austin music

Hovvdy: “True Love”

For five years the Austin scene has been treated to an infectious chemistry between Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, better known as Hovvdy. Pronounced like the ubiquitous southern greeting, these Studio 1A and My KUTX veterans continue to cruise in a more mature direction than their super lo-fi salad days, but retain the pop-rock charm that won us over with 2016’s Taster.

Today Hovvdy greets us for the first time out of quarantine with news of a twelve-track LP, True Love, out this Fall. True Love drops October 1st and you can get the first glimpses with the album’s just-released title track and music video!

A. Sinclair: “Evening Light” (Pop-Up)//Interview with Jonas Wilson of Mr. Pink Records

Going back to Motown, Blue Note, Decca, and Def Jam, record labels have helped shape an artist’s character and vice versa. For rock songwriter A. Sinclair, that record label came out of a phone call from fellow Austinite Jonas Wilson and his budding Mr. Pink Records. A. Sinclair‘s six separate Studio 1A sessions should cue you into the progression of his sound, and he’s especially seemed to have hit an artistic high since signing with Mr. Pink Records not too long ago.

Another recent addition to Mr. Pink’s growing repertoire, the Mr. Pink Video Hour, is chock-full of fun performances (opening with A. Sinclair’s “Evening Light”) that’ll keep you entertained throughout its entirety. If it leaves you asking for more, you can catch A. Sinclair this Saturday at the Mohawk with Van Mary and Quiet Company and learn more about Mr. Pink Records founder Jonas Wilson with an in-depth interview below.

Your performance resumé totes a ton of collaborations, including Night Glitter, My Jerusalem, and The Midnight Stroll. What are some other Austin groups that you perform/have performed with?

I’m currently playing in Heartless Bastards as a multi-instrumentalist. I still perform in Night Glitter while The Midnight Stroll is on hiatus. We are planning on returning to record some more as soon as Aaron and I can be off the road and line our time up.

I’ve played in bands since the early 90’s in Austin: Goudie, Alpha Rev, Lomita, The White White Lights, Altamesa, Christy Hays, What Made Milwaukee Famous (who has a new record coming out this year on Mr Pink), Mike And The Moonpies, Chief White Lightning, Deals, Ben Ballinger, and Galen Ballinger, and many more. I’m fortunate as a producer I end up getting to play a bit for everyone. I’m also a solo artist but that doesn’t get as much attention.

You’ve been playing in Austin for the past three decades. Who’d you play with first? What’s the most recent project you’ve attached yourself to?

I was performing solo as a young blues guitarist from age 13-18, playing at Antone’s and Steamboat in the early 90’s and touring Europe. Clifford Antone, Danny Crooks, and David Cotton were always supportive of young artists like me. I opened for people like Ian Moore and lots of other locals back then. I ended up in Goudie when I was about 18. They were just coming off being on a major label and all several years older than I was.

Recently, I joined Heartless Bastards which has been a gift and I can’t wait for the fall tour. The musicians in the group are incredible , and I’m a longtime fan of Erika’s writing. And I still make music with my dear friend Josh Logan in Chief White Lightning. We finished a new record right before COVID (first single coming out this fall). And I released a solo record last year as well and in the middle of another.

As a multi-instrumentalist do you find yourself naturally gravitating towards anything in particular? Or is it project-dependent? What’s the toughest instrument you’ve learned?

I’m always a guitarist at heart but now it’s just an extension of me: I’ve got an established personal style and sound. I really don’t care what instrument I’m playing, more what feeling I’m chasing and how to accomplish that with my skill set and taste. I’m okay with playing two chords on a piano and knowing those two chords had a key moment in taking an audience on a journey. When a project allows I personally always enjoy a more Eno/John Cage music of chance approach to things. I like tape machines and non-traditional instruments because making music to me is more process-driven rather than instrument-driven. I’m always striving to be a better pianist and love playing ragtime , jazz and junk New Orleans blues for fun. I had no formal music education and trained pianist look confused at my approach but I know the sound still comes out…

What led you to create your own record label? And how’d you settle on the name Mr. Pink? Is it a ‘Reservoir Dogs’/’Taking of the Pelham 123’ thing?

I was a big fan of K Records and Dischord as a young man. I always wanted to have an outlet to talk about all my talented peers and help keep a scene together. In 2005, my old band Lomita was signed to a local label Indierect (they put out the first Ghostland Observatory and The Black Angels records) run by Daniel Perlaky who is single-handedly responsible for my continuation as an artist. People like that who make it about the scene and family are the ones who gave me the perspective I needed to have Mr. Pink come to fruition… It’s really about a desire to have a support system for artists I love. They need people who believe and will be there for council and help in any way… It’s hopefully a label that encourages people to be themselves artistically at all cost: not to conform their work into just another product to sell. I like labels that want to figure out how to sell artist vision to willing participants and other believers, rather than an old-school label just nurturing plasticity and homogenization.

As far as a the name “Mr. Pink Records…” My dog Pink passed away as I was putting out our first release and I needed a name. My buddy Josh Logan (The Blind Pets, Chief White Lighting) came up with the idea of Mr Pink Records because it could also have that Reservoir Dogs influence which I loved. So it stuck! My wife Olga created our logo and she and Misti Hamrick (Pale Dian, Daiistar) help run the label.

Mr. Pink specializes in cassettes and 45s. What attracts you to these physical media? What’s something that may surprise most people about short-run production compared to larger scale printing?

I started this label with a $200 budget for cassettes and just cold-emailed my friends and local radio stations. Cassettes are cheap and I hand-make every one we sell. It’s a lot of hours but I love it. I’m an old-school punk indie fan and I just love all things handmade and niche. Short runs are great and fiscally responsible. I’d rather sell a hundred tapes to obsessive collectors rather than get a million streams from people who encountered it on a chill playlist and don’t even know the artist they are listening to. When bands start selling more than I can handle, I’ll outsource it and make more than a short run…

I’m getting more focused on helping bands find other opportunities for their music to make money while providing a cheap recording option for my artists. I’m hoping to get a lathe to do our own 45s within a year but it’s a lot of work and between touring this year I might continue to outsource our 45s.

You launched Mr. Pink in 2018, only giving yourself a year or two to grow before COVID dialed everything back. Any noteworthy challenges from those first years?

COVID was great for the label… My production and performance life hit pause and I just focused on continuing to put out my friends’ music. No profit was to be made from any of those projects, it was a pure expression of the person sitting at home dealing with this unprecedented situation. We now have an amazing collection of 2020 music that lives as a photograph of our community of artists. It was a terrible year for us as a business but it also gave time for me to consider how to move forward. It led the label to many undertakings and new partnerships: working with Jonathan Horstmann (Urban Heat) on Levitation Sessions for The Black Angels and Alex Maas, and a taping for Scott Biram in Bastrop. The label was collecting other filmed catalog which you guys are seeing for the first time here on KUTX! Michael Gibson (Not In The Face and Deals, a Mr. Pink act) helped along with Mosaic Sound Collective do some tapings and A. Sinclair live in the studio backyard. I think none of this would exist without the strange circumstances of the last two years.

What was your experience promoting and releasing your debut LP, ‘Science Fiction Post Blues’, in the midst of the pandemic?

I started that record in 2016 in between The Midnight Stroll albums, touring, and producing twenty other records. The original album release was supposed to go along an art installation piece at Radio Milk, but the pandemic hit and I just kept working on it and finally pulled the trigger. Promoting the record was a lot easier for me since I promote work all the time as a label now. I was able to get songs on playlists and get some press. I still would like my solo works to find another label home because you can’t promote your own work as convincingly as a third party can.

How does Mr. Pink enlist artists? Prior personal connections, cold calling, etc.?

Cold calls (Looking at you A. Sinclair!) do work sometimes. and I love that… but I really let an artist come into my sphere and it just happens organically. Someone I’m a fan of or someone I producing that doesn’t have help to put their music. It’s a scene and all are welcome to hang. I did turn down many artists lately because somehow people from Far distances like Korea and Germany were trying to send me music but I can’t get to know them personally as artists. I need to know them and see them play or talk about records and life. We will smoke a few joints together and be friends before I consider taking on an act. I also need to know that I have something to offer them as a label.

What was it like working with Ovrld on Mr. Pink Radio Hour? How’d that come about?

The radio hour is awesome, I love Morgan and the OVRLD team. They do nothing but support artists around here. Morgan was experimenting with OVRLD using newer podcast formats where we could legally play artists’ work and they would get fair streaming on Mixcloud, and he asked if I would be interested in doing a show. So I started interviewing people… I’ve had personal hero Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records, do the show and Larry Crane, producer and founder of Tape Op magazine.

What’s on Mr. Pink’s roadmap for the next year? Next five years?

No roadmap per se, I’m just going where the road leads as with everything else I do in life. I’m not a planner and it’s not a traditional business. I think we will continue to put out artists and engage in the opportunities life presents just by being open and putting out things with a fiscal responsibility and an art-forward view.

Anything else worth sharing?

Yes!

July 17, Record Store Day will feature reissue cassettes of Deals (with a bonus B side of Deals Live at Mosaic), Dewey Ivy’s “Water Tower” and Cold Jackets “Affairs of the Heart” exclusively at Waterloo Records! Alex Maas’s Levitation Sessions limited edition pink cassettes will also be available at Waterloo with other Mr Pink gems on cassettes, 45, CD, and 12”!

July 29 at 8 pm, we are having our first showcase at The Green Jay. Cold Jackets, Dewey Ivy, Altamesa, and Pocket Sounds are on this bill. I will be hand-making cassette singles on site that night for each band!

Nathan Harlan has an amazing new single and video premiering August 6! And on August 21, a new single by Pale Dian is coming out! Cold Jackets have been doing exciting new collabs with great producers like James Petralli (White Denim) and St Christopher (Shakey Graves and more). Their new single is out August 28. Also, we have other cool new releases on the way! What Made Milwaukee Famous and Jon Lloyd (Hong Kong Wigs, Sweet Spirit) have full lengths out this fall!

Mr. Pink Records

Mélat: “The Lesson”

Even before we’d selected her as our February 2018 Artist of the Month, we had all reached the same verdict for native Austinite Mélat; she’s young but sounds like she’s been doing this for decades, knows how to swoon in her songwriting, and always gives us just enough to leave us wanted more. Mélat’s unrivaled presence in the soul-R&B realm is an astonishing spectacle to behold live and translates into an even more powerful experience on studio recordings, where her captivating voice snuggles right up to your ear drum.

After dropping a couple singles in 2020, Mélat’s been plugging away at a new LP, tracked and mixed at Black Pumas’ Texas headquarters, Electric Deluxe Recorders. She’s got a tour in the works for next year to promote the aforementioned album, whose lead single channels the spiritual soul of gospel in a waltzing heart-melter, “The Lesson”.

McKenna Esteb: “My Heart”

Whether it’s with mid-century jazz royalty, ’60s soul-psychedelia, or more modern renditions by women singers, songwriter McKenna Esteb is all about the jazz-soul sound. Raised in Seattle and now based here in Austin, McKenna Esteb’s recruited an intimate backing band to round out her arrangements, but its her commanding vocals that win us over every time.

Last Friday McKenna Esteb released her latest single, “My Heart” along with an NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest submission that you can watch below. So be on the lookout for more from this promising songwriter in the near future and get the blood to pump you through hump day with “My Heart”!

Mr. Linen: “I Got You”

Way back in 2016, Austin producers Andre Cantave, Dave Madden, and David Messier released a pooch-smoochin’ love letter of sorts for KUTX Host Emeritus John Aielli with their eponymous lead single, “Mr. Linen“. We all pretty much thought the same thing; it’s wacky but catchy, cute but well-made, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want more.

A half decade later, Mr. Linen has fulfilled that wish with their summer-ready debut LP Stay Cool, toting a fun-loving yacht-pop style that’ll command any boat-appropriate playlist. Stay Cool sets sail just in time for July 4th weekend, and Mr. Linen celebrates with a virtual livestream at 6PM Central Time via their Facebook page. At one song over the traditional 8-track packaging, the French bulldog that is Mr. Linen clearly is a beast that can’t be fully contained, but that spare original is one of Stay Cool‘s finest given its place as the album closer (not to mention its ability to recall ’70s soft rockers like Kris Kristofferson and Loggins-Messina), “I Got You”!

Jesse Beaman: “Immerse”

If you’re the type of listener who thinks talking, singing, and traditional song structures are all just a bunch of noise, you’re probably a fan of ambient music. Enter Austin multi-instrumentalist/composer Jesse Beaman, who’s recorded and toured the globe thoroughly under the handle My Empty Phantom for the past decade. Beaman’s laid out a resplendent blend of experimental rock and minimalist ambient, a style that’s naturally earned him film scoring opportunities for the likes of National Geographic.

In the past few years alone Beaman’s co-founded the production company and record label MAX / MIN, along with Interpol’s Brandon Curtis, who produced and recorded Jesse Beaman’s new LP, Mira, at his Vermont studio. You’ll be able to experience the full vision of Mira on July 16th, but feel free to turn on, tune in, and drop out early with the aptly-titled “Immerse”.

Abram Shook: “Delusion”

After studying jazz in his longtime home base of Santa Cruz, California, songwriter-visionary Abram Shook took to the road and spent time in Boston and Portland before heading here to Austin. Soon after, Shook earned the distinction as our April 2015 Artist of the Month, thanks to his colorful aesthetic, make-it-look-easy performance prowess, and tightrope balance between soft-spoken lyrics and hard-hitting arrangements.

This Friday the three-time Studio 1A veteran has something new for fans to sink their incisors into, Velvet Teeth, an impressive array of psychedelic jazz-pop compositions that’ll leave you (as the kids say…) shook. The LP’s preceding singles all share the same mellow energy and give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from Velvet Teeth, such as “Delusion”, whose chill groove and subtle sonics floss between seductive and intoxicating.

Tortuga Shades: “Revolving” [PREMIERE]

With Texas heat slowing us all down to a turtle’s pace and in search of a cool spot out of the sun, there really is no better time for Tortuga Shades. This Austin four-piece first built up their carapace of R&B-blooded alt-rock with the 2017 EP Migrations, following it up with a spread-out pair of singles for each subsequent year, respectively.

Now Tortuga Shades is scuttling towards the release of their sophomore record Revolving later this summer, but its title track (and music video, both out today) lets you get a peek under the shell early on…

S.L. Houser: “Mirror”

For three quarters of a decade Sara Houser’s been at the front and center of Austin indie pop quartet Löwin and has laid down session vocals and piano for fellow KUTX favorites like Walker Lukens, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Otis Wilkins, Spoon, and A Giant Dog. But despite her prominent role in Löwin and impressive catalogue of contributions, nothing has fully sated the appetite for a songwriter of Houser’s caliber…until now.

Refreshed by a pandemic-long break and revisiting the same joyous spark that her craft invited during adolescence, Sara’s re-emerged under the moniker S.L. Houser. The new solo project finds Houser truly writing for herself for the first time in years, and considering her matured prowess at this point, we can’t help but feel excited for this new chapter. Said chapter kicks off today with S.L. Houser’s debut single, “Mirror”, reflecting lo-fi alt-rock tones of the ’80s and ’90s to champion the power of women in the musical realm.

dreamgoth: “cant wait to die”

Claiming Austin as their local haunt, guitarist-vocalist Marshal Spaulding has built up a repertoire of primarily electronic music under the handle dreamgoth. But as one might expect from the moniker, dreamgoth does indeed dabble with the dark arts of dreampop and shoegaze in their more recent arrangements, soon to be heard on their new EP damien grey.

Dropping July 1st, damien grey digresses a bit from dreamgoth’s typical formulas, venturing into the pop realm with some subtle new wave production elements, but where Depeche Mode “Just Can’t Get Enough”, dreamgoth doles out dreariness on “cant wait to die”!

For the Fans

In this episode its all about the fans! You’ll hear about how they coped when there were no live shows and how they feel now that things are opening back up.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

Hady Mawajdeh. : Hady produced a great podcast called “Gun Play.” You can listen here.
Joanna Castillo
Jonathan Weldon
Jen Leduc
Lulu Bryant

AUSTIN, TX. May 27, 2021. Joanna Castillo poses for a portrait with three 15-inch high piles of music shirts that celebrate a variety of artists, venues, concerts and festivals. Castillo bought between 40-50 shirts in just the past year to support artists that were unable to perform due to the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Minasi/KUTX

Check out Andrew Weber’s piece on venues not yet receiving federal relief

Let us know your thoughts! Take the Pause/Play Survey!

Listen to songs from this episode of Pause/Play

AUSTIN, TX. May 28, 2021. Jonathan Weldon, his wife Laura, and sons Pierce, 8, and Oliver, 4, have been organizing small concerts in their front-yard over the course of the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Minasi/KUTX

Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit: “Hot Blood”

Specializing in what they call “soul surrealism”, Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit stir up flavors of blues, rock, funk, and of course, soul into their glowing blend, anchored by the eponymous frontman’s rugged baritone voice. Based right here in Austin, Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit got their start nearly a decade back with their 2012 LP The Feelin’, and following their evolution across 2014’s Rapture and 2018’s Judgment Eve, the matured group is ready to re-introduce themselves in full force with a new self-titled full-length.

Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit drops this Friday and the band celebrates this Saturday at Central Machine Works alongside Aaron Stephens and Nichole Wagner. And since that trademark Texas heat has finally shown up, there’s no better time to let “Hot Blood” keep you cool.

Indoor Creature: “Get Away” (KUTX Pop-Up)

For the past couple weeks you’ve heard plenty about our June 2021 Artist of the Month, Indoor Creature, a jazz-pop beast that’s evolved from a humble duo into a quaint quintet since their 2015 inception. And though Caleb Fleischer (keys/synth/sax/vocals) continues his tenure as Indoor Creature’s chief visionary, the effortless movement of interior specimen across the band’s third LP, Living In Darkness, has to be credited to the clockwork provided by all members.

After releasing Living In Darkness at the tail end of last month (and hosting My KUTX last week), Indoor Creature is set to celebrate their album release this Friday at The Ballroom. But if you’re still a little shaky on going out to live venues at this point in the pandemic timeline, you can still enjoy Indoor Creature in their natural habitat from the comfort of yours with a two-song session that includes both “Get Away” and “American Dream”!

fruit collective: “walk”

Though the restrictions of COVID-19 are cautiously lifting, certain social distancing implementations have proved fruitful for some. For example, before everyone got used to living behind their laptop and collaborating remotely, it wouldn’t have been all that easy to put together a trio whose members live in different metropolitan cities, but that’s exactly what happened with fruit collective.

The Chicago-Austin-Boston three-piece bears seeds of indie, pop, and R&B for their lo-fi harvest, transplanting the berries of the late Mac Miller and contemporary KUTX favorites like Clairo and Anderson .Paak into fruit collective’s fresh sound. We all know Friday is market day, so stock up on fruit collective for the weekend with the group’s gorgeous debut single, “walk”!

Zero Percent APR: “Free to be Evil”

After a week of inclement weather and thunderstorms keeping us cooped up here in Austin, we can all sort of feel like we’re trapped in a dreary, damp dungeon. But if anyone knows how to keep good company and keep spirits out of the moat, it’s “dungeon folk” duo Zero Percent APR.

Despite their salesman-like, buzzword-imbued, and near un-Googleable name, Zero Percent APR doesn’t need much to sell you on their analog sound, instead basking in the obscurity of lower fidelities. Off the heels of this April’s Halbum and driven less by narrative, more by atmosphere than their Mesopotamian predecessors, Zero Percent APR soon spins their own epic, Gilgamesh II. Get your hands on Gilgamesh II tomorrow, and accept Zero Percent APR’s early offer, “Free to be Evil”!

Giovanni Carnuccio III: “PCHDMT”

Aside from having one of the most exquisitely flamboyant names, Giovanni Carnuccio III packs a truly imaginary vision to the picnic. Based right here in Austin, the drummer-producer’s provided percussion for the likes of Turnpike Troubadours and John Fullbright, even racking up a “Best Americana Album” Grammy nomination for the latter.

But looking past his impressive session work, “Nooch” is also gearing up for the sequel to his 2020 debut solo EP, Spaghetti Western. Bursting through the saloon doors with a full six cylinders plus an extra round, A Matter Of Time challenges the norms set by Ennio Morricone with mouth-watering sonic clarity, modern flourishes that’ll make a gunslinger gawk, and bizarrely beautiful instrumentals like “PCHDMT”, whose psychedelic submersion and pop sensibilities are sure to make your cross-country road trip a bit more exciting!

Ladyfang: “Replay”

When it comes to the arena of glitter rock, it’s all about standing out. Enter keyboardist-vocalist Cara Juan and her compatriots in Ladyfang, whose controlled-but-chaotic pop rock helps the quartet outshine other glittery contenders in the Austin scene. That’s not to say Ladyfang just gnashes styles together; rather they floss in between coexistent genres with the eccentric energy and commanding confidence fit for a Lady.

So before you catch Ladyfang 10pm next Thursday at Far Out Lounge, sink your teeth into the group’s latest single, the driving-yet-ethereal “Replay” that’ll live up to its title in another way with guaranteed repeat listens.

Tee Double: “Go Off”

Having independently released nearly three dozen albums over more than three decades, earned the designation of his own official day (September 30th) in Austin, and remained a founding face of local non-profits Urban Artist Alliance and Music Moves Austin, Terrany Johnson AKA Tee Double is a powerhouse of entrepreneurship, talent, and drive. But in light of Tee Double‘s tremendous output over all the years, these past three have been conspicuously quiet for the rapper-producer, a health-related hiatus that finally came to a close when Johnson received a pancreas and kidney transplant last fall.

Now, back and hellbent on success more than ever before, Tee Double’s just released the thirty-fifth installment to his discography, the aptly-titled Local Transplant LP. Local Transplant boasts a calm, collected, and confident flow from Johnson over mesmerizing, self-produced sample-based beats that recall the crate-digging days of the ’90s, particularly on “Go Off”!

Shopgirl: “Killer”

For those that remember the majesty of Austin synth-pop trio Sphynx, you’ll recall that all three members possessed the talent and presence fit for a frontman, even when the energy was apportioned out song-by-song. Well, since Sphynx went the way of the…sphinx…a couple years back, the prospect of pursuing solo projects has become more and more tempting for each player. And just months after singer-guitarist Aaron Miller launched his solo venture Josie Lockhart, keyboardist-vocalist Cory Dennis has ushered his own pop star persona, Shopgirl, into the spotlight.

Where Sphynx sank into streams of ’80s-style retro-pop, Shopgirl splurges on all the accoutrements of modern pop, complete with futuristic vocal processing, emotionally exploratory lyrics, and some slick mastering from Tame Impala engineer Greg Calbi to top it all off. Look out for Shopgirl’s debut album Waves later this year, and treat yourself this New Music Friday to Shopgirl’s first-ever studio single, one that looks back on Sphynx, the glory days, and their quiet conclusion, “Killer”!

Casie Luong: “Last Call”

As a music educator, actress, and budding non-fiction writer, it can be tough to keep up creatively with Austin’s Casie Luong, especially since she somehow always finds time for more. In the midst of penning a family memoir and overseeing operations for Mother Falcon Music Lab, Luong’s managed to connect the dots between Kacey Musgrave’s exquisite melodies and Taylor Swift’s otherworldly pop soundscapes for her first project serving as both engineer and producer, the two-part EP Freed.

Freed Pt 2 comes out tomorrow and precedes the Hero EP, out later this summer, so liberate yourself along with Luong as she lashes raw emotion, unbridled nature, and pure nostalgia together to channel acts like St. Vincent and Sarah Jaffe on incandescent originals like “Last Call”!