Party Ends

   Remember SXSW?  That was weird.  Now it is OVER and you (meaning.. well… “I”) have to go back to planning nights and not just hope for a text message about some party that may or may not get busted in about 5 shakes of a Fire Marshall’s finger. Here are some of the finest things I know of going on across the Lone Sar Sate:

•  Friday night: The Lovely Sparrows- The Cavern, Dallas TX 

   Tonight at the Cavern, Austin heroes the Lovely Sparrows will be gracing the refined town of Dallas with their Lyle Lovettly large band. The Night Game Cult and Karrie Hopper open.  Eaton Lake Tonics and Eat Avery's Bones are also on the bill. This is the first show of the Lovely Sparrows Midwest tour so “good luck” the next few weeks sparrows!

MP3: the Lovely Sparrows – Chemicals Change 

• Saturday night:  Markus with a K.-  Mohawk, Austin TX
  

   Saturday night at the Mohawk, Denton transplant Markus with a K (formally of the Flashlight Party) will be playing rad jamz all night long!  Details are sketchy but if I understand correctly Sammy Hager might be there chugging bottles of tequila and giving out wacky colored Reeboks. Also, the Black and White Years, and The Authors are playing.  This will be the Black and White Years last show before they get magically whisked away to record a new release with Talking Head Jerry Harrison!!  Crazy.

   Sunday is April Fool’s Day, and when your rent is due.  And if you want, in Austin you can go see Misshapes at the ultra swanky club VICCI.

   Next Friday, the 6^th mark your calendar to come check out another Stay Gold evening at the mighty Emo’s Lounge.  The Gardes from Oklahoma and Crawling with Kings from Austin will be cranking out twangy goodness and Stay Gold will keep things trill before, in between, and after.  Oh, and it is all Free.   

I will leave you with a sweet new Yelle remix from the best named Dj group around- Them Jeans: 

MP3: Yelle- Ce Jeu (Them Jeans Remix)  

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   I bet you think you are real original with those shaggy dog bangs, or that indie-mullet, and that spiffy, ironic, faux-goth-suspender-slouchyboot-whatever combo your wearing. But it may have more to do with some DJs from, where else, NYC, than you think.

   You might have heard of the MisShapes, their DJ collective (which is actually just a few well dressed hipsters wearing more black than usual), their infamous, exclusive, and wild parties, thier Cobra Snake-equ obsession with club photography, and their impact on the current state of 'cool' in general; but you, my lucky local readers, now have a chance to experience it, to some watered down corporatized degree, in person. Brought to you by the fine purveyors of a smooth, cool looking drawn out death, Camel Cigarettes, the MisShapes will be at the Lizard Lounge in Dallas this coming Saturday the 31st. All you have to do is get hooked up with your local Camel Rep., you know, that dude at the bar with the oversized fanny pack full of cancerlicious freebies, and you're in. You can probably get some on line at their web-site, too. Seriously, it will probably be a damn good time, even though, no matter how cool looking those hot pink No.9's are, I'm still not down with supporting cigarette culture.

MP3: The MisShapes - House of Holland Mix

   I have to admit, it's taking a lot out of me not to inherently dislike and malign the MisShapes: being deemed a current equivalent to Andy Warhol and influencing a generation of cooler-than-thous (no matter how much I may enjoy the resulting sub-culture) makes me want to hold shit against them. I mean, seriously. I instantly jump to thinking they must be some trust fund babies with nothing real to do with their lives so they just get to focus on being "hip" 24/7 and are successful enough at it to support their drug habits. But I'm a jerk like that. I'm going to do my best not to assume these things, for as little as I admit I know about them. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and try to enjoy them for what I know them to be: infamously good DJ's and providers of fuckin' great parties.

   Friends with all the coolest people, the MisShapes often do shows with favorites like Klaxons, Andrew WK, and Art Brut, giving them a fair bit of cred in my book. Androgynous bangs and all, this should be pretty fun, so go and check it out; the only thing that would make it more better would be if they were in a non-smoking club. Also, go check out this incredible article on We Shot JR about the Misshapes and Camel Cigarettes, so good.

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   Wow, after two full days of being told over and over just how good to great this new Modest Mouse album is by everyone from Pitchfork to Borders, I still just don't know. I've been sitting with this new single Dashboard (man, there is some bad stigma there) for a while, it's been out nearly a month, and it's pretty descent. Though I've never been able to really get into MM so much, I have always wanted to. Maybe this will work out for me, it sounds just like all the other stuff by them I've heard in the past, though. In the wake of thier album topping the Billboard charts, If you havn't already heard this single, everywhere else, check it out here.

MP3: Modest Mouse - Dashboard

Get the new album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank here, and your local Borders has about 8,000 copies right at the front, too.

Oh, and here is the video:

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   Hey, this video is the fucking joint, so go watch it. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip Thou Shalt Always Kill, for all of us who like the Streets and Art Brut. Thank you Forkcast, once again.

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   Clap! Clap! is a band who began as a party act straight out of party town San Marcus, TX formed by a group of friends who “like[d] to dance more than anybody.”  They are a great act who have finally recorded a proper full length album complete with a rap interlude, a hardcore outro and even some new topics besides dancing and clapping, like awkward sexual conquest… oh, and clapping.   

   Having always been reminiscent of a more fun Out Hud (yes, it’s possible) with the keyboard settings of the Faint - Clap! Clap! finally got hold of that Chromeo instrument where talking and synthesizers are melded in a hipster, Peter Frampton sort of way. If you want to see Clap! Clap! front man Josh dance so hard on stage with Chromeo that both members of the band start to laugh at him, then look no further than right here. It’s amazing.

   The Clap! Clap! full length titled You Love This! features a worthwhile re-recording of a few tracks that were on an earlier, less produced EP. One, the classic “Talk Shop” is now tricked out to be reminiscent of the recent Islands  track Where There’s a Whale There’s a Whalebone in which, out of nowhere and at the absolute perfect moment Subtitle and Busdriver pop up and make the song memorable with some contextual rap.  For Clap! Clap! –Chief from Word Association, of San Marcus, chimes in to deliver a great segment that surprisingly fits right in.  The Word Association appearance raises the question: “Who knew that anyone in San Marcus could rap?”      

   Self-aware and, concurrently completely serious tracks like The Trouble with Doubles and Props to the DJ sound like diary entries written after shutting down the Whiskey Bar on an Austin Thursday night, drenched with dollar wells and some deep-dance political thoughts heavy on the mind:

“I’d rather dance alone than dance with a drunk you” and “You only dip to what you’ve heard before… it’s not hip to just stand why don’t we dance anymore?!”

   Ian Orth from Learning Secrets basically has a 5-minute ode written to his infamous weekly nights of debauchery. This album nails the Austin scene, which, in a large part thanks to Clap! Clap!, has become danceparty-centric… Oh, and there is a dope clap beat.

   Underneath the lyrics ranging from dorm room heavy petting to outer space- the instrumentation ranges from cut up drum loop samples to enough synthesizers and funky bass lines to make George Clinton blush. 

   Album closer Coach explores a dark direction in contrast to the upbeat dance punk channeling fellow home town San Marcus cohorts and members of the Central-Texas Pantera fan club Oceanus, who gets on the mic to cookie monster throat growl the titular phrase “You Love This!" – I'm not so crazy about this ending note because I like my jamz to be a little more traditional, but it has to be handed to Clap! Clap!- they are bringing up their contemporaries with them like Nelly  and the St. Lunatics and pushing the envelope on a genre that, if it’s not too careful could become as bland as pop-punk. The innovations and variations on the genre that Clap! Clap! have shown they are capable of prove that if they play their cards right they might just end up with their own sneakers and even an energy drink – again- just like Nelly!   

   Thankfully, dance punk revival is going to be around for a while.  It is cool to go out get sweaty, rock out and shake it.  With the popularity of LCD and the Rapture singing about dancing and the crowds going nuts- the world now have a new entrant into the talented dance post-punk game: Clap! Clap!. The recording quality and full sound of this album is unlike anything else locally being produced and is a fantastic representation of what locals have known for years- that Clap! Clap! live shows are out of control. Did I mention the clapping?

MP3: Clap! Clap!– You Love This

MP3: Clap! Clap!- Talk Shop (Featuring Chief from Word Association) 
 

   Catch a CD Release show in Austin on April 27^th and in San Marcus on the 28^th.  After that it will be available at Waterloo Records and all the rest in Austin and at Sundance Records in San Marcus.   

   Check out some of our pictures of Clap! Clap! from over sxsw at the PartyEnds sponsored Four on the Floor party here at the Austinist local music is sexy party here and my personal favorite set- Draft Sessions here.

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  We here at PE aren't exactly big fans of the AOL backed Spinner.com; but when your drunk at a day-party at noon-something in downtown Austin and some dude comes up and asks if you want to talk to Tim Kasher, does it really matter who is arranging it? So, in the middle of the incredible Puma party at Beauty Bar (which was single handedly responsible for me being intoxicated during daylight hours for three of the four days I was in Austin), both John and myself and my wife had a few minutes each to ask really dumb questions of Mr. Kasher and Ted Stevens of Cursive and this is what resulted, along with some other fans and some other stupid questions. John did manage to ask one actually music oriented questions, though. Bravo.

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   Oh fudge, I am lazy.  I go hard all last week cramming in DJ sets and rock bands in matching outfits into my sxsw schedule and then like the fate of that new Dead Silence movie with killer marionettes -I crash and burn.  Right now I have no energy to talk about what I saw, no desire to chime in on the Austinist debates about sxsw and the conspiracy theories of fire marshal corruption, I don’t have the strength in my heart of hearts to explain to you how fucking amazing Matt and Kim were, or how much respect you should give to Les Breastfeeders for tambourining the faces off of everyone at our wildly successful Friday Fiasco.  I just don’t have the initiative.  In fact, I just snapped out of a drunken stupor and remembered that somehow I snuck into the same private party two nights in a row and managed not to get caught. That was weird.

   I have been surfing ghastly party picture websites and saving snapshots of my friends to my desktop. And then, taking that nerdyness a step further -I have been looking at everything on Flickr tagged with ‘sxsw.’ This is no way to live life.  I had a blast walking the closed down streets, scamming free drinks from big companies and seeing exciting live performances at all hours of the day. But- now that it is all over- I find my self devoid of interest in talking about it.

   Oh shit- I did see a wall fall down at the Vice party. Like everyone that was there I can attest to how I dove out of the way at the last second and narrowly escaped death’s icy grip. That shit was wild.  Do you think that if the wall had by chance fallen on the line of people outside and killed a few dozen “sters” that their next issue would have the carnage on the cover.  Perhaps they would judge the clothes and positions of the bodies in the Do’s and Don’ts section?  No?

   I guess a good starting point for the week is to address the new dynamic of the Laughing. The PartyEnds sponsored show in Dallas was the band’s last show with the original lineup. Keyboardist and hyphy man Rob is no longer with the group and has since been replaced by Raz. Raz had a true initiation by fire last week playing a total of 9 shows over a few days with the boys in teal and white. The band impressed locals seeing them for the first time as well as countless out-of-towners who saw them at their SXSW showcase, the PartyEnds Friday Fiasco, and Four on the Floor in addition to tons of other shows.  The group did Austin and PartyEnds proud.  Good work.  Check out some new photos of the Laughing from their Austinist Local Music is Sexy 3 Party, the Musebox Bubbling Up day show, our Friday Fiasco and Four on the Floor concerts. Check back often for more satisfying stress eliminating rants on sxsw. Also- Lost was AMAZING.

Posted by partyends at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

   I know I kind of harp on about the super fun and more recently super trendy I'm From Barcelona and the intriguing concept behind the group (consisting of a bunch of swedish friends who are certainly not from Barcelona), but I had to drop a line to let y'all know that one of my favorite albums of last year (released in the UK and Europe) has finally hit the US shores. though I'm a couple days late, as of March 20th you should be able to pick up the phenomenal Let Me Introduce My Friends LP at finer music stores anywhere around the country. I expect this to make a pretty big splash now that it's finally actually available here. I have to admit, though, I'm a little freaked out that when I went to find an MP3 of their second single Treehouse I found blog after blog who had been forced to remove even the live recordings of anything but We're From Barcelona by none other than Virgin, whom I'm guessing is the umbrella corporation over Dolores Recordings. Weird; I'm not a fan of that shit. Anyway, go stream these great songs from their Myspace so I don't get sued by the suits behind the music, and pick up a copy of this exciting new album.

Stream: I'm From Barcelona

Whow, I just read this great interview with the man behind IFB and apparently the name is from the British comedy classic series Faulty Towers. I totally thought that the first time I heard it and didn't even consider it being the real source of the name. Awesome.

Posted by partyends at 08:40 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   Of all the surprises SX2K7 (thats what I'm calling it now, cause I'm way cool) held this year, one of the most shocking and most entertaining was one Mr. Dan Deacon. He was kind enough to grace our indoor stage at Friday Fiasco and his post TMBG, pre discovery-of-extraterrestrial-life music was a sight to behold, and a sound... to, uh, be listened to.  

   Twitching like a malfunctioning robot evangelist minister on crack, and expending more energy than the Chernobyl meltdown, Deacon drew the mixed crowd into his strange world of tin-can beat boxes and vocoder anthems. The seemingly ten thousand BPM back-tracks suffused with Casiotone whines and analog clicks set the perfect stage for his contrasting shouts and whispers, switching between a standard mic and an alien digitized microphone run though all manner of cheap effects pedal and modded keyboards. For a dorky guy and a bunch of wires and knobbs this was an enthralling experience full of manic dancing, joyous smiling, and a fair bit of awkward eye contact.

   Compounding the fun of the set was Deacon's ingeniously random and frantic sense of humor, hyping the crowd between songs into mandatory involvement with off-kilter jokes, a diatribe on the silliness of SXSW, and even a strangely drawn out yet magnetic countdown to one of his explosive tunes. You can see way more pictures of Dan and the other great musicians at Friday Fiasco on our photos page here. Words can't really capture his performance and actually, neither can this recording, but check it out anyway because it's awesome.

MP3: Dan Deacon - The Crystal Cat

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   Well, ladies and ladies, it's two of your biggest crushes, alone together at last, like you always fantasize about, only with less tongue. More magical refuse poured from the bowels of SXSW, PartyEnds favorite Astronautalis does a three part video interview with one of the defining characters of this years festival, Andrew WK. Not only is he funny and wildly intelligent (much like Mr. Andy), he also loves to party more than anyone on the planet Earth (perhaps even Clap! Clap!, despite their claims), which is cool with us. In this interview you will not only see Mr. Nautalis and big WK speak on important world issues, and cutting edge scientific analysis (or not), you will also witness a signature freestyle by the man Andy himself. So sit back, relax, and enjoy some fine cinema. Babara Walters never got nothin' on this.

Video: Astronautalis interviews Andrew W.K. - (3 part series at Bandwidth.29.2)

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   Here are some of the photos we took of the incredible performances by our good friends who performed at Friday Fiasco , SXSW, on the 15th. Every band, rapper, and DJ was magnificent, and we will go into more depth on that later; in the mean time enjoy these photos of: Ume, Loxsly, the Laughing, the Silent Years, Les Breastfeeders, Jazzone, Pigeon John, Macromantics, Storm Shadow, Dan Deacon, DJ Alib and DJ Orion. shit was amazing.

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   Oh yeah, and the incredible Astronautalis is going to be at Rubber Gloves in Denton tonight. How could you miss that? It's like... he's home when he's there. Doors are at 8pm, but it's Rubber Gloves, so he'll be on at, like, 2am. See you there.

Posted by partyends at 11:36 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   It's about damn time and, having returned from their recent tour and having blown away all the doubting kids at SXSW, Voxtrot is finally on the verge of putting out their highly anticipated self-titled debut full length. The new Austin poster children have given us this great first single to slake our thirst until the record hits, maintaining the popalicious piano and guitar driven qualities that we have grown to love. Despite the silly highlights in Ramish's hair, this seems as good as anything they have done before (I'm hoping the whole album holds up to their stellar past offerings as well) and only serves to feed the monster of our desire for this record. Check it out:

MP3: Voxtrot - Kid Gloves

You can pre-order up the CD here and the long playing record here.

Posted by partyends at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

   It's a good day for music. The new LCD Soundsystem drops today, and it sounds pretty fucking awesome so far. I have heard several of these remixed tracks (which were ingeniously released well before the actual record) and I can't wait to hear them the way James Murphy Intended. I will probably talk about the record itself more in the future, but in the mean time I would suggest checking out this site and enjoying the wonder and beauty of 9 whole (many of them nigh obnoxiously long) free tracks from remix masters like Team9 and McSleezy.

   Here are a couple to taste, and you can get the new LCD Soundsystem CD here.

Watch The Tapes (Team9's Excursion On The Version) 
MP3: LCD Soundsystem -

North American Scum (Dunproofin's Not From England Either Mix) 

Posted by partyends at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

   So we are saving our recaps and highlights of last week's Austin madness until tomorrow in order to get things really gathered together and presentable. At the moment our mementos and thoughts are a bit like the room you run and shut the door on right before you invite in an unexpected guest. But I thought I would preface them by saying that we are sorry there wasn't more immediate coverage of the events by us; as cool as I'm sure that would have been, and as much as I know everyone else was into live updates and shit, we were way too busy drinking like fish, and shakin' our asses to care. I hope you understand.

(your typical evening between Wednesday and Sunday - Super! Alright! Offices)

   I will say this, though: the events that we were involved in, namely Four on the Floor and Friday Fiasco, went unspeakably well, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped us put them on and populate them with cool dudes and dudettes. Specifically we'd like to thank Dustin at Complicate Everything, green potato ventures, Misprint Magazine, and Raw Word Records, and less specifically the insanely talented bands that made everything bunches of fun for everyone who attended. We would also like to thank Independence Brewing Company for the tasty suds, everyone loved them and was asking who's it was. It was magical. Like, unicorn magical. Or those ones with the wings... Pegasus magical!

   Anyway, check with our photos page soon and often, cause' there should be some great pictures in there before you know it of stage burners like Matt and Kim, A-Trak, and Kid Sister. Also, keep an eye on PartyEnds for video interviews with bands like the Willowz, and Pony Up, performance videos of hot artists like Spank Rock and Amanda Blank, and even a few questions with Tim Kasher and Ted Stevens.

MP3: Kid Sister (pro. A-Trak) - Damn Girl

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   I will openly admit that I am giddy as a plaid wearing, buckle-bowed, tween schoolgirl to finally see Clap! Clap! play a live show. I've been a fan for a good, long while and I have somehow missed every show in which they ventured out of Austin in the southerly direction. While the music is phenomenal, from their early, lo-fi recordings to their newest label-ready hotness, I have only every heard that I "have to see them live".  With a "clap core" of members soley on stage to clap with the songs, and a hep, new-rave, tongue-in-cheek, 80's, synth sound, I can only imagine just what we are in for at our coming Four on the Floor party this Saturday.

   They have been out of the loop for a while in the studio recording their debut album You Love This!, only emerging to play our premier Draft Sessions a couple months ago, and we are honored to be presenting their only show at SXSW. The new record sounds incredible, and we cannot contain our enthusiasm about hearing the gem in it's entirety. Due out in April, I'm sure you will hear a lot more from PartyEnds about this in the near future. So come see them this Saturday at their only show during SXSW, Saturday March 17th, Four on the Floor, 1604 San Antonio, between 16th and 17th streets.

MP3: Clap! Clap! - You Love This!

Posted by partyends at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

   Alright, you have had a couple of days to warm up, but this is the big one. This is the day you really dig in and see just how much you can steal back from the music industry in the form of free booze and swag, and see some damn good music in the process.

   So wake up already and come on over to the Creekside Lounge and check out our amazing free show. I mean, it's really fuckin' good. Check out this linup and come join us in the fight agains health, sobriety, and the merit of paying for consumable goods!

FRIDAY FIASCO! - Friday March 16th at the Creekside Lounge FREE SXSW day show. 1pm-6pm. Sponsored in part by:

Party Ends (myspace) - Misprint Magazine (myspace) - green potato ventures (myspace) - Raw Word Records (myspace)

(Les Breast Feeders & The Laughing)

Outside:

• 1    pm UME -Austin
• 2    pm Loxsly -Austin
• 3    pm The Silent Years -Detroit (our recent writup here)
• 4    pm The Laughing -Austin (our album review here)
• 5    pm Les Breastfeeders -Montreal

(Pigeon John & Macromantics)

Inside:

• 1    pm DJ Jazz One -Austin
• 2    pm Macromantics -Australia (our recent writup here)
• 2:3pm Pigeon John -LA
• 3:3pm Storm Shadow - Austin
• 4    pm Dan Deacon - Baltimore
• 5    pm DJ A Lib and DJ Orion - Austin

 MP3: Les Breastfeeders -

Tout Va Pour le Mieux Dans le Pire des Mondes

MP3: The Silent Years - Someone to Keep Us Warm 

MP3: The Laughing - Wait until he Roars

MP3: Macromantics - Scorch

Posted by partyends at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBacks (0)

   I can't really go on with this article until I get one thing out: I really don't like the name Les Breastfeeders. There, I said it, and it's totally cool if you like it, but to me it conjures up visions of these hip adult French-Canadians suckling an over-sized teet in their comically large diapers and bonnets. All of them, as a group. It's not appetizing to me. But, once you really start listening to their music, a delicate mash-up of retro-rebel jukebox, crunchy 80's pop-rock, and the eloquent French language, the name, as with so many unconventionally named but talented groups (Tripping Daisy, The Smoking Popes, etc.), just becomes a name, replacing the stigma of the dribbling mammaries with visions of high-cut go-go boots, mod haircuts, and solid girl/guy fronted pop music.

   I like the music, I will say that too, and I think you will as well. These Montreal cultivators of cool wear their influences on their sleeves, but with calculated twists and turns that give the music the modern edge that it needs to temper their derivatives and create something original, fun, and listenable.

   Check out some of these songs and this pretty spiffy video, and then catch them at SXSW at our Friday Fiasco show on the 16th, also featuring UME, Loxly, The Silent Years, and The Laughing in the band department, as well as Jazz One, Macromantics, Pigeon John, Storm Shadow, Dan Deacon, A Lib, and Orion on the wheels of steel.

Stream: Les Breastfeeders - (Three Songs)

You can purchase their CD Déjeuner Sur L'herbe here.

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   As if you need me to tell you about any other things going on this week…. When it comes to Friday you know what to DO DURING THE DAY but what about the evening?  Well, get your shit started off right with SWOLL where local hip-hop heart throbs Prince Klassen and DJ Mel start things off with deep beats from the heart of Texas until the audience is sweaty and primed to give it up for out of towners (yet no strangers to Austin) DJ Tittsworth, Small-town DJs and the MuthaFuckin RUB! The Rub is my absolute favorite excuse to go the Beauty Bar and spend too much money on drinks because the last few times they have come thru have been as insane as Jim Carry in the Number 23. We are very lucky to have such a great lineup of stuff to do on Friday and I can’t wait!  

   After the Rub (or the cops) shuts the place down around 2, head over to the most buzzed about after party of all of SXSW!  I Heart Comix/Viva la Rock/Triple 5 Soul bring you the best of the best of the fest this year from 9pm- 5am with free booze all night long at Blue Genie in Austin.  RSVP now to!  Come see Chromeo, Diplo, SPANKROCK, Amanda Blank, Bonde Do Role, and A-trak! This is going to be the jump off. Both parties are east Austin so you can hitch hike with no problems.       
Image:

Then- get up and do it all again on Saturday starting with PartyEnds again over at Four on the Floor.

Posted by partyends at 09:30 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

1pm (outside) UME:UME is something to take note of.  With UME you more or less get a Kim Gordon wearing the pants in Sonic Youth amazing Austin act!  UME are not to be missed and are proudly going to be kicking off the first of the PartyEnds day shows!  Come out early to catch these guys and girl and strike while the pizza is hot and the beer is cold.

1 pm (inside) Jazz 1: This cat has been a prized guest at the first two Draft Sessions and has done nothing but impress.  His mashups are as apt as the Rub’s, so you if you want a taste of what Austin has to offer along the Diplo lines- Jazz 1 all the way live.

2 pm (outside) Loxsly: Austin’s Loxsly is a full-on synth and pedal steel guitar rock madness.  Not a common set up which is exactly where Loxsly begins to impress.  Vocally, front man Cody Ground comes across with urgency and passion that is heightened by a full band- all of whom gracefully utilize effects pedals, garage-sale xylophones, and the overall Flaming Lips inspired FUN that most bands are scared to attempt.  Past Loxsly shows have included projections, audience battery operated keyboards, costumes and a satellite feed drummer.  Loxsly is an Austin gem.   

2 pm (inside) Macromantics: Man oh man! Are we excited to be a part of a real life Macromantics show!  This Australian female MC is going to leave a giant mark on Austin this SXSW. MIA did it SXSW 2005; Lady Sovereign was SXSW 2006- this year is all about Macromantics.  

2:30 (inside) Pigeon John: I last saw Pigeon John open for the Living Legends.  It was packed. The guy has built an army of fans up who connect deeply with his lyrics about love gone bad, self doubt, and the overall sensitive rappers life, but NOT sensitive like Kanye- PJ is much more honest.  I am thrilled to be a part of a Pigeon John show!    

3 pm (outside) the Laughing: Do I even have to write about the Laughing anymore?  It depresses me sometime because I know after SXSW they will get swept up by a nice sized label and leave old PartyEnds in the dust. Watch Blow, Citizen Kane, Scarface, and the Aviator to remind yourself of how to not forget your roots in the soon to be success.   

3:30pm (inside) Storm Shadow: One of the prime acts from co-sponsor and local freshness Raw Word Records, Storm Shadow raps with hooks and cred out the kazoo.  Come peep his huge beats and see what Austin has to offer!   

4pm (outside) The Silent Years: all the way from Detroit Rock City the Silent Years are gracing our little day show with their sweet sweet indie pop.  Come check out what all the fuss is about for yourself. These guys pulled off a coveted 7.3 from the all knowing Pitchfork and fought their way thru Spin.com’s Band of the Year contest and got thru 4 out of 6 rounds of head to head internet voting combat.  Big things will come for the Silent Years this SXSW. 

4 pm (inside) Dan Deacon: DJ! DJ! DJ! B-MORE! B-MORE B-MORE!!!!!!! DJ! DJ! DJ! B- MORE! B- MORE! 

5 pm (inside) DJ Alib and DJ Orion: 4 turntables running all sorts of clicks, clacks and heavy heavy beats with everything from Bonde Do Role to Squarepusher.  This set from these Austin guys will be all the over the place yet seamless, and with tons of fat scratches.   

5 pm (outside) Les Breastfeeders: "Finally, all the way from Montreal -give a warm Texan welcome to Les BREASTFEEDERS!"  Totally fun French garage rock with enough 60’s throwback breakdowns to make you think that you already know and love the songs.  There will be tambourines; oh yes- there will be tambourines. 

Posted by partyends at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

(New Young Pony Club, photo by Ryan Prouty)

   Well, we havn't been posting just a whole lot of music lately, what with all the stuff that's been going on with SXSW and other events we are involved in right now (as well as both of us having full time jobs). So, here is a smattering of stuff that I have been listening to / watching and enjoying in what little free time I have these days:

MP3: New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream  (and here is the killer video)

MP3: Girl Talk - Minute by Minute

MP3: Voxtrot - Heaven (Talking Heads Cover) 

MP3: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Young Shields  (a classic who will be on tour soon with Xiu Xiu and, one of John's faves, Shearwater)

Video: Malajube - Montreal -40C

Posted by partyends at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

   Political, energetic, and melodic; the Always Already’s self titled EP channels the DC vibe of Fugazi and Q and Not U but claims the sound with the unyielding aptitude of Texas boys like At the Drive-In.  The band is now without a guitar player and, as a result, the Casio keyboard takes center stage along with multiple microphones and a tight dance punk rhythm section. The group pulls off a sense of urgency that is typically present in bands who have a message. The thing is- it seems like most bands don’t have as much to say these days.  The Always Already is a must see at SXSW.

   Swing by 1604 San Antonio St. on Saturday March 17^th at 10pm to check them out at one of our SXSW rad free parties- this one dubbed Four on the Floor.  This is an all day and most of the night event organized by our friends over at ComplicateEverything.com who also happen to put out the Always Already albums.   

MP3: the Always Already - I am Electric

click here for much more information on Four on the Floor!

The group is also playing at Jesse’s Bed & Breakfast (Austin: 26th and Lafayette) on Friday the 16^th at 6pm!  SXSW is the best time of year, I tell you what. 

Posted by partyends at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

MP3: The Rakes - The World Was a Mess, But His Hair was Perfect  

Posted by partyends at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

   There's really not another band in Austin that does what Tammany Hall Machine does as well as they do it.  Beatles guitar tone and riffs that are obviously simple (read: classic) come together with a whole lot of oomph.  The end result of the new sophomore album Amateur Saw is impressive.  Each tracks captivates and makes me enjoy the music for what it is- staggering pop.   

   Keyboard lines transform into guitar riffs, a new keyboard lick comes in, vocals escalate a few octaves, then there’s horns; the instrumentation is as controlled as it is all over the place, making a disc that is as much Electric Light Orchestra as it is the Kinks. 

   Call me a sucker for piano/keyboard-based rock. I woke up from a dream last night where Ben Folds was playing at the Hole in the Wall.  Really.  In the dream I was one of only like 6 people there, and I couldn’t call any one to tell them to come down… or maybe I didn’t want to call anyone… I can’t remember…I did rember he played Jesus Land twice which I thought was strange… also Hole in the Wall had a Wall-Mart sized marquee.. anyway- now I can tell you about a great act.  Tammany Hall Machine is a rocking group that packs as much punch as a boxing kangaroo with Abbey Road blaring in his headphones (the hypothetical boxing kangaroo keeps his iPod in his pouch…hypothetically mind you) Tammany Hall Machine is playing all over town during SXSW, be well advised that they will impress (Ed. That rymes! - luther).

Check them out on Myspace here.

And, check out this mp3 download and let us know what you think:

MP3: Tammany Hall Machine - The Jesus Chrystler

Posted by partyends at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

   Hey, if you're not doing anything important and want to see one of the stranger cross promotions I've seen in a while, check out this new video from one of our favorites, Lily Allen, in which she does a rendition of her single Smile in the language used on the Sims game over a video made with the Sims engine. It's to promote Sims2 and Lily Allen (though I'm not a hundred percent sure just who this marketing targets, I mean, my mom plays the Sims). It's a nice 3 and a half minute diversion.

Lily Allen is touring the UK right now with The Bird and the Bee. Check out the Lily Allen track LDN here.

Posted by partyends at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

   If you live around Dallas, you know we have precious little to read about the lifestyle of this grand city that isn't tainted with good ol' boy stagnation (Observer) or rife with the desire to portray the town as something that it is not, nor ever should be (Envy). We lack physical, printed representation of our youth culture, to put if bluntly. But, someone if finally trying to change that.

   Our friends over at We Are Not Hip are dropping thier innaugural issue of the free culture publication on Dallas today, in prepperation for all the bands coming through town for SXSW. Dubbed the SXSW issue, it covers what to do here if you can't make it to the wonderland of music and debautchery down the road old Austin way. It's a limited release first issue, so keep a sharp eye out for it and snatch one up if you get the chance. Not only does it sound pretty interesting, it also features an interview with Party Ends favorite Astronautalis, which should be damn funny and terribly smart to boot. Available at finer retailers.

   Also, go check out thier Myspace page here.

Posted by partyends at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

   Some more Sub Pop / Portland goodness for you: the Helio Sequence have been around for a while, but I'm more recently starting to enjoy their melody driven dancy songs to the extent that I would suggest you go check them out. With a nice, big sound for just two dudes, their songs call comparisons to European groups like Junior Boys and a more immediate-sounding Air. Harmonies are strange and original, lending a bit more seriousness to the often falsetto lyrics, while the dirty acoustic drums and electric guitar are a nice contrast to groups in this vein that have a tenancy to stick much more to all electronic instruments. They are also fond of harmonicas, as am I; even with electronic music.

   Check out these tracks and keep an eye out for a new album that should be out pretty soon on Sub Pop.

MP3: The Helio Sequence - Blood Bleeds

MP3: The Helio Sequence - Everyone Knows Everyone

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   Hey, and don't forget, everyone who is lucky enough to go to SXSW, that we are throwing all our card on the table to bring ya'll the verybest in music and boozin' with both our stellar Friday Fiasco day party and our balls out Four on the Floor day party, on Friday and Saturday of next week, respectively.

   We are confident that ya'll will have more fun than you payed for, or your money back. And, considering that they are both FREE, and contain hot bands and blazin' DJ's, we feel entirely safe from any legal recourse you might take in saying that. So come and see us, have a brew, and enjoy the shows.

Friday Fiasco brought to you by green potato ventures, Misprint Magazine, PartyEnds, and Raw Word Productions

Four on the Floor brought to you by ComplicateEverything.com and PartyEnds 

Posted by partyends at 08:23 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   In my time, I have loved me some Militia Group acts. If I have a few beers in me I will defend Brandston until I am red in the face.  Not so much anymore with the Lyndsay Diaries (now called Umbrellas) BTW).  Oh! And that dude the Rocket Summer’s mom used to be a co-worker with a guy I went to high school with's mom (ed. And I was in 2nd grade with him, weird - luther).

   Anyway- I digress.  The Militia Group is still alive and well and has all sorts of roster changes since I was one of a handful of people at their SXSW showcase a few years back.  The Appleseed Cast (sans amazing drummer Cobra) now calls this label home, along with Jill Cunniff from Luscious Jackson.  One band that stands out and is poised to get the next batch of Sunny Day Real Estate comparisons is Love Drug.

  Their sophomore full length Everything Starts Where it Ends is currently out and is as similar to the trajectory (guitar tone, wailing lyrics, and even a few angel allusions) that Jeremy Enigk was up to a decade ago before getting all side tracked with religion and the heavy heart that surely comes with spearheading a mall rock movement dubbed “emo.” The notable thing with Love Drug is how easily they could fall into the "nu mall rock/emo" pit of many of the bands that Luther and I set up this site with the verbal handshake of never mentioning. They could if they wanted to, and they do not.  It is nice to hear a band that is doing what they want to do so well and are not imitating the recent Spin cover boys and therefore vying for an opening spot on their next stadium tour. Love Drug, like all the Militia Group acts (God bless em', each and every one of them) is making the music that they want to make and selling it to people who aren’t necessarily buying into top 40 songs about sins, tragedies, scenes, or arms races.  

Check out this free MP3!   

MP3: Love Drug -DOOMSDAY AND THE ECHO

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Non-related Lost rant:

I liked last week’s Lost better when it was called Little Miss Sunshine.  My friend Will liked it better when it was called Up in Smoke and the bus was made out of weed.  Cheech Marin (or was it Chong?) was in both. (ed. It was Cheech - luther)

Posted by partyends at 09:33 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   If you have the chance, and your around Fort Worth tonight, it would probably be worth your time to go and check out the viewing of the 1979 cult classic the Warriors over at the Rahr & Sons Brewery on the South Side. I used to go to thier tastings / tours they did, and I'm sure still do,  which were a lot of fun for free and featured some permium free booze. There will also be complimentary beer tonight. Of course, they start doing this after I moved out the the apartment that was within spitting distance of thier fine brewery only months ago.

Posted by partyends at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by partyends at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

   Death, taxes and SXSW are all things that you can be sure of in life.  The first two being much less fun and less intoxicating than the later.  You can also be sure that this year you will be hearing about one Chris Rose in both the music and the film side of things. And not just from us, the Austin Chronicle has written a feature story about his contributions to the overall “scene” of Austin, the Austinist ran a great interview, even URB magazine gives props.  We at PartyEnds are as proud of Chris as Will Smith was when he saw his son present an Oscar with little miss sunshine. Chris will be warming up the showcase stage for “new rave” heartthrobs Crystal Castles as one half of Car Stereo (Wars).  The folks who are in town to see 30 movies a day and pray that they get into Grind House will also be exposed to one of Chris’ most recent music videos.

   Car Stereo (Wars) gained momentum on the finer blogs of the Internet for a highly praised mash up of local gods Ghostland Observatory and one of Shaolin's Finest- Ghostface Killah, aptly dubbed Ghostface Observatory.  The parties Car Stereo (Wars) throws around Austin are consistently the best times to be had and increasingly full of new people.  I guess that is what happens when you start to get popular. Previously two dudes behind turntables and laptops, the SXSW performance will feature CS(W)'s other half, Adreon Henry of Single Frame, playing along with the mashups and hawt jamz from behind a drum set and too many other guest appearances to spoil here, but the bottom line is:  eyebrows will raise at this performance.

   This Single Frame video, in the continued reading section, is for the Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) remix of the track People are Germs. With technology being what it is today- the video was shot incredibly DIY, incorporating live footage and a blue screen but thanks to Chris' talent, the final product looks amazing.  This is right in line with the work that all of the members Super! Alright! produce. The group is going places. If you are in town for SXSW you will no doubt want to get into their brand spanking new office space- because that, my friend, is where the party will be at. 

   It is no small feat to get into the SXSW festival, but Chris Rose is truly taking it by storm this year and kicking it’s ass in TWO categories.  Think back to 1999 when Will Smith was the star of the successful Wild Wild West- and had a corresponding chart topping single on his hit album Willennium.  It is like that.

   Chris Rose wouldn’t have himself compared to another Fresh Prince, nor should he.  Congratulations Chris. 

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The Music Video Screening Times

10:30 PM, Saturday March 10th - Dobie

11:30 AM, Saturday March 17th - Dobie

11PM WEDNESDAY March 14th, 2007-THE BEAUTY BAR (Inside) 

MP3: Car Stereo (Wars) – SXSW MIXTAPE PREVIEW!!!

Continue reading for more media from Chris Rose:

Riverboat Gamblers - Don't Bury Me... I'm Still Not Dead

Single Frame - People are Germs (Nick Zinner remix)