On this episode we talk about how important being a content creator and musician in this new industry. We also discuss who is to blame for the perceived “negative” music being released and promoted. Hip-hop facts includes facts about Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang, Mariah Carey, 2pac and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is that being able to sing and rap well doesn’t matter anymore.
austin music
Spite Club w/ Jedi512 and Boots
On this episode we talk with former KUTX Artist of the Month Jedi512 about his newest project “Spite Club” with producer Boots. Hip-hop facts include facts about LL Cool J, Migos, and TLC. Unpopular Opinion with Fresh is about Frank Ocean being underrated.
Team Trust: “Wuggis”
Team Trust call themselves art rock, which is somewhat fitting, but if we want to be specific, I’d call them quirk-punk. The Austin trio sounds a bit like Being Dead and your cool, Gen-X brother’s punk demos he recorded at home the summer before they wound-up on tour with Black Flag, opting for a rotisserie of raucous harmony, melting breakdowns, and swaths of minimal instrumentation with syncopated lyrics that sound like they were recorded in a tin can. It’s excellence in weird.
Team Trust releases “Wuggis” today ahead of their debut album Treat Box out later this year. You can see Team Trust at Mohawk tonight with Fifi Knifefight, Modernform, and Skratz.
Project Pat Interview
On this episode we interview legendary artist Project Pat (brother of Juicy J from Three 6 Mafia) ahead of his show in Austin this weekend. Hip-hop facts this week include Eddie Murphy and Whitney Houston, a Jay-Z inspired Hulu series, and the film Paid In Full. Unpopular Opinion with Fresh this week is about underground rapper Dom Kennedy needing to put his more known album on streaming services.
Russell Taine, Jr.: “Sidewinder”
Austin’s Russell Taine, Jr. blends indie rock with an Austin and Texas twist. It’s indie music powered by chords and melodies that you imagine being played at dusk in your cool friend’s backyard with a chain link fence and an oak tree in the background. It sounds like Hole In the Wall.
Their latest single “Sidewinder” is both a perfect metaphor for that illustration and a perfect lead-in to their upcoming Ghosts EP. Like the album, “Sidewinder” is about disconnect and things slipping away…or side-slithering away. Lamenting the loss of the “Piscies Queen,” we’re right alongside Taine as he grapples with what went wrong, his current state, and the leaden question of what to do with those feelings and where to go next.
“Sidewinder” is out now. The Ghosts EP is out in November. You can see Russell Taine, Jr. Thursday, September 4th at Hole In the Wall with Small Engine Fire.
Tear Dungeon: “Kill For Health” [Live In Studio 1A]
Andrew Chasen. With the Disciples of Creation, he takes you to church. With A Giant Dog, he takes you church. Sweet Spirit makes you want to dance the night away, and Tear Dungeon drags you to the basement, ties you to the St. Andrew’s Cross, and says flogging and bastinado are for the faint of heart. But that’s what you paid for, isn’ it? You even pre-selected “emerald green silk” on the rope menu.
Tear Dungeon is truly to be seen. Between the uniform of all-white street clothes paired with leather gimp masks and the perpetual question, “what will hit me first? The music or the blood?” the magnitude and spectacle of the group speaks for itself. It’s just an added bonus that their thrash-punk sound hits just as hard.
Tear Dungeon stopped by Studio 1A to initiate our audience with a couple of old fan favorites and their new song “Kill for Health,” an unreleased track from their upcoming album on Austin’s TODO records (deets TBA).
Jack Greenwood: “Four Walls”
Jack Greenwood’s new single is dance music for sad lads. On “Four Walls,” a song about feeling trapped, the Austin-by-way-of-Wisconsin singer and producer presents a fantastical escape, evoking the moodier side of the 80s synth. The opposing dichotomy works well here; what begins with sunny textures and a fun, melodic bass spirals into a manic descent right alongside Greenwood’s lyrics. But the spiraling is still a groove machine, taking the mania to its brink before its dizzying, synthy fizzling out. Yes, it will have you dancing with tears in your eyes.
Jack Greenwood performs with Clarence James at Stubb’s Indoors this Saturday and Antone’s Sunday, August 17th, with Clarence James and Chief Cleopatra.
The Who Told You EP is out in October.
Why Are Record Sales Important?
On this episode we discuss if record sales are still important and where is the undisputed summer anthem. Hip-hop facts include Public Enemy, Ginuwine and Tyler the Creator. Unpopular Opinion with Fresh is that the beef between Kendrick and Drake ruined hip-hop in a way.
Celestine Gravely: “Kill the Heather”
Despite having a name that sounds like it belongs to a member of the Cramps, Austin’s Celestine Gravely‘s brand of rock is more attuned to the likes of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey, balancing the sounds of those eras and the power of their vocals with her own stamp of songwriting. You’ve got it all here: raw vocals that go from lilt to loaded, powerful guitar riffs, and lots of fun tempo changes to keep you on your toes.
“Kill the Heather” pulls together all of Gravely’s inspirations, employing lots of starts and stops, mood changes, and the perfect touch of Riot Girrrl attitude.
Celestine Gravely plays tonight with her full trio at Valhalla with Flounce, Shared Walls, and Bad Acid.
Confession Response #4
Holey Moley! You guys really rose to the occasion for our third confession call episode. With around 20 submissions, it was a real challenge to choose just 6 to feature in the episode but we made it happen. We’ve got songs with an electronic lean, classic singer songwriter with acoustic guitar, eclectic circus sounds, and dreamy transcendent new wave vibes.
Check out this week’s episode for our top picks and to hear the winning track, “Guillermo and Reuben” by Summer Sleep. We’ll also feature a playlist of all the songs up on our Substack coming soon so don’t forget to follow along!
Allyse: “Lesson”
Austin’s Allyse crafts R&B-infused pop charms to pair with her sometimes self-empowered and sometimes vulnerable songwriting. The military brat fuses all of the cultural touchstones experienced throughout her childhood, her most sensitive song to date. “Lesson” is about just that, specifically lessons around relationships. How to not hurt others, how to be strong when you’re hurt, and more specifically, how to handle it when you’re spiraling and, in her words, wondering if you’re inadvertently going to wind up being someone else’s cautionary tale. Despite the song’s weight, Allyse deftly stays true to her “every song feels like Friday” vibes.
Allyse plays this Saturday at Center Stage on Parmer Lane off Dessau Rd.
Roc Nation Did It
On this episode we discuss overstaying your welcome as an artist in different spaces. We also discuss people blaming Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label for all of their musical woes. Hip-Hop facts includes facts about Clipse, 2pac’s early college days, and why Joaquin Phoenix is a huge Michael Jackson fan. Unpopular opinion with Fresh is about not wanting Erykah Badu to choose rapping over singing on her records.
Somebody Someone: “The Light” [PREMIERE]
Beautiful melody and raw emotion blend seamlessly into the music of Austin’s Somebody Someone. The alt-indie singer-songwriter doesn’t create high-energy bangers so much as groovy moments, but standstill music all the same. On the new single “The Light,” written at a writer’s retreat out at the pastoral Sonic Ranch out in Tornillo, Texas, their lofty, mildy-jazzy vocals thread through the muted drum beat, vintage R&B shuffle that blooms into a full art-pop climax, and sunny melody, beautifully reflecting the song’s poolside origins.
“The Light” is out today, and Somebody Someone performs a release show this Friday at Radio East.
AI and the Future of Music
AI is a hot topic right now, but how will it impact music? We discuss everything from fake bands getting millions of listens to a legendary producer vouching for the use of AI to lawsuits by major music groups against AI music generation programs.
In the latest episode, we dive into how Austin musicians are using the tool or staying away. Hear from Chinasa Broxton and Carlos Dashawn Daniels Moore of Tribe Mafia, Walker Lukens, Lauren Bruno, Jonny Johnson, Zeale and Erin Walter share their thoughts on the future of AI and music.
Tell us what you think about AI and Music
Pause/Play is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support our work by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Ben Kweller on grief, music and ‘Cover the Mirrors’
As Texas lawmakers move to consider regulations on THC products, what’s legal, and what’s not? KUT News reporter Nathan Bernier joins us to break it down.
As many see the future of energy as cleaner renewables, why many in the city of Port Arthur are pinning their hopes for a comeback – on oil.
At the Austin YMCA, adults are conquering their fear of water and gaining life-saving skills through swim lessons designed just for them. Texas Standard producer Sarah Asch has the story.
Plus: Two years after the death of his teenage son, a father’s musical journey to find healing: Our conversation with Dripping Springs-based musician Ben Kweller.
LYNN: “Slow Dreamz”
Kileen-based rapper LYNN has bars for days and enough butter in her emotive, croony tunes to get Kerbey Lane through an Easter weekend brunch shift. By the time her debut EP Middle of Madness came out last year, she’d already added opening slots for CupcakKe and Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul, and the album landed her an official artist spot during SXSW in 2024.
Her latest single “Slow Dreamz” is another rap banger. The snap-clap beat lays a great bed, but LYNN’s cadence sounds like elevated slam poetry, providing her own momentum to her cooly-delivered fast bars without a toe out of time.
Lynn brings this energy to Stubb’s Indoors tonight for KUTX’s Summer Jam, a free show part of Hot Summer Nights.
And you can see LYNN tonight at Stubb’s Indoors for KUTX’s Summer Jam, a free show part of Hot Summer Nights. The show starts at 8:30 with a DJ set by Confucius Jones, and performances by Tommy Francisco, Chaketa B, and Maya Sampleton.
J’Cuuzi: “Fame By Death” [Live In Studio 1A + Music Video Premiere]
All month long, we’ve had the pleasure of familiarizing you with one of Austin’s most ostentatious acts, J’Cuuzi. The dance punk duo of Gorge Bones and Trey Razeldazl have an insatiable appetite for the stage and pushing the boundaries of how they use it to their. Watching the faces of new audiences as they take the group in is part of the fun.
They brought their brand of indulgence to Studio 1A last week ahead of the release of their debut EP Sludge Content, out tomorrow, and their EP release show Saturday night at Mohawk — a free show part of Hot Summer Nights. You can watch the full Studio 1A video as well as the video for “Fame By Death” at KUTX.org.
Pedal Steel Noah: “Head Over Heels”
Austin’s Noah Faulkner, known on stage as Pedal Steel Noah, has garnered a global fanbase by harnessing the Gen-Z power of social media to share his novel pedal steel covers of music of all genres from all decades. This keen sense and talent have earned him fans like Jonny Marr, members of Duran Duran, Frank Black, Neko Case and more. He’s opened for Modest Mouse and the Polyphonic Spree in addition to his own band’s full tours. And he’s caught the attention of the New York Times, who profiled Faulkner last August, the same month the 17-year-old virtuoso made his debut at the Grand Olde Opry. Yes, 17-years-old.
One of my favorite covers of Noah’s is his take on the Tears for Fears classic “Head Over Heels.” The pedal steel primordially steps in for the cascading keys, immediately becoming fit for a twirl around the dance hall. If you never thought Tears for Fears could make you want to listen to George Strait, prepare to stand corrected.
Pedal Steel Noah joins Elijah Delgado, Jo Alice, Kate Heron, Pocket Sounds, and a special headlining guest for Austin Loves Y’all: a benefit show for Central Texas Flood Recovery at Scholz Garten this Sunday starting at noon.
Your List Is Stupid
On this episode we discuss how a recent local list, in regards to hip-hop, was a horrible idea to release. We also discuss Nicki Minaj’s latest tirade against Sza and others. Hip-hop facts we discuss the anniversary of Slim Thug’s debut album and who was originally supposed to produce the Thriller album. Unpopular opinion is about it being nothing wrong with being a hometown hero.
Dorio: “Plastic Heart” [Live In Studio 1A]
There’s something about every song by Austin’s Dorio, the duo of Chad Doriocourt and Rachel Rascoe, 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 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 stopped by Studio 1A last week to share songs from the new album Super Love 3. You can watch the full Studio 1A session at KUTX.org.