SXSW 2012

Wonfu was officially formed on the eve of
Christmas 1998. Since then, the band has
been consistently playing various large-size
music festivals, including Spring Scream,
Formoz Festival and Hohaiyan Rock
Festival, as well as touring at many live
venues.

A riot in a petting zoo, awkwardly captivating and viciously enticing - that is the mesmerizing musical experience of Acollective.

While I.U.D.M. has enjoyed a reputation as the most successful rock band in Israel for nearly two decades; earning no less than 5 platinum or gold selling albums-a best selling double live CD and DVD; charting a scores of number one singles, at the same time performing to legions of rock/hardcore fans throughout the world- and sharing the stage with the likes of Rage Against the Machine & Metallica- or headlining festivals to the tune of 45,000 concert goers at-a-time; reputations aren't everything.

"We see our band like an extension of our own families" TT (Lead Vox) the pint sized soft spoken blonde says, "We actually spend more time with the band, than our own family; performing live and making rock'n'roll records has really become a way of life". Not a bad life indeed; While her bandmate/husband Tom adds; "music is the only thing that makes sense for us really, if you look at all the craziness flying over our heads today, with wars and conflicts everywhere, this band is really our only sanctuary".

Always up for a new challenge- the veteran rockers' began working on a new project which is almost 24 months in the making; something to appease their international fan base while raising the bar as musicians. "We are really stoked about this latest album; for I.U.D.M. this was really a passion project that took a lot of time to craft; and I hope we've nailed it", Yahav(the band's drummer) explains.

He is talking about their upcoming record (Yet To Be Titled) that is set to drop later this year; as the band plans to make their next tour and album debut stateside- I.U.D.M. is best known for their marathon live shows' leaving the crowd in a frenzy and totally floored-earning loyal fans consistently, whether its a club gig or one of their signature epic stadium shows'. This seven piece rock juggernaut aka I.U.D.M. stylings are akin to acts like Evanescence or System of A Down, genre mixing between metal, loud rock, and heavy melodic ballads- the band arrives at SXSW this March 13th 2012; its time you've heard what everybody else already knows.

The band consists of two emcee's - drums - bass- 3 guitars and keyboard; dont' worry, they will be dropping by a city near you soon enough; but you can hear them first

www.iudmband.com / www.facebook.com/iudmband

 

While I.U.D.M. has enjoyed a reputation as the most successful rock band in Israel for nearly two decades; earning no less than 5 platinum or gold selling albums-a best selling double live CD and DVD; charting a scores of number one singles, at the same time performing to legions of rock/hardcore fans throughout the world- and sharing the stage with the likes of Rage Against the Machine & Metallica- or headlining festivals to the tune of 45,000 concert goers at-a-time; reputations aren't everything.

“The bulk of the last decade brought Baltimore’s hyper-color acts—the dance epics of Dan Deacon and the guitar spirals of Ecstatic Sunshine and Ponytail, or even the expatriate pop exuberance of Animal Collective—to the central streams of indie rock. Maybe it’s time to pull the shades: Maryland sextet Secret Mountains is a slow, subdued wonder, shaped by serpentine guitar lines that sigh and moan and busy drumming that sidles into the beat and shuffles around it. The surface is supplied by Kelly Laughlin, a singer whose muted alto seems wounded but resilient, like an autumn sun breaking through early morning clouds. This band is bound for bigger rooms.” Grayson Currin (Indyweek.com)

The Devil Whale is a five piece semi-pro rock band from Salt Lake City that specializes in long drives and short songs.

In the last 12 months The Parlotones have:

After a thirteen years old career, including: seven albums, five Maxi LP's and hundreds of live concerts throughout the world, you would think you knew all about ZENZILE. However, those who have followed this band since their beginnings in Angers, France, know well that: No one knows what will resemble a new album of Zenzile before it gets out.
Instead of cloning their music precisely year after year, the quintet has always chosen to focus on their trade mark sound which is rich and various, thanks to a dazzling bass and whooping guitars.
From the start, Zenzile is having fun mixing the same influences (post punk, Dub, folk, soft rock, soul jazz) with a savvy sense of measuring them all out, in order to produce a unique album every time.
For Pawn Shop, the Angevins (from Angers) have deliberately let their POP spirit opened up, in a humble and formal way of course. Only two tracks are exclusively instrumental and are welcome signs of a previous life. All eight other tracks are carried by the voices of old partners: Jamika Ajalon et David K. Alderman (Warehouse), demonstrating some new and unexpected sides of their talent.This eighth studio album is less angular and more confident than the previous Living in Monochrome in which the band had let the guitar lead out. Today Zenzile seems to have found the right balance between staying simple while being demanding. Strings and organs are more present than ever to form melodies never dared before. Evidently freed from any past inhibitions, the band now sweats out many old legendary Vinyl albums, reminiscent of their teen age years. Shadowy organs, bony guitars, ramping bass, Bela Lugosi spirit glides above Pawn Shop.
There are also lingering feverish memories of ESG, Pink Floyd, Nick Cave or PIL but everything is digested and sublimated only to be more accomplished.
With a real consistency throughout the entire album, despite the variety of sounds, you never feel like you are loosing tracks. Each song has its own space and there is space for each song. From the very Serge Gainsbourg inspired Mind Over Matter to the lively Fire Eater, you will feel the majestic of Histoire de Papiers or the disturbance of Crooked Man, always sensing a serious focus on the subject.
Remarkable finish from Zenzile with Thursday Night Rover Disco where Alderman's voice reminds the one of his Welsh fellow J. Cale (The Velvet Underground) before the last Caution Horses where the singer throws himself out in a long, progressive and flamboyant post folk rise. With Pawn Shop, Zenzile leaves all the cash on the table and walks out with style...at least for now..
NEW ALBUM: OCTOBER 2012

Taken by Cars is a Filipino band that first appeared in the Manila gig circuit around 2007, gradually but successfully building a fiercely devoted following of indie music fans, friends, and peers in the local band scene with their infectious and dance-friendly brand of intelligent and meticulously-crafted brand of indie rock. Fronted by the energetic Sarah Marco, Taken by Cars offers a modern, dynamic sound that typically combines precise interplay from the rhythm section, carefully orchestrated guitar and synth lines, and Sarah’s fairly androgynous but genuinely compelling vocals. The fact that the band is mostly composed of longtime friends who’ve been playing music together since their high school days is another major aspect that contributes to their tight chemistry.

CHAPPO plays an electric blend of psychedelic pop that carries a natural warmth and carefree youthful reminiscence. Their nostalgic sounds tend to transport you to a parallel universe, much like the theme from many of their songs. The four-member band (Alex Chappo, Zac Colwell, Dave Feddock, and Chris Olson) functions somewhat like their own artist collective. Living in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn, three of them in the same house they’ve used as a recording studio, they’re playing music with the common goal, “we want our music to release the moon shaman within, for ourselves and the listener,” says Chris (keys, vox). On stage for their live shows, the levels raise, the band appear in feathered headdresses (designed by Rawan Rihani), bare feet change pedals, sequins adorn keys, glitter and confetti fly, and an energetic vibration runs like a live current through the room.

At first glance, they couldn’t be any more different.

From Zoe Cordes Selbin, The Austin Chronicle:

Anthemic with big melodies – your little sister's favorite band that you secretly love.

From Thomas Fawcett, The Austin Chronicle:

For those about to rock in a beautiful, conceptual, minimal, atmospheric sort of way (we salute you).

From Michael Bertin, The Austin Chronicle:

Name's taken from one of Van Morrison's silly impromtu songs for his Contractual Obligation recordings. Sort of a cross between Los Campesinos! and Poi Dog Pondering.

Fenster (USA - DE / Morr Music)
Futuristic nostalgia with minimal percussion and warm echoey guitar riffs with a lyrical bent towards the macabre dada world of dreams.

From Michael Bertin, The Austin Chronicle:

The new New Pornographers.

From Greg Beets, The Austin Chronicle:

After leading Turbopotamos to stadium-sized success, Lima, Peru's Humberto Campodonico puts his Peter Murphy-style baritone to good use on his solo debut.

Boiling up from the independent musical cauldron Hotlanta has become, here comes Gringo Star with its follow up to 2008's critically acclaimed debut,  “All Y’all.  The band now comes into its own with “Count Yer Lucky Stars, ” a collection of catchy and instantly classic pop music.  You won’t be able to stop humming this spate of new and bright tunes, music that lifts the spirit.  In this Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Deerhunter) produced record, the surge of primordial forces that reveals itself through rock and roll only about every other generation has infected these multi-instrumentalists and the result is an upbeat album of raw energy and positivity.  Live, if you can resist the urge to dance, you’ll find your limbs shaking and your toes tapping to a band which has been described as "explosive," "electrifying," and "exceptional."  No need for the devices of the main stream musical glitterati who hide lifeless melodies and meaningless lyrics in stage productions and synchronized dancing meant to distract their wide eyed fans; here it’s the music itself - honest and intense.  The Gringos, brothers Nicholas and Pete Furgiuele, Pete DeLorenzo and Chris Kaufmann, play each show as if their lives depended on it, and it’s that urgency combined with great song writing, pop beats and skilled harmonies that raise Gringo Star above the cacophonus crowd.  These four guys should be literally showered with the same kind of excited stammering and fawning heaped onto the stars of the early days of rock and roll, those who created and performed all those American standards in doo wop and R&B, the musicians who were raging around the U.S., night after night putting it all out there, playing their hearts out, singing until they were hoarse and soaked in sweat, letting the music do their talking.  There were once musical movements in this country, but the fracturing and splintering of the music scene stopped new waves from forming and cresting. This is a band which is creating the new standards to usher in the next tsunami.  If you have the chance to catch them in a small venue, you better do it while you still can.

The name APE MACHINE is a nod to the days of reel-to-reel magnetic tape audio recording; a fitting moniker for the heavy-hitting quartet as the band plays through vintage tube amplifiers and lays down its songs using exclusively throwback quality studio equipment. With a heady mix of animal aggression and technical precision, APE MACHINE's music carries an organic depth and warmth rarely heard since the time of rock's glorious early years (or your Dad's bad ass record collection) infused with an exceptional modern sensibility. When the mystical lyrics of vocalist Caleb Heinze lock in with the band's stone-cold groove, APE MACHINE demonstrates an earth-shaking ability to rock. A true four-piece, the group has been called "a rock and roll band with a finger on the pulse of the 70's and their asses firmly in the present" and "real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation" that delivers "true guts and glory rock and roll."

The supreme ruler of all our causes,
The knowledgeable gods of bands across the country
and around thousands and thousands of people
around the whole USA

Trying to pigeonhole the music of Austin's My Education is akin to trying to stuff a pigeon in a hole: the sound is calamitous, there's movement all around, the frenzied beating of wings against wall, and somewhere something is pumping out blood. There is an oddly, compelling tension that rears its head when the night hits its darkest hour and the crescendos hit their highest peaks. This is the feeling you get when My Education's newest LP, ‘Sunrise', takes off with soaring, cinematic instrumentals - an amazing concoction of guitar drones, melodic viola, and thundering rhythms.

TORCHE, the four-pronged Floridian/Georgian riff colossus, are set to release their new full-length release, Harmonicraft, on April 24th, 2012 on new label, Volcom Entertainment.

Genre:
grunge, punk, trashy, provocative

From Austin Powell, The Austin Chronicle:

Japan's greatest bar band, Electric Eel Shock, takes American rock & roll to almost absurdist extremes. The Tokyo-based power trio understands the universal power of the riff, with a caterwauling live show and two near-classic albums, 2004's Go Europe and the following year's Beat Me. For the first time since 2006, EES finally returns to the states on the strength of the romping Live Around the World Vol. 1.