Posts by Neil Ferguson

On day three of SXSW I found myself once again orbiting the craziness of downtown Austin, a strategy that I seem to use more and more as the festival swells in size each year. Plus, Thursday was St. Patrick’s Day, so plenty of people had a good incentive to steer clear of the crowds. The […]

Day 2 of SXSW was all about rock and roll in its many different forms and the hipster-fied stretch of clubs that is East 6th St. was the place to find it. When it comes to navigating the crowds and madness of SXSW, you can either take the approach of jumping around town, which may […]

Here we go again! The music portion of SXSW is off and running, which means the city of Austin is overrun with stages and parties featuring non-stop bands loading in, playing sets, loading out – all on repeat. Truthfully, this has already been happening for about five days now because of the Interactive and Film […]

Craig Finn and Patrick Stickles are separated by more than a decade in age, yet they are kindred spirits. With Finn’s band The Hold Steady and Stickles’ Titus Andronicus, each musician has dedicated his career to writing songs that explore the dark underbelly of suburban life and the troubled, outsider characters who inhabit that world. […]

Is there more of a feel-good double bill than Nick Lowe and Mavis Staples? Probably not. The two acts may seem like an odd pairing, but their show at Austin’s historic Paramount Theater on Sunday – the second in a handful of dates together – proved that these two legends are as complimentary as wine […]

Jon Langford is a busy guy. These days he splits his time between his career as an artist, playing shows with his legendary punk band the Mekons, and various solo endeavors. But in Langford’s world there is always time for the Waco Brothers, the country-punk band he helped form over 20 years ago. Though Langford […]

Since forming in the late 70’s, New Jersey band The Feelies have always belonged to an elite club in the rock world. For better or worse, this is the club of acts that, while hugely influential to other bands and adored by critics, somehow always eluded the mainstream and the financial success that comes with […]

South By Southwest (SXSW), that annual spring gathering of the cultural universe in Austin, Texas, is just around the corner. The festival as a whole, which includes, Music, Film and Interactive primarily, stretches March 11-20. Technically speaking (we say technically because there are tons of bands to see beforehand), the Music portion of the festival […]

Though he had been an active presence around the Louisiana music scene for decades and was a well-known character around New Orleans, the great piano legend Professor Longhair, known to most as Fess, led a life that was as troubled as his career. When he passed away from a heart attack in 1980 at the […]

When guitar virtuoso Steve Kimock started putting together ideas for his new album, he wanted to do something that would be far removed from his previous work. Working with his son, drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist John Morgan Kimock, the guitar player set out to create a piece of work that was less reflective of his […]

Well, it’s that time again, the time of year some of us Austinites cherish and others loathe so deeply that they simply leave town. Yup, South By Southwest (SXSW) is upon us and there’s nothing you can do about it. For many residents of Austin, the week of SXSW inspires the kind of dread that […]

If you’ve been to a bluegrass show or festival, you have sure felt that friendly, familial vibe that comes from the positivity and joy of the music’s energetic, upbeat presence. Bluegrass songs rarely shy away from pain and heartbreak, but the feeling of hearing a banjo or a mandolin makes it hard to hold back […]

[rating=8.00] Austin’s Golden Dawn Arkestra are the type of heady musical collective that could only exist in a town filled with musicians. Fronted by local scene veteran Topaz aka Zapot Mgwai, this group consists ten or more musicians and dancers. This may explain why the band doesn’t tour outside of Austin much, as their live […]

Browse through any of the numerous beer publications and blogs out there and you’ll notice a lack of music culture represented. Beer and music culture are so intertwined that it’s always baffled us to see them rarely if ever highlighted together in beer publications. Watching a concert is especially enjoyable when you’re sipping on a […]

To say Brian Cullman has a history in rock and roll is an understatement, but chances are you probably don’t know just how much history is there. Cullman grew up in New York City and was a witness to the sweet, glorious debauchery that was New York City in the 70’s. Though he may be […]

Two years ago I described the music of Turchi as a “gravelly, snarling voice and swaggering slide guitar playing”, this sound of which the been referred to as “kudzu boogie”. This was music “steeped in the rhythmic dirty grooves of North Mississippi Hill Country blues brought to the world by the likes of Kenny Brown, […]

Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brett Harris is one of the few artists you can find these days who is fully committed to embracing power pop in the purest sense. It should come as no surprise that Harris has already made a name for himself as student of Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple of  The dB’s, whom […]

Dead Winter Carpenters are forging their own path with their progressive take on alt-country and Americana music. The quintet hails from the mountain town of Lake Tahoe, CA and their ability to conjure up a down-home, feel-good vibe that warms you like a shot of bourbon shines on their new release Washoe, coming out on February […]

Anyone who has followed the career of Jason Isbell – both as a member of the Drive-By Truckers and solo with the 400 Unit – would’ve been pleased to be at Austin’s ACL Live on Thursday night. With the success of his previous two albums Southeastern and Something More Than Free, Isbell has redefined himself […]

In the beginning of Lincoln Durham’s new song “Creeper” we’re greeted by possessed clapping and sinister slide guitar that seems to be emanating from that of a mad man. This is exactly what the one-man-band wants us to hear on this song and throughout the course of his new album, Revelations of a Mind Unraveling (Droog Records), […]