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August 31, 2022

Dan Warner & The Night Parrots: “Every Moon is Blue”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Between Methyl Ethyl, Jen Cloher, Tame Impala, G Flip, Courtney Barnett, and The Avalanches…KUTX plays so much ‘down under’ music that we could probably get away with rebranding ourselves “The Aussie Music Experience”. But that’s not just a bad pun; there’s plenty of truth behind the cross-continental exchange between America and Australia. See, Austin does have a sister city in the form of Adelaide, but it’s Melbourne that’s more analogous to our “Live Music Capital” character. And from the ’70s through the ’90s, the Melbourne scene had a bit of an obsession with the American country, folk, and blues. Singer-guitarist Dan Warner found his footing in the midst of that craze, and became well known for his alt-country duo The Warner Brothers by the mid-late-’80s.

Inevitable legal action eventually transformed The Warner Brothers into Overnight Jones. But by the turn of the millennium and knee deep in artist-label tension, the group dissolved. Warner enjoyed a brief stint in New York City in the early-’00s, but since settling back in his hometown, he’s taken his solo career to the next level. The most recent development has been the formation of The Night Parrots – a permanent backing band of longtime friends and collaborators, dedicated to keeping Warner’s decades-worth of compositions alive and well.

Last Friday Dan Warner & The Night Parrots announced their upcoming LP Maybe, then…with the release of the record’s lead single “Every Moon is Blue”. It’s a tranquil testament to Dan Warner’s one-of-a-kind artistry, graceful vocals, and mastery of dynamics and arrangement that’ll keep you in good company ’til Maybe, then… drops on October 14th.

August 25, 2022

Michael Paul Lawson: “Lucille”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Now this is purely anecdotal, but it seems like there’s an awful lot of traffic between Austin and New York. Must be something about a cross-metropolitan cultural exchange between the Big Apple and the Live Music Capital…Whatever the weather, one peripheral instance of that migration pattern graciously gifted us singer-guitarist Michael Paul Lawson. Lawson’s parents split up in his infancy, which provided a calm climate in Central New York but a sense of adventure during trips to Austin. After a rousing post-graduation respite in Virginia, Lawson decided to record his 2019 debut Some Fights You’ll Never Win down here in ATX, where he’s since immersed himself in our alt-country/Americana scene.

True to its title, Michael Paul Lawson’s upcoming sophomore full-length Love Songs For Loners leans on character-driven narratives and classic country conventions. That said the eight-track still packs a palette of dusky folk, even including a tip of the hat to late legends John Prine and Justin Townes Earle. Love Songs For Loners comes out on October 7th, and if you need some company between now and then, catch Michael Paul Lawson 7PM next Tuesday for a free concert at Meanwhile Brewing. Feel free to mingle with new and old fans alike; you may even meet a fellow loner like the cigarette lover depicted in today’s laid-back country-rocker, “Lucille”.

August 10, 2022

Mirroring The Vortex

Austin Music Minute

By: Laurie Gallardo

By definition, borders are meant to contain and define certain areas. But Dos Santos reveals what borders actually embody. They encapsulate the struggles, the triumphs, the endless ironies, the millions of stories of individuals and families coming to terms with their everyday realities. In the throes of the pandemic, within the turmoil and heartache of social and cultural shifts in the U.S., the Chicago-based band wrote and recorded City of Mirrors, their sonic exploration of Latinx identity, an honest and poetic expression of the Latinx experience.

“This album grapples with and transgresses these binaries because we have/and continue to cross borders,” Dos Santos explains. “Yet, for us, the border is no metaphor—too much real staring back at us… And borders were at the center of these struggles. Borders—of nation, of belonging—are the struggle.”

Dos Santos’ City of Mirrors tour brings them to the ATX for a show tomorrow night, Thursday August 11, at The Far Out Lounge and Stage, 8504 S. Congress Ave. They share the bill with Denver-based Latin psych outfit Los Alcos. Doors open at 6 p.m.

August 3, 2022

Personality Contest: “Would You Like to Know”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

So often when we’ve heard someone say, “it’s not a popularity contest”, the opposite turns out to be true. But here in the Live Music Capital, it’s perfectly clear that having a larger-than-life persona and being in vogue will get you pretty far. Enter Austin four-piece Personality Contest, who’ve been curating a style of indie-psych-rock that reflects on existential dread, finding your footing despite neglect, and those special little moments sprinkled across life. This February the quartet recorded their debut four-track EP at The Bubble with the help of Chris “Frenchie” Smith. The record drops next month, and there are a couple of opportunities to catch PC live between then and now (Thursday the 18th at Electric Church and Friday the 26th at The Green Jay). The EP’s second single (and lyric video), “Would You Like to Know”, landed yesterday, offering a glimpse into Personality Contest’s poignant lyrics and soft-psych arrangements that respect instrumental interludes by giving them the space they deserve.

July 29, 2022

Bruce Smith: “Campbellton”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Without too much hard data to support this claim, songwriters who’ve divided their time between several metropolises and musical hubs tend to have some of the most fascinating insights. Just look at Bruce Smith, who was reared near Detroit and based in Atlanta during his late teens and early twenties. The early portion of Smith’s post-college career was spent in D.C.’s vast political sector but it wasn’t until Bruce settled down here in Austin that his musical momentum began to pick up. The first iteration of the Bruce Smith Band was recruited at an open-mic all the way back in 2004, and after a decade and a half of gigging, their roots-y chemistry couldn’t be stronger. In that time Bruce Smith’s become a heavy hitter in the Live Music Capital of the World, and with the widespread acclaim of 2018’s ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off, the band’s profile is now at an all-time high.

That theme of getting the most out of every journey, of turning the “gas tank in bone dry”, is core to his latest LP, 1000 Horses, which dropped this morning. Co-produced with his Grammy-winning keyboardist Randy Caballero, 1000 Horses cross-breeds Smith’s diverse herd of influences into a coherent ten-track class of Americana colts. The record release show is 6pm tomorrow night at Saxon Pub and you can grab 1000 Horses by the mane with one of the album’s most rambunctious country gallops, “Campbellton”!

July 21, 2022

Texas Standard: July 21, 2022

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

Thousands of acres across Texas ablaze as firefighters struggle to save lives and property amid record breaking heat and drought conditions. We’ll have the latest. Other stories were covering, a new study finds a generation of Texas kids affected by pandemic lockdowns and social isolation. What experts are saying about the mental health impact on adolescents. Also the latest on Texan basketball star Britney Griner, now being held in Russia. What the Biden administration is doing to secure her release and where her trial on drug charges stands right now. Plus what horticulture experts say Texans should do to weather the heatwave and much more today on the Texas Standard:

July 19, 2022

KUT Morning Newscast for July 19, 2022

KUT News Now

By: KUT News

Central Texas top stories for July 19, 2022. Record high temps today for Central Texas. Austin ends partnership with Front Steps, the nonprofit that manages the downtown shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Teacher vacancies are up across the state. Solar roofing company building a facility in Georgetown. Addressing light pollution in Texas.

July 15, 2022

Guma: “Driving the Highways of Texas”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

At KUTX, we know we’re far from the only radio station in town. And if you’ve done your fair share of channel surfing, you might’ve come across another fine listener-supported frequency, KOOP 91.7FM. For the past half decade KOOP’s been home to Small Cool World, a 90-minute weekly freeform show hosted by T.J. Masters. But like me, T.J.’s not just a DJ; he’s a musician first and foremost. As such, that ongoing stint at KOOP has overlapped with Masters’ moonlighting – a genre-divergent project called Guma. Guma evokes the same daring variety that makes Small Cool World a great listen, as already heard on two eponymous offerings (from 2016 and 2019, respectively) and A List of Sightings, which just came out this February. But apparently one record’s just not enough for T.J. in 2022, who today announced his fourth full-length, Workingman’s Guma. Even though we’ve already come to expect a Weird Al-level set of skills from Masters in terms of genre-specific recreation, WG‘s lead single definitely shifts those talents up a gear. You’ll be able to catch some of the new stuff from Guma along with Dan & Christy Foster and Sarah Barlow on Wednesday, July 27th at Sahara Lounge for Lonesome Nights – presented by KOOP and Thundercloud Subs. By that time you’ll already have a bold country addition to your commuting playlist; while the late Molly Ivins once said, “the key to happiness in Austin is to never, ever drive on I-35″, Guma opts instead to open up the throttle and roar past traffic hazards like if Roy Orbison was a modern-day tailgater on “Driving the Highways of Texas”.

June 30, 2022

Caramelo Haze: “Something About Goodbye” (feat. Amalia Mondragón)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

With the explosive success of Black Pumas, Grupo Fantasma producer Adrian Quesada has become a household name in the mainstream consciousness. But that doesn’t mean Adrian’s the only visionary coming out of Grupo. Far from it. We can’t overlook Grupo Fantasma co-founder and guitarist Beto Martínez, who’s also been the major driving force behind Austin Latin outfits Money Chicha and Brownout. During the first summer of the pandemic, Martínez hunkered down at Lechehouse Music, his personal recording studio out in Buda, Texas. However, he wasn’t about to embrace isolation all on his own. Instead he broke some branches off the extended Fantasma family tree: Fantasma/Brownout/Chicha drummer John Speice, Nemegata multi-instrumentalist Victor “El Guámbito” Cruz, and Dos Santos composer-producer Alex Chavez.

Although the four have crossed paths plenty of times before and collaborated on countless projects on different scales, their natural chemistry was uninhibited by any prior artistic direction or clearly defined roles, and the quartet emerged from Lechehouse as Caramelo Haze. True to their name, Caramelo Haze is a steamy neo-soul treat. They effortlessly stir in formulas from familiar styles like psych and cumbia but don’t shy away from low-end electronic synth work, something relatively unheard of til now in the Fantasma dynasty. Last Friday Caramelo Haze released their debut full-length NOESTASAQUÍ, ten tracks that capture the exciting spirit of a genre-less adventure. We highly recommend listening to NOESTASAQUÍ front to back, but as we wrap up Pride Month, we’ve gotta shout out Queer Latin Grammy nominee Amalia Mondragón, who lays down impassioned airy vocals on the album closer, “Something About Goodbye”.

June 14, 2022

Texas Standard: June 14, 2022

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

A June heatwave across Texas testing the limits of our power grid and shattering records statewide. Any relief in sight? We’ll take a closer look. Other stories we’re tracking: with more Supreme Court opinions expected to be issued tomorrow, what a pre-Roe Texas might tells us about what could happen should the high court reverse its landmark abortion rulings. Also, the Texas Standard’s Alexa Hart reports on what’s compelled so many Texans to put their lives on hold and travel hours to visit Uvalde. And the north Texas church denied approval to appoint two pastors who identify as LGBTQ, but the church appointed them anyway. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

June 7, 2022

Texas Standard: June 7, 2022

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

Record setting heat on tap for much of Texas. Will there be enough electricity to meet demand? And what about the rest of the summer? Coming up, the latest on heat warnings across Texas, and what it portends for the rest of the summer amid anxieties about whether the electrical grid can stand the strain. Also a federal judge moves to hold Texas’ foster care services in contempt as court monitors continue to find deficiencies in a system once declared unconstitutionally unsafe for children. Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio with the latest. And what’s in a name? Some Mexico distillers say cultural appropriation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

May 12, 2022

John Inghram: “Little Mountain Mama”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Anyone who practices mindfulness and meditation will tell you that being in the moment is a big deal. The most successful goal-oriented individuals will say it’s never too late to start chasing dreams. Those two fundamentals boil down to seizing the day, something that John Inghram‘s taken to heart in recent times. The Charleston, West Virginia bassist spent almost twenty years as a four-string for-hire across the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic and funneled much of his short-term gains into frivolous partying. But Inghram’s since recognized that his talent isn’t just a commodity for other artists, that he’s got the gumption to ‘carpe diem’ and tackle a project on his own. Which brings us to Inghram’s debut self-titled full-length, nine tracks of vintage-style, Americana-aerated psych-folk-rock. It was recorded at two different studios over the past two years, which led to a creative compartmentalization of Inghram’s jazz and bluegrass influences (the latter of which culminated in a guest appearance from bluegrass legend Tim O’Brien). So when John Inghram drops tomorrow, don’t get caught up in the creepy conventions of Friday the 13th. Instead, soak up these surreal songs like the sun on a long wilderness hike, with misty, audacious arrangements like “Little Mountain Mama”.

April 21, 2022

Barton Stanley David: “How We Live In Love”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

“You can take the boy out of Texas but you can’t take Texas out of the boy”; it’s an old adage consistently weighted in truth. Fifth generation Texan Barton Stanley David is a prime piece of evidence, considering he moved back to Dallas in 2019 following a decade in New York City. After that, it didn’t take long for David to cross paths with producer Jeff Saenz, who’d already worked with Leon Bridges and Paul Cauthen and established a reputation through Modern Electric Sound Recorders. They got cracking on David’s new record Crest in 2021, but hit a huge valley six months in with Saenz lost both arms to a downed power line outside his family’s home. With the help of Grammy Winner Dave Schiffman (who’s lent his talents to Audioslave, Tom Petty, Adele, and The Killers), The Eagles’ violinist-engineer Scarlett Deering, Jeff Buckley/Nirvana mastering engineer Howie Weinberg and others, Crest was finally completed. The result is a ’90s-style seven-song alt-rock-meets-chamber-pop masterpiece of Americana, tethered together by David’s one-of-a-kind voice. Crest is out tomorrow, and we’ve been given an extra push over the edge today courtesy of the record’s final single that features White Denim drummer Matt Young and was inspired by pandemic-era domestic violence and the role technology plays in connecting communities, “How We Live In Love”.

April 15, 2022

Golden Hornet: “Bless Isomer”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Although we’ve had clearly defined political boundaries since 1836, there’s still an inseparable culture between Texas and Mexico. Whether you call it Tejano or Texican, it’s a give-and-take social process within which Austin’s Graham Reynolds has found a golden opportunity. Graham and the Golden Hornet team have already applied rock production techniques to classical arrangements and recordings for decades, but their latest endeavor, MXTX: A Cross-Border Exchange might be their biggest idea yet; MXTX features forty different artists, twenty Composers and twenty DJ-Producers, half from Mexico, half from Texas. What started with building up an open source audio sample library has finally finished with the fourteen trailblazing tracks of MXTX, but apparently these pocket symphonies aren’t a studio-exclusive experience. MXTX makes its live concert debut 8PM tomorrow night at Waterloo Park as part of Fusebox Festival and Frida Friday ATX. The event is free and open to the public, with plenty to see and hear from 4PM all the way until 10PM, so join in with the rest of Golden Hornet’s collective nest tomorrow at Waterloo and cross the border out of the work week with “Bless Isomer”.

April 12, 2022

Robin Mordecai: “Caroline”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

It’s been three quarters of a decade since Austin songwriter Robin Mordecai shared his last EP Here Goes Something, but fortunately for us he’s finally got another album coming out this weekend. True to its title, Portraits features five succinct snapshots of fictional personalities anchored in ’70s/’80s-style pop rock, not unlike The Cars or Tom Petty. This lyrical gallery showcases Mordecai’s multi-instrumental mastery across drums, bass, keyboard, guitar and vocals, with additional polish from producer David Messier and Same-Sky Studio engineer Andre Catave. Robin Mordecai plays 8PM tonight at Geraldine’s and 10PM at Saxon Pub on Tuesday the 26th so see him in person when you can. In the meantime, find your favorite character on Portraits and let these narratives spin with the record, beginning with album opener “Caroline”, co-written by Jeff Plankenhorn.

March 23, 2022

Daphne Tunes, Josie Lockhart & Lost Palace

Austin Music Minute

By: Laurie Gallardo

Daphne Tunes

Another line-up to check out at the Far Out Lounge and Stage. Check it:

  • Get your smooth pop/freak folk on. And while you’re at it, check out COVERED, an awesome collection of covers quite lovingly recorded and produced by Austin-based pop trio Daphne Tunes.
  • You should totally be hooked on Santa Rosa by now, Addictive dream-pop/rock from songwriter Aaron Miller’s solo project Josie Lockhart (“If There’s A Heaven” is featured on today’s AMM).
    Josie Lockhart
  • Listen closely. This may be “desert twang sonic smoothness from the third dimension” crossing your sound waves. Enter Lost Palace.

See them all tonight, Wednesday March 23, at Far Out Lounge, 8504 S. Congress Ave. Doors at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 7 p.m.

March 1, 2022

Frozen Orange: “Stream Of”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

As we finally (fingers crossed) bid farewell to winter and invite some sunny spring weather into the Lone Star State, a bit of Frozen Orange sounds pretty satisfying right about now. Originally an offshoot of the Austin group Maryann, Matt Hudson and Evan Kaspar recruited AMA’s Blair Robbins and Poly Action’s Zane Frisch to record Frozen Orange’s debut EP travels in November 2018. With the addition of bassist extraordinaire Andrew Stevens, this five-piece isjust ripe enough to reap a new batch of their collective songwriting efforts.Frozen Orange’s sophomore record Sunshine marks a maturation of their indie-alt sound and understated, all-lowercase aesthetic while exploring themes of nostalgia, nature, and personal bonds. You’ll be able to bask in the rays of Sunshine soon, and today you can get a slice of that sonic citrus by dipping your toes into “stream of”.

February 17, 2022

Evelyn Taylor: “Look At Your Life”

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

We’re just past halfway through Black History Month but have only scratched the surface of Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Record Story Vol. 1 & 2. This compilation preserves the legacy forged by producer Juan D. Shipp and engineer Clyde Leoppard and their incredible roster of Memphis ’70s-soul acts by digitizing these rare 45s for the first time ever. But if you’d prefer to listen to these remasters on wax, you can snag Sacred Soul on vinyl and lift up your spirits up across all four sides with steamy gospel originals like Evelyn Taylor‘s “Look At Your Life”.

February 10, 2022

David Shabani at The Ballroom

Austin Music Minute

By: Laurie Gallardo

It’s WINNING times three tomorrow night, Friday Feb. 11 at The Ballroom,2906 Fruth St. For Spite delivers an all-ATX , all-badass line-up:

  • Put aside any definitions or expectations reserved for hip-hop. David Shabani is here to blow it up and reshape it for the collective fearlessness. “Doin’ Better,” today’s featured AMM track, is from Shabani’s Smooth Sounds of the Summer.
  • Nineties funk-rock and contemporary hip-hop meet at the crossroads. The Dragon Berries are there when those worlds collide and collaborate. As KUTX’s Jack Anderson observes, “…the mashup genre of rap-rock can be a treacherous territory to navigate. That said, [this] Austin four-piece seems to have hit a stride in the hip-hop-meets-alt-rock field…”
  • Genre-bending, crushing, mutilating and annihilating is the fuel that ignites Austin trio Blynd Birds. Get a hold of the LP Find Your Conscience, Baby and feel your jaw drop in awe over the list of producers on that white-hot striking iron – from Adrian Quesada to Jim Eno to Mobley, and many more. Cuts through the bone and the B.S.

Doors at The Ballroom open at 8 p.m. Get there early to catch all three.

February 2, 2022

Texas Standard: February 2, 2022

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

With a winter storm warning set for much of the state, and the memories of last February still fresh, Texans brace for what’s coming. Also, vaccinations for the very young? A Texas-based expert on vaccine trials underway and what parents and caretakers  should know. Plus, across Texas, a record number of books being banned from Public school libraries; why the push right now and who’s pushing back. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

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