ACL Festival review: Day 2 - Eminem, Skrillex, Iggy Azalea, Trombone Shorty photos

More fantastic fall weather graced the second day of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) this weekend at Zilker Park. We grabbed photos of Eminem, Skrillex, Interpol, Trombone Shorty, Lucius and much more as the largest crowds of the weekend took in all the music. We spotted Adrian Grenier enjoying Snowmine at the BMI stage. The actor and music aficionado has good taste. Snowmine impressed with indie rock hooks and great vocal performances. Iggy Azalea commanded a gigantic crowd at the Retail Me Not Stage. Lucius invited Head and the Heart to guest with them for a chillingly good sunset show. Headliners Eminem and Skrillex battled it out for supremacy at the cost of... Continue reading at Examiner.com

ACL festival review: Beck recap, St. Vincent, Childish Gambino and more pics

C3 Presents, the company that produces Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) could not have ordered more perfect conditions to kick off the 13th edition of the annual event yesterday at Zilker Park in the center of Austin. An overnight storm brought a cooling front to Central Texas early Friday morning and daytime temperatures peaked in the mid-80s with a light breeze.

The great weather meant fans got out early, crowding the lawn at the Four Seasons for KUTX's breakfast shows with Hard Proof, Lake Street Drive and Temples. Later in the day, Beck repeated his... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music preview: Weekend picks - Bob Mould, Sebadoh, WOBEON, RVRB Records

It has been too long since we posted a weekend preview primarily because there have been so many events to cover in Austin recently we can hardly keep up. With students back in town and the Texas music festival season heating up, we thought it prudent to offer recommendations on the top shows of the weekend. There are plenty of them. Garage-rock buzz band, OBN IIIs play Empire Control Room tonight to kick off Weekender Austin, a four day mini-festival. Friday evening 90's alt-rockers, Sebadoh will appear on the Red 7 stage while local Afrobeat sensations, Hard Proof keep the party going at Holy Mountain. The latter head out of town following the show for their first ...Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Sixth year a success at Utopiafest

The little festival that could. That is the tagline Utopiafest should adopt to describe the music festival that produced their sixth event this past weekend in a remote part of Central Texas while limiting attendance and booking great national and local acts. One reason for the success of the festival is the vision of co-founder Aaron Brown who basically put together a show that possess all the ...Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Sub-Pop act Washed Out sold-out return to Mohawk Tuesday

The best live acts always seem to defy categorization. Sub-Pop solo artist Washed Out (Ernest Greene) is a perfect example. The Georgia native sold-out his appearance at The Mohawk on Tuesday. Their previous two performances at the venue sold-out too, in part because the music could be easily labeled a number of different genres (chill wave, synth-pop, electronic, alternative, indie rock), thus he is... Continue reading at Examiner.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

4 Austin bands you need to see from the Vagabond Collective Summer Nights finale

On a warm August evening that boasted a bevvy of good shows in Austin, Vagabond Collective hosted their final Summer Nights show at Empire Control Room Saturday. It was an opportunity to showcase an impressive cross section of local music. A talent heavy, seven acts were booked inside the Control Room and on the back patio. Headliner Marmalakes, along with Shivery Shakes,Chipper Jones and Yum played tantalizingly good sets. It was an evening that highlighted how... Continue reading at Examiner.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

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