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Not to butter our own muffin or anything, but America's favorite digital music subscription service expects to throw one of the best parties in the fine and wonderfully quirky city of Austin, Tex., on March 18. There are two reasons for this: (1) our major-league party skills are as finely tuned and well-oiled as Tim Lincecum's mechanics, and (2) we truly outdid ourselves in terms of delivering killer entertainment to the Lone Star State. In fact, we're pretty damn hip this year, with a music line-up culled from the indie-world's most fertile terrain, including retro-garage, chillwave, post-punk and modern electro.

CLICK HERE to RSVP

Deerhunter
Origins: Atlanta, GA
Label: Kranky / 4AD
What's there to say, really? Setting up camp halfway between raw experimentalism and melancholic dream pop, Deerhunter has been one of indie rock's most consistently engaging groups over the last half decade. Front-dude Bradford Cox, lanky and deliciously unpredictable, is absolutely mesmerizing in the live setting.

Kurt Vile
Origins: Philadelphia, PA
Label: Matador
If underground America's current crop of lo-fi rockers has a father it just might be this Philly loner. Vile is vicious, unleashing a static-saturated wall of sound that throbs without mercy. But don't let all the sonic primitivism prevent you from appreciating his more subtle talents. Vile is also a crafty singer-songwriter, one with a firm understanding of vintage Americana.

Ty Segall
Origins: San Francisco, CA
Label: Goner
Ty Segall is like Kurt Vile's little bro; with no use for troubadours and acoustic guitars, all he wants to do is trash your house while vomiting a stream of incredibly depraved garage-rock jammers. Segall and his band carry around a sack full of vintage pop hooks painted in reverb. They're also manic, unhinged, noisy and well adept at hosting beer-stained dance parties. Think Paul Revere & The Raiders produced by The Jesus and Mary Chain's Reid brothers.

Small Black
Origins: Brooklyn, NY
Label: Jagjaguwar
The tag "chillwave" gets a lot of flack, yet the artists and music it encompasses are totally boss. To our ears the genre more or less sounds like old school new wave and dreamy synth-pop recorded on half-broken boomboxes of equal vintage. Buttressing their melancholic jangle 'n' croon with warbling drum machine dance-stutter, Small Black are one of chillwave's best. Awesome stuff.

Glasser
Origins: Brooklyn, NY
Label: True Panther Sounds
Glasser, born Cameron Mesirow, is a difficult artist to frame. At first blush, Björk and Bat for Lashes come to mind. But while those comparisons make a lot of sense, she ultimately lacks their impishness and irreverence. Glasser's subtly electro-tinged art pop feels distant, veiled and oblique. It also feels profoundly informed by modern classical and even the new-age pop of Enya (who is way overdue for hipster reassessment, mind you). Sure, that sounds strange, but strange is good!

It's going to be a party to remember, with a ton of great music. Trust us: everything from rowdy goon-dancing to sensitive inner-contemplation are going down underneath that blazing Texas sun. If you can, join us. If, however, you can't, then sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription, whereupon you may listen to all these acts and more, to your heart's content.

Here are the vitals -- tattoo them to your inner thigh ASAP:

When: Friday, March 18, Noon to 6PM
Where: Club De Ville (900 Red River, Austin, Tex.)
How much: FREE, subject to capacity (so get there early or you're gonna be assed out).

CLICK HERE to RSVP

So you'll recall we already mentioned our super-duper colossal fandango planned for the night of Saturday, March 21st, in Austin, but you'll also recall we mentioned we are on a quest for ultimate rockness -- not serviceable, not adequate, not even moderately enjoyable, but ultimate rockness. Which is why we've joined forces with the good folks at Knuckle Rumbler to bring you a Saturday day party featuring Cool Kids, Rye Rye, and many more. Click here to RSVP, or click the jump for the whole big skinny.  

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, animals, minerals, vegetables: It gives us great pleasure to announce plans for Rhapsody's umpteenth annual expedition into the jungles of the South by Southwest music festival in search of that most elusive of treasures: Ultimate Rockness. This year, as in past years, we have no doubt we will be victorious in our quest. Because, we mean, crap -- take a look at this line-up! Free Energy, Tobias Thomas, Memory Tapes, Yacht, and Major Lazer!? That is, as all the moms on Facebook are saying, ridonkydonk. Please put your dance-pants on and join us. If you can neither find your dance-pants nor join us but would like to experience the magic of the aforementioned musical talents, you may do so by signing up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription, whereupon you may listen to all these acts and more, to your heart's content.

Anyway, here are the deets:

When: Saturday, March 20, 7:30 P.M.
Where: Cedar St. Courtyard, 208 W. 4th St., Austin, Texas
How much: FREE with your SXSW badge, subject to capacity (so get there early or you're gonna be assed out).

Pretty much half of the creative staff at Rhapsody has descended upon Nashville for this year’s CMA Music Fest and the CMT Awards that follow. But guess what? We’re also there to throw a great big party and we’d like you to be there. Best of all - it’s free! Holla!

Playing at our “little” party is Jack Ingram, whose latest single, “Barefoot and Crazy” just may be THE summer single for 2009! He’ll be joined by another hottie Luke Bryan (is “Do I” his best single yet? We think so!), the newest foursome in Country music, Gloriana, whose “Wild At Heart” is burning up the charts and CMT’s Can You Duet? winners Caitlin and Will -- who are also setting radios ablaze with their heartfelt, “Address in the Stars.”

We told you this was going to be a rockin’ good time! And we really want you in the audience on Monday, June 15. But nothing in this life comes easy, so we’re going to make you earn your way into this exclusive party. We’re going to send you on a little scavenger hunt around Nashville to look for tickets. It will be easy-peasy, we promise! And who knows, you just might learn a few things about Music City and have fun in the process. 

Starting tomorrow, we'll be giving out tickets to this event to people following our @rhapsody twitter account, and there will be some video clues right here on this blog on Monday.

This dude rules! We're sure you rule, too. Click over to Annie Ray's photobooth shots to find out.

Dear Attendees of Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009,

Please allow us to extend our heartfelt thanks for joining us in our modest get-together in lil' ol' Austin yesterday. Thank you for providing mirth and high spirits, for waving your hands like you just didn't care, for wearing that funny T-shirt, those stylish shades, that fetching sundress. Thanks also for helping us get rid of all that beer. Seriously, if Mom and Dad would have come home and seen all those tall boys on ice, they would have freaked. So thanks for that. Thanks to those of you who yelled "Woooo!" at just the right time, and to everyone who clapped and cheered vigorously in between songs. Thanks especially to that one guy who closed his eyes during ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's set and was, like, really feeling it. We all secretly want to be that guy, so thanks, That Guy, for reminding us that that's what we want.

And of course, lest we forget, thanks to the bands -- the bands! Thanks to Vivian Girls and Wavves for kicking things off with the confident lo-fi jammers that eased us into the afternoon. Thanks to School of Seven Bells for getting kind of ethereal and shimmery, so nice. Hats off to Glasvegas, dressed intrepidly in all black and wielding more guitar pedals than Phish, all of which were put to great use to create that heaving wall of sound of yours. And finally, a deep bow in the direction of ... Trail of Dead, who treated us to some ridiculously pummeling super rock that included field trips into the crowd itself, as well as funny sunglasses. Oh, and thanks to DJ $mall ¢hange for paying it forward on the inter-set jammers (also, nice hat).

As a token of our appreciation, and because our service is something we're completely positive you will enjoy, please follow this link for a free 14-day trial. You will not be bummed.

See you next year,

The Rhapsody Team

So yeah, a couple of us -- ok, more like a baker's dozen -- are down here in Austin for the annual South By Southwest music fandango. But fear not -- we will not be boring you with salty tales of booze, bands and brisket. No, no, we have something much better in mind, something involving video cameras and Tori Amos. Please stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, however, we figured it'd be silly not to share a couple discoveries, a few scattered recaps, etc. The first such worthy entry is Heartless Bastards. Hooo, boy. Band is from Dayton, Ohio, and recently released its third album, The Mountain, about which our own Justin Farrar had this to say:

"Before The Mountain, a Heartless Bastards album was more or less the band setting up its gear in the studio and rocking out. The Mountain is different. While 'Early in the Morning' and 'Nothing Seems the Same' prove the band still drops the (indie) blues-rock hammer, the rest of this killer album finds the Heartless Bastards exploring Crazy Horse-brand country rock, acoustic blues and even some moody folk-rock. As always, the star of the show is Erika Wennerstrom's voice, a gnarly chunk of contorted beauty."

Now that sounds all well and good, and the album is truly worth your time, but catching these guys live is a whole different kind of head-rattling. Wennerstrom is indeed the star of the show. She's a slight girl with straight blond hair and pretty blue eyes, which is why you're taken off guard when she unleashes her voice like a thunderclap; this is not mere singing, this is conjuring. Her band's role in all this is to simply try to hold on as the songs whip around corners or undulate feverishly. It's hair-raising, it's gut-punching, it was a helluva way to kick off a booze- and brisket-filled week, but let's not get into that part.

All week we've been toiling away, burning through our Rolodex, feverishly setting up interviews with some of our favorite artists playing at the South by Southwest Music Festival. We do this for the love of the music. We do this to connect Rhapsody listeners with the artists they admire. We do this so our bosses won't bust grouse about an expense report littered with receipts for booze and BBQ.

So far we have interviews slated with some of the festival's heaviest hitters. Our list of candidates looks like this:

Juliette Lewis
The New York Dolls
Tori Amos
Ben Harper & The Relentless Seven
...Trail of the Dead
Glasvegas
Deer Tick
School Of Seven Bells
Vivian Girls
Tricky
Gomez
The Indigo Girls
The Ugly Suit
The Delta Spirit
Anvil

As we tear ass all over Austin with a microphone and a raging beer buzz, we'll need all the help we can get. That's where you come in: if you've always wanted to know if Juliette Lewis ever saw Nolte in his skivvies on the set of Cape Fear, or if Tori ever made it with Maynard, or if Tricky has a dolphin tattooed anywhere on his body, this is your chance. Leave a comment telling us what to ask, and we'll do it. When the interviews go live, we'll keep you posted.

It's just about time to crack open a cold one and bask in the complete dopeness of our upcoming party in Austin. While the lineup was already totally bitchin’ (Seriously: School of Seven Bells, Vivian Girls, Glasvegas, DJ $mall ¢hange and hometown heroes ...Trail of Dead? Please, Hammer...), fact is, sometimes we like to flex our corporate goliath muscles and go right over the freakin' top. So it is with no small amount of elation that we announce that soon-to-be-legendary Fat Possum recording artist Wavves will be lending his distorted euphoria to our afternoon in Austin. If this San Diego one-man-band has yet to cross your radar, get yourself prepped right here.

This day is call'd [Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009].
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of [Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009].
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is [the anniversary of Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009].'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had [at Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009].'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words --
[…Trail of Dead], [Glasvegas],
[School of Seven Bells], [The Vivian Girls ] and [DJ $mall ¢hange] --
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And [the anniversary of Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009] shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered --
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That [rocked] with us [at Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009].

Who: ...Trail of Dead, Glasvegas, School of Seven Bells, The Vivian Girls. Inter-set jammers provided by DJ $mall ¢hange. Additional surprises TBD.
What: Rhapsody Rocks Austin 2009
Where: @ The Mohawk, 912 Red River
When: Noon. Thursday. March 19th.
How: Event is free, but you need to RSVP. Stay tuned to this space or hit us up on Twitter (@Rhapsody) for RSVP link and to enter to win VIP passes.
Why: Because we like you. Also, free booze.

And so like the primeval instinct that sends the caterpillar to the chrysalis and the obstreperous goose south on wing in autumn, the Music Industry cannot drown out the siren call of Austin, Texas, come March, and thus makes its preparations to sally forth, throwing together a duffel bag filled with Maalox chewables, freshly printed business cards and snap-button cowboy shirts -- the bare essentials for a journey to the South By Southwest Music And Media Conference (SXSW). Ah, the wonders of nature.

Once upon a time, SXSW was a showcase for small time bands to score a bit of media attention and inch up the ladder to fame, but, over the years, it has blossomed into a booze-and-brisket fueled festival of big names, industry schmoozing and corporate-sponsored freebies (because who doesn't need a Scion beer cozy?) Of course, no one can navigate this delightful train wreck better than us, and, not to toot our own horn, but it's the Rhapsody Rocks Austin event that routinely surfaces as the creme de la creme of any festival goers' itinerary. Why? Well, its not merely the free booze and bands. Everyone knows that old game. We're the best because we actually put on a good show. A show people talk about. A show that, not unlike our fine service, has no hitch. No guest list, no "let me call my friend who knows a guy." All you need do is RSVP, which we'll be telling you more about in this here space in the days to come. 

And speaking of news, we're downright giddy about our line-up this year, which we're proud to announce includes the Vivian Girls and School Of Seven Bells. And as psyched as we are to see these guys play, we nearly wet ourselves about the headliners, which we will be relaying to you on Le Blog on Thursday. If Twitter's your bag, you can keep up with our SXSW goings on and even score VIP passes there: @Rhapsody. So stay tuned, and rock on. It's going to be another ridiculous time.