Hardcore

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards: “Trepanation”

Happy Halloween! We’re hittin’ this hallow-day with…Hans Gruber and the Die Hards?! Wait a minute, haven’t we already decreed that the iconic Bruce Willis/Alan Rickman action comedy is a Christmas staple? Well…whatever.

What we do know for sure is that this Austin five-piece has spent the past decade funneling their passions into all things punk, ska, crossover, and beyond into an all-year-round “trick and treat” creed of casual tomfoolery and unforgettable stage antics. And if you didn’t think Hans Gruber and the Die Hards were a perfect fit for Halloween, you haven’t been paying close enough attention; just look at the tracklist from their 2022 magnum opus With A Vengeance and shudder at song titles like “Blood on the Walls”, “Monster of Walgren Lake”, and “Nothing Like a Good Old Fashioned Witch Hunt”.

The latest from the quintet is their EP split with The Sensations Tokyo Two Step that dropped in early September, right around the same time HGDH celebrated their 10-year anniversary and kicked off the national tour that currently finds them on the Eastern Seaboard. Now, yes, Tokyo Two Step does contain a cover of that Halloween classic “I Put A Spell On You”. But if this election season giving you a sense of Act III freefall, almost like you’re plummeting forty stories straight into the media circus corralled around Nakatomi Plaza, you may just want to dig a hole into your brain and blast some horn-heavy hardcore. If that’s the case, then “Trepanation” is for you. Less of a headbanger and more of skull scraper, “Trepanation” is all over the goddamned place…in the best way possible. And even at just two minutes, it’s plenty enough to rile your spirits, get you wanting to don a costume (literally, emotionally, or what have you), and treat yourself to an intense Halloween in ghoulish rudeboy fashion.

Tips for insurance and tree care as Texas recovers from Beryl

More than 1 million Texans are still without power in the wake of Hurricane Beryl’s sweep across Southeast and East Texas. Brent Taylor of the Houston Office of Emergency Management joins with the latest on damage assessments, ongoing outages and the growing concerns about heat.
What do Texans need to keep in mind as they repair and rebuild? More on insurance considerations for those affected, plus guidance on caring for trees after a major storm.
Also: In recent years, Texas has lost more rural hospitals than any other state. Now mobile clinics are rolling out to provide vital medical services where they’re needed most.

The Blowies: “Bye Bye Polar Bears”

Longtime morning listeners can attest that the late great John Aielli was incredibly keen on his almanac commemorations, especially Halloween and Valentine’s Day. But the class act John was, he always kept it kosher on the actual calendar day, saving the delightful disdain of his Anti-Valentine’s playlist for February 15th. So in the time since he left us, it’s not surprising that former producers of John’s (including myself and my colleague Taylor) and other “Aeillians” like to jump the gun and get a little smarmy on Hallmark’s favorite holiday.

In that scornful spirit, For Spite presents “Singles Only” 6PM tonight at The Far Out Lounge, hosted by KUTX’s own Taylor Wallace. For just $10 you’ll get a lot more than a bouquet or a box of chocolate – four sets of hand-picked Austin acts back-to-back, each packed with a brand new offering. The evening kicks off with a Kiki Machine music video premiere and continues with three kick-ass single releases from Die Mart, Exotic Fruits, and today’s feature, The Blowies.

Comprised of Sharks in the Deep End ex-pats Tucker Jameson and Samuel Thompson, this hardcore duo dropped their uncouth debut The Blowies back in 2020. Their already-cynical take on societal commentary has flourished from their of-kilter confidence at start of the pandemic era into the breakneck tongue-in-cheek typhoon we now know as The Blowies. A new gale of high-octane punk touches down later this year on an as-of-yet-untitled sophomore full-length, one that brought The Blowies back to Public Hi-Fi Studio, this time with producer-engineer-extraordinaire Max Lorenzen. And when The Blowies hit the stage at 8PM tonight, join them in chanting an irreverent anthem that almost seems to celebrate the pessimism surrounding climate change by bidding farewell to our arctic ursine neighbors, “Bye Bye Polar Bears”!