Worshiping with Prayher’s Minimalist Experimental Pop at Whip In
Phoebe Rayher was graced not only with an excellent voice but also with a first initial and last name that, when combined, work as a moniker that seems shockingly sensible in the current indie-rock…
Kiss My Grits at the J. Lorraine Ghost Town
The J. Lorraine Ghost Town in Manor is a little bit hokey. A fact apparent at once when we arrived for Kiss My Grits, an evening featuring a slew of folk-centered bands. Even…
Live Review & Photos: 101X Homegrown & Vagabond Collective Showcase at Holy Mountain
Two stalwart entities, 101X Homegrown Live and Vagabond Collective, both of which book great bills that support local acts and get Austin’s music-loving public out to some of the city’s best venues, teamed up for…
Night Drive & Ishi’s Dark Dance Party at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Two outstanding synth-pop bands performed on Cheer Up Charlie’s outdoor stage this weekend. Dallas based Ishi brought jubilant and shimmering pop that demands dancing. John Mudd certainly feels the call to get down,…
The Black Keys ACL Taping: Live Review
The Black Keys continue to progress and develop their sound, amassing a global following and critically acclaimed list of albums. They recently released Turn Blue, their fifth release on Nonesuch Records and their…
Why Studium Is Important
Studium, a new record store and retail space for designer and handmade goods, is open now on Austin’s East 5th Street. The space is a collaboration between Byron & Blue boutique and Punctum Records…
Gold Beach Celebrates Single Release at Studium: Live Review
Gold Beach makes sense as a moniker. These songs shine with the glint of gold, but they’re also surprisingly soft and malleable, shifting from one moment to the next. Imagine an entire beach…
The Destination: Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014
“It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” is a cliché you are likely familiar with, and is most applicable when used in regard to a time frame during which one underwent a variety of occurrences and…
The Allah-Las Transcend at The Parish
Los Angeles band the Allah-Las came to Austin Saturday night with a heavy dose of California surf-inspired garage rock tunes. Opening was fellow L.A. group Tashaki Miyaki whose mid to down-tempo glimmering pop…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day Three Recap with Angel Olsen, Yo La Tengo, and Flying Lotus
The third day of of Fun Fun Fun Fest dawned cool and bright and just about perfect. Saturday had closed out magnificently and the lineup for the final day would yield some of…
Iceage’s Elias Bender Rønnenfelt Delivers Us
The sun was out, there were few clouds if any, and spirits were high Saturday afternoon at Fun Fun Fun Fest. I had just finished a ride with Gary Numan at the Blue…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day Two Recap with Courtney Barnett, Gary Numan, and Modest Mouse
With the long lines sorted and better weather than anyone could’ve hoped for, the second day of Fun Fun Fun Fest unfolded beautifully with a lineup of artists that spanned garage rock, punk,…
Courtney Barnett Burns Brightly at the Belmont
Fun Fun Fun Fest is over and as we wind down our festival season, we couldn’t have wished for a better way to go out. Despite the well-covered/belabored issues with admission on Friday,…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day One Recap with Yelle, Run the Jewels, and Dana Falconberry
We’ve been looking forward to this weekend for months. Fun Fun Fun Fest outdid themselves this year with a no-filler lineup that featured stellar artists across genres. There were some strange bumps and…
Live Review: A. Sinclair Celebrates New Vinyl at Mohawk
A. Sinclair rocks. And by that I mean that Aaron Sinclair has always rocked. He rocked when his band was called Frank Smith, and he rocks now. It helps that Sinclair is backed…
Yuma Celebrates Day of the Dead at Mohawk
The Mohawk celebrated Day of the Dead this Sunday with four superb Austin bands: Brother Bear, The Please Please Me, Magia Negra, and Yuma. A real diverse curation of unique bands who all seem to…
Tennis & Pure Bathing Culture at Red 7: Live Review
I’ve always liked Tennis, but their show at Red 7 on Saturday night convinced me that they’re receiving significantly less credit than they deserve. Built around the creative forces of husband and wife…
Nightblooms Celebrate Album Inside Inflatable Planetarium
Cosmic consciousness expanding, I am transcending physical existence. Last Thursday night at Museum of Human Achievement, Karla Manzur celebrated the release of Star-Taker, the first album from her project Nightblooms, which also includes help…
Molybden and Co. at the Sahara Lounge: Live Review
“I saw a UFO in San Francisco. It didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would. I guess I’m stronger than I imagined,” were the words Tess Seipp, better known as…
101X Homegrown Live at the Historic Scoot Inn: Live Review
This past Saturday, local radio station 101X hosted their Homegrown Live series with a solid bill of mostly local acts at East Austin’s Historic Scoot Inn. Despite the particularly high door charge ($18!) for a local…
RF Shannon & Feverbones Return from Tour
Austin gave RF Shannon and Feverbones to the American West, and the West graciously returned them to us unharmed and road-sharpened for their triumphant arrival back in our fair city. The double bill…
of Montreal’s Never-ending Dance Party at Mohawk: Live Review
Of Montreal has the right to make the claim that they’re Mohawk’s house band, having played the venue three times in the last year. What’s more amazing is that their frequent trips to…
The Debut of Dark West
There’s something indescribably miraculous about seeing a band perform their first show. Most of our days are filled with jobs and trips to the grocery store, car rides in traffic and “to do”…
Mutual Benefit’s Gorgeous Set at Red 7: Live Review
Last night, Mutual Benefit, the project of musician Jordan Lee, made a stop in Austin for a set at Red 7. Lee’s music consists of dreamy soundscapes that wander from loose structures teeming…
Live Review: Pompeii Releases New Album “Loom”
Local post-rock arena-gazers Pompeii released their third album Loom at Holy Mountain Friday night. A long time coming for the band, this is their first album in five years and you can buy it…
Midnight Masses, BLXPLTN, Tennis System at Cheer Up: Live Review
Autry Fulbright, the creative force behind Midnight Masses and member of Trail of Dead, exuded raw energy at the group’s final U.S. show before departing on a European tour. As the band plays…
Run the Jewels Runs the Crowd at Red 7: Live Review
Last night, tastemakers and purveyors of music of all varieties Red Bull Sound Select (in conjunction with Fun Fun Fun Fest) brought hip-hop heavyweights Killer Mike and El-P, known collectively as Run the…
ACL Music Festival: Past, Present, and Future
With the past two weekends in the books, we can now reflect on the 13th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival and see what all us thousands experienced. There were reunions and first-timers, Chvrches…
Literature Schools Hometown Crowd at Hotel Vegas: Live Review
Sunday night at Hotel Vegas was a homecoming for the revered pop punkers Literature, now residing in their northeast haven of Philadelphia PA. Kicking the show off late with blistered guitars and flailing…
Walter TV’s Mohawk Pizza Party: Live Review
Walter TV has been coined “Mac Demarco’s touring band,” “Mac Demarco’s friend’s band,” and “Mac Demarco’s side project.” These pseudonyms aren’t a far cry from the truth, but only if you’re comparing the…
Moonsicles, Borrisokane, and Van Allen Belt at Cheer Up Charlie’s: Live Review
With so many high profile events in Austin, it’s easy to forget that great music happens on a nightly basis. While much of the public can barely keep up with which festival is…
Spoon Digs Out Old Material at Stubb’s: Live Review
I wasn’t surprised when Spoon’s set for their 4th ACL taping centered on their newest effort They Want My Soul. After all, they’ve recorded many of their old songs during past appearances on…
Childish Gambino Brings Deep Web Tour to ACL Live at the Moody Theater
Although the wait for Childish Gambino to emerge for his late night ACL show seemed interminable, the crowd had plenty to keep them occupied. As part of the Deep Web Tour, Childish Gambino had…
Hometown Heroes Spoon Play New Hits at ACL Taping
Playing songs primarily culled from their new album They Want My Soul, Austin indie rock heroes Spoon played their 4th ACL Taping last night. I recently wrote about just how much I love the…
Temples ACL Late Night Show: Live Review
Despite having seen Temples on four occasions, Saturday night was my first time to see the group in a small venue when they played a show at The Parish as part of ACL’s late night…
Full Photo Gallery: Three Days of ACL 2014
You didn’t ask for it, but we’re giving it to you anyway. Our full photo gallery from all three days of ACL 2014 featuring over 100 photos, including quite a few previously unpublished…
Everyone’s Invited: Day Three of ACL 2014
ACL is not the coolest festival on the planet. It’s not even the coolest festival in Austin. And it doesn’t need to be. After all, coolness often requires a certain element of exclusion….
Ladies On Top: Day Two of ACL 2014
I believe in my heart that every human being possesses the same intrinsic value and should have the same rights, access, and visibility as any other member of the human race. It’s why I was…
Photo Gallery: Jenny Lewis and The Belle Brigade Spanning the Spectrum at Stubb’s
Jenny Lewis brightened up Stubb’s this past Saturday for her second show of four in Austin during this year’s ACL Festival, bringing along long-time pals The Belle Brigade, a harmonious LA brother-sister pop…
Worshiping at the Fest: Day One of ACL 2014
No one can be perfect all the time, but with repentance, we might be lucky enough to find forgiveness. After working hard on some final previews for the first of two busy ACL…
Photo Gallery: Marfa’s Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love at El Cosmico
This past weekend, I took a brief hiatus from writing reviews and allowed my co-corespondent Lukas the verbal spotlight to tell the tales of our magical Marfan weekend at the Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love, while…
Jenny Lewis Brings Rainbow Brightness to Her ACL Taping
Last night’s Austin City Limits Taping kicks off Jenny Lewis’s tour of Texas. In addition to her ACL Live show, you can find her at Stubb’s on Friday at her official Austin City…
We Were Marfans at El Cosmico: The Final Chapter
Saturday morning starts with a sweaty rise from inside my tent. The high desert sun shines on the faded yellow east side of my tent, turning the inside into a greenhouse and my…
Why You Can’t Miss These Ten Bands at ACL’s First Weekend
So 2014’s ACL is right around the Thursday corner. Lucky for you, I’m here with Bryan to show you the way to a successful outing this first weekend. While he and I are…
We Were Marfans at El Cosmico: Part II
At the Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love, music starts at seven and goes till midnight (1am on Saturday night), giving the guests plenty opportunity to rest up during the day and focus…
Phosphorescent Plays Two-Hour Set at C Boy’s Heart and Soul
Before kicking off a string of tour dates, Brooklyn-by-way-of-Athens band Phosphorescent booked a last minute show at the tiny C Boy’s Heart and Soul venue on South Congress. It seems that kicking off…
The War On Drugs, Psyched Out Americana at Stubb’s: Live Review
Although The War on Drugs’ show at Stubb’s in Austin was not sold out when the doors opened at 7:00 on Sunday night, an enormous line soon snaked around the block to purchase…
We Were Marfans For A Weekend at El Cosmico
As I navigate Route 67 south towards Marfa, TX, en route to the 8th annual Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love, the mountains grow more jagged, the plains reach further to the horizon, and the…
Alex Napping’s Album Release at Cheer Up Charlie’s: Live Review
To celebrate the release of their debut LP This Is Not A Bedroom, Alex Napping recruited a standout lineup of Austin bands–Big Bill, Soft Swells, and Löwin–to play alongside them on Friday night at…
Future Islands Leave It All on the Floor at ACL Taping
After an ingratiating and soft-spoken greeting in which Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring tells a packed Moody Theater about how in North Carolina, where he’s from, sometimes the only way to see music…
Reflections on Conor Oberst’s Show at Stubb’s
In July, when news broke that Joan Faircloth, the woman who had accused Conor Oberst of rape, had retracted her claims and admitted that 100% of the story was fabricated, I was relieved…
Yonatan Gat’s Incredible Cheer Up Charlie’s Show: Live Review
Watching Yonatan Gat and his band perform will blow your mind. The former Monotonix member’s live show leans heavily on improvisation and borders on performance art, incorporating signature lighting and expelling an incredible…
Ramesh at The Belmont: Live Review
Sometimes unexpected and less than desirable elements make for a more magical evening of music. Former Voxtrot member Ramesh, who recently released his first solo full-length The King, was supposed to play Belmont’s outside…
Live Review: Daybender at Empire Control Room
Empire Control Room hosted the Daybender party this past Saturday, taking on a dual role as part of Weekender Austin and as the release celebration for Punctum Records‘ Taft and Little Lo‘s split 7-inch vinyl, as if the bill…
Sebadoh at Red 7: Live Review
For indie rock purists, Sebadoh resides unquestioningly in the hall of fame. While the Sebadoh project has been largely inactive in the new millennium, the members have all been pursuing other collaborations and solo projects….
You’re Here! Fall Kick-Off at Cheer Up Charlies
Last SXSW, Pop Press International joined forces with local label Punctum Records, non-profit organization Attendance Records, recording studio Estuary, and tape label Accrue Cassettes, along with a few other entities and sponsors, to…
Live Review: Monofonus Press & Spray Paint Take Over Hotel Vegas 9/19
A light sweat covering his face, John Wesley Coleman strummed through a couple of his best C-major compositions kicking off the Monofonus showcase at Hotel Vegas Friday night. With a lighter amount of…
Live Review: Shabazz Palaces Get Otherworldly at Red 7
Hip-hop can be a difficult genre to perform. In terms of actually “performing,” the result can be more karaoke than art exhibition. The easiest route for large scale stage productions usually revolves around…
Photo Gallery: Shots from Utopiafest 2014
Rain or shine, weather happens. Even if the forecast is less than desirable, one simply has to embrace it. Ringing especially true at outdoor events, doing so peacefully echoes the natural disposition of the earth much more than…
Live Review: The Gospel of Earth at Red 7
Just to preface, Earth is possibly the heaviest live band I have ever experienced. I’m not necessarily using the word “heaviest” like most passionate metal fans would in terms of their favorite “heavy”…
A Weekend of Glorious Escape: Utopiafest 2014 Photo Essay
Through cloudy skies, Utopiafest shone. This past weekend, despite the downpour and its muddy repercussions, this family-friendly festival had music lovers, yogis, and ultimate frisbeers alike flocking to Utopia, TX, unleashing their outdoorsy…
Utopian Living: Highlights from Utopiafest
Yesterday, Pop Press INTL. Assistant Editor Lukas Truckenbrod did a great job capturing the Utopiafest vibe and reported about some of the music from this year’s installment. 2014 marked the third time I’ve…
Barcelona with The Young Wild at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Monday night atop the Mountain, Seattle band Barcelona immersed the grooving audience in melodic songs of old and new. The trio released the final component to their three part EP series, The Melodrama, in March, revealing yet…
Vibing at Utopiafest
Despite some serious rain Friday evening, vibes were mellow at Utopiafest 2014. Yes, arriving at Utopiafest on Friday night was not the smoothest ride; buses and cars were stuck in mud, shuttle service into…
Live Review: 2014 Stargayzer Festival
The clouds that hung over Austin on Friday the 12th were omnipresent, looming and spitting even after the sun went down. The mat grey sky blanketed everything as the temperature dropped below 80…
Delta Spirit with EDJ on at Emo’s East Riverside: Live Review
East Riverside’s premier rock and roll venue, the venerable Emo’s, hosted epic indie-rock darlings Delta Spirit last week in support of their newest release, 2014’s Into the Wide. The album’s lead single is a…
Live Review: Balmorhea Returns to Austin with Jess Williamson at the Parish
It’s been over a year since Balmorhea played in their hometown of Austin, Texas. Over a year has the fan base been out of touch with one of the most precise post-rock bands…
Whirr at Red 7: Live Review
Cruising through two decades worth of College Rock 101 in an open topped convertible, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes began the night at Red 7 Saturday. A guitar/drummer two-piece, the band exhausted their audience…
Live Review: Raw Paw Closes Out Summer with Epic Scoot Inn Show
Despite rain in the early evening, the weather was just fine, if a little muggy, for local arts and music collective Raw Paw’s epic send off to summer at Scoot Inn on Friday…
Austin Bat Cave Benefit Hosts Benefit with Bill Callahan, Jon Dee Graham
Austin Bat Cave is a non-profit writing and tutoring center serving a diverse population of young people. The center fights the good fight daily to keep our young people interested in reading and…
Bishop Allen at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Bishop Allen hasn’t played Austin in years. His show last week at Holy Mountain was a must see for me, as I’ve been a fan from the earliest days. I was eager to…
United, 7th Street Jams
This weekend, Austin Music People took over the streets with United We Jam, a massive event supporting Austin musicians and benefitting Austin musician-lovers. AMP works to improve upon the state of Austin’s music industry and…
Suspirians Release Show at the Lost Well: Live Review
What once was the Frontier Bar in Austin’s East Side is now the Lost Well, opened by biker-friendly, former Lovejoys bartender Marcello Murphy. To keep heaviness afloat Saturday night, Austin indie-psych-noise band the Suspirians…
J. Roddy at ACL Taping: Live Review
In its 40th TV season, KLRU’s Austin City Limits has brought a loaded hand to the table. With tapings from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Jeff Tweedy, Los Lobos and Beck, the series…
Mother Falcon at Mohawk for United We Jam: Live Review
Last weekend, on both Friday and Saturday nights, Austin Music People’s fundraiser United We Jam hosted bills of local bands at myriad venues across the city. Our own Lukas Read wrote yesterday about…
Jamie xx at Mohawk: Live Review
I’m glad there’s a market for Jamie xx. There’s certainly risk in the work of the esteemed DJ behind The xx’s electronic soundscapes and beats. It doesn’t offer the emotive depth and traditional instrumentation that…
Mineral Plays First Show in 17 Years
Although I was lucky enough to catch a couple of sets from Mineral spinoff projects after moving to Austin in 2001, I was several years too late to see the quintessential emo band….
Holy Wave Euro-Tour Kickoff Show: Live Review
Holy Wave will be in Europe by the end of the week, kicking off a stint of dates with a show in Sweden at the Oslo Psych Fest. But before leaving, they stopped at…
Versus Project Showcases Local Band Collaboration at Scoot Inn: Live Review
For months, we’ve been telling you about The Versus Project — an ambitious collaboration between some of Austin’s best bands that resulted in the release of a six disc box set of EPs…
Blood, Sweat, and Cheers with Night Beats at Red Bull Sound Select Showcase
More than once, I’ve written about Red Bull Sound Select‘s ability to book killer shows. The corporate-backed music series refuses to stick to one venue, one city, or even one genre. Red Bull…
Sylvan Esso with Dana Buoy at Emo’s: Live Review
In light of Sylvan Esso’s outstanding debut effort as well as the quality repertoire of Akron/Family and member Dana Buoy’s solid new solo recordings, Sunday night’s double-bill at Emo’s stood out as a…
The Mole People Celebrate Lost Age LP Release at Spiderhouse
Lost Age isn’t just the title of The Mole People’s excellent new album, out last week on Punctum Records, it’s a holistic philosophy. The bands–Big Bill, Those Howlings, and The Mole People–that played…
Letting Up Despite Great Faults Release Neon at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Local synthpop dreampscape band Letting Up Despite Great Faults released their third LP Neon this past Saturday at Holy Mountain. Supporting the band and filling out the rest of the superb lineup were Löwin, Whiite…
Vagabond Collective’s Summer Series Finale: Live Review
Last Saturday night, I got my sweat on as I jumped between the indoor and patio stages at Vagabond Collective’s final Summer Nights series at Empire Control Room. Drinks were flowing and the…
The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo) at Mohawk: Live Review
The Both, a collaborative project between accomplished songwriter Aimee Mann and alt-rock hero Ted Leo, brought not only their music but also their A-game stage banter to Mohawk’s outdoor stage last Wednesday night….
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down Make ACL Taping Debut
Following in the Footsteps of longtime collaborator Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down finally made their debut performance at Austin City Limits on Thursday evening. Thao Nguyen confidently…
Seattle Band iji Wows Cheer Up Charlies: Live Review
I met Zach Burba on my recent trip to Seattle at a Lake / Bouquet show at Hollow Earth Radio. When I told Zach I was from Austin, he said he’d be playing…
Matthew Squires Performs Endearing Guitar Pop at Cheer Up Charlies
Although I’ve written about Matthew Squires and listened to his music, I had managed to be occupied during almost every show he’s played until this week at Cheer Up Charlies. As one would…
Yonatan Gat’s Transfixing Show at Seattle’s Sunset Tavern
Yonatan Gat’s set at Seattle’s Sunset Tavern last week was a surprise musical miracle. Gat was a member of underground garage rock band Monotonix from Tel Aviv, Israel. I was clueless about Yonatan…
Wonders in the Hidden Cave of Seattle’s Hollow Earth Radio
A tiny, narrow, urban grotto in Seattle’s Central District, serves as the home for Hollow Earth Radio, a young internet radio station committed to giving voices to underrepresented musical formats and artists, including…
Utopiafest Returns with Great Lineup, Provides Rare Festival Opporunity
I first attended Utopiafest three years ago for their third annual event. I had such a great experience that Pop Press International ponied up to be a sponsor the next year for a…
White Denim Make ACL Taping Debut
Monday night, your PPI correspondent had the privilege of seeing White Denim play the Moody Theater for an ACL taping. More fortuitous was the fact that it was being broadcasted live to the…
Anacortes Unknown 2014 as Magical as Ever
Making the trek from Austin, TX to Anacortes, WA, each July has become an essential pilgrimage for me. Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, hidden in the furthest northern reaches of Washington state,…
A Transcendent Weekend at Timber Outdoor Music Festival
After driving an hour east of Seattle, through beautiful country on highways lined by towering evergreen trees, parking the car, and loading down with the necessary gear for the weekend, we finally arrived…
Ruby the RabbitFoot at the Historic Scoot Inn: Live Review
Opening the night was Dollie Barnes, a four-piece from Waco led by the mighty Haley Barnes whose vocals run to an upper register with control and clarity like few I’ve seen in Austin….
Jad Fair Gets Weird in the Spiderhouse Ballroom
Jad Fair got weird on us Wednesday night, delivering a quick thirty minute set full of non sequiturs in musical form. Fair sang about crushes on Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs,…
Boris at Mohawk: Live Review
Like any guy with a new baby, I found myself walking down Red River just as Boris strummed the first chords of their set. Late for the show. Which meant I’d missed Ceremony,…
Dreamy Jams at the Spiderhouse Ballroom: Live Review
Friday night at the Spiderhouse Ballroom gave us four Texan bands: Dollie Barnes (Waco), Borrisokane (Austin), Chambers (Denton), and RF Shannon (Austin). A mix of dark folk and synthy pop permeated the dimly…
Little Radar, Young Tongue, Black Books at Mohawk: Live Review
Rock and roll is alive in Austin, Texas. Mohawk is the place to catch it. The club offered performances on both indoor and outdoor stages with slightly alternating set times between the two. The…
Peter Matthew Bauer Finds Freedom at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Saturday night, former Walkmen bassist, Peter Matthew Bauer, came to the Holy Mountain with a troupe of psychedelic supporters. The band was an excellent model of strong backing talent. Dirty guitars and a duo of lady…
