Briana Gokay knows how to grab some serious attention with those pipes of hers, and I’m not talking about the plumbing in her bathroom. What began as an innocent conception of a band name but inadvertently led to other presumed connotations, alternative blues duo Girl Parts, consisting of sisters-in-law Briana (vocals) and sixteen-year-old guitarist Kacie Gayman, has been creating music since January 2011. And with the potential for a spot on Cayamo Cruise 2012, the two are sure to breach the proverbial surface with a massive musical breakthrough.

After recording and completing a brief tour around the South, Briana and Kacie have literally hit the showers in hopes of becoming an act on the 5th Annual Cayamo Cruise, a weeklong cruise held in February 2012 that brings together a slew of renowned national artists (Lyle Lovett, The Civil Wars, John Prine and The Belle Brigade among them). Essentially, Girl Parts had been recording videos of their songs in a bathroom to gain better acoustics. When Sixthman’s CEO Andy Levine found them on YouTube and suggested Cayamo, the girls turned their recording sessions into a promotional venture by asking fans to help them “from the bathroom to the boat” for a chance to perform on the cruise.

While Briana and Kacie are preparing to record their debut EP, their YouTube channel currently carries all of their video recordings. “Arlene,” “On the Way of My Return,” and “Always Knew,” all Girl Parts originals, hold true to their blues-alternative-country vibe and are glazed with a delicate layer of pop flair. In their intimate cover of “Mama Don’t Like My Man” by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Briana truly eludes to a sense of musical poignancy through passionate delivery. Matched by Kacie’s soul-ridden powerchords, her voice is steadfast and resonating, holding tangible wisps of folk, rock and blues influences. Though awesomely powerful and vibrant, Briana still manages to convey melodies with a sense of gentleness and warmth. In other words, think of her as the hypothetical love child shared between Ray LaMontagne and Adele. For Girl Parts, their signature display of a beautifully drawn out and almost contradictory notion of force meets subtlety will not only prove their pass onto Cayamo, but also prove their pass into the limelight. –Whitney LeFevre

Take care of your elders, punks! Midgetmen, We’ll Go Machete (above), The Distant Seconds and Teen Noir have joined forces to host a benefit for Family Eldercare. Happening Nov. 11 @ Hole in the Wall…go get it. 

Gear up, strap in, clear your head: there is very little time to recover from Halloween before FFF Fest touches ground at its new location this weekend…lighting up Auditorium Shores from Nov.4-6 will be some of the big hey-they’re-from-Austin names like Spoon, Okkervil River, Black Joe Lewis (above)…and we’re going to profile some of the up + comers for you later this week. Prepare. I’m pretty sure you can wear your costume one more time. 

Golden Bear’s upcoming CD release party Saturday night (10/29) also doubles as a costume party + a good place to pick up some free food + cheap beer…throw in some other local standouts like The Great Nostalgic + the sum total overwhelmingly points to all of us at Club De Ville on Saturday, in costume of course. 

The album (Alive), btw, is picking up raves all over: "grandeur in sharply punched rhythms. Big guitars, spiraling piano runs, brazen lyrics: Golden Bear roars." (Austin Chronicle), "sterling guitar pop" (The Big Takeover), "the best guitar pop album I’ve heard all year" (The Round Table).  So…you might want to check this out. 

Below you’ll find some of what the fine folks at Austin Music Weekly captured during Christian Bland + the Revelators recent Mohawk show — just one of many performances they’ve hunted down around town. Other recent gems include Sahara Smith @ Lamberts, The Rocketboys @ Emo’s, and Deadman @ The Continental. As for Christian Bland, he’s out east with them Black Angels but bound to return by year’s end…

–photo by Dave Kleeman

The entire retro/swing/vaudeville/mad crazy cavalcade that is White Ghost Shivers will commandeer The Mohawk this Halloween for the Blue Ball…you are invited to arrive all manner of blue, to honor the blue monday timing of Halloween. Enjoy! 

ATX will be represented at least a couple of times this weekend at CMJ: longtime local favorites Quiet Company and The Bright Light Social Hour both have shows scheduled, QC tonight (10/19) at the Steve Madden Showcase and Friday at the Paste Mag Showcase, and TBLSH Saturday at the Mercury Lounge…guessing they will be beloved. 

–photo: Nicole Kibert, www.elawgrrl.com

Here’s to setting the scene: Two new friends sit in the back of a tour van, sharing bottles of cheap red wine and holding deep conversations of hearts broken and loves lost. A year later, these two friends, Alexander Beggins (lead vocals, baritone ukulele) and Kelsey Wilson (lead vocals, violin), would help form six-piece folk band Wild Child. With the release of their debut album Pillow Talk right around the corner, Wild Child has been busy mastering tracks and organizing album material. Pillow Talk carries dreamy, atmospheric compositions that hold steadfast to the themes of love and loss. “[We focus] mainly on being as honest as we can about the trials and tribulations that come with a bad breakup and the conflicting, sometimes confusing, emotions that lead up to it,” says Beggins.

Since their coincidental meeting, Alexander and Kelsey have linked with current members Evan Magers (keys, vocals), Carey McGraw (drums, vocals), Sadie Wolfe (cello) and Matthew Mares (banjo, percussion). Beggins knows that the addition of a full band has been beneficial to Wild Child: “Our shows have grown into so much more than what [Kelsey and I] could accomplish as just a duo. We’ve grown into such a close-knit team that it’s hard to imagine playing a show without everybody now.” Since their debut, Wild Child consistently plays around Austin, naming venues like The Parish and Stubb’s as favored stomping grounds. “We’ve [also] played a lot of fun shows at Beauty Bar, which has become sort of our home base. It’s always nice to play a show with a familiar stage and sound team.”

Layered with warm, welcoming harmonization, there are several available singles that will debut with Pillow Talk’s release. Among them, “That’s What She Say,” co-written with Magers, fronts female vocals while playing on island-oriented rhythm and doo-wop verses. The airy harmonies of “Darling Divine” create a flowing melody through simplicity; the void of percussion makes the song trancelike and intimate. Keys give the song “The Escape” a heavy, brooding melody, yet the instrumentation never wanders far from Wild Child’s signature sound. While the band will be hosting their CD release party at The Parish on October 27th, Pillow Talk will be available on October 25th. Conveying a delicate yet driven combination of acoustic pop riffs and classical folk flair, Wild Child proves one of the more renowned acts evolving from the Austin indie music scene. –Whitney LeFevre

Self-described as "a pop band with a little pedal steel thown in", the Ft. Worth natives Calhoun are bringing it all to Frank this Friday, 10/14. Their latest, Heavy Sugar, came out on Idol Records this May. The London-shot live vid for their track "Hearts of Junk" is below + you can catch them in the illustrious company of Leatherbag and Dead Black Hearts at your Austin gourmet hot dog destination downtown. 

We’re losing one of our own– well, let’s say we’re lending her to NYC for a spell. Suzanna Choffel is headed for bright lights, big city, and Momo’s will see her off in style this Friday (10/7), with a performance by Suzanna herself plus Dan Dyer, Drew Smith, Erin Ivey, and many more covering some of Suzanna’s work…party starts at 8, $10. Enjoy…

Complex, perplexing, and always a tremendous good time, Okkervil River will be on the Orange Stage at the (special dispensation) THREE day Fun Fun Fun Fest at Auditorium Shores Nov.4th-6th…they just debuted this vid for "Your Past Life as a Blast", time for us to pass it along and remind you of one of Austin’s finest. 

Your Past Life As A Blast from Okkervil River on Vimeo.

A unique event dedicated to those who help make Austin the “Live Music Capital of the World,” the annual Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) Benefit Day takes place on October 4^th.  HAAM has become a well-respected and renowned health insurance company that supplies professional, uninsured musicians with health plans.  HAAM Benefit Day, presented by Whole Foods Market, will promote over 160 bands and artists that will perform at local businesses, stores, and outside stages from 6:00 AM to well into the early morning hours. Five percent of the collected day’s proceeds are donated to HAAM in support of its continuing efforts. The list of sponsors and businesses is exponentially growing in appreciation of HAAM, but there is always room for those who want to contribute to a great cause. Check out the Heath Alliance for Austin Musicians webpage for more information regarding benefit day registration and schedules, donation information, applying for health insurance, and more.

–Whitney LeFevre