Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, we’re halfway through the year so I figured it was about time to announce the albums, acts, songs, and shows that I feel are the best of the year SO FAR. Below are some tentative lists with the entries in no particular order and I’m not going to comment on these choices because frankly, they could change tomorrow! But I think what follows will be a good template of where we stand here in the middle of June and I believe a good deal of these may join us again in December. So, without further ado, the Halfway There Cannibal Cheerleader lists:
Pink Nasty’s show Saturday night at the Mohawk was sadly, sparsely attended. However, that didn’t stop PN and her excellent backing band from delivering the hits, from Mold the Gold favorites like “Away Message” to new tracks like the garage-rock goodness of “Curses”. Sounding more like an alt-country songstress than her lo-fi recordings give her credit for, Pink Nasty was in rare form and definitely deserves all the attention she gets in Austin. Look her up now folks before she blows up into full-blown rockstar mode. More pictures below. ******************************************************************** BECK, LIKE THE BEER
Since Beck will be playing this year’s Cat Power, we figured we post a few of his little-known rarities to build the excitement up.
The mini-album Beck, Like the Beer is a rare demo tape circulated around the Internet after the artist gave the songs to a friend. Recorded in 1992 the album features psyched-out acoustic tracks that recall Mellow Gold and One Foot in the Grave, with a bent towards Beck’s more comic elements. Check these tracks out!
With a playlist cut mainly from their excellent sophomore LP Get Awkward, Nashville’s Be Your Own Pet ripped Austin a new one last night at Stubb’s. Their wiry punk instrumentation took great liberties with the venue’s sound system, morphing their jangly high-school vignettes into wall-of-sound monsters of terror and woe. The last time I saw these guys was in 2006 at Emo’s here in Austin and while the crowds have certainly gotten bigger the band’s sound has kept up in one way – getting louder. Check out more pictures below. Also check out openers the Switches and the Virgins (both great bands). In an act of protest and in the name of preserving good music everywhere, I left the venue before headliners the terrible She Wants Revenge took the stage. The Virgins
******************************************************************** DID YOU SURVIVE THE AUSTIN STORM?
Check out the view from my apartment complex! If you were in Austin on Thursday night this is what you woke up to, if you didn’t wake up due to the torrential hail and wind.
This news tidbit is actually here to mark a change in the blog’s structure. For too long has this blog tried to be a national act when instead Cannibal Cheerleader should be concentrating on what it does best: reporting on the happenings of Austin, the live music capital of the world. From now on most if not all stories about bands will have some sort of Austin tie-in if they are to be reported here. I want this to be the official blog of Austin! ******************************************************************** LADYTRON – “GHOSTS” VIDEO
Here’s the video from Velocifero standout “Ghosts” from electro-poppers Ladytron, who will be making a jaunt through Austin Friday June 6th. You know we’ll be there with spurs on.
******************************************************************** TERROR THURSDAY – DERANGED
This week’s movie at Terror Thursday was a gorey doozey, combining sick humor with even sicker violence. Skinning girls, vomiting blood, bashing heads in, digging up the dead, Deranged pretty much ruled. Weird beyond imagination this was one of the few Terror Thursdays that was genuinely unsettling for me. Definitely deserving of four out of five bloody pon-poms.
******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER – PINK NASTY In keep with our efforts to keep the blog local, here’s a gal we haven’t genuinely reported on yet who nonetheless rocks my socks off – Pink Nasty. A combination of singer-songwriter a-la Cat Power with a lo-fi, rocker grrrl twang, all wrapped up in an attitude and pop sensibility that’s both defiant and listenable. You know we’ll be hitting up her show this Saturday at Mohawk, but for a taste, check out this track from her excellent LP Mold the Gold.
CRYSTAL CASTLES’ REMIXES/B-SIDES Here’s a new remix of Crystal Castles‘ standout “Vanished” from their eponymous debut. Also, here’s an mp3 of the bside for their newest single “Courtship Dating”. Check em out!
******************************************************************** JESSE LACEY TO PERFORM SOLO IN AUSTIN
That’s right, according to this article July 26th at the Mohawk, the frontman for Brand New will be hitting up Austin on a solo jaunt with longtime BN tourmate Kevin Devine. Further details as they become available folks! ******************************************************************** ANYWHERE I LAY MY HEAD/VIRGINIA EP LEAK
The new Scarlett Johansson album Anywhere I Lay My Head has leaked! Here’s a song from the album (which I still say is pretty damn good) that you can download plus the Imeem player. Stay tuned for the full review soon!
******************************************************************** HOLD STEADY TOUR SWINGS THROUGH AUSTIN
That’s right, our favorite bar-band/rocker-poets the Hold Steady will be swinging through Austin on August 6th in support of their new record Stay Positive. We need to post a CC calendar to keep up will all these awesome summer shows! ******************************************************************** FLIERS FOR LOCAL UPCOMING SHOWS
Here are some fliers for some upcoming Austin shows for the likes of some of our favorites, including Pink Nasty and Balmorhea. These are definitely shows you’ll want to attend so hit them up! Tonight’s the Be Your Own Pet show and you know we’ll be at that so stay tuned for pics tomorrow!
Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, we’re halfway through the year so I figured it was about time to announce the albums, acts, songs, and shows that I feel are the best of the year SO FAR. Below are some tentative lists with the entries in no particular order and I’m not going to comment on these choices because frankly, they could change tomorrow! But I think what follows will be a good template of where we stand here in the middle of June and I believe a good deal of these may join us again in December. So, without further ado, the Halfway There Cannibal Cheerleader lists:
The Faceless Werewolves
Prey For Sleep
The Riverboat Gamblers
Cruiserweight
Ringo Deathstarr
Dynamite Boy
Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band
Pink Nasty
Bexar Bexar
********************************************************************
High Places
Hercules And Love Affair
Heartsrevolution
Grand Ole Party
Treasure Mammal
Food For Animals
Charlotte Sometimes
Bell
Florence and the Machine
********************************************************************
“The Twist” – Frightened Rabbit
“The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” – Weezer
“Run (I’m A Natural Disaster)” – Gnarls Barkley
“Metal Heart” – Cat Power
“Blue Jeans & White T-shirts” – The Gaslight Anthem
“Ghosts” – Ladytron
“Under the Pines” – Bodies of Water
“Sara the American Winter” – Sunfold
“Becky” – Be Your Own Pet
********************************************************************
My Morning Jacket @ the Parish
Angels and Airwaves @ Stubb’s
Be Your Own Pet @ Stubb’s
Crystal Castles @ Emo’s
Yo La Tengo @ the Parish
The Riverboat Gamblers @ Red 7
Ringo Deathstarr @ Emo’s
Prey for Sleep @ Stubb’s
Balmorhea @ Austin Ballet
********************************************************************
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
Be Your Own Pet – Get Awkward
Nas & DJ Lantern – The Nigger Tape
Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs
The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
Beach House – Devotion
Cat Power – Jukebox
M83 – Saturdays = Youth
Times New Viking – Rip It Off
