A couple of weeks ago I made my radio “debut” on the excellent CHIRP Radio by helping my friend Micha put together a 2-hour radio program showcasing a bunch of new (and recent) bands from Washington, D.C. It was a fun experience, and gave me the chance to get some exposure for some really great bands – and even to introduce myself to a couple bands that have popped up since I moved away from D.C. at the end of 2009. (You can find the full setlist from the May 24th show here.)

After the show was over, I half-jokingly mentioned to Micha that, if he wanted to do something like this again, I knew a number of really cool under-the-radar bands from Austin, Texas, and I could try my hand at putting together another set. Surprisingly, he said OK.

Now, I’ve never lived in Austin, though I do have a good number of friends there and I’m down there a couple of times a year. So even though I know a number of great Austin bands, the process of putting together a list of 15-20 bands and songs was a little more involved than it was with D.C., and involved quite a bit more research and discovery on my part. Thankfully, though, I got some great recommendations from three people with their fingers on the pulse of the Austin music scene, Dan Corbin, Jennifer Leduc, and, of course, one of my radio heroes, Mike Taylor of WOXY fame and now of The Big Beat Blog.

Anyway, our Austin playlist will either feature on Micha’s show (Tuesdays from 10pm-12am Central) this week or next, but I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight a couple of great new songs from Austin’s Follow That Bird that I discovered while putting the set together. The band has been building a name for itself for the past couple of years, including being included on Matador Records’ Casual Victim Pile compilation last year, and they recently signed to Seattle’s Mt. Fuji Records.

In advance of their debut LP this fall, the band is releasing the “Wooden Bones” 7″ on June 21st. And while you can’t buy it yet, you can listen to it. And I strongly recommend that you do (below). We’ll also be featuring the band’s contribution to the Casual Victim Pile comp as part of the CHIRP Radio set.