Song of the Day

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October 15, 2024

Chance Peña: “Blackbird” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

By: Jack Anderson

For a lot of major artists, ACL Fest is just another tour stop. For up-and-comers, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But for those who overlap the brackets, the experience falls somewhere in between: somewhat routine, somewhat sentimental.

And we’re guessing Chance Peña lands in that final category. Depending on your age demographic, chances are you’ve already heard of Peña through one avenue or another. Nearly a decade back, Chance Peña caught widespread attention at the tender age of fifteen as a contestant on The Voice. These days, Peña pulls an impressive social media presence and colossal streaming numbers for someone in their mid-twenties.

Yeah, in between the release of his debut full-length Ever-Shifting, Continual Blossoming last month and his current headliner tour that’ll take him across Western Europe and Scandinavia, Chance Peña is pretty much on top of the world. However, we do feel like playing Austin City Limits the first Friday must have been a pretty big deal for a Tyler native, so kudos to the ACL coordinators for showing strong home state support for a young Texan on the up and up. And shoutout to Peña as well for paying that Lone Star love forward with a passionate pop-up performance of his ES,CB standout, “Blackbird”, recorded that same day.


Episodes

April 10, 2025

Night Beats: “Behind the Green Door”

Danny Lee Blackwell has been performing under the moniker Night Beats since 2009, but there’s an argument that he could just as well be called “The Distiller.” Night Beats has a reputation for concocting. Blackwell can make a country song sound like a trip through the desert with Hunter S. Thompson. He can turn a […]

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April 9, 2025

Mobley: “Yesterday’s Another Day” [PREMIERE]

Mobley’s career has been a fun, transformative one over the last decade. You heard that right, we’ve been talking about and championing Mobley for almost ten years. What started as writing smart R&B pop bops has grown into full concept albums revolving around racism, technology, and our future, composing cautionary tales warning of a regressing society […]

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April 7, 2025

Ley Line: “Flores” [PREMIERE]

Austin’s Ley Line has been celebrated for their beautiful songs that encapsulate the Earth and its connection to the musical traditions of blues and folk as well as Brazil, West Africa, and Latin America. Songs that celebrate older, more traditional genres with a delicate soul that always feels grounded in nature. Whether it’s the song’s […]

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April 4, 2025

Half Dream: “Fly” [PREMIERE]

Austin’s Paige Renee Berry has had music at the center of their life since before they could talk. The Knoxville, Tennessee native began writing their own music in college, and when they moved to Austin in 2015, Berry co-founded the folk duo The Rosaries. In 2018 Berry started taking their own solo music head-on but […]

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April 3, 2025

Chaparelle: “Playing Diamonds, Cashing Checks”

Texas band Chaparelle harkens back to a golden era of country with modern lyrics. What started as a mind-meld between Zella Day and Jesse Woods in 2023 not only evolved into a match on its way towards matrimony, but also into a trio, originally working with Beau Bedford in a producer role before he became […]

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April 2, 2025

CDSM: “Not Another Bleeder”

They say the SXSW trifecta is free food and drinks, seeing one of your favorite bands (current or past) and discovering your next beloved band. I hit that trifecta this year, and it is my absolute pleasure to bring you my new obsession. Atlanta’s CDSM (short for Celebrity Death Slot Machine) are a rag tag […]

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April 1, 2025

Gus Baldwin & The Sketch: “Itch” (Live in Studio 1A)

We’re already in April. Q1 is gone but not forgotten. And as a final sendoff to the first part of the year, we’re throwing down with our March Artist of the Month, Gus Baldwin & The Sketch, one more time. The quartet had an affirming SXSW, playing big shows at 29th Street Ballroom with Christian […]

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March 31, 2025

Tiny Specks: “Danger Oso”

Fun’s not just for Friday anymore. Mondays need need fun too. Maybe even more than Friday…or Wednesday. And your dose of Monday dopamine comes from Austin’s Tiny Specks. Members Vanessa Gonzalez, Nikki Preciado, and Brian Cox have been members of many bands of many sounds over the years, but when the three came together, a […]

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