Posts by Joey Willis

Long before electronic dance music was accepted by the masses, it lived in the realm of jam bands. While most EDM these days is more pop-based and generally played by one person on a laptop, bands like The Slip, New Deal, and Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) blend live rock instrumentation with electronics to create […]

[rating=7.00] Steven A. Clark’s debut LP starts off with the sound of someone getting into a car and putting a cassette tape in. The songs on The Lonely Roller play out like an R&B mix tape of heartbreak and loneliness. The album contains musical elements of a wide range of artists from Michael Jackson to […]

What happens when you combine luchadores, theatrics, and Maynard James Keenan’s brand of electro-rock? You get a Puscifer show, the longtime side project that Maynard describes as his “creative subconscious”. Currently touring on their recently released LP Money Shot, Austin’s Bass Concert Hall was the second stop on the tour. Though both of Keenan’s other […]

It was the night before Halloween and GIVERS took the indoor stage at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin sporting matching painted skull faces. They are currently touring in support of the November 13 release of their sophomore album New Kingdom, their first since 2011. Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana they bring a unique sound to the realm […]

UK art rockers Django Django brought their unique blending of electro-psych rock to the Mohawk on Wednesday night. Touring on their sophomore release Born Under Saturn, this was their first time back to Austin in three years, where they also played at Mohawk, and the crowd’s excitement was palpable. As the band took the stage […]

[rating=7.00] With so many bands in Austin, standing out is no easy feat. However, after starting as a solo venture for front woman Sabrina Ellis, it wasn’t long before the project became the nine-piece outfit Sweet Spirit. The band’s mix of indie rock, doo wop, disco, country, garage rock and punk fronted by Ellis’ wild […]

When Garbage came on the scene in 1995 they brought a whole new sound to the airwaves. This was accomplished by combining electronic samples, alt-rock and pop sensibilities, plus a frontwoman with an emotive vocal style. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the self-titled debut album by alt-rock pioneers Garbage. In celebration, Garbage launched […]

Photo via ACL Live Twitter On Wednesday night, Counting Crows brought their Somewhere Under Wonderland tour to The Moody Theater and, as always, Adam Duritz brought hand-picked bands to open for them. Duritz has always lent a helping hand to up-and-coming musicians. The past couple of years have seen The Outlaw Roadshow at SXSW where […]

There’s no denying that the past couple of years have seen a sharp increase of nostalgia for all things 90s. While this is great for those that were in their teens and twenties during that era, it has proved to be fantastic for bands for which that decade was their heyday. Blues Traveler is no […]

Tell someone that you are going to a Death Cab For Cutie show and the most likely response will be, “I’ll bet that’ll be depressing.” On the contrary, the crowd at the first of two sold-out nights at The Moody Theater in Austin couldn’t have been more upbeat and energetic. Ben Gibbard and co. are […]

Photo via @acllive Over the nearly twenty years that Belle and Sebastian have been making music much has changed, and yet, much remains the same. Their sound has progressed through the years but the fun and excellence of their live shows continues to impress. Though in recent years a Belle and Sebastian tour has become […]

Damien Rice has no real “hits”. It took him almost a decade to release his third album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy, and is currently touring in support of it as a solo act. So how did he manage to sell out the nearly 3,000 capacity Bass Concert Hall on Thursday night? The short answer: once […]

Friday night’s sold-out show at Stubb’s saw rain, dim stage lighting, and an annoying audience. In short, it was the perfect atmosphere for a Father John Misty show. Everything seemed to reflect the satire and sarcasm of Josh Tillman’s brand of folk-rock, who is currently touring on his sophomore release, I Love You Honeybear, proclaimed as a […]