Austin Music Minute

So. Damn. Heavy. Bid welcome to your doom metal overlords. (insert AMM host making metal sign with both hands) But on another note: Seriously, that damn pandemic. Many musicians have their own stories about experiencing delays over tours, album releases, and merch, especially bands awaiting some sweet, sweet vinyl in ultra-cool color variants. Austin-based doom […]

Bring the excellent music, and they will come. Amplify LIVE presents a big benefit show supporting the work of I Live Here, I Give Here, a nonprofit connecting the Austin community to organizations and causes they care about. There are so many nonprofits in Austin alone that it’s sometimes difficult to know where to start, […]

Okay, seriously; this is another one of those line-ups where it’s like, did you let the Austin Music Minute book this one? Did you? This week, Cheer Up Charlie’s puts three Austin-based songwriters in the spotlight. Excellent, one and all: Ry Black, a member of Batty Jr., Redbud, and songwriter for his own project Sunroom […]

When We Were Friends by The Backseat Lovers is one of those impossibly good albums making it difficult to pick just one favorite track. Not fair. The ears are coaxed in with the beautiful opener “Watch Your Mouth” and that’s it. It keeps going. You’re hooked. How could it be possible that this 2019 release […]

It wasn’t as if Danielle Ponder didn’t like her job. Her work as a public defender in her hometown of Rochester, NY reflects a soul that’s passionate about supporting her community and using her voice to do so. But that voice is also strongly connected to music. Ponder grew up with music. When it’s in […]

Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos says the title of Y La Bamba‘s seventh LP Lucha has two meanings. “Lucha,” a nickname for Luz, btw, translates into “fight.” But “luz” can also mean “light.” Both apply to the album’s exploration of an existence in multiplicity – love, queerness, la familia, Mexican-American roots and Chicanx identity, confronting a […]

In an Austin Chronicle 2022 cover story, J Soulja didn’t hesitate expressing his gratitude in an interview with Derek Udensi. For the Austin-based hip-hop artist, having struggled to make ends meet in his life, understanding the importance of lifting others around him felt like a revelation. And from helping others comes a fulfillment, an empowerment […]

Jason Isbell’s forthcoming LP Weathervanes, his first album of originals since 2020’s Reunions, takes a hard look at…having some growing up to do. At its core, it’s songs played for, and by, grown ass people, as Isbell might put it. Whereas some music connects to the eternal youth in us all (“I Don’t Wanna Grow […]

In the wake of so much pain, Grammy Award-winning band La Santa Cecilia expresses one overarching wish for all: They want to see you happy. And who better for lead vocalist La Marisoul to sing the title track of Quiero Verte Feliz with than one of the most unique and influential voices in the world, […]

Lindsey Verrill knows the water holds its own magic. Even the poster she created for tonight’s show at Hole In the Wall shares that wisdom: “The river moves my heart to lose these blues.” And Thor Harris himself once described Verrill and Jeff Johnston‘s Little Mazarn as “…a cool float a few feet from the […]

Near and dear to your Austin Music Minute host’s dark little heart. LA darkwave artist Mareux dives deep into the unsettling murky depths of unrequited passion on the new LP Lovers From the Past. Musician and producer Aryan Ashtiani created a haunting soundtrack for a haunted memory, making it almost impossible to move on. Mareux’s […]

It’s many things, coming at you from different directions. Maybe Austin-based band Megafauna is given all the descriptions because of this killer musicianship that owns it. All insanely brilliant live performances aside, it’s never been more apparent than on their sixth full-length release Olympica. This thing is tight yet flies across the board. To hell […]

Throwing shapes! All the colors! Action packed! Well, not quite the same action taking you on a whirlwind ride in the 1986 spy thriller Vikram, but the essence of the film’s irresistible theme song is captured to perfection on The Octopus Project‘s kaleidoscopic electro-pop spree “Vikram Vikram,” now with a new video that’s equally as […]

There is…hesitancy with your AMM host on doing this, but the day and the occasion call for it, so… The force is strong with this one. Kalu and The Electric Joint’s Garden of Eden was due for release in 2020, but that was around the time all hell broke loose, to put it mildly. The […]

It’s a great song, perfect for the road, all about choosing rock ‘n’ roll with no regrets. Maybe you just see the title and you kinda start singing it to yourself. But rather than “Ride On,” today’s AMM features another track from The Nude Party‘s self-produced Rides On LP, “Tell Em.” Just tell ’em the […]

Seriously, just sign your AMM host up for all of these killer residencies going off this month. Damn. Another badass rez starting this week features Austin-based pop-rock outfit Slomo Drags at Hotel Vegas, and the first show makes for one hell of a special night. Not only will you get the magnificent stylings of R&B/soul […]

Gather round for Monday evening magic as Ambitions of Ambiguity songwriter/crooner extraordinaire Buffalo Hunt (also known to rogue royalty and underground moguls alike as Stephanie Hunt) invites special guests to join her for Songwriter Mondays at South Austin hotspot Sagebrush. Every Monday in May, Hunt will be joined by fellow artists for a round of […]

The rain didn’t stop it. And gusty winds won’t, either. Welcome to day two and three of Austin Psych Fest, the OG that launched the Levitation vibes round the world. Two stages, no overlap, and all incredible. Just don’t wear a hat today, unless it’s strapped to your head… Doors at 2 p.m. both days. […]

Levitation followers on Instagram got the briefest onsite glimpse on a post last night. “Getting the spaceship ready for liftoff here at The Far Out Lounge and Stage. See y’all tomorrow, can’t wait!” Even that snapshot of the light projection was enough to generate excitement – but those insane pics of everybody losing their s%$t […]

The futuristic afro-electronic/hip-hop/neo soul voyage of Satisfy Saturn by Trouble In the Streets is also a celebratory ode to the wisdom of ancestors; a determination to hold space for hope as darkness seeps through; or, perhaps just going for it, even if it all seems pointless. Songwriter/vocalist Nnedi Agbaroji serves as your cosmic guide through […]