The Posies and Brendan Benson in Austin TX at La Zona Rosa, Nov 26th

When this tour was announced, I think I nearly squealed with glee. I've been a fan of The Posies since I was in college. I first saw them 2 decades ago (yes really it was that long ago) when they opened for The Replacements at the Texas Union Hall at UT. At that time, I adored their record, Dear 23, chock full of soaring harmonies and singalong power pop gems. I admit that I haven't consistently followed their career but still remain a fan. There have been glowing reports from the current tour and I'm looking forward to hearing tunes from their latest record, Blood/Candy . I think my power pop loving head nearly exploded when I learned The Posies were doing double duty by playing their own headlining set as well as acting as Brendan Benson's band. I've been a fan of Brendan Benson's solo career for almost a decade now. After 2 albums with The Raconteurs, he returned with his 4th solo release, "My Old Familiar Friend". This show should be an excellent remedy after a Thanksgiving food coma.
Below I've posted links for "The Glitter Prize" by The Posies and "Feel Like Taking You Home" by Brendan Benson. If you click "Like" for the event on do512.com, you have a chance to win a pair of tickets.

http://soundcloud.com/quimera/the-posies-the-glitter-prize-with-kay-hanley

http://soundcloud.com/brendanbenson/feel-like-taking-you-home

http://do512.com/event/2010/11/26/the-posies-and-brendan-benson-with-aqueduct

STEREO IS A LIE

Two years ago, STEREO IS A LIE made their debut as a band. As a fan, my patience is being rewarded this weekend as the band celebrates the official release of their new single, "It's Too Late" on Monolathe Recordings from their upcoming self titled album to be released in Feb 2011. The record was mixed by Chris Cline (Trail Of Dead) and mastered by John Golden (Sonic Youth, Film School, Japandroids, etc.). The lineup is completed by friends from 2 other local bands, New Roman Times and dead black hearts, who have joined SIAL on past shows together. This solid local triple bill will be playing this Sat, Nov 20th, at Beauty Bar. If you're a fan of a big guitar sound, powerful drums, and a live performance that will command your attention, I highly recommend checking out my favorite musical Men In Black.

Austin Bleet Up

In Nov 2009, I attended the Austin Bleet Up not as a blogger but as a fan of some of the bands who played the event (Built By Snow, Corto Maltese) and to meet up with friends. Was this event a source of inspiration for me ? Maybe...but it took a little longer before I officially created my blog. It debuted in April 2010 as "Beautiful Beat" but I changed it a few months later to "Superpop!".
It looks like next month's Bleet Up is bigger than ever. Bloggers and blog readers will be gathering on Dec 3rd at Whole Foods downtown rooftop terrace for music, food, shopping from local boutiques and craft shops, and ice skating (memories of my Minnesota childhood is excited about this). This year's event will also honor the winners of the first ever Austin Blogger Awards. The awards will be nominated by and voted upon by readers. You can find the nominees and vote on the following site : http://austinbloggerawards.com/.  Some of the categories include : Best New Blog, Best Overall Music Blog, Best Blog to Discover Local Music, and Best Photoblog/Flickr Feed.

Do512 is holding a ticket giveaway for clicking "I Like It,":  http://do512.com/event/2010/12/03/the-austin-bleet-up

Remember to bring $7 for door cover, and if you Tweet / blog about the Bleet-Up, don't forget to RSVP: http://www.eavesdropper-pr.com/rsvp/ 


Here's a short, "getting to know you" interview I did in June 2010 for the Austin Blog Jam.

The Villas - Jamie EP

Remember when indie pop actually made you smile giving you that fuzzy, giddy feeling ? Well, it still exists with the new Austin quartet, The Villas. The title track, Jamie, is a fun combination of Weezer meets Fountains Of Wayne, full of crunchy guitars and ba-ba-ba, oh yeah singalong harmonies. The next 3 tracks, "Babybomb", "Pin You Down", and "Ripy" proudly display the band's unabashed love for classic powerpop sounds and even a bit of Britpop (bands like Blur and Ash). The EP reaches a melancholy, somber end with Fading In My Mind and a clean version of the title track. This EP is available for download from Bandcamp for $4.99. A great deal for indie/powerpop fanatics to add to their music library and playlists. For Austin fans, you can catch The Villas this weekend, Fri Nov 5th, at Scoot Inn for the Austin Indie Pop Spectacular which also features White Hotel and The Stan Laurels. $5 cover plus a Britpop/Indie DJ set afterwards.

http://do512.com/event/2010/11/05/the-villas-the-white-hotel-and-the-stan-laurels
http://thevillas.bandcamp.com/album/jamie-ep
http://www.thevillasmusic.com