The Whiskey Priest preaches with a sound reminiscent of a tent-covered revival. A raw, visceral sound that often toes the line between melancholia and exuberance, the sermons of The Whiskey Priest have been a project of songwriter Seth Woods—of Sad Accordions, and often Zookeeper, and Alex Dupree’s Trapdoor Band—since 2006. The years of work and ache have come to fruition in the forthcoming debut LP, Wave & Cloud, an album that, if the first single, “If A Train Was A Doctor Was A Song,” promises to exhibit that special kind of avant-garde styled folk-rock/bluegrass music that feels like a mule kick to the heart; it’s the kind of thing you don’t notice rarely possesses a drum section until someone points it out to you, and makes you realize you don’t at all miss the convention of it. The right kind of music at the right time. The Whiskey Priest goes down smooth and mellow, with sweet melodies that hides the underlying sting of bitter heartache the joy in spite of it.

The Whiskey Priest will be performing this Saturday, the 14^th at End of An Ear Records on 2209 South 1^st to celebrate the impending release of Wave & Cloud, which debuts on August 23^rd.

–Mitchell Mazurek (photo by Valerie Fremin) 

Riding the recent wave of publicity from their fifth national tour, Megafauna is finally releasing its full-length debut album, Larger than Human. Fans and press alike are singing the praises of Megafauna, Austin’s newest rock sensation.

Megafauna features Dani Neff as vocalist/axe-wielding guitar goddess and Will Krause and Cameron Page as her rocking rhythm section. Neff has been called a "sexy maniac" and often comes on stage in a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume, which she then strips off to reveal a skintight leopard print unitard, tutu or a star track mini dress. Neff has been described as a “shredmaster” and consistently stuns audiences with one-million-notes-a-second blasts of power.

“Will Krause and Cameron Page’s brimstone rhythm heed to solos that will melt the seals off seven scrolls,” writes Jeremy Martin from the San Antonio Current. “Neff pulls off several of the moves that eventually required Van Halen to undergo hand surgery.” Austin blog, Big Western Flavor, described Neff’s solos as “blood-curdling, burning flesh.” Called “noise-pop glory” by Detroit blog Deep Cutz, and “grunge rock and metal-inspired madness” by Flagpole Magazine, Megafauna is making quite the impact around the country. One awe-struck fan said that it is a “shocking co-mingling of everything that matters.”

Underground poet Thax Douglas, who has introduced the likes of MGMT and Dirty Projectors, read a poem before Megafauna’s last show at Mohawkand then explained that Megafauna is “one of the best bands on the planet.”

Much like Megafauna’s music and live performances, their newest album Larger than Human is a pastiche. Larger than Human was recorded at four Austin recording studios: Cacophony Recorders, Premium Recording, The Bubble and Cucuy Productions. “It’s an unconventional approach,” Will Krause explains. “We wanted the album to have a unique texture. We thought that recording different kinds of songs at different studios would accentuate the area covered by the album.” “It remains cohesive though,” adds Neff. “We also wanted to offer listeners around the country a sampling of what Austin has to offer in the way of recording.” At Cacophony Recorders, Megafauna worked with Eric Wofford, the man behind the Black Angels’ first album. They also worked with Alex Lyon at The Bubble, a studio that has recorded And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Jet, and Explosions in the Sky.

Larger than Human is heroic and outlandish, at once heavy and poppy, improvisational and staunchly composed. It is Stereolab meets ACDC, featuring vintage metal riffs paired with gorgeous ethereal vocals. The album is epic yet fiercely catchy. One listener noted, “these songs are crazy, but they get stuck in your head.” “Not enough can be said about this band” said Austin blog Cannibal Cheerleader, “they supply a smorgasbord of indie-rock madness for all to enjoy.”

Hole in the Wall will be abuzz on the night of Saturday, August 21st in celebration of Larger than Human’s release. “We’re really excited,” guitarist/vocalist Dani Neff says of the new release, “It sounds fantastic.”

The party kicks off at seven and features eleven Austin indie-rock bands, including Transmography, Red Leaves, Death is Not a Joyride, We the Granada and The Hi-Tones. The event is free before 9:00pm and $3 after 9pm. “We try to make sure all of our shows are cheap,” says Neff. “We don’t want anyone to be turned away because of money.” Austin booking and promotion company, Lucy The Poodle Productions, is putting on the event. “There will probably be a special appearance by our favorite poet and good friend, Thax Douglas,” Neff assures.

Texas and Louisiana tour dates for August and September, as well as more information on buying the CD, can be found at www.myspace.com/mymegafauna.

(Ed.: this post taken from Megafauna’s post on our DIY Open Blog, check out other Open Blog posts in the Deli Kitchen.)