Miike Snow at Antone’s, 6/8/10

Normally, 10:30 p.m. on a weekday night for workin’ folk is what I like to call “bedtime.” (Or, perhaps more realistically, “wasting time watching crappy TV on Hulu until bedtime.”) However, this particular Tuesday night, a legion of Swedes plus one soulful, sugar-voiced Yankee calling themselves Miike Snow descended upon Austin, Texas, to trance a packed Antone’s into blissed-out dance freaks.

Tonight – Brazos @ Stubb’s

Autobus Records is having a showcase tonight at Stubb’s (indoors), and blog-favorite Brazos are headlining a stellar local bill. Autobus says this could be the last time you see Brazos for a while, which breaks my heart but makes me all the more determined to get to the show, and you should, too!! If you RSVP at Do512, and you’re one of the first 50 folks who show up (doors are at 9pm, contrary to what the poster says) you get in for $5 (everyone else gets in for $7.) Hope to see y’all there!

Local Natives – Antone’s

In very early 2009, I was standing outside of the Beauty Bar in downtown Austin, Texas with my friend Eric, leaning up against the fence on a Wednesday night, trying to figure out what to do. There were grunts and groans from instruments coming out of the door to the venue, but other than a presumable sound check, there appeared to be nobody in the place, so Eric and I were prepared to find a different haunt. Just as we were deciding which street to wander down, a group of scraggly, rowdy guys came bursting through the Beauty Bar door, and the tallest shouted, “It’s time to find people to come to this show!!” This caused me to turn, and the tall dude saw me and asked, “Do you guys wanna see a show? It’s great!” I asked him who was playing, and he said, “Well, we’re in a band called Voxhaul Broadcast, and we’re playing with the Union Line, which is the band these guys here are in, and then the Local Natives are setting up right now, they go on in about half an hour.” I looked at Eric, we shrugged and said, “Sure!” I asked where the guys were from, and they said California. I nodded, and we promised the guys we’d head inside. About fifteen minutes later, we wandered in to join maybe 3 other people in the room. When the Local Natives began to play, it felt like it was for us and the bartenders. I remember being immediately drawn to “Airplanes,” and I remember the energy infused in “Sun Hands.” I became a total advocate that night, and was sorely disappointed to discover this Silverlake gem hadn’t recorded a full album yet, but I bought their split 7” that had “Airplanes” on one side, a Union Line song on the other. I chatted with their sweet drummer Matt, who informed me they’d be back for South by Southwest a few months later.

Flash forward to April 23, 2010. I arrive at Antone’s on 5^th street at 10 p.m. to a line snaking around the venue. Doors opened a few moments later, and we masses poured into the building, trying to stake out space close to the stage. By the time the Local Natives took the stage a little over an hour later, bodies filled every inch of space, jostling into one another, stepping on toes and craning necks to see over the forest of people around them. The band still sound checked themselves, exemplifying the strange space this band lives in – huge and completely deserved success garnered at a stupefying breakneck speed. Of course, the band has been working for years (previously with a slightly different lineup under the moniker Cavil At Rest.) They played through their entire album; yep, they now have a full-length album out on their label, Frenchkiss, called Gorilla Manor. Highlights included the sultry “Cards & Quarters,” with a completely jammable beat, the soaring harmonies in “Airplanes” which led to a solid three minutes of audience applause as the gentlemen of the band stood in complete awe, with the biggest grins on their faces and practically shaking their heads in disbelief, and the night’s encore and closer, “Sun Hands,” which exploded in rock and prompted some (read: me) to leap up and down in a rapturous state of mosh.

I was completely lucky to stumble upon this band over a year ago, and could not be happier for them in all of the success they’ve experienced in such a short time. If you’ve yet to join the Local Natives fan base, but you like sweeping melodies, thumping rhythms, rich harmonies and Talking Heads covers, don’t waste another second – become a part of their incredible success story. Just walk through the door.

Interview – Nathan Christ, Director

Nathan Christ is a director from Austin, Texas, whose documentary Echotone focuses on Austin’s music scene during a turbulent year, all culminating at South by Southwest 2009. The film has already been screened in San Francisco, and will be released to mass audiences in the fall. I sat down with Nathan in East Austin to discuss his path to film, the documentary itself, and the future of music in Austin.

TV Torso and Corto Maltese

There’s a great local lineup at Emo’s tomorrow night. Jesse Woods kicks everything off with his brand of funky folk-rock, then Corto Maltese will melt your face with their swagger. Finally, TV Torso will continue to rock you into the night. The show is 18+, doors are at 8pm, it’s only $8 and I better see you there!

“Listen Local” Podcast

A while back, I created a short-run Podcast called “Listen Local.”  It featured music and interviews with some of Austin’s up-and-coming bands, and I wanted to share it with you here.  To subscribe, just follow this link.  You’ll hear from Collapsing Horse, Royal Forest (formerly Loxsly), Ethan Kennedy and Ideal Soul Mart. I’m hoping to re-start this project in the future, but for now just enjoy the archives!

AWM Inaugural Post

Welcome to Austin Writes Music, a brand new website featuring reviews, interviews, photos and videos of musicians either from or touring through Austin. We’ve also got event listings in our “What’s Going On” section.

If you’re a music writer in Austin and want to contribute content to the site, you’re encouraged to send an e-mail to the editor, Caitlin. Check out the contact page for that info.

Feedback is encouraged; we want to improve the website and make it user-friendly so you come back and read us! Thanks for stopping by, and rock on.