Back from Cali

Can't complain when this is the view from your room.

Olio sent their album to me last week and and I have to say I am both impressed and confused at the same time. They go from Spanish guitar to hip-hop summer jam to soul to genuinely funny pop rock and back again over the course of 10 tracks. Check back for my review of their album Living the Dream.

In the meantime, check out their MySpace and especially the song "Here We Go". They've got a video up over at that "YouTube" site.

Past, Present, Future: Kiven

We got a chance to interview California-based band, Kiven. This is a new feature for our blog, a short and sweet interview with an up and coming band in sort of a Past, Present, Future format. Look for more coming soon and check out Kiven's music here!

Members/Instruments:
Tyler Demorest - Vocals Guitar
Ted Boldt - Drums
Billy Yarbrough - Keys/Utility Man
Danny Schnair - Lead Guitar/Vocals
Colin Fitzgibbon - Bass/Vocals

Year Formed: 2008

1. Past: What is your musical background? What has led you to this point?


I started playing music in 7th grade and have been in a collection of bands since then, mostly playing with Ted the drummer. I've studied jazz guitar, rock, blues, and i have extensive knowledge in lead singer syndrome...cause I'm the best...at everything...obviously... The rest of the band are all very talented musicians as well, and have been studying their instruments for quite some time. Ted (the drummer) has wanted to be a front man since he was 7 but chose the wrong instrument so he is definitely the brains behind most the creative (crazy) wardrobes and live operations which make our shows fun, Danny studies jazz guitar at USC and simply rocks it, Billy (Ubility / Utiility Bill) can pretty much play it all... and does when we need him to, and Colin is a funky bass player who you can hear strutting his stuff at your neighborhood Guitar Center.


2. Present: Where are you at now in your career? What are you currently working on?


Kiven is a relatively young band, but we have accomplished a great deal. We made the Cover of the "No Cover" magazine distributed throughout Southern California, landed a spot in OC Music-Fest and the RO5K, headlined multiple shows, sell merch, rock the stage, steal hearts... all that good stuff. We are currently just working on making our live show something to remember and writing a bunch of new music for our up and coming album.


3. Future: What’s coming up for you? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?


We are working on setting up a tour around California and a bit of Nevada right now and yeah I guess the only other milestones are finishing our CD and rocking your face with sweet melody at every show. I would say in 5 years we will be on our second tour with a record label behind us blowing our audiences mind with a crazy live performance, and of course great looks...


4. Where can people find more of your music?


Our music will be up on all those internet downloading services (iTunes, Amazon...) shortly, however if you want to get a copy of our newly recorded song "Run" go to www.reverbnation.com/kivenmusic and sign up for our mailing list. All members of the mailing list will get a free download of the song as soon as its done in the next few weeks. And hey if you don't want the song, join the mailing list anyway cause we give out great deals on merchandise and so forth to our outstanding fans.


5. Anything you’d like to plug?


Nothing really other than thanks for reading the interview, join our mailing list, come to a show, and don't forget to watch the famous "Chuck Corris" updates on our MySpace page as often as we put them up. Thanks for all your support!

Tapes and More Tapes

101x, Austinist, and Beggars Group will present Minnesota rockers Tapes n’ Tapes at The Parish this Thursday, 1.29. The band has been compared to The Pixies and The Pavements and has received much recognition on popular sites such as Gorilla vs. Bear. The band’s latest album, Walk It Off, received a three star review in Rolling Stone and their tunes were described as, “songs that form from rant to riff with ADD energy.” Tapes n’ Tapes’ abrasive guitar riffs, drunken drum beats, Modest Mouse styled screams and Violent Femmes like whispers are sure to leave an impression at the intimate 6^th street venue. The show will kick off at 9pm with opening acts Harlem and White Light. Cover is $16.

Photographical Madness: Small Talk and DJ Psych

Check out these great shots of Small Talk and DJ Psych, submitted by Rachel. Check out her Flickr page for more information and more awesome photos.

Focus Group "EP" Review

Disclaimer: I am in no way qualified to be reviewing music. I'm just a guy with a blog and a passionate, debilitating love for music.

I'm going to just say it: Focus Group is something that is best experienced live. Distilling their show into a passive, audio-only medium is almost unfair. Their EP (titled EP) is a subdued version of the group and while it comes together very well in a few areas, lacks the personality of their very entertaining live show.

If you are unfamiliar with Focus Group, then the first track "Very Truly Yours" will determine whether or not you listen to the rest of the songs. An interesting if low-key collection of brass, synth, and vocal sampling, this track is preparing you for what's to come.

The majority of the release keeps to this formula of downbeat, intelligent music. Even if somewhat minimal synth-based brass-infused music isn't usually your cup of tea, you will be nodding your head along with the beat. This is most true with the second and fourth tracks. Still, I would like to see a little more variety in this release to show off the groups talents.

Like I said, a fan of Focus Group's live show and I love their more upbeat songs. Luckily, smack dab in the middle of the EP is "White Folk is Freaky". This track is right up my alley and expect many others' as well. Funny, well-used samples combined with a breakbeat feel really make this one stand out. This track provides a great window into the personality, talent, and humor that make Focus Group a must see instead of a must hear experience.

Be sure to check them out live with Falcon Buddies on January 29th at Triple Crown.

Dallas is not Austin

So I am stuck in Dallas this week. In fact, I have not been outside since Monday morning thanks to meetings. That means no shows and not a lot of time to post fun things to the blog. Corporate America tends to sap my creativity.

BUT, stay tuned. We've got a slew of interviews, album reviews, pictures, and other fun crap coming up very soon. First out the gate should be a review of Focus Group's new EP.

Presenting Mr. John Legend

www.johnlegendaustin.eventbrite.com

Inauguration Night!

PopCuts: Will it last?

Kinda cool. Buy music and get store credit every time someone buys the same song after you. Interesting model, will it pan out? Below is Frantic Clam's New EP, on Popcuts.

Those Wonderful Figs

So I admit it, I am not a huge fan of folk or "Americana" music. It's just how I am wired.







I am, however, quite fond of White Ghost Shivers and The Figs. They were both at Continental Club last night and played to a packed house.

White Ghost Shivers I have heard of. The Figs were new to me and I instantly became a fan. Not only do they play with passion and skill, they are genuinely funny and charming between songs. Plenty of bands get on stage, play their set, and maybe mumble something about merchandise. The Figs, all six of them, were having a grand ol' time as they were describing the trip from Louisiana to Austin. It kept the crowd engaged and made for a great show.

They will be at Roadhouse Rags tonight at 9; I suggest you check them out!

Tuen at Stubb's

Carey Fitch from Carey's Creations sat down on behalf of TwoGroove with TUEN. TUEN played last night at Stubb's. Below is most of the interview some pictures Carey took. It sounds like Carey had a good time, wish I could have been there!

TwoGroove: How long have you guys been playing together as a band?

John: Well, we’ve been together for about a year, me and Greg. We started playing out about a year ago. We debuted at a club called Ruta Maya. That was a fun show, very packed gig. We had a couple drummers since then but we finally found someone who will stick with us. Kevin over here…Kevin Tower.

Kevin: For now! (slight laugh)

John: Yeah. He’s implying that he is about to leave. (laugh) But he’s not gonna leave. We’ll kick his butt. So yeah, we’ve been together about a year.

TwoGroove: So, I heard that two of you actually work together.

John: Yeah, I work with Greg over here.

Greg: We did work.

John: Yeah, lets not get into that right now.

( They work for one of the many IT companies that has had to lay off. They were included in one of those layoffs back in December. )

TwoGroove: What music influences you the most? What bands do you guys like?

Kevin: The Rolling Stones, Rush, Metallica probably the Rolling Stones for the most part.

Greg: I grew up listening to uh…

Kevin: Country!

Greg: Nah, …Social Distortion…

John: I was really going through a big Zeppelin phase growing up. You know watching, I mean actually depicting the guitar playing with Jimmy Page. You know the song writing is probably one of the best on the planet. And, you know he was high while he was performing it but if you really analyze it, it’s quite beautiful. I gotta say that’s probably one of my biggest influences. Although, we don’t sound like Zeppelin at all.

TwoGroove: So, who writes your music?

John: Well, I mean right now, we’re doing some songs that are old that I wrote as a high school student, I guess. Now, the second song we did, that was a collaboration. It was more of an improvised funk song, which we call "The Jam" at the moment. We’ll come up with a name sooner or later. For right now it’s called "The Jam" and we only have one song as a collaboration and hopefully in a couple weeks we’ll have some more. When we play Red Eyed Fly, that would be coming up on February the 7^th or 3^rd. It’s like a blur now. I have to check my calendar.

TwoGroove: Have you played the Red Eyed Fly before?

John: No, no we haven’t. It will be our first time. We frequent here quite a bit. We’re trying to get more of a Red River scene. You know, Mohawks! That is an amazing club. We want to be playing there soon as well.

TwoGroove: So, you have to tell us about your instrument. What exactly is that thing?

John: Bass pedals. We have a Moog Taurus II. It’s from the company Moog which invented the synthesizer. And they’re basically a keyboard that you play on the floor with your feet. You can still hold onto the guitar and sing at the same time so you can do 3 instruments at once, if you can pull it off. I’m having some trouble pulling it off. I’m still working on it.

TwoGroove: So, what did you think of your show tonight? How do you think your performance went?

John: Totally sucked. (turns to Greg) How do you feel about it?

Greg: The same but we always think that.

Kevin: Well, we always feel that way until we see the video and then we think, oh that wasn’t too bad.

Greg: We are our own worst critics.

TwoGroove: …and what did you think of the crowd tonight?

Kevin: Good crowd, definitely a good crowd out there tonight.

TwoGroove: So, where do you guys see your music going?

John: Well, we want to get some more hits on myspace as well as some more air play on the radio. That should get us a good start off in Austin.

TwoGroove: and if people want to go to that myspace…

John: Yeah, that’s gonna be TUENmusic, actually www.myspace.com/TUENmusic is the way it’s written out and our email is unmusical@gmail.com. We’ll answer any questions you have.

TwoGroove: So guys, I guess we’ll catch you at your next show at the Red Eyed Fly in February. I’ll check the date.

(That date is Feb. 3^rd if anyone wants to catch that show and hang out with some pretty cool guys!)

SonicBids

So I put this blog up on SonicBids to accept submissions since we are always looking for more new music. The post went up yesterday and right now I am staring at over 80 submissions which is both incredibly awesome and daunting at the same time.

If you want to submit your electronic press kit (EPK) for the blog, click the link below. I will listen to everything that is sent and will respond as quickly as I can. Austin bands will be considered first and extra special bonus points will be given if you have some shows coming up.

Be sure to check back later today, we'll post an interview and some pics from the Tuen show at Stubb's last night.

Beauty Bar - Frantic Clam, Focus Group, and some guy on speed

Last night's show at the Beauty Bar was a lot of fun. Cameras, both video and still, captured pretty much every possible angle of the show. I'll post some of my pictures below.

Focus Group did what they always do: put on an energetic, interactive, and entertaining show. It was fun to watch people scoot outside when they were taking live samples from the audience. I guess some people would remain anonymous and not have their voice mixed live into the song.

Some guy calling himself Imagine the Band got up after Focus Group. Not sure what to think about this one. For one, he entertained the crowd with piercing off-key we'll call it "singing" and spastic failings. On the other hand, it was sort of like watching a train wreck.

Frantic Clam met with some technical problems during the first part of their set, but really brought it home during the song "Indiana". Every song after that including "Korean Beauty Queen" and "Amnesty" were received very well and turned around what might have been an unfortunate set (the lead singer/guitar player broke three strings).

Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned. This blog will be making some cool changes in the near future and will be incorporated into the TwoGroove site.

People milling about.

Indie Live Austin interviewing Frantic Clam

Plenty of media showed up.

Focus Group being interviewed by a documentary crew.

Frantic Clam EP Release

So I know there is a big show at Emo's tomorrow, but just around the corner at Beauty Bar Frantic Clam will be having a release party for their sophomore EP, Anatomica. These four are looking to set themselves apart from the standard "indie" trend and I expect that tomorrow's show will do a lot do solidfy that move away from the norm. A review of the EP was put up on Austin Town Hall today and received 4 out of 5 stars. If you pick up the EP at tomorrow's show, I almost guarantee you'll get track 2, "Korean Beauty Queen", stuck in your head instantly.

They'll be playing with Focus Group, which boasts an interesting and interactive live show. You'll definitely get your money's worth at this show, especially because it is free. Check out Focus Group at 10pm and Frantic Clam at 11pm.

Candace from Electric Promotions

Everybody say hi to our new contributor, Candace! She contributed the post below and her company, Electric Promotions, specializes in promotional services for artists and musicians. Look for more of her posts in the near future.

We'll both be at the Beauty Bar this Wednesday for Frantic Clam's EP Release party. Come say hi!

Hi-Ro Music Fest, Hip Hop and Rock Nature Tour

HI-RO MUSIC FEST at The Austin Music Hall
(280 Nueces Austin TX 78701, Austin, Texas 78701)
Cost is $30.00 to get in. Purchase Tix

On January 24, 2009, Power Music Movement in conjunction with Brand Ur Band will redefine the Austin Music Scene with the First Annual “Hi-Ro Music Fest, Hip Hop and Rock Nature Tour.” The festival will rock the“Live Music Capital of the World” and bring new life to indie music by bringing musicians of all genres together to create a movement. This movement is geared to empower indie musicians by educating them and giving their music a true voice on a local, national, international and even corporate level. Indie Musicians will also learn to create bond with their fans, giving fans the “ultimate concert-going experience.”

Power Music Movement is an event planning and entertainment work shop company which prides itself on bringing years of experience in the music industry to create a concept, educate the musicians, and create the “ultimate concert-going experience.” Thus they have created Brand Ur Band. Brand Ur Band is giving indie artists a platform to join forces with platinum artists and give them the extra “push” they need for their band to be successful. Grammy Award-winning De La Soul will be headlining the festival, along with Big Red Rooster, Zeale, DirtyWormz, Loona C, Dreamt the End, DJ LX, Crash Gallery, The Fanatics, Omega Red, Pimpin Pen, Goodnight Goddess, Dawn Over Zero and John Pointer. The event will be held at the Austin Music Hall and doors will open at 12:00pm. This will be an all day event and tickets will be $30.

“This festival is purposely designed to create a more intimate setting for fans to connect with national artists or bands they know and the unsigned acts they don’t know! This allows Hi-Ro Music Fest to make it very well known that we support local artists in every major city we plan to land in because, 'From Fans to Bands, We Make it Happen'”

~Damar Howard, Founder of Power Music Movement

There will also be a Brand Ur Band After Party at a venue to be announced at the show. This party will feature surprise performances, a show you will NOT want to miss!

Hi-Ro Music Fest, Hip-Hop and Rock, Nature Tour at Austin Music Festival. Tickets are $30 for an all day event and are available at www.gettix.net, Waterloo Records All Run Tex locations, Monarch Event Center, and the University Co-op. For more information go to www.powermusicmovement.com.

Looking for Contributors

So I've come to the sad realization that I am only one person and I haven't yet developed the ability to be at every show. As depressing as that is, there is something I can do about it: I'm looking for a few freelance contributors to head out to shows of their choosing, take pictures, and report back.

So if you are a writer, photographer, or both, I'm calling on you. No experience necessary (my pictures are amateur at best and taken with a PowerShot), and sorry, I can't afford to pay just yet. Photographers and writers retain full rights to their photos/content and will be properly praised and credited for their submissions.

Contact me (tyler@twogroove.com) if you are interested or for more information.

In the meantime, get out there and finish Free Week with a bang. Emo's is having a rockin' party tonight.

This is a photo (and a sweet Big Dog motorcycle). You can have your photos posted too!

Free Week - Friday Night

Once again, another great night in the city of Austin. I spent most of my night at a get together for Do512.com, hanging out with various media mavens and local heroes. They shared a lot of cool insights about the whole Austin scene. Being a newbie to the area, the history, and the politics, I found the whole thing fascinating.

After the shindig, we headed over to Mohawk to say hi to Rosa and check out The Laughing. These guys definitely earned their slot in Free Week; they have a great, if standard, indie sound and brought out a lot of people. Even if I am not a huge fan of a band's music, I am impressed when they take the stage with energy and do their part to get fans out.

Free Week Continues

Some pictures from last night. Free Week is in full swing. Between Emo's and Beauty Bar, I saw The Blacks, Ume, and Bankrupt and the Borrowers. Everyone brought their energy and played great sets. The tambourine guy from The Blacks in insane! He practically flew off the stage at one point. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not, but he didn't seem to mind. More power to him.

Lots of people were out enjoying the scene; hope to see you out tonight and tomorrow!

The Blacks



Ume at Emo's

More Ume

Bankrupt and the Borrowers at Beauty Bar

Bankrupt and the Borrowers

Mullets, Mohawks, and Rattails

A great night had by all at the Mohawk last night. Perfect Pants, Frantic Clam, Colour Wheel, and Baby Robots. Booze was flowing, bands were playing, guitars were breaking, and cameras were flashing. Check Austin360 for more pictures. Below are a few of mine.

Be sure to check out Do512 for upcoming shows and TwoGroove for more music.


Perfect Pants

Frantic Clam

Frantic Clam

Zack Hadley of Frantic Clam

Sound Check on Aisle Three

Sound checks at small local venues are funny to me. The quality of the sound is important, of course, but the process of checking each mic and instrument is more of an art than a science (this is where you say, "but wait it IS a science!"). Sometimes, that art is more like fingerpaint.

Here are the specific things I find funny:

Overly anal sound guys: Every mic, monitor, and instrument has to be perfect. They will work on the tiniest issue well into a band's starting time. The pursuit of perfection is commendable, but ultimately futile and quite the time-waster. When you have 45 to play and a band coming on after you, do you really want the guy to go 20 minutes into your set? Even if he is able to coax God out of his board, you just wasted 20 minutes of your set.

Overly anal bands: Kind of the same thing here. You know how you want it to sound. When there are people milling waiting for you to get started, the last thing you want to do is actually start. You want more lead vocal in the drummer's monitor. A little more. More. Ok, a little less. Wait, perfect. No, a little more. You get the drift. When you get to the point where your sound truly does need to be perfect, you'll have biker roadies handling the sound for you.

Sound checks with the music on: This is one of my favorites and you can combine it with one or both of the above. You and the sound guy are trying to get the sound just right, testing the full kit, just the bass, bass and vocals, etc. all while "Back in Black" is blasting through the bar. Are you expecting 1980's AC/DC to show up and rock out while you are playing? Then why test the sound while the music is on? Plus, having been a DJ for a while, I can tell you that there is nothing worse than the sound of two songs with different beats playing.

I guess the point of all this whining is that it seems like no one looks at the bigger picture. You are playing at a bar for 45 minutes to a crowd (hopefully, if you did your promotion) of drunk people. They don't know and don't care if the sound is perfect. They just want to get drunk and for the band to go on and not suck. If you and the sound tech can do that, you're golden.