Song of the Day

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January 12, 2023

Why Bonnie: “Apple Tree”

By: Jack Anderson

After enough time in a live music hub such as ours, one of the most satisfying things to see is when local acts join forces, hit the road together, and take the nation by storm. Want to bear witness yourself this weekend? You’re in luck! As part of our 10th Birthday Concert Series, this Sunday KUTX presents a dual tour kickoff featuring two of Austin’s finest indie-adjacent outfits. I’m talking about our March 2021 Artist of the Month Sun June alongside our September 2020 Artist of the Month (and today’s spotlight) Why Bonnie. Founded by Houstonian Blair Howerton a half decade back, Why Bonnie began evolving into the “shoegaze-icana” phenomenon we’ve grown to adore over the course of three EPs: 2018’s In Water and Nightgown followed by 2020’s Voice Box. Last August, Why Bonnie rounded out their lineup as a quintet and blew us away with their debut full-length 90 in November, a ten-track half-hour human piece of imperfect heaven. Why Bonnie and Sun June are set to be West buds as they co-headline a six-stop week-long West Coast tour, prefaced by an 18+ show along with Redbud 8PM this Sunday at Antone’s. The opportunity to catch two KUTX Artists of the Month for the price of one (post-Free Week) seems like a great value. But if you’re not ready to brave the downtown crowds, you can certainly still appreciate the autumnal trot of “Apple Tree”, the soothing seed of a 90 in November B-Side just unearthed on Tuesday.

Episodes

April 30, 2024

Grandmaster: “Castle Door”

Watch out, Golden Dawn Arkestra…there’s a new costumed collective in town, and they’re hunting for for fresh converts! But instead of frenetic Afro-inspired dance grooves, these fanatics have so far stuck to the slower side of ’70s-style jazz funk rock; think War whisked together with Steely Dan. Not that you’d be able to tell from […]

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April 29, 2024

Trip Cigs: “Comeback Kid”

When a seasoned musician wades out of their genre comfort zone, you love to hear it. Because the technical expertise, jam stamina, and songwriting skills are already in place, but opening the gate to different inspirations and influences is always a welcome breath of fresh air. So let’s talk Rod Gator, who – as you […]

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April 24, 2024

Viben: “Pablo Picasso”

Lyrics are a fickle field. You can be wordy as hell, hoping that at least one line sticks in listener’s minds. Or, you could just loop the hell out of some barebones sentences – guaranteed to have a lot more hypnotic staying power through sheer repetition, especially in the realm of dance music. Now let’s […]

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April 24, 2024

Rett Smith: “Sunsets”

In terms of musical association, at least outside the world of film soundtracks, U.S. southwestern scenery often gets associated with country. But there’s a certain psychedelic quality to our regional deserts that we just love to see artists embrace. Folks like Rett Smith, based here in Austin, but bred out of West Texas, so you […]

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April 23, 2024

Ruel Thomas: “I Am Today”

Any profession requires quotas…whether that’s how many tickets you write or how many kids pass your class. And when music is your source of income, the obvious metric to measure by is quantity of shows played. But as with any creative endeavor, there’s an opportunity to move the needle in many directions, which makes “success” […]

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April 22, 2024

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors: “Suffering”

The very nature of Americana is rooted in traditional music. But it also lies at the crossroads between folk, country, and rock. So if an Americana act decides to veer into new lanes, the choices are limited and somewhat predictable. And yet it’s still such a joy to hear an artist explore new sonic territory, […]

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April 19, 2024

Melotheory: “Breathe”

When you have roommates, at least good ones you get along with, group activities naturally arise around the house. For most folks, it’s watching TV, recreational smoking and drinking, or maybe the occasional board game. For musicians, however, having a practice space within eyeshot of your bedroom door is too good of a scenario to […]

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April 17, 2024

Rhythm&Truth and Sakari: “Bring It All Back”

We won’t say that successful collaborations should mandate a solo artist’s trajectory. But if something built together leaves people wanting more, it’s not a bad idea to get back together and sate those desires, right? Because what’s unachievable on the individual level often just needs to get catalyzed by some good collabo chemistry. So let’s […]

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