Premiere: The Dan Ryan Covers Bowie’s “In the Heat of the Morning”
Far out on the West Coast, a small cadre of music lovers called Cosmic Dreamer Music are issuing outstanding work from a select group of forward thinking artists. Artists like RF Shannon meld…
The Weather Station Plays Antone’s Saturday Feb. 17
The deluge of quality music to experience seems continually increase. But the number of albums I come back to again and again, those that live on the turntable for weeks still hovers around…
Big Thief Ready to Steal Your Spine Tomorrow Night at Mohawk
In Lectures on Literature, Vladmir Nabokov constructs an extended metaphor for a method of reading that elicits the most value from a text. He says, essentially, that we should read with a reserved judgement…
Phoebe Bridgers Signs to Dead Oceans; Hear “Smoke Signals” Now
A few weeks ago when we saw Conor Oberst at the Moody Theater, we were impressed by the restrained yet powerful songwriting and excellent vocal abilities of opener Phoebe Bridgers. Which is why we…
Conor Oberst in Top Form at ACL Live
If I’m honest: happy people bother me a little. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about focusing on the positives to keep yourself from spiraling headlong into depression. But it does seem like if…
Conor Oberst Gives Old Songs New Life at ACL Live This Friday
With his newest album, Salutations, Conor Oberst finished what he started. The songs on last year’s Ruminations, written and recorded solo, were always intended to be fully arranged works played with a band, a goal finally…
Hear Moses Nesh’s Folky “Bound to Ride” From Album Due Friday
Bouncing, finger-picked guitar with a steady downbeat provides the backbone for Moses Nesh’s “Bound to Ride,” a track from the songwriter’s new album, No Labor-Saving Machine, set for release Friday on Keeled Scales Records. Nesh’s…
Show Review: Julia Lucille Celebrates Release of Chthonic
Last Friday, songwriter Julia Lucille celebrated the release of her excellent new album Chthonic at Mohawk, supported by a solid bill of openers, Jordan Moser and Lomelda. Navigating song structures and lyrics evocative of…
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,…
Adam Torres Celebrates EP Release at Cactus Cafe Saturday, February 25
Following up last year’s critically acclaimed, widely beloved, and long awaited album Pearls to Swine, songwriter Adam Torres is already back with a new EP, I Came to Sing the Song, out today on Fat…
Q&A: Molly Burch Talks Travel Ahead of Single Release Show Tonight
Tonight, Molly Burch celebrates the release of a brand new 7″ single at Barracuda, supported by Cowboy Crisis, Hidden Rituatl, and Jesse Woods & RF Shannon. In the spirit of Austin music true…
Molly Burch Celebrates “Downhearted” Wednesday, October 5th at Barracuda
Though the mood of Molly Burch’s slinky, somber new single may be a bit downhearted, we’re anything but. On the contrary, we’re ecstatic about the upcoming release of Burch’s 7-inch single, “Downhearted,” via Captured…
Adam Torres Furthers Music Legacy of Cactus Cafe
Steeped in songwriter history, the Cactus Cafe has hosted performances from greats like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Loudon Wainwright III. Only two albums into a career, Adam Torres may have a…
Joanna Newsom Plays ACL Live Wednesday, September 7
Touring behind her most recent album Divers, the latest addition to a masterful oeuvre, Joanna Newsom stops in Austin at ACL Live next Wednesday, September 7. From the early days of harp-pop songs on Milk-Eyed Mender to…
Real Live Tigers Share Video Ahead of Tour
I met Tony Presley, the creative force behind Real Live Tigers, at a house show circa 2004. Since then, Tony has moved away and back to Austin, spending some time in Fayetteville, AR and…
Backstage at Dana Falconberry’s Stunning, Theatrical Album Release Show
If you attended Dana Falconberry’s release show for her new album, From the Forest Came the Fire, at the Stateside Theater last Saturday, you experienced an incredible display of artistry, in terms of both…
Watch Real Live Tigers’ Dusky Video for “Denatured”
Relying on shadowy, backlit shots of songwriter Tony Presley wandering through Waller Creek’s dry bed filmed by Mike Ozmun and early 20th century archival footage from the Library of Congress, Real Live Tigers’…
Dana Falconberry Celebrates Album Release at Stateside Theater Saturday
I’ve written about Dana Falconberry a lot here at Pop Press International, and I continue to believe she’s one of Austin’s best musical artists. I’m proud to say I was able to share some thoughts…
Interview: The Weather Station’s Tamara Lindeman Talks Landscapes External and Internal
Before I saw The Weather Station last month in Austin, I had been listening to the band’s newest album, Loyalty, on repeat for weeks. The Weather Station is the project of Tamara Lindeman,…
Rising Folk Stars The Weather Station Plays Parish Tonight
Frequently, modern indie folk bands receive praise for taking listeners back to a lost era. Some of the most popular bands in the genre have become so merely by approximating the aesthetics of…
Unlocking the Spirit: Father John Misty Live at Stubb’s
Who knew the wonders of the human spirit that would be unleashed by a months-long psychedelics binge outside of L.A.? After Josh Tillman left behind a lengthy series of somber, experimental folk songs…
Adam Torres Gives Old Songs New Life at Cactus Café
For his show last Thursday at the Cactus Café on the University of Texas campus, songwriter Adam Torres revived a number of older tunes to celebrate the re-release of his underground gem Nostra…
Claire Morales Finds an Amaranthine Perspective
The Historic Scoot Inn played host Friday night to a great selection of bands spanning a north-south channel from Oklahoma through Texas. Celebrating was Claire Morales as she released her debut full-length LP…
Misra Records to Reissue Music from Adam Torres
Misra Records represents just one of the many hard-working, under appreciated independent music labels toiling away to bring outstanding music to a small but attentive fraction of the world. The label has released…
Mesmerized by Dana Falconberry & Adam Torres at Cactus Cafe: Live Review
I’ve said it so many times before, I’m running of ways to explain Dana Falconberry’s transcendent shows. Saturday night at the Cactus Cafe yielded yet another phenomenal performance from this experimental folk act….
Song Premiere: The Lonesome Heroes – “Long Time Coming”
Cosmic folk band The Lonesome Heroes are an Austin institution. Though they’ve made plenty of appearances alongside popular indie-rock bands on some of Austin’s most distinguished stages, their real claims to fame have…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Show Preview: Christian Lee Hutson at Holy Mountain Tonight
Solid sonic textures, a dash of grit, and embellishments such as faraway whistles and multi-tracked vocals make Christian Lee Hutson’s song “Ghost to Coast” convincing and endearing. The song feels like Wilco at…
Watch: Patch – “Who Will I Dream?”
Built on accordion, tambourine, and acoustic guitars, Austin band Patch’s song “Who Will I Dream?” is a boozy, late-night, lover’s lament. The song’s narrator pines the departure of a loved one, ensuring us that…
Tinnarose Preps LP; Plays Stubb’s Saturday
Austin folk pop band Tinnarose will release their new eponymous LP next Tuesdeay via Nine Mile Records. The band creates layered folk pop that employs both sunny riffs and crunchy guitar tones while…
Hiss Golden Messenger’s “Lucia”
Here’s Hiss Golden Messenger’s new video for “Lucia,” a quiet solo acoustic take on a summer jam which debuted yesterday and will appear on HGM’s forthcoming fifth album, Lateness of Dancers. The album will be…
Haunting Songstress Marissa Nadler Plays Holy Mountain Sunday: Show Preview
Marissa Nadler’s voice captivates upon first listen with its ethereal ghostliness and rich timbre. The Massachusetts-based musician writes songs that recall Leonard Cohen’s aching and melancholic sensibilities. Often, her arrangements have the ability…
Portland’s Cars & Trains Release New EP
Portland band Cars & Trains just released a new EP, “The Moon and the Earth,” comprised of three somber pop tunes created with acoustic guitars, synths, and toy instruments. The group’s folk and…
Jess Williamson & RF Shannon Celebrate Split 7″ at Cheer Up Charlies
We’ve been singing the praises of these players for months now. Punctum Records managed to get two of Austin’s best artists on a record together. Last week, the label released a split 7″…
Hikes Celebrates New EP with Epic Cheer Up Charlies Show
Hikes is one of Austin’s most exciting young bands. Their distinct blend of folk, math rock, and whimsical joy places them in a category of their own in this city’s robust music scene. As…
Castanets Return with Excellent New Song, “Out For The West”
The early 200os rise of indie folk shaped what music I fell in love with during my formative years of discovering independent music. Among those artists was Raymond Raposa’s project Castanets. I listened to…
El Campo Celebrates New 7″ Tonight at Cheer Up Charlies
Rollicking folk has increased in popularity drastically over the last decade. Many bands do it, but El Campo is among the best. The group channels the energy of early Okkervil River and the melodies…
New Track: The Rosebuds – “In My Teeth”
The Rosebuds have announced the followup to their last release of original material, the Christmas themed album Christmas Tree Island. Western Vinyl will release Sand + Silence on August 5th. The new track features mellow…
Hear New Music from Southern Boutique (Members of Tiger Waves)
I’ve been sitting on this news a while, as the band themselves weren’t totally sure what would happen to Tiger Waves. After all, the group managed to work their way into a great…
Tom Brosseau at the Stateside Theater: Live Review
Tom Brosseau is an authentic folk troubadour. Austin’s Stateside Theater was something of a time machine on Wednesday night, and if you were inside, Brosseau served as your captain, transporting you to an…
Album Review: Sharon Van Etten – Are We There (Pop Press Pick)
An ethereal haunting. A beautiful ache. Broken love and scars that smile. Life is no black and white analysis, but is made up of a complex series of contradictory feelings all competing to…
Loamlands Share “Another Reason” Ahead of New EP
June 10th will bring the release of Loamlands new EP Some Kind of Light via Trekky Records. Today, the band shared “Another Reason,” a track from that forthcoming effort. Gently distorted guitar rings…
Hear Hiss Golden Messenger’s “Brother, Do You Know the Road?”
Although this track dropped last week, I haven’t seen it posted on nearly enough outlets. Hiss Golden Messenger’s “Brother, Do You Know the Road?” is a stand-alone single out now and available on…
Dana Falconberry, RF Shannon, & Devon Sproule at Stubb’s: Live Review
I’ve seen Dana Falconberry dozens of times, and sung her praises just as many. However, I never get tired of watching her perform her haunting and gorgeous, forward-thinking folk music live. She and her band…
Album Review: Bobby Bare, Jr. – Undefeated
Undefeated, Bobby Bare Jr.’s fourth album with his Young Criminals’ Starvation League, anchors him ever deeper into the soil of American music. Channeling decades of influence from his own father to the hollows…
Hear A Lo-Fi Country Ballad from Austin Leonard Jones
Los Angeles-based songwriter Austin Leonard Jones hails from Texas, and his music serves as evidence that his heart never really left. The songs recall mellow Byrds material as they drift by like some…
Punctum Records to Release Jess Williamson, RF Shannon Split 7″
I’m not sure a week can go by without us writing about Punctum Records. The label continues to be Austin’s most active label despite their youth. With some insider knowledge of their upcoming…
Jordan Moser Signs to Punctum Records, Plans Album Release Show
Punctum Records has been a busy label since its inception. We’ve written about the young Austin/Brooklyn based imprint several times in relationship to their releasing of material by Shivery Shakes, RF Shannon, and…
Album Review: RF Shannon – Hunting Songs (Pop Press Pick)
RF Shannon must’ve been born at some pre-dawn hour—those long, slow hours where minutes tick away like lingering drips from a leaky faucet. The Texas air is thick and humid. The roar of…
Album Review: Withered Hand – New Gods
Looking at the expansive horizon of electronic music that dominates popular music with seemingly endless references to decades and trends that spiral into a feedback loop of self-referential bologna, artists like Withered Hand,…
Damien Jurado Performs Intimate Solo Set at Red 7: Live Review
Although Damien Jurado’s newest record features layers of lush, dense instrumentation, his set at Red 7 last night treated long-time fans to an incredibly intimate solo set. Jurado played alone with an acoustic…
Hello Wheels, El Campo, and RF Shannon Play Attendance Records Benefit: Live Review
Austin nonprofit organization Attendance Records does the important work of teaching high school students about music, its industry and its creation. This includes everything from album artwork to songwriting to recording. With ever…
Album Review: The Men – Tomorrow’s Hits (Pop Press Pick)
Unlike other varieties of bears, polar bears are nomadic, moving from food source to food source, forsaking territory in favor of satiating their appetite. The Men are like that, and they still aren’t…
Jess Williamson Shares Video for “Spin the Wheel”
Jess Williamson is having a great week. She’s just returned from a West Coast tour, and yeseterday, the songwriter not only released a new video for her song “Spin the Wheel” from her…
Album Review: Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Pop Press Pick)
I had no idea that the points of reference for Burn Your Fire For No Witness, the new album from Angel Olsen, would be Patsy Cline and Leonard Cohen. Simply put: I had no…
Show Preview: Young Girls, Reservations, Shivery Shakes at Lambert’s
So you came out of hibernation for Neutral Milk Hotel and realized how great live music is. You love that you live in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” but secretly harbor…
Stone Jack Jones Shares Transcendent Track “Joy” feat. Patty Griffin
Despite the fact that he’s been kicking around music since the 80s, playing everything from rock music in Atlanta to folk music in Nashville, Stone Jack Jones is likely a foreign name to…
Album Review: Damien Jurado – Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son (Pop Press Pick)
Damien Jurado’s new album Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, out earlier this month on Secretly Canadian, is a complex folk fever dream of an album—mysterious, dense, magical. I have fallen desperately…
Album Review: Jess Williamson – Native State (Pop Press Pick)
Austin songstress Jess Williamson has been saving up Native State for a while, and the results are rewarding. Be assured: this is not a record of pop gems; this is not an attempt…
Show Preview: Cass McCombs Plays The Belmont Friday November 22nd
Cass McCombs is one of independent musics most underrated songwriters. Furthering his catalogue of reflective, somber pop that channels rock and Americana through diverse production styles, McCombs issued the expansive and excellent 22-track…
Album Review: Cass McCombs – Big Wheel and Others
Cass McCombs has created music that ranges from odd, reverb laden rock, PREfection’s “Subtraction” and “Equinox,” to somber folk, A’s “Gee It’s Good To Be Back Home,” to ethereal pop, Wit’s End’s “County Line.” Most recently,…
Kendl Winter Shares New Video for “Rosie”
Earlier this month, banjo plucking folk songstress Kendl Winter released her new album It Can Be Done on stalwart imprint K Records. Yesterday Winter released a video for album track “Rosie.” The video features…
Album Review: Scout Niblett – It’s Up to Emma
Scout Niblett’s newest effort It’s Up To Emma, out now on Drag City, presents a collection of raw, sparse, and eerie electric folk songs that sprawl out in moody tendrils. For those unfamiliar…
Live Review: Joanna Barbera Album Release with The Couch at Holy Mountain
We were on double duty in Austin’s busy music scene last Thursday night, and after a great Mikal Cronin show at Mohawk, we almost jogged down to Holy Mountain to see Joanna Barbera’s…
Justin Vernon’s Chigliak Records Releases Sarah Siskind’s Covered
I didn’t know Justin Vernon curated a label until today. And if you didn’t either, now you do. Chigliak Records will issue their second release, Sarah Siskind’s 2003 debut record Covered. Of the album, Vernon…
Scout Niblett Announces Tour, New Album Out This Week
As a follow up to her new album It’s Up to Emma, released this week on Drag City Records, Scout Niblett has announced a string of stateside dates to follow a series of performances…
Show Preview: Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk with The Villettes and Jess Williamson
Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk will bring their folk pop to the Mohawk for a mid-week show, Tuesday May 21st, with Austin folk songstresses The Villettes and Jess Williamson. We decided…
Scout Niblett Shares “Gun” Video Ahead of Upcoming LP
Scout Niblett will release “It’s Up To Emma” on May 21st on the Drag City imprint. “Gun” is the opening cut from the album, featuring sparse and haunting guitar and vocals. Whimsical and…
Lumineers with Shovels and Rope ACL Taping
Austin City Limits has deep roots in folk and country music, and its earliest tapings included artists such as Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Townes Van Zandt. As folk music has…
Reservations EP Release Show with Grace Park & the Deer and Hello Caller
Reservations, the project of frontwoman Jana Horn, celebrated the release of its first EP at the Mohawk on Saturday night with a little help from friends Hello Caller and Grace Park and the…
EP Review: Annie Dressner – East Twenties
Annie Dressner is a former NYC resident now living in the UK. Dressner self-released her new EP East Twenties this week, giving the world four more of her straightforward, confessional folk songs. The…
Video: Leah Nobel – “Ride the Butterfly”
Austin songstress Leah Nobel has released a video for the title track from her new EP, Ride the Butterfly. Nobel’s music revolves around her impeccable voice as she weaves delicate and beautiful folk…
Walker Lukens Album Release Show at ND w/ Good Field
Recently relocating from New York to Austin, Walker Lukens has a few EPs and albums under his belt, but his new effort Devoted feels like he’s taking his game to the next level….
Album Review: Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Pop Press Pick)
Kurt Vile’s last effort Smoke Ring for my Halo received universal acclaim and was hailed as one of the best albums of the year. His newest album Wakin On A Pretty Daze expands…
Last Good Tooth Sign to Team Love, Announce Album, Share Track
Today brings a slew of news for young indie-folk band Last Good Tooth. The New York-based band has signed to Team Love records for the release of their debut album Not Without Work and…
New Track: Joanna Barbera – “Tempt Me”
Joanna Barbera creates smoky folk rock in the vein of Sharon Van Etten and Neko Case. As a follow up to last year’s debut Carnival Beginning, Barbera will be releasing her sophomore album Forget this…
Album Review: Phosphorescent – Muchacho (Pop Press Pick)
The sun peeks over the desert horizon with soft yellow blinks and floods a tiny Mexican bar where a disheveled drunk sways, shirttails untucked, shuffling on a concrete floor, mumbling a mournful and…
Interview and SXSW Preview: Dana Falconberry Talks Tour Slop
If you’ve read this blog much in the past year, it would be hard for us to conceal the fact that we love Dana Falconberry. Leelanau, her most recent effort, was an outstanding record not…
Album Review: The Cave Singers – Naomi
On their fourth studio album (second for label Jagjaguwar), The Cave Singers move in new directions not just from preceding albums but from much of indie music as a whole. The songs that…
Album Review: Good Field – Good Field
Good Field’s self-titled debut consists of 11 songs of tight indie-pop that integrates folk, psych, and pop without feeling pigeonholed. God, it feels good to see a band just doing everything well without…
Album Review: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – Ripley Pine
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper is the moniker for songwriter Aly Spaltro, whose debut full-length Ripley Pine inspires me. Essentially, it’s the fulfillment of the American dream: if you work hard and believe in yourself anything…
Album Review: Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound of God
After a couple of prolific decades and involvement in collaborative projects like Monsters of Folk and the New Multitudes Woody Guthrie album last year, it seemed almost impossible that My Morning Jacket frontman…
Album Review: Widowspeak – Almanac
Captured Tracks Records and the city of Brooklyn, NY that it calls home have become increasingly reliable in terms of churning out quality indie artists. This week, one of those artists, psych-folk group…
Album Review: Holopaw – Academy Songs Vol 1
Distant, rapid-fire snares echo with warehouse reverb as distorted electric guitars ring out. This is hardly what I expected from Holopaw, but I’m drawn to it at once. I remember Holopaw as a…
R.I.P. Doc Watson
North Carolina folk legend Arthel “Doc” Watson has passed away at the age of 89 after a fall. Watson had a vast knowledge of traditional American music and, in 1988, founded Merlefest- an…
