Tagged: southbysouthwest

A few weeks ago, I got an invite to go to David Draiman's house in Texas. He was going to provide food from the best barbecue joint in Austin. The catch? I had to listen to the new album from his new project, Device . Mmmm, barbecue. How bad could it be, right? Mmmm, barbecue. 'Mad' David Draiman. He's the singer from Disturbed. He made that weird monkey noise in rock club floor-filler, 'Stupify' . He's the guy with those [...]

• devicetheband - Device - Close My Eyes Forever feat Lzzy Hale
• devicetheband - Device - Penance

Savages have been a hot commodity for festival promotors this year, and with good reason. Though ten times more mature than any punk band that came from -well, anywhere ever- this all-grrl group wears their "Anarchy in the UK" lineage on their sleeves as they write decidedly garage-influenced 'indie' songs. I guess this is what comes after punk: mature songwriting, wildly contrasting dynamics, musicianship, and impeccable vocal control. So were you one that missed the gals at SXSW and Coachella? Don't sweat it. Recently our friends at The Creators Project hooked up [...]

Lana Del Rey's single for the star-studded soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" has arrived. The dramatic ballad is true to the "new-classic" persona Lizzy Grant has developed for herself over the last couple of years, complete with subdued keys, suspended cymbals, and cinematic strings beneath her signature drone, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?" Thus far the reaction to her aching wonderment has been positive, and with the track being nestled between originals from Beyonce, Florence + The Machine, Jay-Z, and The xx on the upcoming release, it's safe to all [...]

• Lana Del Rey - Young & Beautiful

If Beck-era "Sea Change" was actually written by Kevin Devine while he was high as hell and listening to a lot of Fiona Apple, he may've been Danny Malone. The Austin singer-songwriter just dropped the video for new single "Spiderlegs," a '90s-inspired piece showing Danny in his element -a barn where he actually resides and hosts a lot of shows- with just about everything a man would ever need: women, drinks, drugs, and a guitar. The low-lit scenes of Danny and his arm candy cutting lines and sipping from the bottle, kissed with jerky stop-motion and blurred out shots [...]

The fact is, "Thrift Shop" is a shitty song. But, like most shitty songs, the chorus to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's breakout hit is a huge earworm; that shit will get stuck in your head for days. Unfortunately for 23-year-old Samantha Malson's boyfriend, Lars Hansen, his victimhood didn't stop at the infectious song's occupation of his brain. According to The Smoking Gun , the intoxicated Colorado couple's initial disagreement on Saturday stemmed from Lars, who was celebrating his 26th birthday, consuming "all of the alcohol in the house." Things escalated around Lars-The-Booze-Hound's 25th round of an a [...]

Look, I love this band. Don't mistake this brief commentary for hate, but there's NO way this video, which debuted 3 days ago, could possibly have reached a legitimate 1.5MM views in that amount of time. It's no secret that labels have historically leveraged their massive budgets in not-so-kosher ways, and in 2013 buying YouTube views is the legal equivalent of payola. Whatever, I guess it's not quite as bad as paying "actors" to stand in front of a stage and pretend they like the band just to entice others. Or is it? Anyway, [...]

MS MR rules. I don't know what they're doing in their videos half the time, but I do know this: the shit is visually appealing. There's so much going on with these guys all the time, lush sounds, beautiful people (mostly just Lizzie and Max), bright colors; what more could you ask for? The featured song, "Hurricane", is the sugar of the group's EP "Candy Bar Creepshow". The duo's full length "Second Hand Rapture" is out May 14th. Follow @godsaveus

Oakland's been under some fire lately. With the city's hip hop namesake in 2012 being Kreayshawn and Chippy Nonstop, the future wasn't looking very bright for the metro that previously birthed Mac Dre and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. In fact, the last time things looked this bleak, MC Hammer ruled the radio. Finally, something not totally imbecilic has dropped that can -and should- redeem Oakland's reputation and attitude overall. With an undeniable 902s edge to her whole vibe, Glam seems to model her confidence after Missy Elliott but backs it up with a femininity more [...]

Wesley Eisold is the magnetic writer and brain behind the fanatic-inspiring underground darlings Cold Cave, and the frontman for seminal Boston hardcore band American Nightmare. Not much needs to be said to introduce Wes, a man whose words are so poised and carefully chosen. Recently, as Cold Cave became a free agent, he began releasing a series of 73 singles. Today we are discussing "Oceans With No End", among other things. I read in one of your latest interviews with My Socialist.com that you're "in a good place for the first time in [...]

The final Rock it Out! Blog interview from South By Southwest comes features rising NYC rock band SKATERS .  Singer Michael Ian Cummings and drummer Noah Rubin talk to us about why the band signed to major label as opposed to an indie, their thoughts on people comparing their music to The Strokes, what they'll be releasing on Record Store Day, and why a tattoo artist in Austin, TX wouldn't let them get any ink done. Make sure to follow Rock it Out! Blog on  Twitter  and  Facebook , and subscribe to its  YouTube channel [...]

In a back alley in Austin, TX during South By Southwest, Sami of the Rock it Out! Blog caught up with Amalie and Brian of rising Brooklyn rockers Ex-Cops . We covered a number of topics, including what it takes to put on a great live show, what the band has planned for 2013, and why they dislike a certain Chicago sound guy. Keep an eye out for more interviews from SXSW. Also, make sure to follow Rock it Out! Blog on  Twitter  and  Facebook , and subscribe to its  YouTube channel . [...]

Octaves assembled this documentary-style piece of their standard day-to-day for those who weren't able to attend the festival this year, or specifically the highly successful Bridge 9 Records showcase at Elysium, and anyone who wonders what it's like to be a slave to the craft of aggressive music. With their DIY roots in mind, the band kept production in-house: Tony Savero, Octaves' bassist, along with friend George Foskaris, filmed and edited a number of live performances from their Austin trip and combined the footage with candid segments of the band on the road over the month of March. [...]

Rock it Out! Blog' s series of interviews from South By Southwest continues with a conversation between host Sami Jarroush and singer-songwriter and Raconteurs member Brendan Benson . The two discussed Benson's record label and upcoming plans for the remainder of 2013, his impressions of SXSW, and why guys with beards live longer lives. Keep an eye out for more interviews from SXSW. Also, make sure to follow Rock it Out! Blog on  Twitter  and  Facebook , and subscribe to its  YouTube channel .

We're at the mercy of modern technology for this episode of the Thrash Hits Podcast - Raz has decamped to the USA for a few weeks for SXSW and some California sunshine, leaving the rest of us here in miserable old England. With possibly the dodgiest Skype connection imaginable, Hugh and Raz discuss how SXSW has changed over the years, as well as speculating on how two very different kinds of hype affect bands - that currently being felt by Ghost (or Ghost BC, if you're an American) and the kind that surrounds Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats. [...]

During South by Southwest, the Rock it Out! Blog caught up with members of the rising UK garage rock band Palma Violets . But rather than have them sit down for a "normal" interview, we handed the UK lads a microphone and let them interview each other. Among the topic covered: the band's formation, their favorite colors,  where they think Glastonbury stacks up against American music festivals, and their thoughts on the singer of Lostprophets being charged with child sex offenses. Watch it all below. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for [...]

Another year, another SXSW. No trip in the deep south post festival this year. Honestly, I don't even know how we survived a one week road trip after South By last year. We are definitely getting old. Having had some time to reflect, the four of us came up with some of our moments in Austin, Texas. Favorite SXSW Moment Gary : When the big guy at Lianne la havas' concert shouted out: I'm not too old for you! Derek [...]

A quick video diary of our time at the the SXSW festival 2013, featuring Cheetahs, Paws, Thee Oh Sees, Sky Ferreira, Youth Lagoon & Mac Demarco.

There’s more to a music venue than what you see on stage, which is why the  Rock it Out! Blog  takes you behind the scenes of the best independent music venues from around the country in a new video series called RiO!Backstage. On this installment, we head to Austin, TX aka the "Live Music Capital of the World" to give you a behind the scenes look at one of the city's favorite venues, The Parish.  Housing two stages, The Parish has been known to accommodate some of the biggest touring bands in the country and is one of [...]

Following their incredible set at the CoSigns II party at SXSW, the Rock it Out! Blog caught up Hutch Harris, frontman of The Thermals . The two discussed the election of a new Pope (!), the band's new album, Desperate Ground , and their plans for the remainder of 2013, and whether SXSW is actually a good place for bands to get exposure. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for more interviews from SXSW. Also, make sure to follow Rock it Out! Blog on  Twitter [...]

If you recall,  Depeche Mode  was one of a hundred veterans that stormed Austin's South by Southwest a couple weeks back. The English electronic veterans performed their very first showcase on Friday, March 15th at the very intimate, 800-capacity Brazos Hall. Now, the full set's available to watch, courtesy of Yahoo! Music . The 50-minute performance included several cuts off their new album,  Delta Machine , specifically “Angel”, “Should Be Higher”, “Soft Touch”, and “Soothe My Soul”, in addition to past favorites like “Personal Jesus”, "Walk In My Shoes", and “Enjoy the Silence”. Stream [...]