RedGorilla Music’s Emcee

"Dick In My Hand" Guy Outside Paradise

This guy was standing outside Paradise singing a song I couldn’t help but laugh at.  The lyric was, “I spend monday, with my dick in my hand/tuesday, with my dick in my hand/wednesday, with my dick in my hand…”  I’m sure you can guess the rest.  Keep Austin Weird Right?!

Event Coordinator Kelly Shows Off Irish Pride

St. Patty’s Day is always a blast, and it was even better this year because we got to celebrate RedGorilla at the same time!  

Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, hosted a pillow fight on 6th Street Wednesday.  No pedestrians were harmed.

Feathers flew and pillow fighters took out their anger and aggression in a safe and fun way.

One of our many RedGorilla artists rocking out at Darwin’s Pub.

Assistant Event Coordinator and head of Artist Relations, Mare, and Market Researcher, Whitney show some love to Vitamin Water for their generous donation to the festival.  Especially during all those hot days, we really appreciated it and all our bands did too!

The Effects school Austin in rock ‘n roll during the RedGorilla Post Party Sunday night.

Boxes And Boxes Of Fun

Saturday at RedGorilla was absolutely incredible!  Besides some fabulously warm weather there were dozens of artists rockin’ 6th St. all day long.  I started my day off at the Chuggin’ Monkey with a little hip/rock from Mike’s Pawn Shop.  Their combination of garage-punk and guitar-laced hip/hop had people pouring in from the street and instantly rockin’ out.  Thanks to Mike’s for coming to Austin for RedGorilla, it was an awesome set.

I also caught Mumpsy & The Street Corner Champs at Nina’s.  They played a solid set that started off strong with heavy guitars, and plenty of them.  Street Corner Champs definitely love to play and you can see it in the way they move on stage.  It was great to have these guys on the festival this year.

Dizzy Balloon Played Hard At The Blind Pig, Tambourine And All!

Dizzy Balloon & The Matches played the Blind Pig.  Despite the heat people packed out the patio for both sets  Dizzy Balloon played a short set of favorites like “Chinatown” and “Raise A Glass” and The Matches entertained with their usual combination of quirky attitude and infectious melodies.

Matches Guitar Tech Ben Plays Triangle During "Papercut Skin"

One of the highlights of my day was Flight 409’s set at Darwin’s Pub.  I fell in love with this band right away!  Their alternative edge and strong vocals mimic The Used and Saosin, who they’re recently had the opportunity to tour with.  People poured into Darwin’s Pub the second they started playing and hung around the front windows to check out their set.  This five-piece from Fresno, CA brought an intense energy to Darwin’s laid-back bar crowd, and everyone seemed to love their set.  Hopefully you got the check out some of their set because it was amazing.

AutoVaughn Bassist Ben Rocks Out During "Hell Of A Place"

The last big hoorah of the night came courtesy of AutoVaughn, who put on an amazing set at The Chuggin’ Monkey.  They played a slew of new material, intertwined with old classics like “Cycles,” and the set closer, “Hell Of A Place” which brought down the house.  It was the perfect way to end the night: the perfect little set with all the basics and new a bunch of soon-to-be favorites.
Hopefully everyone got to check out some great shows today!  This has been a fantastic week full of great music, and great people in a great city.  Everyone’s sets Saturday were fantastic!  I couldn’t have asked for a better block of shows.

From top left: AutoVaughn Guitarist Stephen Wilson At The Chuggin' Monkey; Vocalist Darren Edwards Jumps From Kick Drum; Darren Joins Andy Grooms On Drums For A Breakdown During "Hell Of A Place"; The Crowd At Cuggin' Monkey Loves AutoVaughn

Special thanks to all the bands who played this year’s festival.  Without you, RedGorilla would be just another music festival…and that would be boring.

If you’re still around Sunday, RedGorilla will be hosting a post-party at Darwin’s Pub at 9:00 pm.   There will be live music from special guests, including The Effects, and THERE IS NO COVER!  Come out and celebrate the success of this year’s festival and listen to one more round of fantastic independent music.

Peace.

What’s up world?! This is your official RedGorilla update for Friday, March 20.
The Hollywood Kills are about to take the stage at the Chuggin’ monkey, followed by Nashville’s own AutoVaughn and then a special guest appearance from Oakland, Cali rockers The Matches!!! All these guys rock incredibly hard so come on down and check it out!

Check out the pics below:

Selena Garcia Performing At Paradise

Paradise hosted sultry songstress Selena Garcia this afternoon at 4:00 pm.  It’s a shame there weren’t more people packed into the venue because this girl is amazing!  As pop princesses go she may be the most down to earth, real girl—she even shared a story about how she got in a bar fight (it wasn’t her doing) the night before.  This girl has one of the most original, radio ready voices I’ve heard in a long time.  She favors Sara Bareilles, with an Amy Winehouse flare that really hooks you in and keeps you wanting more.  Her tunes are sweet, but not too sugary and she seems completely organic and comfortable on stage.  This must be the day for female singer/songwriters (see our Jessica Campbell post from earlier) because Selena kept things going even when the bar was empty.  About three songs in, people started to flow into the venue, inquiring about her set and watching intently.  Highlights of her set include the performance of “Don’t Worry It’s Not Love,” the title track off her new EP, which just hit streets in December.  It reminds me of Sara Bareilles’ “Come Round Soon” with heavy moody keys and a bass line that will have you tapping your toes right away.  She finished her set with an song titled “Highway,” laced with bluesy inflections and driven by delicate keys.
There’s absolutely nothing negative I can say about Selena.  Her voice is magnificent, and her set brought a much-needed energy to Paradise.  If you missed Selena’s set Thursday check out her MySpace for a preview of tunes, a full list of upcoming shows and complete contact information.

Come on down to Nuno’s to hear some stellar tunes from Australias own Fox Fagan! It may be just him on stage but this guy know how to own it!

Fox Fagan Plays Nuno's

 
His voice is perfection and he’ll have you singing his tunes long after you leave!

If you hurry you can catch the majority of his set…a.k.a he jus started so get yur ass down here! Come by the back right table, find Alex, let me know what you think of the tunes you hear, and we’ll get your opinions up on our blog. Right now you can catch a tune about relationships gone wrong and break ups that seem to be never ending. Fox wrote this song after a buddy of his broke up with a girl that took a heavy toll on him. Fox, being the friend he is, went on a week-long drinking binge with his friend…for sympathy of course…and this song was the result. Check out ”Brothers” on iTunes now!

If you have a free second try to check out Fox’s myspace or look him up on iTunes because he is definitely one to watch at this year’s festival.

Fox’s set is only getting better as it progresses. A mellow moody tune called ”Going Under” was just played. I would definitel recommend it if you like RadioHead, Butch Walker or The Early November.

Fox Fagan At RedGorilla

 
If you missed his set this afternoon, you can catch him again on Saturday at noon over at the Thirsty Nickel!

Jessica Campbell’s set at Thirsty Nickel was amazing!

Now were down at Paradise soaking up some heartfelt tunes by the talented Brent Shuttleworth. This guy is also playin again tonight at 6 pm but if u get a chance come down and hear his set now! His voice is so unique and these tunes are really catchy. If you’re in the mood for some addictive pop/rock make sure you check him out during this years festival!

The Thirsty Nickel rounded out the night perfectly with the punk/indie-rock sensation Danger Is My Middle Name.  There’s not much I can say about this band except that they are AMAZING live.  They sound like a pop-infused SUM 41, and give off an incredible energy many bands strive for, but seldom achieve. 

Danger started their set strong and ended on the same intense note with a rock-ballad of sorts that brought me back to my adolescent punk-rock days.  Just sitting and listening to this band made me want to party the night away! 

If you missed Danger Is My Middle Name’s set, make sure you check out their MySpace for a preview of their tunes, and the opportunity to purchase music directly from the artist.

Canadian rock duo Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (USS) brought their high energy rock to RedGorilla Music Fest Wednesday, complete with homemade beats and a grungy edge, giving everyone a taste of what it would be like if Nirvana went to a rave.

It’s no surprise that there are thousands, probably millions of independent bands in the US alone.  They record in their basements or garages, tour on meager merch sales, and survive purely on adrenaline.  Most of them will never make a dent in the mainstream rock market, but every now and then a band comes along that possesses enough talent and drive (the combination is key) to take them straight to the top.  Case and point: USS.

You may not be familiar with USS yet, but these guys have been enjoying great success in Canada thanks to heavy radio rotation and a never-ending desire to create something completely unique.  With the help of their trusty MacBooks, USS has been creating Nirvana inspired indie-rock laced with infectious beats and energy to boot, for years.  Now, with intuition to guide them, USS is embarking on the ride of their life: the release of their upcoming album, and an exciting tour to follow.

The journey to the top of the Canadian charts was surprisingly organic.  It began with Ash’s desire for something he had never heard before.  After swaping his electric guitar for a new MacBook—the first computer he had ever used in his life, mind you—Ash paired up with his artistic counterpart.  The evolution of the duo’s thoughts and desires came to fruition in the bass-heavy sound that can be heard on the band’s new record Questamation which is currently on iTunes, and will hit stores soon.

Interestingly enough USS has recorded, produced, marketed, promoted, and distributed their music without any help from a label.  They’ve also been fortunate enough to grow a significant following without falling victim to mainstream media, bypassing the hoops of fire most new artists are forced to jump through to secure radio play.  Instead, USS’s music has spoken for itself.  The synth-pop and grunge-inspired rock that defines them has risen above the masses of indie music as some of the freshest, most promising tunes on the radio.  Here’s to USS and their incredibly unique brand of indie-rock.  If you missed this band on Wednesday, you should be ashamed of yourself.  Trust me—you want to get to know this band because they’re coming your way.  It’s only a matter of time before they’re dominating radio and the tour circuit here in the states, and when they do all I can say is “I told you so!” 

Check out a second special performance by USS Thursday at RedGorilla!

Mad Dragon Records threw a stellar party today at the Thirsty Nickel!  I walked in just as Hoots & Hellmouths were starting off their bluegrass-infused set; just in time for some awesome tunes. 

The boys started off strong with a rockin’ song that had the entire venue dancing along.  It helped, of course, that the band’s energy was intense.  They wailed on their guitars and actually shredded the banjo for a completely unique listening experience any music fan could appreciate. 

Complete with an upright bass, Hoots, & Hellmouths proved that bluegrass is equally worthy of it’s own sub-genre of rock.  Cheers to Hoots & Hellmouths for keepin’ it real, and rockin’ it out, and special thanks to Mad Dragon Records for hosting the party, and bringing such great music to RedGorilla.

Guitarist Brad Schultz Greeted The Crowd With A Fiery Intensity

One sunny afternoon just north of Nashville, TN, the grit of southern rock fell in love with the energy of funk and the very essence of rock n’ roll.  Their love grew and multiplied and a short time later, out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, was born Cage The Elephant.

Brothers Matt and Brad Schultz joined up with a high school friend Jared Champion, and family friend Danielle Tichenor.  A few months later Lincoln Parish, an eager young musician, e-mailed the group several times asking to join.  Subsequent jam sessions proved successful and Parish joined the group at the ripe old age of fifteen.  Cage The Elephant began to conquer the local tour circuit, and after word spread of their high-energy, high-chaos live shows, they signed with Relentless Records.  Since then, they’ve been working hard to release their debut album “Cage The Elephant” which dropped in the US June 23, 2008

Since 2007 Cage The Elephant has been touring and living in the UK where their first single, “In One Ear” debuted at number 26 on the Top 40 charts, and their intense live shows have earned them opening spots on tour with Kings of Leon and Queens of The Stone Age.  Cage’s organic melodies channel the likes of The Chili Peppers and their outspoken lyrics mock their critics with a raw poignancy reminiscent of Dylan himself.  On the opening track of their record the band claims, “They say that we ain’t got the style/we ain’t got the class/we ain’t got the tunes that’s gonna’ put us on the map” but subsequent tracks like “Back Stabbin’ Betty” and their second single “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” speak volumes to the band’s talent and creativity which few artists today possess.

Matt Schultz Gets Down And Dirty At RedGorilla

Having lived in Nashville for four years, I’ve heard a great deal about this little band from Bowling Green.  However, I have yet to have the pleasure of experiencing a live Cage The Elephant show, so this week’s performance at RedGorilla seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my feet wet.
I got to The Thirsty Nickel about twenty minutes before their set, and the venue was already packed.  There were people pouring out the doors, up the stairs and around the bar waiting for Cage to take the stage.  Once everything was set, Cage turned up the energy with their opener, “Lotus” and then proceeded to blow everyone’s mind with their unique sound and intense energy.

Matt Schultz Jumps From Balcony At Thirsty Nickel

Front man, Matt Schultz is an amazing performer.  At one point he even jumped down off the stage, rolled around on the ground, and then ran up the stairs and catapulted off the balcony back into the crowd.  It was quite a sight to see, and the fact that their music is amazing didn’t hurt the performance one bit.

Cage The Elephant Showed The Crowd What It Means To Rock

The set list was packed with new tunes, and a few from their UK release like the hit single, “In One Ear.”  This was probably one of my favorite performances of the entire festival!  It was high-energy, great music, at a great venue…what more could you ask for?!

Special thanks to Cage The Elephant for heading down to Austin for RedGorilla.  You guys rock!