Timeless and transcendent, Leopold and His Fiction is like a delicious simmering musical stew with heavy flavors of Rock and Roll, Blues, a dash of Folk and shreddings of guitar. Their music is sure to satisfy your tastebuds while you dance around the kitchen. Oddly enough, the man behind that Freddie Mercury-esque mustache is not named Leopold, but Daniel James.
Although inspired by a fictional character created by Daniel during his time in San Francisco, there is nothing fictional about how talented his band is. Together since 2005 and currently residing in Austin, Leopold and His Fiction is now on tour but will be returning for a local show in June inside Stubb’s. Check out their live performance style here. — Written by Courtney Pierce
Twigs & Yarn, composed of Lauren McMurray and Stephen Orsak, is band of the dream genre. Their concept provides a sound much closer to an emotional journey, than a sing-a-long hit. Their new single Yuurei, recently released in March, sends listeners on a lucid journey through a spectrum of sounds from the soft sigh of the vocals, to the twinkling sounds of the keyboard that collide to evoke a soothing, eerie elation for your ears. It’s not a song that you get used to, it’s a song that you experience. — Written by Katy Glass
Brotherhood Electric kicks off "Modern Mind" with a sense of yearning. “You sounded so vivid / When you showed me where you used to live / But now it’s gone.” And this is only twenty seconds in. But rest assured, it’s not all dreary. Later, they are filling their heads with “Spilt Beer.”
“Cigregret”, the first and by far the catchiest song on the EP, begs to be replayed the moment it ends. Bright washes of guitars and keyboards are accompanied by Jackson McGovern’s jittery drums. It all builds to a repeated outro that had me singing along even if I couldn’t understand all of the words.
Throughout the course of "Modern Mind," Brotherhood Electric comb the sonic territories mined by Yeasayer and Toro y Moi. Seemingly nourished on a diet of adult contemporary and electronic slow jams, Brotherhood Electric has charted a new course. Songs of seduction created by the video game generation. When the saxophone slithered into the second half of “My Love For You” all I could think was: Perfect.
After a number of tonal shifts over the course of the EP, vocalists Paul Grant and Garson Ormiston finally declare in unison “I’m still right here.” The yearning that kicked off Modern Mind was back. A yearning for understanding, for acceptance, for adulthood. But above all, a yearning to be heard. — Written by Josh Denslow
"Give me some butter!" exclaims Taye Cannon, lead singer of Roxy Roca, a soulful funk band with a killer song about the classic comfort food we all know and love, cornbread. Who knew a song about food could be such a sexy good time? Roxy Roca delivers powerhouse energy from beginning to end as Taye makes the most of every moment with old school dance moves, genuine audience interaction and heartfelt vocals.
Combine that with well-written songs paying homage to all the Motown greats, a solid band line up and a snazzy horn section to boot, Roxy Roca can get any crowd grooving like they’re on the last episode of Soul Train. Come see for yourself at their upcoming Scoot Inn show with The LaRues this Saturday, 4/27/13. Doors open at 8. — Written by Charise Sowells
To truly write about The Cymatic’s new EP “Prequel”, it’s important that I also mention their release party. A labyrinth was constructed with plastic sheets stretched between trees. Two dancers in white paint contorted their way through work by local artists, never once breaking character. In the middle of the labyrinth, a fountain appeared, and eager participants drank tea with a hidden guru and watched the dancers literally climb through the walls. When a wanderer finally arrived at the end, past planks of wood nailed to the wall, he or she was given a beautifully crafted booklet emblazoned with abstract symbols and the words: The Cymatic.
You had arrived.
The first page of the booklet was a link to download the EP for free. Then a guide of sorts: Each symbol from the front cover corresponded with one of the songs. I can imagine these symbols appearing mysteriously on sidewalks around town. Or on street signs, the sides of buildings. Or even in your dreams.
A throng of people pressed into the house. The Cymatic took the stage like mystical creatures, singer/bassist Chris Davis wrapped in red tulle and keyboardist/singer Angie Calderon wearing a mischievous smile. Then they dove into their set, joyful and passionate, and the crowd undulated with every upbeat anthem. They ended long before anyone wanted to see them go, disappearing into the labyrinth from whence they came.
That hint of the otherworldly permeates Prequel. You’ve heard the elements before. Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards. A lilting female voice. Then: rapping. And that’s not the only curveball. These guys are funky. They’re like the Black Eyed Peas if they were in college and wanted you to feel better about yourself. There’s a youthful exuberance here that had me starting the EP over the moment it ended. In “Enough to Live For”, they make a list of things that are indeed enough to live for. Comic books, Mozart, Dragonball Z, and Hieroglyphs all get a shout out. In “Alchemy”, high-pitched whoos in the chorus will get you singing along and cranking the volume. That’s the thing here. These songs are catchy as hell. Over the last week, I’ve had so many of Angie Calderon’s choruses stuck in my head that I feel like a member of the band.
The Cymatic are the real deal. A band with a cohesive aesthetic, a positive message, and faint whiff of mystery. Their infusion of eye-popping visuals only sweetens the deal. And they’ll get you dancing. What more could you ask for? — Written by Josh Denslow
Every now and then you see a show that blows your mind so much that you see that band time and time again. Sorne took me to another plane the first time I ever saw them with their sonic storytelling, omniscient vocals, chilling visuals and driving drumbeats. When the song was over, the realization set in that it was only a sound check. Everybody looked around at one another as if we’d just witnessed something out of this world and although I’d been planning to leave after the band before them, there was no way I was missing out on this experience now.
Come witness the avant garde magic on Saturday the 27th at Holy Mountain as Sorne releases their second album, Ego Altar. The title track can be heard below. Mighty Mountain and Hikes will be sharing the bill that night. See you there. — Written by Charise Sowells
We’ve all heard the question asked time and again, "Who is going to bring rock and roll back?" Scorpion Child just may be the answer. If all the favorite classic rock bands joined hands to invoke the spirit of a modern rock god, their first creation would come out sounding something like the debut album this 5 piece psych rock band from Austin, TX. It’s that perfect blend of familiarity and excitement for something new.
Keeping the quality of music as high as their stage antics, this band is quickly on the rise. Recently signed to Nuclear Blast Records, they had an official SXSW showcase this year and are currently touring in preparation for the album drop date, June 25, 2013. The full length album is going to be a gatefold, double LP released at Waterloo Records where they’ll be playing a show the same day. Their single, Polygon Of Eyes, was made available for purchase on March 8, 2013. Click here to check out the lyric video for the track. — Written by Charise Sowells
Writing new songs on a weekly basis, Ray Prim consistently cranks out heartfelt pop material that is both soulful and folky in roots. On February 2, 2013 he released an album at Strange Brew on the South end of Austin featuring Karen Goh and a long list of talented musicians. The release was a huge success as he had to turn people away at the door and for good reason: going to a Ray Prim show is like going to a party with one hell of a soundtrack and a room full of quirky new friends. It’s an interactive experience between jokes, appropriately placed anecdotes and the crowd swaying to the vocal blends of Ray and his backup singer whom he affectionately calls Mexican Chocolate.
In addition to being a wonderful writer and performer, Ray also hosts The Real Weird Soul Writers Club from 7-8:30p.m. at the One-2-One Bar, every Monday but the first of the month. In this event audience members get to contribute to the songwriting process by writing down ideas which are then drawn from a hat. If their idea is selected the song will be performed the following week. Leave it to Ray to keep things interesting! — Written by Charise Sowells
There isn’t anything “awkward” about Awkward Robot, but their music is just as quirky as their name. These Austin indie poppers break out the banjo, uke, and old school synth sounds frequently in their lighthearted, danceable tracks. We had the chance to ask frontman Jason Martins a few questions, which you can read here.
What does it sound like when you record a 10 track album in 10 days in a haunted Denmark castle? In three words, dark and beautiful. Danny Malone’s album, "Balloons," will dig up some raw emotions that are embedded so deeply they might have been hidden in your toenails. Each song was recorded in a different room and much of the drum sounds are Malone stomping or shutting the piano lid, a curious tactic to stir up all that emotional grit that has settled in all of us. The first single Spiderlegs gives a slight reference to Danny’s hometown of Austin that perhaps only locals will catch. I’m not going to name names but Malone sure will in the song. The finale track "Wait on me" will have you pushing the loop function and journeying through the whole record again. "Balloons" is available now at www.dannymalone.com.
Jason Blum’s new album Radio Dial came out this past Tuesday. While Jason calls Austin home now he has not been a stranger to seemingly everywhere. Just like turning the radio dial each adjustment is like moving to a new town for Blum. He has hints of all his former residences living in his songs such as New Mexico, West Texas, New York, New Orleans, Washington DC and even Beirut on his newest record. You might say that Jason’s destiny was to become a musician. Blum’s father was a singer songwriter also and the two would sit and make up words to music thus teaching Jason how to write songs from an early age. You might recognize another familiar Austin voice on Radio Dial. His friend, Kat Edmonson appears on the song Blooming in the Sun. Although delayed slightly, the CD release party in Austin is set for April 19th at Strange Brew Lounge. – Courtney Pierce
There’s some music out that listens like poetry, and I’m not just talking about the lyrics. Hikes latest single “Trophy Lives” first two minutes is an instrumental of calculated guitars with no typical song structure, building and fading on its own. This isn’t a track you can listen to just once, and I’m sure the album will be the same. They’re dropping their new album tomorrow (which “Trophy Lives” is on). You can celebrate with them tomorrow night at their release party at Wardenclyffe. – Lucy Sherman
