I found my way to a Soundcloud page for a band called Dutch. They're from Toronto and they have the most honest bio I've ever read. "We have an album and we play shows. Nobody buys albums or goes to shows." I was hooked. They'd have to be really bad for me not to like them. So I fired up their album Rotoscope Down. The opening track "Dry Your Tears" was pure party punk rock...but kinda slacker punk rock too. It made me want to party and do nothing all at the same time. I get some Dinosaur Jr. vibes from it too which is extra bonus points from me. Either way these guys have fun shows to attend. See them tonight 4/23 @ The Cavern Bar with Big Frasier. For now have a listen to the album...-Kris “Big City” Gies

Give us some Steak n’ Eggs! Yummy, greasy, deliciousness! Flamingo Báy serves it up with their second album ‘Steak n’ Eggs’, giving us plate licking rock n’ roll goodness that has us asking for more. Keeping their raw rock n’ roll sound from their first album ‘Loco Pony’; Flamingo Bay adds a little more salt and pepper to Steak n’ Eggs. The single, “Killer Flamingo Báy”, opens with a raw vocal that rhythms its way to body swaying bass tones, hard hitting drum beats and guitar riffs that take you for a ride.The entire album shows Flamingo Báy’s creative diverse rock n’ roll energy. Don’t miss their cd release party Friday 4/24 @ This Ain’t Hollywood… come get your Steak n’ Eggs!

It’s been a while since a song happily shocked me with a good screaming section, but local band Breathtaker just did it. This group, of which I had been previously ignorant, submitted their music to us this week, and I put on their newest album Revelations without knowing what to expect. The submission was listed as Indie, the album art suggested maybe something a little avant-garde; only the name seemed a bit more dramatic than most indie groups, but even that, I thought, I could see from some indie groups.

Partway through opener track “Kingsbury,” when I was thinking Breathtaker might be going for a kind-of dreary, melodic indie with a post-rock bent kinda thing (which I was digging, by the way), a wild dissonant note hit and the screaming began . It was actually a little hair-raising in a literal way, after me not expecting it. And that's because it was good screaming, earned and welcome and well-done, exceptionally balanced against the instrumentation and used as one ingredient in the wider paradigm of a well-structured piece of music. I liked it, and the rest of the 11 track album was thought out with equal attention and care if not quite as surprising as that initial screaming shock.

I wouldn’t dream to genre a band differently than they do themselves, but indie here more represents the “independent musicians” definition than it does a sound for Breathtaker, at least in relation to what “indie” bands in Austin typically sound like. If, however, I were to try and describe Breathtaker to one of my high school friends from Amarillo who were into the surprisingly extensive screaming music scene there in the mid 2000s, I’d say that they’re a band that’s on the artsier side of what some people call hardcore, and which some just call emo. That last term is culturally deficient to describe these guys - it is far too broad and I really doubt they use it to refer to themselves at any point - but it does the trick in 2015 to get you in the right mind of what to expect from Breathtaker. If you are or ever were the kind of person who thought that screaming rock music had something awesome to offer (like we do), Breathtaker is a new entry in that particular segment of Music with Screaming. That people keep making interesting things happen with music like this proves that it's a segment that is a powerful space where quality experimentation can occur, and out of which some damn good tracks, like "Kingsbury," can come. Get listening below.

Radio Free Universe struck gold at the Horseshoe Tavern Monday night, putting on a fierce and bold rock n’ roll showcase performance. Stopping you in your tracks with a wickedly large vocal by front man, George Panagopoulos; his voice is layered and carried by pure rock n’ roll sounds. RFU showcased their pre-release single “American Gun” , it’s a huge track that rushes you like a speeding train. It opens with familiar throbbing drum beats that get your boots stompin’, then rolls sweetly into an unforgettable vocal that rips hard to wailing guitars. Stay tuned this Sept for RFU’s EP release of Casa Del Diablo. But you don’t have to wait too long to see them again, Radio Free Universe is playing Friday 4/17 @ This Ain’t Hollywood.

Big Lonely is Burlington, Ontario's up and coming indie rock band. These guys are breaking hearts and moving feet with their infectious array of emotion and sound demonstrated on their most recent release, Close your eyes, Keep Talking. Pairing up the buttery lead vocals with catchy chorus' seems to be the winning combination. Don't be mistaken, there's no shortage of angst or aggression throughout the album. The boys of Big Lonely know how to keep things intriguing and refreshing - in the over-populated indie rock scene. Go take a listen! Better yet, make sure to head out and sing along to their contagious tunes Saturday 4/11 @ the Rivoli.-Courtney Chalapenko