Matt Tyson and Mike Grimes, the team behind the music blog Ear Farm, take the indie music scene pretty seriously. The other thing they take seriously: barbecue. And on a road trip to Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival, these worlds collided. Passing through four barbecue meccas—Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Memphis, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; and Kansas City, Missouri—they enlisted the help of local musicians the Rosebuds, Amy LaVere, Tapes ’n Tapes, and Skatterman & Snug Brim to find the best ’cue in town.
Click a link to the right to see photos from each stop on the tour, and to listen to a song from each band.
Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, the pair who create the breezy sound of the Rosebuds, grew up in North Carolina (Fuquay-Varina and Fayetteville, respectively), went to college in Wilmington, and now live in Raleigh. They took us to the outskirts of Chapel Hill to taste Allen & Son’s offerings. It’s down-home Southern dining: checkered tablecloths, a comforting worn-wood interior, and the persistent aromas of smoked meat and homemade pie. Crisp revealed why the pork is so incredibly smoky: A brick-pit coal smoker operates behind the restaurant; it’s the kind that’s now outlawed because of ventilation problems, but some sort of barbecue-smoker-specific grandfather clause keeps it going. Everything we ate, from the traditional, vinegar-rich Carolina pulled pork to the baby back ribs, the Brunswick stew, and the coleslaw, was simply delicious. And let’s not forget dessert: peach cobbler and warm homemade pound cake.
The Rosebuds’ latest album, Night of the Furies, is out on Merge Records.
Listen to "Blue Bird"
by the Rosebuds
Tops is the go-to eatery for the blues- and jazz-tinged trio led by Amy LaVere whenever they’re home from touring. The place was full of Back to the Future throwback charm: brightly colored molded plastic booths, wood paneling reminiscent of a rec room or an Elks lodge, and simple, no-frills presentation. Tops is inexpensive, reliable, quick, and tasty, serving up slow-cooked pork barbecue smothered in a tangy, tomatoey, brown-sugary sauce.
Amy LaVere’s latest album, Anchors & Anvils, is out on Archer Records.
Listen to "Take 'Em or Leave 'Em"
by Amy LaVere
The guys in Tapes 'n Tapes blend delirious propulsive rhythms with growling vocals and sinewy guitar riffs, often drawing comparisons to the Pixies and Pavement. They took us for real Texas grub, in a cavernous wood barn sitting a block or two off of downtown Austin’s main strip: Iron Works BBQ. Keyboardist Matt Kretzmann fixated on the “hot Texas wind” blowing through the restaurant. There were large helpings of smoky beef ribs, hot sausage, barbecue chicken, and sliced Texas beef brisket. “I still have pieces of meat stuck in my teeth,” said vocalist Josh Grier, “a good sign I’ll be tasting it all day.”
Tapes 'n Tapes’ latest album, Walk It Off, is out on XL Recordings.
Listen to "Hang Them All"
by Tapes ’n Tapes
The sound of Kansas City hip-hop duo Skatterman & Snug Brim is reminiscent of Dr. Dre in his prime. Intent on representing their hometown well, the two went back and forth over several ’cue options (there are a lot to choose from), before agreeing on Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue. From the dinosaur-size beef ribs and steak knives that felt like machetes to the massively billowing booth we sat in, we were dwarfed—even the ceiling seemed 300 feet high. The burnt ends (slightly charred ends of a smoked brisket) and pork ribs were amazing, possibly the best barbecue we ate during the trip. Honorable mention goes to the hickory-pit baked beans and fire-seared chicken wings scarfed down as appetizers. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
Skatterman & Snug Brim’s sophomore album, Word on Tha Streets, is due out August 5 on Strange Music.
Listen to "I’m That Figga"
by Skatterman & Snug Brim