They Might Be Giants formed almost thirty years ago from the partnership of high school friends John Flansburgh and John Linnell. The two Johns began working together in earnest after moving to...
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David Ramirez proclaims that he's a simple man: he only "needs an acoustic guitar and the words in his mouth to tell the true stories of a wandering man." Throughout his month-long residency at Austin's legendary » read more

Jeff Lofton makes no bones about being a fan of Miles Davis. And critics have noted Davis' influence on Lofton throughout the Austin-based trumpeter's career. Lofton arrived in Austin less than five years ago from South Carolina, and with little of an established jazz scene around town, he blazed...
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The quartet of twentysomethings that make up the Pains of Being Pure At Heart might not be old enough to remember the alt-rock boom of the '90s, but that doesn't stop them from trying. ...
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Austin quartet The Octopus Project says when they finally got ready to record their latest effort, Hexadecagon, in 2009, they "wanted to create a deeper sound, a more enveloping experience." The result was something like a score to...
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It's easy for singer-songwriters to get caught up in the studio, dressing up their songs with extra instrumentation. But over the past few years, the enigmatic Cass McCombs has gone the opposite direction, paring his music down to its bare essentials....
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Clarence Greenwood has been writing songs under the pseudonym Citizen Cope for the better part of fifteen years. Greenwood grew up in Memphis, but made a name for himself in the Washington DC scene of the last decade. Though nowadays he sells out music halls and festivals regularly, it wasn't...
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Over the course of two albums, the Felice Brothers have staked out a claim as the heirs apparent to that ramshackle Dylan & the Band sound. But on Celebration, Florida, the New York group strikes out for bolder territory,...
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I see the term 'chanteuse' thrown around a lot in music writing these days--and why not? After all, it is just a very pretty word for a female vocalist. The flowery prettiness of the word is exceedingly fitting for the French-born Brooklyner Emilie Simon. Simon initially hit upon critical and...
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Last year, Brooklyn's Phosphorescent hit the road to support their album Here's To Taking It Easy. Despite the breezy title and the band's laid-back country-rock, they're a hard-working group, and they make an Austin stop...
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For his 2009 release, Curse Your Branches, David Bazan put it all out on the table: his struggle with faith (he grew up in a very devout Christian family), his battle with alcoholism and the strains it put on his family, and the difficulty of making music in a completely different manner than he...
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Helado Negro is Spanish for "black ice cream," and it's the namesake for Brooklyn-by-way-of-Florida artist Roberto Lange. May 11 sees the release of Canta Lechuza, an electronic record born of a decidedly non-electronic location....
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There really is something life-affirming about the music of Portland 7-piece AgesandAges. Maybe it's the band's heavy focus on the human element of making music - the way voices intertwine, the use of clapping and stomping in many of their songs. Maybe it's the joy exuded in frontman Tim Perry's...
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"A Nation of Two" appeared on the band's 2009 release, Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon.  However, this version of the progressively building pop-rock number was captured in a live performance in KUT's Studio 1A.  The song illustrates Muse and Co.'s...
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