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September 25, 2023

Katherion: “Roses and Daisies”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Song of the Day is finally back from a much-needed break! And as a token of appreciation for everyone’s patience in the interim, we’ve got some great new picks to catch y’all up on, one of which made an inaugural streaming appearance just last weekend.

We’re talking about Katherine Yuna, also known as Rion Reed, but best recognized by their stage name amalgamation Katherion. This Houston native with growing Austin exposure has been singing their whole life and penning tunes for the past decade, but didn’t unlock and realize their true form as Katherion until a semi-recent, life-changing experience in guided psychoactive therapy.

True to their handle (pronounced “Kath-e-Ryan”), this project provides a healthy balance of masculine and feminine, spiritual and emotional, and sonically speaking…indie and alt-rock. In fact, ahead of their upcoming debut album 33, Katherion teamed up with indie-alt-rock innovator and Song of the Day favorite Walker Lukens to co-produce the record’s lead single, “Roses and Daisies”. So before we’re blessed with the full bouquet of unbridled acceptance on 33 later this Fall, which’ll also include the sophomore single “Thank You” in about a month’s time, bask in the refreshing fragrance of “Roses and Daisies”, whose authentic aromas alternate between vulnerable solo verses and defiant double-tracked choruses. By the time you get across the bridge and into the final hook, you’ll better understand Katherion’s admirable mission of empathy, uplift, and humanity’s mutual bonds, no matter how you identify.

August 26, 2023

Legend and Legacy

Austin Music Minute

By: Laurie Gallardo

If you know about Third Root, or the Austin Boogie Crew, you know DJ Chicken George (Jeff Henry). He’s originally from Houston. Austin is damn lucky to have him.

His innovative style, technique and unpredictable grooves have granted him sessions across the U.S. and around the world. But he’s much more than a club DJ. This is an individual thinker often regarded as the very embodiment of hip-hop, a fearless artist, a master collaborator with impeccable tastes.

Last year, Henry was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). He’s received some treatments that are helping, but he’s also dealing with the resulting fatigue and low energy that’s putting a halt to his DJ gigs. However, friends and supporters have come together to help him out. In addition Austin Boogie Crew partner Danny Spence starting a GoFundMe campaign, several others have organized various events like A Benefit For DJ Chicken George, happening tonight at Empire Garage. It’s a family affair with Riders Against the Storm, Blackillac, Third Root featuring the scholar emcee himself Bavu Blakes, a DJ set by Adrian Quesada, Vocab and Da Shade, and the phenomenal Gracie Chavez and her Bombón crew. Doors at 8 p.m.

Nothing but love here. Mad respect, DJ Chicken George. And here’s to the future.

August 25, 2023

B.R. Lively: “Hope in My Heart”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

With the oppressive heat and an especially tantalizing 24-hour news cycle, it’s worth taking a moment or two to just breath. So while neither we nor the artists we curate can claim to be mindfulness experts, we feel like today’s feature is pretty fitting for anyone in need of a mindset shift. It comes courtesy of Austin multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter Bryan Richard Blaylock (better known as B.R. Lively), whose well…livelihood….lies roughly within the boundaries of folk, outlaw country, southern R&B, and jazz. Lyrically Lively derives a lot from literature, but rest assured, his tunes aren’t so high brow that they’re inaccessible to the layperson. Lively first crested over the horizon with his debut Into the Blue in 2017, and tracked a companion piece fast in the aftermath. Well after nearly a half decade of solo touring across the US, Lively’s back in Austin and eager to unleash those counterpart recordings from their hard drive confines. Where Lively considers Into the Blue as an introspective, melancholic inhale, his sophomore follow-up People completes the process of process aural respiration with an exhalation of poignant wisdom, emotional growth, and realistic optimism; a Yin to Into the Blue‘s Yang. Lively takes the stage next Tuesday at High Noon for the People release show alongside Lola and returns the following Tuesday with Brothers of Mercy. But with scant chances of rain between now and then, let’s leverage those aspirations with “Hope in My Heart”. Co-produced by Band of Heathens collaborator Gordy Quist, mixed by Robert Ellis/Khruangbin engineer Steve Christensen, and arranged by string-and-horn visionary Thomas Avery, the sense of space, level of polish, and discipline of performance on this waltz are all nothing short of jaw-dropping. And as auspicious as it is awe-inspiring, “Hope in My Heart” will reward you with the essence of its title whenever the bleakness has got you feeling meek.

August 22, 2023

The Lennings: “Secondhand”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

For all the singer-songwriters who think they’re hot shit and want everyone to know it, there are just as many who’d prefer to lay low and essentially keep their craft to themselves. Among those who fall in the latter category? Guitarist-vocalist Jason Silverberg.

See, Silverberg launched his solo-endeavor-turned-full-band project The Lennings in the mid-aughts right here in Austin. Heyday highlights include The Lennings’ 2007 debut Big Beige Car, whose ten tracks have collectively racked up hundreds of thousands of streams, and their 2011 standalone cover “You’re the One That I Want”, which earned placement in NBC’s Parenthood soundtrack and nears nine million spins on Spotify alone. And yet we haven’t hardly heard a peep from The Lennings since the winter of 2012, when they dropped their sophomore full-length Inside.

Well it turns out that Silverberg shelved that indie-folk foray at the turn of the 2010s but scrapped the sabbatical when he returned to writing and recording at the start of the pandemic. A decade removed from previously-persistent studio output, this new iteration of The Lennings dodges doggedness in favor of a slow, steady, and cinematic approach. Yep, beginning with “New Year” (appropriately issued on January 1st, 2022), The Lennings is now a sporadic multimedia endeavor, where each sparse single release is served up alongside a visual counterpart. And today The Lennings officially set the pace with the second installment of this contemporary era, “Secondhand“. Lyrically, it chronicles a wallflower grappling with prolonged eye contact, casual conversation, and the very circuitry of time itself. Visually, it’s a largely over-the-shoulder perspective that tails a hooded introvert’s cross-Austin expedition. Sonically, it walks a tightrope of ’90s alt-folk with a beautiful blend of acoustic and electric guitars, balanced out with Silverberg’s soothing, multi-tracked vocal harmonies.

Altogether? “Secondhand” stops time for almost three minutes with a masterfully melancholy depiction of social awkwardness.

August 17, 2023

Alabaster DePlume: “Naked Like Water” (feat. Donna Thompson)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Depending on who you talk to, friends of composers, performers, and producers often present them as “prolific”. Which makes sense. No one wants to admit to sedentary songwriting, right? But when you come across someone with a truly bountiful output, more often than not, they’re not bragging; they’re just dedicated craftspeople who love to create. People like Manchester-born multi-instrumentalist Guy Fairbairn. For the past eleven years he’s been blasting out albums under the handle Alabaster DePlume. Sound-wise this experimental jazz project features Fairbairn on tenor sax, guitar, synth, and vocals and lyrically serves as Fairbairn’s artistic avenue for publishing poetry. When combined, Alabaster DePlume’s discography tenders a sprawling saga of unconventional sounds across six studio albums, plus a remix record and a collection of instrumentals. So with no no depletion of drive in sight for this Londoner, Alabaster DePlume unsurprisingly has yet another new LP coming out soon. That dozen-song endeavor Come With Fierce Grace drops September 8th, and based on the name alone we’re expecting an upper echelon of experimental jazz-folk. This morning, ahead of a maiden month-long U.S. tour, DePlume deployed Come With Fierce Grace‘s final lead single, oen that’s amplified by touring drummer Donna Thompson‘s towering pipes. On “Naked Like Water”, Thompson takes on the role of Lady of the Lake, whose vocals extend Saxcalibur to King Alabaster from a misty, aural Avalon. Rippling with liquid minimalism and leaving little to hide, “Naked Like Water” really lets the reverb and sense of space do a lot of the heavy lifting. In doing so these cleansing waves bare all and drip with ambient avant-garde vulnerability.

August 14, 2023

Carbon capture is coming to the King Ranch

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

High winds, unrelenting heat and lots of dry vegetation are feeding a Stage 4 wildfire warning across the state.

As heat remains a major story in Texas, the electric grid has managed to hold out in a summer of record highs.

New technology advances mean that geothermal energy may soon become a bigger part of the nation’s energy generation mix.

Some recent major rulings on gun laws and where we stand in Texas.

And the Energy Department is financing two carbon capture projects, including one at the famed King Ranch in Kleberg County.

June 28, 2023

Night Drive: “Summerwaves”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Although Houston and Dallas are indisputably the hubs of such, car cruising culture is alive and thriving all over the Lone Star State. And while swangin’ looks best before dusk, these triple digit temps tormenting Texas have been making it tough to tempt daylight, even with top down. And especially if you’re less about “Tops Drop” and “Diamonds & Wood” and more into the Miami Vice or Kung Fury soundtracks…this is where the prospect of a good ol’ Night Drive shines. Back when we named Night Drive as our May 2017 Artist of the Month, we knew right away that these Austinite-Houstonians’ retro-bred blend of post-punk and synth-pop wasn’t just moonlighting for a sole getaway score. No, by the time their eponymous LP hit our airwaves, the pair had already spent the past half decade shaping their sound and shifting up their skills from Night Drive’s 2013 debut EP Position I. Now that 2017’s Night Drive marks an approximate midpoint between Position I and the present…there were only so many lanes for Night Drive to explore next. With the addition of a third member, Night Drive drops their sequentially titled sophomore EP Position II this Fall. Produced by Rick Rubin protege Phillip Broussard, these six new songs step away from Night Drive’s remix routines and instead embrace a less-formulaic middle ground between their strongest sounds. Position II drops August 4th ahead of a release show the following evening at The Parish with openers Haunt Me and Holy Wire and the record’s lead single just cut the engine on this stagnant Texas heatwave. Alongside its VHS-on-LSD music video, the record’s lead single “Summerwaves” veers past the saturated vaporwave aesthetic in favor of something timeless and authentic. Like if Joy Division hopped across the pond with a mouthful of MDMA, rented a Testarossa, and started plowing past rows of palm trees, “Summerwaves” is an ideal track both for piston-pushing under the sweltering sun and gentle swerving under the stars.

June 15, 2023

Good Field: “Full Pool”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Back in 2018, we started the year off strong with our January Artist of the Month Good Field. The Austin quartet, their enthralling third full-length Surface Tension, and their easy-going brand of slacker indie-Americana perfectly embodied the worry-free character of the “before times”. But since the start of COVID, Good Field’s been noticeably quiet. Maybe that’s because Good Field’s been in the weeds of their fourth LP, Coyote. This seven-song collection follows up their seemingly-standalone October 2020 studio single “Coyote (Living Free)”, which now serves as the album closer and title track. Toting tunes like “Passengers”, “Airliner”, and “Lost in Morelos”, Coyote comes across as less of a yipping menace and more of a slinky, crepuscular traveler, fitting for a four-piece originally from rural West Texas. Coyote crests the horizon on November 3rd and Good Field takes the stage 10PM tomorrow night at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul, followed by Star Parks at 11:15PM and The Point just after midnight. And today Good Field’s graciously given us an early glimpse at Coyote from afar. Although its title instantly reminds us of Surface Tension, “Full Pool”‘s character doesn’t exactly reflect that last record’s shimmering indie rock liquidity. Instead, in a wooded trot or a sandy gallop, “Full Pool” takes its time and stalks listeners with cosmic Americana, like an infectious vector between Deer Tick and 2009-era Grizzly Bear.

May 19, 2023

Space Trayn: “Red Lipstick”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

When a budding band is high off their own early momentum…at least not in an overt back-patting way or one in which they take themselves way too seriously…the grinning can get contagious. Take for example Austin three-piece Space Trayn, whose nuanced brand of ’70s-inspired funk-jazz-rock stations itself somewhere between Todd Rundgren and Steely Dan. Chiefly conducted by singer-guitarist Jerome Vivino, with Justin Murawski and Nané veteran Jordan Espinoza coupling behind, Space Trayn’s debut 2021 EP Not So Fast rode the rails of classic soul and soft yacht rock with four cars of genre bending tones.

On Space Trayn’s sophomore follow-up We Have Lyftoff (produced and mixed by Austin treasure Chris “Frenchie” Smith), the trio beams full steam ahead at an even higher octane; these five jet-fueled originals cross tracks of ’90s-alternative, psychedelia-drenched jams, turn of the millennium indie rock and even some Parliament-adjacent prog-disco, complete with some mind blowing solos just before the record grinds to a halt. We Have Lyftoff dropped at the tail end of April, but if you’re looking for a good time this evening, even after blasting the new Space Trayn at volume 11, you’re in luck. Space Trayn takes the stage at 10PM tonight at The 13th Floor, preceded by Elijah Delgado and followed by Upper Level Lows at 11PM and Polarizado at midnight. So in the spirit of these fun-lovin’ buds, come as you are and settle in for a great time. But if you wanna be extra, let Space Trayn doll you up before you drop out with the classic psych rock crimson of “Red Lipstick”.

May 11, 2023

Polarizado: “Twin Liquor On Sunday”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Compared with the political climate of our neighbors, Central Texas, and in particular, Austin, may seem like kind of a sect within the Lone Star State. And that’s not just a matter of being the “blueberry in the tomato soup”. It’s a reflection of our regional music styles as well. To an outsider, our ability to keep stately subgenres like Outlaw Country, Western Swing, and – right down to its name – Tex Mex – relatively contatined within our borders, kind of seems a little clique-y. That’s where multi-instrumentalist Felix Bergman comes in. See, before moving here from Oakland, Bergman bolstered his musical journey playing everything from guitar to keys and even trumpet across a ton of sounds – Latin jazz, glam rock, Blues, and hardcore punk to name a few. So after making his eastward migration, he quickly picked up on Texas’ location-tailored tastes, and wanted in immediately. With his project Polarizado, Bergman indoctrinates listeners into what he calls “Cult Americana” – solely outing himself as a non-native through earnest yet lighthearted observations only recognizable by “outsiders”. Later this year Polarizado follows up their 2018 eponymous EP with Welcome Back… due out August 3rd. Based on the record’s latest single, we’re looking forward to an indie-swamp-rock take on some of our not-so-treasured Texas customs, such TABC’s Bible belt tutelage on the short and sweet “Twin Liquor On Sunday”. Catch Polarizado ’round midnight next Friday at The 13th Floor alongside openers Elijah Delgado, Space Trayn, and Upper Level Lows, and fill a glass with your favorite beverage with this tune that sounds like a cocktail between CCR and Nick Waterhouse, albeit with some extra vocal grit.

May 4, 2023

Modern Fools: “Wasting”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

For as many people (especially bombastic media personalities) who’ve made a monkey of themselves in the COVID climate, we’d like to think that just as many, if not more, have done a lot of growing up instead. In the past three years we’ve seen a ton of such success stories, and today we’re commending the hurdle-topping turnaround of Josh Blair.

Even before the start of the pandemic, this New Hampshire singer-guitarist had already lost a friend to substance abuse and endured strains in his romantic relationship. When Blair began traveling the nation in a short bus at the height of lockdown conditions, he had plenty of time to reflect on his musical path leading up to this period of dejection; he’d been a punk drummer as a juvenile before graduating into bassist and guitarist for a hip-hop/psych/rockabilly outfit. But in this newfound, fragile mindset, Blair didn’t quite resonate with the overtly downtrodden discourse of many punk lyrics nor the slapdash style-over-substance approach of his subsequent cross-genre project. Instead Josh Blair turned to the matured wisdom of blue buckaroos like Townes Van Zandt and Hank Williams, and in doing so laid the groundwork for Modern Fools.

Rather than split the difference by going straight to cowpunk or psychobilly, Modern Fools embraces the timelessness of classic crybaby country as Blair’s first foray into bandleading and songwriting. Blair recruited longtime buds Justin Gregory and Jon Braught to record Modern Fools’ 2020 debut Seer – albeit completely separate due to COVID restrictions – and tomorrow, with the addition of Ian Galipeau, Modern Fools unfurls their formalization as a four-piece.

The quartet tracked their magnificent sophomore album Strange Offering together in Blair’s home studio, and that sense of unity really ratchets up the caliber of these forlorn originals. These ten gloomy cosmic country tunes arrive bright and early tomorrow, so be sure to set some time aside this weekend to appreciate Strange Offering in full. And if you want to open up the contemporary-tinged, vintage-inspired waterworks early, “Wasting” is where you wanna be. Like admiring the slow slip of sunlight into a distant horizon, “Wasting”‘s languid trot, softly-howled harmonies, stoic lyrics, sanguine song structure, and abrupt heartbreak of a final chord – all at just over five minutes – is by no means a misuse of your time.

May 1, 2023

Last Planet: “Seaglass”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

In today’s inclusive landscape of listener tastes, even the tiniest traces of crossover can lead to big impact craters later on. But for that to work, an artist had best select the strongest elements from a finite geography of genres rather than overpopulate their originals with way too many styles. That “quality over quantity” formula’s been followed by far too many to list out here, but we can say for sure that the recent roster includes Last Planet. It all started in 2018 when two Guitar Center co-workers, Cort Young and Albero Berul, broke out of the showroom and began bridging gaps across continents of genre and decade. Right around the time that Last Planet released their debut EP Petrichor in 2021, this Oakland outfit had evolved into a seasoned sextet, whose new emphasis on steamy female vocals finally codified their genre-melting core underneath a defined crust of soul/R&B-meets-modern rock. Last Planet’s undying dedication to Bayside-pleasing grooves has already given us two studio singles in 2023, last month’s “Whiskey Breath“, and March’s “Picture of Us“. But as the seasons change, so does the climate of Last Planet’s latest single. “Seaglass” instantly stands out against its two harder-rocking predecessors by taking a breezy neo-psych-soul approach to this hazy, four-minute, naturally-polished seduction. It’s like what Pink Floyd would’ve sounded like if they’d decided to record “Great Gig in the Sky” with Jill Scott instead, and at the turn of the millennium. Needless to say, if you’re not a stone’s throw away from a beach like Last Planet, “Seaglass” will instantly transport you to the stoned, care-free aesthetic of an oceanside outing, be it romantic or recreational.

April 21, 2023

Dan Peters: “Jenny Lake”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

As a native Austinite that rarely spends a week out of eyeshot of our ever-elevating skyline, I’m hardwired to be somewhat of a city slicker. So I’m always kind of surprised when a folk performer decides to settle down in our noisy, crowded, metropolitan hub. But hey, more folk music for us, right?

Among those we’ve welcomed with wide open arms is pianist-guitarist-vocalist Dan Peters, whose current urban digs are a stark contrast from his coastal Massachusetts upbringing. Dan moved down here at the turn of the decade not only to pursue a career as an environmental scientist but also to reap the benefits of residing in the Live Music Capital. As a result, when he’s not off the grid collecting empirical data, he’s playing keys with local bossa nova/tropicalia outfit Nossas Novas. But of course, with his love of North American landscapes in mind, Peters naturally gravitates towards folk in the vein of Wilco and John Prine as a solo songwriter.

Rooted in such (and in line with the wilderness-inspired titles of his existing standalone tracks “Bottom of the Sea” and “The Birds Are Louder in Texas”), Dan Peters drops his Ramble Creek-recorded debut EP Ocean and the Wind this June. Based on Ocean and the Wind‘s fiddle-infused lead single “Jenny Lake”, which takes us on a cross-country trek from toasty Texas to the snow-capped peaks and tranquil pools of Wyoming, we’re expecting a wholesome Americana-folk sonic safari in store for us this summer.

April 10, 2023

Rodney Crowell: “Everything At Once” (feat. Jeff Tweedy)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

The Cactus Cafe has remained an important cultural crossroad for countless Americana, folk, and country acts. So when a thread is formed between two longtime Cactus veterans (with recognition in their own right) who go on to collaborate outside of Austin’s best listening room, expectations are high.

Take for instance two of the most decorated Cactus acts, Houston-born Americana country-rocker Rodney Crowell and Uncle Tupelo/Wilco co-founder Jeff Tweedy. Both have created unforgettable acoustic performances, both have two Grammy Awards to their name, and both their genre fortes roughly overlap into the sphere of alternative-country. These talented two have undoubtedly crossed paths plenty of times in the past, but it wasn’t until recently that Tweedy was recruited to produce a full Rodney Crowell record.

Despite a relatively unremarkable title, The Chicago Sessions are anything but; the pairing of Tweedy’s keen ear with Crowell’s tried-and-true country storytelling presents this Texas troubadour in a pristine, rejuvenated package, even compared with 2021’s Triage. And intentional or not, the ten tracks on The Chicago Sessions drop on May 5th, or Cinco De Mayo for folks with upbringings near the southern border like Rodney Crowell. Remember what we said about high expectations? The Chicago Sessions‘ lead single “Everything At Once” not only channels some of Tweedy’s best production work, but also moves him away from the mixing board momentarily for his sole in-person feature on the album. Which makes us wonder, what would a WilCrowell tour sound like? We can only dream for now.

April 7, 2023

Rudy De Anda: “Tu Mirada”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

These days us Austinites know all too well that an Adrian Quesada production credit is ostensibly a golden ticket to brilliance. And although Adrian’s predominant territory is Tex-Mex soul, the style that courses through his formulas wouldn’t be what they are without California’s historic Latin psych scene. That’s a no-brainer for native Los Angeleno Rudy De Anda, who formalized his ’60s psych-rock tastes in the scenic stretches of Long Beach, despite major sources of inspiration from London’s The Kinks and NYC’s The Velvet Underground.

However, in drawing from the psych products of those grayer, more industrialized musical hubs, De Anda’s turn-of-the-decade relocation to Chicago makes a lot more sense. And while it didn’t take long for Rudy to find his footing in the Windy City, that cross-country migration put a lot of distance, physically and emotionally, between himself and his lifelong home state friends. But it was that vulnerability allowed De Anda to brush off the surface-level sun and sand aesthetic typically ascribed to his Cali output in favor of confessional cultivation.

For his latest LP, De Anda recorded outside of California for the first time – but not in Chicago. Instead Rudy recruited his Cali bandmates to join him in Adrian Quesada’s Electric Deluxe recording studio right here in Austin. The new setting, plus a decision to track straight to tape, finds De Anda and the band approaching the process more seriously than ever before, and soon we’ll hear the fruits of that labor flourish on Closet Botanist.

Closet Botanist drops April 28th, introducing us to ten lush sonic shrubs, all audibly (though unobtrusively) influenced by Quesada’s production input. These bilingual herbs will feel right at home in your record collection, and give you a bit of insight into Rudy De Anda’s journey over the past two years, as heard on Closet Botanist‘s next installment, “Tu Mirada”. Inspired by the Brazilian baroque pop and psych folk of Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges’ 1972 landmark Clube da Esquina, “Tu Mirada” (the first track Rudy penned post-Chicago) is a great look for De Anda’s new grooves, bookended by a sunrise-slow introduction and an instrumental jam section that climaxes into mind-melting reversed soundscape.

March 10, 2023

Alison Brown: “Sun and Water (Here Comes the Sun/Waters of March)”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Concerning instruments with gorgeous tones and rich cultural histories, the banjo is often overlooked. And it makes sense to some extent; outside the roots world, banjo is rarely front and center. But when an innovator like Béla Fleck or Alison Brown comes along, it’s a refreshing reminder of banjo’s intrinsic magic.

Brown has bred an impressive legacy of success that stretches back to the early ’80s. Shortly after she was recruited into Alison Krauss’ Union Station, the title track for I’ve Got That Old Feeling won the Grammy for “Best Bluegrass Recording”, the same year Brown’s own album Simple Pleasures scored a nominated for “Best Bluegrass Album”. She co-founded Compass Records in 1995, the label that released Fair Weather in 2000, which earned Brown the “Best Country Instrumental Performance” Grammy for her Béla Fleck collaboration, “Leaving Cottondale”.

But at the turn of the 2010s, after two decades of consistent solo releases, Brown began to focus on production. As such, the last LP we received from Alison Brown was 2015’s The Song of the Banjo. Well, coming up this summer, the five-string phenom returns with the succinctly-titled On Banjo. On Banjo finds Brown and her eponymous quintet trading licks with the likes of The Kronos Quartet, Anat Cohen, Sierra Hull and more. Alongside pleasant surprises like the Steve Martin co-written “Foggy Morning Breakdown”, you’ll also hear more exotic explorations into Brazilian sounds when On Banjo drops May 5th.

Maintaining Brown’s boundary-less repertoire for cross-genre compositions, On Banjo‘s lead single masterfully mashes up The Beatles with Antônio Carlos Jobim for a spring stroll-ready medley, “Sun and Water (Here Comes the Sun/Waters of March)”.

March 8, 2023

Passiflora: “SOMS”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Next week is South By South West, which means it’s been three whole years since SXSW 2020’s abrupt cancellation marked the beginning of our ongoing COVID climate. Of course, we now recognize several silver linings, mainly the sudden abundance of free time to follow through with unrealized creative projects, some of which haven’t been heard until now.

Take for example Austin trio Passiflora. Passiflora’s first root came from a cross-pollination of genre interests between guitarist Rudy Durham, singer Lauren Harris, and drummer Raul Luevano sometime under the veil of the pandemic. What sprouted as an experiment in hybridizing indie, R&B, and jazz has since bloomed into a collective one-of-a-kind passion project. Their style reminds us of turn-of-the-millennium neo-soul innovators like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, albeit with an extra jazzy sense of adventure, manifested as time signature changes, enthralling chord progressions, and killer polyrhythms.

For their appropriately-named debut EP eponymous, Passiflora brought The Point bassist Jack Montesinos into the mix, and dang does he fit right in the pocket. eponymous is out this Friday, Passiflora performs at Continental Club Saturday, March 25th, and today they pass along the album’s final lead single. Acronymized as “SOMS”, “Sun on my Skin” begs to be enjoyed under brighter skies by basking in dreamy keys, breezy drum brushes, and, of course, Harris’ siren singing that heralds the start of spring and’ll subconsciously make you want to put this “f***ing record on repeat”.

March 6, 2023

Coy O Té: “Never Enough”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

As much as I miss seeing Walker Lukens & The Side Arms dominate marquees and show bills across town year-round, it’s been really neat watching Walker evolve from a frontman of many hats to a straight-up behind-the-scenes producer. In doing so, Walker’s been able to lend his idiosyncratic sense of sonics and production techniques to artists who might not necessarily have the ear to take their own tunes to the next level. Case in point: Austin’s Brett Hammann, better known by his stage name Coy O Té.

Like the eponymous critter sniffing out and snatching a nestled egg from the coop, Coy O Té started creeping up once Hammann dug up a set of demos he recorded in Nashville back in 2015. Rather than let them slip away into the aether, Hammann took those tracks straight to Walker Lukens and engineer Adam Mason to help groom Coy O Te’s coat in 2021, a process that’s led to Coy O Te’s debut EP, Chapter One: Randy’s Tavern, out tomorrow.

True to its title, Chapter One: Randy’s Tavern is an awesome first round of Coy O Té’s groovy western originals. And ahead of a trio performance next Tuesday at Hotel Vegas, today Coy O Te’s extended an invitation to join the pack early with Randy’s Tavern‘s final lead single. Following Walker’ Lukens’s signature formula of noncomplex vocal harmonies, reverb across the board, tasteful auxiliary percussion, and striking effects-drenched solo guitar, Hammann channels Division Bell-era David Gilmour as he questions a seemingly-insatiable canine appetite on “Never Enough”.

February 21, 2023

The Tender Things: “Carousel”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

As the sun beams us into springtime and the Lone Star State starts to heat up, it wouldn’t hurt to check in on our alt-country A/C. And who better to turn to than ACL Fest/Studio 1A veterans The Tender Things? Founded by Heartless Bastards ex-pat Jesse Ebaugh, The Tender Things keep their style of country on the quainter, more softly-spoken side. And by not leaning on the overblown live showmanship that often plagues large country acts, Ebaugh and The Tender Things have maintained some serious staying power both in-concert and on-wax.

This Friday, following up their 2017 eponymous debut and 2020’s How You Make a Fool, The Tender Things releases their third full-length That Texas Touch. In classic cowboy fashion, That Texas Touch finds The Tender Things working with Band of Heathens producer Gordy Quist to explore sounds farther outside the alt-country corral for a truly refreshing effect.

Now, we know that the The Tender Things are regulars on Austin Music Minute thanks to their insatiable hunger for live shows, and that stamina is showing off these next few weeks. Among The Tender Thing’s upcoming tour dates, the group celebrates That Texas Touch with an LP listening party 8PM on Thursday at Long Play East, a live set 5PM on Friday at Waterloo Records, and an official album release show 7PM this Saturday at Sam’s Town Point.

If those daily options across town have got your head spinnin’, you might as well embrace the whirlwind as we (and TTT) approach SXSW. So in that spirit, today The Tender Things have wheeled out the last lead single from That Texas Touch, that almost sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd teamed up with Steely Dan, Steve Miller, and Wings for a southern-styled ’70s-esque soft-strutter. Entitled “Carousel”, this laid-back country-funk groove (and music video) absolutely knocks it out of the ballpark.

February 10, 2023

Ley Line: “Sometimes”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Here at KUTX 98.9, we’ve never been too shy about our love of Ley Line. Since naming Ley Line as our October 2019 Artist of the Month, this language-crazed Austin-based quartet has become somewhat of a Song of the Day and Austin Music Minute darling. And that’s for a damn good reason.

If you follow Ley Line on socials you already know what we mean; whether it’s writing, recording, touring, performing, or soaking up influences across the globe, these four folk femmes always seem to be doing something. And in 2023, as they celebrate one whole decade since first meeting at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, we’re somewhat expecting Ley Line to surprise us with something else between now and their set at Old Settler’s Music Fest in April.

But until then, we’ll have to tide ourselves over with Ley Line’s latest studio single, which was last March’s “High Tide” up until today. This morning Ley Line woke up singing, had a cup, and poured up a Folger’s-fresh reflection on life’s sweeter moments. “Sometimes” tops that optimism off with soft vocals that effortlessly alternate between unison and harmony, breezy strings that’ll set your mind at ease, and a naturalistic, percussion-less arrangement that reminds us – you don’t need to march to the beat of anyone’s drum but the sun’s.

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