Song of the Day

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January 28, 2020

Aaron Parks: “Mysterious Forest”

By: Jack Anderson

Tommy Howard Trio. Gil del Bosque. Atlas Maior. Ben Balmer. Even if you’ve never stepped foot into a jazz-friendly venue, you’ve probably seen some of those names on marquees around town. Not all that surprising, but what’s interesting about these acts (and many more) is the unifying factor: drummer extraordinaire Aaron Parks. With invaluable contributions across the Live Music Capital, Parks has become a household name for any jazz act in Austin and a must-have teacher for any up-and-coming drummer in need of lessons. The passion that Parks exudes isn’t limited to his work as a sideman, since you can’t overlook his percussion-sprinkled psychedelic namesake, The Parks Project.
However, Parks’ philosophy of being your best self and not extending your individuality further than necessary has come to fruition with the eponymous retitling of this group, now referred to simply under the frontman’s name. The new handle comes alongside the follow up to 2018’s Space Jazz, and culminates in the release of the outfit’s sophomore album Parks & Wreck. Catch the release show Sunday evening at King Electric Recording
and get to know Aaron with Chopin-esque title that’s all original, “Mysterious Forest”!
-Jack Anderson

Episodes

April 15, 2024

Felt Out: “Crash Inside It”

When we last geeked out over Austin’s Felt Out, we broke down their foundation as that of auto-tune innovators on the cutting edge of alt-pop. And following the first anniversary of their second full-length Until I’m Light, that’s clearly still the case for these multi-instrumentalist-producers. They still sound like a next generation Imogen Heap. Their […]

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April 12, 2024

Tagua Tagua: “4AM (Acústico)”

Feliz sexta! Today we’re talking about Tagua Tagua, the passion project of São Paulo songwriter-producer Felipe Puperi. Now, Brazil is an enormous country, full of fervent creators; it takes a ton of traction to get towards the top. But in the seven years since Puperi launched off, Tagua Tagua’s become one of the nation’s most […]

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April 10, 2024

Faaris: “Taken Not Given”

As our ever-evolving hip-hop scene steadily expands, so does the representation of nations, cultures, and identities from its contributors. And for some truly refreshing cross-cultural flavors that have made their way into the ATX hip-hop melting pot, look no further than Faaris. Brought up in a Pakistani household right here in Austin, Faaris brings a […]

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April 9, 2024

Adam Sultan: “The Great Divide”

They say, “write what you know”. And in music, if you know something well enough to perfect its performance, that usually means you’ve absorbed the material enough to build upon it and make it your own. So let’s talk about Austin’s Adam Sultan. Sultan started off a singer-guitarist in the ’90s with Poi Dog Pondering […]

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April 5, 2024

Flicker Vertigo: “Midnight Fantasies Upon Prospect Hill”

As an unabashed Pink Floyd fan, I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to firing up the Atmos mix of Animals on my home theater setup when the BluRay drops next month. Sure, the full record’s been etched in my memory forever now, but through the lens of the latest mix an full […]

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April 4, 2024

Mountains in Stars: “Hazards of Loving Creatures”

You’ve heard it a million times before: a picture is worth a thousand words. But go ahead and try it out if you dare. Pick a picture and start verbalizing. Yeah…you’ll give up far before you get anywhere close to a four-digit word count. Music on the other hand? Each chord carries various connotations, which […]

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April 3, 2024

Nané: “Always On My Mind” (Live in Studio 1A)

As with any active artistic community, the Austin music scene has suffered its share of too-soon tragedies. And the passing of Daniel Sahad – the flamboyant frontman of Austin sextet Nané who left us in April ’22 – still feels especially fresh in our memory. Thankfully Daniel’s legacy still lives on through his music, Nané’s […]

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April 2, 2024

The Watters: “Set to Cruise”

Prayers for rain resonate all throughout the Lone Star State year-round…even in April with a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse on the horizon. So without wanting to entice a cosmically inconvenient drench, let’s dip our toes into The Watters. This Americana soul love affair is teeing up to hit the two-decade mark, but the bond between husband […]

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