Show review: CHROMEO at Stubb's.

But, before we get down to business.

Thank you kind, insightful, WISE readers of this blog who commented on yesterday's post. I knew I was taking a risk being a little more soul baring than usual, and I appreciate you being so cool (and encouraging) about it. Your words prompted me to leave a "response" comment so long, that Blogger wouldn't even accept it!  Haha. It was over the character limit, and trust me, they give you a lot of characters.

Well today, Austin Concerts Examiner Greg Ackerman guest posts on Austin Eavesdropper, with a review of Chromeo's and Holy Ghost's show at Stubb's last Tuesday. Enjoy his write-up. Thanks so much Greg for doing this!

photo: Marin Heard

from greg ackerman:

When I received an email saying an Examiner writer had already beaten me to the request for credentials for Chromeo and Holy Ghost at Stubb's BBQ on Tuesday I was momentarily stymied. But the PR contact thankfully asked if I had another outlet to publish to. Oh boy, did I! I frantically typed messages on every freaking social media platform and email address I have for Tolly Moseley and requested to submit a guest post for Austin Eavesdropper.

Secretly I've been wanting to write a post for Eavesdropper for months, but the right opportunity never presented itself until now. The subject is perfect, a dance party galore at featuring one of the hottest dance-pop acts on tour currently, Chromeo. The Montreal duo killed it Tuesday evening at Stubb's as the enthusiastic crowd chanted , "Chromeo Oh, oh" periodically throughout the performance. Even in the sweltering heat, fans danced as well as they could as people crowded in front of the stage.

photo: Marin Heard

Chromeo has developed their own presence on stage. As one would imagine, they keep it light-hearted, which makes for a fun evening for fans.

Holy Ghost was equally entertaining but more in a New Order, old-school, Michael Jackson kind of way. It was still pretty hot when HG took the stage. The crowd was attentive, but not moving much even though the band was going for it with energy. Their music fits the DFA label they share with LCD Soundsystem. There is an underlying edge to the music that sounds and feels punk. I'm looking forward to see the band headline a show after seeing two opener performances. They're THAT good.

Holy Ghost! interview @ The Palladium, LA from TIGER TIGER on Vimeo.

Special thanks to Marin Heard for supplying photographs and to Tolly Mosely for graciously accepting my offer.

Connect with Greg Ackerman here.

TONIGHT: Zombie jazz in Austin.

Hi all!

Megan joins us again today for an interview. With LADY. F-ING. GAGA.

I'm just kidding. World, meet Father Figures, a "zombie jazz" band playing this weekend in Austin.

Now people, have you ever been to The Elephant Room on Congress? Well, this post has nothing to do with The Elephant Room, or Congress, but since we're about to discuss jazz I feel the need to inform Austin's hipster contingent about this (literally) underground den of thrills. It was where Ross and I went on our very first "friend date," followed a few days after that by our first PROPER date. And here I am referring to Team America.

Anyway, this is all to say I'm really happy that a hip little Brooklyn band is bringing jazz to Red River's strip of beer-soaked, tight-panted, SXSW-tred music venues. Here's Megan with a little some-in' some-in' from Father Figures, and hopefully, you'll be as pleased as I am that parts of this interview are kind of hilarious.

From Megan: 

Last January, some merry pranksters hacked into the City of Austin’s electronic road signs so that commuters would read “Zombies ahead! Run” when driving to work. When I first read that story, I was secretly delighted -- even beaming like a proud parent, as being a resident of Austin automatically grants you the right to take credit for any and all of its Awesomeness.

In the same vein, Brooklyn is like a sister city to Austin, and I feel a sense of kinship whenever her eclectic talent makes its way to Austin. When I heard about ‘zombie jazz’ by the Brooklyn-based band Father Figures, I had to hear them for myself.

Since they swing into town tonight for their Austin tour stop (details at the bottom), the fine young men of Father Figures (Adam Schatz, Jas Walton, Ross Edwards, Spencer Zahn and Ian Chang) took the time to answer some of my pressing questions. Check out our conversation below, and see you tonight at the show.

The song “Flight of the Tumbleweed” charms me, and it’s not just because I own cowboy boots. Did you write this song just for me?

Yes we did. It's a combination of our affinity for really awful plays on words and brief compositions that motivate improvisation in fun ways.

Did that answer your question?

For now. Moving on…you’re neither zombies nor is your music entirely jazz. Discuss.

Well, to be fair, you don't know that we're not zombies. I'm pretty sure we aren't. (Though we could turn at any moment.) The genre ‘zombie jazz’ represents our music stemming from jazz's history of strong melody and improvisation, and combines it with a zombie's instinctual and often destructive energy and motivation. It's a little ambiguous, but I think we've been growing into the term, and when we explain this to people after we play, it seems to make more sense.

Austin might be known as the live music capital of the world, but almost every band out of Brooklyn proves it has a fair share of eclectic talent. How does your band stand out?

We're bringing improvisation to the rock clubs. Not solos, not free jazz, but improvisation; where the band collectively composes together, pushes one other with our sounds, ideas, and, occasionally pre-determined improvisational cues. We weave from our composed music in and out of the improvised, without it being totally clear as to which is which, creating a new plane of sonic spectacle. It's been a blast to bring our music to spaces that have been presenting rock bands and use the energy of the space to help make our music for different people in each city.

How do you plan to conquer Austin when you play on July 31st?

We're ALSO playing on July 30th! At Headhunters. 10 pm. How about that??

Also, Jas says: “Artillary first. Then we send in the calvalry. Then the infantry. Then the saxophone section.”

Also, Ross says: “We'll convince the Austinites to conquer themselves.”

But I think we'll just eat all of your breakfast tacos.

What do you hope the immediate future holds for Father Figures, aside from breakfast tacos, tequila, and Barton Springs?

Barton Springs! Let me add that to the list.

This was our first major tour, and we've just released our first record, a vinyl double LP on Museum People records, a label I started with a fellow in Japan (order it at www.museum-people.com). It's the dawning of a new era for us for sure. The uphill battle we face is getting folks in the DIY rock world to let us in, even though we have saxophones and stuff.

We always work better with other rock bands than with other instrumental groups, so the next step is to try and get an open-minded booking agent and record label interested in what we're doing, to help push us further into that scene. Folks are definitely ready, so we'll see what happens, but no matter what,we're just going to keep playing and having a blast doing it. We're also going to start work on a new record in the fall.

FATHER FIGURES in Austin

Friday, July 30th at Headhunters, 10 pm

Saturday, July 31st at Club 1808 with No Mas Bodas and Plutonium Farmers, 8 pm

So much fun tonight it's ridiculous.

But first of all. Did I tell you I met one of The Happen-In's this week? Like, two days after blogging about them?

Of course, it had to be the day I left the house looking like a HOT MESS. We're talking unwashed, gargantuan hair, zero make-up, beyond frightening.  I had just dashed out of the house that day to go to Uptown Modern, that vintage furniture store on Burnet, to snag this sweet green love seat I spied the day before. Which is where he works, apparently.

This was our conversation.

"Hi!!!!! Are you in The Happen-Ins?"

"... yes?"

"Oh! Wow! HEY! I really love your music. I heard it on the radio, then I posted about it, and I'm coming to the show on FRIDAY!"

"... that's cool ..."

"YEAH! Totally!"

"..."

"Ok, awesome!  Well.  See ya!!" (accompanied by large good-bye wave, even though he's literally standing right in from of me)

Haha. Seriously, what a dork right? It was right after this exchange that I saw a mirror. And unfortunately, my reflection.

I'm sorry if I scared you, Happen-Ins guy.

Anyway, about that show tonight.

The Happen-Ins and many others are playing at the Pixel Pop party this evening, where there is so much going on! Music, a fashion show, art, a comic book-themed photo booth. Who has two thumbs and is going to Mohawk tonight? This girl.

Adi Anand (From the Mind of Adi), Candace Carlisle (Electric Promotions) and Team Fabrication are the collective brains behind this event. Candace never ceases to amaze me in the parties she puts together.

There is also a different show tonight, starting a little earlier, at the Hole in the Wall. It features a few of my favorite local bands, including The Great Nostalgic!

details: 

hole in the wall

9pm 

cover: $5

the great nostalgic

the sour notes

row zero

zorch


I had heard of all of most of these guys before, but just now listened to The Sour Notes. 

Lurve.

have a fun night, everybody!

The Happen-Ins!

I heard The Happen-Ins for the first time on the radio last night. Their sound is sweaty '70s rock, and they are from Austin.

 here are 6 songs from their new album. 

"Do It" was the specific tune I caught on KUT, and instantly, I fell in love. It reminded me of watching Dazed and Confused in junior high (and playing the sound track on an endless repeat loop), another piece of '70s nostalgia birthed in Austin, Texas.

Their next show is this Friday, July 16, at The Mohawk for the Pixel Pop party. Who's going?

i will definitely be there!

Saturday is crazy. Here's one option!

Holy weekend, there are a billion things going on in Austin today.

Some rock-tastic teens are playing this afternoon at Highball, 1:00pm, for the Girls Rock Camp Showcase. There's a gourmet grilling party happening at Breed that I totally meant to blog about.  I'll be at the Hollywood Gossip release party tonight, while a ton of you will be getting your faces melted off at Stubb's for Night 2 of the Passion Pit madness. Yow!

(Speaking of. Can we talk about the fact that I sold my Passion Pit ticket last night, for reasons I'll explain later, and saw Sex & The City 2 instead?

?!?!

Actually... let's not talk about it. It's embarrassing).

Anyway, GARY! uncovered one more bit of fun going down tonight, happening on Austin's east side. Take it GARY!:

Don't worry, you aren't seeing things. Yes, you are getting two posts from GARY! this week, and that is because we live in a city that is chock-full of badassery (real word, I swear). So here we go.

A few weeks ago, a show took place that I regretfully didn't have time to write about called Night Fever! VOL I: Hip Hop. Not only did I fail to post about it, I also didn't make it out due to conflicting plans (and the lack of a clone).

Well leave it to our friends here at Austin Eavesdropper to tell me that I missed a pretty stellar event. You see, last time Night Fever occurred Soul of the Boot and Strange Tribe Productions brought in DJ NuMark, and apparently it was amazing. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the part where I nod and pretend like I know who GARY! is talking about).

So the next time one of these events rolled through town, I knew I couldn't miss it.

Rich Medina, who headlines tonight, is a total grab bag in terms of musical stylings: Think hot soul, funk, hip hop, house, even afro-beat. Here's a sample here, and here. Deliciously chill, non?

Also on the bill are Austin's own The Lost Soul Revue. These guys are an anachronistic wonder, essentially a Motown cover band, but damn are they good. If you ever catch one of their sets, listen up for Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Otis Redding, The Shirelles, The Ronnettes, Stevie Wonder, Sly and The Family Stone... all accompanied by a 10-piece band.  This lady just opens her mouth, and spills out two tons of soul.


Hope to see you guys there for what is sure to be another amazing night in Austin!

details:

The Scoot Inn 

1308 E. 4th St @ Navasota


Austin, TX, 78702

$5.00 for the ladies / $10.00 for the fellas

Additional info here.

see you tonight!

Secret's Out: Hollywood Gossip releases Dear as Diamonds this Saturday.

People!

What are you doing on Saturday night? Hanging out with me!

If you live in Austin, that is. That's because I'm going to Hollywood Gossip's CD release party at Ghost Room, and I don't have to ask you twice if you'll be there.

Hollywood Gossip is about to release their new album Dear as Diamonds, and were kind enough to let me sample it. Here's a review I wrote up for Launch787, and I'm re-posting it below. You can enjoy the whole album here, and be sure to check out Republic of Austin's astute review.

As for me? Y'all, I threw a private dance party for one in my car when I got this CD in the mail. Here's my review!

review: dear as diamonds

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Morrissey woke up one day super-happy, kidnapped The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy in an energetic fit of delight, and flew the both of them down to Austin to throw a house party with Voxtrot?

Of course you do. That’s why we have Austin’s four-piece Hollywood Gossip to thank, for their upcoming Dear as Diamonds album (drops June 19) is all of those things.

I listened to Dear as Diamonds on a sunny weekend, head-bopping along in my car, and pulled out some favorites. While you can sample the album in its entirety here and join the band for its no-doubt packed CD release show at Ghost Room on Saturday, June 19, here are three singular bits of Hollywood Gossip goodness that I personally recommend:

#4, “I Can Be Right:” A sexy, syncopated, Strokes-like tune that contains the album’s namesake. “The lights shown from the stage / and when they caught your face / you seemed as dear as diamonds.” Swoon. Swoon times 1,000.

#9, “Worst Day:” A hand-clap-happy flashback about a good kid who fesses up to…something, while his partner-in-crime lies and gets off scot free. Who hasn’t been there? When I listen to this song, I don’t know whether to dance or punch someone in the face. Probably stick with dancing.

#12: “All That I Want:” Ladies, are you married? If not, you’ll want this to be your future wedding song. TRUST. Cory Ryan trades her big bad bass for a sweet ukelele, and the result is gentle gorgeoussity. No, gorgeoussity is not a word. I don’t care and neither will you when you hear this song. When frontman Tyler Womack croons, “Ooh you’re all that I want, you’re all that I need,” your hipster heart will shed away its hard, hard irony and melt into a pool of shimmering love tears. Tears of joy, that is.

see you saturday at the show!

The brains of Austin nightlife: Henri Mazza and Greg MacLennan

If you've been to an Alamo Drafthouse, or the bowling/karaoke/dance floor venue by the same owners - Austin's Highball - you know there are some seriously creative bashes that go down on an almost weekly basis. Like a Super Hero Dance Party. Mad Men Parties. Labyrinth Quote-a-Longs. Ladies of the 80's Sing-a-Longs. More Japan game show madness than anyone ever thought humanly possible.

In short, you might get the sense that a mad, mad genius is behind all of this.

And in fact, you would be correct. Two geniuses, actually.

Next week, I'll be interviewing Henri Mazza and Greg MacLennan, i.e. the Action Pack duo. Together, Henri and Greg organize these ridiculously cool theme parties at the Alamo Drafthouse and Highball, and even helped my friend Candace and I throw the Glam Off last month. It wouldn't be too far off the mark to say these men have my dream job, so I thought a sit-down fawn session was only appropriate!

But this is where YOU come in. KXAN will be plugging the upcoming interview on their entertainment site, NowAustin.com, and I believe on regular TV, too. We'll be conducting this interview on-camera, not in a super fancy way, but quality enough for the YouTubes. And what we want to know is this:

what would you like to ask the action pack?

Here are some example questions that I thought of:

1. How did you get the most badass job ever?

2. What is the best party you've ever thrown? (Besides the Glam Off, duh!)

3. What's the nuttiest thing you've ever seen go down at one of your bashes?

4. Have you ever considered a Golden Girls theme party?  (I call Blanche).

Submit your questions by next Monday, and I'll ask them on-camera. Can't wait to hear the ridonkulous things you guys come up with.

Tell us a secret, WIN TICKETS: The 5 x 7 Art Social

Hello petunias. Did you have a good weekend? Call your mothers?

I am pretty excited about our ticket giveaway today. People who create provocative, unusual art blow my mind a little. Like Nick Henning. Or Knitta Please. The East Austin Studio Tour is one of my favorite events every year, and before it closed, I remember the first time I stepped foot on the property of Enchanted Forest...and really did enter a portal into another world.

We're so lucky to have the creative, whacked-out minds we do in Austin.  This Friday there is an art party, with food, drinks, and music, and you can even take some artist creations home with you. Austin Eavesdropper is giving away a pair of passes!

Here are some of my favorite artists, whose pieces you may see there.

 M. Foster (and top photograph)

Faith Gay (whose artist statement I fancy. "Using a layering process of tape and paper, a unique and organic form develops – recycling and reinterpreting civilized waste back to life. It's primitive. It's trash imitating art imitating nature. It's a rainbow made of tape.")

 David Schulze

 Sterling Allen (he made these houses from stuff he found on the streets in my hometown...San Antonio! The roof shingles are old VCR tapes).

So, the party is Five x Seven Social, a fundraiser for Arthouse, and it features more than 1,000 5-inch by 7-inch original works of art from over 900 emerging and established artists. Many or from Austin, Texas more largely, but several are far-flung artists from around the country. It's happening at The Whitley (301 Brazos St., where the SXSW Perez party was), and all works of art will be displayed anonymously.  You'll discover the creator of the work only after you've made it your own. Pretty neat, huh?

Food will be provided by Frank (yum), there will be drinks, and a live set by Balmorhea. This is consistently one of the most well-attended art shows by young Austin because it is just so radass.

Tickets are $30, but we are giving one pair (you and a lovely date, $60 value). I will pick the winner by Thursday at noon. TO ENTER:

-Leave a comment

-Leave your email address

-Tell us a secret. Can be, "If I could I would eat sweet potatoes every day" (that's my secret). Or something more scandalous, if you like. You're the boss.

good luck!

PS: I forgot this point of trivia. James Moody, the guy who owns Mohawk? And helped make our fabulous Bleet-Up party last year possible? He's the Chair for the Five x Seven Committee! It's nice to know that our city's king of nightlife supports this kind of stuff.

A post from GARY!: Massive Release

It's me again. I just HAD to drop another quick line to let you know about another show that our friends over at Knuckle Rumbler are putting together with Simple Shoes at Encore.

Now when I talk about music, I have to say that for a good while, the local Austin scene simply failed to appear on my radar. An Austin band hadn’t really caught my attention since Spoon, and the act of discovering new bands just seemed tedious. This brings me to 2008, the year I found out about The Black and White Years.

In short, these guys restored my faith that Austin actually is the Music Capital of the World. So heed my advice: If you haven’t caught these guys around town yet, I highly suggest you get on it soon-ish (like tonight) before they blow up and get all famous. Here's the video for "Zeroes & Ones" to whet your appetite.

Also being served up on this buffet of local talent are two other bands, releasing albums today as well: Quiet Company's Songs For Staying In, and the vinyl LP of the The Rocketboys,  20,000 Ghosts. Hence the apropos party name "Massive Release," see?

All told, six bands round out this bill tonight: The Black and White Years, The Rocketboys, Quiet Company, The Eastern Sea, Murdocks and STEREO IS A LIE, divided up on two stages. Tickets are $10, and you can RSVP HERE.

That’s (really) all I got,
g

A post from GARY! In the Words of Johnny Kemp, "It's Friday Night"

This post comes to you courtesy of GARY!, Austin Eavesdropper's devilishly handsome music contributor. GARY!, tell the good people of Austin what they should be doing tonight:

Have wiser words ever been spoken?

Just got paid, Friday night
Party huntin', feelin' right
Body shakin', all around (Body shakin' all around)
No one thinks when I'm gettin' down

Check the mirror, we're lookin' fly
Round up the posse, jump in my ride
Radio rockin', a monster jam
Feel the rhythm, pump up the sound

Ok now that we got that out of the way, let me be the first to say congratulations. You made it through another monotonous work week. So let us all let out a collective sigh, because it’s Friday yo. Now let’s talk about what to do with all that hard earned cash!

We all know that Austin has its fair share of things to do on any given day, and tonight is no different. Tonight brings us a pretty stellar event that has the Eavesdropper all up in a tizzy. Yes, a TIZZY. And I will be the first to say that we don’t use that word lightly.

First up we have an album release party for one of AE’s favorites, Fresh Millions. We’ve talked about these guys in the past on AE, and to beat a dead horse, we absolutely love it when these guys play a live show. There is something about their music that just causes the booty shake involuntarily. The way Geoff Earle melds the sounds of electro, funk, and rock (with heavy emphasis on the FUNK) are unprecedented in the Austin Music scene, perhaps only matched by fellow Austin band Auto Body. Tonight’s show at The Scoot Inn marks quite an achievement for Geoff, being that tonight is also the band's album release party.

I’ve had a chance to listen to the album a few times and I have to say it delivers on every front that it should. My only complaint is that it falls slightly short of capturing the spectacle of seeing Fresh Millions live. That’s not meant to be disparaging ding against the album, but rather a compliment to how rad they are live. I feel the same way about Hot Chip, Ghostland Observatory, and The Octopus Project. All great bands, but live they take things to a whole other level of awesome. In my humble opinion some bands just need to be experienced, and I can’t really think of a better compliment to pay a musician than that. We now live in the age of the modern recording studio where anyone can sound like a great band, but what matters is that they have the goods to back it up live (AHEM. Looking at you, Crystal Castles).

Also on the bill for tonight’s show is Focus Group, releasing their new Unicornography EP tonight. This is the first time they’ve really popped up on my radar, but I have to say I’m REALLY digging what I’ve heard on their website. I can’t even begin to really describe their sound except to say that it’s two parts awesome and one part eclectic, with a dash of horns and keys to boot. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future, and if the music posted on the web is any indication of the new EP’s sound, I’ll definitely be picking up a copy for myself.  Check 'em out yourself to see what I mean.


No Mas Bodas , Butcher Bear and VidKidz are also on the bill as well.

Make sure to RSVP over at Do512 for FREE entry tonight. Show starts at 10 at the Scoot Inn, and the first 25 people through the door will receive a free copy of the brand new Fresh Millions CD. To get a little taste of that goodness, visit Fresh Millions' band camp page or Sound Cloud page.

That's all I got,
g.

Boas! Sequins! Shiny! Glam-Off pics

Trevor Ray, a photographer and a gentleman here in Austin, took pictures of this wild bunch of yahoos on Saturday night at The Highball for the Glam-Off.  These are some of my favorites!

This picture totally needs a caption.

As do BOTH of those.

My friend Jason, on the left, is basically Blue Steel.

Aren't lightening bolts on the face a little bit awesome? (As modeled by Megan, above?) I kind of want to wear one in real life, like, to Walgreens and stuff.

Would be even more awesome if these guys could carry me to Walgreens (or, anywhere).

Candace, the blond beauty above, was the other birthday girl and the main brains behind the Glam Off.

These are my buddies, Beaux and Dana. There is something very Kill Bill about this photo to me, and I like it.

The two men who made all of our dreams come true: Greg MacLennan and Henri Mazza of The Highball. Without them, our birthday dream would still be in the realm of fantasy and glitter! Cheers, dolls.

More Trevor Ray photos of the Glam-Off  here.  Go spot your pretty faces!

Thank you to EVERYONE who came out and got down!

TONIGHT: Yay or nay? YEAsayer.

Oh my good God, I am still recovering from last night's wonderment!

There shall be pictures of the Glam Off as soon as my computer figures out how to process this many sequins.  Right now, David Bowie I must dust off this glitter and tell you about MORE FUN happening tonight: Yeasayer.

Actually, GARY! is going to tell you about it. Here's GARY!:

So tonight, Yeasayer descends upon Austin's La Zona Rosa. It will be the second radass show of a back-to-back Saturday/Sunday concert weekend for them.

Now there was a little bit of confusion surrounding this show since it was originally slated to be at The Parish. Both nights sold out so quickly that they decided to move it to LZR so they could up the capacity to meet demand. I was pretty bummed about the location change because The Parish show would have been a little more intimate, but the increased exposure for the band is worth it.

Yeasayer's sound is rather complex and has been billed as Experimental Rock, Psychedelic Pop, and Worldbeat. Whatever it is it seems to be an amalgamation of different styles and genres that in less talented hands, probably shouldn't work. You can check out the video for the band's first single off Odd Blood here to see what I'm talking about, and if that doesn't convince you, watch the Ambling Alp video.  Both are pretty darn fantastic.

Tickets are still available for tonight, and you can score them here.

That's all I got,
GARY!

TONIGHT: David Bowie, Prince, and YOU. Glam Night at the HIGHBALL.

Hello, dear Austin Eavesdropper readers. What are you doing tonight? Does it involve glitter? I hope so!

My buddy Candace Carlisle of Electric Promotions are having a joint birthday party together at Highball tonight, and it is open to all. No RSVP necessary, just come.

The theme is glam, SO we're having a live David Bowie/Iggy Pop set at 10pm (provided by local faves Frantic Clam), and a Prince set at 11pm (provided by Lost Werks and The Lennings). Then it's all-night (well, until 2am anyway) glam music video dance party!  New York Dolls!  Blondie!  Lady Gaga!

Basically anyone who wears sequins!

On that note, I am dressing up as Bowie and my outfit is halfway finished. Here is the look I am going for:

Oh David Bowie, you are just the dreamiest. I was also thinking of this look, but would you believe that one-sleeve one-legged patchwork unitards are surprisingly hard to find?

Oh well, while I hunt down the rest of my outfit, here is the song I'm singing for inspiration. Even though it is Prince.



Yes! Is this not the most ridiculous. I think they borrowed the set from a Jane Fonda exercise video series. I love you Prince!

Highball typically gets a line anyway on Saturday night so you might want to come early (doors at 9pm), especially since Tito's and Sugar Mama's hooked us up with some treats for early arrivals. Just sayin'.

see you at the glam-off!

TONIGHT: A post from GARY! Behold, They're Coming Back...

Tolly here, physically restraining her gorgeous blogging partner GARY! from throwing up all over the computer, he is so excited about this dance party tonight. I was all, "what is the deal with this Auto Body show, GARY?" and friends, this is what he wrote back.

What you are about to read is a kind-of-adorable expository essay on a handful of (awesome) electric acts, with a special educational section on mash-up music, supplemented by video, wit, and abundant exclamation points.  Here's GARY!: 

Well, hello there!

You might have noticed that I've been mildly absent from the blog lately.  I guess I've been more "behind the scenes," really. Lately I like to think of myself as "The Blog Whisperer" or "The Blogging Intern," but only because I love referring to Tolly as "The Boss." You see it's part of my job here on the AE to keep "The Boss" informed. Even though we only live about two miles from each other, we explore different parts of Austin, and then share our discoveries with each other another and with you guys. So with that said I think it's time to do what I do best, which is gush about something I love. In this case, it's Auto Body, Prepmode, Car Stereo (Wars), Machine, and The Parish.

If you have been following us for a while you may recognize Auto Body from a previous post I did that actually had nothing to do with Auto Body (that's how impressed I was when I saw them for the first time) I believe they included the words "melt your face off." Ring a bell?

Now, Tolly and I realize we gush more than one of those oil derricks in There will Be Blood, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing - it's gushing, after all, that makes me curious about things. When my friend Lindsay wouldn't shut up about how great Auto Body was, I joined her at The Parish for Free Week and ended up having one of the most EPIC nights I've ever had. So gushing is a good thing, see? It makes miracles happen.

Auto Body:


Auto Body:


So now you know how I feel about Auto Body, so let's move on to another great thing about tonight's show: PREPMODE.

I've had the chance to catch him a few times around town, and let me just say the man gets me. Everywhere he plays, he brings the party with him. He's an expert on the decks, as both a DJ and a turntable-ist, and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. I believe this is one of the last times you will actually be able to catch him before he jaunts off to the Caribbean as the resident DJ of a cruise ship (no joke). So take my advice and get in on this action while the gettin' is still good. Rumor has it that Prepmode may even drop a couple of turntable mashups himself.

PREPMODE'S "PON DE FLOOR" (MAJOR LAZER) TONE TRICK:


Had enough? Well tough! We still have one more thing to go over before I can let you get back to whatever it was you started ignoring when you decided to read this blog (to which we say THANK YOU!).

Anyway, tonight's action is so good they've even brough Car Stereo (Wars) back from New York to partake in the awesomeness. If you aren't familiar with CSW's you are at least familiar with what it is he does. He's a mashup artist. A what? A MASH-UP. ARTIST. Basically someone that thinks a little differently than your typical DJ. They take 2 different songs with beats that complement each other and mash them together. You may have heard of Girl Talk or The Hood Internet; both are great examples of what a mashup artist does, except the main difference here is that Girl Talk should SERIOUSLY be on a heavy doses of Adderall.

Check out the video example below, courtesy Car Stereo (Wars), and you will see what I'm talking about.

Car Stereo (Wars):


Do yourself a favor and make sure you hit this show up tonight. Tickets are available HERE.

And as an added bonus, if you find me tonight at the show and tell me what the title of this blog post is a quote from, I'm buying you a drink. DM me on Twitter.

Finally, I'd like to share some choice quotes from the press release for this event tonight - i.e., the raddest press release I have ever seen.

The men of Auto Body have completed Priest Party, their debut album, and formal introduction to the world.

Conceived in and birthed from Austin's steamy underground houses of rock, AUTO BODY is live electro fusion. Fueled by their shared bloodlust for sonic divinity, and armed with a war chest of synths, samples, rattlesnakes, and bass, Tibaut Bowman and Felix Moreno crusade the universe in search of the electronic Holy Grail.

THIS Friday, 04.09.10, at 9 PM at The Parish in Austin, Texas.

The lights will be taken to the next level.

The sound will be taken to the next level.

The face-melting will be taken to the next level.

Even the levels on the scale that is used to measure these things will be taken to the next level.

bring your protective eye wear.

That's all I got,

g.

TONIGHT: Stereo is a Lie.

Hi friends. Got plans tonight? The answer is "yes." And GARY! is about to give them to you. You're welcome!

Take it away, GARY!:

So I'm a little short on time today, but I wanted to make sure people new about a little local show our friends at the Mohawk are hosting tonight. If you don’t have plans swing on by for Stereo is a Lie, Love at 20, The Burning Hotels, and the Team Fabrication DJ's. Cover is only $6.

I am honestly am not too familiar with Stereo is a Lie, but I’ve been told by the ever reliable Jennifer Leduc that they will indeed be rocking my socks off. So I'm pretty sure you can take that to the bank.

(As a bonus you can actually download all of Love at 20’s new album here.)

That’s all I got, and maybe I’ll see ya at the Hawk--

g.