On this episode we interview Geto Gala fresh off the stage at ACL 2025 and discuss their career accomplishments. We also discuss the lack of local rappers and singers at ACL this year compared to previous years. Hip-hop facts include facts about Vince Vaughn, Snoop Dogg, Black Eyed Peas and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is about Kool Herc not being as influential as Grandmaster Flash in the legacy of hip-hop.
austin music
Luna Luna: “Call Me Up” [Backstage at ACL Fest 2022]
We’re smack between ACL weekends, rolling out all kinds of nifty gifties for you from social media content to amazing performance photos to videos and free downloads of our backstage performances. Today, we take a look back at one of our favorites with an artist you can see live next week. Austin’s Luna Luna is the solo project of Kavvi, a Colombian-American artist seamlessly blending his Spanish and English roots for an infectious blend of nostalgia-tinted Latin soul with a modern indie-pop flair. The former KUTX Artist of the Month performs at 3Ten at ACL Live next Thursday, October 16th.
Sertified In Australia!
On this episode, we talk with Austin legend Sertified about his upcoming shows in Australia for SXSW. We also discuss if the song “Still Tippin” is a hip-hop classic or not. Hip-hop facts include facts about Bryson Tiller, Prince, Mobb Deep, and 2pac. Fresh and Unpopular Opinion is that rapper Nas is the biggest fan of the culture of hip-hop.
The Animeros: “Gózalo” [Backstage at ACL Fest]
Band plays SXSW, the right person catches their set, and the big ball starts rolling. And while that treasured dream has largely been lost to obscurity, merely existing in the whispered annals of Live Music Capitol lore, Austin’s the Animeros are smack in the throes of living it. Their blend of Colombian, Mexican, and West Texas influences weaves a sonic tapestry blending boleros, psychedelia, and cumbia. Their SXSW set last year put them in the crosshairs of one Dan Auerbach, who produced the group’s debut single “Gózalo” that came out in August. A cover of “Gózalo Mulata” by Texas Latin soul artist Esteban “Steve” Jordan (AKA the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion), the trio married Jordan’s raw, emotive energy to their own psych-funk edge.
The Animeros swung by our tent backstage at ACL Fest last weekend to perform “Gózalo.” Find the video at KUTX.org.
SOB & the Dangs: “I Don’t Mind”
It’s Friday, I think five planets are still in retrograde, so let’s all take a breath and let out a big ol’ “GOT DANG!” And now let’s get to the real danged thing. Stacey McCann leads the Austin blues-funk group SOB & the Dangs (and the SOB is for StaceOnBass thank you very much!). McCann’s voice was made for the blues, full of raw emotion belting from a place of a life lived. They’ve got a new EP on the way, and today we’re thrilled to share “I Don’t Mind,” a tune that takes a break from the booty shaking for an honest self-check-in and not throwing away the past, but concluding “it is what it is, and for myself, I can only look forward.”
Kelly Willis: “I Don’t Care”
Kelly Willis has been a stalwart of Austin’s country and Americana scene for decades, so it’s no surprise to find her on Grey DeLisle’s new project: IT’S ALL HER FAULT: A TRIBUTE TO CINDY WALKER. For the compilation, Willis chose the 1955 tune “I Don’t Care,” written by Walker and Webb Pierce, that spent 12 weeks at the top of the Country and Western charts and later became a hit again for Ricky Skaggs in 1982, the first version of the song Willis heard. Inspired by Willis’s personal memory of performing the song with her husband and brother-in-law at a family wedding (celebrating Bruce and Charlie Robinson’s sister and the band’s longtime bass player), Willis’s take on this country swing classic strikes a particularly romantic and tender chord, like her buttery, twangy vocals always do.
IT’S ALL HER FAULT: A TRIBUTE TO CINDY WALKER is out October 10th. Kelly Willis plays a birthday bash show tomorrow night, October 2nd, at the 04 Center with BETTYSOO.
The Lonesome Heroes: “Sunshine Come”
Despite the name, Austin’s the Lonesome Heroes have been releasing music and playing shows for a whopping 21 years. To mark the occasion, they’re gifting their audience with a bit of their live faire with Live & Lonesome at the Purple Bee, a collection of songs recorded at the hybrid recording studio and live concert streaming venue Purple Bee Studios, located in Volente, TX.
In this live recording, 21 years of songwriting together and cohesion on stage are front and center with country blues strings dancing through a bed that two-steps between Americana and a crescendo building to a big, jubulent finish. “Sunshine Come” will have you turning your living room into a dance floor, so boot-up, grab a partner, and get ready to cut a rug.
Find the video for “Sunshine Come” at KUTX.org.
Austin Hip-Hop Heads To Australia!
On this episode we interview the College of Hip-Hop Knowledge before their trip to Sydney, Australia for SXSW. We also discuss the Federal Trade Commission FINALLY going after Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Hip-hop facts include facts about 2pac, Faith Evans, Beyonce and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is that Chief Keef is the most influential child rapper since Lil Bow Wow.
Annabelle Chairlegs: “Ice Cream on the Beach”
It’s been a minute since we checked-in with Austin surf-psych outfit Annabelle Chairlegs. And honestly, “Candy Apple Red,” is still living in my head rent-free five years later. Now the group (fronted by Lindsay Mackin) is back after a three-year hiatus, and what better way to come back than with an album produced by Ty Segall?
“Ice Cream on the Beach” flaunts a poppier side to Mackin. Like a throwback to Caroline Rose’s Loner era, there’s a subtle edge cutting through the sun-kissed, lofty synths and Mackin’s mesmerizing vocals. Newly signed to Austin’s TODO records, the Ty Segall-produced album comes out next year, marrying an exploration of sounds to her signature shoulder-bouncing, surf-tinged hooks.
Kalu James: Keeper of the Light
Singer and songwriter Kalu James talks about darkness as a space of safety, and the mindful acts of creating art in dark times, and letting go.
(SPF 1000) Vampire Sunscreen is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Datura: “Ain’t No Honky Tonks”
“There ain’t no honky tonks in Philadelphia,” laments Jessica Pyrdsa AKA Datura. The latest single from the Lockhart-based artist’s upcoming album, Saint Cecilia, takes a pivot from her piano-driven, jazz-meets-art-pop sound for this equally cinematic, blues-leaden country hall slow dance that feels like a waltz in all but time signature.
Here, her skills as a composer are on full display, as her own vocals play like an off-stage narrator, letting woebegone, country-blues strings dance around the dusty floor behind heavy crimson curtains, reeling in homesickness and reveling in the memory of times spent in those old, sticky-floor honky tonks.
Saint Cecilia comes out this Friday, September 26th. Her album release show is tomorrow, September 25th at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul joined by plenty of special guests.
What’s going on with the Live Music Fund?
The Live Music Fund is about to launch applications for its third round of funding. Hear what’s changed with the fund over the years, and what will be new with this next iteration.
Erica Shamaly, Division Manager for Music and Entertainment within the Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Division, is featured in this episode.
Find out more on the City of Austin’s Live Music Fund web page.
Find out more information about the Museum of Human Achievement’s Grant Writing Hangouts.
Pause/Play is made possible by listeners like you. You can support the work that Pause/Play does by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org.
Did Cardi B Raise the Bar? Or Lower It?
On this episode we discuss if Cardi B helped raise the bar for female rappers to succeed or did she lower it? We also talk about Jay-Z’s capitalist approaches to business and if it helps his brand and legacy. Hip-hop facts this week include Mobb Deep, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled and more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is about how he is tired of emo rap being so popular.
Parker Woodland: “Get Me to the Show”
Austin’s Parker Woodland are back with potentially their rawest song yet, and certainly my favorite one to date. Standing firmly in their vintage pop-punk sound comes “Get Me to the Show,” a punchy tune packed with earwormy hooks and raw, female-led energy fueled by Erin Walters’s signature vocals pivoting between pop harmonies and Sleater-Kinney-like attitude .
Akin to the Waitresses doing the theme song to Square Pegs, this song sounds like a cool band decided to write a TV sitcom theme about a budding, cool girl music nerd. She doesn’t want to be in the band; she just always knows about them first and wants everyone to listen to them. She’s no gatekeeper!
Upcoming Parker Woodland shows:
9/19 Joan Jett’s B-Day Bash at Meanwhile Brewing Co., 7:30pm
9/21 Austin Peace & Justice Fest, 12 noon-7pm at Princeton Palace
9/23 HAAM Day showcase, The ABGB at 6pm (w/ Nakia and Nik Parr)
9/30 Continental Club (Austin, TX) tour homecoming & “Get Me to the Show” single release, 6:30pm
Alex Maas: Directions To See A Haunted House
Alex Maas of the Black Angels talks about the influence of childhood memories and raising a family during dark times.
(SPF 1000) Vampire Sunscreen is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Tear Dungeon: “Kill For Health” [Live In Studio 1A] RE-RUN
It’s Weird Wednesday, and I aim to keep it that way. And what better to stay on theme than to revisit a recent favorite of mine from Studio 1A?
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).
West Texas Exiles: “Division” (ft. Kelly Willis)
All musical motifs of the Lone Star State converge in Austin’s West Texas Exiles. The quartet, made up of members hailing from El Paso, Amarillo, and Lubbock, draws inspiration from all squares of the Texas music quilt, from Willie to Buddy and everyone in between.
Their debut full-length album 8000 Days came out last Friday, and it’s already made an impression on the Americana album and singles charts. From the album is “Division,” a song that on its head is about marital woes, splitting-up your things once it’s finally over, and the raw bouquet of feelings that drove it to that point. It’s also a perfect metaphor for the members of West Texas Exiles’s own members: coming to Austin to start a new chapter and escape the “nothing for me here” burdens of home.
The dustiness around the bass and drums are given polished gimmers of hope with Colin Gilmore’s plucky mandolin and the classic country crooning of guest vocalist and Austin Americana stalwart Kelly Willis to play against the band’s own co-vocalist Marco Guitierrez.
West Texas Exiles have a Waterloo Records next Thursday, September 18th at 7PM.
Reinvention w/ Malik Baptiste
On this episode we interview with rapper/producer Malik Baptiste who talks about restarting his career and his past accomplishments. We also talk about if not writing your own songs in hip-hop can hinder your career and respect. Hip-hop facts include Jay-Z, Tia Mowry and her Texas roots, and Nas plus many more. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion is about his thoughts that most people want to be famous.
Shakey Graves: The Necessary Counterpart To the Light
Songwriter Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known as Shakey Graves, talks about the ways darkness and his mental health journey have shaped his music and his outlook on life. He also discusses the art of – and the anxiety behind – self-promotion, and the desire to connect with others.
(SPF 1000) Vampire Sunscreen is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.
Lola Tried: “Hot Shot Barbie” [PREMIERE]
After several amuse-bouches of singles, Austin’s Lola Tried are ready to let us feast. OG members Lauren Burton and Ray Garza are joined by newcomers Gianni Sarmiento and Austin Norman for the group’s third EP, out this Friday.
Perfect for your workout (or rageout) playlist is “Hot Shot Barbie.” She’s got her foot on the gas, turbo engaged, and the only thing that can stop her? Life has yet to answer that question. But she’s got that Robert Baratheon energy, and she’s yet to find her boar. Once again, Lola Tried presents a master class in what they know best: loud-as-hell rock.
Lola Tried has an EP release show Friday, September 12th at Empire Cotrol Room with Quiet Company and Subpar Snatch.