Song of the Day

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April 2, 2024

The Watters: “Set to Cruise”

By: Jack Anderson

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 and wife Daniel and Jenna Watters goes all the way back to grade school. After soaking up all that Los Angeles, Denver, and Nashville had to offer, the Sedona, Arizona pair eventually planted themselves here in Austin, where they’ve since gone on to play pretty much every venue within the city limits. And despite a rap sheet that includes opening for Michael McDonald and Devon Gilfillian, landing local grants and national songwriting awards, completing two full-lengths and an EP, and a recent leap into parenthood – The Watters aren’t slowing their flow anytime soon.

No, next Thursday The Watters roll out their third LP Duality, with a release show at Sagebrush 8PM that same evening with Tomar and the FCs and Rent Party. They’ll also be doing their thing out at Utopia 3PM this Saturday if you wanna catch the full band against a gorgeous natural backdrop. Either way, the new tunes off Duality are about to drop like April showers for just in time for a summer-ready, lake-lovin’ playlist. And like the rest of Duality, “Set to Cruise” makes for smooth sailing with channel-deep mixing and ocean-spanning arrangements that favor instrumental virtuosity and group momentum. So cop your captain’s hat, climb aboard, and don’t plan on disembarking anytime soon.


Episodes

September 19, 2024

The Jaws of Brooklyn: “Litebringer”

We don’t really put stock in the idea of “talent by association”. Sure, we’ve witnessed plenty of attempts to pivot from a successful group into a profitable solo offshoot. But if they didn’t have the spark to start with, they won’t have much to bargain with on their own. And on the ongoing collaborative level, […]

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September 18, 2024

Gypsy Mitchell: “Drive By”

We’ve been gabbin’ a lot about the retro soul renaissance lately…so much so that y’all must be getting pretty sick of reading about it. But what comes after soul? That’s right. Funk. And boy oh boy do we gotta have that funk here in Central Texas. So with our scopes still set on the Lone […]

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September 17, 2024

Inesse: “On My Way”

Outside of theater, choir’s typically stereotyped as the vehicle for churning out stars of the next generation. Which makes sense, since it gives you all the essentials to become a singing sensation: allowing harmony to become a natural instinct, blending your voice convincingly alongside others (even in chorus), and most importantly for future potential, maximizing […]

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September 16, 2024

Female Gallery: “Simon Says”

Scrolling through social media, watching ten-second clips of people’s little circus acts in the comfort of their own natural habitats…it can sometimes feel like a human zoo. So while we’ll never fully encourage those vapid grasps at short-term stardom, anything that detracts from the oversaturated landscape of bland masculinity in the entertainment sector’s worth the […]

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September 13, 2024

Allisen & The Wy’s Guys: “Tell Me (Like A Man)”

If you’ve seen Big Wy’s Brass Band, then you’re already hip to the spark that is multi-instrumentalist Wyatt Corder. Furthermore, you’re probably familiar with the fact that Wy’s got high standards for the folks he plays with; if he hand picks you as a performer, it’s a real privilege…especially when it comes to pulling off […]

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September 12, 2024

Rett Smith: “Stop Signs”

For well-established acts, keeping faithful to the formulas that first made ’em famous is often the key to longevity. We’re talking AC/DC, legacy acts that dare not alienate longtime fans by trying to fix what ain’t broke. But the big difference between AC/DC back then versus now is how frequently they put out new material. […]

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September 11, 2024

Mozworth: “Postcard”

Since the days of Thoreau, we’ve often romanticized the idea of a creativity-spurring wilderness retreat. That’s especially true of Justin Vernon’s illness-evoked cabin sanctuary that ended up being the backbone of Bon Iver’s 2007 debut. But the product in mind doesn’t always have to be so strictly transcendentalist (or even acoustic for that matter) for […]

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September 10, 2024

Kelly Finnigan: “Be Your Own Shelter”

We’re starting to sound like a broken record over here…but the retro soul renaissance? Not only is it verifiable; it just keeps getting better and better. And one of the movement’s biggest players is back at it again. We’re talking about Kelly Finnigan, the chief songwriter and class act frontman of psychedelic soul giants Monophonics […]

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