Live music preview: Cosmic Birthday with Poly Action,Kay Odyssey, Lowin, Bitter Birds at Hard Luck Lounge

This Saturday, December 16 The Cosmic Clash is hosting a super great lineup of local bands. Poly Action, Kay Odyssey, Bitter Birds and Lowin are all set to perform at Hard Luck Lounge on their giant back patio. The evening is also a celebration of TCC founder, Mike Cosmic's birthday. It's also free of charge. Yes, you read that right. Show up early, buy Mike a shot of Maker's and get ready for an night of great music and pay no cover charge. 

In honor of the blog turning five and Mike getting another year older, booker Genesis Vasquez put together an impressive roster of bands for a late December show when most promoters are looking to South by Southwest and points beyond. 

Mike Cosmic

I caught Poly Action recently at Hotel Vegas and they're legit. Ray Garza and company delivered a completely entertaining rock n roll set that was equal parts prog, pop, garage and punk which makes me think their name is a perfect vehicle for the band. After taking another listen to their Bandcamp page I'm hyped to see them again.



Kay Odyssey's psych rock weirdness might be a little too authentic for Austin. By that I mean front-woman Kristina Boswell projects the awkward/hip vibe you'd expect from an uber-cool rocker. I've always been smitten with her style and the excellent music follows suit with a tight all-female band. Kay Odyssey just dropped the weirdest (there's that word again) and quite suggestive music video for the dreamy psych-rocker, Mountains in My Step from this year's "What's A Woman To Do." Watch below:




Bitter Birds' pedal organ-driven music fits right into the unorthodox theme. A duo, the band has been compared to early Cure, but a dark, bleaker version by none other than KUTX's Laurie Gallardo. Can't say she's wrong. Laurie knows her stuff.

Show opener Lowin might be one of the more underrated bands in town. Lead singer, guitarist and founder, Sara Houser has been performing for years in Austin, first with San Marcos-based outfit, The Couch and later with her own band. The good conversations I've had with her about creative risks are evident in her work which continues to evolve from hard-charging rock to something different as heard on Lowin's lastest single, Sloop which has more of an alt-indie feel. Either way, I like the music and I think you will too so you get here early enough to catch this set.

There will be be several vendors on hand; FutureMoon (Handcrafted Crystal Jewelry), AnnaMarie Liberati (Handmade Copper Jewelry), PureRomance by Chelsea-Erin, Showpiece Boutique, Meowmod Vintage, Vivelavida (handmade jewelery), EVRYNG Apparel, Cindy Elizabeth Media (PRINTS BY 5TH SEASON) and Lindops (Handmade Treasures) for your holiday shopping pleasure.

RSVP on Facebook. 

Set times: 

LOWIN 745-815P

BITTER BIRDS 830-9P

KAY ODYSSEY 915-945P

POLY ACTION 10-1030P

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 review: Utopiafest VII doubled down on Leftover Salmon and won

Leftover Salmon - acoustic set at Utopiafest

Curating a music festival can be challenging. Festival organizers have their wish list of acts, a list of available bands and in the case of Utopiafest, a modest budget compared to Austin City Limits Festival or even the mid-sized Fun Fun Fun Fest to work with. The event is a limited attendance music festival held at a 1000 acre private ranch about 90 minutes southwest of San Antonio. Festival founder Travis Sutherland and his partner Aaron Brown doubled down on... Continue reading

Live music review: Appropriately our final Red 7 show was Death and they rocked

Once obscure punk pioneers Death came through Austin last Thursday, playing one of the last Red 7 shows before the venue shutters permanently on August 28. While the name of the band fit the venue's situation to a T, Death actually play an upbeat, rocking show bolstered by guitarist Bobbie Duncan, a session player from New York who joined the group when they reformed in 2009. The rest of the group, Bobby and Dannis Hackney survived founding member, David who ...Continue reading

Live music review: Incubus and Deftones packed Austin360 Amphitheater Monday

If you thought legacy tours were a fading trend, guess again. Case in point, TheIncubus/Deftones/DFA 1979 performance at Austin360 Amphitheater on Monday sold-out well in advance of the date. The alternative rock bands from Southern California who were both popular in the early 2000s have different aesthetics and backgrounds. They also draw different crowds. The heavier, more metal Deftones led by Chino Moreno attracted a sizeable Latino contingent while the Calabasas (West LA suburb) bred Incubus' core fan appeared to be white, anglo-thirtysomethings reliving their college days. Thus the co-headliners played... Continue reading

Live music review: Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson revisit 90s at ACL Live

It seems as though everything 90s is cool again. Electronic music, flannel, Dave Grohl and a legacy act tour featuring two of the most popular bands of the era,Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson. Musically the groups have little in common apart from topping the Billboard charts around the same time. Both acts chose stage designs true to their personas. Shock rocker, Manson went with an uninspired but theatrical production while the Pumpkins' Billy Corganopted for a simple stage design choosing to allow his music to be the centerpiece of the performance at ACL Live on Sunday evening.

Manson opened his set with... continue reading

Live music review: Spoon shines at sold-out KGSR 24th anniversary show

Indie rockers Spoon let music fans know guitar rock is still relevant despite media claims to the contrary last Friday at their sold-out KGSR 24th Anniversary show at ACL Live.  The tour kick-off performance highlighted a several songs from their acclaimed recent release, They Want My Soul. It is no surprise Spoon is still a leading Austin rock band. What is surprising is the band appears to have hit a new peak 20 years into their career when most bands are playing album anniversary shows. Instead, Britt Daniel and company put out what may be their best... Continue reading at axs.com

Music festival preview: Six buzz bands to see at Fun Fun Fun Fest

Fun Fun Fun Fest is less than 48 hours away. We know festival-goers are planning 

their schedules and plotting their musical attack and we want to help. While it is easy 

to figure out headlining acts to see, finding the hidden gems in the lineup can be a 

guessing game. That is why we are here recommending six buzz bands 

(two for each day of FFF Fest) to put on your list this weekend. If you are watching at 

home, check out these bands on YouTube and your favorite streaming service. You'll 

likely add them to your playlists and pine for the opportunity to see these acts when they 

roll through your town.

Below is a short list of bands to put on your radar with ...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: Mars Volta offshoot Antemasque sold-out Mohawk

While Austin's music scene is well documented, El Paso has their own vibrant music scene as evidenced by the sold-out crowd on hand at The Mohawk Sunday for ANTEMASQUE. The new band is an offshoot of the now defunct The Mars Volta, led by guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, an El Paso native. Nadie Sound (Rodriguez-Lopez's record company) label mates, Le Butcherettes opened the early-evening show in front of a nearly... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Nick Cave taped first Austin City Limits TV show Sunday

Since last Sunday we have been mulling over the first Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (NCBS) episode taping at Austin City Limits TV. Even if you are not a rabid Nick Cave fan, one thing is certain, the man will make you feel something. For most of the audience members, seeing the Australian impresario live was the zenith of a cult-like reverence for the singer. Cave sold-out the same room the previous evening for an ACL Live performance that had fans filling our Twitter feed with over the top superlatives. Judging from an informal survey we conducted, the tv taping was a bit more... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: rare Hardcore Devo performance thrilled Austin fans

Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro

Pioneering new wave act Devo has enjoyed cult status since breaking through with commercial hit, "Whip It" in 1980. When founding member Bob Cassale (Bob2) passed away unexpectedly this year the surviving members decided to embark on a ten city tour featuring music from 1974-77 when the band first formed in Ohio. Proceeds from the tour were donated to Cassale's family. It is telling the band chose Austin to finish their tour at the award-winning ACL Live at the Moody they sold-out when they last played the venue. Gerald Cassale has mentioned how much the group likes... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Supergroup Spanish Gold sold-out The Parish Thursday

Last Thursday night one of the hottest new bands of the year,Spanish Gold sold-out their first show of their debut tour. The supergroup featuring Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket, local guitarist and producer, Adrian Quesada (Brownout, Grupo Fantasma) and San Antonio musician Dante Schwebel (City and Color, Hacienda) have been getting buzz since debuting at SXSW last March. It was a sort of homecoming for the band who has been touring with Austin artists... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Interview: Sound Mass - my education and Theta Naught to play rare Austin gig

Readers of this column may be aware of our love of progressive, experimental or post rock music. Genre labels aside, what we like is fantastic, orchestrated music that steps outside the boundaries of traditional musical forms. When it is done right it sounds like the music Austin act, my education and Utah's Theta Naught make together with their Sound Mass project. The group will... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: The Flaming Lips saved best for last at X Games Austin

After four days of live music along with incredible extreme sports feats at the first X Games held in Austin the Flaming Lips (TFL) closed out the event Sunday in style at the Austin360 Amphitheater. The Tulsa-based psych-rockers played a satisfying 90-minute set complete with confetti cannons, giant mushrooms and acid-induced visuals on a giant screen behind the band. The show was easily the best headlining performance of the weekend. Kanye may have... Continue reading at axs.com

Win VIP tickets to Myspace Holy Ghost! show after X Games downtown kick off June 5

The official kick-off for X Games Austin will take place in the 2nd Street District on Thursday, June 5 where Myspace will be hosting a free Holy Ghost  performance at ACL Live. Myspace is giving away a pair of VIP tickets with guaranteed express entry to the concert which will likely reach capacity. Music fans may RSVP and should arrive early to ensure entry to the... Continue Reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Desert Noises rocked Stubb's BBQ after return to Austin

Last Friday Utah buzz band Desert Noises returned to Austin in support of their latest album, "27 Ways" at Stubb's BBQ. The foursome played an official showcase and several more appearances during SXSW in March. After we caught them at the Do512 Lounge playing their fusion of psych-rock, blues, folk and alt-country we were hooked. Friday's performance... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Jones Family Singers album release party at Threagill's

When folks think of gospel music often it is dismissed as “church music” and not taken seriously by music fans. Last year’s Oscar winning documentary, “20 Feet From Stardom” pointed out that for a significant period in time nearly every successful rock and roll artist has used backup singers who were trained in gospel choirs to record and perform. The Jones Family Singers brought the notion that gospel is integral to ... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Arcade Fire - Austin360 Amp vs Phi Slamma Jamma - Continental

Photo: Ashley Cass via Instagram

The Arcade Fire stopped in Austin yesterday at the Austin360 Amphitheater as the high-flying rockers from Montreal continued their endless tour supporting last year's acclaimed "Reflektor" album. The band also booked a "secret" after show at Continental Club under the name Phi Slamma Jamma. That show began after midnight and included DJ sets by frontman, Win Butler listed as DJ Windows 98 on the Continental's web site. Both performances were impressive but... Continue reading at Examiner.com