This is a pretty jam packed weekend, which is surprising given the proximity of SXSW. From the unveiling of a new video by the recently rechristened Messages to a fun block party to a super producer’s super birthday, there’s plenty to keep you energized.
Friday
It’s early yet but Messages (formerly Mighty Mountain) have already had a busy year, what with the name change and the production of a video for their new track “Sunshine” (which we premiered here). But they’re not resting on their laurels just yet, instead they’re unveiling the “Sunshine” video tonight at Lambert’s. Messages were kind enough to give us an early glimpse at the video, and I can tell you it’s probably going to make a few of you in the audience tear up, but in a good way. Mighty Mountain were already one of Austin’s most ambitious indie pop band, with a sound that mixed together elements of the Pogues, Arcade Fire and the Dears, but their transformation into Messages appears to have only made them bigger and bolder. Expect this show to be a preview of Messages’ exciting future in 2015.
Saturday
On Saturday, 2nd Street Soundcheck is going down, providing a nice, free event with some big headliners, all benefiting Austin Music Foundation. We’re especially excited to see Riders Against the Storm and Magna Carda on the line-up, giving 2nd Street a double dose of fantastic Austin hip hop. Magna Carda actually had us out to their practice last night for a project we’re working on, and I can tell you that this performance will show the band in peak form, expanding on the ambitious sounds of Like It Is and emphasizing the funkier end of their dynamic. The Digital Wild and Latasha Lee & the Blackties will also be bringing some dynamite excitement to the event, so you can count on this street party turning into a massive dance floor.
Sunday
This is seriously the only image anyone has put up for this show
For once one of the most exciting events of the week falls on a Sunday. Make that one of the most exciting events of the year, actually. It’s super producer Mike McCarthy’s birthday and some of his superstar friends have gotten together to throw him a birthday party as a Celebration of the Wizard. If the lure of seeing a supergroup comprised of members of Trail of Dead, Spoon and A Giant Dog wasn’t enough to win you over, Feral Future announced that this show will be the debut of their new drummer Rachel Guys of Black Gum and Tom Grrrl. For whatever reason, if you want to get into the show at the Continental Club’s C-Boy’s Heart & Soul, you’ll need to go through this eyesore of a geocities aping ticketing page. Well worth the effort, though!
Morgan Davis sells bootleg queso on the streets of Austin in order to fund Loser City, the multimedia collective he co-runs. When he isn’t doing that, he plays drums for Denise and gets complimented and/or threatened by Austin’s musical community for stuff he writes at Ovrld, which he is the Managing Editor of.