Austin Sound

It seems most Austin bands know that the best way to escape the summer heat is to shack up in a climate-controlled studio all summer long. Or at least that’s the impression we get with the number of new releases coming up in the next month. We start this week with new material from The Lemurs, who will be unveiling their new album Million Little Bits Saturday at the Mohawk along with Belaire, Pink Nasty and Low Line Caller (whose own new material is due out soon). Don’t miss Friday night at the Beauty Bar where the now-controversial Boxing Lesson play along with The Story Of and The Calm Blue Sea (whose new LP we just got a whiff of). Oh, and don’t be afraid to drop a few extra bucks on Lone Star this weekend because Red 7’s got your back with a free show Sunday night featuring Muchos Backflips, Opposite Day and La Snacks (who also have new material in the works for next month). Let’s start the show.

FRIDAY

If you’ve been checking our news updates in the past two weeks, you may have noticed all the hoopla surrounding The Boxing Lesson’s Jake Mitchell being involved in some “legal issues” for growing a few marijuana plants. We tracked the story as it went from somewhat-out-of-proportion (complete with the Patriot Act and terrorist charges) to a slightly more-confirmed-report. Of course, that has nothing to do with the band’s uproarious guitar+synthesizer jams, which they’ll be showcasing again Friday night at the Beauty Bar. Make sure you get there in time for the other stars of the show, The Calm Blue Sea, who are now just a month away from releasing their debut which they recorded with the one and only Erik Wofford over the summer. From initial reports (by which we mean the CD we got in the mail today), we hear the self-titled album lives up to expectations, capturing every ounce of the band’s stunning originality and stark dynamic contrast. Austin staple The Story Of rock the world-conscious anthems and World’s Affair.

SATURDAY

If you missed out on The Lemurs‘ 2007 self-titled release, Saturday night brings a chance for redemption as the band will be at The Mohawk inaugurating their brand new release, Million Little Bits. While the alt-rockers usually make for a great show by themselves, they’ll have more than a little help Saturday night. Low Line Caller (who are giving their new EP Hi Def Soft Core a release of its own next month) open with The Lemurs outside, while the inside stage hosts sure-to-be-fantastic sets from Pink Nasty and our favorite local pop-stars Belaire. Did we mention you get a copy of Million Little Bits for free?

SUNDAY

Speaking of free (and we’re always speaking of free), the good people at Red 7 have a real deal for you going on all month called “Free Sundays”. That’s right, free shows every Sunday, starting with Muchos Backflips this weekend. Supplementing Muchos Backflips‘ often quirky (and always weird) experimental rock are La Snacks and Opposite Day. We should mention that La Snacks‘ new release Newfangled is due up in October, so be sure to catch a few of the tracks for free live this weekend before heading to their release party next month where they’ll showcase the fruits of this summer’s loins.

As always, be sure to check back with us next week for more choice events to fill the weekend box in your planner.

These picks not enough? Check out Do512 or Showlist Austin for more comprehensive listings.