Friday night, Austin singer Dana Falconberry celebrated the release of her sophomore album, Halletts, with a wildly enjoyable set of folk inspired acoustic tunes inside Austin’s Mohawk. Falconberry’s performance was preceded by fellow Austin artists Seth Sherman and Sunset.

MeVersus arrived in time to catch the bulk of an energetic opening set by indie pop quartet Sunset. The group’s sound, a tight blend of ’60s pop and syncopated grooves, was effective in this live setting, largely thanks to John Kolor’s excellent drumming. Kolor’s loose, freewheeling performance propelled the band through a set of punchy, electric piano driven tunes.

After Sunset’s percussion fueled romp had concluded, the decidedly drummerless Falconberry took the stage, joined by an upright bassist and a pair of female companions, who would harmonize with the singer throughout the night and add occasional banjo and light percussion. Falconberry, whose sweet, smoky voice is sometimes reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, writes simple yet evocative songs well rooted in the folk tradition, singing earnestly about such personal concerns as loneliness, self doubt, and a connection to nature. While this may seem like well-worn territory, her music never felt generic or derivative, especially in the live setting, where the singer’s kind spirit and humble grace left no doubt about her intention or sincerity. Dana’s simple, subtlety-varied song arrangements succeeded in bringing out the emotional beauty of the her songs, and the three part female vocal harmonies sounded wonderful.

Like fellow Austinites Some Say Leland, Dana Falconberry is a fitting ambassador for a thriving local underground acoustic music scene with strong ties to the annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Halletts (which was recorded by Some Say Leland member Stephen Orsak) features the same lineup of musicians as last night’s show and does a very good job of capturing the group in their element. We recommend giving it a listen, and if Dana comes to your area, by all means check her out.

—Bugsymoogs

Thanks Bugsymoogs for the great review. MeVersus readers rejoice, for we have found a great set of ears to add to the collective. We look forward to reading your thoughts on the upcoming 2010 music season.

Austin group The Laughing sweep into town today with a nighttime gig at The Cavern on Lower Greenville. Fresh off the release of their debut album Fever, the group is beginning to gain traction on the crowded ATX music scene and recently played at the raucous Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Their music is a unique blend of genres across several decades, mixing elements of New Wave, Psychedelic, and Experimental Rock. It has a rumbling, haunting quality to it, with the somber hints of TV on the Radio but the more tribal infectiousness of the Talking Heads – think rock pop in shaman skin. Personal favorites from the album include the title track “Fever” and “Runner”.

Check out their oddly hypnotic website, or better yet, get some live The Laughing at the Cavern tonight.

T Bird and the Breaks ended the day with tracks from their latest album Learn About It. Though the stage was a little cramped for a 10-piece band with so much soul, they accommodated well and garnered quite a crowd.

More pictures after the jump >>

The Results:
Restaurant Category

1st Place: Torchy’s Tacos
2nd Place: La Condesa
3rd Place: El Caribe

1st Place: Las Lomas
2nd Place: Sazon
3rd Place: Cuatro’s Restaurant

1st Place: Curra’s Grill
2nd Place: La Condesa
3rd Place: Sazon

Individual Category

1st Place: Twyla Wick
2nd Place: Michael Hutchinson
3rd Place: Robert Heady

1st Place: Karen Kessel
2nd Place: Gary Peifer
3rd Place: Brett Appolito

1st Place: Burt Friedman
2nd Place: Jim Hoppers
3rd Place: Carol Castillo

Commercial Bottlers – Judged by Celebrity Judges

1st Place: Kala’s Kuisine – Curry Chipotle Sauce
2nd Place: Austin Slow Burn – Salsa Con Habanero
3rd Place: Pace – Pico de Gallo

1st Place: Kala’s Kuisine – Mirchi Masala Salsa
2nd Place: Big Dawg’s Fire Rescue Jalapeno Hot Sauce
3rd Place: Tears of Joy 6th Street Green

1st Place: Tears of Joy – Tequila Lime Hot Sauce
2nd Place: Pepper Creek Farm – Island Flame
3rd Place: Kala’s Kuisine – Mango Chutney

1st Place: Big Daddy’s Ass Burn Hot Sauce
2nd Place: Sgt. Pepper’s Tropical Tears Mango Hot Sauce
3rd Place: Big Dawg’s DNR

Commercial Bottlers People’s Choice

1st Place: Don’t Panic Hispanic
2nd Place: Tears of Joy 6th Red Salsa
3rd Place: Kala’s Kuisine Curry Chipotle Salsa

1st Place: Tears of Joy 6th St. Green Sauce
2nd Place: Austin Slow Burn Salsa Verde
3rd Place: Kala’s Kuisine Mirchi Masala Salsa

1st Place: Tears of Joy Tequila Lime Hot Sauce
2nd Place: Logan’s Habanero Relish
3rd Place: Austin Slow Burn Green Chile Queso

1st Place: Aztexan Habenero Supreme
2nd Place: Tears of Joy August in Austin Hot Sauce
3rd Place: Austin Slow Burn Jerk Marinade

(source: AustinChronicle.com)

Some Recommendations:

• You vs. the heat – H2O. The stuff is solid.
• You vs. parking – not a big deal. parking garages and bike lots galore.
• You vs. the hot sauce – Bearable all around. Oh, try the one in the skull bottle if you like tasting Death on this particular August weekend. Bread and prayers help.
• You vs. the music – music wins. be prepared to move those hips.

I would usually recommend heading out early to avoid that Texas UV blast and get a good nights rest for the following work day – this is not one of those times. T Bird and the Breaks headlines the music scene at 4:00 pm to distract you from the near suicidal ingestion of habeneros, chilis, and the under-preparation of both. Their mixed fusion of funk, jazz, and sexy are a perfect combination for a Sunday afternoon groove in Austin city limits.

Join the fun, music and hot sauce from 11am to 5:30pm at Waterloo Park, 12th and Red River. Cheers!

More info after the jump >>

It’s always a bit staggering to see how much free stuff companies are willing to give away, and this year was no exception. Even though I didn’t fork over the several hundred bucks for a festival wrist band, I still got the lion’s share of VIP treatment.

Take, for example, the co-sponsored Levi’s Jeans and FADER magazine area. I worked this joint venture back in 2006 when they rented a house on the end of 6th street, and even then they were giving out all-you-can-drink Red Stripes and So-Co Lime shots. In that case, they were only serving a backyard full of people, so it didn’t seem so excessive.

For this year’s festival, they rented out an acre or two of property on the east side of I-35. This place was fully decked out to look like a hip junkyard, and the plus-thousand people streaming in and out of this place got unlimited Budweiser and you-call it Southern Comfort drinks. Yeesh. It seems the music and jeans biz is not hurting right now.

They kept things in reason, however – you were only allowed one drink per visit to the bar. Drink responsibly you parasites.

Though the Levi/FADER place is an unusually large exception, it wasn’t the only SXSW event willing to feed, bribe, or krunkify its guests, even those who hadn’t spent a nickel (me) on festival wristbands. It’s an amazing spectacle that reaffirms your pride in capitalism and free swag.

I’m always pleased to see that, despite the unavoidable commercial excess that SXSW breeds, it still manages to put the emphasis on music and musicians. It’s pretty heartening to see a motley group of kids playing their hearts out in the middle of sixth street, or the stream of bands coming from Boston, Brooklyn, or beyond who still chase that dream of the big time. You see so many million dollar prima donnas on posters and reality TV that sometimes you really forget how much people sacrifice to play music for a living. These are the people who make you ashamed to download pirated music, and rightfully so. I just didn’t realize it took so many free koozies to understand that.

Draft magazine

Not your average yuppie-filled pub, the Amsterdam is a low-key, TV-free zone where you can concentrate on the drinking menu full of beers (try the Live Oak Hefe Weizen brewed in Austin). Kick it inside the airy, high ceilinged bar, or out on the patio during that nice Texas weather–just watch out for beer-juggling bartenders.

Amsterdam Bar, located at 831 Exposition Avenue, is your neighborhood Cheers, where even Sheldon, one of the best bartenders in town knows your name. The atmosphere is always friendly and the girls are hipster-ishly cute. With very little pretentiousness if any at all, this place has been my Austin away from Austin for a couple months now. It lies in the struggling but regrowing area of Fair Park next to Victory Sport Taekwondo, and Rob’s Chop Shop and offers an array of draft choices served with a hat-trick and  smile. Prices are very competitive, which makes it very difficult to try any of the other nearby establishments.

Bonus: Monday nights include free jazz from a handful of musicians. According to the Amsterdam blog, the lineup is based on the members of The Shelley Carrol quartet, but the lineup changes weekly as individuals take a night off and friends and guests sit in for a set or even for the entire evening.

Got the case of the Mondays? Come out and chill with the cool cats at Amsterdam. And if you’re feeling a little hesitant about the heavy drinking, try the ACE Pear Cider, described by one patron as “liquid candy”.

We started out at Green Elephant, a local dive bar we stumbled upon serendipitously. Initially, a very chill place, huge real estate, and a great backyard complete with hammock and couch.

Reason why we left instantly: dedicated dj playing electronic music all night.

Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the occasional trance, house, even breakbeat, but I can assure you, this was no atmosphere for the club scene. A classic case of identity crises.

After that trial and error, we headed over to The Barley House for $2 pints. Anything on draft for $2. This would be the greatest beverage deal I’ve encountered in Dallas on a Tuesday save one thing, their beer shipment didn’t make it and they were out of 90% of their draft choices. Being a pub, this really hurts one’s choices. That combined with the “holiday” at hand and you have some pretty discontent, thirsty customers.

We made the best of the night, planned only to have some “research drinks” for MeVersus but ended up having a few more throughout the night just to wash the disappointment down.

Usually a decent place to unwind after a hard day’s work, The Barley House let me down last night when the pressure was on. As for Green Elephant, the jury’s still out. (Hammocks at a bar, you have me pulling for ya).