It only took Guardant 30 seconds to win me completely over to its team. The quintet’s hyperactive, quirky dance pop is simply irresistible. The group head-bobbed, shared microphones, switched instruments, clapped for each other, clapped in songs, and generally had as much fun as possible. Its incredibly peppy sound was anchored by herky-jerky keyboards, speedy […]
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SXSW 2013: Bowlsey / Desi and Cody / Brave
The mellow hip-hop and chill-pop vibes of Oklahoma City’s Bowlsey set the afternoon off at a very easygoing pace. Composed of organ, acoustic guitar, synths and gentle beats, the trio’s tunes casually made their way to my ears. Its spartan musical arrangements put the focus squarely on the vocals. Two of the three members were […]
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SXSW 2013: Horse Thief / Colourmusic
But neither string of terms does justice to the Horse Thief sound, which is the sort that takes command of a room. A SXSW volunteer standing next to me leaned over halfway through Horse Thief’s set and informed me of how amazing the band was — even though we had not said a word to […]
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SXSW 2013: Tallows
Oklahoma City band Tallows uses this technique frequently and to great effect. During the song “Small Talk” last night at The Buffalo Lounge, two guitarists and the bassist each hammered away at their fretboards. The resulting intricate indie rock was impressive in composition and performance. Tallows’ music includes elements of charming indie pop, fast ’n’ […]
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Courts of appeal
It’s been a lifelong dream for Austin Brown to reside in New York City, where he now lives, but he’s glad he grew up in Texas. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have met his partner-in-crime, Andrew Savage. “Whatever I wanted to do with my life, I wanted to do it here,” Brown said. “I’d always had that […]
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Milwaukee blues
An extended vacation hasn’t hurt What Made Milwaukee Famous’ performing prowess in the least, with the indie-rock act returning to form after the first few shows of its current tour, once it shook off the cobwebs. Yet the same can’t be said for everything. “The shows have been great in terms of playing. The attendance […]
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Hinder — Welcome to the Freakshow
The brand-new, fourth album from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (!?) inductee and long-considered aural equivalent of hot garbage is unlikely to turn the tide, but it’s a — dare I say — commendable effort. It’s hard to hate on a band too much that at least attempts to evolve. Borrowing elements of pop, […]
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The Expendables 2
The remainder isn’t bad, either; in fact, it’s more fun than the 2010 original, while remaining every bit as big and dumb. Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham, Safe) and the rest of the Expendables are hired by Church (Bruce Willis) to retrieve a case from a downed plane in Russia. After doing so, they […]
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In orbit
Photo: Chris Phelps In the winter of 2010, things were looking pretty good for Austin, Texas’ The Rocketboys. Then half the altrock sextet walked out, worn out and abused from the exhausting tour schedule that got them to that point. The Rocketboys looked doomed to crash and burn. “There was a lot of not knowing […]
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David lean
Singer-songwriter David Ramirez needs only an acoustic guitar to perform his heartrending tunes. Since he can fit all his gear in the front seat of a sedan, his tour expenses are low, meaning he can tour often. But living on the road ensures some gigs will be out of the ordinary. “I was at this […]