12:00 PM
to 1:00 PM
Country Mice
10 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Country Mice
event::about Country Mice front man Jason Rueger grew up on a farm in rural Kansas passed down through three generations of his family. With headphones on, he walked the path, bruised his hands and squinted his eyes in the sun, but music, above all else, made him whole. Looking out from his window, he set his sights for something different than the dirt and milo that stung his eyes and cut his hands. Jason fought against the gravity-pull of hometown and, with all the joy and pain of letting go, moved to Brooklyn. Here, he met Ben Bullington (guitar), Kurt Kuehn (drums) and Mike Feldman (bass), who, being from Kansas, Wisconsin and upstate New York, also shared a comfort in displacement and they quickly banded with Rueger. As Country Mice, they rallied together to craft apocalyptic ballads through amplifier hazes that thicken into funnel clouds, drums that stomp-clap sedately before the storm peaks, and bass tones that thicken the bloodstream. Jason draws on his small town rearing with sophistication beyond the ordinarily romantic and reductive Americana troubadour, and his songwriting is anything but dime a dozen. You can hear strong traces of Neil Young and Wilco mixed into their modern experimental guitar sounds that any fan of mid-90’s Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. would love. Together they cut their teeth among the other hardworking bands of Brooklyn's fast-paced scene. To date, the band has released two formative 7" singles and a limited edition cassette on Brooklyn-based indie labels and now they are ready to unleash their debut album,"Twister," on Wao Wao Records. This is a record that sonically chisels through the calloused shell of glossy rock & roll to find the dissonant live wire beneath and play it for all its worth. It tells a tale of strained memory: the hardships, joys, and love of growing up in a small town in the Midwest, with the hopes and dreams of traveling the world – a record for every kid seeing the big world from his small bedroom window. Wao Wao Records (www.myspace.com/waowaorecords) is run by Toby Rascal and Hbear, two members of Kanine Records (www.kaninerecords.com), out of the basement of the Kanine Records headquarters, normally referred to as the Doghouse. Toby and Hbear formed Wao Wao Records to start releasing records by Country Mice the day they heard a lo-fi mp3 off of a 4-track demo that Jason, Ben and Kurt did in their practice space. They instantly knew then and there, that these three had something special and they wanted to be a part of it. “I instantly fell in love with their scratchy guitar sounds. It reminded of the joys of digging up a lost bone on a warm spring day. While their guitars feed back off of his homemade amp, Jason gives off a classically lost vocal style that gives way to a whole new take on a long lost 90’s indie sound.
event::tags All Ages
1:00 PM
to 2:00 PM
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
47 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
event::about Shilpa Ray’s forearms bulge with blood when she plays her harmonium. “I have strange musical injuries,” she explains, referring to the blisters on her fingers. But none of that stops her from pounding on the accordion-like instrument, which reached the height of its popularity in 19th-century churches. “I always feel like I’m still my 14-year-old self,” she says, explaining her determination to play despite the trauma her music can cause. “I never developed beyond that in my attitude.” Ray’s teenage tendencies are alive and well on Teenage and Torture, her second full-length with Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, which will be released in early 2011 on Knitting Factory Records. A collection of 10 savage and sultry blues-influenced songs, the album finds Ray eviscerating her subjects (and often spilling her own guts) with the kind of sharp-tongued, smart-assed angst that keeps juvenile detention centers in business. Songs like “Hookers” and “Genie’s Drugs” aren’t dealing with kid-sized issues, but no matter the situation, Ray says, “I always have that gut reaction the way that teenagers do.” Growing up in central New Jersey, at 6 years old Ray picked up both the harmonium and piano at the insistence of parents who wanted her to learn classical Indian music. “I really wanted to play guitar and my parents said no,” Ray says. “But I had the harmonium, so I would learn chords to songs that I liked and start to play.” At 16 she taught herself how to play The Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” but it wasn’t until a few years later that she worked up the nerve to perform in front of other people. Settling in New York City with no idea how to form a band, Ray frequented open mic nights at the East Village’s legendary Sidewalk Cafe, where she performed solo. “I started going to Sidewalk because I didn’t fit into any scene and it seemed like there you can be anybody and still get a shot,” she says. “So I went and I sang a song a capella and they asked if I played an instrument and I told them about the harmonium, so they said if you bring this harmonium down, we’ll give you a show.” Ray would soon form her first band, Beat The Devil. While the group was met with early success and local acclaim, winning great praise from many observers including Brooklyn Vegan and the New York Times, they disbanded shortly before the release of their first and only album. Initially Ray decided to continue on as a solo act, but she soon began enlisting the help of musicians she had met while playing out. Eventually the line up began to solidify and Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers was formed. In 2009, the group released the self-financed album A Fish Hook, An Open Eye and the excitement for Ray and her unique artistry picked up where it had left off. “Following the demise of her previous band,” wrote the New Yorker,” Ray has struck out on her own, further showcasing her seemingly indestructible vocal chords. She screams, growls, and snarls her way through the screeching muck of oil-stained garage rock and backwoods blues, cresting just above the waves of a sonic tumult that threatens to consume her minuscule frame. This tenuous command of a raucous sound makes for a volatile breed of rock and roll.” Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hooker’s latest album, Teenage and Torture, both refines and expands upon the arresting qualities of their first release. The result, “isn’t as thrown together as the first one,” says Ray. “The first record was like a series of thoughts, this is one big thought. You’ll slip into a different world when you hear this.” Recorded with Black Dirt Studios’ Jason Meagher at Seizure’s Palace in Gowanus, Brooklyn, the songs on Teenage and Torture are dark, sardonic looks inside Ray’s own world and obsessions, augmented by the musical styling of her Happy Hookers—Nick Hundley on bass, Andrew Bailey on guitar and John Adamski on drums and percussion, and featuring Greg Lewis on organ, Jonathan Lam on pedal steel and Andrew Hoepfner on vocals and keys. “Most of the time when I write songs, they’re semi-autobiographical,” says Ray, “but they’re also taking situations and trying to understand things that I have a hard time understanding,” she says. “ When I wrote ‘Genie’s Drugs,’ it was about this dude I used to date who was dating every other chick on my block. One day I said, ‘I don’t want you to see this Genie girl, why do you see her?’ and he told me, ‘Well, she’s got the good drugs.’ And I thought it would be great to write a love song about I’m so poor that I can’t afford the drugs to keep him around.” On another standout track, “Liquidation Sale,” Ray mocks herself for feeling down. “I could not take myself seriously writing a blues song,” she says, “so a lot of those lyrics are me making fun of myself and how fake I am being by even writing it. At the same time, I’m like everybody else, I want that window to complain.” Blood and blisters be damned, on Teenage and Torture, Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers have some things to say, and you’ve got n
event::tags All Ages
2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM
Woodsman
33 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Woodsman
event::about Woodsman is an experimental ambient post-psychedelic band based in Denver, CO. The quartet contains two totemic percussionists and two sonic animators who employ electric guitars, feedback loops, and recorded samples to build the dreamy astral soundscapes that define Woodsman’s sound. Influenced by hazy mountain passes, the cinema of Stan Brakhage, and early 1970’s improvisational recordings by Miles Davis Woodsman has crafted aural offerings that are uniquely their own.
event::tags All Ages
3:00 PM
to 4:00 PM
The Kid Daytona
2 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
3:50 PM
to 4:50 PM
Mistah FAB
22 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
4:40 PM
to 5:40 PM
Danny Brown
11 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
event::about Bridging the gap between hipster and hood rap without ever compromising his integrity, Danny Brown, the Hybrid of Hip Hop is on the brink of hitting the big time. His hometown, the once thriving city of Detroit and it's current hardships are a strong influence on his lyrics. With five mixtapes and two albums under his belt, Danny Brown has built up a diverse fan base over the last six years. He made the decision to release all of his music for free, explaining, 'If I'm not being paid to make music, then I shouldn't be selling music. Producers give me the beats for free; engineers give me studio time for free. I don't pay to write these raps, so why should I charge people? I want people to hear it more so than I want to profit from it anyway.' The rapper has had close brushes with mainstream success, most significantly when Roc-A-Fella Records showed interest in him back in 2004. For those that don't know what happened next, the record label disbanded, leaving Brown with little choice but to move back to Detroit. With his first mixtape, Browntown completed under Roc-A-Fella, he began work on the first in the Detroit State Of Mind mixtape series. Unfortunately the law came knocking and Brown was sentenced to a year in jail. He spent his time wisely, writing rhymes every day to J Dilla's Donuts, which played on repeat in his head. On his release, Brown made three records within a year, including his first album, Hot Soup, which was released when he was still sleeping on his grandma's floor. 'I was just getting out of jail so I didn't have nowhere else to go, I've got my own apartment now so I'm climbing up a little bit.' After a two-year rest, Brown came back with his second album, The Hybrid, released in March this year. 'Ain't shit to do but play target practice on each other out here.' From an early age Brown knew what he wanted to do in life. 'When I was five I would get asked what I wanted to be when I was older, I used to say a rapper and the whole class would laugh.' Eventually becoming embarrassed by his classmates' reactions, Brown expressed a desire to become a comedian. He took his new career choice seriously, and learnt how to set up jokes for stand up, something that has obviously crossed over into his rapping. He admits that his comedic side is probably his reaction towards anger. 'For the most part I'm kind of funny, I like to have fun. I'm a stoner, so I'm too high to be angry.' Brown is a funny guy and his dry humour is present throughout the interview. When asked if he is an angry person, he responds, 'Uh, I have emotions like normal human beings.' Even his ad-libs are amusing, in particular his trademark high-pitched laugh. On some songs, Brown's voice seems to be filled with anger, but he explains that it is simply due to his desire to express emotion. 'I'm just trying to prove that I can make good music. I don't think I'm angry, maybe hunger's the right word for it, I just really want people to understand what I'm doing.' The raw, scratchy tones on Greatest Rapper Ever, an example of this hunger, are enough to convince you that the title is true. The same tones can be heard on Re-Up in which he documents a life of crack dealing, in which a former Motown singer became a customer. Seeing the tragic transformation of the once flourishing city of Detroit has obviously affected those old enough to remember the days of Motown. 'We used to walk past Motown every day, the actual recording studio and didn't feel nothing. In some sense it's bitter sweet. We made all this good music here, but they took it away from us and it's never been back again.' Brown explains that the former glory of Motown has been left to crumble. 'In the sixties, Detroit was the most thriving economy for black people; it built a lot of shit. When we had the Motown shit popping off, they were buying mansions in the hood, building them from scratch. Forty years later, that mansion is boarded up.' Shockingly, the younger generation cares little about the glamorous past life of their city. 'I don't think a thirteen-year-old would know how big it was. They wouldn't give a damn.' Growing up in Detroit has caused the rapper to feel anger towards the situations his peers face. 'When you walk out of your house everyday and see the living conditions we have, it wouldn't makes too many people happy.' Having seen the collapse of the motor industry and the effect it had on lives, issues involving money frustrate him the most. 'Why have you got casinos in the brokest city in America? That's like kicking people when they're down. Selling people this dream that they can put a dollar on a slot machine and become a millionaire. So you're trying to take our last?' His own grandmother was personally affected, 'Someone like my grandma, who worked her whole life to retire and be able to live good the rest of her life is broke now because of a casino.' On Hot Soup, a track called Succeed features a sample quote that claims six out of ten teenagers are unable to get a job upon leaving school. When asked if that is still the case, Brown responds, 'Six out of ten? I would say it's more like eight out of ten now.' Changes are taking place in Detroit however, although they may not improve the living conditions of all Detroit natives. A number of big budget Hollywood movies have been shot in the city over the last three years, something that looks set to become a trend. 'What they're gonna do eventually is take Detroit back and regentrify it. All the broke people here are gonna be moved out to a suburb on the outskirts. It's changing in some sense but it's not changing for the better, they're just kicking the broke people out. In a minute, it's gonna be too expensive to live in Detroit, especially with them shooting all these movies out here. It's gon' change.' But for now Brown is making the most of Detroit's appeal. 'I just saw a million dollar movie being shot on my corner, I ate well off them yesterday, thanks to the movie budget. I stole mad sodas! I got soda in my refrigerator thanks to that movie. Good looking SWAT 2.' His music has brought opportunities to travel around America leaving him with a perspective that is different to his peers. 'There's a lot of people that feel that Detroit is a great city and they love living here and it's fun but then I'm like, 'You never been nowhere then. Ain't shit to do but play target practice on each other out here'.' He goes on to add, 'To be honest with you, I don't think I knew how bad Detroit was until I was an adult. It let me know how bad my city was when I went to a place like New York which they say is bad.' Despite the city's influence on his music, Brown expresses a desire to escape. 'I just wanna get out of Detroit, because me being here, the only possibilities are bad ones.' Elaborating on this point, he explains, 'Before this whole situation that's just come up, I was ready to start back selling weed. I'm not about to start selling weed. Shows weren't coming like I figured they would and I still gotta pay bills, man.' Though his life is improving through his music, the changes have come through his own hard work. Brown once said in an interview that Obama's presence in the White House would never change his life and he confirms that he still feels this way, 'I'm still sitting in Detroit with the same living conditions I did before. My life ain't changed, I mean besides me not sleeping on my mom's floor no more.' With a laugh he reveals the only difference in his life has been linked to sexual appeal, 'Interracial has been popping. I wasn't getting this many white girls before so thanks, shout out to Obama for that.'
event::tags All Ages
5:30 PM
to 6:30 PM
L.E.P. BOGUS BOYS
3 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
12:00 PM
to 1:00 PM
Erland & The Carnival
38 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Erland & The Carnival
event::about A Brief History Erland is Erland Cooper, guitarist, singer and former resident of remote Orkney. The Carnival are guitarist Simon Tong (The Verve, Gorillaz, The Good, The Bad, The Queen) and drummer David Nock (Paul McCartney’s The Fireman). Together, as Erland & The Carnival, they make a pastoral, psychedelic sound described by Tong as “Pentangle meets Ennio Morricone meets Love meets 13th Floor Elevators meets Joe Meek.” In other words: folk-tinged, psyched up, fuzzed-out brilliance. Erland grew up on the remote Orkney Islands of Scotland, where passing musicians and troubadours were a common sight. In his early teens, The Verve and Bert Jansch inspired him to swap the fiddle for the guitar. Later, having moved to London, Erland sang at Tong’s What The Folk club night on Portobello Road, where the producer Youth introduced him to the former Verve member. “It wasn’t a regular folk night where people are quiet and stroke their chin,” says Tong. “It was a more raucous affair where the acts – as many as 15 a night – had to quieten a noisy baying audience by being good. Erland definitely got people to shut up and listen.” Resolving to form a band, Nock, Tong and Cooper took their name from Jackson C Frank’s My Name Is Carnival, a cover of which appears on the EP. The band’s progression since has been fairly unorthodox: they’ve played gigs at miniature railway stations and their debut EP was individually re-recorded for each of its limited run, meaning no two copies are the same. All the while, they’ve been developing that bewitching sound. “The Carnival sound developed dramatically over a year of playing and demo-ing,” says Tong. “Originally we were more acoustic but gradually have got darker and more electric and psychedelic. There is a 1930’s book called The Circus of Dr Lao where a wild, fantastical travelling circus comes to a fictional small American mid west town causing social chaos and upsetting the usual way of life of the towns inhabitants, then eventually it leaves and moves on with the town in tatters. I see that as a good metaphor for us as a band to aim for.”
event::tags All Ages
1:00 PM
to 2:00 PM
Still Corners
29 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Still Corners
event::about Listening to Still Corners' music, you could be forgiven for imagining them as quiet, serious types. Their songs are eerie and tremulous, like echoing caverns of sound, and yet also delicately precious, a combination that demands conscientious craftsmanship. Live, their music "rocks more", as one of the band puts it, and, coupled with the video projections, consistently casts spells on audiences. On stage, though, the band remain fairly static - focused, it seems, on the task at hand. Far from the outlook of introspective dullards, though, The Quietus find the three members of the five-piece we speak to - vocalist Tessa Murray, guitarist Leon Dufficy and principal songwriter Greg Hughes - to be warmly open, brimming with humour and playfulness. There's a remarkable, almost telepathic bond between them  a bond that they're willing to let you in on, like an old friend. In the last few months, Still Corners have put out two singles, 'Endless Summer' and 'Don't Fall In Love', as well as recently releasing a cover of 'Eyes' by Rogue Wave, all of which has begun to earn them some much-deserved attention. The band are due to make their US debut in March, including a headline show at Glasslands in Brooklyn, the SXSW festival, and a US tour with band The Papercuts. Taken from the Quietus - 2010
event::tags All Ages
2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM
Harrys Gym
4 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Harrys Gym
event::about Critically acclaimed Norwegian four-piece Harrys Gym release their second album What Was Ours Can’t Be Yours on new Oslo based label Splendour in the UK and mainland Europe this February. Blending beguiling pop with ethereal sounds, they create epic, glacial and distinctly Nordic soundscapes guided by vocalist/songwriter Anne Lise Frøkedal’s hauntingly beautiful vocals. On the back of their self-titled debut album (which was released in May 2010 on Norwegian label Hype City) the band earned a “New Band Of The Day” feature in Guardian and heaped praise from the likes of Drowned in Sound, Uncut and Music Week amongst others. It also saw Harrys Gym subsequently sign to major label Universal in Norway for their follow up – quite an achievement for a “difficult” pop band. Harrys Gym toured the album in the UK, including a performance at the tastemaker festival Standon Calling, where Clash wrote this review: "Harrys Gym… possess an elegance that betrays their… name and conjures the kind of hypnotic, billowing, electro-rock, it seems only Scandinavians can". In addition Harrys Gym managed to captivate audiences at festivals such as Øya, Roskilde, Eurosonic, Great Escape, Iceland Airwaves and Culture Collide in Los Angeles. For their follow-up, they chose to work with up-and-coming British producer James Rutledge. Rutledge and Anne Lise Frøkedal bonded at once over the phone from Oslo to London, where they discussed Vashti Bunyan, folk music and the crossover between programming and running naked in the forest. Not to mention a shared fondness for salty licorice. Rutledge sent a Spotify playlist to the band to give an idea of where he thought the music was heading. This included names such as Brian Eno, Atlas Sound and MGMT, which was enough to convince Frøkedal and the other members that they definitely should book him a ticket to snowy Oslo to begin recording. Together they spent hours sending ideas back and forth from Oslo to London. Then James headed over to Harrys Gym´s own studio where they laid down the majority of the tracks before going to London to mix the material in the psychedelic atmosphere of Strongroom Studios, where the mixes were put down by Jimmy Robertson (Big Pink, Florence & The Machine, Klaxons). Frøkedal said this about the recording process: “It was nice and refreshing to have so many ideas in the room all of the time and to have James somewhat become a fifth member of the band”. Following the album’s release in February 2011, Harrys Gym plan a European tour in the spring. “We really don't have enough music that sounds like blowing dandelions into the wind or flying a kite on an empty beach.” – RCRD LBL "Dreamy, multi layered stuff with an experimental bent but one that never gets in the way of its over-arching pop sensibilities". - Music Week "An iconic debut for such a widely unrecognised band as yet." - Flux "Their hypnotic and haunting tunes have a virtually unique ability to be uplifting, eerie and unforgiving all at once" - Bearded "Harrys Gym offer dreamlike Indie Pop" - Uncut "The singer’s acerbic vocals are angled somewhere between Garbage and The Knife and cut through the evening’s more moderate successes like the icy wind outside the venue. Massive promise." - Clash "a bruising, sonic squall of an affair’ and that ‘dramatic dark pop is the order of the day, equal parts delicate and muscular." - Drowned In Sound
event::tags All Ages
3:00 PM
to 4:00 PM
Blaqstarr
64 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Blaqstarr
event::about Blaqstarr There's a term DJs use when talking with each other that describes an experience all of them strive for but that isn't always achieved. The term is "club banger," or "club killer," and while different DJ crews in different places around the world probably have their own variation on the wording, what the term describes is always the same: a song or record, often new but familiar, that is dropped at the right time during a set; a tune that taps into the immediate energy happening at a club or house party and then pushes it over the edge sending the dancefloor into a communal frenzy. It's the perfect song at the right time, and if you've ever experienced it on the floor or behind the decks it's a rapturous feeling. Baltimore-based DJ, producer, and artist, Blaqstarr, produced his first "club banger," when he was 16-years old, a local Baltimore Club track that he produced called "TK (Need to find out the exact name of this track)." In fact, before he was even 20 years old, Blaqstarr (real name Charles Smith) had produced over half-a-dozen original tracks that were the biggest tunes in Bmore and whether they were broadcast in his own sets at some eastside house party or spun on the radio at a neighborhood block jam, seemingly every tune Blaqstarr would put out has been a straight "club banger." It's that Midas touch of Blaqstarr's that thrust him out of the typically provincial, claustrophobic world of B-more clubland and into the world at large. It's why M.I.A. trusted a then relatively unknown Blaqstarr as a key collaborator for her wildly original second album (Kala) and its hit single, "Paper Planes." And it's why Blaqstarr found a home as part of Diplo's Mad Decent family and got to take his music around the world. In just a short period of time, Blaqstarr's seemingly effortless string of catchy, booming club tracks has made him one of the most anticipated and observed beat-makers in the world. And it is in that atmosphere that the 25-year old releases the Divine EP, his first release for Neet Records, M.I.A.'s label through Interscope. "Baltimore is such a small world, but there's so much love there for the music, that most people never need to leave," says Blaqstarr. "Baltimore folks like music fast that's the sound of the city and if you can make the beats fast and the floor shake, you can be a star right there for a long time. Never have to go nowhere else." Indeed, for the uninitiated, Baltimore Club music has been the soundtrack to life in the onetime thriving port city for over two decades: built on fast beats, booty shaking, raunchy lyrics in songs and suggestive call-and-response provocations from DJs armed with mics. It's the ubiquitous soundtrack of an entire city of people blowing off steam from an otherwise struggling, frustrating environment. And it only exists in Baltimore a little north in Philly, and they don't get it; a little south in DC and they'd rather hear the punch of go-go music. Local Bmore DJs can make more money off the thousands of mix-CDs they sell at local mom-and-pop stores than they would if they had a hit single on national radio. Since 2003, some of Blaqstarr's songs that found audiences beyond Baltimore include, "Rider Girl," "Hands Up Thumbs Down," and "Shake It To The Ground," featuring the Baltimore vocalist/MC (and fellow Interscope artist) Rye Rye who he discovered, and all released on his own Starr Productions label. The song has a catchy hook and an irresistible bounce, but what made "Shake It To The Ground" a fast-traveling hit outside city limits was the way Blaqstarr chopped up Rye Rye's vocals into rapid-firing syllables that sounded like MPC-created samples; and how Blaqstarr stitched together the song's rhythm track from what sounds like multiple layers of beats at different speeds, creating a mesmerizing syncopation to the whole tune. The song bears a sophistication to its production that draws people to it, even if they can't point out exactly why. That is what has helped propel Blaqstarr beyond the confines of Baltimore a fierce desire to try out different ideas matched with a fearlessness and curiosity. One of Blaqstarr's signature tunes is "Tote It," in which instead of using standard drum sounds or a sampled break, the percussion of the fast-paced club banger was sampled gun-shots. It was something no one had thought of doing before, and perfectly symbolized that kind of sound of the city. "When I dropped that for the first time," he says, "the party went wild." Club Banger, indeed. For the Divine EP and the album he plans to record shortly thereafter Blaqstarr is looking to explore more of his collaborative songwriting than simply his beat-making; that is, more of what he did in working with M.I.A. than the club bangers he's mostly known for. He admits to being really fascinated with the art and form of the pop song, as well as with more experimental instrumental hip-hop and the palette those abstract compositions might offer. "But I'm still gonna do the club thing," he says. "It's universally correct. I can't leave those out. It's in my soul." # # #
event::tags All Ages
4:00 PM
to 5:00 PM
Neon Hitch
14 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
5:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
White Denim
150 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
12:00 PM
to 1:00 PM
Adanowsky
8 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Adanowsky
event::about • The Hellboys, was his first punk rock band, (Album "Mutant Love" Bonus Track Records) they played more than 150 shows. • The European release of his debut album named "Etoile Eternelle" (Dreyfus Music), featuring the famous Arthur H and Giovanni Mirabais, Adanowsky, played over 200 shows in just 1 year. • In 2008, Adanowsky released his first solo album titled: "El Idolo" in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Spain and Mexico, were he also toured. • On December 2008, "El Ídolo" came to Mexico, offering his first show at El Lunario del Auditorio Nacional. Considering it was his first performance, having great success and a significant attendance. • In 2009, Adanowsky performed at the Vive Latino Festival and for the second time at El Lunario del Auditorio Nacional. The show "La Muerte del Ídolo" was sold-out, leaving quite a lot of concertgoers outside the venue. This performance is considered one of the best shows in Latin America ever. • His show, "La Muerte Del Ìdolo" received a nomination for Best Live Show at the Indie Music Awards 2010. • After the show "La Muerte del Idolo" (the first character of the Adanowsky trilogy) "Amador” is born, being the name and character of his second solo album. • "Amador" was co produced by Rob (Phoenix keyboardist and composer) and mixed by Noah Georgeson (guitarist and producer of Devendra Banhart, Little Joy and Adam Green). • “Amador” was presented with great success in a full Lunario of National Auditory, in front of an astonished and grateful public for the new and spectacular theatricality of the new character. • Adanowsky was the special guest of Phoenix at the Sport Palace show in September 2010, he played in front of more than 10,000 people, who received him very warmly in the expectation of being the concert of the year. (In their own words, Phoenix said this show is on the Top 3 of their entire career). • Adanowsky has performed in the most important festivals in Mexico, such as Hellow fest, in Monterrey with Zoè and Devendra Banhart, also at Corona Capital Fest, featuring James, Interpol and Pixies. • Adanowsky's musical talent, coupled with his pleasant personality and excellent staging, are the elements that lead to the success of their live performances. • He was invited by huge Spanish star, Enrique Bunbury to close the final show of a series of presentations held at the National Auditorium in Mexico City. Both artists performed to an audience estimated at more than 10,000 people. • “Amador” was released in Spain, where Adanowsky did a serie of specials presentations, which reaffirmed his position as one of the most important emerging artist of the decade. • Adanowsky is releasing his third single in the coming days, entitled “Un Sol Con Corazón”, whose video directed himself and soon will reach the specialized television channels. • The musician prepared big surprises for 2011, with full shows in Spain, Argentina, Chile and USA. Discography: -“Étoile Éternelle” (2006) -“El Ìdolo” (December, 2008) -“Amador” (June, 2010)
event::tags All Ages
1:00 PM
to 2:00 PM
Gustavo Galindo
7 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Gustavo Galindo
event::about GUSTAVO GALINDO was born in Mexico City and moved to California at an early age. He grew up playing guitar with his dad and listened to various kinds of music, from rancheras written by Jose Alfredo Jimenez to the pop melodies of Juan Gabriel and Luis Miguel to international bands like The Beatles and U2. In college he drew inspiration from the new breed of Latin artists, from Mana to Ozomatli, whose music defied traditional labels. Not restricted by language or genre, Gustavo writes and performs in both English and Spanish. His sound is a combination of traditional and contemporary Mexican and American styles. Today Gustavo is a favorite among both music fans and professionals who have seen him perform relentlessly, opening up opportunities to support several top Latin acts. In addition to legends such as Enrique Iglesias and Juanes, he has shared the bill with Zoe, Kinky, Gloria Trevi, Ximena Sariñana, Natalia Lafourcade, Ely Guerra, Alejandra Guzman, Babasonicos, Alex Cuba, Los Amigos Invisibles and more. Those who have followed his early career have witnessed the emergence of a serious talent, and expectations for the release of “Barco De Papel” have been building as he has played for audiences across the country. Without a doubt, his debut album ENTRE LA CIUDAD Y EL MAR is shaping up to be one of this year’s most impressive debuts.
event::tags All Ages
2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM
Mexican Institute of Sound
63 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Mexican Institute of Sound
event::about The MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND third disc is revealed: "SOY SAUCE." It's funny, but never really thought I would have three albums. Thus passed many shows, many trips, many movies, many friends. We play from Rotterdam to Albuquerque without stopping. Of all the places in the world have written to connect to me.."Piñata", the second album was a bit more planned. I did team with my dear friend Holger Beier from Le Hammond Inferno and had a memorable recording sessions. For this record was a guest Chris Frantz of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Adrian Dargelos of Babasónicos, Tanaka of Fantastic Plastic Machine, Joselo and Quique Rangel from Café Tacuba. The Liquits ... well ... tons of nice people. With this album has been complete madness. We toured around and has been the most fun to me happened in my life. Now we are with "Soy Sauce." According to me is my best album. I recorded it in 3 stages in Mexico City with Holger Beier, is already a tradition. This time besides the Liquits studio also visited the studio of Molotov, was fun to be there. I have less guest this time. Ad Rock of Beastie Boys rapping on a version of Alocatel. Joselo Rangel also recorded some great guitars and my dear drummer Paco also got his own. Julian Placencia with which play live was the super engineer with Paolo Morabito. The album is more eclectic: it has Mariachi, Hip Hop, Soul, French Chanson, Punk, Ska and Cumbia. I hope you enjoy it like me. Camilo Lara
event::tags All Ages
3:00 PM
to 4:00 PM
PS I Love You
96 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists PS I Love You
event::about Kingston, Ontario’s quick-rising duo, PS I Love You, unleashed their brilliant debut album on October 5th, 2010 on Paper Bag Records. The ten-track album titled, Meet Me At The Muster Station, is a relentless listen that grips and pulls the listener through just under thirty-minutes of squalling Marshall feedback, searing solos, soaring melodies and rock-steady beats and will surely be considered one of this year’s finest debuts. PS I Love You have been extremely busy over the past couple of years having already released two acclaimed 7″ singles. The first was a split 7″ with friend Diamond Rings in August of 2009. Earlier this year, the band released a 7″ for ‘Starfield’ before wowing audiences at their Canadian Music Week and NXNE showcases. Recently, the band has shared the stage with the hottest indie acts including label-mates Born Ruffians as well as Japandroids and Wavves. PS I Love You was originally the solo project for multi-instrumentalist Paul Saulnier who has performed in everything from a country-rock band to an improvised noise duo. PS I Love You was intended to be his experimental, pop music outlet using guitar looping pedals, keyboards with some gadgets and gimmicks. The addition of Benjamin Nelson on drums suddenly transformed PS I Love You’s little songs into mini, soaring rock anthems.
event::tags All Ages
4:00 PM
to 5:00 PM
Pepper Rabbit
46 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Pepper Rabbit
event::about Pepper Rabbit formed when the band’s principal songwriter, Xander Singh, was recording what was to be a solo album in New Orleans. Eventually, he recognized in his friend, Luc Laurent, an excellent drummer and musical companion. The two joined forces and named themselves Pepper Rabbit, playing scattered shows in New Orleans and at such events like the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Xander and Luc relocated to the West Coast, and the band have now toured the area several times and garnered a devoted following of fellow psych-pop enthusiasts through word-of-mouth, blog buzz, and their incredible live shows. Live, the band rely on samplers, loopers and their raw talent to create a soundscape that is meant to transport the audience to whatever psychedelic realm the band deem fitting. Beauregard will be released October 26th with a national tour to follow and, surely, widespread critical acclaim. L.A. may be a wild and crazy place, but Pepper Rabbit have shaped a truly inspiring, tranquil world amidst the chaos, and that is no small feat. Keep your ears peeled, and follow them into the future.
event::tags All Ages
5:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
36 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
event::about Lady Lamb the Beekeeper is the musical moniker of Aly Spaltro. With her sprawling lyric and melody-based songs about lost, true & unrequited love; nostalgia, nectarine meat & wolf maulings, The Phoenix deemed Lady Lamb the Beekeeper as the 'best new band from Maine' in August, 2010. On a recent Brooklyn Vegan review of her live set, ‘Aly Spaltro quickly won me over with her beautiful lyrics, husky voice, guitar playing skills, and earnest little kid-like eyes. Unlike the other artists on the bill, Aly powered through her set alone. There were no bells and whistles, just a girl and a couple of guitars, and the result was stunning.’
event::tags All Ages
12:00 PM
to 1:00 PM
DJ Yoda
13 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists DJ Yoda
event::about DJ Yoda is one of Britain’s most admired, original club DJs and an AV pioneer who is constantly pushing the possibilities of audio-visual manipulation. Encapsulating the very essence of good times, DJ Yoda has transformed clubbing as we know it, throwing down styles as diverse as Hip-Hop, Funk, Baltimore Club, Drum n Bass and even Country music, all cut-up with a awe-inspiring selection of film, TV show and You Tube visuals that elevate his sets to the uniquely sublime. His keenly-defined sense of humour has captured the imagination of the masses making him possibly the only DJ in the world who can fill a club cutting the Indiana Jones theme music with dirty dubstep beats or 80’s pop with New York rap. A judge for three years-worth of DMC DJ World Finals, tipped by Q Magazine as one of ‘The 10 DJs you must see before you die’ and voted alongside DJ Premier as ‘One of the Top Three DJs in the World’ in Hip-Hop Connection magazine, DJ Yoda represents a new brand of mix-master who can happily play any kind of music to make people dance. In the last year alone, DJ Yoda has: • Played on the same bill as Steve Martin, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock at the HBO Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. • Sold out London’s Koko on his critically acclaimed ‘Magic Cinema Show’ tour. • Performed alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson and Fatboy Slim. • DJ’d to packed-out clubs everywhere from Beijing to New York. • Mixed up the Champions League highlights with a tongue-in-cheek soundtrack for ITV’s Champions League Final preview show, blowing ITV Sports presenter Matt Smith’s mind along the way. • Performed with Lily Allen providing exclusive visuals. • Earned a barrel full of accolades for mixing the Fabric Live 39 CD. • Hosted an hour-long show for BBC Radio 1 mixing-up highlights of their 40-year history as part of their official anniversary celebrations. • Been voted No.28 in Datatransmission’s publicly voted Top 40 DJs Poll, making him the highest placed Hip-Hop DJ. • Been nominated for a Sony Radio Award in the ‘Music Special’ category for his "Cut & Paste" documentary for BBC Radio 1. Following his successful re-scoring of both ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ on the festival circuit in 2003 and 2004, Yoda’s notoriety as the most exciting Audio-Visual innovator has escalated, with his ‘DJ Yoda Goes To The Movies’ tours achieving legendary status. His current ‘Magic Cinema Show’ takes the AV art form into brand new territory utilising cutting edge DVD mixing equipment that he has been instrumental in developing. Aside from his constant touring, DJ Yoda has completed the fourth instalment of his lauded ‘How To Cut and Paste’ mix CD series. Following on from Vol. 3’s ‘The 80s Edition’ - a collage of his favourite pop, hip-hop and movie moments from the 1980s - Volume 4 is a truly surprising and groundbreaking edition. No stranger to breaking new ground, Yoda’s other achievements include providing Pete Tong with his first ever hip-hop Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 - bootleg copies of which have been doing the rounds ever since - plus his "Mini-Mix" for Annie Mac's show was also voted, by listeners, as the best mix ever broadcast on the show. With his abilities as a DJ and Audio Visual tour-de-force in no doubt, Yoda’s skills as a musician were confirmed with the release of his debut artist album, ‘The Amazing Adventures Of DJ Yoda’ in 2006. Providing beats for the likes of Biz Markie, 2005 MOBO-winner Sway, Princess Superstar, Jungle Brothers, MC Paul Barman, and a host of other vocalists, ‘The Amazing Adventures Of DJ Yoda’ was critically acclaimed gaining rave reviews across the board. Having recently provided music for Film, TV and Advertising he is now working on a new album due for release in 2009 and still hopes to work with all the cast of Sesame Street on a turntablist DJ track.
event::tags All Ages
1:00 PM
to 2:00 PM
Pete and The Pirates
68 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Pete and The Pirates
event::about Motorcycles, blood, sex, guns and insanity. Not things you'd immediately associate with Reading's prime guitar pop exponents Pete & The Pirates, but then neither are phasing synths, sizzling psychedelia and the general atmosphere of darkness and thunder. Yet, these are the potent thrills P&TP are mixing into their infectious pop stew on their second album, thickening the plot and beefing out their indiepop's marrow to a staggering bulk. As bold steps forward from their pristine pop 2008 debut 'Little Death' go, it's as fearless as any Wikileak.
event::tags All Ages
2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM
Edwyn Collins
65 schedule::attendees
Location
Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Center
eventtype Music
Artists Edwyn Collins
event::about Edwyn Collins Not Falling, But Laughing The first the world heard of Edwyn Collins was in February 1980 with the release of Falling And Laughing. The debut single by his band, Orange Juice, it was also the first offering from Postcard Records, the independent label Edwyn co-founded with Alan Horne, run from the latter’s sock drawer in a former Red Light district in Glasgow’s West End. As a record, Falling And Laughing was a hopeless cacophony of shrill guitars and an inexplicably loud bass drum pedal. But as a song, it was a sublime celebration of unfulfilled ardour to a tune that aimed to bridge the chasm between The Velvet Underground and Chic. In the age of New Romantics, Edwyn arrived as a Real Romantic, one unafraid to simultaneously embrace "the pleasure with the pain". After ten more records, including three increasingly inventive Orange Juice singles, Postcard closed its sock drawer in late 1981. It would be another two decades before Edwyn and Horne’s endeavours would be belatedly recognised as a key foundation stone for indie music, particularly in Scotland where Primal Scream, Belle And Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand would all follow, and acknowledge, Orange Juice’s trailblazing example. In the interim, Edwyn took Orange Juice into the Top 10 with 1983’s Rip It Up, perhaps the epitome of their Velvets/Chic punk-funk hybrid, complete with Buzzcocks-homage guitar solo. Alas, the pleasure of performing the song on Top Of The Pops was neutered by the pain of Legs & Co ripping up tissue paper whilst dancing on an adjoining stage. Jinxed thereafter, Orange Juice would later close their proverbial sock drawer in 1985. Edwyn immediately embarked on a solo career, though it would be ten years before he found himself back on Top Of The Pops with 1995’s A Girl Like You. Luckily, this time Legs & Co were nowhere to be seen. Better still, the song’s northern soul groove and Isley Brothers guitar frills rewarded Edwyn with a genuine "worldwide smash" and enough royalties to fill a thousand sock drawers. Life, suddenly, was all pleasure. Fast forward another decade to February 2005, when Edwyn had just finished recording songs for his sixth solo album. Among the rough mixes in the can was a track called One Is A Lonely Number. Exactly 25 years after Falling And Laughing, it saw the Old Romantic still embracing life’s pleasure with its pain: "If life breaks your heart, you needn’t fall apart." Little could he have realised how profoundly prophetic these words would become in the months that followed. On Sunday, February 20, 2005, Edwyn was admitted to hospital after collapsing at home. He was later diagnosed with having suffered two cerebral haemorrhages and underwent a precarious neurological operation. Incredibly, through a combination of surgical brilliance, the heroic support of his family and his own seemingly invincible will power, Edwyn pulled through. Six months after his stroke, he was back at home. But more phenomenal still was his determination to overcome the physical after-effects hindering his movement and speech so he could return to the studio and finish the album he’d already begun. The result was Home Again, a testament not only to Edwyn Collins the songwriter, but Edwyn the man and his resolute spirit. "This is hard for me," admits Edwyn. "I’m learning to live again after my stroke. But I am happy and contented also. I’m very pleased with the album and with the songs. I’m getting there and I feel grateful at last." Finishing Home Again has been a Herculean struggle, but Edwyn’s perseverance has more than paid off. Asked to rate it against his entire body of work, Orange Juice included, Edwyn ponders for a few seconds. "Home Again," he finally says, "it’s perfect. These songs are me. This is who I am." has more than paid off. Asked to rate it against his entire body of work, Orange Juice included, Edwyn ponders for a few seconds. "Home Again," he finally says, "it’s perfect. These songs are me. This is who I am." Since the release of Home Again, Edwyn has continued to renew himself, one step at a time. In November 2007, he took to the stage again, having painstakingly relearned the lyrics to his songs. Our hearts were in our mouths, but of course, he pulled the performance off with aplomb. He has continued to tour ever since, increasing in confidence with each show. In October 2008, he quite suddenly reconnected with the songwriter inside him, and has since recorded six new songs for an album due out in 2010. He has regained control of his precious studio and is swamped with production work for others, alongside his collaborator of sixteen years, Sebastian Lewsley. In May 2009, Edwyn was honoured by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, when he was awarded the Ivor Novello Inspiration Award. The long spiral of influence Orange Juice continue to have can be heard on the boxset, Coals To Newcastle, rleased in November 2010 by Domino Records. Spring 2010 will see the US release of Losing Sleep, his first set of songs written and recorded since his return. Featuring collaborations with his friends and supporters Franz Ferdinand, The Drums, The Cribs and The Magic Numbers, not to mention Johnny Marr and Roddy Frame, the album has already been hailed by many as the best of his life and is already enjoying success in the UK and Europe. No special pleading required. Edwyn Collins is back.
event::tags All Ages
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