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Jess Kerber

KA: What brought you to Austin? Did anything jump out at you immediately about the music scene compared to New Orleans or Boston?JK: I finished college in December of 2021, and though the&nbsp;only thing I ever wanted to do when I graduated high school was leave Louisiana; sometime in those four years of college, I became pretty set on the idea of moving back to the South. I had visited Austin a few times previously and felt completely thrilled about the idea that no matter what you are doing at any moment, someone is playing&nbsp;music somewhere near&nbsp;you. And most likely in the house next door. However, the one thing I had forgotten was just how damn hot it gets down here.&nbsp;I saw that you recorded the album back in 2020. Has your relationship with these songs changed much over the last couple years?This is something that immediately comes to mind when I write a song - what the lifetime of it will be like. When I wrote and recorded these songs, we were all obviously in the very beginning of what we now know to be one of the hardest leaps we’ve taken as a community. A lot of these songs were written to myself. At the time, I needed to create something that could actually be real in front of me; I needed to prove to myself that my life was actually happening. Now, when I play these songs, I don’t hear nor think of the uncertainty as much. I mostly feel the hope that I had to push onto myself in that year.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPSlDzvujo"></oembed></figure>How did you get into fingerstyle guitar? How do you think this technique has affected your songwriting?My dad is a classical guitar teacher, and so naturally I was exposed to a way of playing the guitar that you didn’t really tend to hear on the radio so much. And having this experience always made me feel like it was something that was not usual. My parents never pushed me to play a certain type of music, or even music at all; if I wasn’t what I was interested in doing. But I definitely believe hearing notes played in a different way at such an early age, primed me for what was going to be most meaningful to me later on.&nbsp;What inspired you to explore different tunings? Do you have a favorite?When I started to become serious about playing the guitar, I was 13 years old and had just discovered Joni Mitchell. Of course, one of her legacies is her multitude of alternate tunings. And since this discovery happened at such an early stage in my learning, alternate tunings became my normal. The sounds that I was creating in my head were best reached when I played in alternate tunings. Each new tuning is another fresh path.&nbsp;What about your experience at Berklee College of Music led you to, as your bio puts it, “take on a more subdued and lyric-driven approach”? How else did your time in school there inform your relationship with music?<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/JESS_KERBER_ALBUM_COVER_5d5f835146.jpg"><figcaption>Jess Kerber's self-titled album is out now.</figcaption></figure>When studying songwriting at Berklee, so much of the emphasis is put on phrasing, timing, and rhyming, but not so much what the story is you’re trying to say. And if I’m going to be completely honest, I didn’t always feel totally challenged by a lot of those courses. And because I didn’t feel as connected to my courses, it allowed for more time to trial and error in my own way. My main concern was what I was saying and not so much how to say it. Not to think that the latter isn’t important either - but I had words that needed to come out. In my eyes, Berklee is all about who you meet while you are there and what you set out to achieve for yourself. No one is going to make you a rockstar just because you went to one of the most famous music schools in the world.&nbsp;Tell us a little bit about the recording process/who you collaborated with on the record?I recorded this album with my partner, Will Orchard in three different places: his Boston apartment living room, his mother’s house in Rhode Island, and a special apartment that I was living in at the time; and the majority of the arrangements were also played by us. Pedal steel was done by Nick Larimore and drums and percussion were James Goodwin, both Nashville-based musicians that I met while at Berklee. Keys, bass and electric guitar were done by Will; with the exception of myself on bass for Tropical Storm! Big bass times for me!Do you have a favorite memory from writing or recording the album?A favorite memory from recording this project is more-so a collection of similar memories. Will and I would wake up (at a decent time), make breakfast and get into recording from there. Stop for coffee and dinner breaks, finish the night off with a movie and go back to sleep again. If I remember correctly, so much of the album was recorded during weekends, as I was still in school at the time. But each day always felt like it bled right into the other.&nbsp;What made this, your third record, the one you decided to self-title?&nbsp;The reason I decided to self-title this record is because I felt like these words and this production finally felt like the way I had been trying to be understood these past few years. It sounds very corny and exaggerative, but when music is the only way you feel you can truly come out, it means a lot. I feel very proud of the work we did. The way this record sounds is the way that I feel inside.&nbsp;How can people best support you? Any shows coming up that you’d like to plug?Woah! Support! Bandcamp! Bandcamp is my most favorite platform, as it gives space for the artist to be directly appreciated. And I also love a good set of virtual liner notes :) I am going on a west coast tour with Will in August, so there will definitely be more information and updates on that soon, somewhere on all of our internet lands. I am also printing my first ever set of t-shirts! So, life is feeling big right now.___________________________Jess Kerber's new album, Jess Kerber, is out now.&nbsp;

Interview: Jess Kerber

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Quiet Light / Full Performance (KVRX)

Quiet Light

“Stories I Am Now Telling You” is being released against a post-COVID landscape that our community is still in the process of defining. What place do you this emotional collection occupying during these times?I think Quiet Light fits in nicely with the heightened emotions of the time because the project is all about being vulnerable. I try my best to make songs that are really confessional and can offer some sense of comfort to the listener that there is someone who can encapsulate the way they are feeling in a song.&nbsp;I do think it's important to also mention that Quiet Light only exists because I was really going through it during the beginning of COVID and I needed a distraction. I've put my entire heart into this project and I think it has been an excellent distraction that has given me some nice meaning in life.The opening track on the EP, “Alight” is a grand song touching on friends leaving “the Lone Star state.” What was the inspiration behind the themes of this song and, specifically, the imagery of moving on from Texas?"Alight" was the start of my confessional songwriting. I wrote the first Quiet Light EP in Spring 2020 when everything was getting shut down and today I feel very detached from these songs. "Some People Change" has got to be the vaguest song out there. Everybody changes. Those stories are not unique stories at all, there's no blood there. I remember Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher came out in June of 2020 and I was like. “Wow, this is really personal and I love it because she isn't holding anything back.” I wrote "Alight" that same month.&nbsp;<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ep_cover_cdb39b472d.jpg"><figcaption>Stories I Am Now Telling You [EP] by Quiet Light is out now.</figcaption></figure>The themes in this song are unrequited love, deep friendship, sitting with someone and knowing that this is the place you are supposed to be, growing apart, wishing the best for someone, and people you love moving to California. I was deep in Joan Didion when I wrote this song and was really idealizing this idea of California in the 60s.&nbsp;I'm close with my family and enjoyed growing up in my hometown of Coppell, TX. I had a really happy and archetypical experience growing up there. I was my high school's prom queen, worked hard in school, and had good friends. I have a lot of great memories of playing sand volleyball at Andy Brown Park, high school choir, and going to football games.&nbsp;When I came to college I didn't feel nurtured as I did in my small town where literally everybody knew everyone. I struggled a lot to find myself in college and it wasn't really until I started this project that I started figuring out who I was. The song is also specifically about this guy who I went to high school with who came to college with me and we became totally different people. "Alight" is a really special song to me. Writing it really did change my life. That was a lot of information, I hope some of that made sense.&nbsp;What was the recording process like and how was the apparent cohesion dialed in?The recording process was super fun. I recorded demos for the album in November 2020 at my parents' house when I was there for Thanksgiving Break. I sent them to my friend Nico Fennell [Photokem] and he agreed to produce the EP for me. I went to Nico's house twice a week last summer and we just worked on the songs together. It was really great to have him help me out and he helped shape the Quiet Light sound. We have a lot of trust in each other musically and I think that makes for a fruitful artist-producer relationship. He understands me very well.One of my favorite aspects to many of these songs is their gradual build. What starts stripped down and delicate can end in a whirlwind of layered vocals and instrumentation. These tracks end up mirroring that feeling of being overwhelmed by emotions. What role does this form play in your songwriting? Is it something that comes naturally to you, or is it a significant purpose to this collection?I love music that makes you feel like you're floating. Dreamy folk music is my favorite music and always has been. Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell, 60s folk-rock, these are forever inspirations for me.&nbsp;I was listening to a lot of Skullcrusher, Hovvdy, and Caroline Polachek when we were making this and I think that really comes through. I multi-track all of my vocals because I love Elliott Smith and I grew up singing in choirs. I just love layering vocals on top of each other. I think the instrument I am best at playing is my voice so I try to be creative with that as much as I can.&nbsp;I think that was the goal, I wanted to make a piercing dream folk EP, something quiet that cuts like a knife.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZEvuuTd49k"></oembed></figure>On “Blue Screen”, once again, there is a confrontation with the fear of losing someone close to you. This time it takes on an extra level of significance as it is the last track on the EP. The song ends with an exasperated delivery of the line, “you keep talking about moving.” In a time where Austin is experiencing unprecedented levels of change, what keeps you in Austin, Texas?"Blue Screen" is a crazy song. I was terribly unhinged writing that one. I wrote it two years ago about my best friend and he knows it's about him. I think it's weird when you grow up with someone and you've been friends for a long time. We've both been through so much together and we've seen each other change. The weird thing about me and Vic is that we both changed in the same way. We were both really bookish hometown heroes and then came to college and became indie kids obsessed with art or whatever.&nbsp;Sometimes I feel like a spectator in his life because of the internet and the fact that we only see each other like three times a year. I don't think the song is about being scared of losing him because I'm not scared of that. I just think that the song is about how it sucks that life goes on and you become an adult and you don't live less than a mile away from your friends anymore.&nbsp;College is over now and I'm actually going to move out of Austin to the northeast. In a few months, I'm going to feel like a spectator in so many of my college friends' lives. It sucks that life is like this, but all good things must come to an end for more good things to begin. So I guess grad school is kicking me out of Austin, TX. But even if I wasn't going to school in the northeast I would still want to leave Austin because I associate it too much with college. I'm going to miss it a lot though.&nbsp;**Stories I Am Now Telling You [EP] by Quiet Light is out now.&nbsp;

Interview: Quiet Light

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Good Looks "Vision Boards" [official music video]

Good Looks Share Bummer Year Title Track

Good Looks

KA: Congratulations on this new record! Are you as excited as we are to hear some new rock music coming out of Austin? What has been the reception so far, and are there other local bands you’ve been especially fond of lately?&nbsp;GL: The reception has been really great overall!&nbsp;It’s been nice to have some positive feedback and just feel like the ball is finally rolling.&nbsp;I really love <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pelvis_wrestley/">Pelvis Wrestley</a>.&nbsp;I think Ben is one of the best songwriters in town.&nbsp;Also, I’ve been digging on the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thejuniperberries/">Juniper Berries</a> a lot lately.&nbsp; They’re new to town and I think they’ve got big things in their future.KA: So...Bummer Year. Is this a direct reference to your quarantine experience, or are there more universal themes at play with this record?GL: I actually wrote that song in late 2017, and it was more of a response to Trump being elected and at the same time dealing with some pretty serious depression.&nbsp;But it’s odd how things turned out with the pandemic and all.&nbsp;I probably should have called it Bummer Years (ha.)KA: How did you navigate the past few years in Austin as a musician?&nbsp;GL: I put my head down and worked more hours at my day job at the time as a house mover.&nbsp;I met and moved in with my current partner. &nbsp;I wrote 14 or 15 songs over the course of a year, which is a lot for me. There was just a lot of time for everything.&nbsp;You kind of don’t realize how much time and energy you put into playing shows and practicing. When those things disappeared it was really apparent.&nbsp;&nbsp;KA: Let’s talk about the single, “Vision Boards”. This has been an anthem for me since it came out, in that I can’t help but sing along to it. Is this song an anthem? What does that term even mean to you, and is it something you feel in the recording process?&nbsp;GL: I actually wrote “Bummer Year” and “Vision Boards” around the same time.&nbsp;Probably within a week or so of each other.&nbsp;The song was me coming to terms with how hard it is to make it in the music industry, while also grappling with my own personal shortcomings that made it even harder.&nbsp;It definitely added a lot of muscle to the song after I brought it to the band.&nbsp;I have no idea whether it’s an anthem or not.&nbsp;Ultimately, it’s really hard to be the judge of your own work.&nbsp;I just write and hope people can relate.KA: Lyrics from “Vision Board”: “Rip the demons off my back / Let ‘em know that I tried my best / Even if they kill me / And if there really is a god / Let 'em know that I tried my best / With the hands that he gave me / And to that voice inside my head / Shut the fuck up / Because I tried my best.”That last stanza was the high point of this record for me, really solidifying this track as an anthem for 2022. During the quarantine I know a lot of artists out there were faced with an unexpected proposition — all this new time to create, yet so much fear and uncertainty outside the front door. I imagine so many musicians in Austin got to explore intimately their own creative ingenuity, but also their limitations. Regardless of whether this record was created under those circumstances, I’m certainly not the only one to feel thrilled to hear this track, and sing along to those lines in particular. I guess my question is: Where does the confidence to create come from for you? And how has that source of confidence changed over the past years of your life to emerge with this latest work to share?&nbsp;<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxAbQ0IFgHA"></oembed></figure>GL: I’m glad that you like this song. It’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve written.&nbsp;As to where the confidence comes from, I have no idea. Maybe it’s just through doing it.&nbsp;I’ve been writing songs for 17 or 18 years at this point.&nbsp;I wrote a lot of bad songs as a teenager, but I wasn’t aware that they were bad. I think it helps to go through that trial and error process as a young person.&nbsp;It’s harder to be willing to fail at something when you’re older.KA: This is an unapologetically Texan record. Between the video for “Vision Board” and lyrics like: “Headed out to some west Texas town / Pull the car over / Watch the sun go down”, to perhaps more critical lines like: “Hill Country / bluest sky / rich folks come out here to die,” where you grew up seems to have informed the sentiment of some of these songs. What role do you think your location or Texas culture plays in the album?&nbsp;&nbsp;GL: I’ve spent my whole life in Texas, so I think it makes sense that the location factors in.&nbsp;I write very, very literally.&nbsp;So in “Almost Automatic”, I’m talking about a trip I took with someone to Balmorhea and Marfa.&nbsp;In “First Crossing”, I’m talking about different elements of my time spent at the Kerrville Folk Festival.&nbsp;It makes sense the setting of these songs is in Texas, because that’s where I spend most of my time.KA: One more thought about the single, because it’s really fucking good. One of us at KA said, “To me, the record is best summarized by the lyrics, 'Try to manifest it more / no, it’s just not working out / These bootstraps are so short / just not working out,” from the song “Vision Boards”.&nbsp; Bummer Year is made cohesive both by its production and by its lyrical content. Do you see this as a concept album? If so, is that something you set out to achieve, or did you come to realize it once all the songs were written?GL: I think it’s mainly the production that’s tying these songs together, and maybe just the way that I write and choose melodies. These songs were written slowly over a period of 4 years or so, and I think when they’re stripped down to just guitar and vocals, they sound extremely different.&nbsp;These are the songs that I had ready when it was time to record.&nbsp;I definitely didn’t intentionally put them together in any sort of way.KA: Reading the lyrics, I’m reminded that pronouns can often be interchangeable in music, meaning that you could really be writing the song from any perspective or embodying any subject’s persona in a given line. On the flip-side, though, are moments where you may use a name or a character to get an idea across, like the “Lindsey” that appears several times on the album. What purpose do you think writing about specific characters may serve for you rather than being a little more ambiguous?GL: I feel like you’re going to be disappointed with my answer here.&nbsp;Lindsey is a real person that the songs “Almost Automatic” and “Balmorhea” are about.&nbsp;A lot of times I’m writing to a specific person, because I’ve been unable to express my feelings directly.&nbsp;It’s not a literary device or anything, it’s just me being literal again.&nbsp;I want the person to know that the song is about them, so I often put their name in it.&nbsp;KA: “I ain't much on polyamory / You might blame it on my Christian family / But I would rather have you lie to me / About most anything / Without you / It’s an easy way to feel let down.”So perhaps this is too personal, but I found these lyrics to be especially captivating in their honest look at the nuances that lurk in 21st century love. And they seem to chart a motif that continues through this record, that is, one journey to navigate life’s major themes: work, love, success, growing older. Is that a fair assessment? Is there a pervading disposition on this record with which you are standing in the face of those themes?&nbsp;<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/KA_14_Good_Looks_IG_77ad5c9004.png"><figcaption>Bummer Year by Good Looks is out April 8th.</figcaption></figure>GL: I guess those are the major themes of most anyone’s life.&nbsp;Work, love, success, failure, and getting older all the while.&nbsp;I’m just writing about my life. I’m very left-brained and I feel most comfortable when writing about things that I know. Writing a song allows you to access your creativity in a very structured way.KA: Okay more lyrics — “O2 21”: “My body could be put to better use / Instead of working all day long / For someone else’s dream to come &nbsp;/ Strip the value right out of my bones / Wish that I was 21 / Somewhere swimming in the sun / Watch me floating weightless / I am free.”This segment is especially relatable to those of us approaching, or having already past, our late 20s and are now taking stock of our first decade or so in the “real” working world. Amidst accelerated housing costs in Austin, and a worldwide pandemic putting our lives on pause, I think lots of us are seeking comfort in the good memories of our youth. What were the circumstances under which you wrote these lyrics, and what is it you pine for when you remember being 21?GL: I wrote all of these songs pre-pandemic.&nbsp;This song is a critique of capitalism.&nbsp;The line you mentioned, was my attempt at bringing poetry to a Marxist thought.&nbsp;It’s sort of hinting at Marx’s Labor Theory of Value.&nbsp;The vast majority of us, the working class, have no land or property. The only thing of value we have is our time.&nbsp;And because of that, we’re forced to sell that time to an employer.&nbsp; While we’re selling our time, we have very little control of our own lives.&nbsp;It’s probably a bigger topic than what I have space for here, but I’d definitely recommend reading A People’s Guide to Capitalism by Hadas Thier.&nbsp;At that moment in time, I was stuck with a job that I was unhappy with and just daydreaming about better circumstances.&nbsp;The chorus of this song is about the brief fleeting moments when we’re actually free.KA: The album will be coming out on local label Keeled Scales. How did this partnership come to be?&nbsp;GL: I met Tony, the founder of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/keeledscales/">Keeled Scales</a>, out at Dan Duszynski’s place near Dripping Springs.&nbsp;Dan hosts a really incredible event called Chill Phases that happens every year on the final Sunday of SXSW.&nbsp;Then later on after we finished this record, we started having conversations with different local labels, and it all kinda came together very organically.KA: Can you tell me a bit about the recording process and where y’all tracked these songs?GL: Yeah, so we made this record with Dan at his studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dandysounds/">Dandy Sounds</a>.&nbsp;Dan has a great ear and is truly a master at what he does.&nbsp;He is such a huge part of why this record sounds incredible.KA: How long did it take to record?GL: All told, we probably spent around 60 hours or so recording and then another 40 during the mixing process.KA: What is the ideal scenario for folks to listen to this record for the first time?GL: I always say my favorite way to listen to music is a six cd changer in the trunk of your car.&nbsp; That way you get a little bit of variety, but also, you get very familiar with those 6 cds.&nbsp;But I guess those aren’t very common these days.&nbsp;I think this is a driving record.&nbsp;Listen to it in your car on road trip!KA: What are you looking forward to the most with the album finally out?GL: I’m just excited to see how the record is received and so thrilled to get back out on the road and tour behind it.&nbsp;I really missed that part of being a musician.&nbsp;There’s nothing better than being in a Rock N' Roll band with your friends and traveling around the country.*****Bummer Year by Good Looks (Keeled Scales) is out April 8. Support the band by hitting up their album release show at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hotelvegastexas/?hl=en">Hotel Vegas</a>, pre-ordering the record on special edition vinyl online at <a href="https://keeledscales.com/product/bummer_year">Keeled Scales</a>, and streaming “Vision Boards” now on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ba3O2a1JNxb3oXbF74KcG?si=vRQmsFRnQ4a442V3LvnDdA">Spotify</a>.&nbsp;

Interview: Good Looks

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Julio Belt - Moras (Official Video)

Julio Belt

It's as if Julio Belt's debut album was recorded in the memory of a childhood home, where instruments are culled from those that lay around the house and songs are born from forgotten dreams, recovered mementos, or just that feeling of a Sunday breeze. By its final song, we are left with the stark image of an artist that stands not at an impasse with his life, but rather a pitstop. There's no errand to run. There's coffee on the stove, and a seat for you in the kitchen. All the windows are open. &nbsp;Congratulations on this beautiful, very intimate collection of songs. Bring us up to speed about what inspired the project, and what were the circumstances under which you recorded it.In 2018 while I was on tour with TC Superstar, we listened to an episode of <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FGUsfbqKGOxTGKAgfsVCA?si=6e22449c26e14ea2">"Song Exploder"</a> where Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) talked about a project where she wrote and recorded a song everyday. At the time, I was feeling an urge to focus more on writing and recording my own music, so I decided to make one song a day for the month of July 2019. I mostly stuck to that plan and then shared those songs with a few friends over email. My goal was to turn those songs into an album. That project created the momentum that later turned into the album Moras / Mulberry. Funnily enough, only one of the songs from the July project ("Bus") made it onto the final album.I was also feeling really inspired by the album <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1hHcudN9rY3XDskB78O1bd?si=kpLpKfW6Q7CrS3yf-9Y7Og">"This Is How You Smile"</a> by Helado Negro which came out in March of the same year. It was the first time I heard an album that was about being latinx that really resonated with me. It made me feel like there was some importance in making "indie" music that acknowledged the specificity of my experience as a Mexican-American person.&nbsp;Because of COVID I was spending way more time at home, and with that time, was able to focus on working on the record. I was lucky enough to have recording gear at home, so I was able to write, record, and mix the album in my bedroom.<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/JULIO_BELT_MORAMULBERRY_a326af6c10.png"><figcaption>Moras / Mulberry by Julio Belt is out now.</figcaption></figure>Jumping right into the recording, the first thing that stands out to me is the use of field recordings. On “Charlie” you can hear the sounds of a grocery store checkout aisle (barcode scanning, throwaway chatter) after the same is referenced in the song. Or on “Bamboo”, a distant cacophony of bird activity. How did this idea come about to include these sound bites? Did you gather these field recordings yourself? And what effect do you feel it has on the finished product?I really love music that includes field recordings, some that come to mind immediately is the record <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpr4x0wTVqw">"2 Sim"</a> by Timothy Duval and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/59FTPBmA1XggdHbo2oF6W7?si=TIjamEkwQXCiJOKwe_MLNQ">"Mountain Sounds"</a> by Yuichiro Fujimoto. I like that field recording requires attention and listening, more than it does "making". This is a skill I am always trying to practice, shutting up and listening more. I also love the idea that any sound around us can be interpreted as music.&nbsp;Bamboo was a way of documenting my backyard in Cherrywood. I just put a microphone up against my bedroom window to capture the bird sounds, and had a big bamboo grove in my backyard, so I used pieces of bamboo from there to make the percussive sounds on that track.&nbsp;The grocery store recording from Charlie was at an HEB. I grew up in Texas and have shopped at HEB my whole life. I love HEB. That song is about this plastic doll I carried everywhere as a kid named Charlie, and he definitely came with us to HEB.&nbsp;I'm not sure what effect it has on the finished product, but I like the idea that it doesn't exist on a completely different plane than the sound we hear in our day to day lives. I hope it feels like it bleeds into the daily.The other element of the recording that piqued my interest is the playful quality of some of the instruments. That is to say, some of the instruments sound like toys, or those fun vintage store finds straight from a 60’s Sears Roebuck catalogue. In “Moras” you find it most prevalent on the main acoustic guitar track. It has a very boxy, thin sound to it, as if maybe the guitar is undersized and has a small hole in it somewhere. Or on “Piel”, there’s a slow, distant drone from what sounds like a toy, plug-in organ. Tell me about these instruments that I’m hearing, whether this was by design (or necessity), and how you came to find them. Were any of them hard to play? Did any of them inspire you in a surprising way?I like when people are transparent about process, so here's a list of everything I used:Korg Minilogue; Classical Guitar; Lap Steel; Moog Grandmother (thanks Rock N Roll Rentals); Casio SK-5; Bass Guitar&nbsp;; Logic Pro X (Some percussion sounds); Spiral Binding (Guiro sounds)It was important to me to try and make a record that was different than what I've made or contributed to in the past. Every record I've made before this had drums on most of the tracks, so I intentionally didn't include a lot of "drum" sounds on the record. I also thought often about this quote by Arthur Russell:&nbsp;"I like music with no drums, too, partly, I guess, from listening to drums so much. When you hear something with no drums it seems very exciting. I always thought that music with no drums is successive to music with drums. New music with no drums is like this future where they don't have drums any more. In outer space you can't take your drums – you take your mind."&nbsp;I didn't include any electric guitar, which is primarily what I've played in bands. I really love the sound of Pedal Steel and Lap Steel, so I used that in place of electric guitar. I find the lap steel really inspiring because it is so beautiful.For the "Moras" guitar part I used this trick that Blake Mills mentions in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g-NIaG47jU">this interview</a> and weaved a folded up sticky note between the guitar strings of my classical guitar so that the strums would be more percussive. I felt really stuck about how to make that song work until that guitar part came together.&nbsp;In “Piel” I'm using the Korg Minilogue to create that texture in the background and running it through a bunch of weird effects. The Minilogue was the main synth I used on this record, and it was fun to use, especially as someone new to using a synth. One of the drum patterns from the SK-5 shows up in “Bus” at the end. I bought that keyboard when I was a teenager, but really didn't come to appreciate it until recently, so I am glad it had a little moment on the record.In the past, I've really let myself get caught up with worrying about having the "right" gear, and tried to let go of that while working on this. I tried to trust what I already had. &nbsp;On to the lyrics: stream of consciousness, an empathetic diary entry on a lazy Sunday, descriptions of the banal that bloom into poetry, then finally find their form as provocations against life’s existential questions…On “Moras”, this line in particular sold me on the whole record right away:Berries so sweetThey taught love by exampleTried to hold them in my armsThey stained my garage sale t-shirtCan you remember what was on your mind when you wrote this? And if it’s not too personal, what goes through your mind reading it now?Thanks for that kind description of the lyrics. I really try to write lyrics that find poetry in the banal. I was thinking about my mom when I wrote that line, and it stills come to mind when I read them now. I didn't grow up in a very economically privileged situation, so most of what I owned as a kid came from garage sales, but I feel like my childhood was really rich in love and care, so these words let those two things sit alongside each other. &nbsp;To elaborate a little more about the lyrics, I like creating constraints for myself, it helps me move through work with purpose. As I was making the record I had a piece of paper up on my wall, from some writing about <a href="https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/07/15/nikki-giovanni-love-friendship-loneliness/">Nikki Giovanni</a>: "…the personal into the universal, the mundane into the monumental, the traumatic into the transcendent" …and I used this as a guidepost for writing the words, and surely fell short. I am also always trying to say things simply.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YhtrmGaFAo"></oembed></figure>“To celebrate moving slow…” I can’t help but feel that this fragment, from “Rainbow Wheel”, best encapsulates the feel of this record more than the rest. Is that fair? Was this sentiment, or any other, ever used as a prescription for making this record?I think that's totally fair, I love that as a central idea for the record. What a sweet observation. I think COVID helped me (and others around me) appreciate the beauty in small and simple gestures and observations: sitting for 10 minute every morning and counting my breath, going for walks, calling my family regularly, sitting on my porch and watching people pass by, etc. So I was appreciating the slowness while I made this record. &nbsp;I am also a really self-critical and anxious person, and feel pretty strongly about the importance of using my time intentionally and thoughtfully. This leads me to try and move quickly or become disappointed in myself when I don't use time well. So I am often reminding myself of the value in moving slowly and tenderly (towards myself and others).As I was answering this question, it occurred to me that I have been including lyrics about slowness for quite a while now in my music, <a href="https://secretcrane.bandcamp.com/track/grades">this song</a> I wrote sometime in 2015 comes to mind, there's a lyric "I should try, to move slower, and be like you".&nbsp;&nbsp;Tell me about “Instagram Feed”, a song that explores very similar grounds (modern technology, namely, social media, at odds with real human emotions and experiences) as the latest TC Superstar release, As Seen On TV.Three percent leftMy screen goes blackSometimes I wish it died and didn’t come backDid this song come from the same writing sessions as that record?I love thinking about this music in conversation with the TC Superstar stuff. The only track I contributed to lyrically on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2MTukZ0tXGm7duE0hn9D0b?si=J8HjugHqR5Sipn-ObY7btA">As Seen On Tv</a> was "Frank Lloyd Wright". But I was definitely writing this at the same time that Connor was writing ASOTV. Interestingly enough, ASOTV and my record also both have songs about trailers / mobile homes. "Flaco" on my album and "Frank Lloyd Wright" on ASOTV.&nbsp;Connor and I have been making music alongside each other for almost 8 years now, so it's sweet to think about the ways our work is in conversation. We work on a lot of stuff for TC together, so we end up hanging a lot and talking about what we are both thinking about, so I'm sure that was part of the equation.&nbsp;I also have a really fraught relationship with social media (as I think most people do). My "thesis" project for my undergrad degree in design was about our relationships to our phones and social media, so it's something that I've been trying to understand for a while now.&nbsp;In this day and age, social media is, for better or worse, an invaluable marketing tool for independent artists. Perhaps it’s inescapable. And groups like TC Superstar use it quite well. How do you cope with this? Is there a healthy balance you aim to strike between your personal life, and managing the “branding” of your work?I have had a hard time with this. I don't really have any answers here, these are questions I am still figure out for myself. I definitely feel weird about posting about my music and urging people to listen to it, but also recognize that it's something you kinda have to do if you want anyone to listen to what you've made.&nbsp;The most clarifying thoughts about this I've read are this <a href="https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/musician-emily-a-sprague-on-being-guided-by-intuition/">interview with Emily Sprague</a> for the Creative Independent — a wonderful publication. In this interview Emily says: “I think that my process, my method for using social media and the internet for self-promotion, is really just to use it as sort of humbly as I can, and just use it to be as true to myself as I can…” and later this: "I want to share my music because I think it’s for everybody. I made it, but it came from being alive, and everybody’s alive. I think that is the duty of an artist: not to have your music be your thing to show off, but your thing to share, and your thing to be like, ‘Hey, life made me feel this way. We’re all doing this together. We all have experiences that are from the same energy source.’"Speaking of your work…I’ve long been a fan of your design sensibility with TC Superstar since coming across a zine for R&amp;D, and that compliment extends to the very moving, meditative music video for “Moras”, as well as the album cover featuring what looks like a scanned, bleeding pomegranate. How does your approach to design and visual art stand in relation to your approach to writing, recording, or performing music?Thank you! It's a scanned mulberry that I picked on a walk through Cherrywood sometime in April 2020.My approach to making design and visual work has been, by necessity, more structured and rigorous. I studied design in undergrad, worked as a designer for a few years, and am now in a masters program for design. I haven't ever taken music lessons and have been self-taught, with the help of friends around me, who teach me informally. So my approach to music feels a lot looser, and is rooted in naive play and exploration.Whether I am making sounds or images, I am always gathering inputs. As I was making this record, I was constantly adding to a playlist with songs I found inspiring and simultaneously adding images, words, quotes, etc to <a href="http://are.na/">are.na</a>.I’ve heard that you are currently attending graduate school at Yale. What has it been like to be away from Austin? What things do you miss? Is there anything that you are surprised to not miss as much as you may have thought?Yeah, I'm getting my MFA in Graphic Design. I miss it all. The move is still so fresh, that I'm still trying to understand it. Moving is so disruptive. This is my first big move in my life. Otherwise I've mostly lived in Texas.&nbsp;I miss the sense of community I had in Austin. I have some close friends, who I am away from for the first time since our friendships formed. I miss the music community, playing in TC meant that I was able to spend a lot of time hanging out with other musicians in Austin, which I really miss.&nbsp;I feel like melting when I think about having a cold Lonestar at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cheerupcharlies/">Cheer Ups</a> surrounded by pals.What comes next for you as a solo artist?I'd like to continue to have a practice of making music regularly and sharing it with people as often as I can. I am trying to find ways to merge my design and music practice more. I am hoping to play more shows on the east coast. I am slowly starting to work on some new songs, I want to work with more collaborators this time around. I am curious about making ambient music, music that would be nice to listen to at a house party, music that makes people feel like they are riding a bike.&nbsp;Thank you so much for these questions, and for the attention you paid to the album and the surrounding context. I really enjoyed answering these.&nbsp;**“Moras / Mulberry” by Julio Belt is out now. Photo by Ursula Barker.&nbsp;

Interview: Julio Belt

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MONTAZ

Tel-Aviv native and Austin transplant Doron DB Tamir talked with us about his new project, MONTAZ. The punk power duo released its self-titled debut EP today, and will perform at Hotel Vegas tonight in support of Annabelle Chairlegs. &nbsp;Where and when was this project recorded, and how did that atmosphere feed into the end product?We’ve recorded this EP a few months before covid hit. We did it in our old small rehearsal studio that was on the east side, might have been 350 sq/ft, a little stand alone unit that was clearly not built with a lot of thought put into it originally. We’ve been minimally upgrading it through the years in the aspect of space management and gear storage, not a lot was put into sound treatment. We’ve used an old eight track recording machine I purchased almost 20 years ago in Tel-Aviv when I was 14.I do believe that the fact that it was just the two of us in the room without even an “engineer”, since I’ve been in charge of technically running it and recording it, we were able to just get in the zone. We really wanted to avoid all the regular knick knacks of “proper” recording sessions--working a full day on getting mic placements and “ideal” sounds and having it sound like nothing that is us. We play loud music with a dirty demeanor and sound, I think that if the EP was more polished or closer to a “correct” sound we would totally hit everything besides the nail on the head.&nbsp;W’ve used a minimal amount of mics and tried to make it sound good and very representational of what the band really sound likes, like two people having fun banging on their instruments doing things their way with complete disregard to anything else.Are there any overarching themes to this collection?There is an underlying theme to all the songs on this mini record. I would like to look at it as a little trip between the macro and the micro, between basic survival and expectation of humanity to be better, to coming back to the conclusion that we should’ve known better and not expect anything good from society or even our closest friends sometimes…and all that with a certain tongue-in-cheek approach.&nbsp;Clearly we don’t want people to get hurt nor the human race to be erased from Earth but we are still happy to see our invented monkey god arrive with the M.O. of doing that. And then we take it to the closer song that is a tune that brings all living forms together in the basic abstract emotions, that every thing alive can feel, fear, fatigue, happiness and, in the end of it all, rests alone.<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/245360240_574631000412942_4168803433869840357_n_609e5b4aed.jpeg"><figcaption>MONTAZ (Red Butt) is out October 15.</figcaption></figure>What inspired you to write these songs?A few of the song ideas sparked from reading articles about genocides that still go on nowadays, even by mistake like explorers finding “lost tribes” in the amazon and infecting them with “modern” diseases, without even trying to bring them to their demise of course. Combined with things going on in my life, being let down multiple times by the same people and allowing it to happen again and again. I believe there is an aspect of therapy in songwriting.What track or specific aspect to this collection are you most proud of?I think that “Bad News” might have ended up sounding the most “complete”, and I’m really happy with “Llems”, we really did not know where that song was going and it sure took its own way. I’m also always happy being able to not have computers at all in any part of the recording/mixing.What stood out to me about this collection is how the songs drive relentlessly, thanks to the mixes featuring primarily bass and drums without guitar. Was this an intentional decision when forming the band, or is it based on necessity?Why thank you! That was a very intentional decision. The concept of the band in a nutshell is Maximum Rock N' Roll without electric guitars. I mean, what’s more RnR than an electric guitar? Our answer is--Montaz!&nbsp;I consider us as an Art-Rock/Noise-Rock band if I have to put it into a record nerd's genre, and as such I think it’s important to question even the paradigm of a rock band so we’ve pulled out the first “go-to” instrument. I find it very entertaining.Tell me about the instrument you use for those haunting organ tones on “Bad News” and the EP closer, “Llems”. Where did you get it, and how did you approach using it for this project?The organ we used on “Bad News” was an old Phillips “Phillycorda” that my old friend Christian had laying around in our studio. Riding my bike listening to the bare tracks (drums bass and vocals), I did feel like something additional needs to happen there in some point. I plugged that organ through an old Ampex tube preamp I picked up on a tour I was on and just started playing what I felt was right.On “Llems” the keyboard sounds are actually a Japanese made melodica I found for $5 at Treasure City which was a thrift store by our former studio. In both those songs I’ve tried to release myself from any “correct” constructs of playing an instrument or approach to music as a whole. We used them as we think they should be used for those specific songs, lots of the notes are out of key and in contrast to the key of the song itself! Sometimes dancing back and forth on those realms sounds best!The album artwork is simply…awesome. Who created it, and what was the direction, if any?Thank you again! I made the artwork and came up with it! I was trying to capture the band’s approach in that, it’s somewhat of a demon/cat showing his ass and spreading his cheeks the widest possible with the biggest smile smeared on his face. We play loud and heavy music, but a very important thing for us is that it always has a smile to it. It’s not evil but mischievous.Are there any collaborators on this project that you’d like to mention?On “Monkey God” we had the pleasure of having Carla Saul (DJ Winona Grinder) play saxophone with us! I think it really adds to the tune. The tracking was hilarious, as we didn’t really run through the song, she just had me play it to her and while she was playing I gave her cues of “loud part coming” and “go full out” and “it’s monkey dancing time” with my body language. You can hear her laugh at the end of the track. There was no way that we could edit that out, as that is the best sign off to that song I can think of and of course it was not planned.You have been in several local mainstays over the years (Hollow Trees, The Rotten Mangos, Christian Bland and the Revelators)…what do you look forward to most about playing these songs live?I’ve been playing music since my young teens, in multiple bands that were very active in Tel Aviv (Achzavoth, HaMeyutarim, The Disposables, Melakhekhey HaPinka). That was always a main driving force in my life, then I moved to the USA and started a band in NY called The Bushwick Hotel.&nbsp;After getting frustrated and heartbroken in the end of every band, I started getting offers to be a guitar tech and stage manager on the road with The Black Angels and Kurt Vile and the Violators. I put my playing to the back burner since it also stopped giving me the emotional climax I used to get.Thanks to the Rotten Mangos and Hollow Trees, I got reminded how important playing is for me. Christian Bland and the Revelators added me to their group around that time and that was really fun. All those bands reminded me a lot of my passion for music and I am always very grateful for that!---The debut self-titled EP by MONTAZ is out October 15. Photo by Lindsey Mackin.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Interview: MONTAZ

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"Ramona" - Hogan Ellis

Hogan Ellis & The West Texas Teardrops

Texas-born alt-country rockers Hogan Ellis &amp; The West Texas Teardrops discuss their new record, “Texastentialism” recorded at Palm Creek Studios in Dripping Springs, and Swamp Studio in Austin.&nbsp;What local artists are you listening to right now? What was the last group you discovered, and where?I’m listening to the song “Abilene” by The Buffalo Gals a lot lately, but my perennial favorite is Mr. Willy McGee. He’s an artist that has written some very moving songs like “I’m Ready”,&nbsp; “Australian Waltz” and “We’ll Get High” that I go back to.&nbsp;Fools is another band I try to catch whenever possible. Great punk rock show. I just saw Janeleo for the first time and look forward to what they do next.&nbsp;Something that jumped out to me immediately with this collection is some stellar melody writing not just in the choruses, but in the verses. They really keep up with the energy of the more uptempo songs like “Poison Apples”. Do you have a specific process by which you write melodies? What part of the. songwriting process does this come in, typically?Thank you. I have a tendency to work the tune in a few directions until I have a strong relationship between the phrasing, the lyric, and the melody. Songs like “I Pay Them to Poison Me” seemed to roll right off the tongue, while “Bluebonnet Rains” wasn’t so obvious.&nbsp;I’m usually singing a variation of the melody each time, so it can naturally occur that the meter is longer or more words fit in. I think it helps give a sense of moving forward in the song to have the verses not be identical. The more fireworks the better.&nbsp;Tell me about the title, “Texastentialism”. How did you choose it, and what does it mean in the universe of this record?Of course it felt like a clever portmanteau, but the title, “Texastentialism” was chosen because it served as a blank slate. Hopefully, it has the effect of a nice suit and fits the songs. While it’s not a cornucopia of Texas musical styles, I think the record traverses the ground between rustic and urban. My adolescence was spent between North Texas and Far West Texas, so I’d like to think the record gradates from that desolation to a kind of lux at times.&nbsp;What track, or specific part of this record, are you most proud of?&nbsp;The moments that I think really came out on this record are the chord melodies in “Bluebonnet Rains”, the plucked strings in “Paradise in Your Arms” and the arranging and production on “Headlines”. There were so many talents involved in this record, but those moments serve to showcase the strengths of pretty much everyone involved.There’s a bevy of killer guitar fills and solos that span classic country to inventive rock. Who do us guitar lovers have to thank for this component of the record, and what can you say about the approach to writing and tracking guitar on this record?Send all thank yous and praise to Mr. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mojine/?hl=en">Brady Mosher</a> of Dallas, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stevenjamescarlson/?hl=en">Steven Carlson</a> of Minnesota, both of whom are searchable on the inter-webs. As far as guitars, we just tried to send it. The live shows leaned heavily on guitar and so going into the studio we just let them off the leash. Not liable for face-melt.&nbsp;<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Album_Cover_0f3281bd49.JPG"><figcaption>“Texastentialism” by Hogan Ellis &amp; The West Texas Teardrops</figcaption></figure>“Look out these indie Austin kids wearing their fake eye lenses, they're just building on the basics, now the time I’m from ended.” We wouldn’t be Keep Austin if we didn’t highlight this line. As a lifelong Texan, can you speak on your current outlook about where Austin and/or the whole state is headed culturally?I wrote that song when I was 16, and I wonder if that line doesn’t sound a bit snotty now. However, another part of me wonders why it should be an odd question to ask. It goes without saying that the state is changing rapidly to the point that we blush at some of the pride we used to have.&nbsp;Still, I think all rustic places that are now urban have a sense of paradise lost, and that many urban places have an identity crisis going on.&nbsp;What’s one issue or aspect to Austin today that particularly alarms you, that you don’t hear many others (peers, local news, media) talk about?This could be a segue into controversial issues, but Prince made a whole record about that, so this isn’t untrodden ground. I work a day job that puts me all over the city and out into the surrounding suburbs and rural areas, so I see it all.&nbsp;Part of me thought, “what issues aren’t we constantly harangued about?” The alarming thing I notice is how Byzantine all of our politics are. Despite all the kings horses and all the kings men it seems we’re always struggling with fairly basic issues: roads, cost of living, and identity.&nbsp;Maybe that’s why we have so many local conspiracies and legends. There’s got to be a reason why things are so wonky!What is your favorite legacy venue to play in Austin, or attend shows at? Are there any newer venues that you feel continue that old Austin spirit?I always felt that The Saxon Pub really dignified the song. I always appreciated it when we performed there, and if you just rolled the dice and walked in to any venue in Austin, that one would serve you well. I’ve tried to creep out to some new spots, but am generally taken in by the Honky-tonk fare on most outings.&nbsp;&nbsp;I’m trying to become a more user-friendly two-stepper, so Sagebrush, and Sam’s Town call my name frequently. Answering this made me realize I should get out more.What is the state of Country and Country Rock in Austin right now, from your perspective?I don’t have my finger directly on the pulse, but for starters I’m glad many of the traditional styles are still performed in the Country/Western genres. The cowboy will always be a romantic image, as will the rock and roller. Both seem to be alive and well here. All you need is something original to say.&nbsp;Tell me about how you came about in Texas as an artist. Were there any struggles back then that don’t exist now? Or vice versa?&nbsp;I’ve just always enjoyed having my own say about things. I write mock articles about issues that concern me that stay safely locked in a drawer, but the song format has just always been a very natural expression of a sentiment.&nbsp;As far as struggle mine has always been perspective. For a long time I thought things had to be perfect to be good. That has had a crippling effect, but now it’s mainly the wearing of so many hats that is the main struggle. I don’t understand advertising my music.&nbsp;What comes next for your group? And how can we best support your music right now?&nbsp;Well, I just put out the first single which is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2NrN_4aB1Y">“Ramona” with an accompanying music video</a>. Check that out anywhere you like to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0tjFdxHmc9ghejG0D3k6Cx?si=219d30773a6d4937">stream music</a>, or buy it on <a href="https://hoganellis.bandcamp.com/">bandcamp</a>. The second one will be “Paradise in Your Arms”, which has a music video in the works.&nbsp;Also, I think it’s also good if you go to <a href="https://www.hoganellis.com/">hoganellis.com</a> and click on some of the things. Right now we need all the friends we can get, so thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to plug my music and for the thoughtful questions. &nbsp;

Interview: Hogan Ellis

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Queen Serene - "It's Alright" Live

Queen Serene

Keep Austin talked with Queen Serene about her latest double single release, marking the first original work from the new Austin group.&nbsp;Is this brief collection part of a larger project you are working on, or is it a one-off release?The singles are a one-off release that I recorded with a friend this past year. Right now I’m working on recording an EP with some friends that will sound a little different.What inspired you to write these songs?&nbsp;Both songs were written last year when things were really shut down and I wasn’t going out at all. I was messing around with pedals more and just recording riffs for fun. With “Close to the Ground” I wanted to make something people could dance to one day. I was also listening to a lot of Prince, The Cure and Wire around then.&nbsp;<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Close_To_The_Ground_Blank_Canvas_Cover_857d60f068.jpg"><figcaption>“Blank Canvas” and “Close To The Ground” by Queen Serene are out now.</figcaption></figure>What excited you the most about the experience of recording them?My friend Craig has an amazing home studio and he made the process super easy and fun. He added a bunch of little details and layers onto both songs that kept making them sound better and better. It was cool to see a simple idea recorded in my bedroom transformed into something bigger after bouncing ideas off of someone else who understood exactly what I was going for.&nbsp;What was the most important piece of gear you leaned on when putting these songs together?My delay pedal for "Blank Canvas" and chorus pedal on the bass for "Close to the Ground".The lyrics in “Blank Canvas” follow a structure of specific, declarative statements and metaphors — my personal favorite being, ““You’re just a glossy finish / on the pages that are wearing thin.” Are these evocative images meant to describe someone, or a specific phase of life in particular?&nbsp;For me, it’s meant to describe the image of projecting what you want someone to be onto another person who just isn’t that. Sometimes when you meet someone new it’s exciting and mysterious and your mind wants to fill in the blanks with what it wants versus what is real.&nbsp;Last year you released&nbsp; an EP of covers from groups like Talking Heads, PJ Harvey and Angel Olsen. But this new release marks the first original work for Queen Serene. Tell me about the decision to do the covers, and to release it as the first effort for this new group.&nbsp;I recorded some of the covers during the early days of the pandemic when I was home all the time. We recently got a little cassette recorder from Goodwill and to test it out I did a cover of Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” that seemed fitting. I just wanted to play songs that I really loved and to record them for pure fun and figured why not release it since my band at the time wasn’t able to play shows. I didn’t expect to release anything else under the name Queen Serene at the time, but I'm excited for what the project is shaping into.&nbsp;What has your experience in Austin been like over the past several months? What is the vibe when you are able to perform?&nbsp;For me things were starting to feel hopeful in May and that Austin was bouncing back. But by late July the cases were getting worse again, which has made playing shows harder. We played a couple shows earlier in the summer and those were so much fun, it felt so good to be back in.---Queen Serene's new singles, “Blank Canvas” and “Close To The Ground” are out now.Article photo by Syd Fuller | @syd_fullah | www.sydfullerphoto.com

Interview: Queen Serene

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Imp Of Perverse

Keep Austin talked with Imp Of Perverse about his debut solo record, Somehow Something Wrong Somewhere, and what it was like for the long-journeyed drummer to step away from the kit and compose entirely a project of his own.&nbsp;From the opening track, the first thing that jumps out to me are the beautifully layered guitars. And that really follows for the rest of the album, an expansive stereo mix and some really impressive and nuanced riff writing. But the tones are equally captivating. Tell me about your writing process when it comes to guitar.&nbsp;Usually I’ll come up with one guitar part that I base the whole song around. When recording I might break it up into multiple guitars if I want them panned a certain way or to create a call and response between parts of a riff, or if I just want different tones for certain sections. Then I usually spend a lot of time just improvising more parts over the track as I work on it.&nbsp;I also cannibalize old ideas of mine pretty frequently when I’m writing. I’ll often take my favorite parts of various song ideas and combine them together, which was what I did for the first track on the EP. I took my favorite parts from three different songs I wrote over a few years and mashed them together.Sticking with guitar work, what was the most important pedal or effect for this record? What pedal will you look at down the road and go, “Hello, old friend”.&nbsp;The&nbsp;ZVEX Instant Lo-fi Junky, although I’ve mostly phased it out of my board now as it can significantly dull your guitar tone. It has a really cool sound though, and up to now it’s probably been my most used pedal.What does this collection of songs mean to you? Are there any overarching themes or concepts that we should be aware of?I primarily just wanted to use it as a way to try and experiment with different writing and recording techniques. The content of the songs themselves isn’t necessarily related, but the attitude towards making them is more so what they have in common. I think I used a different drum mic’ing setup on each song, so each one sounds a little different, but that willingness to have an album where you might have inconsistent sounds (or styles) in order to experiment is what unifies it.How was this collection recorded? What gear did you use?I have a small home studio that I’ve built up over the last decade where I record everything by myself. I acquired a pretty big haul of gear a couple years back and this was the first thing I released where I really sat down and started getting used to using it. This album was recorded onto my old laptop, but I finally got a new computer shortly after finishing these sessions which I’m very excited about.&nbsp;My laptop was very difficult to mix on as it couldn’t handle all the processing and was constantly glitching out. It’s great being able to just do everything at home, but in the future I’ll probably go back to hiring someone else to master my tracks.&nbsp;<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/iop_ssws_album_1x1_r2_3a74258fe5.jpg"><figcaption>“Somehow Something Wrong Somewhere” by Imp Of Perverse is out October 1.</figcaption></figure>Tell me about your approach to singing. You have a mellow, almost whispered tone which, on top of the rest of the upbeat instrumentation, makes for a unique, fresh mix.&nbsp;That’s sort of just how I settled on doing it after forcing myself to sing for a few years. Singing is by far my least confident musical ability, and I’ve never really thought of myself as a singer. It’s the part of the recording process that causes me the biggest headache, and there have been a couple instances where I just couldn’t pull it off and got a friend to sing instead.&nbsp;There’s plenty of bands I look to, like Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth, as a source of motivation for not needing to be a “good” singer to still make enjoyable music, but it’s something I consistently struggle with.You’ve played in various groups around Austin for the last decade. What was the transition like to recording this collection entirely on your own?&nbsp;It was a fairly easy transition for this album, but it wasn’t always. I’ve been working on this project off and on for about 8 years, and had done some home recording before then, so I’m acclimated to it now. At first though I was teaching myself how to do everything, and felt very overwhelmed. I started this project originally as a way to practice songwriting and recording but pretty quickly it became an outlet where I could be creative without being dependent on anyone else.&nbsp;I definitely prefer playing in a band, but it’s nice to have something where you aren’t waiting on other people to get things done and you’re free to just explore your creativity without any conflict. The biggest difference is coping with the increased workload. When you’re responsible for the entire process of every song you end up spending so much time on each one that you can get burned out and start to question your judgement, but you just have to power through and trust yourself.How long did this project take you? How did the idea for the collection of songs take shape?I recorded these songs over about a six month period, but I took pretty long breaks between each song. Once I have the original idea recorded it usually only takes me a week to write and record the rest of the song. Mixing is where I usually get hung up and waste way too much time.&nbsp;I originally planned to do two short EPs, but decided I wanted to just focus on one batch of songs and use them as a platform to get used to using some new gear and experiment with it.You’ve primarily been a drummer in various Austin groups which is evident on the fidelity and inventiveness of the rhythm section in these songs. Was there a specific approach to writing lyrics and guitar melodies over your own drum grooves? Was there any insights that came up into your musical approach as a drummer versus a guitarist or lyricist?Thank you! I don’t know that there’s any specific drum related insights that I’m aware of. With this project I generally like to start with a guitar part. I’ll then add the drums over the rest of the track, although I do like to experiment with what stage of the process I add each new instrument. Sometimes I’ll just get one guitar track then do drums, sometimes drums will be the very last thing I record. I’ll do the same thing with any other instrument as well, including vocals.&nbsp;I think changing the order and stage at which you incorporate different aspects of the track can alter your approach for each instrument. It can change what you focus on to inform each new part as you add it. The biggest intentional difference is that I allow myself to improvise drum parts much more on this project than in bands. Some songs have fairly written out drum parts, whereas others are completely improvised and I’ll just record a few takes and pick the best one. The song "Despair Puff" is just completely improvised and what you hear is probably my fifth or sixth time playing along with it.&nbsp;Improvisation is something I like to incorporate when I can, as I’m not always able to do it when playing with a band, but to me it’s one of the most exciting things you can do as a musician.&nbsp;Do you have a specific plan to perform these songs live? If so, what venues are you most excited to play?It’s very unlikely that any of these songs will ever be performed live. I’ve occasionally played one of my songs with whatever band I happened to be in, but I’ve never made any attempt to put together a live group for this project. I am very excited to play some shows again though, and hopefully that will happen soon. Cheer Up Charlies is probably my favorite place to play in Austin, but from what I’ve heard they haven’t been hosting many bands since the pandemic which is a bummer.How did you get your start playing music in Austin?&nbsp;I went to Texas State University down the road in San Marcos and played in several bands there throughout college. I met and played with a bunch of Austin bands during that time, and once I graduated I moved here.How do you feel about Austin as a city for independent musicians? Have you noticed any changes since venues have opened back up?I haven’t noticed many changes recently, but I’ve been fairly out of the loop. Austin definitely has a great music history, and a large music community with lots of people working on cool things. Unfortunately it’s getting more and more expensive to live here which I think is harmful to nurturing a local music scene.&nbsp;What’s next for Imp of Perverse?&nbsp;I’d like to try and record some music that’s a little more experimental than what I’ve done up to this point. I’ve recently been very into artists like Cornelius, Beck, Caribou, and this amazing album “Beyond Life” by a band called Gooms, and I’d love to try and do something like that.&nbsp;Songs that feel more like studio creations, not restricted by trying to sound like a band or any one specific genre, and that can drastically vary within the context of just one song. Whether it’ll be the next thing I put out or not, it’s definitely the direction I want to move in.--Imp Of Perverse's debut EP, Somehow Something Wrong Somewhere, is out October 1.&nbsp;

Interview: Imp of Perverse

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"Nothing To Believe In"

TC Superstar

In early September, TC Superstar brought us into their home rehearsal space for an interview about their new album, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2MTukZ0tXGm7duE0hn9D0b?si=HgkV8YqKTGqcAsijBjvhPw&amp;dl_branch=1">As Seen on TV</a>. When it was announced, we knew we had to reach out.This is also a big full circle moment for me (Wes). When I joined KVRX, we were hosting a show with TC once a month, it seemed. They were constantly mentioned in conversation around the station and became sort of a staple. So, it was exciting to get to spend some time with them and chat about what they’ve been up to.After the interview, they were gracious enough to let us sit in on a rehearsal and a band meeting. Watch the video for an exclusive look into their creative environment as we discuss the new record, returning to the stage, the upcoming tour, and more.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvqNW8qPBSc&amp;t=152s"></oembed></figure>Photos by Sydney Mike-Mayer.

With Wes Ep. 11: TC Superstar

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"Dating In Your 20s" (Official Video)

Lainey Gonzales

Keep Austin chatted virtually with the self-proclaimed “Pop Punk Country Superstar” over the weekend to discuss her debut album, Don't Make Me Worry, as well as her affection for Sex &amp; The City, music as a coping mechanism and writing songs her way.&nbsp;I know this was in the works for a while, how does it feel to finally have your debut full-length out?It feels fucking incredible, and in a lot ways anti-climactic. It’s like getting a tattoo, you take years to pick out the perfect one and then spend most days forgetting you even have it. I don’t say that to take away from the accomplishment, obviously there’s nothing I’m more proud of than this record, but once it’s out there you don’t have anymore control of it, which is very freeing.&nbsp;Can you tell us about the Dating in Your 20’s music video/the Sex and the City influence? Do you write the treatments for your music videos, or did you rely more on the crew?If you haven’t gathered from my lyrics, I’m a very anxious person, which means I relied heavily on comfort television throughout this pandemic. There’s nothing more comforting to me than SJP stomping through the city with $400 shoes on and Kim Cattrall’s incredible vocal inflections. I ended up watching the entire series twice in the past year and a half. It’s like my ‘Friends’ or ‘The Office,’ I really could watch it at any time no matter what. So, it was pretty fresh on my mind when I started thinking about what I could do for the music video. Plus, the band and I had already had a heated debate on who would be who in our group chat a few weeks prior.&nbsp;I don’t know if I’d call it a treatment, it was really just a ten-page google doc complete with visual references on what looks I wanted to do and which scenes I saw everyone recreating. Writing the script (the subtitles you see in the video) is what really brought it all together for me. I felt like a regular Carrie Bradshaw! Then obviously Paige (our director), Francesca (our AD &amp; producer), the crew, and my very amazing band brought it all to life. I’m forever grateful to everyone who was a part of the video for embracing the concept and committing to the bit. Especially Will and Jim who rocked those dresses and heels.&nbsp;With songs that are so lyrically dense, how do you go about arranging tracks to match such specific feelings? The title track comes to mind as a song with lyrics that are paired well with a chaotic, intense outro. What can you say about this quality in your songs?The arrangements usually come hand in hand with the lyrics. I have a voice memo of the title track from when I first started writing it in 2018 that is pretty much the exact same as what you hear on the record. I always knew I wanted that song to really build and explode since that’s what it felt like to have the conversation that it’s based on. I think because I labor over the lyrics so much they just dictate the rest so easily. I’ve never been someone that goes ‘I want to make a song that sounds like...’ it’s always ‘this song is about this feeling, so how would this feeling sound.’<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/DONTMAKEMEWORRY_2021_FRONT_1_af9f4ecd21.jpg"><figcaption>Don't Make Me Worry by Lainey Gonzales is out now.</figcaption></figure>What is your favorite moment one of your bandmates added to a song?Jim’s guitar work on Banana Bread, hands down. That song in general just turned out so much better than I ever could have imagined. When I first showed it to the band we had a lot of trouble working around it since the acoustic guitar part I had written was already a lot. I had such high hopes for it, so to have them be exceeded beyond my wildest dreams was the best feeling ever. I never thought I could write a song that would end up sounding like that. Hire Jim Hampton for all your guitar needs, y’all! I know I’m biased, but Jim, Kinseli, and Will are truly the best backing band in Austin.&nbsp;This record would not be what it is without them. I’m so lucky that they choose to play with me and that they want to bring my ideas to life. It’s really special.&nbsp;In the age of singles, it feels somewhat rare to have an album longer than 40 minutes. Did you have a minimum track limit you wanted to reach/did you have to cut any songs?A lot of people would disagree with releasing albums right now, I even considered doing multiple EPs instead and just rolling out a bunch of singles, but ultimately I valued the story over any strategy. And yes, maybe that cost me a few streams, or hurt my chances in the algorithm, but to me these songs couldn’t have been separated. I really believe in the narrative they created and when I made this record I really intended for it to be listened to, in order, all the way through.&nbsp;I hope and believe most artists feel that way when making music, but honestly who knows. Albums may be a “dying art” (I don’t believe that at all but that’s what the Music Execs say), but to me, there’s nothing more moving, more inspiring than an artist being able to create an entire world in a 40-60 minute timeframe. I don’t say that to be like ‘I’m a purist that’s above it all and refuse to connect with the current state of music’ it’s more just that this is the way I make music and I can’t change that, or I guess I could but it wouldn’t feel right. As for cutting things, we did re-record the first EP ‘I Just Blame Me’ but I decided to leave those out. For now. ;)&nbsp;Is playing these songs live at all difficult considering the personal nature they seem to have?I’m a theater kid at heart so being on stage is my favorite thing in the world. I love to perform, and for me, because the lyrics are so personal, it makes it that much more special. It’s like starring in a play that I wrote (very Lin-Manuel lol). There’s nothing better than a stranger coming up to me after a set and saying that they loved the songs or that a lyric stuck out to them. It’s so affirming and makes me feel less alone in what I go through.&nbsp;You’ve said that you “feel like the true sign of a good work is something that is universal and meaningful to a lot of people”, which I’m sure affects your approach to songwriting. Do you think this philosophy will always be a part of your style, or do you think you’ll ever feel the need to just try something way out of left field?Songwriting is how I process what I’m going through, and I’ve learned over time that the more honest I am about how I’m feeling, the more beneficial it is. It’s the one place I can’t hide, it feels safe and cathartic. It’s extremely necessary for my mental health. So, I think as long as I’m writing songs, I will always end up making things that other people can find meaningful too. Because when I’m being unafraid of my feelings it can encourage other people to do the same. I know this because that’s what my favorite songwriters have done for me. I’m also just a huge proponent of only making things that feel important to me.&nbsp;If I don’t have anything new to add to the conversation then it’s just like this giant over-saturated echo-chamber that I don’t need to participate in. That being said, I think making meaningful things and coming out of left field are one in the same.&nbsp;It’s clear this album is special to you. You said in reference to those who helped you make it, “working with y’all on this record was the greatest experience of my life.” What can you say about what it means to you, not necessarily in terms of lyrical content, but as a body of work that you spent so much time on? Any stories behind the making of the album that stick out?It’s hard for me to answer this without the context of the lyrical content because the lyrical content is what makes it so special to me. It’s really wild to have these emotions and experiences be personified in these songs that I love so much. I wrote this record about a time in my life where I was really grappling with who I wanted to be and who I had been. I learned more about myself in the ages of 21-23 than the rest of my life combined.&nbsp;Leaving college and really getting a chance to figure out what I wanted away from my family, inherited social circles, and societal pressures was necessary for my survival. And I did more than survive, I eventually thrived. It wasn’t easy, but thankfully I had the help of really amazing friends, therapy, and antidepressants. I learned better coping mechanisms, I reframed really harmful thinking, and I allowed myself to just do the things that felt right as opposed to the things I thought I should be doing.&nbsp;This record will always remind me of that tender time between my last years of college and post-grad. I think it will always teach me lessons, and remind me of the things that have tamed my anxiety and depression. Because I know that those things won’t go away, they’re part of my chemical makeup. But now I at least have the tools and knowledge to live with them. They’re monsters that sit at the table now, not hiding under my bed. Even though this record was born under some heavier circumstances, I feel that ultimately it’s a really hopeful record. And that was all solidified by making it with such wonderful people, who inspire me and give me hope every day.&nbsp;Those hours we spent rehearsing and recording were tedious but they never felt like work. It felt sacred and safe and wonderful. I was living out my dreams with the kind of people I’d always dreamed of collaborating with.&nbsp;With this milestone achieved, what’s the next frontier for you creatively?I just want to keep making more music. I already am.

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Interview: Lainey Gonzales 

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"Stay" by Dena Hope

Dena Hope

Dena Hope, Austin's self-proclaimed Sad Girl Bop Queen, has announced a new record and shared its first single, “Miss U”.&nbsp;The lyrics embody wanting what you can't have and it becoming borderline obsessive.&nbsp;<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/miss_u_cover_art_jxnart_95aafba143.png"><figcaption>Dena Hope's new single, “Miss U” is out September 17th.</figcaption></figure>“I wanted to take this idea of unrequited love a step further into fantasy,” explains Hope.&nbsp;The song was produced remotely by Mason Ables (Flora &amp; Fawna, Indoor Creature, Jay Wile). Hope recorded the vocals alone at her house in North Loop with no special equipment or sound booth.&nbsp;“Just me and a microphone in my house plant jungle," she said.&nbsp;Hope had planned a single release show with the help of Bel Luevano of Howdy Gals, but the date was cancelled <a href="https://www.keep-austin.com/article/135">along with the rest of Howdy Gals upcoming shows for the time being</a> due to the latest Covid-19 surge in Austin. The event also featured Spaceflight Records artist, Urban Heat, with Austin's Ladyfang supporting. It would have been Hope’s first show since March 2020.&nbsp;“I was and still am very much looking forward to getting back on stage, but safety is most important right now. I was lucky to get to do some virtual shows last year, my favorite being the ‘Sad Song Holiday Special’ that Lolita Lynne and I hosted to benefit Free Lunch."&nbsp;Hope's new record will be self-released on September 17th, 2021, featuring album artwork by Jackson Montgomery Schwartz aka JXNART.&nbsp;

Dena Hope Releases "Miss U" Off New Record, Out September 17th

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Today, “synth-pop savants” (KUTX) TC Superstar reveal the latest single off their forthcoming album “As Seen On TV” entitled “Waste My Time.”&nbsp;A tongue-in-cheek ode to “the modern person’s phantom limb (aka the cell phone)”, the new track is the Austin-based octet’s final teaser before the September 17 release of their full length album.&nbsp;Accompanying the single is the first music video from ASOTV. Featuring TC Superstar’s signature choreography along with new costumes accented by the vibrant red, blue and green color scheme, the Julio Correa-directed video stars resident dancer Francis Rodriguez as the spokesperson of an advertisement that the rest of the band members watch from their phones, while somehow simultaneously being a part of said advertisement.&nbsp;<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifmm3z5lrFk&amp;ab_channel=TCSuperstar"></oembed></figure>“Waste My Time” portrays a similar anti-capitalism theme from previous ASOTV releases—this time focusing on our relationship to cell phones.&nbsp;“What’s really special to me about the ‘Waste My Time’ video is that this is one of the only settings where everyone is dancing together—meaning all of the dancers and the musicians, too,” says choreographer&nbsp;Francis Rodriguez. “Since dance has always been at the heart of TC Superstar, that kind of energy is super significant.”“Waste My Time” follows previously released singles <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKvsexELXSM">“Nothing To Believe In”</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2gR3ktsxwg">“Be Like You.”</a>Written, produced, mixed, choreographed and performed wholly by TC Superstar, ASOTV is the band’s third studio album.

New Single, Video from TC Superstar, Final Teaser for Upcoming "As Seen On TV"

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Austin Uncharted - The Lewd Dudes

The Lewd Dudes - "Pay Him" 

Video Premiere: Houston Artist Hannah Wolf Brings To Life The Lewd Dudes In "Pay Him"

The Lewd Dudes

The Lewd Dudes new interplanetary rock record, “Habitable Zone” released August 26. We caught up with the dudes via email to cover the record, talk about some standout tracks and recording techniques, and their upcoming first national tour.&nbsp;The album opens with the (nearly) instrumental “Hey!”, a power rock walk-out anthem. What was the intention of kicking off the record in this way? What is embedded in the statement of that one-word refrain?Riley Sklar: We were a couple of beers deep at rehearsal and Rankin started strumming along in “A” during a break in the music. I stepped up to the mic and yelled, and everyone just repeated. It ended up becoming an antiphonal style hymn in which we evoke a call and response with the crowd.&nbsp;The goal was to get the audience engaged and yell back at us just as loud as we are yelling at them. We thought it was a powerful way to begin the record to get the head banging and the blood pumping. At the end of the day, rock and roll is about bringing people together and nothing does that better than the simplicity of screaming “Hey!” at the top of your lungs.What does this collection of songs mean to you? Are there any overarching themes or concepts baked in that we should be aware of?Riley Sklar: Habitable Zone was a vision we had, set against the backdrop of the pandemic, to set the listeners on a colossal interplanetary exploration of the human condition, the mundane and lackluster, self-reflection and awareness, realization of mortality, failed relationships, over indulgence, enjoying the little things, and the hope for a new beginning.&nbsp;Andrew Riefenstahl: Ninety three million miles away from the Sun is where you’ll find true love. A tiny blue dot that contains everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. But you can’t love in a meaningful way without taking risks. Leaving home, in a sense, involves a kind of second birth, in which we give birth to ourselves.&nbsp;I think the album ended up with some amazing double entendres, it’s about an imaginary place far away where people live their lives parallel to us, and at the same time it’s about home, Earth, and the daily lives we live. Doesn't matter if you’re far away or close, we are all related.What were some of the bands you guys were listening to while writing this record? Was there a primary sound that made it on the record, in retrospect?Riley Sklar: Everyone in the band listens to their own particular style of music but the one common thread that brings us all together is we love to rock and roll.&nbsp;Some of my top influences range from Central American sounds like Sonámbulo Psicotropical to punk — such as Anti-Flag, Free Throw, FIDLAR and Hot Mulligan, classic rock from Grateful Dead, Zappa, Dave Mason, and some other bands like Future Teens, Titus Andronicus, Pinegrove, Alex Cameron, Tiny Moving Parts and PUP.&nbsp;I think everyone brings their own influences to rehearsal almost as if we have our pockets stuffed with the music we have been listening to most recently and we all stand around a table and turn our pockets inside out and empty them on the table. We mix it around a bit and whatever we pick up is the sound we have. One thing that is unique about our band is it is a completely collaborative and democratic process. It can be tough at times to all come to an agreement but I think it benefits us in the long run because it really helps to diversify our perspectives.&nbsp;Rankin Fetzer:&nbsp;I fuckin' love the Chili Peppers and that’s where a lot of my guitar style comes from — that and funk and blues. But I think we went rock on this record. The song “Monday Morning” is just rock n roll — think Foo Fighters meet Tom Petty. Definitely didn’t have one single idea for the whole record, just wanted to write badass songs.<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2021_08_26_at_11_58_11_AM_aadb33da1e.png"><figcaption>Habitable Zone by The Lewd Dudes is out now.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>I read online that you guys self-recorded this album — pretty impressive considering the arrangements. What was that experience like, and were there any specific techniques you are proud of implementing?Riley Sklar: We started recording this album just before the pandemic at our home studio in South Austin. Andrew and I live together and over the past 5 or so years, he has been slowly acquiring a plethora of studio gear. Like all of our previous albums, we have self recorded and produced, we are constantly working to improve our techniques as well as our technology.&nbsp;Andrew picked up a Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveling Amplifier just before we started tracking vocals, which gave an extra special polish we were looking for. We experimented with different mic positions and distances on the drums, and I worked in a layered timbale and conga solo on “Flor de Caña”, a song which got its roots from my drink of choice while living in Costa Rica.&nbsp;We started implementing a technique late in the recording process that Rankin dubbed the “RankyDank Method”, which was really just vocal doubling. It actually gave a great texture and worked well with our singing styles.Jordan Hughes: We started tracking drums in March of last year. It’s been a year plus. But it’s been challenging and exciting and scary at times. We went larger than we ever have before. And I am proud to say, I feel we did an amazing job.&nbsp;Andrew and Riley moved in December 2020, thus shifting our home studio mid-record. It was fun to experiment and re-track with different acoustics and ambience. I will only speak for myself, but it was the most rewarding experience I’ve had recording with The Lewd Dudes. I think the other dudes would agree with me too!I wanna give a special shout out to the guitar work on “Plans”. Between the blistering intro riff, which recurs to introduce the extended dual solo, the second verse accommodation for that switch to a reggae time signature…At what point did the guitar arrangement get written on this track? Is that a typical arrangement process for you guys?Andrew Riefenstahl: Thank you! We wanted to do something a little more methodical and I had recently listened to the harmonizing guitars from “The Boys are Back in Town”.&nbsp;We decided to sit down and write something together and really work through music theory. We tracked a demo - each guitarist separately, then sat on it knowing we needed to get the tone right. Then on a second attempt we sort of botched the recording because of our playback while playing together. I couldn’t hear anything but myself so both the guitars were not in sync. I also struggled with the part from a dexterity perspective, forcing myself all the way up the neck.&nbsp;We were writing from the mind so our physical bodies needed to be pushed to meet those demands. Finally, after realizing all the tracking faults, and running strengthening drills we were ready to nail it. I had really practiced mine to a “T” so I laid my guitar down first, then Rankin recorded his. Rankin is a little looser with his playing so I knew it was important I create structure for him. In the end it came out perfectly especially after adding some new drums at the end to accent the parts. This is not the typical arrangement process, however it proved the most fruitful. Discipline was key.The lyrics throughout this record are very narrative-driven. Where does this particular style come from? What does the lyric writing process look like?Andrew Riefenstahl:&nbsp;“Show don’t tell” is my motto. You can say ‘my heart is broken’ or you can say ‘I feel like a thousand knives are serrating my heart beat to a liquid pulp when you walk out that door.’ One carries more visuals and invokes a stronger image.&nbsp;I consider myself a storyteller first when approaching lyrics. Humans have a strong history of oral tradition and wild imaginations. Talking about yourself and our feelings from a single dimensionality is great, but not for all music. I have things to say, people to entertain, or ideas to nurture. The other writers in the group approach things differently. We’re all a little different.Jordan Hughes: Andrew and I have been writing and playing together for years. Bouncing lyrics off each other always. I feel like I tend to write in a more poetic, broad style. Andrew has always had the ability to craft an engaging adventure both musically and lyrically.&nbsp;For this record, the collaborative efforts on Habitable Zone and Marriage Story, the latter Rankin and I wrote in a heated fit of rage and love, brought my narrative lyricism to the forefront. Ultimately, the way our lyrics evolved, when all 5 of us were together, is what really added to this record.&nbsp;Rankin Fetzer: I mean, I wrote “Bong Song” and “Monday Morning” lyrics. One is about getting high and one is about my love for music. One I wrote a long time ago, and one I wrote while recording the album. I want you to guess which is which. They’re definitely not about sex.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLtnVeQNeZ4"></oembed></figure>This album has a big, anthemic sound. What has been your experience bringing this sound to the smaller stages around Austin available to bands coming up? Tell me about your mentality during those performances.Andrew Riefenstahl: Performance is the key. No matter the size of the stage I tended to leave it all on the line so to speak. The larger the crowd usually is, the more I lose myself. I try to stay healthy and sharp before performances as well. Too much drinking weakens my focus and abilities. I need to be able to leave every stage knowing I did everything in my power to give the best performance. If I’ve done that I'll be happy. One of my favorite quotes regarding performance is, “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable”.How have creative communities in Austin responded to your music? What are some of the positives of being a band in Austin right now? Are there any negatives?Andrew Riefenstahl: The most positive thing about being a band in Austin is I’m proud to call this city my home. I love that music is ingrained into the culture. Overall Austin has several music scenes, and I'm not sure we fit into any one particular scene. We are such a wide berth of rock and roll and I love that.&nbsp;It gets back to storytelling. I don’t just sit in one genre, it’s about the story. So overall, I think the community struggles to understand us. However, after this album I really think things will change and are showing our full strength of talent. I also tend to not compare ourselves with anyone. We are who we are and I’ve found that to be a strength. Rather than fill one niche and have instant understanding, we’ve worked to carve a unique identity for ourselves playing for different ranges of Austinites.Rankin Fetzer: Anyone I have shown the record to tends to talk over it for most of the time. People’s attention spans are pretty short, and it’s hard to listen through a full-length record sometimes. That all said, most people usually have a favorite song, and that differs from person to person. I think that’s pretty cool.Tell me about your upcoming tour. Who put it together, and what are some of the dates you are particularly excited about?Riley Sklar: The Live Love Lewd Tour is our first national tour and we are super excited to bring our Austin sound to cities across the country. I take on most of the responsibility of management, booking, and marketing. As an independent band, we typically just gravitate to doing what we are best at to make sure shit gets done, and it takes a lot of effort from everyone to make sure it runs smoothly.&nbsp;We would like to send a special thank you to our friend, and former tour manager of The Bright Light Social Hour, Katie Marschner, for helping us with the initial booking process for this tour. It has been such a weird year for everyone in the music industry from artists, to production, venues and support staff, but Katie really stepped up to the challenge.&nbsp;We are really stoked to be playing all across Florida, and are looking forward to sharing the stage with Gary Lazer Eyes at New World Brewery in Tampa. For two of the stops in Texas, we are joined by our brothers, Billy King and the Bad Bad Bad and Forever Miles, so those should be some rowdy nights as well.&nbsp;**For music and tour dates, visit <a href="www.TheLewdDudes.com">www.TheLewdDudes.com</a> or find them on Instagram and Bandcamp by using the icons below.&nbsp;

Interview: The Lewd Dudes

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"Celia" (Official Video)

Driftwork Sessions: Know You Best

Half Dream Share Celia Video

Album Review - Monsters of Needing

Half Dream

On a sweaty Austin evening, Paige Renèe Berry of Half Dream welcomed the Keep Austin crew into her backyard. We picked up a couple chairs and carried them down to the creek for our third on-location interview.&nbsp;Half Dream had just released their latest single, <a href="https://halfdreammusic.bandcamp.com/track/i-am-my-own-god">I Am My Own God</a>, and subsequently made the painful decision to cancel all of their upcoming shows due to rising COVID-19 concerns. So, it was nice to have a break from the madness to just chat.Check out the interview to hear us discuss I Am My Own God, an important photo of her from Pace Bend, and advice for young creatives. The full interview will be up on our <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/28i2jV0w2qkAyFNL3IIPEV?si=HZ5Kqc4cTzqor0mvzzRbcA&amp;dl_branch=1">Spotify</a> page.&nbsp;<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOnlutkHwyg&amp;t=14s&amp;ab_channel=KeepAustin"></oembed></figure>

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With Wes Ep. 10: Paige Berry of Half Dream

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Artist to Artist with "Ifé Neuro"

Ifé Neuro

Ifé Neuro is an Austin, Texas based Hip Hop artist. Originally from South Carolina, he has released two albums and a bunch of singles since his debut “End 2 End” in 2017. His newest project, an EP titled “A Few Songs About You”, is out today.&nbsp;KA: What is special about these songs to you?Ifé: To me, each song represents a different stage or phase in relationships. I personally feel whenever one can relate to a song it’ll stick with them throughout life.<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2021_08_20_at_11_52_37_AM_3347442da2.png"><figcaption>“A Few Songs About You” by Ifé Neuro is out now.</figcaption></figure>You have a lot of shorter songs that come in around 1-2 minutes. Can you touch on why this might be? Do you see value in getting in and out quickly on a song, or is it less calculated than that?To be honest, doing one minute songs are perfect, especially in this streaming era. It leaves the listener wanting more. The feel and energy of a record is what keeps the listener and song alive. Also shorter songs are great to build an audience. People aren’t too quick to buy or hear an album from an artist they aren’t familiar with.What ignited this project? Did you have a clear end in mind, or did you just work until it felt complete?Most of the inspiration came from conversations with different people about what they feel love is and what love looks like. I don’t work from a place that’s unclear as far as direction for a project. I like to plan out everything beforehand. That way, when it’s time to prepare a rollout or shoot a video I have a clear idea about what I’m trying to bring forth to the people.Were there any collaborators on this project? Tell us about how that influenced the process.Aside from Jkay, not really. I don’t work with a lot of people like that. It’s not personal but music is about feel with me and most of the time I don’t hear people on the songs I’m creating. Rapping to me is more than just rhyming a bunch of words together. I’m more fixated on checking box’s.Honestly Slum Village was a huge inspiration for this EP. Whenever they would rap about relationships and love you felt every word. They painted a picture so well that when you closed your eyes it felt you were in those moments.What gets you excited to write?I enjoying challenging myself to create and write better songs. Creating music that people feel. There's no greater feeling than getting a DM or someone seeing you out and expressing how much your song meant to you. Those moments are so pricelessWhat is your favorite facet of being an artist outside of the music, i.e. making music videos, album art, etc. and why?I love planning rollouts, working hand to hand with artists creating the cover art. Rollouts are fun because you really get to go in depth creating and finding things centered around your projectWhat has been the most helpful advice about navigating the Austin rap scenes, and who did you receive it from?<figure style="width:250px;" class="image image_resized image-style-align-left"><img alt="" src="https://keep-austin-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/KA_04_Ife_Neuro_Alt_IG_f81ec382b5.jpg"></figure>Not to be funny but a lot of our success came from being ourselves. A few folks showed love like Rather Unique, Trulyyours, Gold Ain’t Cheap and BSOM but outside of that we networked and built relationships with the people. Treating other creatives fairly and most importantly paying people what they're worth. We can’t complain about records labels, promoters and club owners if you're using those same practices to hinder other creatives. I tend to stay away from people like that because they aren’t good for the culture or environment.In “Jus Me &amp; U” a story emerges of a man seeking to accommodate both his and his partners needs, space and traumas from past relationships in order to explore the prospect of something real between them, albeit with little expectations.(From "Jus Me &amp; U") Love her like it was my last time / forgetting all them past lines / forgetting all them past times / all I know is that I’m here so / do with that what you will / just know my love is all real / so if you need time to heal just hit my phone when you ready to chill / and we can do something nice.Then, in “Wish I” you paint the portrait of a man with an unsteady heart, seemingly disinterested entirely from exposing himself to another heartbreak.(From “Wish I”) It’s no hard feelings / just guarding my heart different / Sometimes I don’t know how to feel / sometimes I want to be alone / sometimes I just want to be / cut off my phone / and just be alone / just be alone…On the surface of these lines there is a contrasting relationship to intimacy within the same man, an inherent struggle. Are these themes you specifically explored in these songs? What is your take on the man presented from these lyrics, and what becomes of his search for love.I wanted to explore different realities for each song. I think love is so much more than what we know. Oftentimes when we feel like we have love figured then a new situation or experience presents itself that we can learn from, if willing. Love is such a beautiful experience but sometimes when we lack certain things it can ruin the relationship. My take on him is that he’s searching for something that hasn’t yet been found. The perfect person and situation doesn’t really exist. I’ve learned in the most perfect situations someone is still left unhappy.

Interview: Ifé Neuro on new EP "A Few Songs About You" 