Barbarella's 2 Year Anniversary

Well kiddies, the weekend is upon us and there are lots of fantastic things for you to occupy your time with but I'm already focused on Sunday. Our baby sister Barbarella is entering her terrible twos and she's throwing one hell of a party to celebrate. It seems fitting that Glitoris is soundtracking the night, since without Tuezgayz I might have never discovered what a bumpin' place Barbarella is to begin with. This isn't just Tuezgayz on a Sunday though, DJ Harvey will be bringing his New Noise as well.

It all kicks off at 10pm Sunday night and the first 100 people through the door will receive a commemorative T-Shirt to help you remember you were there when the sun comes up on Monday. There's no cover charge but the party is 21+, happy hour is running all night so you can get $1 Lone Stars till it's no longer legal. Grab your best girl, guy, transgendered person, roommate, co-worker, acquaintance, ex-lover, future-lover, frienemy or foe and get your booty on the dancefloor. We won't let you out until your drenched with sweat and you have glitter in unknown places from unknown places.

Blood Diamonds - Grin video via YouTube

Join myself, ATXHipsters and theGlitoris for the best birthday for a 2 year old that you have ever seen. Oh, and don't forget parking meters are free downtown on a Sunday but with happy hour going all night, you should plan for sober transportation. Draw straws to decide who stays sober. Last but not least, if you have a smartphone, Barbarella is a Tabbed Out venue and that's a great way to NOT lose your credit card at the bar.

Beyconce´ - Countdown video via YouTube

Make sure you RSVP on Facebook and you should "Like" this event on Do512 while you're at it. See you on the dancefloor!

The Foreign Exchange at the ND

The Foreign Exchange isn't the greatest name for a hip-hop group. They never went platinum, never went jail, never been shot and you probably never heard their songs on the radio. What they do have is great music, thoughtful lyrics and an uplifting message. The story behind their name is simple, all of the beats you hear are produced by a man who goes by Nicolay. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and produced all of the beats for the first album from The Foreign Exchange overseas. He has, since, moved to South Carolina, which is much closer to where you'll find his other musical half Phonte, who is based in North Carolina. Phonte was once part of, the now defunct, hip-hop collective known as Little Brother. Now that you know the history, you should know that this Friday is my first chance to ever see The Foreign Exchange in person and I am incredibly excited. Our friends over at Knuckle Rumler are hosting Nicolay and Phonte at the ND and I think you should be there. It's a Friday night show, so (hopefully) you don't have to work the next morning. As of this moment, you can still get tickets for the discounted advance ticket price but I think today is the last day for that price so act quickly. Once you have your tickets, RSVP on F*c*book so your friends know.

The Foreign Exchange - The Last Fall video via YouTube

Sharing the bill with The Foreign Exchange at the ND Friday night, you'll find Zo!, Sy Smith and Jeanne Jolly. You can expect to hear these artists performing solo as well as with The Foreign Exchange. If, you've ever heard recordings of The Foreign Exchange then you know it's a collective sound, the whole idea of the project is to bring varying voices, styles and minds to one project. Also, did I mention they'll be performing with a live band? Because that's happening. Get your tickets now!

The Foreign Exchange - Raw Life video via YouTube

Holy Ghost! at the Parish

It's not very often that I get to blog about two awesome shows at the Parish in one week. As you know, I love the Parish and it saddens me that it's being under-utilized. Well, this week they've got Real Estate on Wednesday night and Holy Ghost! on Thursday night. Two very different types of show but also two really great shows. This, Brooklyn-duo's, latest release is a single out on Green Label Sound for the song, I Wanted to Tell Her, which is a brand-new take on the Ministry classic. They also have a full-length, eponymous, album that came out on DFA Records this year, as well as an EP for the song, Hold My Breath. In other words, they have been very busy and they have been on the road a lot. Thursday night's show is going to be an effing party, so if you want to start your weekend early, I suggest you grab yourself some tickets. Or, will you be the lucky person who wins a pair of tickets via Austin Bloggy Limits? All you have to do to win is send an e-mail with "Holy Ghost!" in the subject and your name in the body to contest@austinbloggylimits.com. One name will be chosen at random to have their name on the list with a +1 to Thursday night's show. You will be notified by email on Wednesday afternoon if you HAVE won.

Holy Ghost! - I Wanted to Tell Her video via YouTube

Holy Ghost! - Wait & See video via YouTube

Real Estate and Big Troubles at the Parish

Alright y'all, I really can't believe Wednesday night's Real Estate show at the Parish isn't sold-out yet. In fact, pause reading the rest of this and click this link for tickets now because by the time you're done reading they may not be available any more. It's a $13 ticket, the show is at one of the best venues in the city and Real Estate are touring in support of their best material to date. Granted, it's only their second album but Days is light-years ahead in terms of production value and the song-craft is as good as its ever been, which is to say pretty great. Don't get it twisted, I love the first album from Real Estate, their songs always sounds so classic but I think this latest release is just the perfect follow-up. The songs are more focused, the production is slicker without losing the do-it-yourself aesthetic and overall it's just very shiny and lovely. Hence my surprise that the show isn't sold-out.

Real Estate - It's Real video via YouTube

Once you have secured your tickets for Wednesday night's show at the Parish be sure you arrive early enough to catch, support act, Big Troubles. Their album Romantic Comedy is out now and features 10, beautifully written, songs that make me think of 90's-era college-rock, great brit-pop and jangly-indie-rock. There are sing along choruses, beachy guitar sounds and a youthful, disaffected love-lorn vibe permeates the album as a whole. The, limited edition, red vinyl release of the album is sold-out on the Slumberland Records site but I'm guessing they'll have it with them at the merch table Wednesday night, so bring some cash vinyl-junkies. I've taken the liberty of embedding Big Troubles's album in this post so you can get an idea of what you'll be listening to. I feel like they are the perfect support act for Real Estate. This is looking to be a really great show.

Big Troubles - Sad Girls - video via YouTube