Self Released Songs

Brandon Butler was the guitarist and singer for the bands Boys Life, The Farewell Bend, Canyon and more. After 20 plus years, Spartan Records has reissued the lone album by The Farewell Bend, and we discuss everything from Boys Life to Brandon’s life as a father and general contractor today. Strap in cause there’s a lot here about the past and the present. https://www.holdfastky.com/ https://www.spartanrecords.com/products/688462-the-farewell-bend-in-passing

Being able to shred on guitar isn’t as impressive as it was forty years ago. However when you meet Preston Dow of the band Howard & the Nosebleeds, his unassuming demeanor may leave you to believe that he’s not a shredding in disguise. In the midst of recording a new record, we spoke with the psych rocker about his past, his present and the band’s future

Producers can fit into a lot of molds and wear many hats, but composers who also produce music like Bayonne are on another level. Mixing elaborately written, arranged and performed soundscapes; Bayonne is an artist like no other and his live shows are on another level. With new music coming next year we chatted with him about his early years and so much more

The ability to write a song is a feat few can do and even fewer can do well. Since his years in emo band Mineral to The Gloria Record and now Mountain Time, Chris Simpson has written plenty of great songs. Now after selling out the physical copies of the Mountain Time debut Music For Looking Animals, we chat with Simpson about his life in music. Mountaintimemusic.com

For over a decade rapper and producer Fat Tony has been hitting it hard while releasing some of the most diverse hip hop in the game. One of the best live rappers going, his body of work is unrivaled. With his new album Exotica he closes the door on the past while opening another avenue into the future. Fattonyrap.bandcamp.com

Indie music has few bands that are as invested in growth as Houston’s Astragal. Continuously evolving their sound, their lead singer & guitarist Jimmy Bent has a stage presence as a seasoned performer while writing some of the best books you can hear.

In the world of folk music there are plenty of individual voices that make up the genre and who make it intriguing. For us one of the most impressive is Amanda Pascali. Utilizing a Baroque style with worldly folk tones, her music is as intriguing as her life story and why she’s a musician in the first place. Amandapascali.com Patreon.com/Amandapascali

Since this podcast began we wanted a music journalist to speak to. One we’ve always respected and revered is Johnston Farrow. His work has been published all over North America & his knowledge and taste in music is impeccable. Houston.culturemap.com/author/Johnston_Farrow/articles/

Jaron Hall May be the guitarist in Galveston’s EL Lago but he’s also the lead guitarist in the amazing psych rock band India Tigers In Texas. While their self titled debut is a trip down what true psych rock is, how they formed and their work with Steve Christensen is a story you need to hear. Alongside amazing live performances, they’re a Texas band you should introduce yourself to. Indiatigersintexas.bandcamp.com

People’s stories are what draws me to them and photographer Daniel Jackson is filled with amazing stories. How he had to fight to hear modern music, how he became a music photographer & his relentless support of artists are just a few tidbits that make up the fabric of his life. With his photography in a new book 111 Places In Houston That You Must Not Miss, we spoke to him about it and so much more. Listenyoungman.com

Artists like Guilla don’t come along often. Rapper, producer, singer songwriter & even a Tennis pro. He’s saved an album after his computer crashed, he’s toured & he’s done the festival circuit. With three new albums he’s producing and a new EP of his own on the way, he tells us his story and it’s a trip. Facebook.com/guilla713

In music the allure for journalists can be in the hook, the songwriting or even in the vocals. For Houston’s ATTXLA, it’s all three. While the singer songwriter’s debut was a testament to hard work & dedication, his new EP is just straight up fire. Attxla.com

Electro-pop is a genre that’s rife with overproduced tracks and studio trickery. However when you hear the music of Tee Vee, you hear well crafted melodies and well arranged notes that craft some of the best and catchiest music of the genre. From her time growing up to forming her first band Rose Ette, Tee Vee has gone through a lot before delivering music that you can’t help but love. teevee.bandcamp.com/

Being a producer means that you wear many hats as an artist. Aside from the talents it takes just to build a track, you have to have all of the elements all artists need including a way to make it compelling live. Because Rex Hudson loves music so much, he does so and then some. His brand of electronic music is catchy but not sugary and his live sets are fun and they are on another level. rexhudson.bandcamp.com

Songwriters are essential if you're starting a music project. Over time you'll notice that most bands are driven by one person's vision. Ask any record producer and they'll tell you that the key to a good song begins with great songwriting. Over the years we've gotten to know Sergio Trevino through his band Buxton. We've relished in his side project Guess Genes with Case DeMaster of Get A Life and we've adored his project Ancient Cat Society with Austin Sepulvado of Buxton and Hailey Lynch of Dollie Barnes. We sat down with him to discuss how he became a musician, how he writes songs and when we can expect a new album from Ancient Cat Society. As a bonus, he reveals a new project, Rodeo Art coming soon.

Ryan Taylor and Halston Luna have been in the Houston punk scene for as long as they’ve been in music. With their current band Liberty & Justice they deliver melodic tones and hardcore sounds. One of the best live punk bands I’ve seen in a long time, their current string of singles from this year alone place them on another level in the punk world. libertyandjustice.bandcamp.com

For years, Mikey Drag has ushered in the sixties side of rock n' roll and beyond. Part owner of Wallflower Records and the lead singer of Flower Graves, his dedication to bringing garage riffs to the masses is unparalleled. We spoke to him about growing up in Texas, his band's new album and what we can expect from Flower Graves before the year ends.

Few people are the type to get up and do anything. In a sea of people who are lethargic, those who go and learn, those who aren't afraid to ask and those who are willing to roll the dice typically get rewarded. Derek Rathbun is such a person. Not yet 21, Rathbun has toured the Europe and North America with his band Substance, he's shot portraits of Julian Casablancas, Kero Kero Bonito and Angel Du$t to name a few and he's created videos and flyers for multiple projects. But that's not all as he's also released his own music, booked his own tours, created his own scene and booked and promoted shows for touring acts. In a short time he's proved that he's not just a musician with DIY ethic, he's a one man music machine. Derekrathbun.com Substancetx.bandcamp.com

It seems like a rarity to talk with a record label owner who cares about the lives and livelihoods of the artists they work with, but that’s who Tony Presley of Keeled Scales Records is. Along with his business partner Seth Whaland, he’s curated a roster of artists into a label made by people who care about great music. Keeledscales.com

The drive to succeed is something that decides who makes music a career and who’s doing it for a hobby. Through years of hard work Mario Rodriguez took his band Tax The Wolf to new places. He and his wife started Bang Bangz and took it even further. And his world of production, publishing and engineering as Wonky Power Records has seen his vision come full circle with a drive that’s unparalleled.

The best bands are constantly changing and ever-evolving in front of you. While some bands take a turn in direction that's like a ninety degree angle, others slowly dissipate a new sound into what they're already doing. The latter is what Houston's Velveteen Echo has achieved. Between two E.P.'s they went from a shoegaze tone to a more indie rock direction without losing their overall affect in the process. Now in the midst of writing their debut full length set for a TBA release, we spoke to lead singer and principal songwriter Lauren Massa about how they began, where the band's name comes from and what we can expect from them in the near future.

Pure artistry is difficult to come by in today's music landscape. When you find it, hold on to it because you may never find it again. That's what composer, trumpeter, producer, educator and hip hop artist Jawwaad Taylor is-Pure Art. From his work to the legendary hip hop group The Shape of Broad Minds to his playing with the forward sounding jazz group The Young Mothers, Taylor makes art on a level that's far beyond that of his contemporaries while still staying ahead of the curve. His production is fire, his rhymes are sick without being too egregious and his trumpet playing is bar none some of the best you'll hear in this lifetime.  A global touring artist, Taylor has never released music that wasn't on a completely different level while still having his toes in the water of today's music scenes. Jawaad.com

In hip hop, things changed as frequently as they began. While some rappers were innovators, their sound was often copped by bigger acts who weren't as inventive. La Porte's B L A C K I E has been treading his own path since 2005 and standing five years ahead of the mainstream hip hop world. Where his use of grime, punk and noise was revolutionary when he drooped his self-titled E.P. fifteen years ago, the producer has continued to innovate and stands ahead of the rest of the rap industry. With work on a new album coming soon, we talked to the rapper about how he got his start, where his stage name came from and what's next in his career.

Austin is a landscape of music, there's no denying it. But when you dig deep into who lives in the Texas capitol, you'll find it's a melting pot of artists from all over. What's most exciting is that because there are nuggets of industry there, musicians can live a life based around music and creativity. One of the most creative voices comes from Houston born and Austin transplant Nick Diaz. Performing under the name Buenos Diaz he's done everything from record with Grammy winners to touring as the guitarist for Alejandro Escovedo. Of course his guitar skills and songwriting are as top notch as they come, and with a new EP coming some time this year, we decided to chat with him about how it all began and more.

Dan Workman and Perry Webb(Mark Flood) may have respect in their worlds of record producer and artist today, but in the eighties they lead the revolutionary band Culturcide. Misunderstood by some, adored by others, their mark on music and their revolutionary approach to making albums makes them one of the most important bands in music, ever. Facebook.com/culturcide

Tex Kerschen alongside Erika Thrasher have the world a kick in the pants as Indian Jewelry. Then at the height of their popularity, the band called it a day. Returning with a new sound and a new name as Studded Left, the duo continues to do things their own way while performing some of the most entertaining live shows you’ll see for a while. With a new EP coming on May 01, Studded Left proves that going back to DIY is where it’s at, no matter how many industry people state otherwise. Studdedleft.com

Since the mid nineties, Chris Broach has brought joy to thousands of not more. With Braid he helped usher in emo to a wider audience, with The Firebird Band he helped ignite electronic based indie rock and with his newer project SNST, he’s creating some of the more intriguing electronic based music you’ll hear. With a new full length coming in May, Broach now joined by his wife Sonja are ready to deliver SNST to a broader audience without any compromise to do so. Snstmusic.net

In indie rock, you might be hard pressed to find a band as creative and as driven as Texas’ The Wheel Workers. Releasing albums on vinyl, perfecting a different live show and even producing videos, their drive is truly magnificent. TheWheelWorkers.com

If you look across the globe at music, especially now in this trying time you're bound to find musicians creating in new and exciting ways. While we applaud the artists who are looking for inventive ways to earn income, we've been amazed at the creativity of Denton's Claire Morales. As a graphic artist, her work can be seen from her own albums to those on Sony Records. She's co-directed and story boarded every aspect of most of her music videos and she's lent those skills to other artists. As a cardboard sculptor, she's created some of the most elaborate art you can lay your eyes on. But as a musician she's not just linked to her own project under her name. She's written and recorded multiple releases with other artists and her songwriting in on another level.  For her latest full length All That Wanting, she changed direction from her previous album and ushered in a throaty rock based energy that's unmatched in music today. In a live setting she's a force to be reckoned with and the emotional weight of her performances is felt by everyone in attendance. It's all creation. It's all from the heart to the recording booth. Creative is all that Claire Morales knows how to be. ClaireMoralesMusic.com 

The Wiggins have, by some been described as outsider art. However their music is really closer to lo-fi garage. Lead by John Read, the band has been together for twenty years and has been going strong. Recording primarily from home, Read has taken what one person can do to new places while growing as a songwriter with each release. Thewiggins.bandcamp.com

Chase DeMaster is an artist who owns his own label imprint Very Jazzed. If that were all he did, that’d be fine but he’s also a touring artist with the projects Children of Pop, Guess Genes and Get A Life. His creative side & his work ethic are like you’ve never experienced & he’s an intriguing figure in independent music. Veryjazzed.com

Birthday Club and their principal songwriter Stephen Wells have faced issues before. But with their stellar and heavily layered new album Obscure Emotion, they’re ready to face any issues that come their way. Birthdayclub.bandcamp.com

Electronic music may have a ton of indie producers, but few have the skill set or the work effort that Texas’ MIEARS has. Going from lead singer in electro-pop trio to full on producer of her own solo project, MIEARS proves that hard work pays off. Her new full length album Hanging On features some of the best electronic production I’ve ever heard, and her style is all her own without alienating the listener. Miearsmusic.com

Austin indie rock trio The Sour Notes have been making head strong music for the past eleven years. After six full length albums and a hefty amount of touring, they seem to have found the sweet spot in their sound. Known for melodious hooks and riffs that stay with you well after they play, their seventh album is being released in one of the more interesting ways you'll hear about an album getting released. This episode features members Jared Boulanger and Amarah Ulghani, as well as special guest Steve Christensen. Aside from his work with bands like Khruangbin, Christensen has produced and mixed all of the band's material since their inception. You can follow The Sour Notes at Thesournotes.com

Country music used to be a genre by immigrants and people of the land. Then the major label music industry co-opted it and turned it into a glossy and manufactured version of itself. To steer clear of that, we sat down with Country artist Luba Dvorak. Aside from making pristine honky tonk tunes, Dvorak isn't the norm in today's shiny country landscape, though his sound is as universal as the songs hill people sang on porches over seventy years ago.

John Allen Stephens is a record producer from Houston, Texas as well as an accomplished artist in his own right. Producer for acts like ATTXLA, Tee Vee and The Suffers, Stephens has one of the most unique ears for music. Especially with pop tones and arrangements. His debut full length RADIOCLUB.LP is one of the most engaging solo albums you'll hear in a long while, and his production style gives artists a way to achieve their perfect sound through his expertise.

We sit down with El Lago, a band from Galveston, Texas who’s latest EP Pyramid is a tour de force, mixing swells of pedals with post punk tones.