PICTORIAL: Austin’s street cabaret darling Luna Tart
A few weeks ago, I went to see Jinkx Monsoon at Elysium. She was there performing with Austin’s trashy drag burlesque show Poo Poo Platter. The opening artist was Austin cabaret musician Luna Tart.
When Luna took the stage, the crowd was pretty rowdy. It was the largest turnout Elysium has had since, well, the 1990s. And after waiting in the around-the-block line for a long, long time, folks were crammed inside the smoky, goth haunt, waiting for Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon to perform. Right before Luna came on, the sound system started fucking up severely, with shrill, peaking highs painfully squealing through the speakers.
Luna, the quintessential performer, was not intimidated. With nothing but a ukelele and a French (or is it German?) accent, she won over the crowd with her Weimar-style cabaret songs. By the second number, folks were singing along to songs about war, online dating, and her love of cock…tails. In fact, the level of audience entrancement she achieved is usually only found in libraries during children’s reading hour. It was like being in a Beer Hall in Germany during Ocktoberfest. I fell in love.
We met up with Luna this week and snapped some photos of the street cabaret darling in between busking for beers. Her outfits look like she stepped right of Ziegfeld’s Follies! Take a look! And listen to her songs on her website.
You can experience the magic yourself this Saturday night at the Spiderhouse Ballroom. Luna Tart and her alter ego, country western darling Lurleen, will serve you cabaret realness with witty singsongs and a matching menu.
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All spring, folks have been swooning over the sounds of Austin one-man band Shakey Graves–and rightfully so. His most recent album, last year’s Roll The Bones, combines a modern take on a traditional style of music in a way that’s beautifully vintage but unabashedly fresh. It’s not folk music, it’s something else.
Let me explain.
Have you ever found a box of old photos of your grandparents as teenagers? Each picture a treasure, they draw you into a world that feels exotic but familiar. The folks in the pictures look like your grandparents, but they are young and full of life. After a while, you try to imagine what that sepia-toned world was like. Did they party? Did they fall in love? Did they worry about growing old or making the wrong choices for the future? And even though style and outward appearances have changed, you look at those time-worn photos, and you connect with the joyful anxiety that swoons through the veins of young folks across time, connecting us to the source of life and the heart beat of humanity.
SUPPORT OUR SCENE: Buy the album. Share posts and Facebook events. Go to the show. Buy some merch.
Instead of reconstructing old photos or painting copies of the masters like most modern folk singers, Shakey Graves uses the same camera and traditional instruments to capture that joyful anxiety in the modern age. He’s not seeking the masters. He’s seeking what they sought. The end result is a blend of traditional folk sounds with modern beats and lyrics heavily steeped in old soul sensibilities. And it’s perfect for spring because it’s all about new beginnings.
Just listen. You’ll see what I mean. When my fever broke this weekend after having the flu for two weeks, I had to listen to track 3, Roll the Bones. I’m starting a new chapter in my life, and that song taps something deep in my soul. Check it out.
LISTEN: Shakey Graves – Roll the Bones
Last night, Shakey released the video for Unlucky Skin. The first video from the album, his tongue firmly planted in cheek, he pokes fun of his one-man band moniker. It’s like Human Centipede, plus banjo vibes, minus the gore, filth, and vomit. Take a look.
VIDEO: Shakey Graves – Unlucky Skin
COMING UP:
Next Friday, we’re starting a new weekly series that gives you a more unfiltered, intimate look at some of my favorite Austin musicians. First up is Shakey Graves himself. Come back next week–better yet, add us to your News Reader, get posts emailed to you, or friend us on Facebook. Here’s a sneak peak:
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It took nothing short of a miracle for Big Hits!, the new album from Austin spook rockers The Boxing Lesson, to see the light of day. After a series of unfortunate events that started 4 years ago, it finally came out this week–and it was worth the wait.
For me, Big Hits is a spooky rock opera about a man down on his luck–and despite everything going against him, he’s still, somewhat cynically fighting to get his life back on track. Cinematic enough to be on the playlist for the rough, pill popping, coolant huffing vampires that you didn’t meet at Edward’s high school in Twilight. And, with its grimy, take-to-the streets anthems, it’s dramatic enough to be the perfect soundtrack for a Lost Boys broadway musical. But don’t get it twisted: This ain’t no goth navel gazing shit. The Boxing Lesson go hard on this album. In fact, there are enough big guitars, driving beats, and electric guitar solos to kickstart a riot.
Overall, Big Hits is nothing short of a fun, rockin-and-a-rolling album full of singalong anthems that beg you to play them on blast. To me, it sounds like: MC5 playing at Hotel Vegas on Halloween; Pink Floyd’s The Wall on prozac minus the cocaine and weird schoolteacher issues; The Who’s Tommy recast as an East Side skateboarder; Arcade Fire wearing heavy eyeliner–before they lost their balls; or The Sisters of Mercy on Adderall.
LISTEN: The Boxing Lesson – Big Hits
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The official album release party is TONIGHT at the Mohawk. This all ages show includes performances by Megafauna, Obscured by Echoes, and of course, the Boxing Lesson. Show starts at 10PM. Doors open at 9PM.
You can buy or listen to the album on The Boxing Lesson’s Bandcamp–or at your favorite local music store!
SUPPORT OUR SCENE: Buy the album. Share posts and Facebook events. Go to the show. Buy some merch.
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A contentious symbol of Austin’s explosive growth, South Lamar has gone from an auto body-lined transportation corridor to an urbanist’s paradise of condos in all stages of development. And while it’ll probably be at least a decade before urban rail comes to South Lamar, Austinites can already eat the benefits of high-density growth at any of the kick ass restaurants sprouting up along the major thoroughfare. Joining the list of eateries forming a new restaurant row (Lick, Barley Swine, Opa!, Aviary, Black Sheep Lodge, El Meson, and Olivia) is Barlata, an authentic Spanish Tapas bar from Chef Daniel Olivella.
Found on the first floor of the recently completed Post South Lamar Apartments, Barlata’s current facade will be different when it opens in June.
Carved out of the retail space located beneath the newly constructed, very boxy looking Post South Lamar apartments, Barlata will be a centerpiece for walkable living on South Lamar. Inspired by the Tapas bars in Barcelona, Daniel wants the space to be a casual, neighborhood-friendly hub where people can stop in for a glass of Spanish wine, pinch up takeaway ready “pintxos” of toothpicked tapas, watch fútbol with friends from a communal table, or cuddle up for a multi-coursed meal in a booth. And while the space feels cold and concrete during construction, it will soon be full of warm, natural materials and colorful tiling. There will also be giant paintings, inspired by vintage Spanish comic books, done by Austin’s Ryan Henneesee.
The main bar is made of a giant piece of a Pecan tree. Barlata will be decked out in natural materials and vintage Spanish comics.
Barlata’s menu will include approximately 60 items, composed of rustic, straightforward Spanish dishes. The bulk of the menu will be, of course, tapas, or Spanish small plates made for sharing. These will range in price from $6-$10.
The menu will also have 10 different types of paella, a Spanish traditional rice dish, featuring fish, octopus, squid, shrimp, oxtail, pigs’ feet, rabbit or veggies. These will start at $15 for a small or $20 for a plate large enough for two people. You’ll also be able to find 5 or 6 main courses starting at $16.
Investors look on as carpenters install the “pintxo” bar for grab-and-go tapas at Barlata. The kitchen, not pictured, will be an open kitchen.
While the paellas sound exotic, Daniel wants to be known for having the best fried potatoes–patatas bravas–in the city. We’ll find out when the restaurant opens in June, tentatively scheduled for the 17th. At first, Barlata will be only open for dinner service. Look for lunch in late summer, outdoor seating in September, and then weekend brunch in early fall.
Austin meets Barcelona: An avid bicyclist, Chef Daniel Olivella wears a Mellow Johnny’s cap and a pro-bike shirt, all wrapped up in an FC Barcelona team jacket.
For those of you not familiar with Daniel, he has two popular restaurants in San Francisco, B44 Catalunyan Bistro in an alley tucked away in the Financial District and Barlata in Oakland. While in town teaching tapas classes for Central Market, he fell in love with Austin. Then, two years ago, he and his wife, decided to move, beginning the search for investors to start Barlata Austin.
Resume aside, Daniel is a warm and humble man who makes everyone feel like you’ve been friends for years. He attracts good people and good vibes. No doubt Barlata will also be full of the same sort of love.
Can’t wait to drown in paella in June.
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How many of y’all saw the 2008 movie Cloverfield? I did. Actually, I didn’t–but I did see the trailer. It showed New York in all its glory getting attacked by something known as the Cloverfield monster. Now the trailer never actually showed the monster, but it did have shaky video clips of explosions and people running and screaming. In fact, the clips were so incredibly shaky that I was too scared to see the movie.
Well, ladies and gentlesirs, Austin may be in for its own Cloverfield monster. After a recent visit to Barton Springs, I’m concerned about the safety of our fair city. It seems Austin’s main watering hole is being overrun with a lush green carpet of clover. And although it may be amazingly comfortable when you’re chilling with your friends–be warned: You may soon be running for your life…
Hope y’all are enjoying the green at the Springs before it gets too hot!
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Last week, Austin-based surf rock band Borrisokane sent me a copy of their forthcoming “Murdering Teeth” EP. I loved last year’s “Disaster Face” EP, so I was excited to give it a listen.
Out on May 14th, Murdering Teeth shows amazing growth for the band. Full of swirling layers of sound, the EP shows the band diving gleefully into a more psychedelic, no wave realm. Swimming with tripped out surf rock, Murdering Teeth can most wholly be compared to: My Bloody Valentine riding the Chill wave; The Pixies doing whippits on acid; The Jesus and Mary Chain in speedos, bathed in tanning oil; Or Beach House in a steam punk video.
Here’s my track by track review of the Murdering Teeth by Borrisokane:
Amelia Fucking Earhart:
The 1st track starts with us flying up inside an old-timey, all metal airplane. The wind is blowing by. Fluffy clouds caress the plane’s underbelly. But all is not right: This is Amelia Earhart’s airplane–and it’s about to crash into the ocean! Waves of bells vocals and guitars wash over the listener. Then handclaps, like twirling propellers, add to the swirling mix, followed by more cymbals: Crash! Crash! Crash! The vocals become more distorted as the plane bursts into flame: “Tell me again about Superman!”
[LISTEN to Borrisokane's Amelia Fucking Earhart over at Side One Track One]
Victoria, Please
2nd track, Victoria Please, opens with a new order beat and a dancing synth line, followed by building chords and a steel guitar creating the combined effect of flying over waves, heading towards a tropical island shore. Vocals: “I’ll be someone else for you. Never tell the truth to you…” and then the live-drummed disco beats kick in as the singer pushes truth…he’ll do what it takes till he gets his way. Music builds, crescendoing up as he builds his confidence, he’s gonna ask her out.
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Thank You For Being So Nice And Cooperative
Track 3 features a fast tapping, melancholy guitar dancing through vocals and classic chords with a surfed out beat that hits like a Pixie’s track on acid. Distorted, chill vocals sing, “We’re all fucking crazy, don’t you think so” Reminds me of an old plane flying through a mushroom cloud as an atom bomb goes off. My favorite track on the album.
Single Moms
Track 4, Single Moms, is probably the most experimental track on the album. It starts off slow with French vocal sample followed by waves of bass and some tweaking string sounds. Then pianos build into a pyschedelic surf rock instrumental that combines some deep bass with a little bit of a 90s techno “whoo whoo” vocals layered in the background.
Indoor Outdoor Paleontologist Blues
Sun slowly rising at the edge of the ocean. A metal bowie floats, rocking back and forth as light starts to hit the waves. Then warm vocals reflect and dance off the surface of the water. It’s the height of the day. The birds come to the beach. The people set up their blankets. Little kids running around. It’s the 1950s. Young couples arrive. There’s a lot of teenage hormones running around. Does he like me? Should I go talk to her? Emotions start to swoon. Passion builds. Then they kiss! And the sun starts to set. It was a perfect day.
You can cop the album next Tuesday, May 14th, on the band’s bandcamp. You can also check out the official album release party on May 17th at The Scottish Rite Theater (Facebook Invite).
The band asked me not to post any tracks off the album, but they did send over this killer remix of Amelia Fucking Earhart by Mike Lee of Letting Up Despite Great Faults. Enjoy!
After ACL announced the full lineup for the 2013 festval, we got excited about the ton of local bands who’d be playing. Today, the festival announced via a blog post that not all bands would be playing both weekends. While concert goers can catch all the headliners, most of the local bands will not be playing both weekend. I guess we should have known it was too good to be true!
Here’s what they had to say:
We know that some of you have asked whether Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 will be the exact same lineup. The answer is yes – but not 100%. Though the majority of the acts will play double weekends, a handful of local and emerging artists will vary from Weekend One to Weekend Two.
WEEKEND 1 ONLY:
Shinyribs
Jacuzzi Boys
Wick-it The Instigator
Houndmouth
Wild Cub
Peterson Brothers Band
Courrier
Dana Falconberry
Bobby Jealousy
Max Frost
Latasha Lee & The BlackTies
Kristin Diable & The City
Colin Lake
Brooke Waggoner
Endurance
The Stapletones
Andy ZWEEKEND 2 ONLY:
Alanna Royale
Cherub
The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker
Shakey Graves
Luella and the Sun
X Ambassadors
Sons Of Fathers
My Jerusalem
Not In The Face
Whiskey Shivers
The Preservation
CALEB
Shannon LaBrie
Andrew Duhon
Tyree Morris & Hearts of Worship
Heavenly Voices ChoirAll other bands on the Lineup will play both Weekend 1 & Weekend 2
Still no word yet on their hotly-contested decision to not offer day passes this year.
Will this addendum to the lineup change your decision to go?
Would you be more likely to go if there was a Day Pass option?
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