave us another classic that could have been used by The Texas Travel Bureau as their theme song; “There’s a Little Bit of Everything in Texas.” Willie Nelson covered it in 1993.

In 1975, The Charlie Daniels Band released its Texas anthem simply titled. “Texas,” on the album “Nightrider.”

Sometimes we show how much we love something by how much we miss it – by how much we long for it. That’s what George Strait did in “Can’t See Texas From Here,” from his 1982 album, “Strait from the Heart.” And I believe it was.

Gary P. Nunn gave us “London Homesick Blues,” which is hard not to put on the list. But from the same 1984 album, “Home With the Armadillo,” we get “What I Like About Texas.” That’s  dead solid perfect. Bet Gary hadn’t had to pay for a Beltbuster or Blizzard since 1984.

I first heard the song “Texas” by the British singer Chris Rea while driving across west Texas in 1989, appropriately under a big yellow moon, on Highway 90 south of Van Horn, a road that goes on forever.

And you certainly know “God Blessed Texas,” which has been ubiquitous since its release more than 25 years ago, believe it or not. It’s by Little Texas.

Vince Gill sang “I’ll Take Texas” in 1998. And his song did indeed take Texas by storm.

We wrap up our list appropriately with Miranda Lambert, with “Texas Pride,” from 2001. And that’s an ideal title, because her first professional singing gig was with the Texas Pride Band.

That’s my list. What’s on yours?

April 3, 2018

Fastball: “Just Another Dream” (Live in Studio 1A)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Fastball fanatics across Texas have another opportunity to see some of their two-decade-old rock favorites played live! KUTX listeners and Austin music aficionados are quick to peg Fastball as somewhat of a cornerstone of the local music scene, with six studio albums recorded and released since their debut all the way back in 1996. Fastball intermittently emerges for a quick series of shows between releases and because eight years has passed between the last two albums, the need to see them when they do perform live is all too real.

Fortunately for fans old and new, Fastball plays tomorrow night at 3Ten along with fellow ’90s rock genre-benders Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers before kicking off a quick regional tour across their native Lone Star State with stops in The Colony, Houston and New Braunfels. Can’t make it to one of their shows? No trouble – Fastball came by KUTX’s Studio 1A last April for a live broadcast session and now almost exactly one year later you can enjoy a free download of some of their most recent live material from the latest album Step Into Light – “Just Another Dream”.

-Jack Anderson (Host, Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

December 7, 2017

Johnny Nicholas: “Grinnin’ In Your Face”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

One of the most talented Texas blues musicians is back with some old and new material! Johnny Nicholas has been entertaining listeners and live audiences for decades on end across the nation and right here in the Lone Star State. His idiosyncratic songwriting and guitar and vocal performance style continue to captivate after all these years, and in the spirit of that timeliness, Nicholas is set to re-release his 1977 album, Too Many Bad Habits. Too Many Bad Habits accompanies an album of brand new material Fresh Air – and the pairing truly illustrates the versatility of Nicholas’ talent 40 years down the line. Check out the re-released version of Nicholas’ cover of Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face” before you catch him performing this afternoon – 5:00pm at Waterloo Records and this evening – 9:00pm at Antone’s.

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

November 5, 2017

Higher Ed: Learning From A Disrupted School Year

Higher Ed

By: Jennifer Stayton

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast on Aug. 25, 2017. Schools along the coast and in Houston were closed for weeks. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, it was the strongest storm to make landfall there in over 80 years. Natural disasters cause devastating physical damage and disrupt life’s normal routines. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss how students, teachers, and schools can rebound when their school year is disrupted. Sometimes that disruption happens on a wide scale, such as a natural disaster. Sometimes a student’s or teacher’s school year is shaken by an illness or death in the family. Ed and Jennifer discuss how disruptions large and small can impact a school year; how the people who are impacted can cope; and what everyone involved can learn from the experience. You’ll also get the solution to last episode’s puzzler about moving across a checkerboard.

This episode was recorded Sept. 22, 2017

August 9, 2017

Cabeza de Vaca: The First Texas Tourist

Stories from Texas

By: W.F. Strong

The first person to waltz across Texas – okay, waltz is the wrong word (just tipping my hat to Ernest Tubb there). The first European to walk across Texas was Cabeza de Vaca. And he did it barefoot and mostly naked. Why? We shall see.

His full name was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Bet they just called him “Al.” “Alvar” means “guardian.” Turns out that he tried to be just that for the indigenous peoples of all the Americas, North and South.

He started out as a Spanish Explorer in the New World, with an expedition of 300 people in Florida in 1528. Within a few months, Indian attacks and starvation had driven the Spaniards to the coast where they quickly built 5 crude rafts to escape into the Gulf. They hugged the coastline and made it to the Mississippi River, which pushed them out to sea where they were separated by currents and storms. Many died from drinking sea water. Many fell overboard and drowned. Cabeza de Vaca’s raft and one other, along with about 80 survivors, washed up just south of Galveston Island.

Aboriginals on the island saved them from starvation, but many of the Spaniards still died of malnutrition and illness. Many of the native Texans died, too, likely from European viruses that Cabeza de Vaca’s group carried. Within months, only he and three others of his expedition were still alive. That was out of the original 300, a 99 percent death rate. Not exactly a confidence builder.

And then the fun really began. The tribe turned hostile. They made slaves of these castaways – forced them to dig for edible roots, gather firewood and keep fires going all night to ward off the swarms of mosquitoes. They were beaten if they didn’t work hard and sometimes they were beaten just for fun. The castaways were stuck in captivity for several years, though Cabeza de Vaca himself got some relief as they allowed him to trade with other tribes on their behalf.

Despite the horrors they endured, a tiny hope sustained them – Cortés was only 1,000 miles away down in Mexico. Maybe they could reach him and their countrymen. Finally, as their tribe migrated south one summer, they seized the opportunity and escaped.

They headed southwest, following the coastal route that is today highway 35. They had no clothes and no shoes. They walked mostly naked and barefoot through increasingly brutal terrain of mesquite thickets and cactus and sharp coastal grasses. They ate pecans, at what Cabeza de Vaca called the “river of nuts,” which ironically was not the Nueces River – nueces meaning “nuts” – but the Guadalupe. They also ate prickly pear fruit, prickly pear itself, mesquite beans and roasted corn (elotes). Bet they would have given about a million gold Escudo coins for a Whataburger.

One thing they did have going for them is that they became known as shaman or healers. They were called The Children of the Sun by tribes in the region. Many in these tribes flocked to them to be healed. They did the best they could, blowing gently on their patients’ bodies and making the sign of the cross over them. Sometimes they recited rosaries. Fortunately, most people they treated were cured, or at at least reported feeling much better.

Their reputation preceded them and the tribes they encountered greeted them as holy men and demigods. This was quite a welcome reversal from their lives as slaves.

Despite the difficulties of their journey, Cabeza de Vaca still marvelled at the beauty of the coastal plains of Texas. He saw buffalo, which he called huge cows, and even tasted the meat once or twice. He declared it better than European beef. He later wrote: “All over the land there are vast and handsome pastures with good grass for cattle, and it strikes me that the soil would be very fertile were the country inhabited and improved by reasoning people.” He was a bit ethnocentric on the criticism, but it turned out he was a healer AND a prophet – predicting the great cattle ranches that would flourish in Texas 300 years later. Back in Spain, he would argue for peaceful coexistence and cooperative colonization with the American Indians. The Crown was so amazed by his idea that they imprisoned him to kill it.

Though the exact route is not known, many believe that Cabeza de Vaca and the castaways trekked southwest through present day Falfurrias and Roma where they crossed the Rio Grande and then turned Northwest. They walked all the way to the Pacific Coast. Ten years after they left Spain, they made it to Mexico City.

Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to get a good look at the magnificence of Texas and to leave behind a record of what it could become. He was Texas’ first tourist and he was Texas’ first travel writer. He gave Texas a five star review for its potential. And in terms of making the most of the land, our ancestors fulfilled his prophecy. In terms of getting along with the native Texans, well, not so much. Let’s just say, it’s complicated.

January 22, 2017

Higher Ed: Key Element of Effective Learning

Higher Ed

By: Jennifer Stayton

What would you say is the quintessential element of effective learning: Intelligence? Persistence? Skills?  In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss what Ed argues is that key element: change. It’s a scary word and concept for many. Our comfort zones are much easier places to inhabit, at least most of the time. But Ed says in order to think, learn, and process effectively, change needs to be a major part of our approach. In this episode, Ed and Jennifer discuss the important role change plays in lifelong learning, and how we can change the way we think about change (wait… this is getting a little circular!). One thing that hasn’t changed about “Higher Ed” – the puzzler. Listen on for their discussion and also the solution to the most recent puzzler. Remember? You’ve got one raft, a bunch of carrots, a hungry rabbit, and an aggressive fox. Can they all get transported safely across a river without any loss of veggies or life? Listen on to find out!

This episode was recorded on January 19, 2017.

January 17, 2017

Texas Standard: January 17, 2017

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

Remember those secretly recorded planned parenthood videos? Though debunked, they’re back. And the stakes are high for Texas. Also, seldom does Texas willingly go the way of California or Hawaii…but when it comes to cigarettes, change may be in the air. We’ll hear why. And what did they know and when did they know it: how research by a Texas oil company decades ago came to be at the center of a multi-state fight over climate change. Also, as major metropolitical areas across the US keep turning blue, why is Texas’ third most populous county bucking the trend? Plus a conversation with musician Terry Allen and more…turn it up, its Texas Standard time:

December 26, 2016

Texas Standard: December 26, 2016

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

What were the top stories of 2016? This hour, we’re revisiting the people and events making news across the lone star state. Plus in 2014 people called it the surge. This year, as the numbers of Central American families crossing the border broke new records, what was being done to keep them from coming in illegally? We’ll take a look. Plus what used to be a US monopoly, we’ll revisit the national helium reserve as it runs out of gas. And a cure for what plagues central Texas? We’ll meet the man who sends in the hawks. And playing possum – the backstory of a legendary musician…all that and much more today on the Standard:

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