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

The Duke Spirit - Everybody's Under Your Spell

As an avid fan of The Duke Spirit, I was very happy to hear this new song from their upcoming "Kusama" EP slated for December 2010 release. Their 3rd full length will hopefully be released early next year. This song has certainly whetted my appetite for their new material. I love how their range of influences from R & B, psychedelia, garage, and even Motown and soul come together to create a distinct sound. On a lighter note, if you haven't developed a crush on lead singer, Liela Moss, after watching this video and/or listening to her smoky, sweet vocals, check your pulse please.

The Ugly Beats

Best Excuse To Leave Work Early On Friday Award (in Austin) goes to : seeing The Ugly Beats celebrate their new release "Motor !" at Waterloo Records Fri Oct 22nd at 5 pm.
Take great garage rock along with 60s British Invasion sounds and add a pinch of Texas flavor, you've got The Ugly Beats. If you've never seen them, this is your chance to see one of the best bands around for FREE, enjoy some free beer, and maybe even pick up a copy of "Motor!" to listen to this weekend. If you've seen them countless times like me, you can never get enough of the Beats !

And here's a bonus track that didn't appear on Motor! but you'll often hear during their sweaty, rollicking live sets.

Hollerado : Seriously Fun

Hollerado is returning to Austin this month (Sat, Oct 23rd at The Mohawk) as part of their autumn tour opening for Free Energy and Foxy Shazam. I've never seen Free Energy or Foxy Shazam but I wouldn't be surprised if Hollerado steal the show but I'm a bit biased here.
Their new video for "Americanarama" has been getting some well deserved attention. It's quite addicting. You can't help watching it more than once or twice. The second clip I posted is from SXSW 2010. They play their own tune, Fake Drugs, but close out their day party set with their version of Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World. One of my personal highlights of SXSW. I've managed to convert a few friends into Hollerado fans and I wouldn't mind converting a few more. Check their list of tour dates and other fun treats on the band website (http://www.hollerado.com). Don't miss your chance to see this band. I'm sure Menno, Jake, Nick, and Dean would love to see you. They're touring through the U.S. and Canada in October and November with Free Energy. Here are the dates :
10/12/10 – Portland, ME @ Space
10/13/10 – Providence, RI @ Jerky’s Music Hall
10/14/10 – Burlington, VT @ Club Metronome
10/16/10 – Toronto, ON @ The Horseshoe
10/18/10 – Columbus, OH @ The Summit
10/19/10 – Nashville, TN @ The End
10/20/10 – St. Louis, MO @ The Old Rock House
10/21/10 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
10/23/10 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
10/25/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
10/26/10 – San Diego, CA @ 710 Beach Club
10/28/10 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
10/29/10 – San Francisco, CA @ Slims
10/30/10 – San Jose, CA @ The Blank Club
11/10/10 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
11/11/10 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Café
11/12/10 – Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club
11/14/10 – Edmonton, AV @ The Pawn Shop
11/15/10 – Calgary, AB @ The Republik
11/16/10 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
11/17/10 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Pyramid
11/18/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
11/19/10 – Chicago, IL @ Shazam
11/20/10 – Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
11/21/10 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11/22/10 – Albany, NY @ Valentines
11/23/10 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
11/24/10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11/26/10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
11/27/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
12/01/10 – Washington DC @ Rock And Roll Hotel

The Morning Benders

I first heard of them 2-3 years ago but I've missed opportunities to see them for various reasons. But I certainly hope to make up for those lost opportunities by catching their set at Austin City Limits Festival this year. They're playing the Honda Stage at 3 pm this Sun, Oct 10th and appearing at the Waterloo Records autograph tent at 4:30 pm. Their 2010 album, Big Echo, is a beautiful example of well written pop songs. This makes me a total fangirl but something about Chris Chu's vocals makes me melt and sigh. Simple and magnificent. It's gorgeous ear candy but also very satisfying which keeps you going back for more.