On November 15, 1994, KVRX hit the FM airwaves and became KVRX 91.7FM as we know it today. 30 years later, we're still going strong! To celebrate, KVRX is holding a 30th birthday party at Mohawk Outdoors this Friday. The show includes five performances, a Spoon memorabilia raffle courtesy of Britt Daniels, live printed t-shirts from FSG Prints, special-edition KVRXdawgs from Grandpa's Glizzys and more!
Buy Tickets Here.
To learn more about the performers, read their interviews below.
Matador Sphere
What is the best way to describe your sound?
Ed: Our sound can be best described as experimental pop/rock. RIYL Stereolab, black midi, Ariel Pink
When did you start making music, and how did you get into it?
Enzo: First started writing music in high school, met Ed and Jared in Tallahassee where we first wrote together. As a kid I loved British post punk and new wave, which in turn infected me with the idea that I should be a musician
If you could go back in time to the 90s, who would your dream music collaborator be and why?
Jared: Sade!
Ed: For 90s, I’d have to go with Andy Weatherall. He would be really cool to collaborate with because I love how he remixes rock music into electronic dance music through sampling and looping; his fingerprint on bands like Primal Scream/Saint Etienne/Happy Mondays has been a recent inspiration for ways I write/record.
Enzo: RZA, Aphex Twin, Daft Punk. Really anyone that would take our ideas and turn them into something totally unrecognizable -EA
What is a recent project you’ve worked on?
Enzo: Most recently worked on recording new tracks for MS
What is your favorite part of the Austin music scene?
Enzo: I am always appreciative and consistently impressed by how open and interested the average concert goer is here in Austin.
TC Superstar
What is the best way to describe your sound?
We play a blend of indie pop and dance music. I'm inspired by 60's art rock, 70's dance and disco, 80's new wave, 90's alternative, 2000's indie, and all kinds of contemporary stuff. For the most part I write tunes to dance to, or at the very least contemplatively sway to.
When did you start making music, and how did you get into it?
I started writing songs in elementary school and middle school. It started as poetry I'd write and then put to music. Even then I knew what I was writing was terrible. I think my disappointment in those initial songs motivated me to develop my songwriting practice. I started recording in middle school on a digital 8-track and then became really interested in arranging as part of the writing process. I formed a few bands in high school and fell deeply in love with playing live in a group.
What is a recent project you’ve worked on?
I just finished restoring a damaged Sunfish sailboat from 1960. I carved a new rudder and tiller, patched the sail, fixed some leaks, and I'm very excited to see if it floats!
What is your favorite part about the Austin Music scene?
In my humble objective opinion, we have the best musicians on the planet. Perhaps not in our playing necessarily; I mean, everyone is talented but I wouldn't say it's a town of virtuosos. Probably not in our business sense either; a lot of great bands here never catch national attention and most of us spend more on costumes than we pay ourselves. Definitely not in our punctuality, the whole scene runs on punk time. But we have the most creative, ambitious, original, and daring musicians who also happen to be the most loving, kind, and compassionate people. Everyone in the scene is here to lift each other up and spend time together in the joy of playing music.
If you could go back in time to the 90s, who would your dream music collaborator be and why?
Definitely Britney. So many formative memories of mine were soundtracked to her music. My kindergarten teacher used to play radio disney in class and some of her songs are the first things I remember hearing on the radio. She's a pop queen and I would love to collaborate on something.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
We have dancers! It didn't really come up in the other questions but that's our whole thing. We're both a band and a dance company. Our dancers are incredibly talented and help bring the music to life in such a unique way. It's been a pleasure to collaborate with them on every aspect of the project. We're starting up dance classes again so keep an eye out for that!
Gus Baldwin & the Sketch
Gus Baldwin by Galilea Gutierrez (@antitheticaldump)
What is the best way to describe your sound?
I feel like people always call us Garage Punk, which is probably pretty accurate even though we fought that title for so long. We always just call ourselves a Rock n roll band, but folks these days seem to get confused when you say that. They need more of an explanation than just Rock n’ Roll. As long as no one calls us a psych band (which they still do constantly) I’m happy lol. We all used to play in psych bands together and when we started this project we wanted to be a punk band so bad, but i don’t think the punks ever accepted us haha. But for most of us in the group, the garage stuff of our era of adolescence was really important and inspiring stuff for us. Bands like Black Lips, Sic Alps, Jay Reatard, and anyone from that camp was really eye opening stuff for a impressionable 13 year old corporate rock fan.
When did you start making music, and how did you get into it?
I got into music pretty early in life because of my parents' record collection. I remember when I was 4 I got a little CD player boombox from my dad and a few CDs from his collection that I would always listen to. “Ramones Mania”, “Rust Never Sleeps”, and The Hives’ “Veni Vidi Vicious” are the ones that I always remember as being my early favorites. That kinda music just got me really excited as a little kid, and made me only wanna hear stuff that was fast and loud lol. They had all kinds of stuff they would play for me, even though I didn’t appreciate much of it until I grew up a bit. I latched on to Reggae pretty early in life, but stuff like Tom Petty, Talking Heads, Wall of Voodoo, New Order, and lots of 70s Texas country stuff I didn’t like until I was like 19-20, but I suppose it all had to have some kind of influence on me making music growing up, even if that influence was to reject it. I started playing in loads of bands around the time I was 11-12 and into high school, mostly as a drummer. I didn’t ever think to actually write a song of my own until around the time I was 17 when John Kuzmick and I started Acid Carousel. Until then I just content to just being a sideman in music. He was the dude who kinda pushed and encouraged me to start writing my own stuff. Music rules, I would rather be doing nothing else in life. Luckily I got turned on to it so early from my folks. All three of those first CDs they gave me I still have and are still three of my favorite bands/records of all time. I lucked out big time.
What is a recent project you’ve worked on?
I’m always recording at home, and playing around with different friends. But, the latest proper recording project is the upcoming LP with my band The Sketch. This one is different from all the recordings I’ve had out previously because its a documentation of the band. Everything I’ve released so far is just me playing everything and recording it myself at home. This record was pretty collaborative overall from the writing standpoint, which is something I hadn’t done in years. We recorded it out in LA with our buddy Joey Oaxaca in just 1 day while we were on tour earlier this year. I love it because it was all recorded live, just us playing in the room together which gives it this openness that I’ve never really heard on most modern records, or at least any records that I’ve ever made. Its wild to think that almost every record made up till like the early 80s was just musicians playing in a room together, and somewhere along the way we decided that its better to make everything to a grid, separate from each other, with no mistakes. I’m not trying to dig on that, but it just lacks so much soul. I can’t imagine trying to make Otis Redding or someone like that play to a click track. It would ruin the push and pull tension and release, real emotions of the songs. Songs are human, and a reflection of who writes or performs them. I get scared in today’s day in age that humans are gonna keep making these records which could basically be made by AI because they’re so perfect and bland. I’ll get off my soapbox lol, but I’m stoked with how the record turned out and hope to keep recording as much as I can with other musicians in a room together.
What is your favorite part about the Austin Music scene?
I love this scene mostly because it's fun and accepting. Part of the reason I moved down here from Denton was that the scene up there was so cliquey and competitive. No one really seemed to like each other and it turned playing shows into some dramatic competition of social clout or whatever. I feel like all the younger bands in Austin are all good homies, and supportive of each other. And everyone rips too!! I feel lucky to be a part of a scene with so many good young bands. Plus I feel like everyone has a pretty different and unique sound, and we’re all getting out on the road and spreading the message across the world. I think of bands like Being Dead, Witches Exist, Die Spitz, Farmer’s Wife, Grocery Bag, Font, Good Looks, Magic Rockers of TX and on and on and on. These guys not only all rip and sound uniquely their own, but they're also my friends that I have the pleasure of hanging out with outside of the whole music biz rigmarole.
If you could go back in time to the 90s, who would your dream music collaborator be and why?
Man, this is a hard one. The first person that comes to mind is Rick Ocasek of The Cars. Even though the Cars were a total 70s, 80s band, his production work in the 90s on stuff like the Blue Album was impeccable. Man knew how to craft an amazing pop song that was still heavy as shit!! Not to even mention the production work he did for Bad Brains, GBV, Jonathan Richman and a million other legends. I think all my favorite 90s folks like Fugazi, Steve Albini, Brian Jonestown Massacre and that lot would have been people I would have had a horrible time collaborating with hahaha. I just get the vibe we wouldn’t have got on lol. But holy shit, do I love those folks' records.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
My first boss when I was 16 always told me “remember not to give a fuck”, and I think there is some wisdom to be found in that.
Garrett T. Caps
What is the best way to describe your sound?
Psychedelic Texas music
When did you start making music, and how did you get into it?
When I was young. Music found me!
What is a recent project you’ve worked on?
Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country - Everyone is Everyone
What is your favorite part about the Austin Music scene?
The awesome jams and the awesome fans.
If you could go back in time to the 90s, who would your dream music collaborator be and why?
It would have been cool to meet and jam with Doug Sahm. I have played music with a lot of his friends and bandmates and they are heroes!
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Keep the vibe alive my foos!