Hux here. Bringing more tunes your way. Keep your ears peeled.

1-6: bottle worthy- goes down real smooth

Dremnt the End–Self Titled– Straightforward disco mid-80s Cure-like riffs with verve from a major label and falsetto springing forth best describes this band’s sound. It really reeks of the Robert Smith with a little bit of a harder core center. Read the rest of this entry »

Hux here. Even though cold out, the Lonestar Six Pack Project trudges along on the porch with Dud. Boots keep tapping and six packs consumed. I’ll keep pressing play. Keep listening.

1 drinkable- 6 goes down smooth

Ben Mallott–Look Good, Feel Good–Austin local Mallott, is grainy in his songwriter/singer attributions. His first solo release produce songs ranging from sentimental to sad that leads the listener on a journey that is heartfelt and genuine.

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Nepotism is alive and well in this town, as the passing of the obligatory torch (read: column) represents. Although my cousin, Miss Riprock is a city slicker type that sips on exotic martinis, calls me and everyone else she knows “darling,” demands weekly manicures, wears heels that she terms “sky high” and dons tunes that are pressed and painted all fancy, I tend to be the exact opposite. Born and raised here in Texas I like my Lone Star, steer away from restaurants who’s names I cannot pronounce, and wear boots for most of the day and often times even while asleep. On a typical Saturday night, I slip on music that’s new to me and blare it from my porch consulting my pup, Dud.

I’m a no nonsense, laid-back type that will give your album a spin and give you my honest opinion (after consulting Dud) rated by how many beers I put back if I like your tracks enough to keep them playing loud enough to annoy my neighbors. My dad calls me boy, my cousin calls me darling , strangers call me Mr. McRiprock and my friends call me Hux or something derogatory that rhymes with it.

Let’s crack one open and see where we go from here. I’ll press play.

The Asylum Street Spankers– What? And Give Up Show Biz?–Widely praised for a vaudeville style-show, The Asylum Street Spankers went through hours of of the troupes theatrical show and put together a double-CD that blends musical selections from audience favorites to souped up versions of their classics “Beer” and “Winning the War on Drugs.” In addition to the musical selections, there is interludes of spoken word that make the album feel more like a live show than an album of a live show. 5.0 Mcriprock’s

Bourgeois Gypsies– Faulty Fairytales...–From stripped down, gritty hill billy sounds to more polished folk rock, the Bourgeouise Gypsies bring a sound straight out of California with a diversity that includes slinky swamp music to music worth slipping on and listening to on your porch. Constantly gigging through juke joints and festivals the band is on the move and they are currently in Austin for a few select shows. For a sound that captures the traditional and nontraditional, check them out on bgypsies.com for this week/weekends upcoming shows including stint at Lorraine’s in Marble Falls, Nonon’s on Sixth and the World United Music Festival. Worth our dollar and your ears. 4.5 McRiprocks

Nepotism is alive and well in this town, as the passing of the obligatory torch (read: column) represents. Although my cousin, Miss Riprock is a city slicker type that sips on exotic martinis, calls me and everyone else she knows “darling,” demands weekly manicures, wears heels that she terms “sky high” and dons tunes that are pressed and painted all fancy, I tend to be the exact opposite. Born and raised here in Texas I like my Lone Star, steer away from restaurants who’s names I cannot pronounce, and wear boots for most of the day and often times even while asleep. On a typical Saturday night, I slip on music that’s new to me and blare it from my porch consulting my pup, Dud.

I’m a no nonsense, laid-back type that will give your album a spin and give you my honest opinion (after consulting Dud) rated by how many beers I put back if I like your tracks enough to keep them playing loud enough to annoy my neighbors. My dad calls me boy, my cousin calls me darling , strangers call me Mr. McRiprock and my friends call me Hux or something derogatory that rhymes with it.

Let’s crack one open and see where we go from here. I’ll press play.

(1-6 scale)

Tyler Fortier—Pale Moon Rise—Out of Oregon comes Fortier with an Americana/Folk sound that includes a dominant horn section on some tracks and a finished sound on others. His refreshingly snappy sound finds you humming along quite quickly. The first track “On His Way” harkens a Dave Matthews pop quality, but finds its inner twang and softer lyrical spirit immediately.  “Where the Sky Turns Gray” slows things down and is more indicative of the Americana voice with a polished quality and a lyrical head spin that works well.  The rest of the album follows suit more like the second track than the first, with a quality that melts the listener a little bit deeper.  Fortier is able to throw around different sounds from folk to blues to popish rock yet still keep you listening. 4.5 McRiprock’s.

Dubb Sicks—Mind in the Gutter– From Backyard Recordings Austin’s Dubb Sicks brings his second LP with lyrical humor amongst hard-hitting beats mingling together. It’s slick in its ability to make the lyrics move smoothly within a tough beat and an angry montage. Rapping about everything from politics to rhymes that are pure fun, a mix of dub sounds with poetic flows works well. 4.0 McRiprock’s.

Crosby Loggins and the Light—We All Go Home—If you watched the show, you might recognize the name. Straight from Rock the Cradle, Crosby Loggins breaks into the independent music scene with a pop quality that showcases a soulful stream backing every track. His voice is stunning, but seems to fall flat in the format of the polished pop genre. He’d do better with a Dan Dyer approach. Not to say he doesn’t produce an album that works in elements beyond the pop basics, it’s just been done and heard many times before. 3.0 McRiprock’s.

Gregg Merritt—Dream Through a Leaf— With Merritt’s roots firmly planted in the jam band/psychedelic background he manages to move away from that genre a bit to produce an album with more of a mix of flavors. Merritt started Dream Through a Leaf with an acoustic guitar, wrote all of the songs and then set it to a full rock arrangement. It produced an eclectic mix from earthy/folksy jam band rock to heavy rock to psychedelic funk.  5.0 McRiprock’s

Mitch Jacobs—Jukebox Music—Rural roots country sounds strong in Jacobs’ Jukebox Music. Seemingly channeling Elvis and Johnny Cash, Jacobs’ voice is the strong standout throughout.  It’s honky tonk, Texas country rolled neatly into an album that you’ll want to listen to a few times over. Out of Houston, Jacobs was introduced to Freddie Steady an Austin Music hall-of-famer and the album took off from there. 5.0 McRiprock’s

Nepotism is alive and well in this town, as the passing of the obligatory torch (read: column) represents. Although my cousin, Miss Riprock is a city slicker type that sips on exotic martinis, calls me and everyone else she knows “darling,” demands weekly manicures, wears heels that she terms “sky high” and dons tunes that are pressed and painted all fancy, I tend to be the exact opposite. Born and raised here in Texas I like my Lone Star, steer away from restaurants who’s names I cannot pronounce, and wear boots for most of the day and often times even while asleep. On a typical Saturday night, I slip on music that’s new to me and blare it from my porch consulting my pup, Dud.

I’m a no nonsense, laid-back type that will give your album a spin and give you my honest opinion (after consulting Dud) rated by how many beers I put back if I like your tracks enough to keep them playing loud enough to annoy my neighbors. My dad calls me boy, my cousin calls me darling , strangers call me Mr. McRiprock and my friends call me Hux or something derogatory that rhymes with it.

Let’s crack one open and see where we go from here. I’ll press play.

Teresa Storch–Stream of Concrete–Sharing the stage with the likes of Entrain, Montbleau, Peter Mulvey and Rachel Sage, Storch puts out her first full-length studio album which is soulful and funky full of contemporary songwriting with a folksy vibe. The first track, “Your Story” is backed by a jazzy horn section and slips playfully into some intricate guitar work with the organ humming along the whole time. “Mr. Moon” is a quiet track that employs the piano and Storch’s voice crooning a track with a folksy twist. The album is an interesting mix fusing jazz, folk, rock and a loungey blues throughout. 4.5 McRipRock’s Read the rest of this entry »

McRiprock’s Lonestar Shotgun SixPack Project

Nepotism is alive and well in this town, as the passing of the obligatory torch (read: column) represents. Although my cousin, Miss Riprock is a city slicker type that sips on exotic martinis, calls me and everyone else she knows “darling,” demands weekly manicures, wears heels that she terms “sky high” and dons tunes that are pressed and painted all fancy, I tend to be the exact opposite. Born and raised here in Texas I like my Lone Star, steer away from restaurants who’s names I cannot pronounce, and wear boots for most of the day and often times even while asleep. On a typical Saturday night, I slip on music that’s new to me and blare it from my porch consulting my pup, Dud. Read the rest of this entry »

Eric Hisaw – Nature of the Blues: Mr. Hisaw continues to put out gritty records that epitomize Austin music. 9 shots.

Chad Tracy – Honeymoon Classics: Prolific Chad Tracy puts out another fine album that covers a lot of ground. From smooth and soulful to country swing. 9 shots

Full Service – The Dig: Some good ol’ in your face rock with loud guitars. They mix some reggae feel in too. Much coolness. 8 shots.

The Grownup Noise – Self-Titled: Imagine James Taylor playing with Elvis Costello’s band. Pretty swell, huh? Mellow, poppy sound. 8.5 shots.

Bob Simpson - Self-Titled: Great vocals plus sweet songs equals one very fine album from this West Texas artist. 9 shots.

Christine Albert – Paris, Texafrance: Beautifully crafted mix of French and Texas music. You have to hear it to believe it. The lyrics in francais make it sex-ay. 8.5 shots.

Kellye Gray Three – KG3 Live at the Bugle Boy: Some jazz singers sing. Others pour out the lyrics as naturally as breathing. Ms. Gray is definitely a natural. This is the best jazz vocal album I’ve heard all year. Easy. 9.5 shots.

Shelia Harrison - Self-Titled: This pop country 19 year old has the vocal power of a seasoned veteran. Look out if the right people hear her. 8.5 shots.

Hello Darlings,

Well, there’s a bit in the good news/bad news department here. This is my last column of reviewing CDs, but the good news is that I will still be doing interviews and doing some live show reviews for the Daze.

In the last two years, I have been exposed to so much great music that I would have never heard otherwise, this issue included. I have discovered a lot of great new bands like the Frontier Brothers and the Steps, as well as keeping up on the latest of bands I already knew and loved like Reckless Kelly.

I have also gotten to make a lot of new friends, and meeting all of you lovelies out there who have said hello in person has been priceless. I look forward to continue to see you as we flower the town together.

Bands, you can keep sending your music into us at PO Box 40425, Austin, TX, 78704. Everything gets listened to at the Daze World Headquarters.

May I see all of you beautiful people on down the line….this is by no means Goodbye Darlings……

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I adore albums with great opening moments. Examples of this would be Pink Floyd’s The Wall as a sweet accordion gives way to David Gilmour’s thunderous guitar, or U2’s The Joshua Tree begins with soft keyboards leading to the pulsating rhythm of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Sonidos Gold kicks off with a percussive groove followed by an eruption of horns that find their way to a joyful riff.

The strength of GF has always been their live shows. This new release goes a long way into capturing the vibe of a live performance. There is no slick overproduction going on, just a basic “this is how we sound” approach. It worked perfectly for this band, a collection of musicians that excel at what they do. As co-founder Adrian Quesada proclaimed, “It’s the definitive Grupo Fantasma album, the one we’ve wanted to make since the beginning.”

This album is not only an accurate snapshot of the group, but is also accessible to many. Listeners of Latin, jazz, and pop can all make it their current favorite. It’s also a bit funky, as “Arroz Con Frijoles” reminded me a lot of the Meters. Despite that accessibility, it should also be popular with current fans.

9 Daisy Stars!

Grupo Fantasma is mucho fantastic. And their latest album is no exception. Around Austin, and the country, their live shows are legendary. You do not attend a live show to sit on your booty. In fact, you must be prepared to shake it vigorously for extended periods of time. At 11 fiercely talented musicians strong they are a force to be reckoned with. Their third album, Sonidos Gold, has the same effect, and captures the high energy, sultriness of their live performances. Grupo has a way of leading the experience and setting the mood and with this explosive blend of funk, Afro beat, and Latin sounds you won’t be able to stop until, well, the music does. The album was made for a recent smoldering hot Saturday night in the nyc. The rain from an earlier thunderstorm was steaming off the streets, the smell of wet concrete filled the air. I made a cocktail and turned up the music. Hips swaying around my apartment, I danced down the hallway to the bedroom and threw on a dress made for dancing. I turned up the music. Hips swaying to the vanity, put on some red lipstick and…turned up the music a little more. Side to side, side to side, the sound sets you in a trance where your body takes over with little thought as to what to do. Into the closet to for the right heels. Turned up the music just a little bit more. At full volume now, a final dash of perfume, and then, those hips swayed me out into the night. The sirens bellowing outside my door as if right on cue.