austin music

Ma: “CALL”

It takes a certain hubris to claim that nature isn’t humankind’s greatest source of inspiration. And in Texas, although they’re all a bit more than a stone’s throw away from Austin, we’re honestly spoiled by our abundance of incredible parks. Between Palo Duro Canyon, the Fort Davis Mountains – and of course – Big Bend, the Lone Star State gives California a run for their money in terms of diverse scenery.

In particular, there’s an otherworldly quality to the almost-limitless terrain of Big Bend, which sparked something in Austin Barker and Dominic Sena. Under the handle Ma, this pair draws from Brian Eno, Radiohead, and Alex G, which has helped them translate Big Bend’s awe-inspiring imagery into ambient-and-grunge-adjacent indie. When Ma’s not cooped up in their home recording studio making magic, they’re playing around town alongside the likes of Redbud and Psychic Shark, and up until now Ma’s music has only been accessible in the live realm.

Today, that all changes; Ma just dropped their debut studio single “CALL”, the first of a few new tunes to be released in 2023. It sounds almost like Tears for Fears dehydrated themselves of their synth-pop sonics and swapped them out for a stripped-down grunge arrangement. The chord progression evokes wanderlust, the vocal harmonies inspire mesa-height hope, the drum patterns clatter like an abrupt rocky descent, and some of the guitar work sounds straight out of a revisionist Western soundtrack.

This Week(end) in Austin Music

This weekend you can catch shows from Night Drive, Matthew Logan Vasquez, The Sanco Loop, Good Looks and more.

Charley Horse: “Ball Cap”

The first time I heard the phrase “charley horse” was as a little brat needling and buzzing my way below the belt on that Hasbro “board game” Operation. Fast forward to college, when I experienced my first abrupt leg spasm…and yeah, they’re not fun. So whether the term conjures thoughts of cursory surgery techniques or just a pain in the leg, there’s an indie rock outfit here in Austin eager to reclaim the mane and breed a positive connotation for Charley Horse.

These five friends rode in with their first pair of demos right around this same time last year, and followed it up that May with their appropriately-titled debut studio EP Summer. And even though Summer only clops in at about thirteen minutes over four tunes, it showed off Charley Horse’s versatility by galloping and cantering across power pop, psych, and alt-rock. Well, next Friday Charley Horse is set to hitch listeners in once again with their sophomore offering, Foothills

Foothills keeps it short and sweet at three brief tracks, which is honestly plenty enough to pad out their live performances and studio output as Charley Horse matures from foal into yearling. So while die-hard MLB fans count the days until March 30th, NBA heads dribble around in anticipation of the 30th Anniversary All-Star game this Sunday, and sunbathers count the clouds until spring, today Charley Horse chimes in with a bit of profound fashion-and-posture advice. If you’re chasing serenity, do it with your chin up, your eyes on the horizon, and your “Ball Cap” tipped high.

Space Tan: “I Don’t Wanna Die”

Maybe it’s this never-ending relay race of global pandemics, the collective cabin fever many of us endured during the recent ice storm, or just a gentle mist of malaise. Whatever the affliction, if the Milky Way’s main attraction is shining when you’re feeling imprisoned indoors, it’s always worth taking a couple of minutes to soak up some rays if you can. So with brighter days and clearer skies approaching with spring, perhaps it’s best to follow cues from our climate and embrace a sense of clarity.

Well, in the Austin rock realm, few indie-pop acts have managed to keep things as “clear” as Space Tan. Spearheaded by chief songwriter Gianni Sarmiento, Space Tan maintains transparency across both sonics and lyrics, leaving their melodies and messages ripe for in-ear radiance and emotional reflection. And on Friday, following up 2020’s Don’t Worry About Me and 2021’s Inti Raymi, Space Tan champions the obliteration of internal barriers on Prison Planet.

Prison Planet doesn’t want you to rot in a cell of your own inhibitions or deflective tendencies. Instead it incarcerates you in an energetic five-inmate gen pop of unconventionally inspirational indie rock, guaranteed to leave you re-evaluating any reservations you have for the coming year. Space Tan celebrates Prison Planet on March 3rd at Swan Dive for a joint release show with Domestic Tallboys alongside AMA and our January 2023 Artist of the Month je’Texas. And today, like an adorably deadpan indirect response to Youth Brigade’s 1983 call, Space Tan’s handed us a Strokes-esque testament to the value of life, “I Don’t Wanna Die”.

Damascan Daydreams: “Crown of Gold”

Whatever your NFL affiliations may be, most music lovers would agree who took home the crown last night…Rihanna. But just a couple days before the big Half Time show, us central Texans were treated to our own set of spectacular visuals, courtesy of Damascan Daydreams.

Faithful to her handle, multi-instrumenatlist-songwriter-producer Eman Tiba was born in Syria’s southwestern capital before a creative childhood in central Ohio, a PhD-education at OSU, another batch of songwriting salad days in South Carolina, and eventually residency here in Austin. Like a twisted, feminine Little Nemo for our current generation, Damascan Daydreams transports us across a collective subconscious of exotic, electronic pop-inspired sounds.

Last Friday Damascan Daydreams followed up her noir-y repertoire of singles (“Haunted Home”, “French Film”, and “Lights, Color, Dark”) with her creepiest offering to date. Cloaked in seductive minor-second chord changes, “Crown of Gold” (and its incredible music video) feels almost like an alternate American Horror Story title sequence. But thanks to straight-ahead trap-style drum programming, sinister synth tones, and Tiba’s spectral soprano, “Crown of Gold” will weigh you down from how much head-bobbing it elicits.

Ley Line: “Sometimes”

Here at KUTX 98.9, we’ve never been too shy about our love of Ley Line. Since naming Ley Line as our October 2019 Artist of the Month, this language-crazed Austin-based quartet has become somewhat of a Song of the Day and Austin Music Minute darling. And that’s for a damn good reason.

If you follow Ley Line on socials you already know what we mean; whether it’s writing, recording, touring, performing, or soaking up influences across the globe, these four folk femmes always seem to be doing something. And in 2023, as they celebrate one whole decade since first meeting at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, we’re somewhat expecting Ley Line to surprise us with something else between now and their set at Old Settler’s Music Fest in April.

But until then, we’ll have to tide ourselves over with Ley Line’s latest studio single, which was last March’s “High Tide” up until today. This morning Ley Line woke up singing, had a cup, and poured up a Folger’s-fresh reflection on life’s sweeter moments. “Sometimes” tops that optimism off with soft vocals that effortlessly alternate between unison and harmony, breezy strings that’ll set your mind at ease, and a naturalistic, percussion-less arrangement that reminds us – you don’t need to march to the beat of anyone’s drum but the sun’s.

Nagavalli: “Guru”

When we think about the impact that Indian music has had here in Texas, most folks would knee-jerk react by pointing to Norah Jones, the Grapevine-raised, UNT-educated daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar. but obviously, despite Jones’ enormous talent, she’s not really who we look to when we want to hear authentic Eastern influences. For that, we gotta give it up for Mumbai-raised, Austin-based singer-songwriter Nagavalli.

Nagavalli Medicharla made her mononymous debut in 2012 with Eastern Soul, a term she also applies to her boundless Eastern-meets-Western/traditional-meets-modern style. In the decade since Eastern Soul, Nagavalli’s interpolated Twelfth Night in a Bollywood style, earned an Austin Music Award nomination, and taken on roles as both Board Chair of EQ Austin and Vice Chair of the Austin Music Foundation. And on Friday, following up her ambitious 2019 endeavor Immersion, this invaluable international asset to our creative community re-embraces the spirit of cross-cultural unification with her next full-length, Numinosum.

Numinosum combines the best-sounding bits of Eastern spirituality with pop, rock, jazz, and more, thanks to a dream team backing band and intriguing arrangements that showcase their fair share of world/ethnic instrumentation. Numinosum packages passionate English-language originals next to an Eliza Gilkyson cover, a Durga invocation, and even a couple Indo-Pak classics. Nagavalli celebrates the release of Numinosum 5PM today for a free in-store performance at Waterloo Records and again 8PM this Saturday at The Paramount along with KUTX favorites BettySoo, Carrie Rodriguez, and Oliver Rajamani as well as familiar faces Patrice Pike and Indrajit Bannerjee. Unless you’ve mastered astral projection, beating traffic to attend both shows might be a bit of a stretch. But you can slay the demon that is Hump Day with “Guru”, a pocket-raga that transcends language through ethereal orchestration and entrancing dynamics.

Slaid Cleaves: “Second Hand” [PREMIERE]

While we here at KUTX celebrate our 10th birthday, it’s worth revisiting the folks who were KUT 90.5 heavyweights well before 98.9 FM’s call letters were even born. Among that roster of Central Texas mainstays is a real character of the airwaves, singer-guitarist Slaid Cleaves. It’s crazy to think that his breakout fifth LP No Angel Knows came out all the way back in 1997, especially considering that Slaid’s continued to cut through the competition like a certain kitchen utensil. Which, to maintain a presence in the Live Music Capital for more than a quarter century, is easier said than done…even with a pretty consistent three-to-four-year release rate such as Slaid’s.

On that note, diehard Slaid-heads (including horror legend Stephen King) might’ve become bereaved by Cleaves’ lack of post-pandemic output. Good news! On March 3rd Slaid slides back in with Together Through the Dark, his first studio offering since 2017’s Ghost on the Car Radio, and celebrates with an album release show later that month at The 04 Center. As you can imagine from the title, Together Through the Dark champions empathy in uncertain times, mainly anchored by Cleaves’ idiosyncratic storytelling but also applicable to the sans-power solidarity we’ve had the past couple weeks in Central Texas.

However it hits you, TTtD contains some of Slaid’s most mature folk-Americana compositions to date and a beautifully flawed sense of human confidence we could all appreciate right about now. So if you want to be the first of your friends to get your mitts on the new Slaid, set the needle down on the record’s third single “Second Hand”. Like a vintage Plymouth carrying you across your routine stops, “Second Hand” steers straight with easily-navigable chord changes, gentle harmonies, and as with all things Cleaves, a relatable narrative. After all, who thinks being a thrifty family man is unfashionable?

The Western Civilization: “If You’re Lucky”

It’s been a tough week across Central Texas. Hundreds of thousands are still without power. Agitations over limited amenities reveal just how much we depend on electricity and WiFi to fully participate in our “advanced society”. The worst of this severe winter weather already seems behind us, so might as well return to routine and re-engage with Austin’s cultural capital. In today’s case, The Western Civilization. The fabric of The Western Civilization was sewn in Houston back at the turn of the millennium between Rachel Hasbro and Reggie O’Farrell. Now, two decades later, they split their time as a quartet between H-Town and ATX. If you haven’t checked out The Western Civilization yet, we definitely recommend starting with their 2007 debut LP Letters of Resignation. Once you’re done you might be disappointed by the lack of a sophomore follow up fifteen years down the line. If that’s the case, don’t turn tail quite yet, ’cause you’re in luck. Today, following last October’s “Bible Verses for Kids”, The Western Civilization shared the second single from their upcoming full-length Fractions of a Whole, due this fall. If you’re able to wait a whole week to unleash your cabin fever, you can let it all out 8PM next Friday for a free single release performance at ABGB. If you’re unfortunate enough to still not have power and just here to grasp some modicum of modernity, The Western Civilization’s latest original is available below. “If You’re Lucky”, you’ll appreciate a tune that sounds like Broken Social Scene was tempered by Arcade Fire in a forge of much-needed, off-kilter indie rock warmth.

Hey Cowboy!: “Mesmerize”

Cheer Up Charlie’s consecutively scores “Best of Austin” awards, and deservedly so. Within downtown’s highly competitive Red River District, this renowned venue has maintained staying power thanks to its all-welcoming attitude, calculated curations, and unique use of natural landscape. So unsurprisingly, most concertgoers in Austin have made fond memories at Cheer Up Charlie’s, no matter how hazy they may be. And concerning the creative community, we suspect Cheer Up’s has probably inspired more art than meets the eye.

Case in point, a modern tale of allure set against Cheer Up Charlie’s iconic neon lights from our April 2020 Artist of the Month, Hey Cowboy!. Since moseying down here in 2018, these three Dentonites continue to lasso listeners into their synth-pop posse. Less of a Mexican standoff and more of a guitar-verboten Wild Bunch, Hey Cowboy! corrals the best bits of vintage film scores, psychedelia, and even some punk, all sans-six-string. Their sandy, lambent arrangements plant you right in the saddle and entrance you towards a grainy horizon of mid-fi harmonies.

Like a steel plate beneath a poncho, Hey Cowboy!’s kept the new stuff under wraps, but promise their third full-length for release some time in 2023. Today, ahead of a live gig at Volstead Lounge 10pm on Valentine’s Day opening for fellow KUTX favorites Sun June and Star Parks, Hey Cowboy! casts a spell with their first jingling spur of the year, “Mesmerize”. Fastened by a hypnotic drum strut and intriguing, sedative intervals (both vocal and instrumental), it’s tough to resist Hey Cowboy’s command to dance in this misty recollection of a Cheer Up’s tryst.

All About the Census

In the latest episode, Peter Schwarz from Sound Music Cities about some of the results of the Greater Austin Music Census. You’ll also hear from Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone about why some Black community leaders didn’t feel included in the census.

Wait Your Turn

Fresh and Confucius discuss the idea that people in the Austin music scene are owed opportunities. then, inspired by Justin Bieber’s recent 200 million dollar sale of his catalog, they talk about why artists might sell their stake in their work.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about the samples on “U Can’t Touch This,” “Ice Ice Baby,” “Tennessee” and more. It’s all part of Under the Covers weekend at KUTX!

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that today’s rap is boring.

Confucius talks about how the Eagles are going to win the Superbowl, Ted Cruz’s comments about the debt ceiling, how much money Kari Lake has raised since denying she lost November’s election and Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing in Confucius Reads the News.

Sam Shaffer: “Sup?”

Seasons are changing and wintertime migrations are abound. But here in the Live Music Capital of the World, we’ve learned that there’s an influx of musicians from other musical metropolitans year-round. One of which, Ohio-raised multi-instrumentalist Sam Shaffer, recently hopped down here not too long ago. After a handful of albums and countless performances with Chicago psych three-piece Faintlife, Shaffer relocated to the Lone Star State in late 2021, right around the same time he recorded his solo debut EP, Quiet Delta. Shaffer kept the momentum from the windy city by writing and recording and first-full-length Valley of the Living Water, which swept through last September. This dozen-song collection offers some pretty honest indie-psych-folk sonics, secured by Shaffer’s velvety vocals and largely unadulterated by post-production effects. That last bit is obviously more impressive live in concert, cold weather be damned. For a Chicagoan like Shaffer, these temps won’t do much to deter him from putting on a killer show 10PM tomorrow night at Hotel Vegas, opening for Sunrosa and Guma. Take today to familiarize yourself with the Valley of the Living Water, and be sure to greet Shaffer on Tuesday evening with one of two questioning song titles off the LP, “Sup?”.

Bennett Dampier: “I Hate You”

Based on one fossil of a film franchise, we’ve pretty much come to belief that most archaeologists have some sort of a side hustle. And although they haven’t had escapades like Indy’s quite yet, today we’re digging into Austin’s Bennett Dampier. Dampier recently wrapped up his Master’s in Archaeology at Texas State, which is impressive on its own but doubly so considering he split that time writing and recording his debut album.

Produced by David Ramirez/Big Bill drummer Jeffrey Olson and Heartless Bastards/Star Parks bassist Sam Pankey, Multiverse Tirade stacks nine tracks into a neat little package. The LP’s chock-full of Dampier’s friends for a real “who’s who” of Austin talent from projects like PR Newman, Annabelle Chairlegs, CAPYAC, Motenko, Batty, Jr., and more. Conceptually a break-up record, each arrangement, each choice of players corresponds with a specific stage of post-relationship coping, collectively into one heck of an emotional experience.

So while we await Multiverse Tirade‘s release date, Dampier’s given us a galloping skiffle-orchestral original to tide us over ’til next week. At just over three minutes, the folksy psych harmonies and melancholy trot of “I Hate You” make it sound like an unreleased B-Side from the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, albeit defined by Dampier’s own McCartney-esque charm.

Night Glitter: “Magic Eyes”

Back in the Summer of 2018 a somewhat unexpected pairing popped up and completely blew all of us at KUTX away. I’m talking about Austin duo (and our July 2018 Artist of the Month) Night Glitter, although technically you could call them a supergroup, considering its core is composed of The Happen-Ins’ John-Michael Schoepf and longtime Thievery Corporation singer/svengali Loulou Ghelichkani. Since launching the project, they’ve learned that parenthood doesn’t necessarily preclude plugging in in the PM hours and producing under the veil of darkness.

And these aren’t just slight hitters. No, they’re noir-y psychedelic cross-genre bangers imbued with hypnotic synth-driven dream pop and Franglais lyrics, like if Cahiers du Cinéma came up with the Blade Runner soundtrack. And lately, Night Glitter’s hinted at a new collection of tunes, due for release sometime in 2023. Once again we’re expecting them to entrance us the moment they crank those analog knobs, as experienced during their seminal studio 1A appearance.

For those who haven’t witnessed Night Glitter live, they’ll be playing back-to-back 3Ten ACL Live performances opening for Poi Dog Pondering in late February. But for the sake of their fans’ well-being, Night Glitter also just released their first single of the year, “Magic Eyes”. From its initial crescendo all the way to its final breath, “Magic Eyes” is a gaze-inducing three-and-a-half minute piece of sonic sorcery that casts its spell with delayed-out vocals, an arpeggiated bridge, and a synesthetic sense of eye contact for your ears.

Advice for Austin Artists

This week Fresh and Confucius get real about what they think artists in the city should do career-wise. They talk about the importance of music videos, and when artists should try to start performing outside of Austin.

Plus, they celebrate Love Austin Music Month by playing an interview with J Soulja from ACLfest.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that paying for features by bigger artists isn’t always the best way to get your music out there.

Confucius talks about the recent involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, the debate over the debt ceiling, and Dr. Dre’s $200 million catalog sale in Confucius Reads the News

Light Wheel: “Sudden Changes”

Last March we tipped you off about Austin’s Light Wheel, right around the release of their sophomore LP See Through. The Shining-level chemistry between producer Evan Dunivan and vocalist Tyagaraja Welch is still going strong, and still, according to them, best enjoyed live. Rounded out with a two-man rhythm section, Light Wheel continues to put a pretty bright spin on the indie rock genre, covering a wide spectrum from R&B and pop all the way to psych and prog.

Today Light Wheel rolled out their first single of the year, which despite the exigence of its title, is a charming four-minute slow burn. Like a rocky canoe through uncertain waters, “Sudden Changes” softly paddles with acoustic oars and sparse percussion strokes, all steered by by Tyagraja’s serene siren singing. So as us weekday workers transition back into Monday, soak up “Sudden Changes”‘s sonics and save ’em for when you need to ease into the next big shift in your life.

Redbud: “Sad On The North Side”

Over the past couple months, both on air and online, we here at KUTX have all been geeking out over this rising four-piece Redbud. I mean, they’re immaculate. Redbud’s misty indie-psych-pop swamp almost obscures how much each member dedicates to this project; on surface value they all kind of seem too cool for school (especially frontwoman Katie Claghorn), but when you listen to their recordings, you can instantly tell how disciplined and demiurgic this dual dyad is.

This year Redbud’s raring to release their debut EP, The Long Night. If you’re a crusty ex-Game of Thrones fan, don’t be discouraged by its title. Rather than a bungled, essentially-meaningless attempt that could never live up to its own hype, Redbud’s The Long Night is a concise, five-track masterpiece of unearthly arrangements, airtight structures, and a caliber of songwriting we rarely hear from relative newcomers.

The Long Night drops February 24th and Redbud plays 10:15PM tonight opening for The Stacks’ EP Release show at Hotel Vegas. So while you get ready to get rowdy on the east side, practice your howls at home with the sickly sweet “Sad On The North Side”. Expect plenty more mesmerizing percussion patterns, intriguing chord changes, and ghostly vocals to haunt your ear drums through the weekend.

Akina Adderley: “Where Does The Love Go?”

I’ve already chimed in on the use of the word “songstress” plenty before, so I might as well lend my piece to the discourse once again. For me, unless we’re talking about Ella Fitzgerald or Etta James, the term “songstress” comes off as kind of archaic. Like, it’s 2023; should we really single out artists based on sex instead of…you know…altogether ditching an engendered midcentury descriptor and letting the music speak for itself?

Short answer: Sometimes…maybe.

Exhibit A: Austin’s Akina Adderley. Full-bodied performances, unfettering feminist energy, and a direct link to jazz-and-R&B-defining greats? Yeah. That’s a songstress. As the grand-niece of Cannonball Adderley, granddaughter of Nat Adderley, and daughter of Luther Vandross Music Director/Co-Songwriter Nat Adderley, Jr., genre transcendence is literally encoded in Akina’s DNA. And between her eponymous octet, NORI and Charlie Faye & The Fayettes, plus numerous guest appearances on Austin-produced albums, Akina just doesn’t miss.

Akina has some don’t-miss shows over the next couple months, but she’s stolen today’s spotlight thanks to her latest studio single. And it’s the best kind of love song – the torch variety. Bookended by Nat Jr.’s explorative ivories, “Where Does The Love Go?” would make for an intimately welcome intermission between Frank Sinatra’s Only the Lonely and Billie Holiday’s Music for Torching. The sense of space in this arrangement is nothing short of astonishing, easily matching the calibre of your favorite orchestral tearjerkers. The only thing we’re surprised by is that “Where Does The Love Go?” isn’t a Broadway darling…at least not yet.