Music Writer - Austin, Texas
work
Austin's alt weekly since 1981. As an editorial intern, I got to engage with my city's culture more than ever before, reporting on a new hotel lobby taco joint (Zombie Taco, for those wondering) and awarding my favorite businesses, political groups, and artists their own Best of Austin awards. Most of all, however, I wrote about our music scene. I covered the queer art showcase Girls Like Us and contributed eight reviews to the PL-ATX page, from indie veteran A. Sinclair's first true solo project to Blumoon frontwoman Kendra Sells' debut solo EP to Pleasure Venom's latest blistering political protest. I also covered the first ever virtual South by Southwest, providing recaps of industry panels and international showcases. Throughout it all, I've made connections with the artists I've written about, which has always been my objective as a writer. Now, as a Chronicle contributor, I plan to continue uplifting the artists who make our city so great. Most recently, I did so with a recap of Black Pumas' fiery return to live performance — a fitting summation of Austin's energy.
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Check out my work for The Austin Chronicle here.
All things pop culture. Since 2021, I've contributed music and film analysis to the New York publication, covering everything from the anarchist return of alt-rock legends Garbage to Doja Cat's ascent to pop stardom to Jennifer Hudson's turn as Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect. Coverage as broad as my taste in media.
Check out my work for Consequence here.
UT's premier music publication. Created by and for students, Afterglow prides itself on having the "third day take on the first day," producing sharp, thought-provoking content without the pretension of other music blogs. I started at Afterglow in 2019 as a staff writer, where I wrote about everything from the ties between R&B and rock and roll to the under-appreciated punk rock cool of The B-52s. I soon became a Content Editor for the publication, overseeing my own team of writers and holding weekly pitch meetings. While performing edits on others' pieces (and still writing — check out my reviews of releases from Soccer Mommy, Fiona Apple, and Hayley Williams) I served as Editor-In-Chief of Afterglow's inaugural print issue, contributing to and editing our first physical magazine. We released the magazine, 'beginning + surviving,' this May. It's a 160 page behemoth of music reporting and criticism, complete with original photography and illustrations. We sold over 150 copies in the first month of the magazine's release.​
Check out my work for Afterglow here.
A lifestyle publication at the University of Texas at Austin. I really immersed myself in the local music scene in my time in the ORANGE music section, from interviewing Leslie Sisson of Moving Panoramas ahead of the 2019 SXSW festival to profiling Emily Whetstone of Van Mary as her band began to take off. And it felt like all of Austin came together last year to celebrate the life of the beloved Daniel Johnston, so I, of course, went to cover that too: check out my report of the tribute concert, which includes an interview with Tom Gimbels, Johnston's former manager and manager of the Austin City Limits series.
Check out my work for ORANGE here.
Remember live music? Remember when Courtney Love made music? Check out my self-published work here, where I report on everything from ice cream shops to socially distanced concerts to tattoo traditions and write about the primal anger of Live Through This, the 1994 masterpiece by Love's band Hole.
Photo by Carys Anderson, 2018
about
Little known fact: Sleater-Kinney's "Words and Guitar" is about me.
Hi there! My name is Carys (she/her). I am an obsessive music fan who just graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Minor in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. I am interested in the ways we use music as personal expression and political protest — and in the ways Thurston Moore gets his guitar to sound like that. I'm no fan of anything casually, and I love a good essay, so I've decided to devote my life to writing about my passions in hopes of intriguing someone else. I specialize in criticism and artist profiles, but journalism takes you everywhere, so be sure to check out my reporting on mutual aid and life in a pandemic in between album reviews. Happy reading!
I am available for full-time and freelance work.
Photo by Carys Anderson, 2016