Marfa Myths Kicks Off Fourth Installment This Week
Since the single day event collaboratively planned by label Mexican Summer and art space Ballroom Marfa back in 204, Marfa Myths has grown with each installation. This weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, the…
Sound on Sound Fest Unveils Phenomenal 2017 Lineup
The best festivals are carefully curated to deliver a diverse, no-fluff lineup, distinct from the regurgitated roster that makes the festival circuit rounds. Sound on Sound Fest launched last year, pulling together a pretty…
FPSF 2016: Mostly Highlights with a Chance of Rain
As a painful introduction, we just learned and feel it vital to with with the news that a festival attendee, Megan Tilton, passed away after leaving the festival in medical transport. For the…
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…
FPSF Announces 2016 Lineup with Headliners Deadmau5, Modest Mouse, The National
We’re firm believers that Houston doesn’t get the recognition it deserves when it comes to its cultural offerings. One staple of the city’s music scene is Free Press Summer Festival, held each year…
Day for Night Festival’s Inaugural Event in Two Weeks
In two weeks’ time, Day for Night Festival will take place in Houston, TX on December 19 & 20, featuring headliners such as Kendrick Lamar, New Order, Philip Glass Ensemble, and Death Grips…
Anacortes’ Annual Music Event Set for This Weekend
Anacortes, WA is a magical place. And if you’re the sort of person that delights in an intimate musical experience unfettered by the commercial onslaught of modern day festivals or even your city’s…
Photo Gallery: Our Best Photos from FPSF 2015
Yesterday, we brought you our weekend highlights from the outstanding 2015 installation of Houston’s FPSF. Check out a gallery of our favorite photos from the weekend below. All photographs © Bryan C. Parker…
Hometown Pride and Festival Highlights at FPSF 2015
As soon as I glimpsed the FPSF 2015 lineup, I couldn’t wait for the festival to arrive. Over the years, FPSF has continued and furthered their commitment to two important categories of bands:…
Reasons We’re Starting Our Summer with FPSF Again
To be honest, you had me at Future Islands, FPSF. I can’t figure out why other texas festivals haven’t booked the band, who have garnered spots on major festivals across the country. Future…
Why Levitation (Née Psych Fest) Deserves Your Attention
This weekend, Levitation (originally dubbed Austin Psych Fest) will take over Carson Creek Ranch for a three-day festival of some of psych rock’s most lauded bands from up-and-coming must-see acts like Fat White…
Swoon-Worthy Aisha Burns Plays the ATX 6 SXSW Showcase
As part of a project called the ATX 6, six musicians were hand-picked from the abundance of Austin artists and fully financed by the city to play 2014’s NXNE. This original attempt to infuse the…
The Ceremonial Torch of SXSW’s Inaugural Night of Music
Last week, a scan of a SXSW ad from 1989 (the festival’s third year in existence) popped up on my Facebook timeline. The ad boasted over two dozen venues and more than a hundred…
Marfa Myths Festival Plans Legendary Weekend March 13-15
As adventurous Texans, we’ve been Marfa fans for some time, from personal vacations to clear our cluttered minds and experience one of modern art’s precious treasures to valuing the town’s burgeoning contributions to…
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…
Stories of Three Portraits at Fun Fun Fun Fest
After watching Dana Falconberry’s transcendent early afternoon set on the first day of Fun Fun Fun Fest, I found myself hanging around with her and her publicist, both of whom I consider friends,…
A Nite with Majical Cloudz at Cheer Up Charlie’s
I love Majical Cloudz for all the reasons I’ve outlined before. And the band is just getting better. Fresh off a string of tour dates with Lorde, the duo appeared more confident than ever…
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,…
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…
Six Bands You Can’t Miss at FFF + All Our Festival Previews Linked in This Post
We’re killing all the birds with one stone. Today, the fest is upon us. To celebrate and send you off with the knowledge you need, we’re bringing you a list of six bands you…
Seven You Might Miss at Fun Fun Fun Fest
One of the benefits of music festivals is getting to see a bunch of bands you’ve never seen in such a short time frame. Which is why I’m always shocked by the fact…
Stream Our Fun Fun Fun Fest Playlist Featuring Must-see Artists
Fun Fun Fun Fest starts a week from today! Rest assured, we’ll have plenty of previews for you in the coming days spotlighting the aspects of the festival we’re most looking forward to. Until…
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…
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…
Eleven Bands You Shouldn’t Miss at Weekend One of ACL
Do you really need to be told to see Outkast? Do we have to explain that Scotland’s Belle and Sebastian don’t make the trip across the pond much? Have you heard of Eminem?…
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…
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…
Inaugural Stargayzer Fest This Weekend in Austin
This weekend begins the first ever Stargayzer Festival, held at the east sides infamous Pine Street Station. A spectacular line-up of a 100+ artists representing the LGBTQIA community will fill out the weekend…
Cool Off At Float Fest This Sunday
I love new ideas. The creators of Float Fest are giving you an opportunity to experience music in tandem with cooling off while floating the river. If you’re going to have a music…
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…
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…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Reveals Daily Lineups, 1-Day Passes On Sale Now
I have no idea what human powers of decision would allow an individual to choose between these three days of fest. The lineup is so killer for every day. I suppose I could…
Kanye West, Flaming Lips, & Extreme Sports at X-Games Austin
In its 20th year of existence and first of four years in Austin, the summer X-Games, hosted last weekend at Circuit of the Americas, triumphed as a diverse and rare weekend of entertainment….
FPSF Highlights from a Former Houstonian
Editor’s note: this year, Austin-based music blog Pop Press International is so lucky to showcase not one but two different articles from the perspective of native Houstonians. Read on for these highlights from…
We Went to X-Games Austin and Had a Blast
After three hot, sweaty, fun-filled days out at Circuit of the America’s for the first installment of what will be at least four years of summer X-Games in Austin, TX, we’re swimming in content….
FPSF Day 2 Recap Featuring Sylvan Esso, Tune-Yards, and Lauryn Hill
The second day of FPSF 2014 dawned with less chance of rain but warmer temperatures. Often, I find the most rewarding festival experiences happen early in the day. The crowds are thinner, the…
FPSF Day 1 Recap Featuring Childish Gambino, Vampire Weekend, and Rain
Considering that all of Eleanor Tinsley Park was evacuated around 2:00 PM preceding some heavy rain in Houston’s downtown area, the first day of FPSF 2014 still proved enjoyable, boasting many outstanding performances….
Harvest Records Announces Killer Lineup for 10th Anniversary
Harvest Records, the Ashville, NC based record store as opposed to the label home of Morrissey and Glass Animals, will celebrate 10 years of existence this summer. For a record store in an off-the-beaten-path…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Releases Outstanding 2014 Lineup
Fun Fun Fun Fest always restores my faith in humanity. Friends are constantly telling me that in today’s culture, organizations have two linked goals: to become as large as possible and to rake…
FYF Fest Releases Schedule featuring The Strokes & Phoenix
It feels increasingly like the appeal of the mega festival is waning and the popularity of the medium to micro-fest is on the rise. Festivals like Fun Fun Fun Fest, Riot Fest, and…
Five Reasons to Get to Psych Fest Early Today
We hereby decree that Austin, as the Live Music Capital of the World, must uphold the sacredness of the festival by allowing any employee to leave work two to three hours early on any…
Punctum Records Announces Lost Weekend in NYC
We’ve been praising the work Punctum Records has been doing since their inception. Although they have worked extensively with Austin artists, the label’s origins tie back to the Punctum Books imprint, rooted in Brooklyn. During…
Five Reasons to Kick-off Your Summer with FPSF
– 1. The Lineup Year after year, I’m impressed by FPSF’s lineup. This festival, along with Austin Psych Fest and Fun Fun Fun Fest, possess some of the remaining shreds of authenticity in…
11 Bands You Should See At Austin Psych Fest
This baby goes to 11. I think we’ve made that joke before, but with a festival as high-energy as Austin Psych Fest is sure to be, the reference seems apt. Austin Psych Fest…
Our Best Live Photos from Buku 2014
We had a blast in New Orleans at Buku Music + Art Project, a young festival that has begun to transcend its roots as an EDM festival and branch out to include a…
The 5 Best Moments at Buku 2014
If our two articles recapping Buku 2014 were simply too much to sort through, we’re bringing you an abbreviated list of our five favorite moments from the young New Orleans festival. 1) The…
Buku Music + Art Project Day 1 Recap
When Buku announced their initial lineup featuring The Flaming Lips, Nas, Sleigh Bells, Generationals, Chance the Rapper, and Dan Deacon, I was immediately on board. The festival has taken further steps to fuse…
Sasquatch! Tickets for Two Weekend Festival On Sale Now
I’ve been wanting to go to Sasquatch! for years. One of my best friends lives in Seattle and even covered the event for my first blog, Urban Pollution one year. But I’ve watched…
Austin Psych Fest Makes Incredible Lineup Even More Incredible
Remember when we posted Austin Psych Fest’s initial 2014 lineup and were so flabbergasted at its greatness we almost couldn’t communicate it? Remember when Austin Psych Fest announced a second wave of performing…
New Orleans’ Buku Festival Adds Nas, Sleigh Bells, and More to Lineup
We’re pumped about New Orleans’ relatively young music and arts festival, Buku, and told you as much late last year when the incredible lineup was announced, including The Flaming Lips, Explosions in the…
Austin Psych Fest Announces Killer Lineup
You know how sometimes a festival announces a lineup and there are a couple of good bands and you want to see them and then some of the other bands aren’t as interesting…
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…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day One Coverage Featuring Kurt Vile, Johnny Marr, and Snoop Dogg
And then the fest was upon us. We ran almost thirty posts leading up to Fun Fun Fun Fest 2013, and we still couldn’t have prepared you for every moment of awesomeness that…
SXSW Announces Sampling of 2014 Musical Artists
SXSW is the greatest music festival on the planet. And I don’t care what anybody says. While it presents some overcrowding in small venues, it also affords the ability to see artists in…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Offers to Buy Your Next Record
As if the deal weren’t sweet enough already, Fun Fun Fun Fest has offered to buy your next album. It seem almost unfathomable to me. These are the same people that will bring…
Trans-Pecos Music Festival Prepares for 8th Annual Event in Marfa, TX
Who can keep track of music festivals these days? It seems that on any weekend now, one can find a solid lineup for a festival somewhere. However, those that distinguish themselves by theme,…
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…
Free Press Summer Fest Returns with Killer Lineup, Stream Tracks from Performing Artists
In response to Austin’s enormous SXSW, Austin City Limits, and Fun Fun Fun festivals, Houston is carving out a name for itself by hosting its own outstanding festival in the heart of downtown….
Austin Psych Fest Commences Next Month with Stellar Lineup
The Black Angels, Deerhunter, Clinic, Os Mutantes, White Fence, DIIV, Tamaryn, and Besnard Lakes are just a few of the names that occupy the extensive and excellent lineup Austin Psych Fest has in…
