Tag: Music News

Lord Buffalo: Holus Bolus Album by Austin Psychedelic-Americana Band

Lord Buffalo’s new album Holus Bolus will be released July 12, 2024. Photo: Metal Injection

Austin heavy psychedelic-Americana band Lord Buffalo recently released a new single from their forthcoming album Holus Bolus. CvltNation shares “I Wait on The Door Slab” single HERE. Also now streaming on Bandcamp and all DSPs HERE. (US/THEM Group, 2024)

Metal Injection previously launched the title track and official video for “Holus Bolus” HERE.

Lord Buffalo is Daniel Pruitt (guitar, bass, piano, vocals, melodica), Garrett Hellman (guitar, sub-bass, piano, synths), Patrick Patterson (violin), and Yamal Said (drums, percussion).

Lord Buffalo is heavy in the way that ghosts are heavy… in the way that billowing dust is heavy.

That is to say, the Austin, TX Psych-Americana band’s music impacts hard, though it seems impossible to touch. Their sound flows through us, it doesn’t invite the Pavlovian response of typical heavy rock music

Perhaps it’s fitting then that their new album Holus Bolus takes its name from an antiquated term meaning “all at once.” It materializes instantly from the first notes of the opening title track, like a dark grey haze drawing listeners in with the band’s deft juxtapositions of droning violin, guitars, drums and vocals. It draws equally from Morricone and Badalementi as from Sabbath and Swans.

While the quartet trudges the same murky waters as dark emotive brethren David Eugene Edwards/Woven Hand, Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, Earth/Dylan Carlson, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Nick Cave, their creative interplay of Middle Eastern influence with a distinctly Western feel takes listeners in entirely new directions as the album envelops them. Holus Bolus was recorded by Danny Reisch and Max Lorenzen at Good Danny’s in Lockhart, TX. Mixed by Danny Reisch. Mastered by Max Lorenzen.

“While the making of this record feels a bit like a sleep-deprived hallucination to me. Listening to it now, I find it strangely hopeful — there’s a kind of release that you hit in exhaustion. I think the record knew what it was after, even if we didn’t. It felt very much like the record just appeared one day, holus bolus.” – Daniel Pruitt

Holus Bolus will be available worldwide on vinyl, CD, and digital via Blues Funeral Recordings on July 12, 2024. Pre-order HERE.

Artist: Lord Buffalo
Album: Holus Bolus
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Release Date: July 12, 2024

Courtesy album photo, used with permission

Holus Bolus

Slow Drug

Passing Joy

Malpaisano

I Wait on the Door Slab

Cracks in the Vermeer

Rowing in Eden

“Known for their atmospheric spin on folk-rock, at times sounding like the Anthology of American Folk Music beamed from outer space.” — NPR Music

“A dusky, moody, roots-quaking disc of tension and release.” — Austin Chronicle

“Lord Buffalo masterfully mixes straightforward, stoner-tinged rock with more violin-driven post-rock tones into one beautifully captivating sound that everyone should be familiar with.” — Metal Injection

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New single release: Kick It – flor

flor doesn’t care much what you think of them on their new single ‘Kick It.’ Courtesy single artwork, used with permission.

First Hood River, Oregon’s, now the world’s alt-pop darlings, flor, released their newest single this month –  “Kick It.” A fuzzed out, knobs dialed all the way up type of track, “Kick It” tells judgmental onlookers to shove it and be on their way. A more confident, provocative take from flor, the band continues showing their vast songwriting range as they explore the joy of their newfound creative independence. (Big Hassle Media, 2024)

flor finds light in the promise of a new day. The Hood River, OR trio—Zach Grace (vocals, guitar), Dylan Bauld (bass), and Kyle Hill (drums)—excavate unshakable melodies from jubilant synths, buoyant beats, and lush guitars as they relay a coming-of-age story all their own.

The story began as high school kids playing in a garage. The band quietly generated hundreds of millions of streams in the wake of their 2016 debut come out. you’re hiding. In 2019, ley lines only accelerated their momentum buoyed by tracks including “white noise,” “slow motion,” and “dancing around.” Critical acclaim followed from NYLON, Billboard, Paste, and Ones To Watch who hailed the album as “an exhilarating balancing act.”

They concluded a successful headline tour at the top of 2020 only to face the harsh reality of the Global Pandemic with the rest of us. Once it became safe enough to do so, the musicians congregated back in Los Angeles at Dylan’s studio for a series of writing sessions. This time around, they built the bulk of the songs face-to-face together inspired by favorite records from the likes of MGMT, Phoenix, The Killers, and M83. The result was their 2022 third full-length album, Future Shine which won over the praise of Rolling Stone, AltPress, and many others.

After taking some time to evaluate who they want to be creatively, flor is now back and more refreshed than they’ve ever been. The end of last year saw the release of “Same Color as the Sun” as the band joined The Maine for a massive North American tour.

Last month, flor starred in The Noise’s first episode of their new video series titled Something Loud. Filmed in Los Angeles – with the help from Betawave Media – flor performed their singles “Every Night,” “Warm Blood Pt 2,” “No More Time,” and “Gotta Do Something” to showcase what “loud” means to them.

Regularly releasing new singles to keep their fanbase fed, the last few months have seen flor unveil “Same Color as the Sun,” “Warm Blood Pt 2” and “Nosedive.” “Same Color as the Sun” quickly gained traction at Triple A radio and continues to chart higher week after week. “Warm Blood Pt 2” also arrived with an official video. With the song’s precursor dating back to their 2016 debut album come out. you’re hiding, part two wasn’t initially created as a follow up. But as the band began writing with the intent of creating something as rapturous as the original, things started to fall in place.

The end of 2023 also saw flor join their friends in The Maine for a massive North American tour, selling out almost every single date. Over the coming months, flor will continue to ride their current wave of inspiration with more new music on the way.

New single release: Relief – Gus Baldwin & The Sketch

Gus Baldwin shares new single and launches Western US tour. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Austin Power Punk artist Gus Baldwin is a 25-year-old singer/songwriter/ex-hippie/part-time punk hailing from Austin, TX. After a stint holding down drums for Dallas surf punk legends Sealion in high school, Baldwin went on to form the Psych Pop combo Acid Carousel, which he led for 6 years and 20 something releases before departing the band on Halloween night 2021. He shares the official video for his new single Relief via Austin Town Hall. (US/THEM group, 2024)

Since leaving Carousel, Gus has made a name for himself as a solo artist in Austin, constantly performing as a singer/songwriter, one man garage band, or with his band The Sketch. Quickly releasing a string of titles on his own GetWithIt! Records imprint, including the EPs “THRILLER II,” “Live Bugs,” as well as a slew of singles, Gus established himself firmly as the godson of Texas rock ‘n’ roll. Splitting his time as a frequent collaborator with The Black Angels, Baldwin also works with the likes of Christian Bland & The Revelators as well as The UFO Club with Night Beats frontman, Danny Lee Blackwell.

Gus Baldwin & The Sketch kicked off their Western U.S. tour this month, which includes a performance at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. 

GUS BALDWIN & THE SKETCH LIVE 2024:
5/22 Marfa, TX
5/23 El Paso, TX
5/25 Las Vegas, NV
5/26 Long Beach, NV
5/27 San Francisco, CA
5/29 San Diego, CA
5/31 Los Angeles, CA
6/01 Tucson, AZ
6/02 Phoenix, AZ

Cover art for single Relief. Courtesy photos, used with permission.

Forthcoming new album release: The Iceland Sessions – Greensky Bluegrass

Greensky Bluegrass announces new EP The Iceland Sessions featuring Holly Bowling out May 10 via Thirty Tigers. Photo: Tobin Voggesser, used with permission.

Greensky Bluegrass is widely known for their thoughtful lyricism, edgy and genre-expansive sound, dazzling live performances, and relentless touring schedule. However, that is only the tip of the complex tale of the five musicians that make up Greensky Bluegrass: Anders Beck [dobro], Michael Arlen Bont [banjo], Dave Bruzza [guitar], Mike Devol [upright bass], and Paul Hoffman [Mandolin]. The five are connected through a deep bond, just as they are seasoned road warriors, they’re a band of brothers who have seen each other through decades of ups and downs, personal and collective highlights, and the moments when life turns it all upside down. (Big Hassle Media, 2024)

For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.

Greensky Bluegrass is thrilled to announce The Iceland Sessions due out May 10 via Thirty Tigers. Pre-orders are available now.

The EP was recorded at Flóki Studios in the summer of 2023, just before their first-ever Icelandic run of shows at Reykjavik’s Harpa Concert Hall. “We invited some of our favorite friends and musicians to play with us, including Holly Bowling, and we set out to make memories in the twilight sun with a bunch of fans who joined us from all over the world,” recalls Paul Hoffman. Bowling has been a regular guest in Greensky’s band lineup throughout the last several years and the chemistry between Bowling and the band is undeniable.

Flóki Studios is located in a very remote section of northern Iceland, and for Greensky, that’s precisely what was needed. A very intense few days that drew out creativity and inspiration not yet tapped by the band. “We embraced the disorienting inspiration and played late into the night as the sun never left us, all the while still developing lyrics and figuring out harmonies and arrangements. We swam in the cold water. We saw more sheep than people for days. We listened to the birds sing through the night while we charged through each song. A recording project that felt like a whirlwind at times turned into something calm and peaceful that felt more creative and raw than anything we’ve done before. Fully aware that we could continue to work on this later, we decided to commit to what we created in Iceland and have the recording be truly a moment in time.”

Following the release of The Iceland Sessions, Greensky will set out on their summer tour which kicks off May 12 in Mill Valley, CA. Up to date news and tour information is available online. 

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Forthcoming new album release: I Want It All Right Now – Grouplove

Grouplove announces deluxe version of I Want It All Right Now – out on May 10, 2024. Photo: Brantley Gutierrez, used with permission.

On their new album I Want It All Right Now, Grouplove offers up a body of work built on a raw but incandescent sound that vocalist/keyboardist Hannah Hooper refers to as “resistance pop.” As Hooper reveals, the Atlanta-based band’s sixth full-length album emerged from a period of intense transformation for herself and her husband/bandmate, vocalist/guitarist Christian Zucconi. Over the course of 11 shapeshifting songs, Grouplove’s debut release for Glassnote Records documents that progression from external searching to radical self-discovery, infusing each track with the wildly unbridled spirit the band has always embodied. (Big Hassle, 2024)

I Want It All Right Now fully harnesses the ecstatic energy Grouplove has brought to the stage on multiple international headline tours and at leading festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza. In a major leap forward for the band—whose lineup also includes bassist Daniel Gleason, guitarist Andrew Wessen, and drummer Ben Homola—the album explores the deepest tensions of the human psyche with equal parts tenderness, curiosity, and exacting self-revelation. A bold evolution of the defiantly sincere songwriting they first delivered on their 2011 debut Never Trust a Happy Song, I Want It All Right Now ultimately leaves the listener newly awakened to the wisdom and power of their own intuition.

I Want It All Right Now Deluxe will be available everywhere on May 10, 2024.

The deluxe album will feature six new tracks, including the live version of the album’s title track “All” from Madison Square Garden. With Jake Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band lending his talents on the saxophone, the live rendition sheds any previous confines and swells into something altogether larger than life.

Multifaceted in her approach to artistry, Hannah Hooper has painted all of the band’s artwork. Grouplove’s artwork has become almost as recognizable as their sound over the years, seeing the band work out the tensions of life through all mediums at their disposal.

In February, Grouplove released the first deluxe track “Chances.” The rapturous, overstimulated, hallucinogenic singsong saw the band channeling their ecstatic energy into the deepest tensions of the human psyche, all while playing with the contradictions and complications of existing. I Want It All Right Now, the band’s sixth studio album, was originally released in 2023.

Over the last month, Grouplove has been joined by Bully for the North American Rock And Roll You Won’t Save Me Tour. Fans who missed the tour or simply want more need not despair as the band has upcoming festival performances this summer at Wildflower! Festival, Bonnaroo and Oceans Calling. By popular demand, Grouplove has been added to 9 new dates this fall supporting P!nk.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
May 17 – Richardson, TX – Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
June 14 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
June 22 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage (with Arkells)
September 28 – Ocean City, MD – Oceans Calling Festival
November 3 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ^
November 6 – Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field ^
November 8 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center ^
November 11 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena^
November 12 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena^
November 14 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena^
November 16 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at The BJCC^
November 18 – Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium^
November 20 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena^

^ supporting P!nk

I Want It All Right Now Deluxe track list:
“All”
“Cheese”
“Malachi”
“Hello”
“Eyes”
“Billie”
“Tryin’”
“Cream”
“Francine”
“Climb”
“Wall”
“Chances”
“Can You Feel My Love”
“Fire”
“House”
“Fishbowl”
“All (Live)”

Courtesy photo, used with permission

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New album release: Talking to Strangers – Jack McKeon

“Last Slice of Heaven” is the first single off Jack McKeon’s forthcoming new album Talking to Strangers, due out June 21, 2024. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Jack McKeon is a different sort of musician; a Nashville-based singer-songwriter with an honest, plainspoken vocal, an eclectic-roots sound, and a knack for bringing crystalline characters to life. A student of the greats drawn to the timeless, rather than the trendy, he hails from Chatham, New York (a few hours north of New York City and a world removed from the Americana and bluegrass scene he now inhabits), and harbors a deep love for the written word. First inspired by literary music icons from Hank Williams and Guy Clark to Tom T. Hall and John Hartford, McKeon arrived in Nashville in 2021 and has since established a reputation for his own message-drive lyricism—a value which shows up in its full sonic serenity on his 2024 album debut, Talking to Strangers, due out June 21. (IV-PR, 2024)

Recorded live over three days, Talking to Strangers captures the warm, organic sound of contemporary Appalachian soul, infusing folk rock with an easy-going bluegrass sway and speaking to his long-held musical values. It’s a work of classic craftsmanship, sturdy and simple yet packed with the nuance of a true, intentional wordsmith, and just the first significant step in what McKeon sees as “a lifelong pursuit.”

“Last Slice of Heaven” is the first single from Talking to Strangers. Fans can stream or purchase the single and pre-save Talking to Strangers ahead of its release.

With a classic banjo kick-off and rose-colored details dotting the first verse, Jack McKeon gives listeners their first taste of his new album with “Last Slice of Heaven.”

McKeon’s depiction of developmental creep is the story of every landowner outside of burgeoning cities nationwide. It doesn’t take long for the story to take a darker turn. How are the bills getting paid? Is there a new contractor twisting the county’s arm to condemn? “But now the land that he’s been working is worth more than he could need,” McKeon sings in the song’s pre-chorus. “If selling out’s surrender, is leaving like defeat?” “I wrote this song to give a voice to the person I imagined holding on to this ‘Last Slice of Heaven,’ a character at odds with the transformation around him who’s fighting to hold on to his own identity,” says McKeon. “…in spite of ‘A world that’s always changing what it means to be the same.’”

The Bluegrass Situation premiered the music video for “Last Slice of Heaven,” a simple, poignant affair in which McKeon picks the song on his vintage Gibson dreadnaught in his own little slice of heaven.

Talking to Strangers track list:
Willow Lane
Paler Shade of Blue
Highway 29
Last Slice of Heaven
I Don’t Trust You
Hard Headed
Crooked Teeth
Past the Point of Rescue
Waffle House Wonder
Love at the End of the World

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Tickets on sale now for 42nd annual Tejano Conjunto Festival

The legendary festival to feature the best in Tejano Conjunto music. Photo: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

Tickets are on sale now for the 42nd Tejano Conjunto Festival (TCF) en San Antonio, May 15-May 19, the first and longest-running conjunto festival in the country. It is internationally recognized as the most influential event for this beloved South Texas musical tradition. TCF will encompass five robust days of live performances and dancing, including a special Seniors Dance and Conjunto Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 2024)

The free Seniors Dance will be held on Wednesday, May 15, for seniors ages 55 and older with music from Los Hermanos DeLeón and Felipe Perez y sus Polkeros. The Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday, May 16, will feature a special dinner and dance. It will showcase esteemed Hall of Fame inductees from previous years including Bene Medina y su Conjunto Águila, Eddie “Lalo” Torres, Boni Mauricio y Los Máximos, Ruben Garza y La Nueva Era, and Santiago Jimenez. Jr., who has been nominated for three Grammys. Both the Seniors Dance and the Hall of Fame event will take place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9186, 650 VFW Blvd, and are co-sponsored by KEDA Radio.

The main weekend line-up for the 42nd Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival at Rosedale Park, 303 Dartmouth St, will feature three days of the best in conjunto music from Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, 2024.

On Friday, May 17, the Festival kicks off with Conjuntazzo with Joel & Sarah, Los D Boys, Gilberto Pérez Jr. y su Conjunto, Los Conjunto Kings de Flavio Longoria, David Flores y Los Tremendos Alacranes, and Los Desperadoz.

On Saturday May 18, the festival features student conjuntos from Rio Grande Valley, Retoño, J.R. Gómez y Los Conjunto Bandits, Mando y La Venganza, Conjunto Prestigio, Bernardo y sus Compadres, Impozzible, Los Tellez, Los Monarcas de Pete y Mario Díaz, Ruben de la Cruz, Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez, and Lázaro Pérez y su Conjunto.

On Sunday, May 19, the Tejano Conjunto Festival starts with student conjuntos from San Antonio and then closes out with the Texas Sweethearts, Linda Escobar, Susan Torres y Conjunto Los Pinkys, Cindy Ramos y su Conjunto, Los Delta Boyz, Santiago Garza y la Naturaleza, Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto Siempre, Los Texmaniacs with Flaco Jimenez, and Los Fantasmas del Valle.

Prepare for an unforgettable experience as these legendary performers ignite the stage with their mesmerizing melodies and infectious rhythms.

The festival draws an enthusiastic  audience of more than 10,000 fans, dancers, and musicians from across Texas and the United States, as well as Mexico, Europe, and Asia. The crowd has grown over the years to include legions of fans who return each year to dance and celebrate Conjunto culture. The Tejano Conjunto Festival has become a model for many other Conjunto festivals that have appeared since it started in 1982, and is credited with highlighting the singular music and culture of South Texas Tejanos. This year’s events will be held at Rosedale Park (303 Dartmouth St) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9186 (650 VFW Blvd). Tickets and sponsorship packages are now available.

TCF is one of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s most beloved annual events. Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Executive Director, Cristina Ball is the director, Dan Margolies is the producer. It was founded by Juan Tejeda, the first Xicano Music Program Director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, who continues to serve as an advisor. 

“Celebrating the Tejano Conjunto Festival is a vibrant tribute to the heartbeat of San Antonio’s and South Texas’ rich cultural landscape encompassing music, dance and community spirit. Like the soulful melodies of conjunto music, this festival resonates as a beacon of Tejano and Chicano heritage, unity, and empowerment, echoing through generations with enduring strength and resonance.” – Juan Tejeda, the first Xicano Music Program Director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and founder of the Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio

“This year’s festival holds the promise of an unforgettable celebration,  shining a spotlight on the rich traditions of Tejano and conjunto music. We’re looking forward to creating lasting memories at this remarkable event.” – Cristina Ballí, Executive Director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center was founded in 1980 as a nonprofit, multi-disciplinary organization. Located in the heart of San Antonio’s westside, the Guadalupe is one of the largest community-based organizations in the US with the mission to cultivate, promote and preserve traditional and contemporary Chicano, Latino, and Native American arts and culture through multidisciplinary programming.

2024 Official Poster. Poster Overall Contest Winner Designed by San Antonio native Anna Arce

New album release: When It All Goes Down – Sarah King

Sarah King’s new album When It All Goes Down is available now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Award-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist Sarah King makes her long-awaited full-length solo debut with When It All Goes Down, exploring life’s seismic shifts via her own singular strain of Gothic Americana. Produced, engineered, and arranged by David Baron, the album sees King weaving classic rock ‘n’ roll, Southern soul, true country, and primal folk-blues into something inspiring and cathartic, deeply personal yet wholly universal. Fired by King’s spellbinding, seen-it-all vocals and rock solid rhythm guitar, songs like “The Longest Night” and the empowering, anthemic title track are haunting, oft-times harrowing, tales of impossible guilt and inconsolable grief, of raising hell (and the repercussions that follow), of how to stand face to face with the Devil himself yet somehow emerge bigger, better, and badder than before. (One In A Million Media, 2024)

Currently residing in the Green Mountains of Vermont, in a tiny log cabin without cell reception, Sarah King has walked many a hard road to reach When It All Goes Down. New England born and raised, King spent her early twenties down South, playing in a GA-based rock ‘n’ roll band and generally “growing up, a.k.a. becoming an adult.” She eventually moved back north but found herself at a crossroads, slightly burnt out but driven by an evolving passion for front porch folk and traditional blues, hard times music as real and true now as it was nearly a century ago.

A captivating and engaging live performer, King is keen to bring her cathartic blues to life on stage both as a solo artist and bandleader. Rich with rare integrity, earnest emotion, and a restless energy born of extraordinary experience, When It All Goes Down captures an acutely authentic artist exploring her spirit and songcraft in an effort to reach a place that’s both true and transcendent not only in herself, but in all those who also call upon the power of music in their time of need.

“My stories are folk stories,” says Sarah King. “Of the people, for the people, by the people (I’m a person). These are songs for folks who’ve lived through some shit and want some music that doesn’t shy away from that.”

When It All Goes Down track list:

1. Lord Take My Soul
2. Always an Almost
3. When It All Goes Down
4. The Longest Night
5. Blame it on the Booze
6. Stronger Than You Ever Knew
7. You Were Wrong About Me
8. Hey Hey What Can I Do
9. Whiskey Thinking
10. Pretty Things
11. The Moth
12. Devil’s Try

“A declaration of empowerment… with a wild, unbridled attitude”
– Americana UK

“A haunting tale with slow-burning Americana Noir sound”
– Glide Magazine

“Fiery, vulnerable songs informed by heartbreak and whiskey alike”
– Relix Magazine

“Merciless…she sings with a venomous tongue”
– American Songwriter

“Hard-hitting soul drenched Americana”
– Lonesome Highway 

“King’s powerful voice is uniquely suited for Americana and blues, a force of nature that conveys big emotions amidst rock-steady arrangements”
– Rainbow Rodeo

Red Bull Batalla: worldwide rap battle tournament at Paper Tiger

Red Bull Batalla returns to Fiesta San Antonio. The world’s biggest Spanish language freestyle rap competition takes over Paper Tiger. Photo: Red Bull Batalla, used with permission.

Red Bull Batalla, the world’s largest Spanish-language freestyle rap competition, returns to San Antonio as part of Fiesta San Antonio 2024, bringing together some of the America’s best freestyle rappers to battle it as part of a bracket-style tournament on Saturday, April 20 at Paper Tiger. (Red Bull Batalla, 2024)

After a successful debut last spring, Red Bull Batalla returns to San Antonio, welcoming 16 aspiring MCs, a quarter of which hail from the Lone Star State. 

These Latino lyricists will put their wit, creativity, and stage presence to the test over a series of bracket-style knockout rounds all for a chance to compete at the USA National Final later this fall, and potentially the 2024 International Final in Madrid, Spain this November.

Immediately following these intense rap battles, attendees will be treated to music performances from a pair of hip-hop stars – fast-rising Mexican rapper/singer Tornillo and Houston’s very own Bo Bundy – to close out San Antonio’s Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier.

Attendees will be able to get their hands on a brand new metal created to commemorate Fiesta San Antonio 2024. Designed by Texas-based Monarch Trophy Studio, these special medals are limited in quantity and offered as a first-come, first-served gift to attendees.

Photo: Red Bull Batalla

Throughout the evening event, guests will also be treated to several tasty cocktails curated by Red Bull, as well as free haircuts and beard trims courtesy of some of San Antonio’s premier barbers and hair stylists including Faded Culture and Kurly Kutz, among others. This barber pop-up experience will be available first come, first serve starting when doors open at 8p.m.

Fans 18+ are encouraged to RSVP for Free online today to reserve their spot in advance, although prices increase to $5 the week of the event. 

USA REGIONAL QUALIFIER – EVENT INFORMATION:

DATE: Saturday, April 20
TIME: Doors open at 8p.m., rap battles start at 9p.m.
LOCATION: Paper Tiger (2410 N St Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78212)

MCS:
• Boss
• Cuban **
• Heavy
• Magimbri **
• RuRa
• Pharaon
• Maluque
• White Caracas **
• Oner
• YENKY ONE
• Jordi **
• Versomc
• J Luna
• TREBOL
• LINK_ONE
• CAS **

** MCs based in Texas

JUDGES:
• Chester – Spanish freestyle legend and longtime California scene icon
• Skiper – Red Bull Batalla Mexico National Final 2021 Champion and freestyle OG
• Barba – San Antonio and Texas Native, Barba is a mainstay in the Texas freestyle scene

HOST:
• Racso White Lion – Official host of the 2023 Red Bull Batalla USA season and creator of the Indigo Freestyle League based in Orlando, Florida
• Fluffy – Host of Red Bull Batalla and Official host of the Texas freestyle league, Urban RapStars

DJS:
• DJ Lobo – Resident DJ for Texas freestyle league Urban RapStars
• Rudy Rios – San Antonio native and resident DJ at Vibras bar

Since 2005, Red Bull Batalla has provided a platform for the best hip-hop improvisors in the Spanish-speaking world to connect, develop, and compete. Within the last few years, the Red Bull founded project has become the world’s biggest international freestyle battle competition, uniting Spanish speaking Latin America and Spain. The roots of this improvised rap scene are as deeply connected to hip hop as they are to the improvisation styles of traditional folk troubadours. It has evolved into a style completely distinct from that of hip hop in North America. With Batalla, Red Bull gives an opportunity for young MCs to train, perform and improve their improvisation and rapping skills.

Photo: Red Bull Batalla

MoonKill shares single from forthcoming debut album

‘Ranger Danger, Pt. 2’ is the first single from the Austin punk-metal band’s debut album. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Austin band MoonKill recently shared the lead single from their forthcoming debut album via New Noise Magazine. (MoonKill, 2024)

MoonKill plays untethered Texas Punk, inserting ambient spacey sounds and new-wave tension into a punk world that is difficult to pin down. Vocalist Dan Aronov croons and howls with the powerful pipes of young Glenn Danzig, while the rest of the band blasts out tight and infectious melodic, metallic punk rock. Together throughout the album, the band harnesses simplicity to powerful effect.

MoonKill materialized in a T-shirt factory, which doubled as an after-hours practice space, in Austin, TX. The quartet all connected for a random jam session in May 2022. The drummer was the lynchpin in a network of friends, which included a guitarist who lived in a trailer in his driveway at the time. The first session produced their initial song “Long Line to Hell” and they have been growing their queue of Texas Punk songs ever since.

The band self-produced a 3 song EP, The Kong Sessions, in the loft of their friend’s screen-printing shop. After presenting it to producer/engineer Roky Moon (of American Sharks), he offered to produce their debut album, which was completed in February 2024. They played their first live show in September 2023, to a packed house, and began a relentless live show schedule.

Since then, others have taken notice, including their growing fan base in and around Austin. Their EP gained notice from music critics, including Greg Kot, (Chicago Tribune) who featured “Dead Holiday” on his syndicated show, Sound Opinions.

MoonKill will be available to stream and download on May 3, 2024. Pre-order/pre-save HERE.

Artist: MoonKill
Album: MoonKill
Label: self-released
Release Date: May 3, 2024

Courtesy photo, used with permission

  1. Dead Holiday
  2. Ranger Danger, Pt. 1
  3. Ranger Danger, Pt. 2
  4. Chainsaw Bathroom Sex
  5. Murderhouse
  6. Full Stop
  7. Ghost Town
  8. Long Line to Hell
  9. Rabbit’s Foot
  10. Friend or Foe
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