What is a Thingamagoo? It is a little metal creature that’s more than just a toy, it is a beeping, zapping, bixxerfouping, anthropomorphic synthesizer monster. Turn the knobs and push the buttons to make crazy nonsense sounds. It has an audio out and a mini built-in-speaker to robot out. Plus you can customize it, and how fun is that? This is exactly what we all need on a Friday afternoon. Beep Labs will be at the Austin Maker Faire this weekend and is part of a group show at Gallery Lambardi taking place now. If anyone is in Austin and gets to play with one, let us know what you thought.

What do the words Austin, Texas make you think of? Music? Cowboys? Richard Linklater? Okay, fair enough, but what if I told you sushi? Its true, mixed up with all the BBQ, steaks and Mexican food is the amazing sushi restaurant Uchi. We know what you are thinking, “It must be good for Texas sushi standards’, but this sushi bar is amazing. A renovated old house just south of the river and across the street from the landmark Alamo Draft House theater (another Austin gem) provides great interior design to chow down colorful fish. Recent Iron Chef contestant Tyson Cole heads up the creative dishes that look like little pieces of art (and for the price it may as well be art). If you are in Austin and need your Japanese cusine itch scratched, Uchi can do that and them some. Just don’t expect a table when you head down for SXSW.

Every year around this time, I get an ALL CAPS, exclamatory instant message from my brother, who’s slaving away in his cubicle at GSD&M in Austin, TX. Why would he be so excited on a Thursday, you ask? Well, it seems as though the lineup was just announced for September’s Austin City Limits music bonanza. If you have yet to make the trip to Zilker Park in Austin for this 3-day, 8-stage, and 130-band show, it looks like this year’s the year. Pictured here are the top acts– sweltering to say the least; they should go nicely with the hot weather that crazed fans will likely endure to see them play. The crazy thing is, when you see the names of the bands that fall below these biggies, you’ll be even more blown away. For those of you who make it to ATX for ACL, here’s some friendly advice: drink a gallon of Gatorade when you wake up in the morning, and when you get to the show, keep two Lone Stars in your holsters at all times.

Saturday's beautiful weather was not to be outdone, but the music continued on through the weekend with Sunday bringing more and more of what we had come to expect – amazing artist and passionate performances. The Shins were the first act we saw and even though we couldn't see very well the music rang perfectly in everyone's ears especially when they played “New Slang” for the masses to hum along to. Matisyahu really got the crowd going and exposed us to a lot of freestyles and new tunes, which we can't wait to get our hands on. But not to be outdone was the one and only Oklahoma's psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips. After seeing and meeting the oh so polite Wayne Coyne by his tour bus the Lips put on a show that, following the spirit of the dancing Santa's, giant alien and astronaut, and the Jetson-esque dressed ladies on stage, turned into more of a musical party than a rock show. We saw Austin's own, What Made Milwaukee Famous and Ghostland Observatory, and didn't miss the soothing blues of Ray Lamontagne, but we must say that without a doubt the best performance of the weekend had to be the instrumental rock of Explosions in the Sky! Watching from back stage we saw the crowd growing and getting larger with every passing minute until finally the sun had set and you could no longer see where the people ended and the night began, all that remained was the continuously flashing cameras. Even calling it perfect wouldn't do Mark, Michael, Munaf, and Chris's performance justice, but surely the chanting crowd, desiring only “One – More – Song” can lend an idea to the amazing music of the instrumental quartet that is Explosions in the Sky. Thanks to Munaf for letting us join in the wonderful experience! More pictures courtesy of Pentax after the jump!
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It took two days to recover from the fun, sun, and music, but this years Austin City Limits Music Festival is still strongly resonating in our thoughts. Although the festival opened and closed with rain showers, the clouds parted for most of the weekend allowing the shining sun and gentle breezes to provide the perfect atmosphere for some of the most exhilarating live music we've ever experienced. Phoenix played a terrific set, blending old tracks (Run, Run, Run and Funky Square Dance) with new tunes (“Napoleon Says” and “Long Distance Call”) and embraced the crowd, who returned their energy despite the mid-day heat. We caught up with Laurent Brancowitz (Guitar) in the artist lounge where he told us he was really looking forward to the rest of their US tour dates so make sure to check them out in a town near you. Nada Surf followed shortly there after definitely had us singing along to “Inside of Love” and “Killians Red”, and humored us with some adolescent skateboard stories before toping things off with the hit song “Popular”. Things were in full swing at the festival and it was only to get better!

Plug in your nicest set of headphones for this one—you will need them to fully appreciate the deep, layered audio of the newest from TV on the Radio, a group of five Brooklynites who have so far impressed the toughest of critics with their newest album Return to Cookie Mountain. Hot off the press (Sept. 12), Return to Cookie Mountain may be the most original and interesting rock album you’ll hear all year. The music sounds like a mixture of Bowie (who guest-sings on the soulful pop track “Province”), the Talking Heads, and Prince—but those influences are all uniquely wrapped up in the weaving vocals of lead singer Tunde Adebimpe (who has one of the most striking voices in indie rock) and deep-voiced back-up Kyp Malone. After their 2004 debut Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes was criticized by some for being more of an audio art project than a rock album, Return to Cookie Mountain is destined to hoist the group to indie rock notoriety. The first track on the album “I Was a Lover” lets you know right away that Return to Cookie Mountain is an album unlike any other—chaotic, yet syncopated. “Hours” utilizes a wide-open beat and vocals to transition smoothly from “I Was a Lover.” The rock and roll swagger that every listener craves appears fiercely in “Wolf Like Me,” which is the true center of gravity of the album. Oh, did I mention that TV on the Radio is leading a Renaissance of black musicians in the traditionally white world of indie rock? They appear eclectic—their music is eclectic—and they are adding something exciting to the indie rock genre. TV On The Radio will also be appearing at ACL this weekend, stay tuned for special coverage!

Chance is that even though you've never heard of Explosions in the Sky, you've probably heard their music whether it be on the masterfully done soundtrack to Friday Night Lights or most recently in a Cadillac advertisement. In reality though, the Austin, TX quartet of Mark Smith (Guitar), Michael James (Bass), Munaf Rayani (Guitar), and Christopher Hrasky (Drums) have done their best to avoid the commercial spotlight, despite numerous requests to feature their music. It is this sole dedication to creating rock symphonies that has most likely led them to be so successful since they formed in 1999 despite mass media exposure. Their performances don't consist of separate tracks, but melodic transitions that provide a never-ending, completely unique performance at every venue. Described as passionate, romantic, loud, melodic, powerful, tragic, and beautiful, Explosions in the Sky is one of the “greatest instrumental rock bands in modern history”. Of their five albums and one soundtrack I dare not name favorites due to the perfection of each and every track!

New Hampshire born, Ray La Montagne's acclaimed 2004 debut, “Trouble”, quietly sold over 250,000 copies, thanks to word of mouth praises from grassroots fans. Ray, who was working at a shoe-factory was inspired to pursue music by a 4am epiphany set to the soundtrack of Stephen Stills, “Tree Top Flyer”. He quit his job and immersed himself in the sounds of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Otis Redding, and Joni Mitchell and got himself a coffee house gig in Maine. His follow up album, set to be released in late summer, is sure to be full of emotional vocals, and intriguing words and melodies, but will be a totally new album. “It's definitely not ‘Trouble Part 2',” Ray promises. Being compared to the likes of Elliot Smith, David Gray, and Van Morrison, who will also be performing at this years festival, LaMontagne's “quietly devastating”, soulful tunes should provide for an amazing show!

We couldn't think of a better way to kick it off our ACL coverage than by letting you in on Austin's little secret, Ghostland Observatory. The inventive partnership of electronic and rock is brought to us by front man Aaron Behrens and producer / drummer Thomas Turner. Seeing Ghostland live is simply amazing and the pig tailed Behrens and silver-caped Thomas grab you from the get go, hitting you with beats that would have even those without a pulse dancing. Their albums Delete.Delete.I.Eat.Meat and Paparazzi Lighting deliver an array of sounds and are both not to be missed. Delivering just the right mix of electronics, synthesizers, guitars, drums, and vocals, Ghostland Observatory will definitely be the undiscovered gem of ACL 2006 so go brush up on their sound at Trashy Moped Records. We can't wait for this one!

That's right ACL is literally right around the corner, September 15–17, so to get you ready for the upcoming festival we'll be highlighting the big, the small, the known, and the yet to be discovered of this years performers. Not only that, but we'll make sure to throw in some information on how to make the weekend a little more comfortable, where to go when the sun goes down, and festival updates. Even if you can't make it to the shows it's still worth taking a listen to some of these amazing acts. We hope you're as excited as we are and check in daily for updates!

With their own brand of get your butt movin' rock, Sound Team, is one of the newest in a continuing succession of DIY bands bringing their sound to the masses. Started by brother's Bill and Michael Baird in a Portland bar, the now six-piece Austin group has successfully exceeded the expectations set by the Work EP on their highly anticipated debut, Movie Monster. This time around, the Team traverses a great deal of musical terrain, going from “Get Out”, a “driving teaser anthem” to darker, more experimental tunes like title track, “Movie Monster”. Live, Sound Team translates their tunes from disc effortlessly, creating excitement from the first bang of the drum without sacrificing quality. You can catch Bill and Matt on MTV2's Subterranean on July 16th or check them out at their website, just do it soon because Movie Monster is definitely one of the top ten of 2006!

One of the days I look most forward to every year is the release of the Austin City Limits Festival line-up, and like last year, and the year before that, and the, well, you get the idea, they have never disappointed. 2006 is definitely no exception with 100+ bands like Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, Gnarles Barkley, Explosions in the Sky, Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band scheduled to perform! Seeing this massive list of quality bands put a huge smile on my face and got me even more excited about the upcoming Festival, September 15-17 in Austin, TX. Oh, and if you hadn’t yet, now is probably a good time to get your tickets, they do sell out!

Simply put, Local Austin artist Bonnie Gammill makes beautiful artwork on plywood. In each of her paintings the colors blend with the tones and shades of the wood grain creating variances in color that add to the uniqueness of her creations. Gammill studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Glasgow School of Art, but now resides in Austin, Texas. My favorite collection is the Carscapes, which she has been concentrating on lately. See Bonnie's work on her website or her MySpace page.

We all have our favorite little place to shop that we kind of deem our own. Well, with everyone including our good friend Josh Rubin stopping by during SXSW, to being featured in Metro.pop Magazine, it seems that the word is out on Factory People. Well I don't mind sharing because the more the merrier when the party starts. This former gun store has been changed into an amazing space that brings together art, music, and fashion– and a few nights every month, they throw a mighty fine party, a party that includes everything from live spinning to local artist to drinking and dancing. Owners Tom and Le's taste is impeccable and it shows through in their selection which includes Surface2Air, Yoko Devereaux, and Gsus. To get updates on what's coming up check out their website.

Music isn’t all that’s going on at SXSW, there are plenty of terrific movies like Before the Music Dies and Air Guitar Nation to see. So, get out of the heat and check out one of these great flicks, each of which has one more showtime this week. Make sure to get there early though, seats fill fast! If you can’t make it to the festival, don’t miss their DVD release. More after the Jump.
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