Song of the Day

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June 19, 2024

Daniel Fears: “Home” (Live from the Draylon Mason Music Studio)

By: Jack Anderson

Happy Juneteenth! While it’s now a national holiday, it’s always been a celebration here in Texas, where historically Black hubs like Houston were notified of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War’s end later than the rest of the states.

And it’s Houston that gave us our July 2021 Artist of the Month Daniel Fears. We’ve already gushed about Daniel a ton, chiefly around his Frank Ocean-esque vocals, sophisticated sense of liquid R&B sonics, and seamless transitions between trombone and piano. These days Daniel’s a household name all on his own, but that couldn’t’ve happened without all his time spent as brass-for-hire in the neo-classical circuit.

That neo-classical element recently had a real full circle moment with the release of Close To Home a couple weeks back. Recorded live at KMFA’s Draylon Mason Music Studio, this six-song session presents Fears’ passionate compositions in an unforgettable, all-acoustic and unplugged orchestral way, one that simultaneously emphasizes Daniel’s individual talents as well as the importance of thorough, thoughtful arrangements. Well, just in time for Juneteenth, there’s a screening of If They Took Us Back (the score for which Daniel contributed to) alongside a special solo concert appearance 7PM tonight at The Paramount Stateside.

That said, if the high chance of thunderstorms has you considering couch lock for this evening, transport the Draylon Mason Music Studio to your living room stereo with the Close To Home cut of “Home”. Because everyone has the right to feel at home, no matter who they are.


Episodes

January 17, 2025

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There’s a slight, but unlikely chance you haven’t been turned-on yet to the Austin country trio Next of Kin, but you’re certainly familiar with the work of its members: Lili Hickman, Madison Baker, and Caelin. As impressive as these three are in their own right, together they are transcendent. It’s not just the gut-stirring, deeply […]

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Parker Woodland: “The Reckoning (Last Sunset Remix)”

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Hip-hop, like any genre, can serve many purposes: not only can it grip your soul with stories of regular people trying to make a living in their country that’s been institutionally designed to work against them, but it can also grip your soul in a soft way, with a mantra: a meditation on a promise. […]

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January 14, 2025

Orca Dork: “Sleepy Pilot”

Time to dust off the ol’ Audiosurf game from your college days and get ready for your newest beat-driven meditation. Brother’s Franklin and Graham Pittman are Orca Dork, an Austin-based experimental instrumental duo who have spent the last ten years working on their debut, hip-hop inspired album Experiments With Found Objects. And yes, it can […]

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January 13, 2025

DAYEATER: “Between the Otherside” [PREMIERE]

Who says psych-rock can’t come with badass near rock-opera harmonies? Austin’s DAYEATER certainly doesn’t. And throw in some power pop? Honey we are off to the stratosphere courtesy of an 80s He-Man cartoon-style music video. Jesse Lee fronts the trio, pulling off riffs that give two handed-players a run for their money. Lee’s power on […]

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January 10, 2025

Ley Line: “Agua Do Mar”

The ladies of Ley Line are back, baby, and they’re looking forward to bringing us a string of reunion shows this April. To get us excited, they’ve announced their Live at the Pershing EP (out later this month) and gifted us “Agua Do Mar,” their take on the Brazilian folk song “Memorias do Mar,” an […]

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January 9, 2025

Nilsa No One: “Lucid Dream”

Austin-bred songwriter and guitarist Nilsa grew-up in the throws of the local punk and metal scenes, but Nilsa, like the rest of us, contains multitudes, so she’s brought in rhythm section Jesse Maciack and JJ Pereira to become Nilsa No One, blending the rawness from her nurturing with her haunting vocals and emotive contemplations that […]

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January 8, 2025

Schmiddy: “Nebula” (ft. Andyah)

Austin beatmaker Blake Schmidt has released a string of instrumental mixtapes under the moniker Schmiddy for the last three years, all the while working towards something more comprehensive. Schmiddy’s background in composing for short films in college for grades to composing hip-hop tracks for fun has led him to last Friday: the release of Schmiddy’s debut album Lightning […]

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