Rhys Woodruff has been a sterling songwriter throughout his adult life, with the single caveat that he has had very little interest in singing his own songs. Sure, his oscillations between art punk and post punk have led to some of the coolest songs heard in Austin clubs for years, but it took more than a tad of cajoling for him to take the mic into his own hand. His fellow bandmates in the trio Borzoi played a little friendly hardball (you know how guys show love and support of each other), and now with his own group Variety, Woodruff is reaping the benefits of getting out of your own way and embracing the full monty.

Variety’s debut album, Subtropical, is Woodruff turning inward and tying precious, intimate details and broad strokes of his life to parts of Texas’s natural beauty. The manifestation of this conduit is an album that, on its head, is an interesting, if not sometimes meditative, listen, but also an invitation to his soul. And as the band name implies, this has been the start of something new, but not necessarily static. What comes next is sure to be just as enticing, regardless of the pivot.

Variety plays arguably the biggest show of their career to date this Saturday at Radio/East for the annual Holiday Hootenany, sharing the stage with Shannon & the Clams, tUnE-yArDs, Rubblebucket, and a swath of local gems.

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Austin R&B and hip-hop artist Anastasia Hera is busy lady. This year alone, she released her album Way Outside; played our Scholz Garten show during SXSW; and her deft lyrics, sultry vocals, and smooth, earwormy beats led her to become our February Artist of the Month. All while running her non-profit CAKE (Creativity, Abundance, Knowledge, Education), a non-profit empowering and educating women pursuing music careers.

To pair nicely with the cloudy wintery weather outside, we’re revisiting her Studio 1A from February to cuddle with you all cozy like.

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Austin quartet Grocery Bag had a banger year, being handpicked to open for Osees and Frankie & the Witch Fingers and a stellar, dare I say breakout set at Levitation. That show put them in the crosshairs of Australian psych-rock group Psychedlic Porn Crumpets, who they will be supporting for a whopping 22 dates on their tour next April and May. A true superfecta of a year. Let’s just hope they remember lil’ ol’ us as their ascension undoubtedly kicks into an even higher gear in 2026.

Their final single of 2025 “Watching TV” throws a grunge wrench into their garage/psych sound, teasing a Nirvana and Veruca Salt pastiche at the beginning before deftly circumventing it by wrapping it up in a bit of no wave and, of course, their own signature blend that always includes a whisper of pop catchiness. It’s a compelling texture for the group, but if you prefer paper to plastic, make sure this heavy boy is double-bagged.

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To say Next of Kin have had a successful year would be an understatement. After almost two years of anticipation, our April Artist of the Month released their debut Ep Homemaker in May, punctuated by two sold-out shows at the Continental Club. Since then, they’ve made their ACL Fest debut, modeled for Austin FC’s Live from ATX capsule collection, and were invited to dig through the archives of Texas Monthly.

Next of Kin is rounding out their triumphant year with a New Year’s Eve show at Antone’s joined by Nane, TC Superstar, and Quentin Aspire, presented by KUTX.

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Every December, we celebrate the year’s class of 11 Artists of the Month by filling your airwaves, throwing back to Studio 1A’s and My KUTX DJ sets, and giving the year a proper Austin music sendoff. We’ll also be revisiting some of the Studio 1A songs here on Song of the Day, which means you get another chance to grab a free download of these live tracks.

We’re kicking off December with our March Artist of the Month Gus Baldwin & the Sketch, who released their debut album, The Sketch, at the beginning of 2025. After playing shows with Frankie & the Witch Fingers and Hinds during SXSW, the quartet hit the road twice, including their November stint opening for Mississippi band Bass Drum of Death on the southwest and west coast leg of their tour and frontman Gus Baldwin releasing his debut solo album in October.

Ahead of their next show next Saturday, December 13th at Chess Club, we’re revisiting their raucous, high-octane Studio 1A session.

The post Gus Baldwin & The Sketch: “Itch” (Live in Studio 1A) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

f you’ve been in Austin for any amount of time, and especially if you’ve called Austin home for a decade or few, you’re no doubt familiar with the #9 Orchestra, a group of musicians from a myriad of backgrounds who come together at least once a year to perform the songs of the Beatles and John Lennon. For Beatlemaniacs of any generation, it’s a night of beauty and celebration.

Now celebrating their 35th year, the group, led by veteran musician and East Austin Recording co-owner Stephen Doster, has “come together” in the studio to record Doster’s new song “Goodness,” a tender and emotionally gripping love song keeping in the orchestra’s tradition and mission statement, recorded and mixed at EAR and appropriately mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The #9 Orchestra performs this Saturday, November 29th at 3Ten ACL Live.

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Singer-songwriter Matthew Payne‘s poetic Americana is salt of the Earth, evocative of both his Dripping Springs upbringing and nearly two decades as an English and creative writing teacher here in Austin. And with a stage roster that includes Hole In the Wall, Saxon Pub, and the Cactus Cafe, he truly is Austin Americana timelessness personified.

On “Down In the Valley,” Payne seems like he’s sat down at a bar after hours on the road, regaling barflies with an overture of the epic of where he’s been. We get the highlights, but we also know one question will lead to a shower of tales, and his impassioned storytelling, punctuated with a driving, honky tonk rhythm, makes us want to ask the bartender for another boilermaker for ourselves and one for our new friend.

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While one taste may be in the name, the latest from Austin’s Sweet Limb is savory and brimming with umami. Historically, Sweet Limb founder Chris Robinson has performed with a band, but his new EP The Pastel Noise is all him, venturing into more experimental sounds and introspective lyrics, making the new direction more than a metaphorical artistic manifestation.

On “Who’s This,” Robinson takes a look in the mirror and proudly pontificates on his new, self-confident stride while reflecting on the journey that brought him there. Proving you don’t need density to be deep, these two-and-a-half minutes wrapped in a minimalist yet head-bopping groove are a sweet mantra you can use during your own regularly scheduled reflecting glass time.

The Pastel Noise EP is out today.

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Oakland underground music veteran Rob Good has been hard at work with his jangly, power pop trio The Goods, blending shimmery British Invasion-style energy with a bit of 90’s indie pop flair to create something simultaneously nostalgic and new.

The follow-up to their 2023 debut EP is the full album Don’t Spoil the Fun. The album kicks off with “April Fools,” a time warp of a song reminiscent of Big Star and the La’s kissed with just enough 21st-century “Je ne sais quoi” to make you double-check the release date. As the temperature in Austin still wants to pretend it’s between spring and summer, Don’t Spoil the Fun is perfectly timely and a great addition to your unexpected fall pool parties.

Don’t Spoil the Fun is out now on Dandy Boy Records.

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Last time we checked in with L.A.’s Tess Clare, we were talking about wanting more and the restlessness of sitting still for too long. Now, we’re reveling in anemoia, a feeling of nostalgia for a time or place we’ve never experienced ourselves. Like elder Gen Z-ers yearning for that night in 1991 when Nickelodeon premiered Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Doug…or Millennials wishing we could have been there for the MTV heyday. Or Woodstock!

Tess Clare takes this notion to an earnest level, ruminating on a portrait acting like a portal. A woman in the forest “holding her ring to the flame.” And we’re lost in the portrait with her, ushered through the experience courtesy of Clare’s eerie, dark pop coiled around her poetic storytelling and a haunting tour de force of her vocal range. Ladies, we’re going into the forest, and what happens there will forever be known only to us.

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