black pistol fire

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.

Black Pistol Fire: “Look Alive”

Though Austin’s never quite been corralled into any singular sound in the past couple decades, you’d probably expect a fair amount of Southern rock from the Lone Star State’s capital. That’s where Black Pistol Fire comes in. Kevin McKeown and Eric Owen’s lifelong friendship began in a North Toronto kindergarten class and graduated into a musical partnership by the time they were in high school. But despite their non-native status to Texas, their name alone seems like a litmus test to detect Southern drawls, (depending on whether or not you pronounce the handle’s final word as “Fah-er” rather than “Figh-er”) and as such, the duo’s felt right at home here in Austin for the band’s now decade-long tenure.

These five–time Studio 1A veterans (and three-time My KUTX guest DJs) and their raucous Southern-punk concoction have been a KUTX favorite from the get-go, so much that we named them our May 2016 Artist of the Month. Black Pistol Fire was conspicuously quiet after the release of their 2017 record Deadbeat Graffiti, only returning to stoke their eponymous flames with a string of singles beginning in 2019, ultimately culminating in this year’s Look Alive. You’ll want to Look Alive this evening for Black Pistol Fire’s headliner spot at Emo’s along with Emily Wolfe and Shooks, but even if you can’t make it in person, you can tear into the weekend with the album’s fierce title track!

This Song: Eric Owen of Black Pistol Fire // Modern Outsider Records

Black Pistol Fire Drummer Eric Owen likes the simple grooves but he didn’t know it until he heard Nirvana’s “In Bloom.” Hear about this revelation and how the song lead him to finally learn to play the drums. Then the owners of Austin’s Modern Outsider Records, Erin and Chip Adams, talk about how Suede’s “Heroine” and The Cure’s “Close to Me” set them, in their own ways, on a course to loving songs that were off the beaten path, record collecting and finally starting their own record label.

Listen to Black Pistol Fire’s MyKUTX Guest DJ Set

Listen to Black Pistol Fire’s Studio 1A Performance

Watch Black Pistol Fire Perform “Bad Blood” on VuHaus

Listen to Erin and Chip Adams’ My KUTX Guest DJ Set

Check out Modern Outsider Records

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