Austin indie rock singer Joanna Barbera is a strong woman who gets in bad relationships. [ALBUM REVIEW + LISTEN]
Last time Joanna and I hung out, it was cold!
With the heat index peaking at 104 last week, it’s safe to say that summer is quickly upon us. And when the heat rises, so does my urge to leave the city. In fact, by the time September gets here, I’ve damn near packed the UHAUL to head to warmer climates.
One of the things I’ve found that helps keep my sanity during summer is a good old-fashioned roadtrip. Sometimes it’s as close as Krause Springs or Jacob’s Well. Other times it’s down to Galveston or Port Arthur. And if I’m really feeling ballsy, I might head out west to California (or just Marfa).
Whether you’re hightailing it to the nearest beach, camping in the woods, or heading out west to El Cosmico, you or someone on your trip will probably set up a playlist. And if that someone wants to include Austin musicians, they might consider adding “New York City” by Joanna Barbera.
When I listen to New York City, I imagine Joanna riding in an old beat up station wagon. Upbeat and poppishly addictive, it’s like a car full of friends, polaroid cameras, and instruments, heading down a highway on its way to the Big Apple. The windows are down, blowing Joanna’s hair around as she props her feet up on the rearview mirror. Everyone’s having a good time, giddy with excitement for what the trip has in store.
Take a listen:
LISTEN: “New York City” by Joanna Barbera
Joanna gave me a sneak peak of her upcoming album, Forget, a few weeks ago. Chock full of strong female vibes, Forget shows Joanna’s versatility as a singer-songwriter, bridging the gap between Patti Smith and Patty Griffin. With its eclectic tracks, Forget pairs well with sitting on your porch with a bottle of Topo on a hot summer’s night or pounding shots of whiskey before heading to the White Horse.
Femininity permeates Forget like perfume at Midnight Rodeo. Not one of those sugary sweet and floral perfumes, it’s got a powerful edge with hints of bourbon, leather, and a hit of musk: Forget is an album for strong women who have a soft spot for getting in bad relationships. And like a roadtrip, it’s about escaping and finding oneself. To me, it sounds like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with skinny black denim and weed instead of mom jeans and cupcakes; Feist drunk off whiskey playing in the back of some old roadhouse; PJ Harvey’s Stories from the City stripped down and recorded in Austin.
I’m a big fan of Joanna’s harder songs, like the album opener Tempt Me. Give it a listen:
LISTEN: “Tempt Me” by Joanna Barbera
The album comes out next month–and you can catch Joanna with The Couch at the official Forget release party at Holy Mountain on June 27th.
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Check out the album cover for Joanna’s new cd Forget!
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Growing up, I listened to hip hop and house music. And as a big hip hop fan, it pains me to say this: When I think about Austin hip hop artists, there are only a handful that are polished enough to write about. But like everything in our fine city, that’s changing.
Meet Magna Carda. Featuring Megz Kelli on the mic and Dougie Do on the beats, they’re an Austin hip hop duo that you need to get on right now. Going from chilled out raps to fast flows, Megz is a versatile MC who reminds me of Doodlebug from Digable Planets or the great Bahamadia. Her voice and stylo are perfectly paired with Dougie’s soulful beats. And not only are his beats stone chilled, his samples cover an eclectic range, moving fluidly from the Isley Brothers to Crystal Waters. Oh, and when the performs live, they play with a full band. Classic!
Despite the duo’s youth, the sound is classic hip hop. That’s due, in part, to Dougie’s grandfather, a former Army DJ. When he was a kid, Dougie would explore his grandfather’s records. As he got older, he discovered Tribe Called Quest and has sought to get back to the root of hip hop. That doesn’t mean the duo tries to reenact Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Curren$y or any other similar artist in their genre. Rather, they aim to get at the heart of hip hop and find their own sound.
Here’s the new video for their most recent single, “Shoes $ Money,” which you can download for free, below. I can’t stop playing it.
WATCH: “Shoes $ Money” by Magna Carda
FREE DOWNLOAD: “Shoes $ Money” by Magna Carda
Also, check out these mixtapes from 2011 and 2012.
The band just got back from playing a festival in New Mexico and are getting ready to drop their next single and a full-length album in the next few weeks. You can catch them live at the RAW Austin Presents Kaleidoscope on June 20th. I’ve got a feeling about these guys. This shit is legit.
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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, On the Friday after Memorial Day, 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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