Austin Sound

If there is one band in town that knows how to throw a party, it’s the Midgetmen, and every year they pull out all the stops for their “Anniversorry” show. This year promises to be better than ever, as they have commandeered both stages at the Mohawk for a Friday night blowout. Not only do they have an awesome 7 band lineup (see below), but because no Midgetmen show is complete without loads of beer, they’ve gotten the show sponsored by Pabst and there will be free Blue Ribbon while it lasts! The music begins at 9:00pm, and all this can be yours this Friday, May 1, for only $5. Check out the schedule plus a recent live video filmed by Channel Austin!

The music of seamen and pirates is usually equated with rambunctious drinking songs. Jigs, rum and an overly energetic accordion player are what come to mind to accompany men who spend their time isolated on the ocean. Austin’s the Able Sea is not recalling these typical slovenly mariners. As indicated by the name, this three-piece band writes of the wandering souls of the ocean, and an essay included with the album, without directly doing so, instructs listeners to imagine lonely seamen bobbing among the waves. Yet these are not the rowdy pirates the Flogging Molly sings of, but rather what pirates would have been like if they had psychedelic drugs. The Able Sea’s self-titled debut is nine songs of drifting, sleepy pop with a ‘60s twang. Although the album as a whole is effortlessly smooth and all but melts out of the speakers, individual songs fail to leave much of an impression.

If you haven’t yet been exposed to Wine and Revolution’s pop goodness, this video is good place to start. “Trees” is off of the quartet’s debut EP, Edward the Magnificent, and the video was directed by William J. Orendorff from local outfit Gorilla Apparatus. The Wine and Revolution boys will be heading out on tour here in about a month, but you have a few chances to catch them before they come back heroes, starting with this Saturday at the Creekside Lounge with White Sails and Custodian. Video below!

There’s a quintet that bubbled very quietly to the surface here in Austin, fecklessly catching the gaze of media and passers-by. Melding music’s finer points with human tendency and memory, their sound mildly manifests in an almost opulent mess of selectively twangy baroque that politely bows to its grand new wave — yet still indie — roots. Mellifluous in the same way that the best vinyl sounds after you’ve been away for too long, the Great Nostalgic’s debut album is much, much more than it seems.

Primary to the band’s heart and momentum is Abram Shook, who spent due time with other musical endeavors that include The Laughing, before transplanting his Boston roots to the southwest. His fixation with memory, ruminating on, and ultimately purging it, is bewitching. The album is an exercise in remembering what listening to music felt like, what it used to mean, and what it should mean again.

Frantic Clam’s sophomore EP, Anatomica, has been garnishing a lot — I mean A LOT — of praise from critics, fans, and musical savants alike. And there’s a good reason for that. Anatomica is a collection of the catchiest and most refreshing songs I have heard in a long time. It seems that artists today are always trying to punctuate their sound and de-genre-fy themselves in order to get recognition (i.e. Ponytail), but Frantic Clam easily dodges labeling while still remaining relevant. Anatomica is an album composed in grandeur. The themes of the songs are all-encompassing and anthemic, the instrumentation is heavy, yet the album achieves a very accessible and grounded feel.

Well, there you have it. ACL finally gave official word on their 2009 lineup, supporting the all the rumors that have been circulating the past few weeks. Headliners this year will in fact be Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, and the Beastie Boys, with Kings of Leon, Sonic Youth, John Legend, and Jack White’s new band, The Dead Weather, likely to pull in some of folks as well. We’re excited to see a particularly strong tier of indie band represented, with Grizzly Bear, Deer Tick, the Low Anthem, Cotton Jones, the Henry Clay People, and the Felice Brothers all showing up. We also can’t recommend highly enough catching Rodriguez, who will finally be coming to Austin! Also of note is the local representation with some familiar to the Fest (Ghostland Observeratory, Black Joe Lewis) and some newcomers (most notably Leatherbag). The 2009 ACL Fest goes down in Zilker Park October 2-4, and 3 Day passes are onsale now for $185. Check out the linuep below:

White Denim is straight up trippin’! We were thrilled and impressed when the trio took their explosive bluesy funk onslaught and layered in the intricate movements without losing the energy on last year’s Exposion album, and we’re equally excited that they continue to push themselves in new directions. The basic elements that have made them one of Austin’s most loved young bands are still there on “Mirrored and Reversed,” but the song is swallowed in reverb and psych-bends. The song is off of their upcoming UK release, Fits, which drops in June on Full Time Hobby and is supposedly getting a US release later in the year. What’s up with stateside getting the sloppy seconds? Somebody in the States needs to give these boys a deal. Check out the new song below!

Last year’s inaugural Panchanga Festival was a big success, bringing together some of the best local Latin acts for an all-star day of music. We’re happy to see it return again this year, set for Saturday May 30 in Fiesta Gardens. Tickets are on sale now for $20. Once again, it’s a pretty eclectic lineup that includes local standouts like Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds, David Garza, and Maneja Beto, as well international acts like Mexico City’s Mexican Institute of Sound. Swine Flu be damned! Full lineup of currently confirmed acts below.

Fresh out of the gate after forming earlier this year, the Happen-Ins have been grooving into the local scene with a rollicking retro vibe, swaggering country rock that follows in the harmonizing roots of the Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Rolling Stones. In other words, the quartet dusts up some stellar originals that sound infectiously familiar but with their own contemporary pop twists. Their sound is no surprise given the make-up of the band, which includes former Deadringer Sean Faires, psych-folker John Michael Dayspring, The Belleville Outfit’s Jonathon Konya on percussion, and former Lomita frontman and recent pedal steel extraordinaire, Ricky Ray Jackson. The group is working out some recordings at this moment, and you can download one of their first demos below, but we can’t imagine a better lineup to see them play with than this Friday, May 1 at the Scoot Inn with Brothers and Sisters, the Black, J.C. & Company, and Karrie Hopper.

Balmorhea’s music has always held a stunningly cinematic character, so kudos to director Jared Hogan and editor David Andrews for giving their song “Remembrance” the visually striking accompaniment that it deserves. Premiered earlier this week on Pitchfork.tv, the song captures the solitude and beauty of the stretching west Texas landscape, a period piece if you will, that is on par with anything you would see in a theater. In fact, we want to see this in a theater! The song is off of Balmorhea’s latest effort, All is Wild, All is Silent, out now on Western Vinyl and highly recommended. If our words don’t convince you, check out the video below, which will have to tide you over until Balmorhea returns from their European tour on May 22.