Taylor Muse, Sessions at OTN #16, June 23, 2010

One of my favorite local bands is Quiet Company. Their fun, pop songs combined with a high energy live performance are an irresistible combination. And, they're really nice guys. Lead singer and songwriter Taylor Muse dropped by to talk about the band, their new EP (their song "How Do You Do It" is currently being played on KGSR), his changing relationship with Christianity and the future. Then the insanity began. Check out the "craft project" below.


In Part I Taylor talks about the band's history and current line-up.




In Part II, Taylor addresses the issue of his changing spirituality and the role that plays in his music.




In Part III, Taylor talks about the EP, hearing his song on the radio and the upcoming tour. My co-host Kiley joins him on the couch.




Taylor proposes a "craft project," a first for OTN. It's insane. You have to watch.








Quiet Company at the Ghost Room, doing their trademark energetic performance of "On Modern Men."




And finally, just wanted to share this with you, a great video that Taylor produced for their song "Its Better To Spend Money Like There's No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There's No Money"

Rhett Miller & Salim Nourallah, Sessions at OTN #15, June 14, 2010

 

I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than listening to Old 97's music while enjoying the breathtaking views of the Austin Hill Country. So, when I had the chance to visit with Rhett Miller and producer Salim Nourallah while they were mixing the forthcoming 8th studio album by the Dallas quartet, well... you can imagine what a perfect day that was for me.


Part I - Rhett talks about the studio, his mindset while he wrote this collection and previews a few tunes, complete with personal stories behind the songs. It's a rare look at the thought and insight that goes into the songwriting and recording processes.


Part II - Rhett previews a couple more songs and makes comparisons to Blame It On Gravity.


Part III - some words about Old 97's fans and the future!


Thanks so much to Rhett, Salim and Jack Rock for being such gracious hosts during my visit to Texas Treefort Studio. And thanks to everyone for watching!

 
 

Matt Shiv, Sessions at OTN #14, June 11, 2010

You may remember a post I made a few weeks ago about the closure of one of my all-time favorite radio stations, WOXY. I was thrilled when they decided to move to Austin late last year and then subsequently crushed by the news of its demise. WOXY leaves behind countless fans and a longer than 3 decade legacy. Matt Shiv (or Shivvy), former Music Director and DJ on the station, dropped by to pay tribute to the station's history and format. Over the years, there has been nothing that has influenced and inspired me more, in terms of my musical taste and enjoyment, than WOXY, and I am happy to have this opportunity to capture the spirit of this rare and wonderful entity.

Shivvy is a walking wealth of information, and few radio personalities have his passion and enthusiasm for music. I hope this interview will provide some perspective on what WOXY was and exactly what's been lost.

If you have a chance, take a look around the WOXY website while it is still functional. There's a plethora of music resources, and although you can no longer listen to the Modern Rock 500 broadcasts, you can review the playlist of incredible music for which the station became known.



Shiv talks about the history and background of WOXY.


The WOXY format, and later, its ultimate demise.


Shiv talks about favorite bands and the future of the music industry.

Quiet Company and The Steps, Threadgill's, June 4, 2010

The cosmos have basically been in line for me lately, what with my fantastic Memorial Day Weekend of Rhett Miller and Barenaked Ladies. This past weekend had two of my favorite local bands on the same bill at Threadgill's: Quiet Company and The Steps. You may have heard Quiet Company's song "How Do You Do It" on KGSR recently. They're a high energy pop band, with keyboards, horns and some great songs.

And I had not seen The Steps in quite some time, so I was happy to get out to one of their live shows. They have some cool things coming up, a new EP coming soon, lots of placements on TV shows and a big promo with Mead's Five Star Notebooks. Details here.

















Quiet Company






The Steps

Barenaked Ladies, Bass Concert Hall, May 31, 2010

The second special event of my birthday weekend was a show by my longtime faves, Barenaked Ladies. Sounding great as a foursome, love both the new stuff and old.

With opener Serena Ryder

When I Fall - this has always been one of my very favorites!


Easy


If I Had $1M


For You


Brian Wilson - sorry - my memory card filled up before the end of this one, but loved Ed's version - vocals are really strong.