The Preservation, The Dalles, SuperLiteBike

 The group’s guitarist Mario Matteoli moved from northern California to Austin at age 19. By the age of 25, he was already a clubland veteran and internationally touring musician who had opened for Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, and Merle Haggard. When he left his former group, The Weary Boys, to record a couple of locally-acclaimed solo albums, he met his wife percussionist Cayce Marsh during the short-lived psychedelic rock project Lechuza. Mario and Cayce were touring the States as a duo when it was eventually decided that the time had come to start a new band. One that stands out from the rest. A band that tries to be nothing if not great.

The Dalles

The Dalles are a band made from scratch, with a purpose. Combining the songwriting talents of Ben Ballinger and Blue Mongeon, the tight, inventive drumming of Drew Brunetti, and the thoughtful, in-the-pocket bass playing of Chris D’Annunzio, The Dalles play strong and wild, curious, intentional rock n’ roll. They are quickly filling the potholes and crashing through the dividers of the current music highway. They have the soaring harmonies of The Beatles, the back-beat soul of James Brown, and the straight up Do-Or-Die-Music-Will-Save-Your-Life-Rock n’ Roll of every band that ever mattered. These young men create fascinating songs that not only have a message, but deliver it with authority and empathy. Like Robert Frost reading you your rights. Hailing from all different corners of America, The Dalles formed in February 2011 and have rooted themselves in Austin, Texas. They released their debut EP “My Own Private White House” in February 2012. Recorded live in three days with the soon-to-be, much sought after Engineer/Producer Heston Barnes, the EP is seven songs like you’ve never heard before, by a band you’ll want to hear again. The Dalles are: Ben Ballinger (guitars, vox), Blue Mongeon (guitars, vox, harmonica), Drew Brunetti (drums), Chris D’Annunzio (bass)

SuperLiteBike
"A whimsical mode of transportation to tour the realms of rock, indie and experimental music." As self-proclaimed southern gentlemen, the members of Austin-based band SuperLiteBike put their all into making sure anyone that hears their music – on a recording and especially live – has an unquestionably rockin' time. As a band, playing live is always one of their favorite things to do, and they believe the magnitude of their audience's live concert experience is directly related to the fun outwardly displayed on stage. Good times are always contagious – and that's what they are all about. Their hefty following of fans would undoubtedly agree as they have experienced the electricity generated during a SuperLiteBike show. Containing that energy to record their upcoming debut release, Away We Go, has proven to be quite the ride. Due out on May 13, 2010, the album is meant to be heard in its entirety and as a result promises to take the listener on a galactic voyage. Band members include Patrick Husband on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and trumpet, Jackson Ellis III on bass & back up vocals, Travis Larrew on lead guitar, Rob Edmiston on drums, and Chris Heckendorn on keys, trumpet and rhythm guitar. The band co-produced the album with Nick Jay, sound engineer and bass player for Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. It was recorded at The Bubble in Austin with the guidance and expertise of owner Chris "Frenchie" Smith and co-owner Alex Lyon. The band is managed by Christee Albino. The members of SuperLiteBike not only have high hopes and aspirations as a band but also have some great folks on their support team who will collectively bring them to the next level of success. The album just "came together." Bass player Jackson describes the experience: "Everything with this album was meant to be, in my opinion. We didn't really pick the songs. They just came together themselves, and we knew that we were going to record them." Sequentially from beginning to end, all the songs on Away We Go tell "the story of a girl leaving the planet only to come back and realize that's her home." To the members of SuperLiteBike, there is a direct correlation representing the beginning of their lives as a professional band and their impending launch. Patrick wrote the lyrics to the songs, and they all had a part in composing the music. SuperLiteBike, Jackson puts it, "started with a dream." Although not his own, but that of the future lead guitarist Travis, who at the age of 12, started playing music. Influenced by his father who played guitar and sang in a gospel bluegrass band, by the time he reached 17, Travis could play just about any Jimi Hendrix song. And from that point, he always dreamt of being in an incredible band of his own. The dream officially became a reality in 2008 when two locally-known bands melded together into a super group. The momentum initially began when A Pocketful of Deng formed in the summer of 2003. Patrick, who would become the lead singer and trumpet player, met life-long friends Travis and Jackson while working at Joe's Crab Shack. In the first few months, the band also had a harmonica player, who was also provided courtesy of their employment at the Shack. Then in February of 2004, the structure of the band changed drastically. Travis and Jackson ran into Rob Edmiston randomly at a party who shortly thereafter replaced their novice drummer. A Pocketful of Deng took off playing show after show, winning Battle of the Bands and even touring together. Even with all the success they were experiencing, it just never felt "right." They had arrived at the creative cusp of evolving musically from what they collectively represented in that band. It was time to move forward from these parameters so they mutually decided to eliminate harmonica from their lineup, but the need for a fifth member was there so Patrick suggested a longtime friend of his, Chris Heckendorn, who was also the lead singer and guitarist of The War Against Sleep. Patrick met him many years before when the two were involved in their school's regional band concert. He had heard about Chris's amazing skills on trumpet so he actually skipped three chairs just to sit next to him. After consulting with the rest of the band, who all knew Chris well from playing gigs with The War Against Sleep, they agreed that he was indeed the ideal candidate. Chris came on board as keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and would of course lend his stellar skills as the band's second trumpet player. With the perfect fifth member in place, there was only one more change to make – the name. With a "new sound and new attitude" the band decided to call themselves SuperLiteBike. The name seemed to fit for various reasons; one of which stemmed from Patrick's childhood desire to own a "very light bicycle, which symbolizes quality and craftsmanship." From there, it thrived on his concept of personifying a bike through a band who would strive to provide a "whimsical mode of transportation to tour the realms of rock, indie and experimental music." The five band mates all gravitated to Austin in a quest to find a band, and they each come from a wide span of musical backgrounds. Their individual musical interests soar across the spectrum of styles varying from metal, classic, country, jazz, electro and even opera. The only band that without question can be found in all of their collections is Radiohead, but they do share common goals when it comes to making and performing music. That is to let the music "stem from spontaneity" and allow it to "write itself through the emotions of the musicians" according to lead singer Patrick, whose vast background includes studying operatic techniques and becoming a two-time National Association for Teachers of Singing (N.A.T.S.) finalist. He adds, "We try to be different than ourselves and allow the music to just be. We are not afraid to make music that is outside our own genre." They prefer not to be classified so adamantly that they scrap a song the moment it sounds recognizable but will admit "melodic rock" sums up their musical style well. Jackson comments, "Sometimes we can be melodic and still rock. It's a whirlwind."

Boy
BOY is an up-and-coming quartet from Austin, TX. To be honest we still don't know all that much about them, but we're really digging the two tracks posted on their website. "Silent Prayer" and "White Tigers" are two mid-tempo glam rock jaunts with Ray Davies sort of touch. Man, the south is having all the fun these days.