IPO Austin 2018
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Artists From Austin
Ashbury Keys – A straight-up pop-rock band originally from Houston, but with members now also living in Austin, who have garnered multiple nominations as one of the best bands of the city! Returning in 2012 after a brief hiatus, they’ve not only not missed a beat, but have come back even better, flooring crowds at IPOs both near and far (including several appearances at IPO Liverpool!) with their muscular power pop and sibling harmonies. Their latest EP, Do You Know Who You Are?, takes their Texas-filtered Brit-Pop sound to a whole ‘nother level!
Burgess Meredith – Influenced by such greats as Harry Nilsson, Ricky Nelson, and The Beach Boys, this local collective artfully blends ‘60s harmony, folk and psych pop with bubblegum and new wave touches to create a uniquely catchy sound of their own. Their recently released album, A Dimension of Sound, will also appeal to fans of early ‘70s AM radio! Check it out!
Crocodile – Musically inspired by those classic bands who defined what it is to be a progressive rocker – bands such as Gentle Giant, Genesis, Jethro Tull, ELP, Yes, and PFM – Crocodile shares their original ambitions to meld diverse influences into something unique and musically adventurous. Their debut album, His Name is Stan and He’s a Bad Motherfu**er, also follows in the great concept album tradition!
Demi The Daredevil – A theatrical art rock sensation originally from El Paso but now relocated to Austin, Demi The Daredevil’s latest LP, The Secret Schizoid, combines influences from Queen and The Beatles with Bach, Disney, and modern Broadway rock opera shows, such as Rent and Superman. “It’s a very striking combination of dense sophisticated lyrics with contrapuntal melodic and harmonic structures not normally heard in current contemporary music these days,” says John McCracken, acclaimed musician, Gold and Platinum music producer and former head of A&R for EMI Music Group, and current head of John McCracken Music Group, who has signed them to his label and expects great things to come!
Freddie Steady Krc – IPO is proud to present a solo performance by the main man of The Freddie Steady 5 and Steady Boy Records, long known in Austin and beyond as a tireless promoter and musician, and one helluva guy! He’s appeared as a session drummer with everyone from Carole King to Roger Waters to Ronnie Lane, and has even appeared as a drummer on film in the movie Outlaw Blues. His tunes as a solo performer and with The Freddie Steady 5 blend British Invasion and ‘60s psychedelic garage influences with country and blues into what can best be described as just feel good rollicking good time music, and whether solo or with a band, he always rocks his heart out!
The Genders – Formed by Amir Neubach and Ofer Koren in 2004 in Tel Aviv, Israel, The Genders recorded their first album, Rockin in Ramallah, (AMP Records/8th Note Records) and teamed up with drummer Or Kachlon and set out on their first US tour in 2005. After three albums, four US tours and countless songs on movie soundtracks, The Genders have relocated to Austin, and gone back to their roots with a new album of ‘60s inspired rock n’ roll, psychedelia and garage rock. Said album, Take Me To The Freeway, will appeal to fans of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and the Nuggets box sets!
Gentlemen Rogues – Drawing inspiration from UK visionaries like The Who, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, and The Jam, while steadfastly blasting their own course through an American indie-rock canon shaped by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Jawbreaker, and Superchunk, Gentlemen Rogues crank out catchy, amplified treble kickers, mixing powder keg intensity, classic melodies, and brash theatrics into a 200-proof distillation of brazen rock n’ roll. Their latest EP, A History So Repeating, finds the band blending lush lyrical and instrumental textures to create a sonic cocktail sure to intoxicate discerning ears! Check them out now so you can say you saw them before they were superstars!
GO BANG – The latest outfit led by the inimitable Eddy Best, known to many Austin area popsters as one of the main men of The Go Wows, GO BANG combine influences from classic ‘70s power pop and ’60s garage with irresistible hooks and crunchy guitars. Their debut CD, Bang Bang, has been getting much well-deserved local radio play and internet buzz, and their raucous performances have made them an instant fan favorite with anyone who sees and hears them play!
The Hungry Onions – Named after a once popular Southern California beatnik haunt from the mid-sixties and influenced by vintage and modern artists, the Hungry Onions hammer out a unique blend of garage pop, melodic psych, and surf rock. Jam packed with jangly hooks and reverb soaked harmonies on their brand new album, She’s a Mod. Their sound has a vibe that is both retro and contemporary; fans of The Small Faces and The High Numbers will dig it!
The Late Joys – Majorly influenced by The Beatles, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Jam The Clash and a slew of ’80s and ’90s Brit-pop guitar-based trailblazers, The Late Joys put on a high-octane show that’s groovy, melodic and infused with fun. The band is known for its infectious sonic confections which offer a tasty combination of literate lyrics, catchy melodies and unabashedly progressive political sensibilities.
Mount Pressmore – Fast becoming a fixture of the Austin club scene, Mount Pressmore is committed to creating great music one song, one performance, and one album at a time. Mount Pressmore makes music that crosses cultures and transcends categories. It’s Herbie Hancock meeting Peter Gabriel in a Danny Elfman film score. It’s a comedy, for sure, but one that balances social satire with self-examination. Check out their latest album, The Masked Battle, to hear what we mean…or better yet, come to their IPO showcase! Modern prog-pop at its finest!
Rich Restaino – Known to many as the leader of Rich Restaino & The Obits, whose combination of soulful harmonies and bubblegum playfulness has long been a favorite of the Austin pop scene, Restaino is just as entertaining as a solo artist! His upcoming album, Grown-Folk Music, which releases right around the time of his IPO showcase, is a collection of songs about what happens when a man’s growing comfort with aging coincides with a decided discomfort with the age in which he lives. It’s a tragic-comic musical meditation on current affairs, adulthood, and our clumsy attempts to find meaning in it all. Fans of artists from Paul Simon to Carl Perkins to John Lennon and David Byrne should check it out!
Shivery Shakes – Their debut album, Three Waves & A Shake, is dreamy ‘60s-inspired weirdo surf -inflected power pop at it’s finest! It’s like Buddy Holly and Ronnie Spector went at it and popped out four handsome young men. They’re currently working on their 2nd album, which we can hardly wait to hear!
The Soulphonics – The Soulphonics play American garage rock ‘n roll: three to four minute songs full of hooks and mostly about the pain of love, life, and death…and no guitar noodling! Fans of The Seeds, Flamin’ Groovies, and AM radio circa 1966 will want to check out their latest album, Heart Full of Soulphonics! Groovy!
Tres Oui – A modern dance pop quartet, Tres Oui spin out upbeat infectiously catchy tunes drawing influences from new wave, romantic ‘80s Brit Pop, ‘60s psychedelia, and angular indie rock, that are nearly impossible not to dance to! Their brand new album, Poised To Flourish, is very aptly named indeed!
Wiretree – Wiretree melds hints of the Shins, Brendan Benson, Elliot Smith, Wilco and ‘70s era Nick Lowe. Their 2013 album, Get Up, “… reveals its pleasures through repeated spins, insinuating itself intellectually at first, but eventually settling permanently into the heart.” (The Austin Chronicle), and their latest album, Towards The Sky, is even better! Definitely one of my fave bands to ever grace the city of Austin. Check them out now!
U.S. Artists From Outside of Austin
Lannie Flowers Band – Although he and the band hail from Kennedale and Ft. Worth, they’ve done what no other artist in the history of the LA Music Awards has done…namely, taking home four awards in a single year in 2013! Flowers’ latest studio CD, New Songs, Old Stories, picks up where his earlier disc, Circles, left off, but rocks even harder, and the band’s latest, Live In NYC, shows why you must see them in person! Badfinger-esque in-your-face guitars and vocal harmonies blend with softer shifting harmonies more reminiscent of XTC, but that fans of artists from The Raspberries to The Velvet Underground will be sure to appreciate! We also appreciate that he and his band have played the IPO festival in many cities throughout the world and continue to do so, with no sign of slowing down! Case in point: they’ve got too many great songs that they won’t all fit on the next album, Home, so Flowers is giving them away as free downloads on his Facebook up until the official album release! Pretty cool, huh?
The Pengwins – A band of buddies (including Lannie Flowers-see above) who had their heyday in Fort Worth, Texas in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, back when power pop was king! Taking cues from the greats such as Badfinger, Cheap Trick, and The Raspberries, their music is power pop all the way….and they can still deliver it better than just about anyone!! One of Spyderpop Records’ finest artists!
The Speedlights – Straight outta Denton, Texas, The Speedlights offer “[A] mix of The Raspberries Power Pop Sound mixed with the Revival Mod/New Wave bands from England in the late ‘70s.” (Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More). Their recently released full length album, Night Driver, will also appeal to fans of The Cars and The Knack. Check it out!
Jason Treviño of The Rosedale Highs – San Antonio’s The Rosedale Highs are self-proclaimed champions of the “New Power Pop” movement, which emphasizes melody, harmony, and the classic Beatlesque pop sound, updated for the 2010’s. Their music has been described as having the “lyrical complexity of Ben Folds” and the “sunny but melancholy rock of The Replacements” (Adam Coronado, The San Antonio Current). Their latest EP, 4×4, is sure to gain new converts to the new power pop cause…don’t miss Treviño’s unique singer/songwriter rendition at his IPO showcase!