Durham, NC based band The Mountain Goats has been a force in the folk rock genre for the more than 20 years that they've been active. The driving force behind the band has always been Josh Darnielle, with a constantly evolving roster of musicians playing...
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The story of singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves is a very Austin one. If there's an American dream, then there's also an Austin music dream. Artists flock here looking to make a name for themselves, just as Slaid Cleaves did in 1991. Coming from Portland,...
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Wanda Jackson's website boasts her as "The First Lady of Rockabilly" and "America's first female Rock and Roll singer." Both are some pretty bold claims, but they're not undeserved. Jackson's contribution to the history of rock and roll has been enormous,...
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Every once in awhile we get a guest in our studio that causes everybody in the building to put down their work and wander over to take a look. Allen Toussaint is one of those guests. The legendary New Orleans piano man/producer has been a guiding light for musicians in the Crescent City and beyond...
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There isn’t a couch in Studio 1a. But on Thursday, The Couch will be in Studio 1a. The Couch is an Austin 4-piece indie rock outfit, which describes themselves on their websit…...
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Singer-songwriter Matt McCloskey is relatively fresh on the Austin scene, having just released his first album These Times Won't Last in 2009. For as new and young as he is, the depth of his songs' themes of pain, hope, and freedom is astounding....
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Austin guitarist Rosie Flores sits at the top of her field. Sometimes it's easy when talking about female musicians to call them the "best female in their field," but there's no need to make that qualification with Flores. Her rockabilly style playing goes...
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Cincinnati indie duo Bad Veins didn’t set out seeking to be professional musicians, they just sort of stumbled into it. Frontman Benjamin Davis started out using the name &…...
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Austin band Del Castillo began when brothers Rick and Mark del Castillo decided to collaborate, choosing not to play their usual style of rock and instead create something that their parents could relate to. The result was an exciting blend of genres with...
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The Calm Blue Sea’s lushly textured sound is a study in contrast. The Austin band’s music, like its oceanic name, is at once beautiful and violent, transcendent and triumphant. The idea that their tunes are purely instrumental tunes maybe a turn-off...
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It’s hard to pinpoint the moment that songs are born, the day casual hummers become singers or scribblers become songwriters. Rayland Baxter certainly can’t, and he would…...
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Houston based band Buxton's music is a study in contrasts: rock and folk, subtle yet eccentric, lush harmonies over prickly guitar. Paste explains, "The sound on Nothing Here Seems Strange fluctuates between traditional Americana and a more garagefolk sound that...
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Howe Gelb long has been saddled with such titles as “godfather of alt-country” and “elder ambassador of desert rock.” In three decades he’s m…...
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Austin's Minor Mishap Marching Band is a musical force to be reckoned with. That makes them sound threatening, which they aren't, but it's an accurate depiction of the sheer amount of sound and fun that can come from one ensemble. The band is a 25 piece...
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