Indie Sounds NY & Austin

Anti-SOPA/PIPA Petition

Harris Radio and Indie Sounds have never condoned online piracy, and especially illegal downloading of music.  We urge music fans to buy music and help support the musicians that create it.

That said, proposed online piracy legislation just goes to far, and should be stopped before it becomes law.  You can learn more and sign a petition here.

Do Something Good: Help The Sessions Make A Movie

Massive Update to Violin Femmes Posted ...

Check out the update to Violin Femmes, now featuring nearly 60 rocking goddesses, including new addition Alison Zotlow.

Pete's A-Z Of 2009 ... Part 4 ...

And for Christmas Eve, we conclude ...

U is for Uiscedwr. Pronunciation: ish-ca-door. It was pure web serendipity that led me to this Welsh/Irish/Anglo folk/rock duo, who I have yet to see live. They just released their superb third album - Fish Cat Door - recorded against a backdrop of personal medical challenges for violinist Anna Esslemont. So it's in inspiration in ways, as well as being great music.

Pete's A-Z Of 2009 ... Part 3 ...

I just cannot stop ... here is N to T ...

N is for Noelle Hampton. Noelle is pretty new to me - I've only seen her perform a couple of times but I'll definitely be checking her out some more in 2010. She's done the Lilith Fair thing, opened for Dylan and Wilco, had her struggles with the music business, and is now in Austin, with a splendid new record Thin Line.

Pete's A-Z Of 2009 ... Part 2 ...

Continuing my highlights of 2009 ... with G to M ...

G is for Genius.  And Austin's Danny Malone certainly qualifies for that characterization. Take a singer/songwriter with a requisite awesome album - Cuddlebug - and add in a live show including dance moves and sometimes a full modern dance routine, and the result is 'WTF' mesmerizing. More on Danny here.

Pete's A-Z Of 2009 ... Part 1 ...

Indie Sounds is taking a little break from its usual coverage this Christmas week.  Instead, I am looking back at 2009 and highlighting what made it musically memorable for me ... with a bent towards many acts I've discovered since moving to Austin in the summer ...

A is for Alejandro Escovedo. I became a bit of an Alejandro stalker this year, catching shows in London, Northampton (Mass.) and many in Austin.  Whether they were duos with ace guitarist David Pulkingham, trios including Susan Voelz on violin, his four- or six-piece rock combos, or even his 15-strong orchestra, they were all truly enjoyable and memorable case studies in how to put on an awesome show.  In particular, the orchestra show at this year's SXSW was the standout of the week.  And more recently, his 'sessions' series at The Continental have been incredible nights.


  
As a friend stated on his Facebook page ... "If there's a better rock band in Austin than Alejandro please tell me about it - actually, don't bother, because there isn't." I like this.

Indie Sounds Now Takes In Austin!

Indie Sounds NY is now also Indie Sounds Austin.  Starting today, this site will begin to cover indie music from both the NYC and Austin, TX music scenes.

Note the word 'begin' ... the Austin coverage will start slowly at first, so don't expect too much.  And a new site banner will be rolled out in the near future (all ahead of the big change ... which is Indie Sounds going completely online after issue #40).

Whether you visit www.indiesoundsny.com or www.indiesoundsaustin.com, the default display (at least for now) is to show all posts - NYC and Austin.

The category tags at the bottom of each article designates whether the article is about NYC or Austin (or both).  Use the 'Filter Posts' links in the left margin to view just subsets of the site.  And yep, there are even a few posts from neither of these great musical cities.

In 2009, I'll be spending a fair bit of time in Austin, soaking up the scene there.  Maybe I can even find a Texas version of Kendall?

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Starting today, there are a few changes being introduced to Indie Sounds NY.

This week, issue #38 of Indie Sounds NY in print will be published.  Issue #40 - February 2009 - will be the final print issue.  But the publication will continue - and expand - online, on this website.

This month, we'll begin the online transition by posting various articles pulled from the PDF as online articles.  In some cases, these will be expanded from the print versions - fuller text, more photos.  For sure, photos will be in color.  That's an innovation!

There will continue to be set pieces each week (yes, including Kendall's Hit List on Wednesdays), augmented by news from the NYC indie scene as we come across it.  Tell us yours!

We're also looking for contributions from musicians.  Pitch us.  This is DIY publiciity for you!

OK, that's it for now ...

A Quick Note From Austin City Limits

I spent this weekend in Austin, TX at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, or ACL as it's generally known.  It was the 7th running of the event, and both the music and the organization were superb.  Oh, and the weather too.



The musical highlights for me: The Swell Season from across the pond (thanks to the guy on the line for food who raved about them so much I had to go see), Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) from Brazil, plus Stars and Tegan and Sara, both from Canada.

Priscilla Ahn, currently a resident of LA, was a (pleasant) surprise stand-in for the UK's Adele.

Other notables (in no particular order): Patty Griffin, the Eli Young Band, Bobby Bare Jr., The Freddy Jones Band, Robert Earl Keen, John Fogerty, Band of Heathens, Drive By Truckers, Gillian Welch, Mountain Yonder String Band, The Raconteurs and Neko Case.

Now, answer me this: Why is it that Austin has two great music festivals in ACL and SXSW, while we in NYC have to make do with the annual wankfest that is CMJ?