KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone from the Austin hip-hop duo Riders Against the Storm talks about how his experience as a Black musician in the Austin music community led him to create the DAWA Fund and the Black Live Music Fund. He also explains why his music is the reason he is able to continue to serve the community he loves.
Links:
To Support the Black Live Music Fund
Black Live Music Fund – “Thankful” Live Stream Event February 19th
When it comes to reshaping myths of the modern South, nobody really does it better than Austin’s Benjamin Violet and his glam-country group Pelvis Wrestley. Pelvis Wrestley released their biggest piece of revisionism to date last September with the sprawling LP Vortexas Vorever, but Violet’s queer reimagining of the Lone Star State is far from over.
Pelvis Wrestley pitched in a couple new singles for Austin Music Foundation’s ATX Gen Next: Adventures in Lockdown, whose second “side” drops this Friday, and those you’ll have to hitch your anticipation til then, you can get into the equestrian mindset with “Horse Dreams”!
Enjoying 2021 at the tender age of 21, singer-guitarist Christine Renner has graduated from her teenage diary onto passionate pop-rock lyricism. The native Austinite’s managed to build a bridge between the stimulating instrumental arrangements of classic rock and the romantic-minded content of modern pop, forming Renner’s unique brand of retro-inspired originals.
This year you can expect the release of Renner’s fourth record, Heartbreaker, produced and recorded by Grammy Nominee Chris “Frenchie” Smith at The Bubble Studios. So while Heartbreaker crests over the horizon, submerge yourself into an ’80s aesthetic with the album’s lead single (and music video) that reckons with self-imposed isolation, “Drown”!
Any hardcore hip-hop expert in Austin ought to remember the name SubKulture Patriots, the fearless five-piece whose ’90s-style beats and rapid-fire lyrical exchanges gave Wu-Tang Clan and Boot Camp Clik a run for their money during their 2010s heyday. SKP’s been laying low recently, but founding mastermind Brian Tanton AKA The Brain isn’t letting a little kenopsia get in the way of his craft.
The native Texan began experimenting with guitar and piano at a young age before graduating to hip-hop production and writing rhymes, but those early essentials have stayed close to The Brain as he’s continued to develop his unconventional, spasmodic flow. Now at the turn of a decade, The Brain is cued up to release his debut solo album, The Epidemic, on April 20th, produced entirely by longtime SubKult collaborator Ruler Why. The rhymes are remarkable, the references are extraterrestrial, and the beats are so fresh you’ll get stuff like the Gregorian chants on “So They Say” stuck in your head again and again.
Developing a new style isn’t as simple as changing the channel, but drummer Emma Berrigan and guitarist Ben Root clearly had something figured out when they repurposed their co-op’s DIY home theater, the TV Temple, into an ad-hoc rehearsal space. The Austin duo’s indie-adjacent sound has only prospered since 2018, evolving from an ambitious eight-track of demos into the polished product that Root and Berrigan (who share both vocal and songwriting duties) have deemed, “beach-alt”.
A heady balance between upbeat and breezy, TV Temple premiered their sandy psychedelia last Sunday with their first fully-fleshed out studio single, “I’m Not Like That”. The tide is high for beach-alt, and today’s newly-released video for “I’m Not Like That” is sure to make some big waves for your Wednesday.
It’s only Day Two of February but we’re already knee deep into our collaboration with Austin Music Foundation for Love Austin Music Month, continuing today with multi-instrumentalist Aubrey Hays. You might not be able to find much from Hays online right now, but you can still gather how gifted this singer-guitarist is just from the skills heard on her sole Spotify single, “Isn’t It Enough”.
Toting a dynamic that’s both delicate and assertive, Aubrey Hays is set to release a new standalone single this Friday but you can hear it a couple days early on the first half of AMF’s ATX Gen Next: Adventures in Lockdown with the incandescent indie rocker, “I Wanna See This Through”!
It’s officially February, putting us at a lovely junction of both Black History Month and Love Austin Music Month. In celebration of the latter, KUTX has partnered up with the Austin Music Foundation to help shine the spotlight on five rising Austin artists, starting today with Bastrop-born hip-hop heavyweight Deezie Brown.
Filling out the pocket between Southern Hip-Hop and Funk, Brown’s been propelling his standing in the local scene and beyond with each new single and began making some of his biggest impacts after the 2018 album, Judith. Deezie Brown’s got his sophomore record coming set for release this summer, and finds himself in good company on Austin Music Foundation’s new two-part compilation, ATX Gen Next: Adventures in Lockdown, making an unforgettable first impression for listeners (be they new or returning) on Side A with “Billy White Shoes”!
The name Dominic Sena may not ring any bells right off the bat, but if you’re on the prowl for some tantalizing dream pop, his solo project Mr. Hymn definitely preaches to that choir. Though the multi-instrumentalist has been releasing material under this handle since the mid-2010s, Mr. Hymn’s managed to avoid any sort of litany with his growing artistry, instead challenging the institutions of the dream pop genre itself with each new single.
Mr. Hymn’s latest came today with one of his strongest songs to date, and between the tune, its music video, and a live performance 8PM tonight at Far Out Lounge, “Magnolia” might just be the best thing to prep you for a chill weekend.
If you’ve kept up with us in the past month then you’re no stranger to the name Nané. Initially designed as a duo on the UT Campus back in 2016, the group’s since evolved into a quintet, whose R&B-soul-soaked indie rock has earned them the spot as our January 2021 Artist of the Month.
Nané recently released their eponymous debut full-length, thereby starting off 2021 on an extremely positive note. The band seems like they’re just now hitting their stride, be it in-studio or out and about (safely), making it the perfect time in their career to record a Social Distancing Pop-Up video with us. Add this exclusive version of “Ladybird” to your library and enjoy Nané performing as a trio in the song’s visual counterpart on KUTX.org, filmed at The Goose on Lime Creek in Leander!
Depending on what kind of person you are, news about breakups can either be tremendous or devastating. And though we were definitely fans of Austin’s Beth Lee & The Breakups going back to their 2013 LP One More Time Again, we’re eager to see how the eponymous frontwoman handles herself in this new chapter as Beth Lee.
Lee’s deeply personal lyricism and powerful vocal presence haven’t diminished one bit since The Breakups last album in 2016, and at just shy of a dozen new tracks, Beth Lee continues to push the envelope of her artistry on the upcoming full-length Waiting On You Tonight. Recorded in California and produced by Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express drummer Vicente Rodriguez, Waiting On You Tonight brings a whole new layer of Lee’s talent to her expansive take on alternative rock, with languid tempos, subtle percussion, melancholy chord progressions, and of course, some stellar vocal performances. True to its title, you’ll still have to do some waiting for Waiting On You Tonight, but today you can get an exclusive first listen to the record’s fourth single, “I Won’t Give In”!
This week on The Breaks:
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
After a long, cloudy weekend, we could all stand to photosynthesize. And who better to help us soak up those rays than Austin multi-instrumentalist Ryan Black and his six-piece Sunroom Sounds?
Between Black’s lyrics that analyze the way people interact with one another and the group’s atmospheric instrumentation, Sunroom Sounds is set to be a luminous staple on the horizon. Keep an ear out for Sunroom Sounds’ first full-length, and let yourself drift in neutral before locking into gear for the work week with the band’s debut single (and music video), “The Drive”!
Almost a full year after COVID-19 shut us all into quarantine, we’ve all become somewhat of adjusted to a largely-interior lifestyle. But if there’s one Austin group that’s sure to stave off cabin fever (even in the name alone), it’s Indoor Creature. What started off as a duo in 2015 has evolved into a slick six-piece, whose jazz-inspired indie-pop sound has continued to expand with each passing season.
Indoor Creature is set to share their third full-length, Living in Darkness, in May, and after a long first month of hefty politics, the band’s re-aligning their prospects for 2021 with the album’s infectiously chill lead single, “American Dream”!
Partners in marriage, parenthood, and music, Daniel and Jenna Watters’ shared energy seems to keep pushing the quality of their songwriting higher and higher. With each new release, The Watters submerge themselves deeper into the soul sound, and you can definitely hear that over the two short years between their 2016 debut LP Great Unknown and their 2018 eponymous full-length. But as we all know, good things come in threes…
After adjusting to their newfound life as parents, The Watters recruited some top notch players including a four-piece horn section for their latest album, recorded back in 2019. Intuition drops this weekend and The Watters perform 8:30pm Saturday night at Far Out Lounge along with Curtis Lee. That prospect of leaving your home to go see live music might bring some memories flooding back, which is actually fairly appropriate given the title of today’s feature (on Jenna’s birthday, no less), “Déjà Vu”!
Longtime listeners of KUTX aren’t likely to gloss over certain Austin songwriters based on remarkable talent, perhaps most notably six-time Studio 1A veteran Erin Ivey. Whether she’s teamed up with Tosca String Quartet, The Finest Kind, David Ramirez, or just going solo acoustic, Ivey’s made countless jaws drop and eyes water with her luminous vocal presence and impressive range dating back to her 2007 debut.
But with seven years having passed since her last studio album, Whisper of the Moon, Ivey’s fans have been in dire need of an update. And they’re in luck! Next Friday Erin Ivey shares her ten-track full-length Solace in the Wild, leaning on her classic indie folk sound with sprinkles of Americana and psychedelia and other powerful nuances throughout. And though another premiere of sorts may understandably be taking up most of the spotlight today, take your mind off the news and enter Solace in the Wild with its lead single, “Where Have You Been All My Life”!
For those already familiar with Austin singer Daisy O’Connor, the mere mention of her name alone should be enough to put a smile on your face. And for those not in the know, that first sentence should tip you off that Daisy’s got a real knack for finding the silver lining in life, straying away from the saccharine in favor of prudent optimism.
O’Connor’s comprehensive, genre-sprawling style has captivated listeners for years, and her talents as a songwriter seem to grow with each new release. So you can probably see where this is going…Daisy O’Connor just graced us with a tune that’s old-for-her, new-for-us. Written and recorded at Public Hi-Fi well before the confines of quarantine, the pastoral tempo of “Evergreen” paints an idyllic landscape for O’Connor to reflect on solitude, caution before connection, and a shared experience of loneliness that’s all too relatable nowadays.
Happy MLK Day! In the spirit of Dr. King, we’re handing the microphone over to Fort Worth’s Jeff Dazey, who, after honing his skills in Leon Bridges’ horn section, has supplied some unforgettable sax elements for Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, not to mention some standout features.
Thoroughly shaken by the October 2019 shooting of Atatiana Jefferson in his hometown, Dazey enlisted an eclectic assortment of Austin talent to help realize the tribute he had in mind, including local duo Greyhounds, one half of the Moeller Brothers on drums, and the always-incandescent vocals of Tameca Jones. “Song for Atatiana” was rounded out by Buds’ engineer/producer Sam Patlove and hits its most poignant moments when watching the music video of the same name.
Though he’s originally from Chicago, multi-instrumentalist David Click has decidedly snapped into place here in Austin. As a publisher, producer, engineer, and of course, singer-songwriter, Click founded his recording studio The Oven not too long ago and has fittingly recorded his material as Click Music there.
Yesterday Click Music commenced his 2021 with a bittersweet title, Cheated on Me, a three-song EP that expands out from the sound of Click’s typical discography to incorporate trip-hop, UK two-step, and pop-R&B. It seems like no matter what genre you throw at him, Click continues to navigate his affectionate arrangements with ease and incite ecstasy in listeners, statements that at this point shouldn’t come too much as, “Surprises”.
Hear from mental healthcare providers and people in the Austin Music Ecosystem about mental health during the pandemic.
You’ll hear from Kalu James from Kalu and the Electric Joint , Vanessa Burden of Los Alcos, Austen Bailey former Talent Buyer for Mohawk, Patty Bouressa from The SIMS Foundation, Brandee Smith MS, LPC, LCDC, Austin Mental Health Care Resources, The Sims Foundation
Austin Texas Mental Health Resources
Other Information:
National Independent Venue Association
Save Our Stages
Music By:
Kalu and The Electric Joint
Los Alcos
Check out Downfall — the latest song from Kalu and the Electric Joint.
As the city continues to change, a comparatively few amount of veterans from the old school scene have stuck around to release new stuff in 2021. But for four talented musicians that’ve performed in Austin since the ’90s, they’ve merely adopted a new handle and begun to share fresh material at this turn of a decade.
Channeling the likes of alternative pioneers Velvet Underground and R.E.M., King Air cast forth their debut EP Tracks Made in Dust on Christmas Day, staking their claim of atmospheric royalty with just as many songs as members and rounding out the record with a real trance-inducer, “Last of a Breed”!