Best of 2009
The prospect of writing up a list of the best of anything is harrowing, and for a music lover, having to somehow rank music by musicians you adore is near impossible (commence metaphors about picking favorite children.) However, it is the difficulty of the task that makes it so thrilling. So, I’m here to try to convince you, my readers, that the albums I am about to rank off are ones you should invest your time, money, ears and hearts in. Though one would think the following disclaimer goes without saying, I prefer to be perfectly explicit: the albums here are by no means an exhaustive “best of” list, because I am one woman with two ears and not the most money (and yes, I still pay for my music). These are the best albums that *I* listened to this year. However, because they span folk-rock, indie-pop, Americana and gritty blues rock, I’m hoping there’s enough here to induce head-nodding or curiosity great enough to get you to check a band out. Alright, now that we have all these niceties out of the way, let’s get real.
Filed under Music, Reviews | Tags: Best of 2009, Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Ideal Soul Mart, Kings of Leon, Monsters of Folk, Paolo Nutini, Phoenix, Sondre Lerche, Thao With the Get Down Stay Down, The Dead Weather, The Decemberists | Comment (1)Review – Phoenix at La Zona Rosa
Holiday parties exist for many reasons. In the TV show The Office, the holiday party exists to spark romance between characters. In your real-life office, the holiday party exists to let you relax and let loose with co-workers, celebrating the year’s accomplishments. For music fans in Austin, 101x’s holiday party existed for 2 reasons: to raise money for our local Habitat for Humanity, and to allow every person sardine-d into La Zona Rosa to work it a la Richard Simmons. It was a sold-out show that crescendoed into a wild night of dancing and merriment, and despite the cold weather outside, concert-goers left the event warm, through and through.
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Ethan Kennedy + Mother Falcon – In Review
There was an awesome photo show at Space 12 here in Austin on Saturday, featuring work by ex-Daily Texan photographers and two musical performances. Photogs featured were Kim Espinosa, Peter Franklin, Lauren Gerson, Mary Kang, Tamir Kalifa, Stephen Keller, Emily Kinsolving, Peyton McGee, Caleb Bryant Miller, Callie Richmond, and Ranjana Thomas. Read on for my review of Ethan Kennedy and Mother Falcon. Continue reading »
Filed under Music, Reviews | Tags: Austin, Ethan Kennedy, Mother Falcon, Space12 | Comment (0)Women Who Rock
I recently worked on a documentary with Jessica Billeaud and Phillip Paquette, called Women Who Rock. It features multiple fabulous women in music journalism, including Paige Maguire, Maura Johnston, and Margaret Moser. I’m super honored to announce that Current_TV featured it on their website, with a fantastic review by Meredith Kile.
You can watch it in its larger-screen glory on Vimeo.
Filed under Music | Tags: music journalism, women who rock | Comment (0)