Folk Family Revival

http://www.facebook.com/folkfamilyrevival

Oh goodness, it has been a LONG past two weeks. Spring Break kicked my butt, and I'm pretty sure I came away from it more tired than when I went in, and then this past weekend I spend in Dallas going against hordes of teens to see One Direction. So I am SO sorry that BTNLT has been kind of dead. But you can thank our good friend Jeremy Burchard (You know, the one from Moonlight Social that always manages to keep popping up in my posts?) for my "revival!" (Am I funny yet?)

Based out of Magnolia, TX, Folk Family Revival sounds like you'd imagine they would from their name. At least, that's what you could say if it wouldn't be such a dastardly understatement. You see, sure, they fit the bill as folk. You can get that just by looking at a picture of them. But it is some of the cleanest, best sounding folk I have found in a long time. This is the type of band that you would see opening for Mumford & Sons, The Head and the Heart, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers and Ray LaMontagne and while you may have gone in never having heard them, you'd leave knowing that you'd look them up as soon as you got home.

The band consists of three brothers and their friend (who they met after sticking up for him during a fight that went down at church. I just find that absolutely adorable) but according to their bio on Facebook, they consider themselves a "band made up of four brothers." Lead vocalist Mason Lankford brings a voice that has the perfect amount of country tinge to it, giving their folk that slight edge that many folk bands are missing. His brothers Barrett and Lincoln both take up bass and drums respectively, and push along the music wonderfully. (In fact, as I type this, their song "Mountains" is playing and I legitimately feel like I need to be stomping my foot on the wooden floor of a country bar.) Of course, I am NOT leaving Caleb Pace, honorary Lankford brother, out of the mix. Without his electric guitar, lap-steel and mandolin skills, this band wouldn't have as much energy. And I mean, what's a folk band without a little mandolin, right?

With all that being said, their debut release 'Unfolding' was released last July, so I am quite late to this family, which I am very sad about actually. But note, though I am late, I am here to stay.

Are you ready to "Join The Family?" Because you should be.

Go Download: I am absolutely in love with the song "Dream All Night" so if you can only afford ONE song, that should be the one you get. But if you can afford the $9.99, you NEED to buy their album from iTunes.



This song comes in a CLOSE second as my favorite.

SXSW Day Three & Four

Ed Sheeran
Aside from holding the title of My Favorite Ginger, Ed Sheeran is also one of my favorite indie discoveries of my life (and of this blog). What makes him great isn't just his voice, but his lyricism as well as his flow. That's right. His flow, because believe it or not, the guy can rap something fierce. Don't believe me? Check out his live version of "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" sometime. Live, the song is like 15 minutes long and features freestyle and a mean cover of "In Da Club." Of course, many of his songs are much longer when played live because he adds just so many more elements to them ("Give Me Love," my personal favorite, tends to clock in at around 10 minutes long). And you wanna know what is MOST impressive about Mr. Sheeran? The fact that he does it all on his own. Yeah, that's right. When he performs it's him, his guitar and a loop pedal.

Catch them again: Ed Sheeran performs at 9:15 PM at Austin City Music Hall on March 17.




(Credit to bopit101)


Go Radio
If you're like me, your favorite part about Mayday Parade was the huskier voice of Jason Lancaster. Which means that when he left, you were kind of heartbroken. Don't worry, I understand you. Luckily, Lancaster couldn't stay away from the music business and started his own band, Go Radio. I knew Go Radio before speaking with them and getting to enjoy a little acoustic set from them on their tour bus, but I didn't know enough to know that they were some really cool dudes. Not only that, but Jason's voice is just so raw and powerful and it just has that edge to give you goosebumps. That being said, their full band performances do not disappoint as all the boys just have such a great presence and great chemistry together. If you just wanna have a good time and really get into the music, these guys are the ones for you.

Catch them again: Unfortunately, they only had one SXSW showcase. Catch them on The Lucky Street Tour instead :)




(Check out the original post on Rock Edition)


Breathe Carolina 
I knew the name Breathe Carolina before seeing them at the Fearless Records Showcase, but if we're being honest, I had never listened to them aside from when I played their songs on Tap Tap. So I wasn't sure what to expect out of them when I saw them. But knowing their style, I should have known that things would have turned into the massive dance party that they ended up being. There were lights. There was smoke. They managed to get the crowd moving in a way I haven't seen a band do in quite a long time. Seriously. And they had just stepped off a plane and gotten there a few hours beforehand. Also, surprisingly enough, I knew a lot more songs than I knew I knew. That all being said, if there is any band that I have ever seen that is going to make you dance, and not even care if you look a damn fool, this is that band.

Catch them again: They are one of the headliners for the AP showcase on March 17.




The Used
Now The Used is NOT a new band. Not anywhere close to being an old band. In fact, I remember buying their second album in 8th grade. You read that right. EIGHTH GRADE. And that was their second album. So yeah, they've been around for awhile. Of course, that is in no way to diminish the fact that they are wonderful and deserve any and all attention they get. With that being said, the performance I got to see by them was not an ordinary performance. I was lucky enough to witness their acoustic set during the AP showcase and it was stunning. Never before have I been so sweaty and sore after an acoustic show, but that's exactly what happened. (I had sweated so much in fact that my shirt I was wearing was still wet two days after setting it out to dry.) You see, even while performing their songs acoustic, Bert McCracken and Quinn Allman still commanded the crowd's undivided attention. Now, imagine if had been the full band going full out. All the more reason to see them!

Catch them again: Unfortunately their AP showcase set was their last one at SXSW, but catch them on Warped Tour!

SXSW Day One & Two

Foxy Shazam
Bands that Need Love Too alum Foxy Shazam was the first band I got to enjoy during this years SXSW. What many people don't know about Foxy Shazam is that they are one of the most intense musical performances you will ever have the fortune of seeing. With their exuberant personalities and in your face music, they take the audience on a wild ride that only ever slows down once the band has left the stage. And even then they don't ease you into and ending. Oh no, they come to an earth shattering, spine tingling, halt that leaves you confused as to what you've just seen, but craving so much more. While one can get a sense of the band's performances through live video on youtube, nothing will compare to seeing them live, and experience I suggest everyone has at least once, whether you are a fan of their music or not. (Though, I am convinced that if you aren't a fan before seeing them live, you might be as soon as you have.)


Catch them again: Foxy performs again at 12 AM on  March 15 at Latitude 30.



Charlie Simpson
Another act previously featured on BTNLT is the one and only Charlie Simpson. As I've mentioned before, I have had a love for this man for some time now (dating back to the early high school days to be exact) and that hasn't changed one bit. In fact, I may love him more than ever now. I was lucky enough to get to sit down with the Englishman in between his numerous shows to talk all the different genres he's played, his latest music video and the prospects of a US tour. If his music, a nice folky style, doesn't sell you on him, maybe his wonderful accent will ;) That, and the fact that he's one of the nicest guys I think I've ever had the fortune of meeting.

Catch them again: Charlie performs again at 12 AM on March 16 at Deseo Centro Lounge.




(Of course, if you wanted to check it out on Rock Edition, you can do that HERE)

SPEAK
Austin natives SPEAK are no strangers to SXSW, nor are they strangers to this blog. That being said, the boys have been keeping busy, making a pit stop on tour to play several unofficial and official South By showcases. With their eclectic sound, most oftentimes referred to as indie electro-pop, it's no wonder they are so popular with the Austin scene. Margaret Moser herself stated that she believed the band to be at the forefront of the new sound coming out of Austin, and just one listen to them live can attest to that, though the band is much more humble about it with singer Troupe Gammage stating "...I wouldn't say we're necessarily in the forefront of that sound, but we're certainly part of the vanguard..." during our interview. (Say what you will boys, but I'm gonna have to agree with Ms. Moser on this one.) That all being said, SPEAK puts on an infectious performance that will get you moving, or at least get your head bobbing, you know, for those kids that think it's cool to not move at shows.

Read our full interview HERE


Catch them again: SPEAK performs again at 12 AM on March 16 at Maggie Mae's Gibson Room.


(Video from SPEAK's official Youtube channel)

BLACK TAXI
Let's be honest for a second, I didn't know anything about BLACK TAXI when I interviewed them. I just knew their name, the fact that they were from New York and I knew that they had some pretty odd album artwork. What I didn't know was that the band was set to play eight shows during their stay in Austin, a feat that is astounding giving the pulse pounding performance they give. Covering a span of genres between dance, rock and party punk, this band is guaranteed to get you on your feet. Singer Ezra Huleatt has such an enormous stage presence that he has been compared to the likes of Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger, acts that are very hard to live up to. With that in mind, if you're looking for a good time, this is the band for you. That, and they were pleasant people to chat with, something we (and by we, I mean me) take quite seriously at BTNLT.

Catch them again: BLACK TAXI performs again at 10 PM on March 15 at Hotel Vegas.




(Check out the original post on Rock Edition)

Twin Atlantic
Anyone and everyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for accents. Now that we've got that out of the way, it's imperative to  inform you that I fell in love with Twin Atlantic a few months ago when I saw them on tour with You Me At Six, The Swellers and We Are The Ocean. They blew me away and what I think is best about this band is that when Sam McTrusty sings, he does NOT lose his accent. That, and he sounds exactly the same on album as he does in real life, sign of a good singer. Of course, McTrusty isn't the only piece of the band that makes it great. The musicality is spot on, and their drummer reminds me of Animal from The Muppets. If you're lookin for some good ol' fashioned, "honest" rock 'n roll (as Sam put it in our interview), look no further than these guys. And if you aren't lookin for that? I highly suggest listening to them anyway.

Read the full interview HERE

Catch them again: Twin Atlantic performs at 11 PM at Latitude 30 on March 15.

Candy Hearts Acoustic Session & Interview

Yep you guys, I have another interview for ya!

This one is on video and is accompanied by some acoustic performances!

Check it out on Rock Edition!

Carney

http://www.facebook.com/carneytheband

How might most people know Carney? Through Reeve Carney AKA Spider Man. Not movie Spider Man, but broadway Spider Man. I fall into the category of finding out about Carney via Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Of course, I didn't actually listen to them until my dearest Siri mentioned how much she loved Reeve Carney so I checked them out and we've kind of had an ongoing appreciation for them ever since.

What do I like most about Carney?

Their music isn't just rock, but a return to that dirty, bluesy, hear-it-in-a-smokey-jazz-bar sort of rock. It's very '90s. And lord knows I love me some '90s rock. ('90s anything really.)

Also, I like them best live. I'm pretty convinced that if you haven't listened to their 'Live at Molly Malone's' album, you are SERIOUSLY missing out. Reeve's voice is just so raw and earnest and I can't help but feel that he could tell me anything through singing and I'd probably believe him.

And, I'd like to point out that their video for "Love Me Chase Me" is DAMN sexy. As is their live cover of "I Want You." Both will be posted below and you can tell me if you agree with my assessment.

I also think it's awesome that his brother, Zane, is in the band with him. I just love brotherly love and I think it's the cutest thing ever when siblings like each other enough to do stuff like a band together.

I'm not too sure, so don't quote me, but I'm pretty sure that the band is currently not doing as much because of Reeve being on broadway, but if I were you, I'd keep my eye on them for when they do take to touring again. I know I will.

Go Download: Live at Molly Malone's on iTunes!!! But if you only want one song, I'd check out "Think of You," either live or recorded. It's gorgeous no matter what.