A Journey to RF Shannon’s Jaguar Palace
As you cross over the Montopolis Bridge, the last vestiges of Austin’s expanding boundaries dissolve into rolling green hills and farmland. From the edge of the city, it’s just a half-hour journey to Lockhart,…
In Our Natural State at Marfa Myths 2016
In the desert, you can hear yourself think. Maybe this is true of being in nature in general, but the desert seems to provide an unparalleled clarity of thought. And in our infinitely complex, cluttered…
Premiere: Epic Dream Pop Track “Teenage Crime Wave” by Pageantry
Denton, TX dream pop band Pageantry have been honorary members of the Austin music community for a number of years now, as they often make the trek south to perform in the city’s numerous…
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…
Interview: Hikes’ Woodsy Selves Ready for Utopiafest
Yesterday we brought you a Q&A with Austin band Borrisokane. Today, we’re proud to bring you another interview with an artist performing Utopiafest this weekend. Hikes will play tomorrow at 2:15 PM. Band…
Austin Band Borrisokane Talks About Upcoming Utopiafest Performance
Austin’s music scene is diverse to be sure. However, few bands exercise the kind of diversity within their body of work as Austin’s Borrisokane. They’ve been called dream pop, gloom pop, synth pop,…
Dear Someone: I’ve Been Known to Quiche and Tell
Walker Lukens is a musician living and working in Austin, Texas. His latest album is called Devoted. His advice column Dear Someone runs semimonthly on Pop Press International. You can send in your own inquiries by emailing…
Dear Someone: Don Henley, Domesticity, and Hangover Cures
Walker Lukens is a musician living and working in Austin, Texas. His latest album is called Devoted. His advice column Dear Someone runs semimonthly on Pop Press International. You can send in your own inquiries by emailing…
Early to the Party: An Open Letter to the Tallest Man in the Entire Concert Venue
– Karen Early is a comedian and human being living in Austin, TX. She performs and organizes the weekly Megaphone Show on Saturdays at the New Movement Theater. Her column Early to the…
Dear Someone: Elvis, Austin Tourism, and Folkaphobia
Walker Lukens is a musician living and working in Austin, Texas. His latest album is called Devoted. His advice column Dear Someone runs semimonthly on Pop Press International. You can send in your own inquiries by emailing…
Gallery: Our Best Photos from Austin Psych Fest 2014
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International; all rights reserved.. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
Psych Fest Preview: Q&A with Roger Sellers
Austin’s own Roger Sellers is one of a few local bands that will perform this year’s annual Austin Psych Fest. I’m always inspired by how Psych Fest reaches out to local artists as…
Austin Psych Fest Preview: Interview with Medicine
Noise rock band Medicine served as an important force in the American independent rock scene in the 90s, creating austere, imposing rock music akin to lauded band My Bloody Valentine. The group returned…
S. Carey, White Hinterland, & Dana Falconberry at Holy Mountain: Review & Photos
Monday night at Holy Mountain featured a Secretly Canadian double header with SC artist and Bon Iver member S. Carey headlining, and SC sister label Dead Oceans artist White Hinterland offering support. In…
Live Review: Cate Le Bon with Kevin Morby & Love Inks at Mohawk
Cate Le Bon’s music fills me with an excited restlessness–perhaps because the ears process it as initially off kilter, slightly foreign but the heart and brain process it as brilliant, perfect, and definitively…
Exclusive Premiere: New Music From Daniel Francis Doyle
Every day cells within the human body die and are replaced by newer, healthier cells. Each experience we have, joyful or terrible, teaches us something new and valuable about ourselves and the world…
Cass McCombs at The Belmont: Live Review
Hey, we did everything we could to get you our for the Cass McCombs show on Friday night. If you missed it, it’s on you. And if you were worried about the cold…
Photo Gallery: Best Shots From Fun Fun Fun Fest 2013
Fest forever. Do we need a reason to want to just keep on Festing? Fun Fun Fun Fest is a week and a day passed, and we miss it dearly. We’re already looking…
of Montreal at Mohawk: Live Review
Seeing bands perform live music can be rewarding–the subtle differences in arrangement, the inability to dub over and redo, the immediacy, the intimacy. However, more often than not, live performances consist of a…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day Two Featuring Television, Deerhunter, and M.I.A
In the beginning there was the Fest. And the Fest was good. If I haven’t said so yet, Fun Fun Fun Fest not only knows how to put together an amazing lineup but…
The Blow with Love Inks at Red 7: Live Review
For New Year’s Eve 2006, my first blog, Urban Pollution threw a party at the fairly newly opened Mohawk. The bill included A Hawk and a Hacksaw featuring Jeremy Barnes of Neutral Milk…
Weekly Rundown: The Blow, Those Darlins, Grape St., Cut Copy, Arcade Fire, and Moonface
This week’s Weekly Rundown spans more than we could cover. Feel free to take some of the links to stories we almost wrote about in this edition. And good luck deciding between the three…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Spotlight: Interview with Audacity
Fun Fun Fun Fest’s Nites programming has become increasingly substantial over the years and this year will feature artists as notable as Twin Shadow as well as up and coming bands such as…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Spotlight: Q and A with Mark Perro of The Men
The lineup for Fun Fun Fun Fest this year is impeccable. It’s hard to even know which band to be most excited about, but for us, The Men certainly rise to the top…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Spotlight: Interview with The Tontons
We really adore The Tontons. The Houston quartet creates vocally centered indie pop that feels a bit like The Cardigans with more edge and a lot more soul. At the forefront of the…
Neko Case ACL Taping Review
Neko Case embodies not only everything that ACL has come to stand for but also the direction in which the show has been trending in recent years. Case’s particular brand of pristine Americana,…
Balmorhea, Mirror Travel, and Jess Williamson at Mohawk Live Review
Friday’s bill at the Mohawk featured a somewhat unlikely assortment of bands, but within that offered a diverse range of talent from sparse and oddly beautiful to noisily forceful to quiet and serene….
Mikal Cronin with Shannon and the Clams and A Giant Dog Live Review
After falling in love with Mikal Cronin’s newest album MCII a couple months ago, I had been looking forward to his show at the Mohawk since its announcement. When openers Shannon and the…
Interview: Quiet Company Talks About Their Experiences at NXNE
Standing behind Toronto’s famous Horseshoe Tavern, minutes before Quiet Company would take a stage that has hosted performances by The Rolling Stones and Wilco, we were able to talk with them about their…
Interview: Radiation City Talks Musical Influences, Rattlesnakes, and Flat Tires
As soon as Radiation City’s Cameron Spies answers my call, the relaxed Pacific Northwest ethos is immediately apparent. The band is currently travelling across my home state, a good stretch from their own…
FPSF Preview: A Place To Bury Strangers Discusses Desire to Fornicate with Texas
If you’re booking a festival, hell, if you’re booking a show anytime or anywhere, you should consider A Place to Bury Strangers. Few bands making music today come with a more talked about…
FPSF Preview: Interview with The Sour Notes
Before The Sour Notes were one of Austin’s most steadfast acts, some of its members called Houston home. This weekend they’ll return to the HTX for an appearance at FPSF alongside huge acts…
Best Coast at Mohawk with Lovely Bad Things and GALPALS Live Review
Best Coast’s performance at the Mohawk on Sunday night featured a lengthy setlist of upbeat pop songs and solid performances by opening acts. The sold out crowd seemed to agree; concertgoers bordered on…
Photo Gallery: Austin Psych Fest Day 3 with Black Angels and Moving Sidewalks
Full coverage of Austin Psych Fest Day Three will be up tomorrow. For now enjoy our extensive gallery of photos from the third day of the fest. All photos © Bryan Parker and…
Psych Fest Performing Artist Vinyl Williams Breaks Down Psych Music
Vinyl Williams creates psychedelic opuses with elaborate layers and textures. Frontman Lionel Williams has been pretty vocal and philosophical in interviews regarding his production and approach to making music. We reached out to…
SXSW Preview and Interview: Social Studies
Social Studies just about stole the night when they played a recent Austin set with buzz bands like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Foxygen. Their closing song “Terracur” captivated the room as much as…
SXSW Preview & Interview with The Blank Tapes
California’s The Blank Tapes create fuzzy beach hits with just enough grit ad quirk to keep the songs affecting and distinct. The band has garnered a tremendous amount of buzz leading up to…
The Villettes Live at Swan Dive
Go see the Villettes for two reasons: 1) the most beautiful harmonies you’ve ever heard live, and 2) a copious amounts of smile inducing, incredibly endearing giggling emanating from the stage. Having just…
