Posts by Neil Ferguson

Formed in 1977, British band The Pop Group had made their mark on music by the time they broke up a mere five years later. Their style of post-punk and incorporation of elements like funk, reggae and jazz worked well with outspoken lyrics focused on philosophy and at times political satire. Though they broke up […]

Warren Haynes has had a busy year to say the least. The 54-year-old guitarist has spent much of 2014 celebrating the twentieth anniversary of his band Gov’t Mule with a tour that has crisscrossed the U.S. and hit the UK, Europe, Australia and Japan. In between touring with Mule, Haynes also managed to close the […]

“The reason why we played the first bunch of songs without stopping is because we got a hundred fuckin’ songs to play,” announced Dave Grohl after the Foo Fighters had made it about eight songs into what would end up being close to a three hour set. In only eight songs the band reminded the […]

There are tons of festivals in Austin, but none provide a better glimpse at the culture of this town than Fun Fun Fun Fest. The lineup, which has always featured everything from death metal to gangster rap and dance music to name a few, is a cross-section of the well-honed tastes of music lovers in […]

Chances are you haven’t heard of Greylag, but the Portland trio recently released what may be one of the finer albums to hit this year. Consisting of vocalist and acoustic guitar player Andrew Stonestreet, lead guitarist Daniel Dixon, and drummer Brady Swan, the members of Greylag were drawn together seemingly by fate and the shared […]

Something about Ryan Adams and his music brings out the stranger side in people. When he plays live this goes to the extreme. It’s difficult to pin down exactly why, but the best assumption is that acts like Conor Oberst, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, and Ryan Adams (to name a few) have all written songs […]

You can take Gene Ween out of Ween, but you can’t take the Ween out of Aaron Freeman. This fact was established within the first moments of Aaron Freeman taking the stage at the Parish on Saturday night. With his new band, aptly and perhaps metaphorically named FREEMAN, the former Ween frontman appeared healthy, happy […]

Ever since Primus’s take on the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack began streaming last week, we’ve been doing pretty much nothing but listening to it and discussing Primus. Les Claypool’s stalwart project has always been nothing if not bizarre and against the grain and their latest album is certainly a natural extension of […]

Ask a Panic fan what they think of any show and you will get a range of responses ranging from “the boys are on fire!” to “ they’re playing like complete shit and you shoulda been there last night.” Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because the experience of seeing a Widespread Panic show is an individual […]

Supporting the reissue of three of their most important albums, Sound of Lies, Smile, and Rainy Day Music, The Jayhawks started their fall tour in Chicago on October 11th before making their way to Austin on Monday night. For longtime fans of the Minneapolis band, those three albums are especially notable because they were the […]

Like Coachella and Bonnaroo, the Austin City Limits Festival (ACL) has solidified its status in the upper echelon of festivals in that each year it practically sells out before releasing a lineup. That is a coveted place to be for a music festival and can mean two things: the experience itself is so special that […]

Is 2014 the year of Spoon? In the band’s twenty-year existence, it just may be. They recently released their first studio album in four years, They Want My Soul, to rave reviews across the board and, as a result of the masses finally catching on to the brilliance that is Spoon, they are now playing […]

Falling somewhere between Hope Floats and Roadhouse, Gruene Hall is about forty minutes south of Austin and holds the elite claim of being Texas’ oldest dang dancehall. Between the wood plank floors and lack of air conditioning and windows, it’s hard to dispute this fact. It is the type of place that most people think […]

Beer and metal music go together like coffee and pie, so what better way to celebrate the largest beer festival and competition in North America than to throw a concert. In this case it was four esteemed breweries from around the country – Denver’s TRVE Brewing, Indiana’s 3Floyds, Texas’ Real Ale, and Minnesota’s Surly – […]

Guitarist John Scofield is no stranger to collaboration, having played with monumental artists like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Phil Lesh, to name a few. Yet, out of all the legends he has played with and groups he has fronted or had a hand in, what may be John Scofield’s most notable and consistent collaboration […]

Philly band War On Drugs are basically on top of the scene right now. The band’s third full-length album, Lost in the Dream, came out in March and has since emerged as one of the few albums released this year that has found nearly unanimous praise from music snobs and critics. Even this critic is […]

Carlos Santana first exploded into the public consciousness with his searing performance at the original Woodstock in 1969. Adding touches of Latin and African styles into psychedelic rock and roll, Santana played with a fiery, passionate intensity not unlike that of Jimi Hendrix, and if you watch his set in the documentary on the fabled […]

Spend your time listening to what passes for “hip” and mainstream these days and you’ll be left with a void that you may not be able to pinpoint. For all of the sexy “singers,” voices autotuned to perfection, and sexy Instagram feeds, there lacks a sense of real emotion – humanism – which ultimately translates […]

As Conor Oberst has grown up from the emotionally vulnerable and hugely talented singer-songwriter once lauded by fans and the music press as the next Bob Dylan, he has found himself in a comfortable place. This place is one of creative freedom and getting to handpick musicians to make the music he wants to make. […]

Leaving your band and going solo is never easy, and depending on the popularity and dedication of your band’s fanbase, a departure can be met with anger. Such was the case back in April when Jeff Austin abruptly announced he was leaving Yonder Mountain String Band, which he helped found along with Adam Aijala, Ben […]