Martine Paris for AOL One of the most promising acts at SXSW this year was Mister Heavenly, the indie rock mashup band with Nick Thorburn of the Unicorns on guitar/vocals, Honus Honus of Man Man on keyboards/vocals, Joe "the" Plummer of Modest Mouse on drums, and Hollywood actor Michael Cera on bass. Although it was Cera's celebrity that ...

Martine Paris for AOL As the SXSW music festival kicks into high gear, Spinner had a chance to catch up with Nick Urata, frontman for Denver-based gypsy vagabondage punk quartet DeVotchKa at their St. Patrick's Day (March 17) appearance at the Austin Convention Center in Texas. Just like the tattoo that winds around Nick's arm as he pulls ...

When they first came on the scene, no one was sure what to make of the cheeky lyrical badmen of Hickoids. They were called cow punk, white thrash, hard corn, hick rock, honky tonk hee haw glambilly, psychobilly, acidbilly, Tex-Mex on meth and out on bail. But in 1983, there was little crossover of genres. Despite being outsiders, they went on to ...

The fresh sound of this all-female psychedelic surf trio conjures up dreamy imagery of riding the big one down the California coast. Grass Widow's danceable, playful, sunny harmonies and heavenly lalas serves as an aspirational soundtrack to their many fans. With Hannah Lew on vocals and bass, Raven Mahon on guitar and Lilian Maring on vocals ...

They fit right into the western landscape of the U.S., donning their cowboy hats and dusting off their steel-toe boots, but when the band members of Grady hit the stage, they're about as heavy as it gets. Looking like true American icons, you'd never suspect their Canadian roots. But once, long ago, frontman Gordie Johnson was a sensation up north ...

'Tis they feisty friends, Ethan and Magda. By day, he's a professional skateboarder and she's a fashion photographer. By night, the Robin Hood and Maid Marian of stoner rock join the dark forces as a poetic doom squad and front the band Green & Wood. You might catch them at a modern day Renaissance Faire, but their remedial metal sound in all ...

The spirited don't-define-me sound of Grandchildren is drifting and meditative in its cinematic splendor and filled with sudden, unexpected right turns that surprise and delight. Not shoegaze, not experimental, not even Goldfrapp meets Telepopmusik, although one can hear elements from just about everywhere. Nostalgic for their grandparents, these ...