“Flight” by Jess Helios and The Crew began as a song about revolution, but grew into something more personal, tapping into inner truth and rising to a higher state of mind. It offers a glimpse into their unreleased album Apollo 95, a cinematic, genre-blending journey through grief, love, and the full spectrum of human emotion, where every track brings something different. After debuting the project live and taking it across Texas, they return to Austin on April 9th at Hotel Vegas.
austin music
AISD hands over control of middle schools in bid to avoid state takeover
The Austin Independent School District is handing over control of three middle schools to a nonprofit in the hopes of avoiding a districtwide state takeover. Dobie, Burnet and Webb middle schools are trying to avoid a fifth accountability rating that could trigger the takeover. Acacia Coronado with the Austin Current has the story.
Austin city leaders have approved a new strategic plan to address some of the issues faced by people experiencing homelessness. The plan calls for more shelter beds, better coordination and increased community partnership. We’ll have more about those ambitions and the costs.
We remember the music and career of local Austin musician, Jon Dee Graham, who died Friday at 67.
And who’s the guy who dances at the corner of Barton Springs Road and South First Street?
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
Valley Flower: “Mountain Don’t Care”
After spending 2025 rising from humble five-piece to a staple of the Central Texas bluegrass scene, Austin’s Valley Flower are back with the new single “Mountain Don’t Care,” a song true to their special blend of folk, bluegrass, and country. A bit more traditional than last year’s, “Run Buddy,” “Mountain Don’t Care,” a brooding track postualting on the harrowing power of man vs. nature, sounds like an award-winning theme song for a generational family drama set in the Cumberland Gap where the song’s inspiration (and some of the band’s members) hail.
New Age Media
On this episode we discuss the back and forth between radio personality Mero in NYC and popular streamer Akademiks and what it means for the new age of media. We also discuss Jay-Z’s recent interview with GQ magazine and what stuck out the most to us. Hip-Hop Facts this week includes facts about Jay-Z, Teddy Riley, the late DJ AM, and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is sure to get people talking so tune in to find out what it is.
Why some Austin city staff are urging against plan for parks above I-35
TxDOT is pouring billions of dollars into I-35 through Central Austin, adding more lanes and eventually sinking parts of the highway up to 60 feet below ground level. This could make it possible to build parks above the highways — but that comes with a hefty price tag. We’ll dig into why Austin city staff are urging elected officials to hold off on those plans.
And a New York Times investigation is prompting new conversations about the legacy of labor leader Cesar Chavez across the country. We’ll look at how that ultimately led to the decision to remove a mural in East Austin and how the community feels about it.
The Austin-based group Dorio is performing at Rock the Park tonight. We’ll hear more about their journey and plans for the future on today’s show.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
Bananner Man: “Banana Lands”
Bannaner Man was born in the Cavendish Islands in the rarely explored Citric Sea. After splitting for Corpus Christi, he found himself in Austin, busking on 6th Street before playing bass for Austin notables Magna Carda and Los Coast. After becoming a Dad, Bananner Man took pity on put-upon parents forced to listen to emetic, saccharine songs made to delight children and inch parents towards the nearest cliff. The result is akin to The Bug Club collabing on early Gorillaz songs: lyrics that are silly and fun but clever set to chill, earwormy electronic beats.
Bananner Man opens Rock the Park tonight, and not only do the songs pair well with peanut butter and toast, but also with the lo-fi bedroom pop beats of tonight’s headliner, Dorio.
Rock the Park is sponsored by Dell Children’s Medical Center, a part of Ascension Seton.
Lene: “I Wanna Be Your Lover”
Pianist and singer Lene moved to Austin back in 2023, already having seen musical success in Europe: having been a contestant on X Factor: Italia and performing at festivals in Italy and Portugal. She left Italy for love, but a move across the world leads to a shift in identity, and her lush song “I Wanna Be Your Lover” “reflects that mix of excitement and displacement, where you’re building something new while still feeling tied to where you came from. The result is smooth, sultry, a little vintage, and a hell of a bop.
Like A Stranger is out tomorrow, March 27th.
Dorio: “Plastic Heart” [Live In Studio 1A]
There’s something about every song by Austin’s Dorio that’s just sweet, sticky, and timeless. It simultaneously takes me to a certain sunny side of the 90’s; my old, cozy, West Campus apartment; and some of the best new music I’ve been listening to all year. It’s also something none of us around here can stop listening to. The soft, bubbly melodies get punctuated with equally soft and bouncy vocals, all wrapped-up in a lo-fi blanket to give it that “anywhere, anytime” feeling.
Dorio kicks off Rock the Park Spring 2026 this Friday, so we’re revisting their Studio 1A from last summer to get you in a bubbly, live music good mood! Rock the Park is spondored by Dell Children’s Medical Center, a part of Ascension Seton.
Williamson County Republicans reverse course on countywide voting
The Republican Party in Williamson County has agreed to let voters cast a ballot at any polling location available in the upcoming primary runoff. A move to precinct-specific voting made for a confusing process for many voters last month in Williamson and Dallas counties. We’ll have more about why the party is reversing course.
Rent prices in Austin continue to fall as more units become available and with fewer people moving to the city. We’ll dig into the latest numbers.
A wildfire out in Bastrop County started last night and spread over 46 acres through Bastrop State Park and prompted evacuations at a nearby RV camping park. We’ll have more on the updates.
It’s the last full week of March — that means it’s time to catch you up on the best new music that you’ll want to add to those playlists.
And both Texas basketball teams are still dancing amid the March Madness. We’ll have a look at how they did it and their chances to keep on dancing.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
SXSW 2026 Hangover
On this episode we recap our annual SXSW showcase SXBreaks and our overall experience with the revamped SXSW festival. We also discuss our thoughts on the Oscars winners from this past weekend. Hip-Hop Facts this week include facts about Teyana Taylor, the Ewoks from Star Wars, the origins of Quiet Storm radio and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is that Houston may have a problem on its hands in regards to spring break.
A special broadcast from Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi cuts its timeline to a water disaster and the state issues emergency orders to deal with what may be an unprecedented crisis. Today we’re coming to you from the place they call the Sparkling City by the Sea — yet despite its proximity to the water, the region faces the imminent threat of running out of it.
We’re at the studios of KEDT, our partners in Corpus Christi. We’ll have the latest on the water crisis here, but also some of the extraordinary charms of the 8th most populous city in Texas — a hub for shipping, wildlife preservation, and great music.
It’s been more than two weeks since the deadly shooting at Buford’s in downtown Austin that killed three, wounded more than a dozen, and affected countless others.
It’s been more than two weeks since the deadly shooting at Buford’s in downtown Austin that killed three, wounded more than a dozen, and affected countless others. For mass shooting survivors, recovery can be a slow process. We’ll have the story of a mother and daughter going through that very thing following a shooting last year at an Austin Target store.
An autonomous vehicle in Austin blocked emergency vehicles trying to reach the shooting scene at Buford’s. We’ll look at why a lack of regulatory guidelines could mean more of these kinds of incidents.
Organizers of the annual Cesar Chavez parade and celebration in Austin have canceled the event after allegations against the labor union organizer have been made public. We’ll take a look at how this story is developing.
Plus, it’s the last day of South By Southwest 2026. We’ve got the story of one Austin artist working over the past few days for his big break.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
SXSW, partial government shutdown impacting Austin-Bergstrom travel
South By Southwest has brought many travelers into Austin to enjoy the city’s music, food and culture, but getting out of town via the Austin airport has turned a bit chaotic as TSA agents go without pay amid a partial government shutdown. We’ll have the latest from the airport and from local officials.
Carmen Mejia was exonerated from a Travis County prison after serving 20 years for a crime she didn’t commit. Once she was exonerated, however, she still faced threat from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We’ll have the latest on her story.
Plus, the Texas men’s and women’s team basketball team are gearing up for the start of this week’s championship tournaments. We’ll break down who they’re playing and what their championship odds are looking like.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
Quentin: [Live At Scholz Garten]
Another SXSW, another rousing success at Scholz Garten. And all this week, we’re sharing some of our favorite performances with free downloads just for you!
Austin’s Quentin is as much of a visual artist as they are a performer. And we experienced that in a big way on Thursday. I was in the booth at the station making some behind-the-scenes magic happen, and I had this set TURNED UP Spinal Tap style. Powerful, evocative, and anthemic as hell, this performance was a formidable way to kick off our three-day stint down at Scholz Garten.
New film ‘STAGES’ brings iconic Austin venues to the big screen
The University of Texas at Austin is consolidating seven ethnic and gender studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. That consolidation was announced in February. We’ll look more into these changes.
South By Southwest 2026 is in full swing. On this episode, we’ll bring you the director and stars of the film “STAGES.” It’s the story of an Austin musician navigating his life and career, and it features many of our city’s best hangs — from Hole in the Wall to Joe’s Bakery.
The movie premiered this week as part of the fest. We’ll delve into how the project came together.
An Austin nonprofit dedicated to investing in Black, Indigenous and other communities of color is presenting a free, four-day event during SXSW.
And we’ll get a check-in from our official SXSW correspondent.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
Anastasia Hera: “Ambitions” [Live In Studio 1A]
KUTX’s coverage of SXSW is powered by Rivian and presented by Uber Eats
Austin’s Anastasia Hera has been blending her brand of rap and R&B for almost fifteen years. In addition to releasing her own solo work, leading her group Anastasia and the Heroes, and putting her mark on various other projects, she’s also the founder of CAKE (Creativity, Abundance, Knowledge, Education), a non-profit empowering and educating women pursuing music careers.
Her deft lyrics, sultry vocals, and smooth, earwormy beats led her to becoming our February 2025 Artist of the Month. And tonight she’ll be performing at SXSBreaks at Lefty’s Brick Bar.
A special SXSW 2026 show from Scholz Garten
We kicked off South by Southwest 2026 with a special, live one-hour show at Scholz Garten.
We’ll speak with Austin artists Shakey Graves and Kydd Jones about the things they’re working on this year.
We’ll also be joined by the director and producer of the upcoming Netflix documentary “The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson,” about a top-class cyclist murdered on a trip to Austin.
Plus, a roundtable of chefs from Michelin Guide-recognized restaurants Dai Due, La Santa Barbacha and Ramen del Barrio about the cost of a meal in Austin and the ways they’re working to keep them accessible to more Austinites.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
Deer Fellow: “Fool For You”
Sonic ingenuity with ruffles imbued with love is the thesis of Austin indie duo Deer Fellow. Blending sonic loops and synth-sibilities with violin intimacy, they set a romantic mood that can’t help but creep in from the background. Newly married, Matt Salois and Alyssa Kelly are well into their season of love, beautifully illustrated through their latest single “Fool For You.” As the duo puts it, “the song is an old-fashioned style of love song, a nod to the Great American Songbook with a modern twist, blending bedroom pop with indie soul.”
Deer Fellow are playing a charity event on Monday, March 16th at Wolfhouse ATX on E. Cesar Chavez raising awareness for type 1 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, and the Whipple Warriors. They also have an early show on Saturday, March 28th at Batch on Manor Rd.
Paxton targets Austin ISD over alleged ‘bathroom bill’ violation
Board members for the Austin Independent School District are considering an outside nonprofit to handle three of its middle schools with chronic failing grades. Another failing grade for these campuses would give the Texas Education Agency the authority to take over the district as a whole. We’ll have more about community meetings happening this week. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has notified AISD of a complaint alleging the district violated the state’s bathroom bill. We’ll dig into the story.
Since the start of the second trump administration. Immigration crack downs have been in the news and affecting communities and families across the nation, as well as here in Texas. Austin-based documentarian Louise Van Assche has taken a closer look at this by talking with the folks being directly affected.
South by Southwest officially kicks off tomorrow, but the unofficial showcases and house shows have plenty to offer up as well. We’ll share details about one benefitting a women’s correctional facility here in the Austin area.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
Social Dissonance: “This is Hell”
Austin’s Social Dissonance is pushing the boundaries of genre-bending with their new track “This Is Hell.” With the combination of metal, alt-rock, and punk, we are left with a gritty and explosive track that thrives on distortion, raw energy, and an unrelenting pace.“This Is Hell” marks the first release featuring the band’s new frontwoman, Lucy Garner. The double single is out now as they head out for their first Texas tour.