UPDATED for 2016 - 5 Ways to Find the Best SXSW Parties and RSVP

South by Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film and Interactive Festival is only 4 weeks away. The festival takes place March 11-20 in Austin. Each year there a hundreds of sponsored, free parties with live music, complimentary food, drink and swag for party-goers.

With the growth of SXSW Interactive, there are top tier music events to attend during interactive as well as the music week. All you need to do is RSVP and arrive early enough to enter the venue before it reaches capacity. Keep in mind, badge holders will have priority at official showcases. The amount of listings, can be daunting, so we compiled a short list of resources to... Continue reading

Live music review: Sweet Spirit and Walker Lukens led off year for Black Fret

Sweet Spirit and Walker Lukens at Black Fret 2016 opening

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Even if you are an Austin music fan that is 'in the loop" you may not be familiar with the non-profit organization Black Fret which donates $100,000 to 10 local bands each year. The funds come from annual dues collected from the group's members. The "Patrons of Local Music" charity was launched by Matt Ott and Colin Kendrick in 2013 as a way for Austin residents to support emerging musical acts. The majority of past recipients have used their $10K grant from Black Fret towards production costs to record new material.

Last week the group convened at The Parish in downtown Austin to introduce members to their first three grant candidates of the year; Sweet Spirit, Walker Lukens and Harvest Thieves. All three are... continue reading

Live music preview: 5 must see buzz acts at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015

With eight short days left on the calendar until Fun Fun Fun Fest (FFF Fest) takes overAuditorium Shores in Austin we're overdue to share our top five picks from the excellent lineup this year. Since most of us are familiar with the headliners: Chvrches, Wu-Tang Clan, NOFX, Odesza and Lauryn Hill we're sticking to buzz acts in our list. After all, Fun Fun Fun Fest curates a lineup that is made for discovering bands.

Speaking of Hill, her addition to the line-up in place of D'Angelo and the Vanguard who first cancelled his ACL TV appearance last week then cancelled his ....Continue reading

Live music review: Sir Elton John played hits at F1 US Grand Prix Sunday

Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro

If you have never seen British pop star Elton John perform, naturally you want to see the gifted songwriter play his many hits. John recognized the F1 US Grand Prix fans at his show last night at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) were largely race fans not necessarily concertgoers. Thus he decided to play a greatest hits setlist. The diminutive piano player ran through 21 songs in two hours while dressed in a glittery black coat emblazoned with Rocket Man across his back. Backed by longtime collaborators, John and his band jammed, played sing-alongs and made fans forget about the soggy, muddy conditions that plagued COTA all weekend.

Performing on the temporary Super Stage between turns 11 and 12, the "Rocket Man" kicked off the show with appropriately titled... Continue reading

Live music preview: 12 bands you should see at ACL Festival 2015 part I

We are 13 days from the 14th Austin City Limits Music Festival which means it is time to take a look at the weekend one schedule and plot your attack. The festival is top loaded with talent on Friday which means you are going to have to make some choices on which acts to catch. The bright side is Friday tends to be the least crowded of the three-day event making stage hopping a possibility for those ambitious enough.

We put together a list of a dozen recommended bands. The bands run the gamut genre-wise. There is soul, hip-hop, psych-rock, folk, Americana and punk represented and that's only half of our picks. With the festival safely tucked away in October, chances are high festival goers will encounter ideal fall conditions. According to the National Weather Service the long-range forecast calls for... Continue reading

Live music preview: The inimitable Buddy Guy returns to ACL Live Friday

Photo: Matt Roberts / Getty Images

Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy returns to ACL Live this Friday, July 17 for his only Texas stop on the current leg of his tour in support of "Born to Play Guitar" which drops July 31. The new material has some Texas connections with collaborations from Kim Wilson (The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top). The album will be released on Silvertone/RCA Records. The record follows Guy's most successful release in recent years, 2013's "Rhythm and Blues" that reached number one on the Billboard Blues Album Chart.

Guy's shows are... Continue reading

Live music review: Dawes returned to Austin bigger and better

Photo: Tammy Perez

When Dawes front man Taylor Goldsmith addressed the audience at Stubb's BBQ last Thursday, he recalled the band's first visit to Austin in 2009 when they opened for Delta Spirit. Later in the set it was with genuine awe he informed the nearly sold-out venue this was their biggest audience ever in Austin. The observation could just as well be that of the arc of growth Dawes has earned. Their new album, "All Your Favorite Bands" is number one on the Billboard folk chart and working its way up the Billboard 200 (currently 37) less than three weeks after the record dropped. This will be their best-selling work at this rate.

The band arrived with a talented new member since their last stop in Austin... Continue reading

Holiday gift guide: 10 Austin albums for your favorite music fan

Rather than reading another top records list, consider supporting artists who help "The Live Music Capital" live up to the slogan by purchasing their music for the holidays. The recommendations below are exclusively Austin bands who have put out albums in the last few years we think music fans will love listening to. Included are new releases out this year from Spoon, Brownout and Spanish Gold. There are records from The Wheeler Brothers and The Octopus Project in our gift guide that dropped a couple years ago because they are... Continue reading at axs.com

Music festival preview: COTA Fan Fest to bring Joan Jett, family fun to Austin this weekend

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) hosts a big Grand Prix race every fall. While everyone may not be race fans, most people in Austin like free live music, food trucks, beer gardens and activities for kids. At least that is what COTA and event sponsors are betting on as Fan Fest begins Friday in downtown Austin. The lineup of musical acts is impressive for a free music festival. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, De La Soul, Black Joe Lewis, Devotchka and many other international and local acts are slated to perform through Sunday.

Fan Fest will take place October 31-November 2 across ten city blocks of downtown Austin from the Warehouse District to Republic Square Park beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. Live music acts... Continue reading at Axs.com

Live music preview: Utah indie rockers Desert Noises return to Stubb's Friday

Last March during South by Southwest we were invited to the Do512 Lounge to watch a few bands the entertainment site invited to perform. One of those bands, Desert Noises was so impressive for a young, unknown group we struggled to get them out of our head after the show. Fortunately, we never did get that foursome out of our head and we watched the indie rockers from Orem, Utah twice more after seeing them at SXSW. On Friday lead singer and songwriter, Kyle Henderson and company return to Stubb's BBQ to play on the inside stage.

We asked Henderson why the band likes playing Austin. He replied... Continue reading at Axs.com

Live music review: American Authors, Mowgli's packed Mohawk for Honda Civic Tour

On the surface, American Authors appear to be like most bands that appeal to the teen music fan set and to some extent that view is correct. The Brooklyn-based band that headlined theHonda Civic Tour at Austin's Mohawk last night goes deeper than that though. In fact, the band has impressive credentials as the members met at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston in 2006 before launching their music career as Blue Pages. The hundreds of teen girls who packed The Mohawk likely know all those details and more. Most of the young ladies near the front of the stage could be seen mouthing lyrics to all their songs (and covers) as the band ran through their ...Continue reading at axs.com

Live music review: Night Beats return to Austin for mind blowing Sound Select gig

This past Saturday at Hotel Vegas, Seattle trio Night Beats packed Red Bull's Soundselect show. The group plays an amalgam of psych, blues and garage rock that has attracted a legion of fans since they performed at Austin Psych Festival in 2013. Red Bull's monthly event is hosted at various Austin live music venues and typically features a stellar local lineup. The undercard had two Austin bands on it, Sea Lion and Mirror Travel. Headliner, Night Beats was the sole ...Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Robert Rodriguez, Chingon put Latin twist on Sin City party

Robert Rodriguez    Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro

Director Robert Rodriguez took center stage in Austin Wednesday night with the premiere of his film, "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (3D) at the Paramount Theater. Following the screening, attendees headed to The Rattle Inn for a VIP reception which featured music from Chingon. The group is comprised of members of Del Castillo and Rodriguez who formed the band to record music for his film "Once Upon a Time in Mexico." The event was one of several fundraisers the Austin Film Society hosts each year.

Prior to Rodriguez arriving at the venue, there was a... Continue reading at Examiner.com

TV preview: Arts in Context to feature The Octopus Project on KLRU, streaming August 1

By now readers of this column have gotten used to seeing reviews of live tapings at Austin City Limits television which airs nationally on PBS. What folks may not be aware local PBS affiliate, KLRU produces Arts in Context a show that delves deeper into the work of artists and how they create, collaborate and incorporate elements together. Emmy award-winning producer, Mario Troncoso, makes the documentary show.

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. (CST) KLRU will air an episode on The Octopus Project, an Austin electro-pop band that has been... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Video premiere: my education final video from 5 Popes reissue released today

Austin post-rock act my education has released the final video from their 5 Popes reissue that dropped in February on Beat Imprint Records. The entire album was remastered for the re-release. The video was made for the song, "Deep Cut" which originally was released in 2004 on Thirty Ghosts Records. The live band footage which features original members from the roster when the album was made was shot by former Austin Chronicle film critic... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Food Network star Alton Brown brought humor and music to ACL Live

The show review below is a guest post from life long Texan, foodie and internet security expert, Jon Marler. Jon's enthusiasm for Alton Brown's many food-related television programs is evident in this entertaining recap of last night's Edible Inevitable Tour show which took place at ACL Live. You can find Jon surfing the interwebs on Facebook and Twitter.

After finding our seats we were greeted with what sounded like the music track from Looney Tunes cartoons, setting the tone early. About fifteen minutes before showtime, the lights came down, the big screens came on, and some piano music started playing. Then … something … interesting happened. Sock puppets appeared on the screens. But not just any sock puppets … Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Black Moth Super Rainbow added to mystery at Mohawk Tuesday

Not much is known about the members of Black Moth Super Rainbow (BMSR) from Pittsburgh apart from the fact the group makes spectacular music. The enigmatic band's show at Mohawk last night drew hundreds of fans who arrived early to get the best vantage point to watch the show Tuesday. The music, however, was not a mystery to the legion of fans that came out. The Hood Internet opened the concert with some throwback dance-party DJ mashups that included a nod to LCD Soundsystem.

In a way, the DJ set constrasted well with BSMR's serious, somber approach.While it is not surprising BMSR attracted a nearly sold-out crowd to the Austin venue on a Tuesday evening, it is gratifying to see... continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Jim James thrills fans at Austin City Limits TV taping

Watching Jim James record his sixth Austin City Limits TV taping Sunday at ACL Live at the Moody Theater brought to mind his spellbinding set at the Heartbreaker Banquet during SXSW last March. In fact, if you attended SXSW, you likely saw James performing music from his new album, "Regions of Light and Sound of God" as.... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Austin Psych Fest 2013 photo gallery

Rishi Dhir of Elephant Stone    Photo: Emily Lim

The sixth Austin Psych Fest wrapped up Sunday at Carson Creek Ranch near downtown Austin with a rare performance byThe Moving Sidewalks led by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. Festival curators, The Black Angels turned in a superlative performance sandwiching their set between the Sidewalks and Austin psych rock legend... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Carolina Chocolate Drops, Son Volt shine at Old Settlers Fest

The 26th edition of Americana themed, Old Settler's Music Festival wound up yesterday. The beautiful weather over the weekend put a shine on impressive sundowner sets by the Grammy-winning,Carolina Chocolate Drops and Son Volt on Saturday. Son Volt, featuring... Continue reading at Examiner.com