About a year and a half ago, a Wild Child was born. The Austin-based band considers the child drunk, poppy, lovely and bitter, ultimately stemming from their musical style. Front man and ukelelist, Alexander Beggins, met Lead Vocalist and violinist, Kelsey Wilson, while on tour with another band, and began writing songs together. Coincidentally, “when we got back to Austin, we realized that we were actually neighbors,” Wilson recalls. “We kept writing for a couple months and then started pulling from the incredible pool of musicians we knew, and formed the band Wild Child.”

Wilson and Beggins knew Wild Child’s drummer, Carey McGraw, and banjo player Matthew Mares even before they had both met each other. Bassist, Chris D’Annunzio, “is a very talented old friend who plays for a ridiculous number of bands here in Austin,” Wilson states. The rest of the band formed with Beggins’ cousin from San Francisco, keyboardist Evan Magers, and cellist, Miss Sadie Wolfe, the younger sister of a good friend of the band. “Once we had everyone together, we started drinking and no other preparations were made then that! Just a LOT of whiskey,” Wilson says.

Wild Child has officially been together for one year now, and planning an upcoming album. The songwriting process is soon to be finished, and the band is now “just tying up loose ends and figuring out where to record at this point,” says Wilson. Hopes are that by next year there will be a new full length Wild Child album, resulting in plans for a second tour.

According to Wild Child, “there is literally nothing better than performing live,” which explains how pumped they are for this year’s MR. Fest. The band is looking forward to performing at Sean Patrick’s Pub in San Marcos, TX, Saturday, April 28^th during KTSW 89.9 5^th annual MR. Fest!

https://www.facebook.com/wildchildsounds

http://www.wildchildsounds.com

-Reyna Caraveo

“I have been playing acoustically since I was 14,” said Lauren, who is twenty now, “music has always been a part of my life.” Lauren and the Blacklists is rock band composed of Lauren Burton, Bryan Winslow, Lance Osborn, and Kyle Vanderhoof. A lot of their influences stem from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Garbage and the Pixies to name a few. Lauren is originally from Kentucky but grew up in the self-proclaimed, “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin. After some encouragement by lead singer Polly Mackey, a friend from the UK, from the band called, Polly Mackey and the Pleasure Principal who performed in the 2009 SXSW event.

“It’s really fun; you should really try it,” said Polly. Since then Lauren decided to expand her band and start creating originals. Now, Lauren and the Blacklists have hit the ground running. With SXSW 2012, an EP released this pass January, and “Band of the Month” by Room 13 Magazine in their rear view mirror, what’s next for this rock band? “Mini regional tour in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Shreveport,” said Lauren, “we’re ready to expand our audience.” After performing their 5 unofficial performances during this passed SXSW, the Blacklists were contacted by a booking manager to perform possibly outside of Texas.

This band are a must see! If you’re as eager as I am to check Lauren and the Blacklists, they’ll be performing on April 19th for Mr. Fest pre-party, and on the 28th at Sean Patrick’s at 4pm for Mr. Fest. See you there!

-Stephanie Cavazos

Photo Courtesy of Facebook

http://vimeo.com/24905608

The Austin, Texas based band, Technicolor Hearts, consists of members Naomi Cherie and Joseph Salazar. Both artists are former members of other projects and have brought their talents together to form the “arts + crafts rock” band. Cherie, the band’s violinist, has previously collaborated with bands Agent Ribbons, Southern Drama, and Mariachi de los Gallos. Salazar worked with the group Death is Not a Joyride and remains a multi-instrumental musician in his current band incorporating the guitar, bass, and synths.

Technicolor Hearts formed in 2010 and has formed a fan base in the Austin area since their first tour kicked off in November of 2011. The band also released their first set of recordings via a 3-track EP, Corpus Christi in 2011including songs Pocahaunted, Corpus Christi, and Pretty. Technicolor Hearts has played shows with many known local artists such as Zola Jesus, Marmalakes, and the Sour Notes, and Talk Normal.

After playing shows in Oklahoma and Missouri, Technicolor Hearts will be hitting the stage for the Chairlift After Party with Chairlift, Les Rav, Love Inks, and Nite Jewel on April 17^th at Mohawks in Austin, Texas. Fans can also catch the duo at Sean Patrick’s during MR Fest on April 28^th.

Twitter: @technicolorhrtz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellotechnicolorhearts

Bandcamp: http://technicolorhearts.bandcamp.com/

Photos by Tim Griffin @griffinshot