austin music

Rental House: “Sunday Scaries”

There are so many artists out there with names that are virtually un-Google-able. And if they’re from Austin, it’s not really helping their SEO. I mean just try searching “Hikes Austin”…you’re not gonna find music. Hell, even Spoon might’ve had some trouble in their earlier days. Which brings us to Rental House. No, it’s not Airbnb or Vrbo. It’s an indie pop-rock trio whose moniker came from their place of practice. Each of the three members offers a ton of efficiency for Rental House’s sonic square footage; bassist-singer Scott Hullum helms songwriting and production, singer-guitarist Donnie Kelly spearheads the riffs, and percussionist Nathan Threlkeld masterminds the beats. Oh, and all three throw down on synth. It’s a stimulating mix that’s till taking shape. And with just two studio singles out, the bubble’s not bursting for Rental House anytime soon. A couple weeks back Rental House invited us into their home for the second of those singles, “Sunday Scaries”. With soft shoegaze dynamics and a VHS-shot music video, “Sunday Scaries” may be the perfect encapsulation of procrastination and our endless desire to distract ourselves.

Nick Wallisch: “The Legend of El Champion”

Nick Wallisch and his ever-growing cache of instruments have been a staple of the Live Music Capital for nearly a quarter century now, complete with crushing performances on drums, bass, piano, ukulele, and even penny whistle. That’s not to say Wallisch doesn’t play guitar as well (of course he does) but throughout recent memory he’s relegated lead six-string duties to his dear friend Ed Martinez A.K.A. “El Champion”. Last year Martinez linked up with Wallisch and his father to record an instrumental LP, and quickly stole the show. The Wallisches agreed that Martinez’ guitar talents were going to be front and center but by the time they were putting the finishing touches on the full-length, El Champion passed away. As a result, The Legend of El Champion (which dropped at the top of the month) has been translated into a loving thirteen-song tribute that tears right into the mysticism of its eponymous subject with a truly wonderful guitar solo on the album opener and title track.

Freedy Johnston: “The Power of Love”

Connoisseurs of Americana (or “Americonnoisseurs” as I like to call them) can probably recognize the music of Freedy Johnston within a few notes. Back in the early ’90s Johnston became somewhat of a legend thanks to an unfettered dedication to his craft and a consistent, high quality output of tunes. As a matter of fact, Rolling Stone named Johnston “Songwriter of the Year” in 1994 and within the next couple years he was a staple of film soundtracks (both major and indie). Right around SXSW 2009 Freedy Johnston linked up with KUTX favorite Jon Dee Graham and Susan Cowsill to record At Least We Have Each Other as The Hobart Brothers and Lil’ Sis Hobart. But although he’s found a footing here in Austin, Freedy Johnston’s been noticeably absent since his last solo release, 2015’s self-produced Neon Repairman.

This morning, after seven long years in the shadows, Freedy Johnston is finally back with his latest LP, Back on the Road to You. Cowsill returns as a collaborator on BotRtY along with The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, Aimee Mann, and one of the tightest backing bands you can imagine. It paves a path parallel to folk greats like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and The Byrds all while keeping course on the great Americana highway. Needless to say, after three decades of doing his thing, Freedy Johnston’s still got it, as heard on the road trip-ready folk-country-rocker “The Power of Love”.

Azurah Vibez: “Headbanger” (prod. D-Madness)

Austin’s R&B scene…it’s out there; you just gotta know where to look. Now, we’ve kept a close watch on Mélat, Anastasia Hera & The Heroes, and Daniel Fears…but another Texas native has you’ll want to keep on your R&B radar is Azurah Vibez. There’s a chance you recognize the name from a feature we did a couple years back on Brighton Beach’s DVMA/Dama Nilz, but much more likely you’ve seen her name on bills opening for Justin Timberlake, P-Funk, Stevie Wonder, and Black Puma’s Jaron Marshall. In the pre-pandemic days, Azurah also curated the Soapbox Sessions Open Mic series alongside her Musical Director/House Band Leader D-Madness. And yet, in the eyes of the public, her immaculate set of pipes have yet to appear within Azurah Vibez’ azimuth. However, this past year, that all changed.

At the tail end of February, Azurah Vibez dropped her debut studio single, the reggae-R&B foot-rocker “Lover’s Paradise”, following it up with her sophomore “Headbanger” in mid-August. Once again produced by D-Madness, “Headbanger” immediately begs comparison to Dangerously In Love-era Beyoncé and’ll leave you eager for AZ’s first full-length (due out next year). With D-Madness’ MIDI flutes, live drums, and sensational six-string skills, Azurah Vibez received an ideal backdrop to go all out on “Headbanger”. And as tantalizing as “Headbanger” is on its own, it’s nothing compared to the song’s visual counterpart, which voraciously gyrates its way into the ever-growing collection of greatest twerk videos (from Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, and more).

Wes Denzel: “Zodiac Killer”

Astrology. It’s a one-of-a-kind litmus test in casual conversation; either people will scoff at you for believing that gobbledegook or chastise you for not knowing your ascendant. But if there’s one demographic who seems to get a unanimous pass, it’s lyricists. From Deep Purple’s “Maybe I’m a Leo” to Des’ree’s “What’s Your Sign?” and Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” to The Supremes’ “No Matter What Sign You Are”, perusing the daily horoscope appears to do pretty well. And as you can tell from that grocery list of greats, genre constraints have no place in the world of celestial phenomena. Which brings us to hip-hop/R&B renaissance man Wes Denzel. To say this San Antonio vocalist/producer is a beast on the mic and a scholar in his rhyme book…well that’s just a criminal understatement. I mean, he’s opened for both Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. As a matter of fact, we even named Wes Denzel our February 2021 Artist of the Month surrounding his LP I Was Almost Happy. And with the recent release of his fifth single of 2022, the elements seem to be aligning in Denzel’s favor. The latest track pays tribute to Tyrese’s 2002 baby-maker “Signs of Love Makin'” with a steaming, astrologically-sprawling piece of funk-soul sensuality, “Zodiac Killer”.

The Best Around: “Kissing Your Ass”

From the surrealist theatrics of Oingo Boingo and Devo to the esoteric lyricism of Hunky Dory, it seems that not taking yourself seriously can give you a big leg up in the world of art rock. And as with the escapism given to us by those ’70s and ’80s greats, modern day art rockers like Austin’s The Best Around cross the wires between absurdist, non-sequitur humor and biting social commentary. In Spring 2020, Ten years after his indie punk outfit Safeword tapped out, singer-songwriter Camron Rushin created The Best Around along with multi-instrumentalists Todd Pruner (of English Teeth and Kodachrome) and Jon Merz (of Montopolis, My Jerusalem, and Soul Track Mind). They began exchanging stems of new songs and building up arrangements remotely, one instrument at a time, in accordance with pandemic-mandated social distancing. That patience (cue Karate Kid training montage music) lends itself to the work ethic of The Best Around, whose uncouth goofiness may cause cursory critiques to overlook the trio’s underlying discipline.

With Cobrai Kai making its fifth season premiere this Friday and Karate Kid culture back in the zeitgeist, The Best Around are making the most of this moment of Kairos with a new studio single. It’s part of The Best Around’s upcoming debut full-length, which was mixed and mastered by Erik Wofford at Cacophony Recorders here in Austin and is set for release sometime in the next several months. This latest one is a testament to the fact that there’ll never be a demand shortage for breakup songs, and there’ll always be another, more irreverent way to bid farewell to a former fling. Layered with LFO synth flairs, Fastball-style group vocals, bluesy guitar, and mid-’90s Beck-esque production techniques, “Kissing Your Ass” (and its soon-to-be-shared music video) is a perfect funk-rock complement to pop breakup bangers like “thank u, next”.

Sweet Slacks: “Cruise Control”

There’s no sensation quite like discovering a new artist, and when a group has really fun song titles, that joyous curiosity can show up well before you even press “play”. One glance at track names like “Tijuana Blowout”, “Check Please”, and “Whiskey Diviner” clues you into the inherent lighthearted friendship that fuels Austin quartet Sweet Slacks. Like a perfect pair of trousers, over the the past four years Sweet Slacks has seamlessly slipped into their hem of harmony-heavy, guitar-driven indie rock and pop-punk. Sweet Slacks’ three studio EPs came out in a two-year sprint (between their January 2019 debut Fever Breaks and their latest, October 2020’s Strays). But recently they’ve hit a stride that matches closer to the pedestrian pace of our pandemic-era. Sweet Slacks has sewn three standalone singles over the last few months, each toting an inseam of matured, retro-beckoning indie. So with sultry showers dominating our skies, you can switch on “Cruise Control”, set your sights on the crying clouds, and let your foot tap to its fullest – no pants required.

Kevin Galloway: “The Luckiest Creole In Terrebonne Parish”

Before the indie pop chirality of Lucius caught on our airwaves, and heck, even before KUTX was its own music station, there was only one “Lucius” to be reckoned with on Austin radio – Uncle Lucius. From the early-mid-oughts all the way through the late twenty teens, frontman Kevin Galloway and his keen grasp of blues-R&B-country rock helped make Uncle Lucius a household name here in the Live Music Capital. But within the same year that Uncle Lucius called it quits, Galloway pulled off a well-calculated creative transition; his solo debut The Change dropped in fall 2018, raking up acclaim and giving Galloway the confidence boost to keep ’em comin’.

Right around the same season that he introduced us to The Change, Kevin Galloway recently returned with his sophomore full-length, Secondhand Starlight. Considering that these easy-going performances were captured with the help Doug Strahan and the Good Neighbors alongside Kelley Mickwee and Jamie Lin Wilson, to say that the stars aligned on this record is an astronomical understatement. Following the release of Secondhand Starlight on June 24th, Galloway’s been gearing up for a regional tour followed by three-stop stint in the UK. So give Secondhand Starlight some streams while Kevin Galloway rounds out his travel log, something that already includes the Zydeco-influenced crawfish-broiler, “The Luckiest Creole In Terrebonne Parish”.

The Watters: “Life As A Dream”

We’ve all experienced impostor syndrome in one way or another. For musicians, it typically comes in the form of filling a bill considered “out of their league” or trying their hand at a style that’s not as rehearsed as the rest of their repertoire. But you’ll never know unless you try, right? Because that’s exactly what happened with Austin Americana-blues-soul-rock outfit The Watters. Daniel and Jenna Watters live within walking distance of The Far Out Lounge, whose doors opened at the top of the pandemic. When Far Out put out an open call for a “Sunday Jazz Brunch”, it stirred something in The Watters; as unapologetic lovers of New Orleans Dixieland and stride jazz standards like “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, they certainly seemed in touch with those sought-after sensibilities. And since having a horn section is half the battle for most jazz bands, why the hell not? Needless to say, those Sunday Jazz Brunches went off without a hitch. As such, the Watters’ tides have turned towards the incorporation of jazz, a shift that heavily influenced their latest EP Mellow. With their idiosyncratic blues-soul still front and center, jazz masterfully interjects itself within these four rousing originals. But you’ll also hear flourishes from the swingin’ ’60s sound on Mellow‘s sophomore offering “Life As A Dream”. Either way, as is usual with The Watters, it’s best experienced live. So catch The Watters 10:30pm tomorrow night at The Continental Club along with Wrongbird for the Mellow EP release show and get lucid with the sensuous psychedelia of “Life As A Dream”.

Michael Paul Lawson: “Lucille”

Now this is purely anecdotal, but it seems like there’s an awful lot of traffic between Austin and New York. Must be something about a cross-metropolitan cultural exchange between the Big Apple and the Live Music Capital…Whatever the weather, one peripheral instance of that migration pattern graciously gifted us singer-guitarist Michael Paul Lawson. Lawson’s parents split up in his infancy, which provided a calm climate in Central New York but a sense of adventure during trips to Austin. After a rousing post-graduation respite in Virginia, Lawson decided to record his 2019 debut Some Fights You’ll Never Win down here in ATX, where he’s since immersed himself in our alt-country/Americana scene.

True to its title, Michael Paul Lawson’s upcoming sophomore full-length Love Songs For Loners leans on character-driven narratives and classic country conventions. That said the eight-track still packs a palette of dusky folk, even including a tip of the hat to late legends John Prine and Justin Townes Earle. Love Songs For Loners comes out on October 7th, and if you need some company between now and then, catch Michael Paul Lawson 7PM next Tuesday for a free concert at Meanwhile Brewing. Feel free to mingle with new and old fans alike; you may even meet a fellow loner like the cigarette lover depicted in today’s laid-back country-rocker, “Lucille”.

Swiss Banks: “RIP”

When I was a kid first getting into music, R.E.M. was the second band whose discography I completely explored and absorbed. Because of that, their ’83 debut Murmur has always held a special place in my heart…but boy would I not be capable of covering it. Which between myself and Austin’s Swiss Banks makes one of us. Swiss Banks was born between guitarist Lane Fielder and singer-songwriter Adam Buhrman, who initially linked up under the pretense of re-interpolating Murmur. From there on it didn’t take long at all for the two to plunge face-first into the pantheon of post-punk and art-glam-rock greats like David Bowie, The Smiths, Joy Division, and The Cure. When they recruited percussionist Joey Alves, the trio began performing as “Hippo”. But after drawing direct comparisons to their ’80s influences along with contemporaries like Interpol, Swiss Banks retreated to Buhrman’s home studio to reinvent their style.

Today, Swiss Banks has finally re-surfaced with their inaugural single. Despite its title, “RIP” is just the beginning for Swiss Banks rhythmic, goth-instilled, retro sound, which you’ll hear more of on their upcoming eponymous introduction, produced by Modern Medicine collaborator Carey McGraw. So strap yourself into the time machine, set course for forty years back, and try not to let “RIP” lay your workweek motivation to rest.

Jordan Hasto: “Blood Red Moon”

For many artists, you can pretty much determine their main influences based on a cursory first listen. Safe to say though, it’s much more stimulating when you can’t quite crack the code, only figuring out the formula when you learn about the musicians’ role models, like the last piece in a puzzle. That’s been our experience thus far with singer-guitarist Jordan Hasto, who’s settled pleasantly after moving from Philadelphia down to Austin. With the exception of Philly soul, it’s not that easy to pinpoint Hasto’s style. But according to the man himself, his composition conventions draw from a Venn diagram of John Mayer’s songwriting, Marvin Gaye’s vocals, and Jimmy Page’s guitar. In mid-August Jordan Hasto dropped his third studio single, “Blood Red Moon”, a retelling of a (thankfully) failed train-side suicide attempt whose catchy indie-soul shuffle’ll leave you eager for more.

Susannah Joffe: “In Your Room”

College years are often the most formative for young musicians who are eager to break out of the rigidness of academia and into the boundless world of “adult” songwriting. And typically it’s not until after graduation that these creatives can fully re-commit to their craft and progress their inventiveness. People like singer Susannah Joffe, who just graduated from UT Austin. In addition to the new degree under her belt, Joffe’s also got nearly a million streams for this February’s The Punch EP, not to mention sold out headliner shows and opening appearances for Mattiel, Geese, and Japanese Breakfast. Joffe’s radiant rock and picturesque pop already offer a colorful cross-indie concoction, so fingers crossed that this is still just the tip of the iceberg in terms of quality and output. Susannah Joffe opens for Cali four-piece Sun Room on Thursday, September 8th, 8PM at Empire Control Room and releases a self-directed music video for her latest single soon. Until then, enjoy the intimate imagery and impressive implementation of dynamics (far surpassing anything you’d hear from a “bedroom producer”) on “In Your Room”.

Jeremy Nail: “Open Door”

Yesterday we celebrated the intrinsic ingenuity of human creativity, but we didn’t touch on one of the most important aspects: writing your way through trauma. It’s a healing property that goes all the way back to the ancient storytelling tradition of African percussion, but for Austin-based singer-guitarist Jeremy Nail, the weightiest wounds were his 2012 cancer diagnosis and subsequent amputation of his left leg. Nail worked through that pain on his 2016 Alejandro Escovedo-produced LP My Mountain, after which he seemed to hit a new stride. However, as with the rest of the world, Nail was confronted by the uncomfortable isolation and disquiet left in COVID’s wake. Because of that, Jeremy Nail’s created yet another piece of fulfilling folk therapy for his fifth full-length, Behind The Headlights. Behind The Headlights heralds the importance of being in the moment, giving yourself space to be alone with your thoughts, reflecting over loss, and planning for the future. The album rolls out next Friday, the same day that Jeremy Nail performs in-store at Waterloo Records. He’ll also be playing Saturday the 27th at Cactus Cafe with opener Kevin McKinney. But before you dive right back into live music, heed Nail’s mission to improve mental health with the soothing respite that is Behind The Headlights‘ serene central bulb, “Open Door”.

RLTVS: “New Orleans”

Here’s the biggest understatement you’ll read today: creativity is an incredible human asset. We reach into the aether and pull out something that previously didn’t exist. But in the eyes of consumers and curators alike, that’s only half the battle. For them, bringing the abstract into fruition as a tangible, easily-accessible document is what separates the thinkers from the makers, the hypotheticals versus the heard treefalls. At the end of that discourse, though, we all know that you simply can’t rush greatness. Which brings us to Bill Mullarky.

For the past half decade Mullarky’s tinkered around town with a few different versions of his full band project RLTVS (pronounced “relatives”). Yet in light of an ample track record of live shows, RLTVS hasn’t ever put anything “on wax”. Until now. After years of careful retooling, RLTVS released their debut studio single “New Orleans” at the start of August. Just like the pidgin melting pot to which it pays tribute, “New Orleans” boils spices of dance, folk, funk, electronic, and avant-garde together into an intricately affectionate piece of correspondence from the “Live Music Capital” straight to “The Paris of the South”.

Exotic Fruits: “Panda Vision”

Aside from poignant politics, pulsating synths, and plenty of fuzz pedal, it’s not all that easy to define post-punk. Even when you dive into the minutiae of music glossary terms, there’s still a sprawling spectrum of post-punk ranging from angular, analogue noise to straight up digital bass and beats. Fortunately there are also forays like Exotic Fruits, who give you a little bit of both. Singer-guitarist Jon French and drummer Aaron Gilligan formed the fore core of Exotic Fruits as a Seattle indie rock duo in 2009, and since moving down to Austin they’ve ripened nicely into a six-piece. With six performers? You can pretty much fill every position on the post-punk playing field. And you can harvest a piece of Exotic Fruits’ eclectic energy 10pm tomorrow night at Hotel Vegas with openers Cosmic Chaos and Nemegata. Until then, beat the heat with EF’s latest single “Panda Vision”, a spasmodic post-punk explosion that tackles climate change.

Upper Level Lows: “She Got Style”

Now I don’t want to jinx the elements, but with only one triple digit high in the forecast for this week, it seems like we might finally be cooling down just a bit. So if you’ve been in sweaty solitude and need to take advantage of this (presumably brief) seasonal respite, we’ve got a couple of live show recommendations for the funk rock enthusiasts out there. Austin quartet Upper Level Lows has only been around for a couple years, and released their debut EP The Void last September. Now, just under a year later, ULL’s feisty live performances have elevated considerably, with new material landing soon on the band’s upcoming sophomore album. If you want a sneak peak of the latest stuff, you can catch Upper Level Lows 9:15PM tonight at Far Out Lounge with openers Concrete Shoes, Space Trayn, and BChenz or 6PM this Saturday for a free show at Oskar Blues Brewery. And if you’re still not sure what to expect genre-wise…shred along with the psych-prog-disco-funk-rock shifts of “She Got Style”.

Phil Hurley: “Failing Heart”

In the state of contemporary recording, session EPs are a pretty refreshing concept. By limiting yourself to one space and removing any access to punch-ins, session records evoke the “one-take” magic of century-old methods, back when capturing an authentic live performance was the industry standard. Phil Hurley‘s experienced the best of both, having tracked with the likes of Fountains of Wayne and Lisa Loeb in Seattle before moving down here to Austin, where he’s had no hurdles acclimating to the “Live Music Capital”, thanks to the past dozen years of gigs with South Austin Moonlighters, Stonehoney, Gigolo Aunts, and Jimmy LaFave.

But as Hurley discovered, the one flaw with live recordings is that if you lose one element, you lose everything. His latest EP was nearly unrecoverable after a hard drive crash, and only dubbed The Firebird Sessions after a couple of music miracles brought it back out of the aether. The five-track came out in the dog days of mid-July, just in time to kickstart our country spirits back into action. And if you need to get the blood flowing diving back into the workweek, check out “Failing Heart”; it recalls the arena-ready pop-rock of ’80s-era Yes or Blue Öyster Cult, albeit with the distinctive Southern flair of Hurley’s Herculean pipes.

Janson Sommers: “Neon God”

Have you ever met an artist that has a bunch of wacky-sounding projects under their belt, only to discover that their eponymous material is the real off-the-wall stuff? Well that’s exactly what you get with Janson Sommers, who temporarily shelved his indie rock band Futon Blonde at the onset of COVID and released an electronic EP last summer under the moniker Dad Boy. But in the short time since then, Sommers has perfected his production techniques and re-surfaced once again as a sleek synth-savant.

So far, all three of Janson’s self-titled singles pack batshit beats and bass, not to mention an eloquent sense of melody and structure. The latest one finds Janson Sommers weaning off lyrics for a strictly instrumental venture, so if you’re in need of a new addition to your workout playlist or just want a two-minute respite from the real world, all you gotta do is approach the primordial altar and offer yourself to the “Neon God”.

Black Pistol Fire: “Bad Habit”

Despite being a lifelong city-slicker, as a native Texan there are certain phrases that tend to bring out my Southern drawl. And if I’m not watching my tongue, a phrase that always outs my accent is Black Pistol Fire…which is ironic considering the Austin-based duo originally comes out of Toronto. But between pair’s incontrovertible adoption of a dusty, Lone Star persona and a shared nationality that landed their last album, Look Alive a couple JUNO Nominations, Black Pistol Fire ignites the best of both worlds.

BPF also grinds the best bits of Delta blues, mid-century rock & roll, ’70s-era hard rock, and ’90s grunge then re-dispenses them as a refined, timeless and placeless powder. Today Black Pistol Fire loads up yet another round into their revolver of intense indie blues rock before embarking on a month-long U.S./Canada tour. The tour kicks off 8PM tonight at Emo’s alongside Denver trio Pink Fuzz and Black Pistol Fire brings the heat on that latest head banger, “Bad Habit”, no matter when or where you hear it.