On the heels of his superb new album, Caravan, Cactus Lee’s Kevin Dehan returns for his second Lagniappe Session fresh in the air of a newer, bigger, more boogieing climate. On this outing, Dehan and some sacred personnel lay their slick, soulful style down on renditions of the glossy, top ten pop of mid-80’s Christine McVie, Butthole Surfers’ absurdist punk, and a rootsy glam-jam from the Dead.
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Cactus Lee :: Caravan
On Caravan, his sixth album in four years (not accounting for the crackling Live from the Dry Creek Cafe), Cactus Lee’s Kevin Dehan showcases an incredible and exponentially focused growth in songwriting, an ascent as fast as you can hear his band now play. Expanding out from the lo-fi homespun beginnings of his now classic early efforts, Dehan has embraced a bigger and more studio-based sound that, in part, now reflects the live show that has become so integral to the world of Cactus Lee.
Cactus Lee :: Alpine Skier/Shoot From The Hip
If October’s Perfect Middle Hall was a surprising left turn away from Cactus Lee’s string of decidedly country LPs, new standalone single “Alpine Skier,” out March 3rd on Hippie Scum, is something else altogether. Call it a swerve off the blacktop.
Cactus Lee :: Perfect Middle Hall
Cactus Lee, our dear, enchanting nine-to-five troubadour, drops his most recent release, Perfect Middle Hall, on vinyl this week. It’s a perfect format for enjoying this one—a tight, cozy six-song cycle of Kevin Dehan’s woolen, lo-fi folk, which introduces a more full-bodied richness into the sonic palette.
Cactus Lee :: Perfect Middle Hall
Cactus Lee’s Kevin Dehan continues to release music at a relentless pace, with his new lp, Perfect Middle Hall, on the way. He’s released the title track, a piece that finds Dehan at perhaps his most stark and solemn. A picturesque snapshot born into nostalgia and a yearning for something not yet passed. Dehan strives to keep the light aglow, whisking us away to help keep watch for the gale.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Cactus Lee
Cactus Lee’s Kevin Dehan has been keeping busy. Following the release of four long-players in the span of some eighteen months, his honky-tonk horizons are set next on the live set, Live from Dry Creek Café, in tribute to the band’s beloved Austin haunt. Rowdy, and soaked in pedal steel and Lone Stars, it shines selections from the band’s patented Texas Music in perhaps its purest form yet. We recently caught Dehan for a gorgeous full-band set at the Brooklyn-based jukebox joint Skinny Dennis, and it is with those players—Jon Catfish DeLorme on pedal steel, Russell Hymowitz on bass, and Adam Amram on drums—that he laid down his inaugural Lagniappe Session.
Cactus Lee :: Texas Music Forever
Austin’s Cactus Lee and Cincinnati-based animator Mark Neeley saddle up and ride worn-out cowboy movie archetypes into new territory in the video for “Locked Up In Lockhart,” a single off of Cactus Lee’s recently released Texas Music Forever.
Aquarium Drunkard :: SXSW 2023
We’re heading back to Austin this week, presenting not one, but two showcases. First up is Friday night’s AD x Gold Diggers shindig at Lucille (on Rainey Street) with Orions Belte, Fruit Bats, Bonny Doon, Pearl & The Oysters, Aoife Nessa Frances and The Golden Dregs. Still upright? If so, come by our unofficial day party on Saturday with Hippie Scum at Lolo Wine (E. 6th Street) at noon and catch Peter One, Cactus Lee, Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears, Rogé, Peel Dream Magazine, Future Museums and Skyway Man.
Transmissions :: Justin Gage (2025)
We close out the 10th season of Transmissions with a special look under the hood with Justin Gage, who founded Aquarium Drunkard 20 years ago in 2005. Initially envisioned as just a place to share cultural recommendations with friends, Aquarium Drunkard blew up as the blog rush began. Suddenly, Gage found himself running a respected media outlet. 20 years later, he joins host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss how Aquarium Drunkard has stayed true to the maxim of only the good shit.
Aquarium Drunkard :: 2023 Year in Review
Looking back to look ahead. It’s our Year In Review 2023. As always, our list is unranked and unruly. Let it blurb.
Aquarium Drunkard exists because of the passion of its contributors and the support of its generous Patreon community, so consider pledging your support as we ring in the new year. If Aquarium Drunkard improves your listening life, the Patreon is the best way to reciprocate. Only the good shit, now, then, and the unspecified moments in-between.
RF Shannon :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
RF Shannon’s new album Red Swan in Palmetto, out May 26th on Keeled Scales, finds the band exploring swampier parts of their native Texas. Gone is the wide open, desert-tinged sound of past albums; what has emerged is knottier and more enigmatic. Songwriter Shane Renfro talks to us about the long process of recording the new album and how he uses songwriting to explore and get closer to his natural surroundings.
Aquarium Drunkard :: 2022 Year in Review
Looking back to look ahead. It’s our Year In Review 2022. As always, our list is unranked and unruly. Let it blurb.
The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PDT, Channel 35)
Join me in L.A. Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays.
34.1090° N, 118.2334° W
Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard :: April 2022
It’s time once again for Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard on dublab on April 17 from 4-8 PM, four hours of freeform sounds from AD selectors. Up first, a springtime stew of dusty country rock, luminous folk, and boogies with New Happy Gathering. Then, trancers and dancers with Range and Basin, early ’70s West Coast zones from Doom and Gloom From The Tomb, and to close, First & Last, a glimpse into the world of Japanese private press.
Aquarium Drunkard :: 2021 Year In Review
Here it is: our Year In Review 2021. Unranked and sprawling as always. A guide to the music that stuck with us throughout another strange year.