ATX EMERGE 2010 LINEUP:

Anatomy texts might not show it, but the greatest soul and blues music leaves no doubt that the hip bone is directly connected to the heart –– a fact that’s driven home in every note laid down by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. As they prove on their Lost Highway debut, Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is, the Austin–based combo has the kind of gritty attitude and deliciously greasy groove–consciousness that’d pass muster in the toughest juke joint.

Califone is a band that defies the contemporary music blueprint. Their albums are full of layers and textures, offering endless depth, entire universes to lose yourself in – and beyond the thick spectrum of sound, they do something even more important: They write great songs. Califone is a band that will stand the test of time.

What is it about Eclectic Method that inspired U2, Fatboy Slim and Public Enemy to employ their talents? That inspired Cannes and Sundance to have them headline their closing night parties? That impressed Motown and XL Records to hire them for official remixes; Sony PlayStation to have them develop video games levels, and MTV Europe to have them kick-start the MTV Mash series? Simply put, it’s because Eclectic Method is reshaping the platforms to bring us tomorrow’s entertainment today.

Sunset is a musical ensemble founded by Bill Baird, formerly sound team, from the musical hotbed of Austin, Texas. They play folk and traditional music with a twist of electronic components, perhaps some vocal harmony. Features drums, bass, some analogue keyboards, guitars, and the general listening pleasure.
Ancient forests under majestic mountains, the two sides leading your feet back to the sordid music clubs that we all know and love. Moving between the two sides, both because they are just different aspects of the same coin. Real beauty can be found in the dirt.

The White White Lights serenade with rabid love songs and host noir dance parties for carnivorous ghosts lost in spectral hallucinations.
Their layered songwriting entangles the delicate and violent in equal parts, creating vivid and potent songs that both seduce and destroy. Fans of Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pixies, Butthole Surfers, and similarly iconic bands will likely appreciate what The White White Lights have started incubating.

Brazos began as the solo recording project of Martin Crane. After two solo EPs, Crane recruited and honed a 3 piece live band and in November of 2009, Brazos released it's first LP, Phosphorescent Blues. A national tour opening for White Denim followed.

The Whiskey Thieves first formed in the spring of 2006 as a powerhouse quartet. Singer Codi Binkley, guitarist Gabe Brueske, bassist Zakk Murphy and drummer Thomas Bottari have formed a highly energetic and contagious rock n roll sound, combining the old with the new. The Whiskey Thieves , awing audiences since their first performance, have shared the stage with many great musicians such as The Doobie Brothers, Taj Majal, Jackie Greene, Tommy Castro, Los Lobos, Robert Cray and many more. The Thieves are currently wrapping up their debut album with producer Jimmy Goings of GFI Entertainment and highly anticipate its release.

Focus Group is an instrumental band, formed of friends making music for friends to be friends to. Our five members range in tutelage from classical piano to MPC aficionado and everything in between. Our influences are as diverse as our sound and we hope you will agree that we are seriously dedicated to the idols of absurdity. Footwork, freshness, and all your favorite f-words combined.

Orion, Manolo Black and Hobo D comprise what is Austin’s premiere Latin dance party, Peligrosa. An evening of sultry unpressured dancing, unglamorous drinking and that ever so dangerously fierce young woman, whose methodologically carnivorous mannerisms beckon the Latin flavor. For more than a year strong Peligrosa has spread the message of Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton, Boogaloo and a lot more to an unsuspecting Austin market.

Austin-based band, MoTel Aviv was formed in January 2009. (vocalist) Rodney Connell, (guitarist) Cole Hanson, (bassist) Misti Watkins and (drummer) Jayson Altman have all come together with one mission in mind: To create their own brand of infectious, high energy, post-punk-pop songs a la The Smiths, The Clash, (early) U2, Bowie and New Order. They are currently in the studio recording a full length album due out in early 2010.

The debut release of Kansas City band Capybara is filled to the brim with jangly synth melodies, light falsetto harmonies, and a syncopated percussive style that perpetually threatens to start a raucous party. Try Brother, self-produced in the Spring of 2009 in the mountains of northern New Mexico, blends earnest eyes-wide-open lyrics with delicate multi-instrumental arrangements. Their style draws on many influences, evoking classical chamber pop, down-home banjo folk rock, and soaring indie riffs in equal measures.

Trey brings a fresh sound to a century of influences and emerges with a sheer originality, giving the American/Folk genre a new dynamic. His poetry is a clever take on folk anecdotes, seen through the lens of hip-hop and R&B, crafted with pure original structure.