After spending last summer invigorating festival crowds across Europe and captivating fans in the US with a series of intimate shows, Keane released Cause and Effect, their fifth studio album and the first since 2013. The album hit Top 20 on the Billboard Albums chart and hit the UK charts at #2. Keane have finished a triumphant sold out UK and Latin American Tour and are now embarking on their North American headline tour kicking off March 2020. We spoke with songwriter and keyboardist, Tim Rice-Oxley, about Keane’s hiatus, new album and the band’s protean legacy.

It’s been a full seven years since your last album, how  has it been being back on a full international tour like you’re on right now?

Well, I think it’s seven years since we did a proper tour of the States. So really excited about that, it’s going to be fantastic. It’s kind of the dream tour for a British band, getting on a bus and doing a sort of road trip around North America, so that’s going to be cool. But I mean we were here, we were in the States a couple of times last year as well actually, just for little shows and we also did a big tour of South America] which was incredible. So we’re in the swing of it and having a fantastic time.

Is Keane a band that likes to tour?

I love it, I think we all love it. I think more than ever actually we really enjoy being on the road together and really enjoy being on stage together. I think we’re playing, play better than we ever have before. And we still really kind of value connecting with people when we get on stage and it’s a really nice feeling. Especially after like 50 years, definitely don’t take that for granted. So we’re really happy to be here again, I think. But yeah, we have a great time, we love being tourists and getting to travel around the world and seeing new places. It’s a really great life.

Are you able to write new music while you’re on tour?

I mean I have done a lot over the years. I actually find it quite difficult so, yeah, I mean I find it hard to find the sort of space and get into the right head space when I’m on tour, but yeah, not so much lately. But then we also have quite a deep catalog now of kind of five and a half albums, there’s a lot of stuff and there’s a lot of songs to choose from. Just trying to mix up the set list every night is almost as much as our little brains can cope with.

You’ve previously stated that your new album, Cause And Effect, is actually a breakup album?

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I mean it’s a very emotionally intense record. Hopefully all the best after all that, as you said, we had a very passionate response from people to the kind of depth of feeling and the sort of openness of the album. I think there’s a kind of new level of connection with people, both on the record but also live it shows that we’re really enjoying seeing the way people react so emotionally to some of the music. It’s very validating and very satisfying for us creatively.

There are a few themes on Cause And Effect, that you can also hear on Hopes And Fears. What was the process in writing the new album?

Well, I mean all the time that we haven’t been touring, been out for six years or so, I’ve been writing and composing, and I got into a real kind of rich seam, I guess, also to go on the roam phonetically probably two or three years ago. And then probably the set of songs that ended up becoming this record were probably written over about 18 months or so, and I think I was definitely in a … We were obviously in a particular period of time, for sure. I was really sort of trying to articulate some of the stuff that had happened over those few years and sometimes it takes me a few years to kind of work out how to say that stuff.

So yeah, I reckon end of 2016 and most of 2017 I was just writing new songs, probably ended up with about 30 that were kind of … that felt right for this album. Or at least create the tension for this album and then we kind of narrowed it down a lot based on the newer scene actually. Worked out which songs that told the story most basically and most powerfully I suppose.

Was there a lot of anxiety coming out with the new album and touring after all these years?

I think one of the things with taking some time off is that you’re forced to think about why you’re making music in the first place. I mean what constitutes success? And so I definitely did a lot of thinking about that and really the conclusion I came to was the only way I can judge something to be successful in my own head is if it feels totally authentic and I guess ideally connects with people in a very … in a way that I see has an effect on their lives, I suppose.

As opposed to sort of worrying about numbers, essentially. Which I think we went from a place, having been a little band that was playing tiny venues in London and really being very excited just to have a record out, you’re suddenly catapulted into a world where we had this sort of freak success with our first album. And I think consequently our expectations became totally distorted in a way that we never really intended, so it’s nice to have a chance to step back from that and think, "Okay, well, actually what are our expectations? What are our desires from our music? What do we consider to be a creative success?"

I think now it’s much more it feels like we’re into a different phase where we’re much more interested in just doing what we think is the best possible thing we can do at a given time. Telling the story is what’s important to us and hopefully also bringing something good into the world that means something to people.

For your personal preference, do you enjoy some of the more upbeat Keane songs or do you think the heartbreak songs are closer to who Keane is?

I don’t mind whether they’re kind of fast or slow, but I definitely prefer the ones that feel like they articulate something really meaningful and it’s … I don’t even know how you get to that stuff, how you access it creatively. I wish I did, but sometimes it just happens and you know when it’s good, and there’s the other times your creative instincts can be slightly hindered or distorted by worry about what is going to sound good on the radio and what the record company wants or even just what the fans want or what your parents want. You get a whole load of different influences coming from outside and it can be very hard to block out that noise.

So for me the stuff that I love the most is the stuff that feels really pure and I just know in my heart that it is powerful, I suppose, because it still feels powerful for me, whatever, playing it. I can feel it in the band and performing it on stage you can feel a magic in it, in a song. Those are the songs I love the most and I think they speak to other people the most.

Are there any surreal moments where you’ve realized that you guys have created this catalog and what are some things that you now see that kind of just blow you away? Because you mentioned you guys came out of a small town and it had a very instant experience with success.

Yeah. Yeah, well, I think really a result of that initial success is we just got into a pattern, as bands do if they’re lucky enough to have that success, where you’re just pumped to be on a plane and the next tour, it’s a TV show or it’s a radio show or it’s whatever it is. You’re sort of rushing from one thing to the next and it rapidly becomes normal and so it’s been great to step away from that and then go back, have a chance to go back to it and still have people wanting to see us.

So for me, I think for all of us, we’ve had moments in the last let’s say six months or so where we’ve been … Kind of you’re in Buenos Aires or a lot of moments on our South American tour where you’re kind of in a venue of like 15,000 people or something and you just think, "What are we doing here on the other side of the world? And how can it be that so many people … how many of these people know our music and actually are paying their hard earned cash to come and see us play?" And I guess I don’t know if that sounds like a cliché, but it really is when it hits you hard, it’s mind blowing really because we all grew up together and really still think of ourselves as a pretty amateurish bunch of musicians. Definitely have a lot of kind of Imposter Syndrome and it’s just very, very exciting, it’s very, very thrilling and somewhat protecting to find yourself going on stage every night and people wanting to hear you play.

I find that happens a lot more and more now with the passing of the years. I think instead of taking it for granted, we actually are just sort of astounded by it more and more and I think it’s a really nice place to be.

I feel like Keane’s music has been timeless, to a certain respect you can still go back to Hopes And Fears and it plays beautifully and I think it still connects with people. But do you have any contemporary artist or artists that are out today that you personally are inspired by or that you’re really into right now?

Yeah, I think it’s a great time for music. I think there’s definitely been a shift away from I guess what you’d call Guitar Bands or Hippy Bands, whatever at the moment. In the UK at least. I mean I’m a great lover of pop music anyway. I think the music I’m sort of most in awe of at the moment is … I’m a huge fan of the last two Ariana Grande records and I love the songwriting, but also the production of them. It’s just both records fill me with that feeling of, "I wish I could do that." Which is always kind of annoying but also very thrilling and inspiring and it makes me want to learn new ways of doing things. They have a lot of personality and quite interesting takes on familiar themes, I guess, as well as being very kind of danceable and feeling very contemporary. They’re very spacious production-wise.

I don’t know, there’s a lot for me to learn from that stuff. So there’s a lot of great music around. Beyond that, Bon Iver and Billie Eilish and I listen to a lot of old stuff as well, Springsteen and Crowded House and The Smiths. But, I don’t know, I’m just trying to learn all the time, I feel like we’ve only just started really and still have so much to learn.

Interview by Lee Ackerley

My Empty Phantom is the solo project of Jesse Beaman, a multi-instrumentalist and composer who is based in Austin. After taking time off touring to finish his latest album, Beaman is embarking soon on a 12-city international tour, beginning with Mexico City on March 26th. 

Over the past few years, My Empty Phantom has toured the globe playing instrumental soundscapes while sharing the stage with acts such as Cocorosie, This Will Destroy You, Dosh and many others. Touring on his upcoming album, Beaman will be joined by Brandon Curtis ( Interpol, Secret Machines) who helped produce the album and will elevate the live show experience with his musicianship.

Beaman’s stage performance explores a combination of multiple instruments being looped live; often mixing piano, synthesizers and drums. The resulting sound is a wave of blissful effervescence with a swirling undercurrent of sonic chaos. Beaman’s unique style and performance has earned him a dedicated cult following worldwide and enthusiastic crowds manifest for his shows regularly, which feature intricate visual film and light design. Check out My Empty Phantom at any of these dates listed below (with more dates to be added):

3/26 Mexico City, Mexico 

@ Departamento 



4/2 Boston, MA

@ LilyPad



4/3 Portland, ME 

@ SunTiki 



4/4 Brooklyn, NY 

@ Littlefield



4/8 Burlington, VT 

@ Monkeyhouse



4/9 Montreal, Canada 

@ Le Ritz

  

4/11 Buffalo, NY

@ Revolution Gallery



4/13 Chicago, IL 

@ The Empty Bottle

 

5/1 Rotterdam, NL 

@ Hostel Room Rotterdam



5/7 Berlin, Germany

@ Loophole



5/8 Berlin, Germany

@ Loophole



5/11 Stockholm, Sweden

@ Larry’s Corner



5/12 Stockholm, Sweden

@ Larry’s Corner



5/15 Glasgow, Scotland 

@ M Gallery 



5/16 Glasgow, Scotland

@ M Gallery



7/7 Los Angeles, CA

@ Kinship Yoga Event Studio



7/9 Los Angeles, CA

@ The Satellite

 The chilled 80s synth rock of Lower Dens and front person Jana Hunter creates a unique sort of rock enigma on stage, as evidenced by the gentle “Will you please have my babies” cried out by an audience member during their show at the Barracuda this past Friday. 

The opening bands perfectly fit the dynamics at play within Lower Den’s aesthetic. Local jangle pop band, Slideshow, maintained a good energy and experimental sitar player and vocalist Ami Dang was transcendent. Both acts worked well with the crowd’s growing anticipation and made the venue their own. 

 When Lower Dens took the stage, they did not disappoint. As great as all of the band’s records are, the songs take on an entirely different form when played live. They become more vibrant, and the energy is amped up about a thousand times. The synth packs a deeper punch underneath the drums and bass when played live. Hunter also has a strong stage presence; he held all the attention in the room without demanding it or taking up too much space. New and old songs were played with the same amount of passion. “Drive” and “Ondine” were both played beautifully and received well. 

The romantic dystopia that Lower Dens creates in their music is wonderfully replicated on stage, as well. Most of Hunter’s music deals with isolation in confrontation with desire and identity, and in doing so he creates a space for his audience to seek comfort they wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. It was easy to find that comfort on stage, with warmth emanating from each member as they performed. The live performance cuts right through the bones of the loneliness the music speaks of. If this wasn’t obvious alone from their performance, the looks of comfort and quiet rapture on the faces of more committed audience members certainly provides enough evidence for it. 

The quieter moments had a very ‘last call at the bar’ vibe. The band held intimate moments within each beat that gave people space to interpret the song however they wanted. “Suckers Shangi-la” was a perfect moment of catharsis. It was the soft, lonely fantasy world everyone needs to escape to once in awhile.

– Avril Carillo

 A quiet Wednesday night became bustling with hundreds of people at Stubbs. People were willing to bear the cold on this once-in- a-lifetime chance to see a show that could never be forgotten. With about a 20 year build up and opening for many bands such as Metallica, Silversun Pickups left the audience in a buzz with their latest leg of their tour thru Austin. Anticipation was filling the air and everyone knew that what was about to be experienced would be worth the bitter chill of the windy February night. 

As the crowd began to fill Mohawk indoors for Texas psych-rock staple Holy Wave, Mosaic Sound Collective founder Dan Redman took the stage. He spoke on the mission of the organization, the growth they’ve seen, and plans for the future. In almost opposite energy, attention was directed to a live mural painting by Kengo Hioki, aka “Yellow” from comic punk act Peelander-Z. Hioki, who performed music later in the night, screamed “I don’t know how to paint!” and began to attack a huge yellow tarp with giant pink brush strokes and blue splatter. The mural quickly became fully realized, colors dripping down and seeping into one another, and as “Yellow” yelled his adieu and focus was shifted back to the stage.

Holy Wave took their places behind their instruments and began their first tune. The 5-piece seemed to breathe the same breath, interlocked drums and bass grounded sprawling synths and woven guitars creating a thick aura of tactile motion. Many of the song’s arrangements seamlessly grew from their initial grooves into denser, more intricate resolutions. Each of the band’s singing voices were so distinct, fresh vocals and lush harmonies ebbed and flowed from track to track. A multitude of sounds criss-crossed through the audience’s ears as effects pedals and samplers were utilized to distance the group from more tiresome rock groups. Evoking Pink Floyd and Spaceman 3, these compositional choices make the band truly psychedelic. 

Towards the end of the set, center stage guitarist/keyboardist/singer Ryan Fuson told the crowd the set had been entirely new songs. With their last album Adult Fear being released early 2018, a new record seems just on the horizon.

An eclectic bill featuring Y La Bamba and Durand Jones and the Indications sold out and packed in a crowd of lovers at Scoot Inn on Friday night.

Luz Elena Mendoza gracefully leads the indie-encompassing folk group, Y La Bamba. Established in 2008, the band released their latest album, Entre Los Dos, in fall 2019. Menodza dances like a black flame on stage – with each cha cha step she moves with magic and belongs to herself, an embodiment of her music and experience. The musicians surrounding her are just as beautiful, all alive in their eyes. The sound is mystical, and performed with a tacit invitation to engage in the spiritual healing of their music.

The indie rock and latin infused sounds of the album are a fertile landscape for Mendoza’s songwriting. The lyrics unwind the way good poetry transcends. There may be added mystery to the bilingual lyricism, especially if the listener doesn’t know Spanish. From the album’s namesake song, “Entre Los Dos,” Mendzoa longs, “y yo me saltaré de mi ventana/y la muerte ahí me espera con otra vida” [“and I will throw myself out my window/and death waits for me there with another life”].  Although the poetic lyrics are somber, the sound is zestful, delivering a juicy juxtaposition of emotions.

“Paloma Negra,” [“Black Dove”] from the Mujeres single from 2018, had the everyone aye-aye-ing and ooh-oohing. Another song that embodies Mendoza’s divine feminine energy balanced with dark motifs and jovial affirmations: “Voy lentamente pero bien segura” [“I go slowly but very sure”]. Would you like a taste? Y La Bamba’s Tiny Desk Concert features “Paloma Negra” as the first song. Or, just see them when they come back through Austin, destined to play a headlining bill of their own on a larger stage with another enthralled crowd.

-Melissa Green

 Australia is currently facing its most devastating fires to date. At least 27 people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned, and 18 million acres of land have been torched by the wildfires sweeping across the continent. In addition to this, almost a billion animals have died. Various organizations are working 24/7 to provide relief efforts to communities that affected – they need our help!

Join us this Saturday Jan 25th (Australia Day) at Cloud Tree Studios as we raise money for the Australian Red Cross. Enjoy local art collections, a host of musical showcases and some delicious beverages from the The Roadie ATX. Bar & Gallery will open at 2pm with live music from 3pm. Come and celebrate Australia Day with your mates at Cloud Tree Studios, it’ll be great!

Featured musicians include Jake Lloyd, Corbella, Poly Action, Munn & more.

Iconic Austin Collection by local artist @tarahluke & friends.

Any and all are welcome, suggested entry is $10. Food and drinks available for donation.

https://www.facebook.com/events/161758565130361/

Special thanks to our sponsors: Hops & Grain Brewing, Greater Goods Coffee, Austin Eastciders, Dulce Vida, Tito’s Vodka & Kwik Ice.

 Houston based, R&B and soul group, The Suffers, were the second opener for New Orleans native, Big Freedia, at Emo’s Saturday night. Their self proclaimed, "Gulf Coast Soul" celebrates the melange of different cultures blending together in one of the most diverse cities in the United States. 

Their blend of African American soul, Cajun, Caribbean, and Mexican music, lead by the powerhouse vocals of front woman Kam Franklin, gave spiritual energy to an eager audience and turned Emo’s into a house of musical worship. 

Franklin emulated some serious Diana Ross vibes, with her signature natural hair and a matching silver sequin outfit. When the horn section wasn’t blasting their instruments, they were backing up their leading lady in true doo-wop fashion, dancing and clapping in synchronized rhythm.  

Not only did Franklin give a religious like performance to a congregation ready to receive the spirit, playing songs like "Make Some Room" and "Do Whatever", but she also delivered a powerful sermon, imploring the audience to continue to support live music and the artists who give us so much. She also gave recognition to local Austin artists like The Vapor Caves, Jackie Venson, and Gary Clark Jr. 

Her message is a strong reminder of the struggle most local musicians face, especially in a growth explosion city like Austin. As patrons of the arts, she reminded us that it is our responsibility to support and show up for artists whose music we consume. 

– Amy Arnold

“Excuse! I don’t mean to be rude, just give me that mic and let me do what I do”

The queen diva had arrived in Austin on Saturday to bring her New Orleans-based, twerk-filled, bounce music to the Central Texas masses. Igniting the dance party with hits like “Louder” and “Ya’ll Get Back Now”, Big Freedia and her troupe of high-energy backup dancers assaulted every part of the audience’s sensory in the best way possible.

A room full of booty-shakers swooned as their iconic orchestrator led them through a series of earth-shattering and dance-inducing hits. Bangers like “Y’tootsay” and “Mo Azz”  whipped the crowd into a frenzy while the gravity-defying theatrics of Big Freedia’s stage dancers kept a manic energy at full tilt. A twerk contest for concert-goers culminated in a stage full of local aspiring glute masters showcasing their goods while Big Freedia oversaw their efforts like a drill sergeant on new recruits.

While nearly half of Freedia’s set list comprised of cover songs, it was her original track’s that brought out the diva’s rhapsodic spirit and vim.  Ending with tracks like “Rent”, “I Heard” and “Gin In My System” – the audience hit a critical mass of dance exuberance. Even after Big Freedia left the stage, the party continued on into the night with members of the crowd and back up dancers trading dance moves while they basked in the afterglow of raucous yet perfect night of dancing.

-Lee Ackerley

 Weaver opened for a toasty crowd at Spider House Ballroom on Saturday night. Formerly a two piece from Israel, the band recently added a bass player from the Bronx: Liraz on guitar, Eliav on drums, and Febian on bass. They may be injecting new blood to the Austin music scene, but their style of psychedelic rock feels right at home here. 

Red lights reflecting off the red velvet curtains behind them, the whole room glows red with their passionate energy on stage. The hypnotic rhythm of the drums and deep throb of the bass replaces the cadence of your heart beat, while the shredding guitar spirals you into your inner mind. The loops and dips of one song felt like a Tom and Jerry chase scene, running your mind in circles. There’s no lyrics or song titles, only raw sound and chemistry. There’s not even a set list. Listen, close your eyes, and forget what decade you’re in. A couple of songs from their newest EP are available on Bandcamp, Amaranth and Alice. 

Sans lyrics and sans titles, the last songs of the set were improvised raw garage rock magic. The instrumental 3 piece tip toes along grunge and punk, but stays true to psychedelia. The bassist and guitarist angle themselves toward the drums allowing the sounds to reverberate and dance off each other. A delicious, fuzzy synergism fills souls and overwhelms the room. There is an attractive mysteriousness surrounding this band that makes you want to hear more.  

Weaver is playing Free Week – catch them at The Sahara Lounge on January 2nd. Check out their instagram for other future shows; their bio aptly promises a “fuzz-laced hit for your inner mind.”  

Mel Green

 Tåsi’s music is described as “coral reef meets poetry,” and as abstract as that sounds it’s also the perfect descriptor for Marlon Hedricks’ romantic, lo-fi rap. Tåsi urges himself and his audience to reflect, a theme that plays out both lyrically and sonically. His production is smooth but not entirely unfractured, with beats and drops that create a mirroring effect within each song. It’s a very chill, relaxing house of mirrors.

 Tåsi does a lot of collaborations, blending his sound well with the sound of his fellow musicians. His most recent release was East 10th St, a 5 song LP he produced with Lungfulls, Falling Awake Sound Therapy and Malekinho. Tåsi & BLakchyl wrote and recorded the entire album at 1609 East 10th, a street that has significant meaning for both artists. As they say in the description, ”this is our love letter:” The LP starts out strong and ends even stronger.  The speech sampling done on “DDD” is thoughtful and powerful, but it doesn’t distract the audience from the song at all. It’s a great example of Tåsi’s strengths as both a solo artist and a collaborator.

-Avril Carrillo

    Prolific singer/songwriter Jesus Acosta, aka SOBBRS, released his first full length LP Fortunato on October 7th. Compounding catchy hooks, detailed grooves, and savory synths the record crafts an original pop sound with one foot planted in 80’s throwback and the other stepping forward into the world of modern production. Rewarding repeated listens, Fortunato uses pop music tropes in a very controlled fashion, the key change for the last chorus of “Monsoon” for instance, while having the foresight to subvert those same tropes later. Consistent quality is prevalent but “Cameo”, “Motherlode”, and “Bones” are stand-outs. 

    Finding balance is Fortunato’s biggest accomplishment. The instrumentals forge an energy that finds balance in equal parts kinetic spectacle and melancholic meditation, leaving the listener the choice to either dance or cry. Lyrically drawing from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, the reflective words strike equilibrium between adverse themes of isolation and belonging. Even Acosta’s vocal delivery is balanced between rhythmic certainty and an emotive, quivering vibrato. This overall balance displays the benefits in both active and passive listening. 

    Upon the record’s release, SOBBRS packed Mohawk, seamlessly guiding the tracks into a live setting. His backing band consists of Springful’s Jim Hampton on guitar and Flora & Fawna’s Mason Ables, who is also responsible for the record’s intricate production, on keys and beats. Although playing the same songs, the group infused new life into them through the performance, teetering the scale towards dance and elation. With a St. Vincent cover, the premiere of a music video for “Crossfire”, and a celebratory onstage cake, it was a wonderful night.

-Hayden Steckel