The South Austin Moonlighters

• Texas Platters Finale

  Last local music round-up of 2012

  BY RAOUL HERNANDEZ

• The Gorgeous Hands

  BY GREG BEETS

• Shortwave Party

  BY GREG BEETS

• The Well

  BY GREG BEETS

• Bitter Birds

  BY GREG BEETS

• Full Service

  BY GREG BEETS

• The League of Extraordinary G'z

  BY CHASE HOFFBERGER

• Nazi Gold

  BY KEVIN CURTIN

• Beto & the Fairlanes

  BY JAY TRACHTENBERG

• The Couch

  BY CHASE HOFFBERGER

• Residual Kid

  BY DOUG FREEMAN

• Hello Caller

  BY ABBY JOHNSTON

• Madisons

  BY JIM CALIGIURI

• > The South Austin Moonlighters

• Tump

  BY LUKE WINKIE

• deEP end 1

  EPs from Junior Brown, Mice & Rifles, Ben Livingston, and MaryAnn & the Revival Band

  BY DOUG FREEMAN

• Feral Future

  BY ABBY JOHNSTON

• The Sideshow Tragedy

  BY ABBY JOHNSTON

• The Sour Notes

  BY ABBY JOHNSTON

• Borrisokane

  BY GREG BEETS

• Opposite Day

  BY GREG BEETS

• Lower Class Brats

  BY GREG BEETS

• Texas Platters 2012

  Every single local record we reviewed this year

The South Austin Moonlighters

For the Mother Truckers' Josh Zee, Deadman's Lonnie Trevino Jr., Stonehoney's Phil Hurley, and Monte Montgomery drummer Phil Bass, what began as a way to let loose between regular gigs has turned into something more serious. They're still a bar band at heart, covering songs by bluesmen Tab Benoit and Peter Green as well as Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," but Trevino's vocals on the Bee Gees "To Love Somebody" define blue-eyed soul, and Bass surprises with a second-line-funky reading of Los Lobos' "On Main Street." Both Zee and Hurley offer more guitar flash than necessary at times, but "Last Time" extends its slow jam with gospel harmonies that evoke the Band of Heathens. In fact, like the Heathens, the Moonlighters travel the Americana highway with taste and a manner that's good-natured and down to earth.