Posts by Neil Ferguson

Four decades in and the Canadian triumvirate known as Rush are no less relevant today than they were at the height of their success. Their lengthy tour – simply called R40 – is a celebration of the last forty years as perhaps the best-known progressive rock band on the planet. Austin’s sold out show on […]

Four decades in and the Canadian triumvirate known as Rush are no less relevant today than they were at the height of their success. Their lengthy tour – simply called R40 – is a celebration of the last forty years as perhaps the best-known progressive rock band on the planet. Austin’s sold out show on […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

After being pummeled by rain earlier in the week with a final blow hitting just as the gates opened on Friday afternoon, the organizers behind Levitation aka Austin Psych Fest were forced to make sacrifices. This meant frantically reconfiguring the site layout of Carson Creek Ranch by moving the main stage as well as the […]

Calling Charlie Hunter’s sound jazz would be an oversimplification. On his new album Let The Bells Ring On, which drops June 9th, the guitarist and composer has his sights on something bigger and more complex than just showing off how well versed he is in the form. Teaming up with longtime collaborators and veterans of the New […]

As one quarter of the Texas folk group The Trishas, Jamie Lin Wilson has spent much of her musical career as one of the elements that contribute to the group’s larger distinctive harmonies. Now the singer-songwriter is devoting her “honeyed tenor twang” to her own project, the debut solo album Holidays & Wedding Rings, which comes out on […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

Austin, Texas is all over the news these days getting praise for economic growth, tech startup culture and its hip foodie scene, among other things. But no matter how many condos they throw up in this town and how many yuppies continue to invade, the freewheeling, beer swilling hangout culture that made Austin such a […]

Dopersmokers mingled in the darkness at the ACL Moody Theater on Friday night, getting nice and toasty before what may be the most quintessential stoner metal band of all time hit the stage. In Sleep’s twenty-five year existence they have played selective gigs, so the opportunity to see them live is one to be savored. […]

Austin’s The Lonesome Band proudly classify themselves as Texas Cosmic Honky Tonk Country, and this is a pretty damn accurate label. The group embraces the progressive country sound that helped put the “Live Music Capital of the World” on the map, bringing to mind troubadours like Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen and early Steve […]

Who else but the good Dr. John could strut onstage with two canes each adorned with all sorts of gris-gris? The legendary New Orleans musician moved slow when he emerged from the darkness at Austin’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday night, but as soon as he took a seat at his grand piano his age (74!) […]

On Friday night Big Red himself appeared from the ether as if summoned by the jam gods, or Phil Lesh and his son Grahame. According to JamBase, the Phish guitarist hit the stage at Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads while a group that also included Danny Eisenberg on keyboards and Terrapin resident drummer Alex Koford were already jamming on Dead tunes. […]

Does knowing someone for your whole life make for better music? It certainly seems so in the case of The Grahams. The duo were friends as children before coupling up and eventually getting married later in life, and throughout all of that time they have been pursuing a love of music together. As The Grahams […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

This past week marked only the fourth year of Austin’s Moontower Comedy Festival, but it’s easy to see why the annual event has quickly became such a major draw for comedians and fans alike. Moontower embodies the stereotype of Austin as being laid back and friendly, and it does so in a way that isn’t […]

If there’s one thing to say about My Morning Jacket it’s that they have never stagnated throughout their nearly twenty years as a band. Each of the band’s six studio albums has been a departure from the last, an impressive feat regardless of whether you like them all or not. This – along with their […]

Now in its 28th year, music lovers from Central Texas and beyond flocked to Driftwood just outside Austin for Old Settler’s Festival. As always, the lineup featured a range of acts big and small falling within the genres of bluegrass, folk, Americana and rock and roll. The rain that fell on Friday and Saturday did […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

If you’re familiar with Brooklyn’s Pimps of Joytime the first thing that most likely comes to mind is their live shows, which are bubbling with funky energy to say the least. The group’s third studio album, Jukestone Paradise, sees them harnessing their explosive live power within the confines of a studio into something that grooves […]

What is the real deal? Amidst a world where your presence on social media means everything it can be hard to decipher what bands are actually authentic and not just “killing it”. People tend to post before they really let anything sink in. Fortunately, there are still bands that start playing and immediately cause you […]