The red Rider’s driving brand of moody indie rock is catchy and hook-tastic: belted out by the snarky sneer of their front man/singer, Alex Grigg. The Red Riders are most certainly great at parties (Bar Mitzvah’s too, if they even have those in Australia). Check out these photos from their final show in Austin, at the Red Bull Moontower, they certainly know how to work a crowd. But, it would not surprise me if many of their witty gibes at the red-eyed and reckless crowd fell on deaf ears. After all, all this loud music has probably rendered many of the crowd members momentarily hearing impaired. I’m sure after this final night, I myself will be resorting to a bastardized form of sign language, as my ears are still ringing.

By Jamie Newman

As they professed  at the Red Bull Moon Tower, “knowing you’re making terrible decisions and knowing that you’re doing it. It’s a song specifically about Austin”. As with this statement, the Shout Out Out Out’s proved to be a good end note to more than a week of music, schmoozing and debauchery in Austin, Texas. The group barraged their listeners with heavy electro big-beat bass; making the crowd sway, shake and gyrate with all the last bits of energy they could muster (at least those who were not flying high on the free Red Bull’s). Shout Out Out Out had the amped-up capacity crowd shaking their moneymaker’s under the moonlight in no time, and offered some solace in their humorous hooks and quirky anecdotes.

Shout Out Out Out is like an electronic big-band; completely filling their stage with digital equipment of all shapes and sizes, a hallmark of the older electronic acts. While their sound is a little fresher heavily layered with vocals that actually have some story behind them or some meaning (unlike the lyrics of many electro outfits). Keeping it up-tempo and ruckus for the majority of their set, the Shout Out Out outs helped get the crowds at the red bull moon tower tapping feet and shaking booties – oh, that and all the gallons of FREE Red Bull – time to fly home…

Words and Photos by Jamie Newman

Photos by Zoetica Ebb

ILYBICD, as we shalt hereto refer to them as, hail from Austin, Tx and are a darker moodyesque post-punk/indie rock group of thirty something’s. This is the main reason why they aren’t your typical Red Bull Moon Tower experience entertainment, but were however a welcome bass driven melodic dawning to the more umm-cha umm-cha keep you up till 5am music which is more customary.

They take the stage in very friendly, going to the Home Depot, flannel attire and seem to just really enjoy hanging out and playing music.  I found it a welcome surprise.

The Red Bull Moon Tower experience does a wonderful job of bringing in huge acts from all over to entertain, but they also do a great job of putting some great local talent in the lineup.  This just so happens to be the category ILYBICD falls into.

Words by Dustin Downing. Photos by Mary Sledd

Prior to what could be referred to as the Thunderdome, I had the opportunity to  meet and do a quick photo session with Monotonix.  At the time they seemed to be very reserved & were quite pleasant. My only prior knowledge heretofor of Monotonix consisted of a quick Google which basically referenced them as being a Israeli garage rock band which frequently sets up on the floor among the crowd.   That was mostly correct, although lacking the fact that they have been banned from playing in most places in their home country because of their “performances”.

The intro was a lovely acrobatic number by the lead and drummer, not in the verbal sense; the drummer literally launched him into the sea of bodies ala airplane style from our youths.   The earth shook from a combination of face melting drum blows and ear splintering guitar stroking. As for the vocalist, I never saw him except for brief launches into the air and a final reappearance atop the crowd dutifully seated in drum chair and pounding the bejesus out of  hippster overhead supported tom; all the while Red Bull cans whizzed overhead and for a brief flash I felt as if I were back in ‘Nam but with a better soundtrack and a distinctive lack of Quaaludes.

I don’t care if  you have to sell your soul to Tom Cruise to get a chance to experience Monotonix, it’s so worth it for the ride.

Photos by Dustin Downing

Monotonix on Myspace

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness rocked the Red Bull Moon Tower Wed night. Peep the Pics folks!

Photos by Dustin Downing

Check out this  unreleased B-side Sinkin Annie Down Down Down a ChinaShop exclusive

After catching up with the Republic Tigers at The Red Bull Moon Tower in Austin for their synthesized folk explosion, I realized that they represent the future of folk, catchy music, with a message. The Republic Tigers fuse organic sounds into their heavily developed electronically created music, which helps them hold on to their small-town folk (music) origins. Heavily layered and strewn with a blend of samples and strange organic sounds, the Republic Tigers are a bit like an electronically produced version of the Beach Boys – producing a fantastical pop sound at painstaking lengths.

Soft and soothing, but heavily layered in it’s sound, the Republic Tigers make the kind of music to “make babies to” or at least to relax and take a break from the stresses of daily festivities. However, when played super-loud as I saw them at the Red Bull Moontower with walls of speakers and sound, The Republic Tigers will seep into your psyche, transfixing the mind and making the ladies swoon.

Look for them at their upcoming US tour with Travis…

Words and photos by Jamie Newman