–Jack Anderson

KUTX supports Austin music; your support makes KUTX possible. Donate today.

If there’s one group who champions the true foundations of folk here in Austin, be it basic concepts like renewing ties to nature and always aiding your fellow human, it’s undeniably American Dreamer. After bonding over their respective graduate degrees at UT’s Butler School of Music, the four began developing their brand of acoustic indie-folk, one that bridges between twentieth-century traditional and modern elements to keep the sound fresh.

As with any real folk act, American Dreamer’s already taken their style across the country and performed throughout their home state, playing everywhere from schools and hospitals to major venues and music festivals. And today American Dreamer was kind enough to let us unfurl their newest single, “Redwood”, whose soothing vocal harmonies and gorgeous guitar/cello/violin/bass arrangement make it as timeless as the eponymous sequoia.

–Jack Anderson

KUTX supports Austin music; your support makes KUTX possible. Donate today.

Having moved from Mississippi to Austin in the ’90s, then to L.A. in 2004, and finally back to our auspicious city limits about halfway through the last decade, singer-guitarist Michael Hays has become a trustworthy transplant in the Austin music experience. By the time Hays released his solo debut in 2014, he’d already worked in a wind chime factory, apprenticed as an accordion technician, professionally taught guitar, and become a must-have session player, not to mention performing with his fair share of rock and fusion bands. Between the birth of his daughter in 2015 and the current year, a little under a dozen song ideas evolved into Michael Hays’ sophomore LP, Red Willow, which drops next month.

Red Willow reintroduces listeners to Hays’ brand of Americana-folk-psych with sounds that bridge David Gilmour to Elliott Smith, waterfowl-centric album artwork that picks up where Christopher Cross’ 1979 debut left off, and surreal cinematic visuals that further enhance already-stimulating sonics, as seen and heard in “Flashback Moonlight”!

–Jack Anderson

KUTX supports Austin music; your support makes KUTX possible. Donate today.

With membership landing anywhere between fifteen and two dozen, Congolese collective Kasai Allstars is nothing short of spectacular; truly a sight and sound to behold. The Allstars represent five different ethnic groups originating in their namesake DRC region, and much like the diversity of their players, Kasai’s music takes cues from a wide range of sources, be it traditional spirituals or modern electronic.

Thirteen years after their 2008 debut In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic, Kasai Allstars has unleashed another mouthful, Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound. The twelve-song LP dropped last Friday and you can settle back into the work week with the patio-appropriate “Betrayal By Gossip”!

–Jack Anderson

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