Austin was chock-full of great music this year, but these badass groups distinguished themselves with unique style and infectious energy.
Prior to the first South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) in 1987, Austin was more or less just a bigger Texas town whose honky-tonks were like those in the rest of the Lone Star State—full of bands playing 12-bar blues, ZZ Top-style rock, and various country tunes of the day. Twenty-eight years on, it’s doubled in size and is touted as “The Live Music Capital of the World.” SXSW has no doubt been a big part of that growth. Each year it welcomes more than 50,000 attendees, 2,000+ musical acts from scores of countries, and over $300 million in revenue, making it Austin’s highest revenue-producing event. When the music portion of the festival is in full swing, as it was March 17–22, at any time of day you can walk through and find bands performing in hotels, warehouses, parks, museums, or posh theaters.
Although the unity and collaborative spirit amongst musicians and like-minded sponsors and audiences make SXSW an utterly unforgettable experience, if I had to describe the six music-filled days in three words, they’d be: expensive, exhausting, and invigorating. And that holds true whether you’re an attendee or one of the musicians playing the festival. To get on the bill, you and your band need to have either already created quite a buzz in the industry—in which case you’ll play a few sold-out gigs—or be like most of the official SXSW bands and perform two or three times a day for either $250 ($100 for solo acts) or a free pass to the rest of the event. Those in the latter camp go through a rigorous audition process and, if accepted, must pay their own way there—including travel, accommodations, and gear storage and handling. Total SXSW band expenditures tend to range from a few thousand dollars up to 10 grand. But for those who make the trek on their own dime, it’s all worth it for the small hope of being the next big SXSW discovery.
This year, most media outlets were in a frenzy over the performances of established bands such as Spoon, the Damned, Courtney Barnett, and Angel Olsen—for very good reason, of course—but we had our eye on up-and-coming acts. It was tough to narrow down our picks, but we’re confident the five bands here are ones to watch in the coming weeks, months, and years. They weren’t just mind-blowingly amazing in their energetic performances—they were distinct in musicianship, tone, and execution.
The Ghost Wolves
Before I could see who was onstage at Cheer Up Charlie's on March 18, I was sure I’d find a drummer flanked by at least two or three guitarists plugged into an assortment of distortion pedals and raging amps. But after pushing my way through the crowded room I found only guitarist/singer Carley “Carazy” Wolf and her husband, drummer/vocalist Jonathan “Little Hammer” Wolf. Wearing a white leather vest, white patent-leather pants, and white cowgirl boots that contrasted with Jonathan’s all-black Western attire, Carley kicked her legs in the air, threw herself on the ground, and used her vintage Harmony Silhouette H19 and blaring amp stacks (two Music Man HD-130s driving 2x15 and 4x12 cabs) to produce some of the most corpulent, room-filling distortion I’ve ever heard. In fact, the Ghost Wolves revived my confidence in two-piece bands. Even when she switched to a ’60s Teisco with just one string, Carley maintained a heavy low end that perfectly complemented Jonathan’s vehement pounding. Although the Austin-based duo is still fairly new and has a couple of structural things to tighten up, in my book the Ghost Wolves win the award for most badass, face-melting tone.YouTube It
Mother Falcon
Comprised of as many as 20 musicians onstage at one time, Mother Falcon has been taking over the Austin scene for the last few years. I’d seen them perform before but––to be frank––they never quite blew me away until I heard them in a quiet room at St. David’s Episcopal Church. Maybe it was the feeling of entering a sanctuary away from the franticness of 6th Street. Maybe it was the pleasant acoustics of the wood-paneled walls. Whatever it was, Mother Falcon swooned me with its haunting mixture of pop vocal melodies mingled with brass and woodwind instruments, a string section (cello, viola, violin, and double bass), acoustic and electric guitars and bass guitars, drums, keyboard, accordions, and lap-steel. What’s remarkable about all this is how it adds up to an elegant conversation rather than a conglomeration of melodies.Led by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Nick Gregg (who often plays an Alvarez flattop), guitarist Claire Puckett (who primarily plays a single-cut nylon-string and a 12-string dreadnought), and accordionist/pianist Tamir Kalifa, Mother Falcon is banded by hints of eeriness, extreme dynamic changes, and an undertone of bubbly guitar riffs. One of my favorite things about the performance was simply witnessing how so many musicians worked together to deliver a cohesive and cinematically powerful sound.
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Bomba Estéreo
Founded in Bogotá in 2005, Bomba Estéreo likely has the biggest international following of any band on this list, and their 2015 SXSW performance definitely deserves mention. The compositions created by vocalist Liliana Saumet, guitarist Julián Salazar, bassist Simón Mejía, and their new drummer and percussionist (names were unavailable at press time) reverberate throughout your entire body. Song topics range from political to personal, and all are complemented by energetic beats, soulful bass melodies, and mesmerizing visuals.Even at 1 o’clock in the morning, fans bounced into each other, screaming and singing along with Saumet while the rest of the band grooved on its mélange of cumbia, electronic, and pop sounds. The band fed off the crowd’s energy, giving all they had right back to us. Quiet waves of intimacy would then fill the venue before things built back up to another adrenaline-fueled crescendo. Salazar, who primarily plays a Tele or Mustang through clean-toned Fender Twin or Super-Sonic combos, provides much of the band’s cumbia influence, but his deft use of delay-soaked arpeggios adds a modern feel to the soundscape. Meanwhile, Mejía provides effortlessly solid, melodic bass lines while triggering a multitude of audio samples. If I could, I would see Bomba Estéreo a million times over.
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La Luz
Over the past few years there’s been a resurgence of West Coast bands influenced by 1960s garage and surf rock a la Dick Dale and the Beach Boys. Bands like Shannon and the Clams, and Guantanamo Baywatch, but at the top of that list is La Luz––a Seattle-based quartet featuring guitarist/vocalist Shana Cleveland, bassist Lena Simon, keyboardist Alice Sandahl, and drummer Marian Li Pino. I caught La Luz’s SXSW performance on a depressingly rainy Saturday afternoon on the outside stage of the Panache showcase at Spider House Café & Ballroom, but the gloomy weather didn’t affect the band or the audience. Excited listeners crowded around the stage, smiling and dancing the entire show.La Luz grabbed the attention of passersby, too, with a captivating blend of graceful, period-correct harmonies, haunting keys, and, of course, incisive solos awash in twangy spring reverb. But the band’s influences seem to span a range of genres beyond the surf and garage labels––from doo-wop to straight-up pop. Cleveland’s Strat-and-Princeton riffs were alternatingly raucous and tender, Simon’s Hofner-through-Ampeg bass lines were simultaneously solid and sinewy, and both had fun with their bandmates by doing little choreographed dances, laughing at each other, and making jokes we all wished we were a part of—and yet there wasn’t one thing sloppy about this amazing show.
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Hikes
Twenty-three-year-old Nathan James Wilkins has been leading and producing heavy hitters under the moniker Hikes for as long as he’s been playing guitar—a whopping four years. Initially a drummer in the Fayetteville hardcore scene, Wilkins has turned into an incredibly innovative math-rock guitarist. His techniques range from standard barre chords to tapping, complex fingerpicking, and creative harmonic use in open tunings. Wilkins, who favors Tele-style guitars, is the kind of player whose jaw-dropping intricacies make you wonder whether he’s a prodigy or just extremely dedicated. Of course it’s not just Wilkins who powers Hikes. Co-guitarist Will Kauber (who often plays a Fender Bullet Deluxe, as well as a Jazzmaster), bassist Colin Jenkins (who prefers Fender Jaguar and Danelectro basses), and drummer Chris Long bring the same intense energy that resonates so well with audiences.As I entered Javelina––a small Austin bar that’s become quite a hot spot––on the last night of SXSW, I encountered a crowd of sweaty headbangers singing along to Hikes. Many seemed like they were ready to jump onstage at any moment. For much of the show I was completely transfixed by the effortlessness of Wilkins’ playing up and down the neck, so to be honest, it wasn’t until the final moments of the set that I began to realize how intricate the rest of the band members’ playing was, too. Like a game of Tetris or a 1,000-piece puzzle, Hikes is engaging and challenging, yet often quite subtle in its nuance.
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Day 4 of Stompboxtober brings a chance to win a pedal from TWA: The Chemical-Z! Don’t miss out—enter now and return tomorrow for more!
TWA CHEMICAL-Z
Roy Z signature overdrive pedal designed by TubeScreamer creator Susumu Tamura. Inspired by Maxon OD808, OD808X, and APEX808 circuits, Chemical-Z features the "Magic" IC used in APEX808 for less compression & more even frequency response than a standard 808. Increased output level. Two footswitch-selectable clipping modes - normal & hot.
Fuchs Audio introduces the ODH Hybrid amp, featuring a True High Voltage all-tube preamp and Ice Power module for high-powered tones in a compact size. With D-Style overdrive, Spin reverb, and versatile controls, the ODH offers exceptional tone shaping and flexibility at an affordable price point.
Fuchs Audio has introduced their latest amp the ODH © Hybrid. Assembled in USA.
Featuring an ODS-style all-tube preamp, operating at True High Voltage into a fan-cooled Ice power module, the ODH brings high-powered clean and overdrive tones to an extremely compact size and a truly affordable price point.
Like the Fuchs ODS amps, the ODH clean preamp features 3-position brite switch, amid-boost switch, an EQ switch, high, mid and low controls. The clean preamp drives theoverdrive section in D-Style fashion. The OD channel has an input gain and outputmaster with an overdrive tone control. This ensures perfect tuning of both the clean andoverdrive channels. A unique tube limiter circuit controls the Ice Power module input.Any signal clipping is (intentionally) non-linear so it responds just like a real tube amp.
The ODH includes a two-way footswitch for channels and gain boost. A 30-second mute timer ensures the tubes are warmed up before the power amp goes live. The ODH features our lush and warm Spin reverb. A subsonic filter eliminates out-of-band low frequencies which would normally waste amplifier power, which assures tons of clean headroom. The amp also features Accent and Depth controls, allowing contouring of the high and low response of the power amp section, to match speakers, cabinets andenvironments. The ODH features a front panel fully buffered series effects loop and aline out jack, allowing for home recording or feeding a slave amp. A three-position muteswitch mutes the amp, the line out or mute neither.
Built on the same solid steel chassis platform as the Fuchs FB series bass amps, the amps feature a steel chassis and aluminum front and rear panels, Alpha potentiometers, ceramic tube sockets, high-grade circuit boards and Neutrik jacks. The ICE power amp is 150 watts into 8 ohms and 300 watts into 4 ohms, and nearly 500 watts into 2.65 ohms (4 and8 ohms in parallel) and operates on universal AC voltage, so it’s fully globallycompatible. The chassis is fan-cooled to ensure hours of cool operation under any circumstances. The all-tube preamp uses dual-selected 12AX7 tubes and a 6AL5 limiter tube.
MAP: $ 1,299
For more information, please visit fuchsaudiotechnology.com.
Jackson Guitars announces its first female signature artist model, the Pro Series Signature Diamond Rowe guitar.
“I‘m so excited about this new venture with the Jackson family. This is a historic collaboration - as I am the first female in the history of Jackson with a signature guitar and the first female African American signature Jackson artist. I feel so honored to have now joined such an elite group of players that are a part of this club. Many who have inspired me along this journey to get here. It’s truly humbling.” says Diamond.
Diamond Rowe is the co-founder and lead guitarist for the metal/hard rock band Tetrarch. Since co-founding the band in high school, Tetrarch has become one of the most talked about up-and-coming bands in the world - with several press outlets such as Metal Hammer, Kerrang, Revolver, Guitar World and many others boldly naming Diamond Rowe the world’s next guitar hero. Tetrarch has connected with many fans while performing on some of the world's biggest stages garnering spots alongside several of the heavy music world’s biggest names such as Guns N’ Roses, Slipknot, Lamb of God, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Sevendust, Rob Zombie, Trivium, and many many others. The Jackson Pro Series Signature Diamond Rowe DR12MG EVTN6 is based on Jackson’s single-cut Monarkh platform and is a premium guitar designed for progressive metal players seeking precision and accuracy.
Crafted in partnership with Diamond, this model boasts a 25.5 “ scale, Monarkh-styled nyatoh body draped with a gorgeous poplar burl top, three-piece nyatoh set-neck with graphite reinforcement, and 12˝ radius bound ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets. The black chrome-covered active EMG® 81/85 humbucking bridge and neck pickups, three-way toggle switch, single volume control, and tone control provide a range of tonal options. The Evertune® bridge ensures excellent tuning stability, while the Dark Rose finish with a new custom 3+3 color-matched Jackson headstock and black hardware looks simply stunning.
To showcase the Pro Plus Signature Diamond Rowe DR12MG EVTN6, Diamond shares her journey as a guitarist, delving into the inspiration behind her unique design specifications and the influential artists who shaped her sound within a captivating demo video. This video prominently features powerful performances of Tetrarch’s latest release, “Live Not Fantasize,” and “I’m Not Right” showcasing the DR12MG EVTN6’s unparalleled tonal versatility and performance capabilities.
MSRP $1699.99
For more information, please visit jacksonguitars.com.
Tetrarch's Diamond Rowe Unveils Her New Signature Pro Series DR12MG EVTN6 | Jackson Guitars - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.Jackson Pro Series Signature Diamond Rowe Electric Guitar - Dark Rose
Signature Diamond Rowe, Dark RoseCort Guitars introduces the GB-Fusion Bass Series, featuring innovative design and affordable pricing.
Cort Guitars have long been synonymous with creating instruments that are innovative yet affordably priced. Cort has done it again with the GB-Fusion Bass series. The GB-Fusion builds upon Cort’s illustrious GB-Modern series and infuses it with its own distinctive style and sound.
It starts with the J-style bass design. The GB-Fusion features a solid alder body – the most balanced of all the tonewoods – providing a fantastic balance of low, mid, and high frequencies. The visually stunning Spalted maple top extends the dynamic range of the bass. A see-through pickguard allows for its spalted beauty to show through. The four-string version of the GB-Fusion is lacquered in a supreme Blue Burst stained finish to show off its natural wood grain. The five-string version features a classic Antique Brown Burst stained finish. A bolt-on Hard maple neck allows for a punchier mid-range. An Indian rosewood fretboard with white dot inlays adorns the 4-string Blue Burst version of the GB-Fusion with an overall width of 1 ½” (38mm) at the nut, while the GB-Fusion 5 Antique Brown Burst features a Birdseye Maple fretboard with black dot inlays and an overall width of 1 7/8” (47.6mm) at the nut. Both come with glow in the dark side dot position markers to help musicians see their fretboard in the dark. The headstock features Hipshot® Ultralite Tuners in classic 20:1 ratio. They are cast of zinc with aluminum string posts making them 30% lighter than regular tuners providing better balance and tuning accuracy.
Cort’s brand-new Voiced Tone VTB-ST pickups are the perfect J-style single coil with clear and robust bass sounds and classic warmth. The GB-Fusion comes with a 9-volt battery-powered active preamp to dial in the sound. With push/pull volume, blend knob, and 3-band active electronics, players can access a wide array of tones. The MetalCraft M Bridge is a solid, high-mass bridge. It provides better tone transfer and makes string changes easy. Strings can be loaded through the body or from the top giving players their choice of best string tension. The MetalCraft M4 for 4-string has a string spacing of 19mm (0.748”) while the MetalCraft M5 is 18mm (0.708”). Speaking of strings, D’Addario® EXL 165 strings complete the GB-Fusion 4. D’Addario EXL 170-5SL strings complete the GB-Fusion 5.
Cort Guitars prides itself on creating inventive instruments musicians love to play. The GB-Fusion Bass Series is the latest and greatest for musicians looking for a stellar bass guitar that is not only economical, but has the reliable robust sound needed to hold up the back end in any playing situation.
GB-Fusion 4 Street Price: $699.99
GB-Fusion 5 Street Price: $849.99
For more information, please visit cortguitars.com.