The great thing about SXSW is trying to find out about any and all secret shows. We Listen For You brought in a new element by not even telling us who was on their lineup. Full of intrigue, a friend and I trekked our way to the mystery show bright and early to be welcomed by a relaxing morning of acoustic sets. Short but sweet sets by Bro Stephens, Radical Dads, Conveyor, ARMS and Henry Clay People made me want to check these bands out further.

Lucky for me since this is SXSW, I will hopefully be able to catch up with at least one again in the coming days. Conveyor is looking mighty fine to check out again after seeing  only the briefest of sets. Needless to say, they made a great impression.

Radical Dads, a Brooklyn-based punk band, sounded radically different live, with acoustic guitars as opposed to what they sound like normally. I'm partial to the more listener friendly acoustic style, but that is just based off comparing it to what they have streaming online. I'll reserve my final decisions when I see them live again.

I finished the morning off by stopping Noise Pops day party to check out The Black Ryder. Getting wind they were going to play in a small bar was the best news I had heard so far.  This duo are often accompanied by talented musician friends to form a complete sound and boy did they do that today. What I consider to be rock with a psychedelic undertone similar to and influenced by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, was just what was needed to shake up my otherwise mellow morning.  Often times certain bands are more suited for evening shows in dark places, these guys would fit into that category. However, the Red Eyed Fly was a bar dark enough on the interior and still had the feel of last nights party lingering that The Black Ryder rocked it and I'm very happy they did.

Ancient Sky

Descend into the weekend tonight with psychedelic rock band Ancient Sky’s record release show for their latest LP, T.R.I.P.S., at Death by Audio. This album is certainly a trip, and I would expect their live show to be a reverb-soaked trip down the rabbit hole of rock and roll – especially at this well-matched venue. If you’ve ever been to a show at Death by Audio, you know exactly what I mean. Also on the bill is the dark and lovely EXITMUSIC, plus Face Blindness, a band consisting of Radical Dads members.

Ancient Sky is still pretty under the radar, but very much in the vein of what bands like A Place to Bury Strangers and Himalaya as far as sonic composition and loudness goes. These bands create a sonic atmosphere that completely engulfs you to the point that feel nothing else outside of the sound. We’ve already witnessed the atmosphere of EXITMUSIC, so this should be a great night of mental transportation through the smoky haze airwaves. Until then, here is a track of Ancient Sky’s self-titled album from 2009 for you to blast for your co-workers before the end of your day:

Doors are at 8pm, and tix are a very agreeable $7 for the all ages crowd.

Picture by Fernando Vidal Oregui

Picked By: Laurel Kathleen

Who: Dante vs. Zombies

Where: The Echo, Los Angeles, CA

When: Monday, June 13th Doors open at 8:30pm

Cost: FREE

Age Restrictions: 21+

It was a great night for music at Cake Shop, a cozy little place on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This small, dimly lit bar/café/venue presumably sells cake during the day, but on Friday night offered up one of the most exciting shows I’ve seen in a long time, hosting Emil & Friends, Ravens and Chimes and Old Monk. These three talented groups could not have been more different, and I give Cake Shop a lot of credit for hosting them together; it’s not often an audience gets to hear such a diverse range of sounds in one night.

Let’s start with Ravens and Chimes. This five-piece from New York is a strange beast: a folky rock band with two keyboardists.  Live, frontman Asher Lack sounds a lot like Conor Oberst (without that weird super-vibrato thing he does), and, like Oberst, he is a storyteller. His lyrics are often dark and dislocated, and have a hazy urgency-- like being in a dream where you know you need to run away, but you can’t move.