All month long, we’ve had the pleasure of familiarizing you with one of Austin’s most ostentatious acts, J’Cuuzi. The dance punk duo of Gorge Bones and Trey Razeldazl have an insatiable appetite for the stage and pushing the boundaries of how they use it to their. Watching the faces of new audiences as they take the group in is part of the fun.

They brought their brand of indulgence to Studio 1A last week ahead of the release of their debut EP Sludge Content, out tomorrow, and their EP release show Saturday night at Mohawk — a free show part of Hot Summer Nights. You can watch the full Studio 1A video as well as the video for “Fame By Death” at KUTX.org.

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Austin’s Noah Faulkner, known on stage as Pedal Steel Noah, has garnered a global fanbase by harnessing the Gen-Z power of social media to share his novel pedal steel covers of music of all genres from all decades. This keen sense and talent have earned him fans like Jonny Marr, members of Duran Duran, Frank Black, Neko Case and more. He’s opened for Modest Mouse and the Polyphonic Spree in addition to his own band’s full tours. And he’s caught the attention of the New York Times, who profiled Faulkner last August, the same month the 17-year-old virtuoso made his debut at the Grand Olde Opry. Yes, 17-years-old.

One of my favorite covers of Noah’s is his take on the Tears for Fears classic “Head Over Heels.” The pedal steel primordially steps in for the cascading keys, immediately becoming fit for a twirl around the dance hall. If you never thought Tears for Fears could make you want to listen to George Strait, prepare to stand corrected.

Pedal Steel Noah joins Elijah Delgado, Jo Alice, Kate Heron, Pocket Sounds, and a special headlining guest for Austin Loves Y’all: a benefit show for Central Texas Flood Recovery at Scholz Garten this Sunday starting at noon.

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There’s something about every song by Austin’s Dorio, the duo of Chad Doriocourt and Rachel Rascoe, that’s just sweet, sticky, and timeless. It simultaneously takes me to a certain sunny side of the 90’s; my old, cozy, West Campus apartment; and some of the best new music I’ve been listening to all year. It’s also something none of around here can stop listening to. The soft, bubbly melodies get punctuated with equally soft and bouncy vocals, all wrapped-up in a lo-fi blanket to give it that “anywhere, anytime” feeling.

Dorio stopped by Studio 1A last week to share songs from the new album Super Love 3. You can watch the full Studio 1A session at KUTX.org.

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Austin pianist Andrew Vineski is the embodiment of modern vintage and self-confidence. Many artists these days will tell you their sound is inspired by a bunch of obscure musicians, or that they’re modernizing an existing sound. But I like a good subversion, and in the current state of new music, owning a love for the classics is a breath of fresh air.

Vineski revels in the sounds of the Beatles and Radiohead, the widely different piano stylings of Billy Joel and Keane, and, like the classically trained pianist he is, Rachmaninoff. On his new single “Today,” he brings in some strings to deepen the beautiful melancholy the song possesses, written about Vineski losing his father to cancer when he was 13. That said, this deeply moving tune has a soft-glowing candle in the corner: the sentiment that being gone from this plane doesn’t mean there won’t be a rendezvous on the next.

The Andrew Vineski Trio plays each weekend at Cheer’s Shot Bar all summer long.

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“Big, bouncy, and fat.” That’s how BBC Radio 6 Music’s Craig Charles describes the Bristol-based funk duo the Allergies. Formed by DJ Moneyshot and Rackabeat, the pair have celebrated hit after hit– and not just singles, but full albums — an especially impressive feat in the streaming era. Not to be confused with neo-soul and funk, the duo employs their beatmaking skills to deliver a truly modern funk and soul sound, rich with loops, samples, and all manner of magic you also find on KUTX on Soundfounder.

Hot off their widely acclaimed 2024 album Freak the Speaker and having one of their songs appear in a season two episode of Severence comes “So Real,” a more melodramatic, emotional track, using bellowing jazz vocals to cut over their classic brand of funk-forward hip-hop beats, filling out a transcendent digital-meets-vintage experience a little remimenscent of Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In the Sky.”

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New York’s Nikkiesha McLeod has been running parts of the city the last few years between drumming in bands; formerly hosting and co-producing the BIPOC, queer musician-centered podcast When We See Each Other; and being a published author. Their story, however, goes back to Trinidad & Tobago, to a ten-year-old child joining their local steelpan orchestra.

The steelpan remains McLeod’s instrument of choice, and their ability to collaborate with a wide breadth of musicians and create unique music surrounding the steelpan is on full display on their new song “Rush,” out today to celebrate Non-Binary People’s Day. Taking us on a jazz-fused Caribbean journey, the instrumentation, aside from the horns, was all recorded live in a single room. Coming in at just a minute and 58 seconds, “Rush” is a brilliant microdose of McLeod’s affinity for flair and flourish.

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Austin’s McKenna Michels is just it. The singer-songwriter, who daylights as a childhood abuse and trauma advocate, has been featured on local television, has been asked to open for several global artists on their European tours, and she gets to hear her own music over the speakers when she’s shopping. And to peep her style, you know this girl is down to talk some Sir Gawain and The Wife of Bath. McKenna, can we please get a beer together?

Her music embodies the spirit of “full,” as showcased in her latest single “Never Satisfied.” There is no negative space, but there’s also no wasted space. Every layer is exciting and deserves an isolated listen, but the magic of all of the pieces fitting together is her amber-shaded jazz vocals. But don’t be fooled by the overwhelming joy — Michels is speaking earnestly from her heart about one of the most universal feelings we don’t like to be honest about: insecurity.

Michels brings her stage energy to her fans across the globe tomorrow at her birthday day show at the Pershing. The show starts at noon and will be livestreamed worldwide.

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When it comes to Mobley’s career, what started as writing smart R&B pop bops has grown into full concept albums revolving around racism, technology, and our future, composing cautionary tales warning of a regressing society and the darkest parts of science fiction decaying into neither predictive science nor fiction.

Mobley’s new album We Do Not Fear Ruins continues the story of Jacob Creedmoor, the protagonist at the center of Mobley’s 2022 EP Cry Havoc!, but 300 years in the future.

As the last proper song on the album, “Yesterday’s Another Day” brings us to Creedmoor overcoming his struggles in the current time and redirecting his mission. Our protagonist finds a beautiful metaphor for the post-apocalyptic ruin he’s surrounded by. Ruin can mean recalibration and change. And Mobley punctuates this with an apropos bop that dances between R&B and psych pop.

Mobley stopped by Studio 1A recently to share songs from We Do Not Fear Ruins. You can watch the full Studio 1A set at KUTX.org.

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Brooklyn’s Maiya Blaney is all range, baby. And that’s one word to pretty much sum her up entirely. Her interests, talents, and general state of being are always kinetic and well-rounded. On her new album A Room With A Door That Closes, she showcases not only her love for so many genres and sounds, but her affinity to produce solid music in all of those styles.

She calls the album “a love letter to her blue,” a state she describes as, “a kinetic, intense, and dark energy that needs to be expressed as soon as it is felt.” And boy does she. I mean, we’re talking about melding 1960’s soul into drum and bass sat next to a song radioactive with punk energy. It’s a wild ride to match literally every mood.

On “Recognize Me,” we’re slapped with an intentional dissonance of pop vocals matched with an increasingly fuzzy guitar wall. Before the first verse, the song has already felt its feelings, crecendoing before taking a big pitfall, seemingly taking Blaney’s voice with it before it erupts, and the energies have melded into one.

A Room With A Door That Closes is out now.

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Happy Hot Dog and Fireworks Day! Whether you’re staying home and having fun or enjoying one of the city’s myriad of events, you might need something to wavy-baby dance to. Austin’s Katherion has been hitting stages between Austin and Houston for the last three years leading up to her debut album EROS, out later this year. The Walker-Lukens produced album explores the various stages of romantic relationships, all wrapped-up in the soft textures of Katherion’s dreamy alt-indie sound and light, lofty vocals.

“Dance” employs a bouncy bossa nova beat to personify the emotional dance relationships can put us through, especially if your head and your heart are at odds. Despite the song’s inner-turmoil, Katherion surrounds it wither her bubbly, sun-drenched guitar that makes you feel like your in a warmly-lit room with dozens of colorful silks hanging from the ceiling. And that bossa nova beat gives you the right groove to lean on your toes and enjoy your own little dance space.

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