photos by Wei Shi

Phoenix stopped at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Thursday night to warm up for their headlining performance at Coachella tonight (you can stream it live). Some pictures from that smaller California show are in this post.

After Coachella this weekend, Phoenix will play... the second week of Coachella, and then eventually make their way to Texas before the end of April for a co-headlining show at Edgefest in Dallas. Who else is playing Edgefest? Well... Bush, Paramore, Deftones, and a whole bunch of other bands you probably won't want to pay to be trapped for a whole day with.

The good news is that Phoenix will visit Austin on May 6th. The somewhat bad news is it is only to tape an episode of Austin City Limts (which means tickets aren't exactly easy to come by). Hopefully Phoenix, who also recently played an intimate show in Brooklyn and will be at Lollapalooza, announce another Austin date soon. Meanwhile, check out more of those pictures from Pomona below...

Continue reading "Phoenix played Pomona on their way to Coachella (pics), taping for ACLTV, playing Edgefest in Dallas (meh)"

by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear @ Stubb's - 4/8/2012

Grizzly Bear are on tour and in Texas this week and played a sold-out Stubb's with Owen Pallett on Monday night (4/8). Owen, who was shoe-less and sporting a Grizzly Bear shirt, got things going with his violin and sounded great backed by Matt Smith on guitar and Rob Gordon on drums.

Grizzly Bear took the stage to cheers from the audience, and rolled through 19 songs (including a three song encore) ending with a great acoustic version of "All We Ask" with the band gathered around a single mic. Check out the full setlist below.

GB played Houston last night and are back in Austin tonight (4/10) to tape an episode of Austin City Limits. They then hit El Paso on April 11 before moving on to California for shows including Coachella, and then the world (London, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, München) before heading back to New York where they play Governors Ball.

Check out more pictures from Stubb's, along with the setlist and upcoming tour dates (and maybe I'll see you at the taping tonight), below...

Continue reading "Grizzly Bear roared at a sold-out Stubb's w/ Owen Pallett (pics, setlist), tapes for ACLTV tonight"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Vampire Weekend @ The Moody Theater - 3/17/2013

As we recently mentioned over on Brooklynvegan, Vampire Weekend have released the details of their upcoming new album, Modern Vampires Of The City. They head out on the road in April, and you can stream two of their new tracks now.

During their visit to Austin for SXSW, they stopped by The Moody Theater to help kick off Season 39 of Austin City Limits with VW's first-ever taping for the show.

Speaking of Austin City Limits, they have big things in store for Season 39 - rumored to include live streaming of performances. So far there are some great tapings to look forward to, including Grizzly Bear, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), Lumineers and Phoenix.

More pics of Vampire Weekend's ACL taping are below.

Continue reading "Vampire Weekend taped an episode for Austin City Limits' Season 39 (pics)"

We are big fans of KLRU, and they're taking a new approach to fund raising that makes it quite a bit more exciting than getting a canvas tote bag.

It's called The Big Deal and it is. Buy a $25 raffle ticket, get a chance to win BIG. The raffle winner will get festival passes (ACL Fest, Fun Fun Fun Fest, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Moontower Comedy and more), tickets, gift certificates, and other items valued at close to $8000. Boom.

If you're well-heeled and want to better your odds, you can get an additional raffle ticket for another $25 and each one gets another chance in the drawing. All that AND you're supporting KLRU. Win/Win. Raffle tickets can be purchased now through January 4, 2013. Drawing to be held February 1. One lucky winner (and their friends) is going to be a really Big Deal on February 2.

See the full list of items in the prize package below.

Continue reading "KLRU's 'Big Deal' raffle is a pretty big deal"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Gary Clark Jr. @ The Moody Theater - 11/30/2012

KLRU's Austin City Limits is now finished filming Season 38 of the longest-runnning live music show. Before they wrapped up for the year, Gary Clark Jr., who landed on Rolling Stones' Best Albums of the Year list, came and did his Austin proud for the second-to-last taping. From ACLTV's site:

"I've been wanting to do this for like 16 years," the young guitar slinger commented before he began. "So let's have some fun!" There's an irony to that statement being followed by the downhearted "When My Train Pulls In," but the heavy blues riffs defied the lyrics' melancholy cast. The show kicked into high gear immediately afterward with the driving fingerpicked boogie of "Don't Owe You a Thang," and the hometown crowd settled into the palm of his hand. "@garyclarkjr is slaying @acltv right now mayne!!!," claimed tonythecuate on Twitter.

Continue reading "Gary Clark Jr. taped for Austin City Limits (pics, setlist)"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Esperanza Spalding @ The Moody Theater - 12/02/2012

It's a wrap: Austin City Limits filmed the last episode of Season 38 with Esperanza Spalding (and her Radio Music Society) at The Moody Theater. Coming just two days after Gary Clark Jr taped another episode, Esperanza and co helped KLRU finish the 2012 season strong. Pictures are in this post. More below...

Continue reading "ACLTV finished 2012 tapings with Esperanza Spalding (pics)"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros @ The Moody theater on 11/02/2012

Fresh off of headlining the last night of Fun Fun Fun Fest (pictures coming soon), Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros taped a performance at The Moody Theater for ACLTV and Austin City Limits. After the show, the band walked over to The Ginger Man and played some more.

More pictures from the ACLTV/KLRU taping below.

Continue reading "Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros taped 'Austin City Limits' (pics)"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Matt (Johnson) and Kim (Schifino) @ Stubb's - 10/20/2012

On Saturday (10/20) Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, known better as Matt and Kim came to Austin while on tour and turned Stubb's into a hot mess of a dance party. Fellow Brooklynites Oberhofer (who were recently at The ACL Festival) opened and will continue with Matt and Kim through November 17.

Pictures from the Stubb's show, along with the setlist and remaining dates, are below.

Continue reading "Matt and Kim had a dance party at Stubb's with Oberhofer (pics, setlist)"

photos by Glen Brown

Austin City Limits - Day 3 - 10/14/2012

The Austin City Limits Festival wrapped up on Sunday (10/14), which marks the last single-weekend version of the event which goes to two next year. Day 3 pictures are in this post, and include a couple pictures of Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman who are in town through Fun Fun Fun Fest filming that movie with Ryan Gosling for Terrence Malick (who was all over Fun Fun Fun Fest last year).

We've covered a set of Jack White pictures and the Neil Young & Crazy Horse setlist and many Instagrams (as well as pictures from Day One and Day 2). More pictures from the final day of Austin City Limits continue below...

Continue reading "ACL Day 3 pictures: Iggy Pop, Crystal Castles, Gary Clark Jr., Lumineers, Die Antwoord, Moon Duo & more"

photos by Glen Brown

Metric's Emily Haines --- Austin City Limits Day 2 - 10/13/2012

You already saw one set of Jack White pictures and the Neil Young & Crazy Horse setlist and a whole bunch of Instagrams (and pictures from Day One). Here's some more pictures from Austin City Limits Saturday (rain included). They continue below...

Continue reading "ACL Day 2 pictures: Jack White, Neil Young, Zola Jesus, Metric, Lee Fields, Nikki Lane & more"

Very sad news... YNN says:

Authorities are trying to identify a body found in downtown Austin Saturday morning.
Police say the body was discovered floating in Shoal Creek near Third and Nueces streets. They say it appears to be a man in his early 20s. YNN received word from someone near Austin Music Hall that people saw the body in the creek.

A trail behind the Austin Music Hall was closed because of the investigation, which detoured some people headed for the Austin City Limits Festival.

Bassnectar played there Friday night (the body was found Saturday morning). Saturday night's show at Austin Music Hall was by the Weeknd who was supposed to play ACL today too, but cancelled. No shows are scheduled to happen there again until Justice on 10/30.

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

Jack White @ ACL Festival - 10/13/2012

While Neil Young & Crazy Horse did their thing at the other end of Zilker Park, Jack White & The Peacocks (his all-female backing band) cast a blue glow on the crowd at the AMD stage. Here are some pictures and the setlist from Jack's performance which maybe you also caught via the livestream. If not, it repeats again tonight (10/14). Watch and you'll see Jack perform a mix of solo, White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather material.

Or maybe you're busy tonight because you were lucky enough to get a ticket to see Jack tape an episode for ACLTV. If you didn't, it will air on PBS probably next year, like the Bon Iver episode did this week.

A full ACL Day 2 set of pictures is coming, but first a taste of what people will be seeing at The Moody Theater tonight. Pictures of Jack White & The Peacocks and ACL setlist below...

Continue reading "Jack White & the Peacocks played ACL Fest 2012 (pics, setlist)"

Neil Young & Crazy Horse @ Austin City Limits 2012

"NY&CH just put a festival audience through 10 minutes of complete kaos and feedback on WLAG - freeking awesome. Nobody on earth would try that to a bunch of drunk 25 year olds at the end of a festival day. I think they are speechless - or just freaked out. If I didn't know it was coming, I would be pretty freaked out." - Anonymous

Continue reading "Neil Young & Crazy Horse headlined ACL Fest 2012 (setlist)"

photos by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

James Mercer of The Shins @ Stubb's - 10/12/2012

The Shins played a sold-out ACL Late Show at Stubb's last night with Bombay Bicycle Club. Both bands play today at the festival - live and in person and also streaming online (as of this post, Bombay Bicycle is done, Shins @ 6pm CST). Check out more pictures from the Stubb's show along with both setlists below.

Continue reading "The Shins played ACL Late Show @ Stubb's (pics, setlist) ------ catch them today at the fest or streaming online"

photos by Glen Brown

First Aid Kit @ ACL - 10/12/2012

"Let's roll out the welcome mat for the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which kicks off its three-day music bash at Zilker Park, bringing some of the best talent in the music world to Austin and tens of thousands of visitors.
Yes, there will be traffic. Yes, downtown will be crazy. But there also will be great music and a huge boost to the Austin economy. In all, the festival will draw up to 75,000 attendees daily, with most - 59 percent - coming from outside Austin, said Steve Alberts, communications manager for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. And all of those people buying ACL tickets, staying in hotels, eating at restaurants or food trailers, hailing cabs, going to nightclubs, flying into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, buying souvenirs and bottled water, renting bicycles or a Car2go or buying anything that weekend will inject $106 million over three days. That is the 2011 total, and this year's economic activity from the festival is expected to match or top that." [Statesman]

Continue reading "ACL 2012 Day 1 in pictures: The Black Keys, Florence & the Machine, Alabama Shakes & more"

Follow @bvaustin

Follow BVAustin on Instagram for a daily feed of Austin concert photos, and for photos from Austin City Limits 2012 all weekend long. Or just come to this page which will update as we do.

Be there without having to be there. YouTube will be streaming this weekend's Austin City Limits festival live from Zilker Park. Full schedule and the webcast teaser below...

Continue reading "not at Austin City Limits? Livestream it (schedule)"

Season 38 of of Austin City Limits premiered last night on PBS with the Radiohead episode. If you missed it live in March, on TV, and in Republic Square Park, now here's your chance to finally catch it, via the video below...

Continue reading "Austin City Limits season 38 kicked off w/ Radiohead (watch)"

Radiohead in Austin (more by Tim Griffin)

To quote Austinist:

If you didn't make it to the Austin City Limits Radiohead taping earlier this year, and the video above makes you drool, be sure you're near Republic Square park by 8:30pm on Thursday (September 6). The first installation of ACL in the Park occurs then with a showing of the full one-hour Radiohead episode, as well as clips from the rest of the upcoming season.

Celebrating its 38th year, the television show broadcasts begin October 6 with the Radiohead performance. Other taped artists include Bon Iver, Bonnie Raitt with Mavis Staples, the Shins, Dr. Dog, the Civil Wars, and Punch Brothers, with seven more episodes/artists to be announced.

Continue reading "Radiohead ACL preview tonight in Republic Square Park"

Austin City Limits (more by Tim Griffin)

The 2012 official ACL Music Festival Late Night Shows have been announced. As many know, C3, who recently got approval to hold the fest two weeks in a row, sweetens the ACL weekend by scheduling many of the artists playing the sold out festival, in clubs around the city at night.

Highlights this year include Alabama Shakes & Lee Fields at Stubb's, The Shins at Stubbs, Metric, Polica & Half Moon Run at Emo's East, Crystal Castles & HEALTH at Emo's East, The Black Lips at Antone's, The Afghan Whigs at Antone's, Delta Spirit at the Belmont, and The Weeknd at Austin Music Hall. The full list is below.

In C3's own words:

The time has come! Now announcing the Official 2012 ACL Festival Late Night Shows! Even if you didn't get a ticket to the Festival, you can keep the party going in Downtown Austin's legendary live music venues and learn firsthand why Austin is called the Live Music Capital of the World!

Pre-Sale happens at 10AM CDT on Wednesday, August 22nd and you must be on the C3 Concerts e-mail list by 9:59 pm CDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 to get your passcodes! If you sign up before 9:59 pm on August 21 OR if you're already on the list, you'll receive your passcodes a few hours before the on-sale happening Wednesday, August 22ng @ 10AM CDT. Pre-Sale Tickets are limited and subscribing to the e-list does not guarantee you access. The Public On-Sale happens at 10AM CDT on Thursday, August 23rd.

Continue reading "ACL 2012 'Late Night' aftershows announced (Afghan Whigs, Metric, Alabama Shakes, Weeknd, Delta Spirit & more)"

ACL 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

As mentioned on BV, C3 Presents just got approval to make Austin City Limits Festival two weekends starting in 2013. Meanwhile, this year's ACL fast approaches (Oct. 12 - 14), the schedule has already been announced, and is sold out.

Jack White (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

It's only July, and ACL isn't until October 12th, but the schedule for this year's festival is live. Some big conflicts this year include Delta Spirit vs The War on Drugs, Patrick Watson vs First Aid Kit, Weezer vs Florence & the Machine, M. Ward vs M83, Metric vs Andrew Bird, The Shins vs The Roots, Polica vs Tennis, The Weeknd vs Die Antwoord, Old 97s vs Avett Brothers Vs Iggy & the Stooges vs Willis Earl Beal, and MOST NOTABLY (aka super frustrating)... Jack White vs Neil Young.

Too Far To Care was a magical moment for the 97's. Starry-eyed and flush with confidence thanks to our brand-new deal with Elektra, we felt no fear, just giddy excitement. An adventurous producer and a world champion A&R guy shepherded us through the recording process. And when it was all over, we had captured our little bit of lightning in a bottle. I love Too Far To Care and can't wait to play it in its entirety across the USA. - Rhett Miller

August 24th - Dallas, TX -- House Of Blues
August 25th - San Antonio, TX -- Sam's Burger Joint
August 26th - El Paso, TX -- Tircky Falls
August 28th - Phoenix, AZ -- The Crescent Ballroom

by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin

tUnE-yArDs @ The Moody Theater - 5/29/2012

After playing Sasquatch over Memorial Day weekend, tUnE-yArDs (aka Merrill Garbus & co) came to spend two nights in Austin. They taped an episode for Season 38 of Austin City Limits last night (5/29), and will be playing a sold-out Mohawk show tonight (5/30) with Deep Time (formerly known as Yellow Fever).

Pictures form the ACL taping at The Moody Theater below...

Continue reading "tUnE-yArDs taped for ACL (pics), playing Mohawk tonight"

The Shins at Sasquatch 2012 (more by Chris Graham)

The Shins will be touring internationally this summer and they've just confirmed a set of fall US dates which culminates in three TX shows. Those shows include House of Blues in Houston on 10/10, House of Blues in Dallas on 10/11, and Austin City Limits in Austin on 10/13. Pre-sale tickets will be available Wednesday (5/30) at noon via The Shins' website and lifestyle website Gilt City. General sale for the House of Blues Houston and House of Blues Dallas shows starts Friday (6/1) at noon. ACL Fest tickets are sold out.

The Shins also just made a new video for Port of Morrow opening track, "The Rifle's Spiral." Check that out, along with a list of all dates below...

Continue reading "The Shins announce fall tour, playing three TX shows (dates)"