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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
What does it mean for Austin artists to take the stage at the city’s biggest music festival? This episode features conversations with SL Houser, Geto Gala, and Next of Kin as they share their journeys to Austin City Limits Music Festival, reflect on what it means to perform in their hometown, and talk about what’s next for their music.
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Students, parents and staff from the Austin Independent School District had their first opportunity to address the school board about the district’s school consolidation proposal. The board plans to vote on the decision next month, and some folks are pleading for more time to voice their concerns.
ACL Fest has come and gone, but you can still experience the magic of the music thanks to our team over at KUTX. We’ll chat about the joys and difficulties of capturing these special performances with one of our staff photographers.
And: “The Slip,” the debut novel from Austin author Lucas Schaefer, has won the 2025 Kirkus Prize for fiction.
On this episode we interview Geto Gala fresh off the stage at ACL 2025 and discuss their career accomplishments. We also discuss the lack of local rappers and singers at ACL this year compared to previous years. Hip-hop facts include facts about Vince Vaughn, Snoop Dogg, Black Eyed Peas and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is about Kool Herc not being as influential as Grandmaster Flash in the legacy of hip-hop.
Central Texas top stories for October 1, 2025. Israeli forces have detained an Austin activist who’s part of an international protest to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. It’s a busy time at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Texas Volleyball is on the road tonight against the Georgia Bulldogs. Austin FC hosts Nashville SC tonight in the final of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
This podcast is made at KUT Public Media Studios. You may have heard that Congress just took back the money it had allocated for public radio. Our organization stands to lose 1.2 million dollars. We’re asking our listeners now to help us make up this shortfall. If you want to help us out, you can make a donation at supportthispodcast.org.
ACL Fest 2024 already feels like a distant memory. But there’s one more pop-up nugget that we absolutely need to share in the name of Austin music. And that’s on behalf of Midnight Navy, the project of singer-songwriter/saxophonist/producer Francisco Jose Rosales.
Though Rosales first landed on streaming in 2018 with three standalone singles, Midnight Navy really began attracting a fleet of listeners with the release of last April’s De Melón EP, a fruitful six-song exploration of psychedelia, bedroom pop, alt-R&B, Latin indie, and Chicano soul in both English and Spanish. And Midnight Navy’s placement in prominent Austin festivals speaks to the success of De Melón; while Rosales e la familia appeared at ACL Fest the first Friday afternoon on the Tito’s stage, they’ve also been confirmed as an official act for SXSW 2025.
The big news this month? The release of De Melón (Deluxe Edition), which features a new tune that was tracked at Adrian Quesada’s Electric Deluxe Recorders. The Deluxe Edition drops next Friday, right before Midnight Navy embarks on their inaugural Texas tour – four stops across the Lone Star State including a gig Wednesday, November 20th at Empire Control Room alongside La Doña. But back to ACL Fest…several of our pop-up performances that were notably acoustic, bare bones, and frankly quite different from their studio counterparts. However can’t say the same for Midnight Navy; with bongos and cajon, they brought a previously-unheard sense of intimacy to the boda-inspired bolero “Solo Tú” – complete with electric guitar, bass, and keys (not to mention Rosales’ impeccable sax and vocals) for an arrangement that oozes amor.
Think we’re already finished talking about ACL Fest 2024? Don’t be a silly goose! Sure we’re quickly shifting gears to Halloween, Levitation Fest, Thanksgiving, and the Winter Holidays, but we do have one more piece of ACL awesomeness ahead of that Fall gauntlet.
So let’s take a gander at Geese. Almost a decade removed from their fledgling days, Geese and their distinct crossbreed of indie artcore post-punk rock still haven’t run afoul of stagnation. And even as they hatch the next Geese release, this Brooklyn outfit’s still feeling the impact from their golden egg: the Summer 2023 concept album 3D Country, as well the 4D Country outtake offshoot and this June’s Alive & In Person EP. As for the forecast for the rest of this year, it’s about to be open season up in Geese’s BK HQ for the three-day GEESEFEST going down the first week of December.
A couple years after they joined us for our SXSW Studio 6A live broadcast, the cosmos aligned to reunite KUTX with Geese on the second Saturday of Austin City Limits. They turned the KUTX tent into an aural aviary with a trio treatment of the final feather off 4D Country, “Space Race”, during which percussionist Max Bassin relegated both hands to the cajon and one foot to a tambourine, which interestingly offers more of a convincing kit sound.
A deep cut? Perhaps. But a prime piece of Geese? Undoubtedly.
It’s always super cool to see our KUTX Artists of the Month get some additional hometown love out at ACL Fest. Off the top of our head, this year we saw Kalu & The Electric Joint, promqueen, Chief Cleopatra, and West 22nd added to the lineup. On top of those, we were stoked to see our October 2023 Artist of the Month DAIISTAR get some well-deserved recognition in the stacked ACL schedule as well.
Considering the quartet only hit streaming last February, DAIISTAR is decidedly still in a dawning phase. But with the release of their debut full-length Good Time last September, the four-piece made their mellotron-tinged brand of noise-pop felt far across Austin and beyond. Between a pair of recent remixes, a standalone original that dropped right around SXSW, and a handful of appearances on the West Coast over the next couple of months, 2024’s been a busy year for DAIISTAR.
And that includes the Good Time they had opening up the Miller Lite Stage this past toasty Sunday at ACL. After which DAIISTAR took shelter from the sun, shades still donned, in the KUTX multi-media tent for an unconventional twist on their Good Time closer “Velvet Reality”. Alongside the Sonic Boom remix that came out in April, this low-volume rendition of “Velvet Reality” is a testament to the versatility of DAIISTAR’s songwriting and the absence of limits in the nuanced world of noise.
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.
Central Texas top stories for October 11, 2024. Austin looks to buy building for new HQ for Police, Fire, EMS. Standing only option at most CapMetro stops. Hot and dusty for ACL weekend two. Dealing with ACL traffic. Festival as classroom for some ACC students. Texas vs Oklahoma in Dallas Saturday.
Between the big Texas sky, the sprawling space of Zilker Park, all the dust that gets kicked up across the festival grounds and cowboy hats abound, ACL Fest sure can feel a bit like a rodeo right here within the city limits.
And heading back to the fest, Weekend Two of ACL 2024 certainly won’t be flipturn‘s first rodeo, that’s for sure. Following the recent announcement of their sophomore full-length Burnout Days (set to release next January) The Florida five-piece is back at ACL’s American Express stage at 2:45PM this Sunday for an hour-long set. And on top of that, flipturn’s also going to be playing at Scoot Inn tomorrow evening alongside openers Hotel Fiction.
But if those two options to flip your sh*t over flipturn’s formidable live set aren’t appealing to you quite yet, we’ll point to the pop-up duo rendition of Burnout Days‘ lead single “Rodeo Clown” below. And while we’d never advocate illicit drug use to enhance music, this tune sure does remind us of our fun friend Molly and her ability to make any festival performance feel like you’re floating on cloud nine. Not to mention, with lyrics about wanting to escape from the reality of a reluctant performance, it’d be incredibly meta to watch “Rodeo Clown” played to a crowd of thousands.
The second Friday of October is upon us, and Austin City Limits Music Fest is about to be in full effect once again. And in the interim that is this Thursday, we got a twofer for ya: a reflection on last weekend and a hint on what to expect for this next one.
So although it’s finally starting to feel a little more like Fall around here, there’s really no bad season to get behind The Beaches. These masters of fashion have been at it for a decade straight now, solidifying the soundtrack to a generation and proving proficiency (sans predictability) in the indie pop rock realm with each release. And after snagging the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the year in 2018 and the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year in 2022, this past March the quartet scored another milestone in winning the Juno Awards for both Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.
The Beaches are back at it bringing a bit of The Six down to ATX twice over the next couple days with a completely sold out show 6:30PM tonight at Scoot Inn for Backline’s World Mental Health Day Event followed by a return to the T-Mobile stage 3:20PM this Saturday at ACL Fest, so you may want to give a single day pass a second consideration before The Beaches blow up even more. Because they’re only getting better, y’all. Like, looking back at last Saturday, the Ontario sisterhood rocked it (shades donned and sass intact) on their highest-charting single to date and the album opener off last September’s Blame My Ex, “Blame Brett”with a semi-acoustic rendition that undeniably takes on a new character while keeping the spiteful spark of its anthemic studio counterpart in place. Sorry, Brett; this one ain’t for you. But it sure does slam even with that sole egg shaker keeping the beat.
When it comes to exposure for international acts here in Austin, you typically think of SXSW. But time and time again, ACL Fest has shown great global flavors, even if the artists in question are quartered stateside.
A perfect example? Mon Rovîa. Songwriter Andrew Lowe was lucky enough to escape his moniker’s namesake in the midst of the Liberian Civil War, and given the Appalachian atmosphere of his current home base, Mon Rovîa’s forged a really fascinating fusion of Afro influences and American folk, shaking up whatever expectations you have surrounding the “Tennessee sound”. Since hitting streaming early on in the pandemic, that formula’s found a strong listenership that only grows with Mon Rovîa’s ongoing streak of about five-to-six singles a year, alongside the three-act EP progression that began with last Summer’s Act 1: The Wandering and culminated in this April’s Act 3: The Dying of Self.
As the BMI Stage’s inaugural act, Mon Rovîa (and his backing band) had the honor of expressing gratitude, championing peace, and setting a pensive mood for ACL’s first weekend with a slew of tunes. And that extended to a pop-up performance of “crooked the road.”, which still feels fresh after debuting just over a month ago. It’s gorgeous. It’s heartwarming. It’s the most tasteful pairing of ukulele and vocal harmonies you’ll hear all week.
Ask anyone about their favorite ACL Fest performance and there’s no telling what answers you’ll get. But we’re willing to wager that if you ask anyone below the age of thirty, “did you catch Chap-“, there’s a good chance your interviewee will enthusiastically finish your question with, “Chappell Roan?! She was awesome!” Yeah, there’s no doubt Chappell Roan’s among those leading the charge of younger fest attendees this year, but if you’re less in search of the Pink Pony Club and more keen on something to successfully serenade both you, your parents, and their hoss, there’s another “Chap” that was well worth checking out during Weekend One.
And that’s Chaparelle, the Southern supergroup of Zella Day, Jesse Woods, and prolific producer-composer-multi-instrumentalist Beau Bedford. Between the three? A lifetime of country music experience that, when combined, authentically encapsulates the classic midcentury sound that so many of us miss hearing on the airwaves. Based on the level of polish we’ve heard, we already see Chaparelle as a champion of twang made in and for the Lone Star State. And we’re bettin’ they’re gonna go a lot further than that after the release of their debut LP next Spring.
But in the world of country, (at least the real stuff that can’t be wrangled into Top 40 pop), high production values can only take a subpar performance so far…and Chaparelle sure ain’t a case of that. Because while the studio version of Chaparelle’s debut single from this June “Bleeding Hearts” recalls the iconic comfort of prime Patsy Cline recordings, the stripped-down acoustic-electric-vocal arrangement the trio treated us to last Friday at ACL is intimate, unadulterated talent. And like the title suggests, “Bleeding Hearts” isn’t a two-steppin’ barn-burner; it’s a surefire recipe for tears in your beer that’ll have you holding onto your Stetson for emotional support…lest you’ve got a requited love to corral.
Central Texas top stories for October 4, 2024. Texas planning to vote in this fall’s election must be registered to vote by Monday. While some cities appear to attract to extra rainfall, Austin doesn’t seem to share the same luck. Travis County will launch mental health diversion program on Monday. Being recognized as a “dark sky” place isn’t cheap, but one Central Texas nonprofit is trying to ease that cost. Day one of the Austin City Limits music festival kicks off in Zilker Park and that means extra humans and traffic in Austin.
Central Texas top stories for October 2, 2024. Under proposed Austin Police contract, complaint files would be public. Austin area school districts get the word out about tax rate elections. Ascension Seton still concerned about staffing even after getting a contract agreement. Avoiding the hassle of getting to and from ACL Fest.
We’ve got just one more ACL Pop-Up to share with you for Song of the Day, and this one comes with an exciting bit of news. It comes courtesy of indie-folk-rock singer Katy Kirby, who was raised just about an hour’s drive from Austin out in Spicewood before relocating to Nashville for college, and most recently, Brooklyn. Bouncing from one musical hub to another’s done wonders for Kirby’s artistic wisdom, as she’s definitely leveled up in the half decade since dropping her debut EP Juniper.
And the momentum’s been especially strong in the post-COVID era, considering Kirby just played both Sundays of ACL Fest on that big ol’ Miller Lite Stage. Those ACL gigs are bookended between two new singles – “Cubic Zirconia” from the tail end of August – and, just a few hours old, “Table”. The latter arrived this morning alongside an announcement for Katy Kirby’s sophomore full-length Blue Raspberry, set for release January 26th.
Based on the weight of her ACL appearances and “Table”, we’re expecting a generous batch of ripe originals for Blue Raspberry. But if you couldn’t make it out to Zilker and want a taste of the new LP, you can harvest its lead single “Cubic Zirconia” for the emotionally-authentic piece of soft rock that it is with Katy Kirby’s close knit backstage pop-up performance.
We may already be knee deep in Levitation Fest, but that’s not stopping us from sharing just a couple more pieces of backstage magic from ACL Fest. And that cavalcade of unique performances continues today with Caramelo Haze.
This Grupo Fantasma/Brownout offshoot made a bold entrance last June with their debut full-length Noestasaqui, whose lead single “Window Seat” quickly became a KUTX airwave heavyweight. Based on the band’s membership, a baseline of Latin neo-soul is to be expected. But what separates Caramelo Haze from its predecessors is a stronger emphasis on synth sonics, rather than more traditional conjunto arrangements.
Noestasaqui not only scored the quartet an official SXSW spot (plus an appearance during our Scholz Garden live broadcast), but also a big break on that ambitious BMI Stage this past Sunday at ACL Fest. So after enjoying some elbow room atop BMI, the live five-piece managed to cram into KUTX’s pop-up space for a bit more personal of a performance; Caramelo Haze gave us a glimpse of a prettier tomorrow with their rendition of a José José 1969 classic, “Una Mañana”, which at the time, had barely been on streaming for a full day. Beauty may be in the ear of the beholder, but if you don’t like this one, frankly, you’re wrong.
If you were out at ACL Fest this past weekend you might’ve caught Confucius and Fresh from The Breaks at the Bonus Tracks Stage. What were the fellas up to other than getting their buzz on at Zilker? Interviewing a real sultry-voiced stunner, that’s what.
Austin hip-hop/R&B vocalist Blakchyl‘s been building a hell of a brand for herself in the local scene and beyond since her debut EP On Paper in 2019. Alternating between singing and rapping with a beautifully-blunted voice (somewhat reminiscent of fellow Austinite Megz Kelli’s), Blakchyl’s only gotten better on this side of the 2020s. On top of that, Blakchyl’s eagerness to work with others and ability to adapt her eloquent verbal style to complement said guests has made for some super fruitful collaborations, most notably her duo with Nez Tha Villain, G.E.N.I.U.S.’s, eponymous 2022 LP.
This year’s been a big one for Blakchyl, considering she’s already shared two standalone singles, the Call Me Sometimes EP, and, just at the top of October, her full-length Better Than I Imagined. And yeah, as alluded to before, Blackchyl also brought her A-Game to ACL last weekend, playing at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage Saturday afternoon, sitting down with The Breaks‘ boys, and even squeezing in a pop-up performance of “Ja Morant” for our multi-media team. It’s pretty clear that Austin is Blackchyl’s court, so we’re hoping to see this poet of a point guard shoot for the MVP in the coming years.
Well before Brenda Lee’s auspicious adolescence, breakout success for a teenage performers has shown up in many different forms. These days though, more often than not, social media seems like the most reliable platform for international exposure. For example, look at Iván Cornejo.
In true Zoomer fashion, Cornejo’s initial guitar training came from YouTube tutorials. But the intrinsic creativity and passion Cornejo possesses? That’s all natural. Building on a Spanish language, Regional-Mexican-meets-alt-rock style of songwriting that stems back to a middle school breakup, by the time Iván graduated high school, his 2021 single “Está Dañada” had gone viral on Tik-Tok and broken its way into the Billboard Hot 100. Thankfully that early traction didn’t get to this Riverside innovator’s head, and within the following year Cornejo’s sophomore LP Dañado had scored him several more high-charting positions.
In this mere third year of official activity, after getting signed to industry giant Interscope, Iván Cornejo’s sold out a nationwide tour, which included stops at the immense Miller Lite Stage both Sundays of ACL Fest. What wasn’t on that tour itinerary was an appearance at KUTX’s backstage tent that included a gorgeous quartet performance of Cornejo’s latest Hot 100 darling “Aquí Te Espero”. It’s an awe-inspiring example of how the emotional qualities of music can transcend language, because even if you don’t speak Spanish, “Aquí Te Espero” will leave you waiting here wanting more.
For some ACL Fest attendees, especially on Day Two or Three after imbibing on Friday, making it out to Zilker Park to catch the first day’s first act is a little too inconvenient. But for the passionate performers bestowed with opening up this internationally acclaimed festival? To call it an honor is an egregious understatement.
Among them is classically-trained, Bachelor’s-in-Jazz-certified pianist-singer Arya, formerly based in Belgrade and now a noteworthy pro in the Austin music scene. After steppin’ into our city limits with her debut 2019 EP, Arya’s continued to introduce us to an array of pop-R&B originals à la carte. Which isn’t totally fair to say, considering each new release will eventually amount to their carefully crafted visual album Insides, out early next year.
Regardless, rocking their own iconic sense of fest fashion, complete with a freshly shaved head, Arya braved it straight past any anxiety for her premiere festival appearance right around noon on ACL’s massive T-Mobile Stage. Again, to call it a “big deal” doesn’t do this opportunity justice. So you can imagine by the time Arya arrived at the KUTX tent for a pop-up session, she was absolutely beaming. See and hear for yourself on Insides‘ latest that just dropped last Thursday, “Love Me”. Based on the merits of this beat-less arrangement (coupled with the banger retro-electronic synth sound of its studio version) we have a feeling Arya’s got a good shot at poppin’ off both on Tik-Tok and NPR Tiny Desk. Get it, girl!