September 28, 2016
Head to Utopia in Texas for the mind-expanding Utopia Festival, Thursday-to-Saturday, September 29th to October 1st:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th
| Arrowhead Stage Morphine Documentary Screening, 11:00 PM Utopia Players, 10:00 PM Echocentrics, 9:00 PM Milkdrive, 8:00 PM |
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th
| Cypress Stage Golden Dawn Arkestra, 12:00 AM Influenced by the ultra-influential Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Austin’s Golden Dawn Arkestra is a feast for the ears, eyes, and mind. |
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| Rubblebucket, 10:00 PM Brooklyn indie-dance outfit Rubblebucket (QRO live review) fit into any line-up, from ultra-hipster to jam (QRO photos at a festival). Known for electric live shows (QRO live review), including at festivals (QRO photos), the group comes to Utopia (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2011’s Omega La La (QRO review) and 2014’s Survival Sounds. |
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| White Denim, 8:00 PM Out of Austin’s own psychedelic rock scene comes White Denim (QRO live review at home in Austin), but they’re more accessible than most psych-rock (QRO live review), like on this year’s Stiff (QRO review). |
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| Also: Sucka Please, 6:00 PM Atash, 4:30 PM New Madrid, 3:00 PM – QRO photos at an Austin festival |
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Arrowhead Stage Victor Wooten, 11:00 PM Vapors of Morphine, 9:00 PM Calliope Musicals, 7:00 PM Ruby & The Reckless, 5:15 PM Shane Cooley, 3:45 PM Sid Fly, 2:15 PM |
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1st
| Cypress Stage Ratatat, 12:00 AM New York’s own Evan Mast & Mike Stroud form the electronic duo known as Ratatat (QRO photos at a festival). After putting out a self-titled record & following it up with Classics, their last two full-lengths have kept the simple-and-sweet-name, in LP3 (QRO review) and LP4, though last year saw Magnifique. Fun will definitely be had, thanks to Ratatat’s energetic, psychedelic live show (QRO live review). |
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| Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, 10:00 PM Thao Nguyen (QRO interview) broke through in 2008 with We Brave Bee Stings and All (QRO review) and its fun, charming folk-rock, and followed it up the following year with Know Better Learn Faster (QRO review). After teaming up with Mirah for Thao + Mirah (QRO review), she returned to the Get Down Stay Down (QRO spotlight on) with 2013’s We the Common (QRO review) and this year’s A Man Alive (QRO review). Her live shows (QRO photos outdoors) are, if anything, more engaging (QRO live review), whether in a college student center (QRO photos), a massive converted warehouse (QRO photos), or an outdoor festival (QRO photos at a festival). |
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| Whiskey Shivers, 8:00 PM Out of a woodpile and rancid whiskey bottles formed Austin’s Whiskey Shivers. |
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| Man Or Astro-Man?, 6:00 PM While Alabama’s Man Or Astro-Man? emerged from the Dick Dale/Pulp Fiction surf rock boom of the early nineties, they always were much more, both Man and Astro-Man, combining the surf with sci-fi, and electric & eclectic live shows (QRO photos at an Austin festival). |
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| Also: Big Thief, 4:30 PM Balmorhea, 3:00 PM – QRO photos at an Austin festival |
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Arrowhead Stage Chali 2na, 11:00 PM Charlie Stewart – Chali 2na (QRO photos at a festival) – has been a high-profile member of such outfits as Ozomatli & Jurassic 5, which combined world & alternative to hip-hop, but he’s since done solo work like 2009’s Fish Outta Water – and even portrayed celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (QRO live review) in Epic Rap Battles of History! |
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| GIVERS, 9:00 PM From down on the bayou in Lafayette, Louisiana, GIVERS (QRO photos) have turned their state’s native Cajun & zydeco music into sweet indie-pop (QRO photos outdoors). |
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| Also: The Deer, 7:00 PM Charlie Hunter, 5:15 PM Warren Hood, 3:45 PM Gracie Terzian, 2:15 PM |
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For festival website, go here: http://www.utopiafest.com/
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