Jason and Randy Sklar are identical twin comedians who are returning to Austin for Moontower Comedy Fest, happening September 22-25. They’ve released several comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix, and they’re also the hosts of two podcasts, Dumb People Town and View From The Cheap Seats. The Sklar Brothers also have guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Better Call Saul, and more. And on top of this, they’re big music fans.

Way back in the netherworld of November 2019, I recorded this guest DJ set with the Sklar Brothers, assuming they would be back for Moontower in April 2020. That didn’t happen–in a big way. But here we are, almost two years wiser (maybe?), with a great DJ set from our pre-pandemic reality coming to the airwaves like the most specific time machine ever. In the episode, the Sklar Brothers sing the praises of ’90s club music, sad folk rock, and offer some helpful advice to Austin: build more condos. Hear Jason and Randy Sklar’s My KUTX on Saturday, September 18 or listen anytime in the player above.

Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Songs: Ohia – “Just Be Simple”

2. Glossary – “Lonely Is A Town”

3. Ghost Town DJs – “My Boo” (Hitman’s Club Remix)

4. Langhorne Slim – “And If It’s True”

5. Jim Sullivan – “Sunny Jim”

6. Khruangbin – “Lady And Man”

7. Whitney – “Polly”

8. Millie Jackson – “It Hurts So Good”

9. Aldous Harding – “The Barrel”

10. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Who Do You Love?”

11. Amanaz – “Khala My Friend”

12. Kate Bollinger – “Je Rêverai à Toi”

Tuesday, September 14 is HAAM Day, the annual event that raises money for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. HAAM gives direct health care services to Austin musicians, and this year, the organization is looking to break a million dollars in donations. Catch livestreamed musical performances all day; participate in an online auction; eat, drink, and shop at these Austin businesses who are donating some proceeds to HAAM; or donate directly to the organization.

You can also join HAAM’s Rikki Hardy for a special edition of My KUTX on our airwaves. She plays an hour of Austin musicians taking part in HAAM Day, including Sweet Spirit, BLK ODYSSY, David Ramirez, and more. Tune in for a special HAAM Day edition of My KUTX today at 11 a.m.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Derrick Davis – “All I Need To Know”

2. Tje Austin & the Song House – “T-Shirt”

3. Bob Schneider – “Peaches”

4. Jake Lloyd – “Crossroading”

5. Me Nd Adam – “Get The Money”

6. Sir Woman – “Can’t Stay Mad”

7. Scott Strickland Band – “Hey Darlin”

8. Sweet Spirit – “I Wanna Have You”

9. David Ramirez – “Good Heart”

10. Peterson Brothers – “Don’t You Lie To Me”

11. Jack Barksdale – “Blues For Days”

12. BLK ODYSSY – “MURDA”

13. Guy Forsyth & Jeska Bailey – “The Things That Matter”

14. Mama Duke – “Mad”

15. Graham Wilkinson – “Funny Feeling”

16. Nané – “Seventeen”

Photo by Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon/KUTX

In 2019, Austin’s Rod Melancon released Pinkville, a record that mixed rough-and-rowdy rock and roll with a novelist’s eye for story and emotion. For Louisiana, the follow up out September 17, returns him to his Louisiana roots. It was the first album to be recorded at Adrian Quesada’s new studio Electric Deluxe Recorders, and Melancon also dons a new name. As Rod Gator, he’s still got a keen understanding and empathy of people and places, from folks caught in hurricanes to veterans still fighting the after shocks of war.

Rod Gator celebrates the release of For Louisiana at the Far Out Lounge on September 17 alongside Otis The Destroyer and Jake Lloyd. And this week on My KUTX, he returns to the guest DJ seat, delivering a double dose of New Orleans’ soul legend Aaron Neville, favorites by Madonna and George Michael, recent musical discoveries, and more. Hear Rod Gator’s My KUTX on Saturday, September 11 at 6 p.m. or listen anytime in the player above.

Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

[intro music: Rod Gator – “Chickenhawk”]

1. Aaron Neville – “Tell It Like It Is”

2. 2Pac – “Brenda’s Got A Baby”

3. James Carr – “The Dark End Of The Street”

4. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Magnolia”

5. Marianne Faithfull – “Guilt”

6. Roky Erickson – “Night Of The Vampire”

7. Tom Waits – “Martha”

8. Aretha Franklin – “One Step Ahead”

9. Aaron Neville – “Hercules”

10. Red Rider – “Human Race”

11. Madonna – “Live To Tell”

12. George Michael – “One More Try”

Utopia Fest 2018. Photo by Renee Dominguez/KUTX.

On October 14-16, Utopia Fest returns to Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet, about an hour northwest of Austin, for its twelfth go-around. Compared to most music festivals, Utopia is a more intimate experience: tickets are capped at 1000, there’s no music overlap, and festival-goers can explore the 1000-acre ranch (if you’re keeping score, that’s one acre to every person). Offerings include camping, hiking, mountain biking, and of course live music.

This week on My KUTX, fest organizer Travis Sutherland returns to preview Utopia’s lineup, which includes Shinyribs in his Utopian debut, Matthew Logan Vasquez, Doug Sahm collaborator Augie Meyers, and more. Hear My KUTX on Saturday, September 4, or listen any time in the player above.

Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Rubblebucket – “Party Like Your Heart Hurts”

2. Garrett T. Capps – “I Like Austin, But I Love San Antone”

3. Texas Tornados – “(Hey Baby) Que Paso”

4. Vincent Antone – “Wild West Pimp Style”

5. Cowboy Irie – “Chattahucci”

6. Matthew Logan Vasquez – “Headed West”

7. Polyrhythmics – “Cactus Blossom”

8. Trouble In The Streets – “Pure Imagination”

9. Shinyribs – “I Got Your Medicine”

10. Henry Invisible – “Hi Life”

11. Mikaela Davis – “Other Lover”

12. Medicine Man Revival – “Work It Out”

13. Tony Kamel – “Amen”

BLK ODYSSY is the KUTX Artist of the Month for August 2021.

BLK VINTAGE, the debut album from Austin’s BLK ODYSSY, has been a long time coming. Singer Sam Houston shares a birthplace–Plainfield, New Jersey–with Parliament-Funkadelic. He grew up immersed in that particular culture, running into band members in the neighborhood and soaking up psychedelic funk with the extended P-Funk family tree. When he moved to Austin, Houston met Alejandro Rios, a guitarist from Florida who leaned more into a classic rock direction. But by teaming up, the pair pushed each other’s musical boundaries. The result is BLK ODYSSY, a band that delivers a psych-damaged soul sound with a wallop.

For BLK VINTAGE, Houston says he wants the music to speak “from the perspective of trivialized communities in America. It gives an inside perspective to how life is, not just on a tragic level but on just a day-to-day level.” The band first started working on the album about four years ago, and last summer’s social unrest helped give the final recordings a sense of urgency.

This week on My KUTX, Houston and Rios dive into the many creative inspirations that shaped the album. From Frank Ocean’s poetry and Kendrick Lamar’s mind-blowing epics to Led Zeppelin’s power and, of course, the inevitable Parliament influence, this guest DJ set is a great introduction to BLK ODYSSY’s emerging world. Hear BLK ODYSSY’s My KUTX on Saturday, August 28 at 6 p.m. or listen anytime in the player above.

Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley – “Road To Zion” (feat. Nas)

2. Roy Ayers Ubiquity – “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”

3. Kendrick Lamar – “Institutionalized” (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, & Snoop Dogg)

4. Sault – “Threats”

5. Frank Ocean – “Seigfried”

6. The Notorious B.I.G. – “What’s Beef”

7. Outkast – “Elevators (Me & You)”

8. Parliament – “Funkentelechy”

9. Led Zeppelin – “Since I’ve Been Loving You”