NYE Austin Events - which one(s) will you be at?

So Xmas is right around the corner and I keep thinking about what I am planning to do for New Years.

Here is some events that are happening around Austin and a brief description of what's going down at each one of them.

You know those crazy rock n rollers Conquistador Inc? Well they have rented out the Salvage Vanguard Theater for New Years Eve and throwing it down for Brave New World New Year's Eve party. Stay tuned for official lineup. I know Conquistador Inc will be playing for sure and they ain't a band you want to miss. This is a guaranteed fun time. RSVP here.
Price: Unknown

Black Joe Lewis at the Honeybears will be playing to an already SOLD OUT show at Stubb's. If you already got your tickets to this snazzy even then lucky you! Enjoy the overpriced beers, free slamming bbq buffet, and toast me on with that free champagne at midnight. For those not fortunate enough to throw down on $60 tickets for this one, you still can have a listen if you go sit in the creek by the Austin Police Dept parking building with a 6 pack of Miller High Life. Take the old fold up chair to sit in. Pros- no cover if you do this and Cons-you might be approached by random people so hide that 6 pack til you're ready to drink.
Price: sorry buddy, scalpers might be on hand day of show but I wouldn't pay more than $40 for these tickets.

If you have never been to First Night Austin then get ready! This is a mostly free event that showcases all of the culture, music, and exciting talents that this city has. All is going down on Auditorium Shores with illumination shows, a Vespa raffle, and even a parade.

Not into the partying mood? I read that there will be a First Night New Years Eve Run sponsored by the good ol local folks of RunTex. This unqiue 2 mile run begins at 10pm on the South First Bridge. This is a great way to start the year off on the right track! (I wanna do this)
Price: unsure - when I register I will be updating this post.

Did you happen to check out Broken Social Scene at SXSW at the recently-turned-venue the Live at Seaholm warehouse? I did and it was amazing.

Rare Magazine is having their own NYE party called Uncorked 2010 with Flosstradamus, Shiv, and Car Stereo Wars. I have been to MANY Rare events and they always impress me with their endless amount of free booze and cool magazines to accompany my free drink(s). 
This sounds like a great night with opportunities to reserve a table for you and your friends (which I recommend) and see some bad ass fireworks.
Price: $75 each ticket

Couch Professor Entertainment is throwing a nice little party at The Parish called 2010: A Dance Odyssey. For the first 100 people there will be 2 free drink tickets given to those who want to stand in line early. Chipotle burritos & Austin Daily press will be giving food away if you get there early. (You know that food doesn't last long when it's free, yo.) It definitely has a great lineup of music (I wanna see Missions): Zeale, Missions, The White White Lights, Prepmode, Markus (with a K), DJ Czech One
Price: get your tickets early for $18 or be a procrastinator and shell out $24 for a ticket at the door

Momos has a great lineup to ring in the new year with Belleville Outfit. I have heard of these folks from my office mate at work. Their music is addicting and Warren Hood is just as good.  Momos has a great patio, lots of outdoor space, and an amazing view of West 6th street (and the tall condoes in that area).
Price: None listed but Do512 is having a giveaway for free tickets.

The Continental Club is going to feature T Birds and the Breaks this year. This sounds like a guaranteed fun,dancing time filled with a room of sweaty people and hardly any room to really get your dance on. Jade Idol will open up for the gals and girls of T Birds and the Breaks.
Price: Probably over $10 for sure. get there early!

As more comes my way I will update the post.
Where you gonna be at?

I will be here.

Free Week in Austin - lineup annouced from Tranmission Ent

I have been going to Free Week in Austin for going on 6 years and every year more and more venues annouce they too will open their doors up to Austin for no cover charge and showcase local bands. It just used to be Emos who did it but now it seems like all live venues in Austin are getting on board.

Transmission Entertainment made their annoucements and band picks for Free Week. Of course, all bands are donating their time & efforts for this week so you have to understand that these bands are in it because of how popular Free Week has become.
If you are in a band that is playing this Free Week at any of the Red River venues - way to go! This Free Week is going to be a smaller version of SXSW but think more localized.
Free Week is Jan 1 through the 15. Venues such as Mohawk, Emos, Beauty Bar, Red Eyed Fly, Club Deville, The Parish, and possibly Stubbs (inside) will charge no cover those nights to hop in, see a band, and not have to worry about having wasted 5 bucks for some crappy band.

The bands I definitely will make it a point to see: The Obsolute Machines, Paper Shapes, the Thieves, Iron Age, Missions, La Snacks, Eagle Claw, Many Birthdays, PJ and the Bear, and Fake Book.

Here you can find the full press release from Graham Williams, who started Transmission Entertainment, on what bands they selected to play the time during Free Week.
Here is the poster:

For those bands not picked up by Transmission Entertainment, let me know when you are playing and where. I am going to make it out all of the venues I can during this long week regardless.
Transmission Ent can be so hoity toity.

There are other venues that always have free music and you should support regardless: The Parlor (North Loop), The Carasouel Lounge, Poodle Dog Lounge, Creekside Lounge, Headhunters, Plush, and that's all I got for now that I know is always free.

I think that Free Week is a good marketing tool to figure out what bands you should book more often depending on the amount of people they bring in to their show & how much they ring in at the bar. It's clever and I don't blame anyone if they are using this strategy. Hell, I use it.

No FunFunFun for me

No I didn't go to the FunX3 Fest this year but I wanted to. I just didn't want to spend oodles of money on this festival (if I had it, I would've though!) because I spent oodles for ACL. No worries though, I am going to cover what those FFF festers didn't see that weekend.

Friday night, Nov 6th, I was able to catch Colourmusic at the Scoot Inn. Man, was this a ridiculously packed show and boy was it a good one. I was happy to have heard some new Colourmusic I had not heard. They really know how to put on a show and did it oh so well that I am forever hooked on these guys. They have a 7" out called, Yes!, but I was unable to snag one at the Combo Plate party. It was the official pre-party for FFF. Although they guys did not play FFF, I heard they played last year though, I was happy to have caught them up close and personal. These guys come straight out of Stillwater, Oklahoma.  Like the other best bands I truly admire - Other Lives , Evangelicals , Fatback Circus, are from the same good ole state, Oklahoma as Colourmusic so it was a given that I was not going to miss this show.

I also got to catch Neiliyo which is a huge hit act around the Austin music scene nowadays. I remember seeing him at his start and he is still rocking patios, parties, and girls panties to date! He too played at FFF and even saw a guy dressed up as Neiliyo for Halloween this year at Speakeasy's! Ha. Good stuff! You gotta catch Neiliyo at his next gig or few. He'll make you dance til you bleed/sweat. No seriously - his energy will make you bleed. Neiliyo will be opening up for Mickey Avalon on Nov 13th at Emos. Check out one of his gigs here.

Same night I saw Fatback Circus play at The Belmont off of west 6th streetish. It was a good night for the boys. A huge crowd danced and made this party worthy enough to be an Official Unofficial Pre-Party for the November month. (Screw FFF pre-parties!) These guys are always exceptional live and I am not going to go into too much detail about FBC again (I feel like I am always giving them the exposure they gracefully deserve) but I just want to say that when the cover Led Zepplin (which is very rare) they make me wonder why in the hell aren't these guys playing FunFunFun Fest or even ACL?! Geez, someone pick these guys up, PLEASE!

There was so many free shows the FFFF weekend that it was hard to be in several places at once! I wanted to catch the Local Music is Sexy show at the Mohawk on Friday but since Colourmusic was a priority and Fatback Circus as well, I ran out of time. I missed Girl in a Coma, Recover, Consider the Source, and a bunch of other local bands that came through the weekend.

Sunday, November 8th, I ended up at the Hole in the Wall to catch Conquistador, Inc. The crowd from FFFF filtered their way to the Drag to enjoy the delightful sounds of Conquistador, Inc. I must say, this was a great show and a great way to end my weekend. These guys always make me laugh with their lyrics, merchandise pushing, and witty comments before and after each song in their set.
After Conquistador, Inc I got to catch half of set of Machine that includes Chase Gorman & Jonathan Christ. The name, Machine, captures their sound. One gentleman divides his time playing on the keyboard and hitting up sound machines and playback machines. The other guy is strictly machine. They got 2 tables covered in beat box machines and boy was I having a good time. Every person at Hole in the Wall count not resist bobbing their heads to the sounds and mix Machines was playing. You gotta check them out.Their myspace does not have any dates of when they play next but be sure to check them out when they update it. There is even a cool documentary that was made about their music and their recording. Think Aphex Twin meets Cut Chemist & a little bit of Jurassic 5. You gotta listen.

Last night, Tuesday, I attended the Hori Smoku screening about Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins, considered as the grandfather of modern tattooing. It was an excellent documentary done by Erich Weiss (who attended the screening and did an excellent Q&A about the film and the cast) that features interviews, commentary, photographs, and more from Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, and Zeke Owen. Of course, Mr Collins' poetry was featured throughout the movie from letters and correspondence done between Ed Hardy and Norman Collins. It was fascinating. Afterwards the official afetrparty took place at The Jackalope on 6th street with free drinks/rum all night long. It was great! I was a happy attendee!
I got to catch Woven Bones in all of their rawness of musical instrumentation. They definitely had a Stooges feel to them as I watched them underneath Sailor Jerry posters and to a crowd that kept boozing it up on the free rum. I had never seen these men and boy was I happy to be able to hear a raw rock-n-roll band after watching the Hori Smoku movie. Woven Bones was complimentary with the raw, authentic, and subdued theme from the movie. I read they are heading out on a West Coast tour beginning December so check here if you want to see if they are coming to a West Coast town near you.

Next shows up to catch next this week:
Bestview at The Parlor (North Loop) on Wed. 11/11
Fatback Circus at Club 1011 in San Antonio, Tx Thurs 11/12
Fatback Circus at Club Deville in Austin, Tx Fri 11/13
Screening of Blue Movie w/(((sunset))) performing at the Independent Studios Fri 11/13
Muchos Backflips, Opposite Day at the Scoot Inn Fri 11/13
Til We're Blue or Destroy (in-store) at End of an Ear Sat 11/14 6pm
Sideshow Tragedy at the Ghost Room Sat 11/14 9pm
El Perro Del Mar (in-store) at End of an Ear Sun 11/15 3pm

Let me know where you be going!

Conquistador Inc & Virgin Whores @Head Hunters 09/24

Last night, despite how crappy I was feeling, I braved my body aches and soreness to go catch Conquistador Inc at Head Hunters. I have seen these guys about 3 times now and every time I find myself cracking up during their set while listening to their songs because of their originality and find my hips a'hoppin to their beats.

Songs like "Put Your Mouth On It" and "Lisa Nowak" are defintiely some crowd favorites. "Lisa Nowak" is one of my favorites from the band that is written after the female astronaut that drove from Houston to Orlando with latex gloves, a black wig, ammunition, a hooded tan trench coat, a hammer, black gloves, rubber tubing, in Depends.
"Minor Rectal Bleeding" is another great song that has great bass lines and fun keyboard melodies and an audience participatory section that brushes up and tests your spelling abilities of the words minor rectal bleeding. (I nailed it every time, suckas!).

A.G (guitar/VOX), Frank (keyboard/VOX), Dave (bass/VOX), and Dylan (drums) all do us a favor in providing dance-y good ole rock and roll on any night at any venue about the subjects the band claims they only write what they know.

Conquistador Inc can be found on Facebook and at the dates below.

You've got to check them out and listen carefully when you are at their show. You are guaranteed to have a dancing good time and smirk every time they spell out M-I-N-O-R-R-E-C-T-A-L-B-L-E-E-D-I-N-G. 

They are worth a catch and are definitely being picked up at some really cool gigs around Austin.

Here are their next gig dates:
Tonight - Sept 25th @ Scoot Inn 9pm

Oct 8th @ Carousel Lounge

Nov 8th @ Hole in the Wall

Nov 20th @ Beauty Bar

Before Conquistador Inc, I got to catch the last few songs from the band straight out of Minneapolis, Minn - The Virgin Whores, who according to me, is total unfiltered punk. These guys had a small but healthy dancing crowd at Head Hunters. I was amazed at their ability to take one word, "Wasted", and use that one word throughout the whole song! It was a great song and made me feel like I should be drinking shots up on stage along with the singer, Johnny Soxxx.

At one point while I was chatting outside with the guys from Conquistador Inc, Soxxx came running out of Head Hunters with his wireless mic and sang to a street full of people on Red River while spitting 5 feet away. When you have a wireless mic, leopard skin tight pants, chains around your belt, and 10x bigger than me with a black banana w/spikes, and in a band called Virgin Whores - well, I respect you and applaud you for wearing those pants & singing to the Austin Red River crowd - you are brave, Mr. Soxxx.

Check these guys out if you get a chance and they are coming to a town near you. I bet you will dig them and want to get "Wasted" over and over again with these guys.I had fun popping my cherry with The Virgin Whores, even if I was outside looking in.

Throw Me The Statue w/The Brunettes & Nurses (Mohawk 09/11)

This post is a little late but I wanted to cover this show anyway since I was given a pair of free tickets from Austin Town Hall. 

First up on stage at the Mohawk were the Nurses.  Now these guys are ridiculously good and I was super impressed with their sound and HUGE audience they had for being the openers of the opening band, The Brunettes.

the Nurses - Aaron Chapman, John Bowers, and James Mitchell, from Portland, Oregon know how to make some really great and rocking psyhedelic music filled with hints of pop and lots of rock-n-roll in the mix. I could not get enough of these guys! I regrettably missed their set but caught the last few songs. "Catepillar Playground" is an amazing song that will not get out of my head nor can I stop imagining all of the 3D sounds that hit me like a wall while I stood in the waaaaay back of the Mohawk straining to see these guys in action. I gotta see them again when they come into town. There weren't even posters left on the walls at the Mohawk for these guys after they played. All those hipsters tore them off before I could read their new album name, Apple's Arce.

Next up - The Brunettes representin' New Zealand.  I was dancing this whole set by a non-rotating fan in that muggy room at the Mohawk when these folks took the stage. Happy hand claps, triangles, and even a glockenspiel made the crowd move and all the tough guys dance around like little school girls. I especially loved the song Red Rollerskates and their cover of Lovesong by the Cure was absolutely sweet and smooth to hear on a rainy 09/11 night.  I swear The Brunettes have a new album that they have released on their own despite being signed to Lil' Chief Records and later I learned they belonged to SubPop in 2005.  Look out for these guys and gals because their poppy go lucky sound was addicting like red Popsicles on a hot summer day.

Throw Me the Statue took me by surprise.  I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I definitely didn't think I would become a HUGE fan after seeing these guys, much less listen to Creaturesque over and over again.  From Seattle, front man Scott Reitherman sang his heart out on the opener "Ancestors" and sweated a few buckets (I mentioned earlier that there was no rotating fan inside the Mohawk so only a few guys were hogging the air) on those in the front row.  "Ancestors", a song appropriately about Austin, Texas is definitely an ideal song to hear while riding your bike down Guadalupe on a Sunday afternoon - it makes you feel right at home.
Throw Me the Statue's new album. Creaturesque is all around a great album that makes you dance, clap your hands, and wanna give the guys next to you high fives for their high kicks during some of these songs on this album. I picked up my own copy of Creaturesque after the show and was able to compliment the band in person while they stuck around and talked to some of their fans. They were great live and the energy these guys had was so addicting that I could not stand still for very long after their first note.

Songs I couldn't stay put while standing super close to the front and my ears are still kinda ringing even 6 days later: "Hi-Fi Goon", "Waving at the Shore" and "Conquering Kids".

Thanks again to Austin Town Hall for opening my ears to three more GREAT bands that were VERY, VERY excellent live! :o) Great sound at the Mohawk that night too! Kudos to the front of house sound man!

More pictures by Rory Collins:

Guns of Navarone (Mohawk 09/16)

Last night I was invited out by Nathan from Fatback Circus to check out his friend Colby's band - Guns of Navarone. This 4-piece band had it's 2nd show in their music career and what a find to be booked at The Mohawk especially when Scion was sponsoring the bands that played this night. Also note that GoN are NOT a reggae dub band. There is currently another band out in this big ol world with the same name and they are definitely not as good as GoN I saw at the Mohawk last night.

The Guns of Navarone is the title of a book by Alistair McLean on WWII and later became a movie based on the novel. According to Wikipedia, the name Navarone is said to be taken from the Bay of Navarinon located in Southern Greece. The synopsis according to Wikipedia is defintiely compelling enough to add McLean's title to my list of books to read.

Despite the horrible and unmixed (& horribly blended or lack thereof) sound, courtesy of the slacking-at-the-sound-board sound guy, Guns of Navarone definitely struck me as a great band that has streaks of Built to Spill and The Promise Ring sound but add more of a country-folk style to those 2. The lyrics are plentiful and the melodies made me move and anticipate what other sounds/songs they had up their sleeves. To a nice crowd for a Thursday night at the Mohawk, including a constant screaming girl, Guns of Navarone definitely kept the Mohawk moving and nodding our heads to their beats. I even saw a number with a mandolin and these guys don't mess around with their slew of various guitars. I look forward to seeing what else these guys can do and catch them around town at other venues...hopefully with a sound guy who knows what the hell he is doing. (my ears are still ringing and not in a good way).

I am not sure when they play next but I will update with their next gigs as soon as I find out.   Guns of Navarone play at Red 7 on October 18th. Mark them iphoners and calendars (if you're old school like me).

Ween in Colorado! awesome sound, going down

First off, I had never been to Colorado.
This place has GREEN grass that is always wet in the mornings, doesn't break easily, and smells really really good! The trees are the tallest I have ever seen in my life and the mountains!!!!! oh man, the mountains were beautiful and looked fake!!!!

As a Texas gal, I don't think life could've gotten any better this past Labor Day weekend. It was definitely the best show I had ever been to. The Red Rocks Ampitheater was amazing too. I couldn't believe my eyes when we drove closer to the theater for some tailgating fun and pre-gaming in the parking lot. Man!!!! I was at a loss with words.

Ween is amazing live! I was definitely schooled while staying with a friend of some friends on what songs are great and what songs are absolutely amazing.

The Meat Puppets opened up for Ween and I must say, I was a little impressed by their ability to rock out. They went off! I think they sounded great on that stage and was a good act to open for Ween.

On to Ween - first off, amazing! Their light show alone was ridiculous and the sound was clear and precise. I heard them from three different areas in the amphitheater - 5th row, 33rd row, and house top. It was a bit windy up at the top so the sound would get carried away into the Denver skyline but I didn't mind. The best sound was defintiely 33rd row. The best view was house top where you could see the skyline and Ween making the crowd move and pump their arms in the air. The drummer was really great! I learned that their set list was all over the map and had many songs from The Pod being played. The newer stuff was my favorite for sure and was anticipating Awesome Sound song but it made the set list. The encore was amazing and fog, fog everywhere!!!!!

I wish I had my camera to have taken pictures but before the show I ran off into the restricted area of the red rocks and had some fun taking in the fresh air and red scenery while my friend played his newly purchased 1970's $20 clarinet. I was sad my camera and phone was locked in the car we hitched a ride in because everyone was in the venue already holding it down on row 33.

Ween amazed me and I think I am now a big time fan of their music. I was happy to have seen them live before really diving deep into their albums. After all if they ain't good live then...well, luckily Ween was EXCELLENT live!

I need to catch Ween if ever they come have another tour again (I heard many fans at the show say this was their last one). I can definitely tell you I will be back in Colorado again for sure. That place is addicting.

Long live Ween!

The Belmont, Brad, and 2 dollar beer

I am just in from The Belmont tonight. I was invited out by a dear friend and taken to see his dear friend, Bill, play with a couple of other guys. Bill had some really awesome songs about Keystone Light all paired with a nice banjo sound :)! Bill was great!

First off, you ever been to The Belmont? This place is swanky and the fact there is hardly ever a cover and the inside of the bar makes it a place I could definitely hang out and throw back a few beers. The inside has this 60's mobster era feel with vinyl pierced backseated boothes and palm trees outside on the bottom and top patio. The area in front of the outdoor, silver lined stage is easy on the eyes and small enough to where it's got an intimate feel.
i am telling you. this place can kick some ass live if you have the right band!

word on the street is Fatback Circus will be playing at The Belmont come October on the Thursday before ACL Fest! Nice eh? I believe it is the Perfect Pants CD release party. i am there, yo!

As my dear friend and I walked closer to The Belmont we realized the sound was bouncing off the Chase building and the parking garage across the street all the way into our ears even 3 blocks away. This place has a nice board, sound system, patio, and great seating!! the 2 buck Lonestars were definitely nice and I would've stayed more but apparently they ran out of Lonestars.
boo. I kinda think they were lying.

Also, I got a card with an invitation to a Thursday night at The Belmont for Ladies Night. Now, I will tell you that as a feminist I hate any kind of promotion for wet t-shirt contests, "ladies night" or strip off's but The Belmont was nice enough that.... well, I think I am down with coming with 5 of my friends and getting a free beer or drink w that card the waitress gave me! anyone wanna accompany me? (although I think I might have to bring ladies....either way, I have some wigs.)

Brad from Juniors off of 29th street - yeah...i liked your charm, accent, and the fact you are a beer monkey. :o) sorry I called your Greg but I swear that is what you said. Let's find each other again soon! :o) We were cut off by your friends and mine too.

Let's sit on stage at ACL!.What do you say?

Austin City Limits Music Festival is just around the corner. I cannot wait!!!

Yeah Yeah Yeah's just got added to the line-up after the Beastie Boys dropped out due to Adam's diagnosis.
I know Karen O and the guys will definitely rock Austin out that night. Heck yeah!
Last time I tried to check out the YYY's, I was working ridiculous hours while at 666 Flags and wasn't able to make it to Stubb's to watch such a monumental band.

So, ACL Facebook is having a contest to win Friday VIP seats on stage! All you gotta do is figure out what top 5 bands you wanna see on Friday, make a custom schedule for the bands you wanna catch on the ACL website, then post it on the ACL Facebook page! I already did it so why don't you increase our chances of getting that special spot on stage so I can be your best friend forever and we can intently watch some of the best acts to play Austin City Limits Music Festival from the best spot at Zilker Park.
do it!
you know you wanna....

here are mine:

Mel's Top 5 MUST-SEE (I ain't missing these) Friday Bands:
1. Yeah Yeah Yeah's (awwww yeah!)
2. Andrew Bird
3. Dr. Dog (i can never get enough)
4. Daniel Johnston (hi, how are you?)
5. Blizten Trapper

http://2009.aclfestival.com/85283/schedule/2009/10/02

because i go to so many shows

I often have much to say about the shows I go to here in Austin. I have so much to say that I have decided to post and blog about the shows, openings, album release, in-stores, and festivals I go to. I won't promise much but my personal opinion and if I seem to offend anyone just know that my intentions are to report what I hear so please, don't get butt hurt about anything I post. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think. I strongly encourage your feedback, suggestions, rebuttals, and words.

That being said, screw you and your band. If you're any good then you will prove it to me live.
(yeah that's a threat)