Live music preview: Oh Snap Festival expands with Ume, T-Bird and Mother Falcon

Our first exposure to the Oh Snap Festival was also Examiner's first The Bright Light Social Hour show which is appropriate since the event organizers are friends with the band. This year the lineup has expanded to 50 bands from 18 last year. Some notable additions to the bill include Ume, T-Bird and the Breaks, and Mother Falcon. Attendees will also see local DJ favorite,  Orion along with Freshmillions who performed at the Austin City Limits Festival for the first time last summer. 


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Live music review: The Couch brightened up a corner at Hole in the Wall Thursday

Austin blues/rock/soul fusion band, The Couch headlined Hole in the Wall Thursday after performing in front of a packed house inside The Mohawk last month. The quartet  has recently released their first official LP, Old and Touchin' Blue last December. 


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Live music preview: Local pianist Reuel to perform at Reagan Day Gala

A Reagan Day Gala event has been organized to honor Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott Tuesday at the AT&T Center on the University of Texas campus with pianist, Reuel Meditz performing for guests. Senatorial candidate, Ted Cruz and Justice Jeff Rose will offer tributes to AG Abbott who is a likely candidate in the next election for Governor of Texas. A VIP reception at 6p.m. will be followed by dinner at 7p.m.and a silent auction. 


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Weekend music preview: The Greatcoats CD release set for Friday at Frank

Power-pop quartet, The Greatcoats have released their debut EP, "Find Someone Else" last month and are performing the new material at their EP release atFrank Friday. They will be performing with The Sweet Nuthin, Jason Ludwig and Featherface. Examiner had a chance to catch a bit of The Greatcoats set last month at Hotel Vegas. Continue reading...

Live music review: Hard Proof impresses fans at Free Week and get a surprise

When Graham Williams was booking events at the original Emo's venue years ago, an idea was born that reflects Austin at its heart, Free Week. The event has blossomed from cover free shows the entire week following Christmas at Emo's to a larger event spanning multiple clubs along Red River Street downtown. The event gives Austin music fans easy access to a large variety of local acts. We were in the thick of the action early in the week seeing...

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Hard Proof Afrobeat and Tony Congas need your help during Free Week in Austin

All music fans, Austinites, and good folks,

My good friends, Hard Proof  need your help. Their conga player, Tony Cruz has been struggling with health issues since the Spring of last year. He has not been able to work a full-time job since. That, coupled with health care costs have put him in a precarious financial situation. Hard Proof members and folks close to the band have all expressed concern and have offered what financial support they could to Tony. But now they need your help. Ideally, you get something in return for your generosity. In this case, that means an outstanding Afrobeat-inspired album that you can own today, just name your price. Click the band website or bandcamp links below to download the album now. 

Here's a taste of what you will receive recorded live at KVRX radio at the University of Texas:

Other ways you can help:

1. Share this post with your friends, email list, on your website or republish to your blog

2. Come to the Free Week show at Red 7 Thursday and donate a few dollars

I hope to see y'all at Red 7 Thursday. If you have any questions on how to help or need to contact me, please use the email contact form in link below or connect with me on your preferred social media channel. I will respond as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Greg Ackerman

Austin Concerts Examiner

http://about.me/gregackerman

Here is a copy of the email Hard Proof sent to fans today:

Happy Holidays friends!

We’ve had quite a year.  Each show seems to be better than the last, and we’re cranking out some new righteous jams that promise to blow your mind. 

We’ve got a handful of shows inked for the next year.  Most notably, we’re playing Adi Anand’s free week throwdown on Thursday, January 5^th at the Red 7 with 5 other awesome bands.  Free week in general is a total blast, just head towards Red River, walk into a bar, and I promise you will hear something that will change your life (if you let it)

http://www.facebook.com/events/293534044016477/

Next we’ll be at the Sahara Lounge with Money Chicha on January 13^th.  Money Chicha is a Psych-Cumbia side project of Grupo Fantasma & Brownout.  Our drummer turns 35 at midnight.  He has but 1 birthday wish this year, which leads me to a story. 

Tony Cruz, our conga player, was diagnosed with the pulmonary disorder COPD back in the Spring.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001153/

Like most musicians in Austin, he doesn’t have proper health coverage and has been utilizing state services and whatever else to get by.  Since his diagnosis he’s had pneumonia at least once, just had his gall bladder out, and I can think of a few times where I looked over at him on stage and wondered if he was leaving the club in an ambulance that night.  He has been unable to work full time and has been waiting on disability payments to come through for months, and now may need a lawyer to get all of those that he’s entitled to.  As we're a family, we’ve helped out as much as we can from both band and personal funds, but we’re depleting our recording budget rapidly in doing so.  If you’d like to help, here’s a few ways. 

-Pay what you wish for the record.  Either from hardproofmusic.com or http://hardproof.bandcamp.com/

-If you see any of us at a show with a bucket that says “Tony’s Rent” or something similar, put a few bucks in.

-Hire him for conga lessons, gigs or light labor work in the Austin area. He’s been a handyman forever and can do just about any home repair you can think of.  Email the band account and we will connect you.  That being said, he’s hoping to get certified as a home inspector in the next few months as his health is becoming prohibitive of him doing hard labor all the time. 

-If you are in the healing arts or a dietician and would like to volunteer a consultation, by all means let us know.

   

-As always, COME TO THE SHOWS!

Free Week preview: Calm Blue Sea, White White Lights, Boxing Lesson, Hard Proof

Although we are not past New Year's Eve, Austin music fans should begin preparing for the annual FREE WEEK ( Do512.com has a great list of shows) which features local bands in the Red River District and surrounding venues at no cost. The 2012 edition is loaded with great acts, like... Keep reading...

New Year's Eve Live Music preview: All My Friends, The Black Angels, White Denim

With Christmas behind us tomorrow, it is time to look ahead to New Year's Eve in Austin and there are plently of shows to consider. LCD Soundsystem tribute band All My Friendsplay Beauty Bar, The Black Angels host an evening at Emo's East and White Denim headlines the Slacker Magazine launch party. Grupo Fantasma, T-Bird and The Breaks and Russian Circles are on the books as well. There is no shortage of good live music concerts to choose from to celebrate the New Year.


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Live music review: Hard Proof put the Afrobeat in KVRX's Local Live show Sunday

Austin Afrobeat collective, Hard Proof performed a live set for radio and internet listeners last night at KVRX radio at The University of Texas. The nine-piece band features members of The Calm Blue Sea, The Echocentrics, Ocote Soul Sounds and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. The set was part of an ongoing series called Local Live produced each Sunday evening on 91.7 FM. The eclectic nature of the station programming is part of the appeal for listeners. Hard Proof's Afrobeat inspired sound was a departure for the normally punk and indie-rock guests the student-run station usually has in studio.


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Hard Proof, Live 1/14/11 in Austin, TX Move In-Lion of Mali from hard proof on Vimeo.

Live music preview: The Couch | Zlam Dunk | Little Radar at Mohawk tonight

San Marcos, Texas rock/blues/indie act, The Couch is performing tonight at The Mohawk with Zlam Dunk andLittle Rascals. The Couch has a sound similar to The Bright Light Social Hour that melds blues-rock and indie music with a danceable beat. The show is being presented by From the Mind of Adi and Transmission Entertainment. 


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Show poster