Updates.

Hey all,

I wanted to make sure any visitors to this site were kept abreast of where you can find my (semi-) regularly updated writings.

Most of my time these days is spent editing and writing for Texas Music magazine, and you can find some of this work in newsletter form here.

As often as I can, I blog over at Austin Writes Music. (By the way, if you’re interested in contributing to that site, please contact me; I’d love to get that rolling on a more regular basis.)

Finally, my friend and ex-Rolling Stone colleague Chris is just about to re-launch Neon Musical Insight, and I’ll have a review up there when it’s live on Monday.

See you ’round the interwebs!

-Caitlin

Busy, busy, busy.

Heyo, dears.

I’ve been crazy-busy, taking on new roles at Texas Music, writing mad amounts of reviews for Neon Musical Insight (see my updated “Clips” section) and trying to keep Austin Writes Music somewhat alive whilst taking on a job at the Examiner – not to mention, I just did 7 guest pieces for the DT Weekend, hitting newsstands around Austin (and the glorious interwebs) tomorrow. All this, with South by Southwest fast approaching…it’s a bit overwhelming. The fabulous news is, I have had the wonderful opportunity to hear tons and tons of creative, exciting music this year, and it’s only March!

I’m going to make my “Austin Writes Music-approved” SXSW suggestion list this weekend, so look for that post, plus new content for the Examiner and more, in the very near future. I’m hoping to carve out some time to write for pleasure, too, because I don’t want to lose sight of the fun in all of this. I am alive, I am generally happy and well, and I’m forging ahead on this exciting ride called life.

Grammys 2010 – Feminisim, backlash and everything in between.

I was going to write a Grammy opinion piece (yes, as late in the game as I am and as tired as everyone is of hearing about this stuff), but I found a brilliant article that I agree with 95%, is humorously and intelligently written and argued, and is just a general fun read.  Click here to read it.  I’ve re-posted my favorite quotes below; hopefully these will entice you to read the whole article.

I will say a quick piece on what I disagree with about the article – I don’t think Lady Gaga is the pinnacle of feminism, either.  The fact that she hides her unusual-by-pop-star-standards face and wears “crazy outfits” that tend to show off her figure doesn’t make me feel like she’s fighting against any stereotypes, and I think in raising her up on some high-art pedestal reinforces the same dichotomy of virgin-vamp that Riese rightly proposes we should fight against.  In an ideal world, women could make their choices freely (abstinence, sexual experimentation and everything in between) without feeling lame, shamed, or frightened.  I also think that, dress in strange costumes and film stranger music videos though she will, Lady Gaga is still just churning out catchy, danceable pop sugar for us all to enjoy.  Though I admittedly have not delved into her whole catalogue of songs, the popular ones I’m familiar with don’t tread on unfamiliar territory anymore than Swift’s do.  She sings about getting wasted at parties (“Just Dance”), and love (“Poker Face,” “Love Game,” “Bad Romance,” and to an extent “Paparazzi”).  Yes, Gaga’s version of love is dirtier than Swift’s…but can we all agree that women might want more than romantic love?  This is why I’m 100% behind Beyoncé, who kicked out a tune about how women deserve to be treated with an all-female backing band to boot.

Friendship, self-love, adventure, meaning; all these are song topics that would be truly revolutionary.

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New site! + Loxsly review

Hey friends,

I am launching a new music blog, AustinWritesMusic.com. It is still very sparse at the moment, but I’m hoping that now that it is out in the ether, I’ll receive submissions from other folks who can help me generate content for it. Check the “About AWM” page for an explanation of why I’m doing this; the quick-n-dirty is that I’ve got tons of creative friends (writers/photographers/designers/musicians/etc.) and I want a place to showcase their work. I currently have a review up of Loxsly’s last show as Loxsly, which you can read here.

A review with Canadian-turned-New Yorker JBM will be up this week, too. This little blog might see less traffic since I’m shifting my focus to AustinWritesMusic.com, but I’ll still try to populate it with fun stuff every now and again. And please, if you’ve been reading my reviews and have enjoyed them, just shift on over to the new site; I’ll still be posting there frequently! Also check out my work at my friend Chris’ music blog, Neon Musical Insight.

Review – JBM and Sondre Lerche at The Parish

Although New York-dwelling singer-songwriters JBM and Sondre Lerche may have kicked off their tour in Texas in hopes of escaping wintry northern weather, they were out of luck when they came to Austin on February 3 – it was cold and rainy, the worst of combinations.  Still, these gentlemen brought the love for the “Live Music Capital” and completely wowed an appreciative, full crowd at The Parish.

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Spoon at Waterloo Records, 1/25/10

I have almost seen Spoon in concert on three separate occasions.  As a freshman in college in 2005, they headlined a show, but since I was there with my brother and he was ready to head out after our band of choice, stellastarr*, finished their set, I unwittingly went with him.  They then performed at South by Southwest 2007, but I always seemed caught up with some other band when they were set to play.  Finally, they played at the Austin City Limits festival in 2007, but I was at the Peter Bjorn and John/Paolo Nutini night show, so I missed them then, too.  So when it was announced that the Austin indie-men would perform a free show at Waterloo Records on January 25^th, I knew I had to be there.  I’m glad I was.

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Spoon – Transference

As I listened to Spoon’s Transference for the umpteenth time, a thought occurred to me:  experiencing a new album is like dating someone.  As you get to know the record, you notice how particular tracks make you feel.  Some make you feel sexy, others powerful; some sad, others bored.  You appreciate an album’s uniqueness, and grin and bear the stuff that you find annoying or embarrassing.  Transference, I fell for.  Hard.  And it hasn’t left my side since its first spin.

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Review – Charlotte Gainsbourg’s “IRM”

Hey friends, I just did a review for my pal Chris over at Neon Musical Insight of the new Charlotte Gainsbourg album, “IRM.” Check it out!

Review – 40 Rocks Local Showcase

Fabulous supporter of local music and friend to a legion of cool Austinites, Jen Leduc celebrated her birthday with a showcase of great music for the second straight year at the Beauty Bar.  The lineup for “40 Rocks” included Bear Bones, Ideal Soul Mart (so you know I was gon’ be there), Stereo Is A Lie and Buttercup.

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Vampire Weekend – Contra

Vampire Weekend was a group my brain fought against for quite a while.  I had been waiting in line to see DeVotchKa during South by Southwest ’08, and Vampire Weekend was on first.  A line to get in to see them stretched at least a mile out of the door (literally), and I managed to get through to catch their last song-and-a-half.  Based on the buzz and the line length, my expectations were high, and I was mightily disappointed.  In retrospect, two songs witnessed from the door of a club really don’t give a group a fair chance at assessment, but I was still so grumpy at the hype that I refused to really listen to them for a year.  When I finally spun their self-titled debut, it grew on me quickly.  I still felt that the band was over-hyped, but that’s not their fault, and the talent was there – catchy hooks, string arrangements, a sweet-voiced lead singer.  So when WOXY and Waterloo Records held a Vampire Weekend listening party on the release date this past Tuesday, I was excited.  In the crowded, semi-loud listening party setting, I was skeptical of what I heard.  Everything seemed fast-paced and one-dimensional, which surprised me based on the band’s experimentation with different musical genres on the first record.  Having listened through the album myriad (10+) times now almost a week later, I’m sold.  This might be a grower for more folks than just me, but it’s worth giving it the time and space to grow.  Though I don’t love every song on this album, it’s completely solid, completely catchy, and makes me excited for what the future holds for the group.  Up ahead, a song-by-song run through the album.

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