10/9/09 - Hymns, OK Sweetheart

...at Hailey's. Not a show I would normally pick, but my Denton Cougar friend has a thang for the greasy long-hairs in Hymns, and she asked me to come along and keep her from embarrassing herself. Was also accompanied by the Princess and her strip-club-loving friends.

OK Sweetheart (Denton/San Fran (?)) was up first. Not bad (like I said, this wasn't exactly my pick). Great voice, some pleasant little tunes. The Princess thought she sounded like Norah Jones.

Hymns were up next. Blech. I seemed to enjoy them the first time I saw them, but this time, I just wasn't into it - way too jangly and Beatles-retready. But what was even worse than the band was the crowd. My gawd, i've never seen a crowd so unresponsive and unsupportive. After the first song, where all the guys in the band really made an effort to crank up the energy in the room, there was almost no response from the crowd. The lead guitarist even jokingly made a comment, like "Come on, I only heard two people clapping for that one". And when he tried to get everyone clapping along during the next song - crickets. It was embarrassing. Not sure what the deal was - I've never seen that happen, anywhere. These guys must've bad-mouthed denton at some point, or impregnated the mayor's daughter their last time thru town. Bizarre.

We split after that.

10/4/09 - Colour Revolt, Winston Audio, Sad Accordions

...at Hailey's.

The Sad Accordions, from Austin, started things off. Really dug these guys. Lead had beard that would make denton proud. Voice a tiny bit on the reedy side, but still quite pleasing. Some really beautiful, haunting folk-rock songs. Reminded me of Telegraph Canyon at times (a HUGE compliment).
Winston Audio (Atlanta) were next. Did not like them at ALL. Seemed like very generic modern rock, something you might've heard at Firewater. One of the Oak Ridge Boys on keys, either Milli or Vanilli on guitar. That is all.
Colour Revolt (Mississippi) headlined. Was a little concerned at first, as the first few songs featured the lead screaming quite annoyingly at us, but they settled down after that, and filled the rest of the set with some really incredible songs. The biggest thing they've got going for them is the amazing two-part harmony goin' on between the two leads, including some awesome falsetto. VERY well done - just gorgeous. Would definitely like to catch them again sometime.

9/30/09 - The Airborne Toxic Event, Henry Clay People, Red Cortez

...at The House of Blues.

Red Cortez, from LA, opened up. Really enjoyed it. Sometimes very U2-like, but most songs were high-energy, bluesy garage-y rockin tunes. Very entertaining.
Next up was Henry Clay People, also from LA. Meh - not so much. Also very high-energy rock, but a little less melodic, less structured, and not as aurally pleasing as Red Cortez (at least, to me).
The Airborne Toxic Event headlined. My third time to see them. Gawd, I love this band. And what an absolutely killer live show. See here and here for prior write-ups, so I don't have to repeat myself. Amazing stuff.

9/23/09 - Ra Ra Riot, Maps & Atlases, Princeton

...at The Granada.

Princeton, from California, started things off. Pretty decent guitar pop, I suppose. Nothing overly exciting.
Maps & Atlases, from Chicago, were up next. Very very math-rocky. Lead had unique, nasally (but not at all annoying) voice. Amazing drummer. Two lead guitar players spent a LOT of time with both hands up on the neck, twiddling away, which annoyed me for some reason. Enjoyable set, even tho math rock ain't my thang.
Ra Ra Riot headlined. Love this band, and have since I discovered them back in '07 at Hailey's. Beautifully written orchestral pop. Still love what the violin and cello add to the sound. Only complaint - Wes seemed to be holding back a bit on the vocals, probably trying to save his voice for the long tour ahead. Can't really blame him, but it woulda been nice to hear him really belt it out, like the songs deserve. Anyways, other than that, it was a great set.

9/12/09 - Throw Me The Statue, The Brunettes, Nurses

...at the Cavern

Nurses, from Portland, started things off. Unfortunately, I was late, so I only heard a song and a half, but what I heard, I loved. Three folks on stage, plus lots of recorded sounds and effects. Very unique and creative. Coming back to town Nov 3, and I will be there to catch them.
The Brunettes, from New Zealand, were up next. Didn't really care for it - a bit too twee and cute for me.
Throw Me The Statue, from Seattle, headlined. Really dug it. Very catchy, melodic, anthemic indie pop.

9/6/09 - The Honorary Title, Good Old War, Cory Branan, Stavely, Carter Hulsey

...at the "Prophet Bar Big Room", which is actually just The Door - maybe they call it that to let you know booze will be served? dono.


Carter Hulsey, from Missouri, started things off. Solo acoustic, for the most part. Amazingly powerful voice. Definitely had the whole "tortured artist" thing down - very earnest, as the Piledriver would say. Enjoyable enough, but not overly compelling (to me, that is).

Stavely was up next. I've been wanting to catch these guys for a couple years now, after I saw them back in 2007 and fell in love, and they were as good as I remembered. Still love Tim's voice (tho his boot-camp haircut and extremely gay v-neck shirt were very distracting ;). Anyways, really enjoy their songs, which are definitely atypical in terms of their complexity, structure, and even length. Very nice set. EP due out soon.
Cory Branan, from Memphis, was up next. Solo acoustic. Liked this guy a lot. Not that his songs really resonated with me or anything - I just liked his attitude and stage presence. Alternately profane, funny, and self-deprecating, he definitely didn't take himself too seriously. Songs tended to be of the rambling, fast-talk-singing variety - not my fav, but he made me smile, anyways.
Good Old War, from Philly, was up next. Three-man band, one of whom was separated at birth from Paul Simon, which is very appropriate, given the comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel they are likely to engender. My gawd, I swear, their set was a religious experience for me. Absolutely beautiful acoustic folk tunes, with amazing three-part harmonies. Just gorgeous. All three of them came down into the audience for a few songs, which was awesome - it seemed like the entire crowd was singing along, with harmonies and everything, making for some really magical moments. It's so rare to see a band perform their songs with such intensity, such emotion, such joy. 'twas a beautiful goddam thing. one of the best sets i've seen in a very long time.

The Honorary Title, from Brooklyn, headlined. Lead singer (Jarrod) separated at birth from Perry Farrell. Was a little worried at first, since it was only Jarrod on guitar and a keyboard player, but i shouldn't have been concerned - that dude's voice could pull off a show by itself. What an awesome, compelling voice. Definite Dashboard Confessional territory, but more low-key and nowhere near as whiny. Truly beautiful, anthemic, soaring, touching songs. Wonderful. Surf on over to DC9 to check out a partial clip.

8/22/09 - Dove Hunter, Telegraph Canyon

... at the double-wide.

Telegraph Canyon started things off. This was my first time to see them since their latest release came out, so I was really excited to hear the new stuff. I was not disappointed. I just can't say enough about how fantastic this band is (i've written way too many rave reviews (see below), so I'll refrain from repeating myself). 'Course, I'm not the only one praising them these days - they've gotten quite a bit of good press lately, and it's well deserved. Chris and the band (which seems to have grown) thankfully played enough of the "old" material to keep me happy and singin' along, then wowed me with the new stuff as well. Just an awesome performance.
Dove Hunter headlined. I've seen them many times, and while I appreciate their talent, their songs just never seem to grab me. Here and there, a song or two will get me interested, but most of 'em just float on by. Dono what it is - just one of those cases where I don't resonate with the band.

8/21/09 - Ella Minnow, Daniel Folmer, Big Round Spectacles

...at Hailey's. solo.

Big Round Spectacles was up first. one dude on keyboards, sometimes wif harmonica. some pleasant little ditties, pretty standard stuff, fairly enjoyable, nothing overly compelling. voice was on-pitch at least, if not a little reedy. piano-playing was a touch inconsistent - wrong notes, tempo problems, etc. - which is kind of a handicap when that's the only instrument being played. still, it was entertaining enough that I watched the whole set, so...

Daniel Folmer was up next, accompanied by a bass player and drummer. I was pretty impressed with Daniel the first time I saw him, when he played a mostly-acoustic set at Dan's, but not as impressed the second time. Last night? Not a good night. Something was missing - he faced sideways, never looked at the audience, never smiled, no banter (except when he was castigating all the people at the bar who wouldn't come over and listen), and it just seemed like he was completely half-assin' it all set. Didn't see any of the emotion or passion that I remember from the first set at Dan's. Not sure what to make of it - maybe just an off night? (Pointless side note - the drummer reminded me of Kevin, Rod's brother in Hot Rod. Told you it was pointless).

Ella Minnow headlined, and holy shite, this band is phenomenal. I officially Fell In Love with Ella Minnow last night. Seen them a couple times before, and my appreciation of their talent grows every time. Incredible voice on the lead, with an amazing range - great lower register, plus a sometimes-shouty, growling, spoken-wordy-type style, plus a beautiful falsetto, and he flies across the whole range with incredible ease. And what an amazing amount of energy and passion he brings to the set - he is a sight to behold. And the songwriting - dear gawd, the songs! Whoever writes this stuff is a freakin' genius. Most songs are (relatively) long and somewhat complex, with multiple tempo changes, time-signature changes, and even genre-changes, all within one song (please don't get the impression that these are pretentious art-rock tunes or anything, cuz they're not - they flat-out rock!). Love that kind of creativity & uniqueness. Even when they stopped down and played a more-conventional alt-countryish tune, they managed to inject it with enough style, energy, and funkiness to make it unique. just an unbelievable set. definitely vaulted them near the top of my 'favorite local band' list. said they were working on a new album - can't wait for that. seriously, folks - check out this band - you will not be sorry.

8/16/09 - Heartstring Stranglers, New Science Projects, Ryan Thomas Becker, Febrifuge, Roy Robertson

was feeling kinda restless on sunday night, in need of a live music fix, an adventure, and maybe somewhat of a bender. found out about a show in denton being put on by the gutterth boys - 5 bands, in a house, starting at 7, free, and BYOB. i thought, perfect. showed up at 7:30, hung out in the backyard with a bunch of drunk-ass, funny-as-hell guys half my age, who made me feel right at home. gawd, i love the Denton music scene.

back inside the house and up the rickety staircase in the attic, Roy Robertson started things off. Was very impressed by Roy - loved his voice, his songwriting, his guitar-playing - everything. Liked the non-standard structure of some of his songs. Really enjoyed it. Told me his influences were Dylan and The Beatles. i should mention - this whole show was completely acoustic (demonstrating how committed the music scene is to lowering its carbon footprint. or maybe they were just trying to keep the cops from busting down the doors & shooting whatever dogs they could find, in response to a noise complaint). sorry - bit of a tangent there.

Back downstairs, Febrifuge (which is just one dude, Chris Day) was up next. Really liked what i heard on myspace from this guy. Of course, what i heard sunday was a very much stripped- down version of his recordings, so it wasn't quite as compelling, but i still enjoyed his set. Really dug his voice - quite a range - very Thom Yorke-like in places. He played acoustic guitar and autoharp, and tapped a tambourine with his foot to add a percussive element. Very nice set. Will definitely be looking out for Febrifuge shows in the future (I assume he plays with a full band at times). Ryan Thomas Becker then played in a different room on the bottom floor. Seen him perform many, many times, and i'm always amazed by his voice. very unique, incredibly soulful. great stuff, as always.back upstairs in the now-sweltering attic (did i mention that the house had no AC?), New Science Projects did his thing. It was funny to see him smearing what looked like fake blood on himself down in the laundry room before his set (ok, i dono why that was funny, but it was). Anyhow, it absolutely amazed me that almost the entire crowd (and that attic was packed) seemed to know every word of every one of his songs. you don't see that very often. i thought the addition of a cello player to some songs was a nice touch. i'm not a huge fan of NSP - it's a little over the top for my taste, and i don't care for his voice at all - so after 4 or 5 songs (during which i sweated off half my body weight), i headed back downstairs and outside to the relatively cool summer night. last to perform was Heartstring Stranglers - this was actually their cd release show and going away shindig. couldn't really see the whole band - the whole bottom floor of the house was jam-packed (guess that's why they invented stages, eh?), but i think there were five of them. nice collection of (hard to describe - old-timey? ethnic? gothic?) folk tunes. very nice. bought both cd's. violin player drove my pants crazy (sorry!). all in all, i had a blast - good booze, good people, good music. can't ask for more than that.

8/7/09 - Sleep Whale, Dear Human, Echo-Toll

...at Hailey's. solo.

First up was "a short installation/performance by Echo-Toll". Um, OK, this was very uh, interesting, if not a bit hard to describe. Two folks on stage - one on laptop/synth, the other on shovel. No, i am not kidding. To be fair, he also fiddled around with various pieces of noise-generating equipment on the stage, but he loved that damn shovel. Most of the performance was spent demonstrating his considerable digging skills, often in slow-motion (so we could really study his technique?), sometimes wif farmer's hat on, sometimes wif it off (get it? yea, me neither). The soundtrack to all this was the recorded sounds of cats being tortured, which emanated from the laptop (i think). anyhows, the performance was not at all "short", i'm afraid, as it took forever to dig that goddam hole (cursed black gumbo!). This was definitely Art, baby, wif a capital A.Dear, Human was up next. Totally instrumental band - but not the GYBE, Explosions in the Sky ambient-type stuff. These guys do the whole "every-member-of-the-band-play-as-many-frickin-notes-as-you-can-in-the-next-four-minutes", math-rock kinda stuff. They obviously were talented, and if you like that sort of thing, you should check them out. not really my bag. i stared at the gal in the white shorts the whole time (sorry).Sleep Whale headlined. They've expanded to four members since i saw them last, which has rounded out their sound quite nicely. very nice, soothing set.

8/6/09 - Barcelona, Meese, Seabird, Interval

...at the Prophet Bar. solo.


Interval (formerly Soundelux) was up first. 3-man band straight outta Plano - keys, guitar, drums. Extremely ordinary, I thought. Fairly unoriginal & uninspiring. Not a great voice on the lead. Sorry.
Seabird (Kentucky) was up next. 4-man band, with lead on keys, wearing the obligatory funky piano-pop hat (what's up with that, anyways?). Somewhat reedy voice on lead, not my fav. Vocals overpowered by the band, which played too many notes (i'm kidding - it might've just been the mix, but it all seemed very muddy). Once again, nothing overly exciting or original. 'Course, I might've been biased by the fact that i saw that almost all of their upcoming gigs are in churches. ;)
Meese (Denver) - very similar in style to Seabird, but with better vocals. and no hat.
To expound just a bit further - those last two bands are the kind that inspire the 20-year-old- girlfriends-of-band-members-in-the-audience to constantly link their arms together and sway back and forth whilst singing along. Not that there's anything wrong with that. i'm not sure why that diminishes my opinion of the bands, but it do.

Headlining was Barcelona (Seattle). Easily the best band of the night. 3-man band - keys, guitar, drums. Definite Coldpay and Death Cab territory. The difference between them and the other bands that night? The outstanding vocals of the lead - an amazing voice with incredible range and emotion, complemented wonderfully by some inspired harmonies from the guitar player. Great energy and passion from this band. These guys prove you don't need a large band to really crank out some amazing tunes - sometimes, simpler is better.
Mad props to the Prophet Bar for getting started at 8 and done at 11:15 (four bands!) - definitely helped reduce the number of times i fell asleep in meetings the next day.

8/1/09 - Nervous Curtains, Silk Stocking, True Widow

after a long dry spell (going on vacation, answering various booty calls and what-not (kidding!!)), i headed to hailey's for another gutterth show. was joined by Cherry Pie, who graciously agreed to accompany me so I wouldn't be the oldest person in the place. :)

True Widow started things out. I'd been looking forward to hearing them, what with all the good press they've received lately, but oh my gawd, was i disappointed. "Plodding" was the word that kept coming to my mind. CP's much-more-colorful description was "Molasses". Very one-note, repetitive, dreary, retro - a bit like Low on steroids. I guess that's what "slow-core" is supposed to be, but damn, i'd call it "bore-core" (nyuck). Kept waiting for the next song to impress me, or at least be different, but it never happened. Not sure what i'm missing...
Silk Stocking was up next. Not sure what happened here, either - saw them a while ago and really dug it, but i could swear their entire sound has been revamped. I couldn't take it - seemed like there was a concerted effort to make every song as difficult to listen to as possible. Mercifully, it was a short set.
thanks be to gawd that Nervous Curtains was there to save the evening, along with my music-picking reputation in CP's eyes. Sean, Ian and Robert once again impressed with their amazing combination of piano, synths, and drums. Absolutely loved the new one, All Yesterday's Parties (now playing on their myspace page), which Sean described as "Scott Walker meets Phil Spector", while CP insisted it was a tango. Once again - really loved Robert's drumwork. Sean says their CD will be coming out in 6 months or so - can't wait for that. really hope it gets the kind of attention it deserves. anyways - a great set, as usual.
yea, The Great Tyrant was up after that, but the approximately 20 seconds i heard of their set a few months ago was enough to last me a lifetime, so we split.

7/10/09 - the pAper chAse, MATAS, Tre Orsi

...at Dan's.

Tre Orsi was up first. three-man band (thus the name, eh?). pretty good at what they were doin, but nothing overly memorable. my friend the cougar thought the drummer was very good, but probably just cuz she thot he was cute.
Matthew and the Arrogant Sea was up next and guess what - i thought they were awesome. 'magine that (see below for all the rave reviews). nice stop-down in the middle for a solo song by Matthew - beautiful stuff.
the pAper chAse headlined. wow, what a performance. loved it even more than the granada show a few weeks back. my gawd, those guys write some really unique, head-bobbin', hard-rockin' songs. john congleton is a mad-man on stage, flailing around, expectorating at every turn, laying hands on the crowd (there are demons to be exorcised, you know), etc. What an amazing, high-energy set. i will be buying that cd.

7/2/09 - Astronautilis, Matthew Gray Delves into the Humanity Pools with the Six Foot Saucer Pot People, Hello Lover

...at Rubber Gloves.

Hello Lover opened. man, i really dug this band. sorta retro, sorta glossy 80's rock, which isn't really my thing, but these guys made me a believer. the lead singer looked like a cross between Dee Snider and Right Said Fred (that's not supposed to be an insult - he was very entertaining to watch, i thot). really impressive guitar work, too - well above average. anyways, a very enjoyable set - i look forward to catching them again soon.
Matthew Gray, Delves into the Humanity Pools with the Six Foot Saucer Pot People (no, i am not making that up), was up next. kind of a lower-key version of Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, with keys and upright bass instead of electric guitars. what can i say - i pretty much love everything Matthew Gray is involved with, including this band. that is one talented dude. very nice set.

Astronautilis headlined. what an incredibly talented performer. just like at his performance a few weeks ago at the granada, i was amazed by his passion, quick wit, intelligence, singing ability, and energy. i'd have to say this performance was even better, due to the intimate setting and familiarity with the crowd. awesome.

6/26/09 - The Felons, Lovie, Taylor Davis

...at Club Dada.

Taylor Davis opened. solo acoustic set. nice voice with great range. well-written songs, impressive guitar work. enjoyed it.

Lovie was up next. i've been wanting to hear this band live for quite a while now, and i was very happy that i finally got the chance. and i was very pleasantly surprised - i guess i was expecting sappy bubble-gum pop, but wow - this band can truly rock. very talented group of musicians, really nice collection of catchy, guitar-driven tunes with awesome vocals, harmonies, and keys, all really well executed (despite the sweltering climate). k, so i've made it clear, right? these ladies are fantastic musicians, etc.? cuz i can't write this without mentioning it - these girls are freakin' HOT. there's just somethin about women rockin' out in pigtails, ponytails, short plaid skirts, muscle tees, and knee socks. nice. (sue me - i'm a guy. with a pulse).
The Felons headlined - it was their CD release show (finally!). You know how much i love the felons, so i won't blather on. it was an awesome set, as usual. very cool to see an expanded line-up for the first few songs. these guys have truly come a long way in the last couple of years. a very talented group. the CD is amazing, in my opinion - well worth the wait. check it out.

6/25/09 - Starlight Mints, Evangelicals, MATAS

...at the Granada. the Les Savy Fan showed, too.

Matthew and the Arrogant Sea opened. Awesome, as usual. You know I love this band, so I'm gonna refrain from repeating myself. See the (seemingly hundreds of) MATAS write-ups below if you wanna know more...
Evangelicals, from Norman, OK, were up next, and i'll be damned if i didn't i fall in love. there's not a whole lot on their myspace, so i didn't really know what to expect, and i was totally caught by surprise as song after song blew me away. a number of times i thought, wow, they really sound like James, both musically and vocally. other times there was a definite radiohead feel. whatever the influence, after every song i found myself thinking, holy shit, these guys are phenomenal. check them out if you get the chance.
Starlight Mints, also from Norman, headlined. i'm not the biggest Mints fan (that would be tk), but i was pleasantly surprised how much i enjoyed their set. while i find their recorded material not exactly to my taste, their live show was quirky, high-energy, catchy and ultimately a lot of fun. good stuff.

6/10/09 - Dear and the Headlights, Dirty Sweet

headed to the Door on wednesday night to catch the greatness of Dear and the Headlights. got there in time to just miss Stavely's set, which pissed me off to no end - been tryin for years to catch them again. anywho...

Dirty Sweet, from San Diego, was the first band i saw. lotsa long-hairs on stage. some pretty decent bluesy southern rock, a la Black Crowes. not my kind of thing, but thot they did it pretty well.
headlining was the awesomeness of Dear and the Headlights, from Arizona, touring in support of their new album 'Drunk Like Bible Times'. saw these guys almost 2 years ago in denton and loved 'em. and my gawd, what an awesome, super-high-energy performance wednesday night. Ian's voice can come across as a bit whiney on the cd, but live, it works so well at capturing the emotion and energy of their songs. loved singing along with the old songs, loved the new ones. truly a fantastic set, definitely worth the trip.

6/9/09 - Little Joy, The Present, Queens

a tuesday night at club dada:

first up was Queens, from Brooklyn. One dude on instruments (guitar, keys, effects), and one on drums. these guys are somehow associated with Animal Collective, which was blatantly obvious. my summary - this is what Panda Bear would sound like, if he was doped up on Dramamine, and sang like a 12 year-old girl. blech.
next up was The Present, also from NYC, and also associated with Animal Collective. three people, lots of knob-twiddling. my summary - this is what Panda Bear would sound like, if he SUCKED.
last up was Little Joy, from all over. unusual group of folks, including Strokes' drummer Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian Rodrigo Amarante, and Binki Shapiro from LA (tho Moretti isn't along for this tour). don't know if it was because I knew about Moretti's Strokes connection, but a decent number of their songs sounded very Strokes-like (at least, the poppier ones). loved Rodrigo's deep, crooning voice, and Binki's soothing harmonies as well. a very nice collection of sweet, catchy pop tunes.

6/6/09 - Brutal Juice, The Boom Boom Box, The Phuss, Spitfire Tumbleweeds, Daily Beats

headed to dan's for the annual BBQ bash.


first up was The Daily Beat. pretty decent punk, tho fairly average (except for the sweet lookin' gal on keys, who was above average ;). anyways, nice job.


next up was Spitfire Tumbleweeds, and my gawd, was i blown away. i normally don't get too excited about their kind of stuff (southern rock/alt-country/americana), but their gritty, rockin' performance made me a believer. seemed like there were as many guys on stage as in the audience. very talented group. never heard scott porter (of Record Hop fame) sing, but damn, was he good. loved the multi-part harmonies, too. can't wait to catch these guys again soon.

next up was the Phuss, filling in for Dead Twins (nuts!). two guys, one on guitar, one on drums. some pretty hard-rockin', bluesy stuff.

next up was The Boom Boom Box, featuring remnants of Baboon, Ghostcar, and Pleasant Grove. totally fell in love with this band. hard to describe - kinda dark, trippy, brooding, but super-catchy indie rock. opened with Shivers (see the myspace page), which absolutely kicked my ass. 'twas funny to see the lead singer from Baboon still obsessed with bunching his pants up around his package. anyways, i was enthralled - will definitely look to catch them again soon - they might be headed towards the top of my "local favorites" list.

last up was the legendary Brutal Juice, at the end of a short reunion tour. some pretty hardcore metal, even approaching death-metal at times. not exactly my cup o' tea, but the energy up on stage and in the room was amazing. 'twas cool to see people at a show in denton (or anywhere, for that matter) actually moving. fun stuff.

5/30/09 - Little Black Dress, Stereo is a Lie, Colour Wheel

gonna make this quick, cuz i really didn't like this show

first up was Colour Wheel, from austin. lotsa guitars and one sax. hmm, not so sure about havin a saxophone in a rock band. anyways - didn't really grab me, found it very ordinary. next up was Stereo is a Lie, also from austin. again, nothing remarkable, except for the fact that their outfits were coordinated and all-black. how cuuute!

last up was Little Black Dress, the new band of Toby Pipes of Deep Blue Something and BPL fame. i saw LBD's last song at the Texas music showcase back in march and liked it (although i did comment about toby's wispy vocals). well, their last song must be their best, cuz man, i did not enjoy what i heard on saturday. and again, it was toby's vocals that bugged me the most. surely there's got to be someone else in the band who can belt it out. ok, maybe his vocals fit the kind of shoegazy feel their goin for, but it was drivin me crazy and i just wasn't diggin it. left early.

5/28/09 - Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Western Giants, This Old House

headed to the Lounge on a Thursday night to catch MATAS, cuz you know i loves me some MATAS.

first band (at least, that I saw) was This Old House from Denton. Man, I loved these guys. the genre they list on myspace is folk/americana, but that's not what i heard. granted, i missed a good portion of their set, and maybe all the folk tunes are up front. what i heard was very reminiscent of early radiohead, which is a wonderful thing, in my opinion. loved the soothing voice on the lead & the awesomely ethereal guitar work. really great stuff. will need to see more of their set to really understand what they're about, and i hope to be able to do that soon.

next up was Western Giants, also from denton. these guys were more traditional folk rock (not that there's anything wrong with that). voice on lead not quite as pleasing or strong as Ryan's from This Old House. still, an enjoyable set. side note - i'd guess someone in those two bands has a girlfriend in a sorority or something, cuz goddam, the jailbait was everywhere (and they all left after Western Giants played).

last up was Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, who have GOT to be one of the best bands playing in this area right now. i swear, they get better and better and i fall more and more madly in love with them everytime i see them. now that i've (finally) bought the cd, i've learned most of the songs, and can sing along at the top of my lungs, much to the chagrin of those around me, i'm sure. tough shit, i say. my hippo-sized balloooooon!! think i may have heard a new song, too, and it was amazing. anyways - a fantastic set, as usual.

5/23/09 - The Octopus Project, This Will Destroy You, Ume

headed to yet another show at the granada, which is quickly becoming my favorite venue (alas, what's happened to you, club dada?)...

i could not believe the crowd at this show - absolutely packed. never seen it so full. maybe because it was all-ages? dono, but it was great to see a full house in dallas for once.

Ume was up first. i've seen these guys a few times now, and i swear they get better every time. they totally brought down the house with their ass-kicking, high-energy, snarling but very catchy brand of guitar rock, with Lauren at her whirling-dervish finest (how the hell does she still manage to play, as she thrashes about like a woman possessed?). truly awesome. probably the highlight of the evening for me.

This Will Destroy You was up next. 5-piece post-rock instrumental band. they definitely have the whole ambient, dark, atmospheric, epic Explosions-in-the-Sky vibe down pat. they are very good at what they do, but to me, all the songs started to sound the same after a while (at one point i actually asked my date, isn't this the first song they played? and i was only half-kidding). i've said it before - if you're gonna make a go of it as an instrumental outfit, you've really gotta have something special, and you've really gotta work hard at mixin' things up to keep it fresh (see below for inspiration...). kudos to the drummer, whose energy was the only thing keepin the crowd awake (kidding!)

The Octopus Project headlined, and they were awesome. what a blast they were to watch - tons of interaction with the crowd, lots of cuttin' up and general goofiness - i loved it, and you could tell they loved what they were doin, too. super-high-energy performance with beautiful theremin solos, very cool electronic beats, all layered with aggressive guitar riffs and keys. and what an extremely talented bunch, too - seemed like everyone played every instrument on the stage at some point. this is the kind of band you watch and say, goddam, i'd give my left nut to be in a band like that - how much fun would that be? don't miss this band if you can help it...

5/16/09 - The Dears, Great Northern, Eulogies

this was an example of a show that i really thought i would get into, but ended up falling fairly flat...

Eulogies, from LA, was up first. four-piece band, fairly straight-forward indie guitar pop, pretty low-key, pleasant tunes. well written and well executed, but they all started sounding the same after a bit...

Great Northern, also from LA, were up next. Again - pretty standard indie pop, although with a harder and darker edge than Eulogies. Nice sharing of vocal duties between male and female leads. Dono what it was, I usually get into that kind of stuff, but it just failed to grab me. Maybe a tad too earnest? Dono. Still, I'd give them another chance if they came thru town again.

headlining was The Dears, from Montreal. I wasn't overly enthralled with what i'd heard on myspace and youtube, but they are supposedly known for putting on a great live show, so i took the gamble. things started out really well, with the lead leaning up against the sound booth at the back of the room with a wireless mic, singing a beautiful, nearly acapella song (using a recorded track only - no band on the stage at this point). people started catching on as he walked towards the stage, and he was soon surrounded by the crowd as he crooned soulfully into the mic. eventually, the band came out on stage and added their voices to finish the song. 'twas a very cool moment. unfortunately, for me, that was the highlight of the show. don't get me wrong, they played a very solid set of sometimes-poppy, sometimes-lush-and-ethereal, but always heart-felt tunes, but i just kept waiting for the next song to really grab me, and it just never happened. nothing they did had the kind of spark of that first song (at least, to me). however, there were many hardcore fans there who left fully satisfied, so...

5/9/09 - The Paper Chase, Astronautilis, Valina

holy shit, what an amazing night at the granada. i'm starting to fall in love with that place, despite the high cover charges and expensive drinks. that sound system is amazing.


Valina was up first. they hail from Austria, and have played with the Paper Chase in Europe. And oh my gawd, were they fantastic. I mean, that was one of the best sets I have seen in a long, long time (and i've seen my share). I loved it. Very unique song structures, absolutely amazing drum work, had elements of hardcore metal, noise-rock and math-rock. Some songs almost sounded a bit like Austrian folk songs (or at least, what I think those would sound like). Wonderfully complex, beautiful stuff. Ended up buying both the EP and the CD. Gave 'em every last dollar i had on me - you gotta support those touring bands.

Astronautilis continued the greatness. Never seen him before, even though he comes thru quite a bit. Phenomenally talented dude, and funny/smart as hell. I knew he was a rapper, but i didn't realize how much more to his music there was. What a fantastic, emotion-filled growl of a voice - sounded very Tom Waits-like sometimes. Armed with only a laptop, he'd kick off a track, then sing, rap and flail around the stage much like a televangelist in a religious fury. It was an awesome spectacle - i could not take my eyes off him. an incredible, emotional, high-energy performance. I vowed that night to never miss another one of his shows, if i could help it. woulda bought his new CD, if i hadn't given all my cash to Valina.

The Paper Chase capped off the night with an amazing set full of their brand of slightly off-kilter, strangely structured but very catchy and highly entertaining tunes. energetic frontman John Congleton did not disappoint (at least, me), flailing around the stage (lots of flailing that night), punctuating many of his lines with his trademark expectoration (sure hope he doesn't have swine flu). thought the keyboard playing and vocals by sean were great (but you knew I'd say that). anyways, it was an awesome set to finish off an awesome night.

5/8/09 - Guns 4 Roses, Green Manalishi

headed to the LBG to check out my buddy's new GNR tribute band. knuckles came with, and joe the boy toy showed up, too.

Green Manalishi opened, offering up a nice collection of southern rock covers. I didn't recognize most of the songs, which is great, being as how I am generally not a fan of covers. Anyways, thot they were pretty talented.

Guns 4 Roses headlined. I'm not exactly a big GNR fan (k, not even a little one), but these guys put on quite a show. full costumes, authentic guitars (so i'm told), and everything. the frontman definitely had the whole axl rose thing down, flailin' about just like you see in the videos. anyways, they put on a very solid two-hour show, fully satisfying all the hard-core GNR fans in the place.

5/4/09 - Paul Slavens

Finally caught the legendary Paul Slavens weekly show at Dan's on a Monday night, thanks to the swine flu (long story). If you've never seen this show, it's a must-do, at least once. Paul and a very talented group of musicians take (usually extremely inappropriate) song title suggestions (along with donations) from the audience, and come up with a completely improvised and fully-created song. Very impressive to behold, and very funny. Check it out.

5/2/09 - Pinebox Serenade, The Heelers, The Furrows

ended up at dan's in denton, with the two aforementioned cougars. fun times for all...

somehow forgot my camera, so no crappy pics. you're welcome.


The Furrows from Mississippi were up first. Some very cool bluesy, soulful southern rock. Dug the voice on the lead. Very good, really enjoyed it.


The Heelers were up next, and I thought they were great as well. Similar to The Furrows' style, maybe a bit more country. Good stuff.


Pinebox Serenade headlined. Very large group of very talented individuals. Some very nice folky, blue-grassy tunes.

4/25/09 - The O's, Romp Almighty, Kings of the Rabbit Trail

headed to the cavern (ugh) for Romp Almighty's cd release, cuz you know i loves me some Romp Almighty.


Kings of the Rabbit Trail were up first, and holy shit, are these guys good. can't believe i haven't stumbled onto them before (although they apparently just played their first show in January). Phenomenal voice on the lead, and just as great - the harmonies from the bass player - what a fantastic voice. incredible set full of bluesy, garage-rockish sorta stuff. totally awesome. totally kicked my ass. can't wait to see them again.

next up was Romp Almighty, and good gawd, i swear these guys get better every time i see them. absolutely phenomenal set full of songs that are alternately catchy, hard-rockin, beautifully haunting, and quirky. wonderful stuff. bought the CD, which is absolute fuckin genius.
last up was The O's. i swear, i'll never understand the music biz. ok, sure these guys are talented, but in the end, what's the big deal? it's just two dudes, one on geetar and one on banjo. and yet, they've generated such a huge buzz in this town. but i'll be damned, compared to the two opening acts? snoozeville.

4/19/09 - Robert Gomez

headed to Good Records to catch Robert Gomez' cd release shindig.


i've been a fan of robert's for a while now - that dude can write some incredibly beautiful songs. was very impressed this time by the keyboard/effects guy as well - he adds an amazing amount to the sound of the band. and as always - i love the addition of the brass instruments - love that. anyways, it was a wonderful set. bought the cd. suggest you do, too.

video coming soon, hopefully...

4/18/09 - The Lymbyc Systym, Loxsly,Florene

gonna keep this one short and sweet - got some catching up to do.


headed to hailey's to catch Florene, who i hadn't seen in a while. was met there by two of denton's finest cougars. gawd help you denton boys, with these two on the loose.


Florene kicked things off. Seemed like a very different set from what i heard last, and i missed some of my favorite songs, but i loved it just the same. love those guys.

Loxsly was up next. I'd heard them once before and dug it. Can't say I remember anything about their set that night, tho. i'm sure it was great. (soory!)
The Lymbyc System, from brooklyn/austin, headlined. beautiful, beautiful stuff. usually just two guys, one on keys and one on drums, with lots of effects. sometimes joined by a violinist, which was a really nice addition. really dug it.

4/4/09 - Robyn Hitchcock & Venus 3, Brent Best

speaking of demanding females (i was - see below), i agreed to take a fellow live-music lover and rabid REM fan (she has an REM tattoo on her ASS, fer chrissakes) to the granada to see Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, being as how the Venus 3 is made up of original and "affiliate members" of REM (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey & Bill Rieflin). so's i did.

Bad sign right away - they had tables set up in the middle section. to me, that means one thing - oldsters.

Brent Best (the Drams), Joe Cripps (Brave Combo), and Scott Danbom (Centro-matic) opened. very talented bunch, very nice songs. yes. very nice. The aforementioned Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 headlined. k, so i don't really have an appreciation for all the wonderful things Robyn Hitchcock has done for rock-n-roll over the years, so. i dono, i guess it was alright. i labeled it oldster pop. very pleasant. not really crazy about Robyn's voice, but i think that's supposed to be a signature of his or something. all of the backing musicians were very competent. i did like the harmonies provided by Scott.

3/30/09 - The Felons, All the Day Holiday

headed to club dada on monday night cuz it had been too long since i'd heard the felons. i was caught by surprise by this show, which i didn't see until i was at work on monday, so i've got no crappy pics for ya.

All the Day Holiday opened, and holy shit were these guys fantastic. they're from Ohio, and it looks like it hasn't been too long since they've seen the inside of a high school classroom. despite that, their sound was phenomenal. the voice on the lead was incredible. awesome drummer (who was situated up front for some reason - maybe due to his awesomeness?). wonderful guitar-work. fantastic collection of anthemic, soaring, head-bobbin' tunes - sort of a harder-edged Keane/Coldplay vibe. bought both their EP and sampler. full album due out soon. watch out for these guys.

The Felons were up next, and you know I loves me some felons, so i won't repeat myself. Needless to say, i loved their "old" songs, and sung along with every one of them, and i loved the new stuff too. dave and the boys have a knack for writing songs that just do it for me. look forward to seeing them again soon - i never get tired of 'em.

there was another band up next, but more pressing matters came up. you know how females can be...

3/28/09 - Matthew Gray, Nick Foreman, Nana & Popo

went to my very first house show in denton (if you don't count the Secret Headquarters shows), a fund-raiser for The Bee's Fifth Collective. i think it was at matthew gray's house (he of Matthew and the Arrogant Sea fame, one of my favorite local bands). 'twas a very interesting experience - pretty much what i expected from a house show - keg set up in the corner, bunch of college kids sittin around, amps and mics set up in a spare room, minimal lighting (thus the crappy pics). pretty cool. took a fellow music-lover to the show - we were easily twice everyone's age, but i felt totally comfortable there. i sooo love denton.

nana & popo was up first. one dude, one guitar, lotsa effects. some really cool, dreamy, fuzzed-out stuff. really liked it. Nick Foreman, of Dust Congress (who i've seen twice), was up next. this is one talented dude. he played accordian, guitars, drums. great voice. nice collection of soulful, bluesy songs. Next up was Matthew Gray (yea, that's him in the pic - he apparently is afraid of the light). Seen him many times with MATAS, and once solo. Another very talented guy. Had the whole crowd singin along with him. Love his song-writing, his voice. So since my companion kept FALLING ASLEEP between sets, we decided to hit the road after Matthew.

3/22/09 - Paul Banks, Quote

went to the effin cavern for an early sunday show. really appreciate them doin that sort of thing for us 9-to-5 folks. HOWEVER, if you put on your website that you're gonna start at 8:30, then godammit, start at 8:30!! we (myself and the illustrious green-eyed greek gal) got there at 8:30, only to catch the last few bars of The Subjects' set. which pissed me off to no end, since i was intrigued by what i heard on myspace. i mean - wtf? you're gonna start EARLY? before the advertised start time?? goddam cavern. so, great start to the evening.

Quote, from Nashville, was up next. Two dudes, both on acoustic guitar. Nice harmonies. Some decent folky acoustic pop, but nothing that really grabbed me. I was there to see the genius of Paul Banks, from austin. i saw him a couple of times a couple years ago, and fell in love with his music (see this), and i'd been waiting and waiting for him to come back. my buddy Joe the Boy Toy, a fellow PB fanatic, was there also, with his lovely ladyfriend.

unfortunately, i don't really remember much of paul's set. i'm afraid i over-indulged - either that, or someone slipped me a roofie, cuz i spent the rest of the show in a semi-catatonic state on the couch in the back (thank gawd the GREGG was driving). i do remember thinking a couple of times, "hey, i know that song", but that's about it. soory. Joe assures me that, despite the fact that paul's voice was a bit weak after all the SXSW shows (for which he apologized), it was an awesome set. it was a stripped down version of the band - only Paul and one other - so it wasn't the rockin show i saw before, but we were assured he would be coming back soon with the full band. be sure to catch that if you can - this guy is truly awesome.

3/17/09 - The Airborne Toxic Event, Alberta Cross, Henry Clay People

headed to the Loft, mainly to catch the greatness of The Airborne Toxic Event. knuckles came with.

first things first - for the love of all that is holy, will someone please install a goddam exit to Lamar from west-bound I30? dear gawd, what a pain in the ass. my map and instructions had so many moving parts it made my head hurt.

anywho, Henry Clay People, from LA, was up first. some nice, good-timey rock-n-roll, with a touch of the south. 'twas pretty good, tho not exactly my thing. got peeved when they closed with a cover of 'Honkytonk Women' - can't stand it when a band closes with a cover.

Alberta Cross, from Brooklyn, was up next. Some soulful, good-timey rock, maybe a bit darker than HCP. definite hints of CSNY. 'twas pretty good as well.

The Airborne Toxic Event headlined, and omg, this is now my Favorite New Band (move over (ever so slightly), Frightened Rabbit). what an awesome performance. an amazing collection of soaring, dark, catchy, anthemic, beautiful songs. absolutely wonderful violin playing, love the deep voice on the lead. my gawd, what a fantastic, uplifting experience. i was in heaven for the whole set. even knuckles was clapping along and woo-hooing for the band, something i'm not sure i've ever seen. it was just that damn good.

3/7/09 - What Made Milwaukee Famous, Dove Hunter, Black Joe Lewis, Telegraph Canyon, The Orbans, MATAS, Doug Burr, the cut*off, Little Black Dress

endured the beating that is the HOB ($10 parking, service fees, $6 drinks) to catch what looked to be a great line-up of texas bands. had Sunshine in tow, and the Les Savy Fan showed, too.

once again, i was about the only one who paid attention to the "no photographic equipment" warning on the website - last time i'll do that. so all the pics are from my cell phone, and only from the main stage - sorry.

gonna keep it pretty brief - memory's fading...

showed up late, and only caught one song of the Little Black Dress set. liked what i heard, tho i wasn't crazy about the wispy lead vocals. will definitely try to catch a full set of theirs.

Matthew and the Arrogant Sea was up next, and despite the fact that they seem to have permanently adopted the one-drummer line-up, I loved them as usual. still don't like 'I'm No Snake' as a closer, but hey.

The Orbans - really enjoyed their set, much more than i did the last time i saw them. was especially impressed by peter's voice - fantastic. he reminded Sunshine of John Mayer. i think that's a compliment.
Doug Burr - just two band members that night, but damn that was some beautiful stuff. dude can write some awesome songs.
the cut*off - for some reason, i didn't enjoy this set as much as i usually do. kyle's voice sounded strangely reedy that night. Sunshine kept calling him Larry the Cable Guy.

Telegraph Canyon - how cool to see one of my favorites at such a great-sounding venue. awesome as usual - lots of great new stuff. definitely missed "You & Jane", tho.
Black Joe Lewis - blech. high-energy funk/r&b. definitely good at what they do, just not my thing at all.


Dove Hunter - i don't recall any of this set, which probably is a good indication of my interest. Sunshine thought the lead singer was wearing a yamulka.

What Made Milwaukee Famous - second time to see - good stuff

2/28/09 - Heartless Bastards, Record Hop, Will E Lee

Will E Lee was up first, and lo and behold, if it wasn't my ol' buddy Drunken Lame' Boy, staunch defender of Zest of Yore and sometime mobile disco ball. anyhows: 3-man band, some decent bluesy/folky stuff, some acoustic, some electric. definitely appreciated the laid-back acoustic stuff more than the fuzzed-out, sorta-rambling bluesy electric stuff, which was not my bag at all, baby. all in all, it was OK, fairly low-energy, nothin overly compelling.

Record Hop was up next - my second time to see them that week. unlike the show at the Lounge, their set was not marred by bad sound, and they returned to their former glory (at least, in my mind). loved it.

Heartless Bastards from Ohio headlined. loved these guys too. lead has very unique voice - gritty, husky, soul-filled, the kind you never get tired of listening to. some really outstanding, sometimes-folky, sometimes-garage-y blues rock. some songs very janis-joplin-like. really enjoyed the set. check 'em out.

2/26/09 - Ume, Record Hop, League of Fucking Decency

went to a parade of flesh show at the lounge on thursday night, with Knuckles in tow:

The League of Fucking Decency started things off. 4-man band, pretty standard guitar rock, pretty average. two leads traded off vocal duties, neither voice that great. for some reason, i kept thinking of a bunch of 13-year-olds jamming on their first guitars in their parents' garage (and i think that might be what they're goin for, believe it or not). couldn't get that thought out of my head, especially when they stopped down in the middle of a song so all four of them (including the drummer, who stood up) could shout/sing the chorus, which was some sort of rock-n-roll manifesto about rebelling or stickin it to the man or somesuch. i thot that was pretty damn funny. dono if it was supposed to be or not. anywho, i'm not tryin to be mean, i guess i just wasn't that into what they were doin. plus which, the guitar player's permed-out ted nugent hair offended me (kidding!). next up was Record Hop. seen them a number of times, and have been blown away each time. that night, however, i think they fell victim to a poor sound mix - the vocals sounded awfully muddy and muffled. one of my favorite things about RH is Ashley's voice, so to not be able to hear that clearly diminished their performance. not their fault, tho, at all. still dug the set overall. Ume was up last. saw them at Hailey's a while back, which is when Knuckles fell in love (blistering guitar rock + hot female lead = Knuckles In Love). amazing amount of sound coming from only three people, nice strong voice coming from pixie-like lead. i enjoyed the set, tho it's not exactly my kind of thing. Ume was the band Knuckles came for (he and the lead have this "thing", wherein he stands down in front and leers at her, and she pretty much ignores him (they're practically married)). and wouldn't you know it - just like last time, he damn near had to bitch-slap some guy, this time the nugent dude from LoFD, who parked himself right in front of Knuckles and proceeded to fling his rock-n-roll hairdo all around, thus obstructing Knuckles' view. too damn funny. have to say, that was another strike against that band, as they all pseudo-moshed with each other at the front of the stage, distracting the shit out of me, anyways.

show was done at 12:15 - not bad for a school night. wish more promoters would do that during the week (fuck you, cavern, and yer goddamn 1030 start times!)

2/15/09 - The Physics of Meaning, Hormones Limited, Romp Almighty

headed down to the cavern for an early sunday show (started at 7:30, no kiddin). no idear why it started so early, but i definitely appreciated it.


first up was one of my favorites, Romp Almighty. fell in love with these guys the first time i saw 'em, and they still do it for me. their sound is so raw and organic (i'm not even sure what that means, but it kept coming to my mind during their set), yet catchy and groove-filled at the same time. and look out - romp is now 50% larger, having added a second guitarist. have to say, tho - i was crushed they didn't play Drift - crushed i tell ya. but i still really enjoyed the set.
next up was Hormones, Limited. 3-man band, with drummer performing lead vocal duties. not sure how to categorize their sound - sorta punk-influenced garage-y metal? influences listed on myspace include helmet and pavement, so there ya go. lead vocals were of the talk-shout variety. not exactly what you would call my kind of stuff, but i thought it was pretty well done, and i actually enjoyed the set.

last up was The Physics of Meaning, from North Carolina. 4-piece band, with lead playing the violin. the dude was pretty good ('tho i have to say Doug from Sunward is at a whole different level). anyways, they played a decent collection of folky pop tunes. sometimes i heard Bends-era radiohead, believe it or not, especially in the vocals (the melody and stylings, not the voice). I'd really enjoyed what I'd heard on myspace, and i have to say i was a little let down by what i heard at the cavern. this was one of those cases where the recorded stuff outshines the live show. still, a pleasant set overall.

2/11/09 - Loney Dear, MATAS, Sunnybrook

headed to denton on thursday night, mainly to get my MATAS fix.

sunnybrook was up first. solo acoustic. i'd liked what i'd heard on myspace, but the presentation thursday night was very stripped down compared to that. still, some nice ethereal, airy acoustic tunes.Matthew and the Arrogant Sea was up next, and they were awesome as usual. see previous write-ups for a description of their sound and embarassing amounts of praise. seems like they've dropped to only one drummer now - dono if that's permanent or not - i hope not. and one tiny tiny complaint - i wish they'd stop closing with "i'm no snake". it's by far my least favorite MATAS song, and in my opinion, not one of their strongest. anywho, 'twas a great set. Loney, Dear headlined. they're from sweden, ja? they played a collection of catchy, folky, gentle acoustic pop songs, most with multi-part harmonies, which i love. frontman was very funny and engaging. reminded me of a calmer version of frightened rabbit, without the angst or (dare i say it?) passion. some really nice tunes, but overall, they didn't really connect with me (not their fault, you understand - just sayin).

1/31/09 - Los Campesinos, Titus Andronicus

headed to dada on saturday, with no one in tow (sniff).

first up was Titus Andronicus, from Joisey. pretty good stuff. some nice jangly, energetic punk-influenced rock. vocals not my favorite, but they fit the band.

headlining was Los Campesinos!, from Wales (a country right next to England, we were informed - who knew?), who must be sorta famous or something, being as how there was a $14 cover charge and everything. 7 folks on stage, including a violin player, and you knows i'm a sucker for bands with violin players. lead singer played a cymbal and bells to add to the mayhem, and it seemed like vocal duties were shared by two or three band members, which mixed things up nicely. pretty good stuff. very high-spirited, catchy, melodic-yet-noisy pop. noticed several fans in the audience, singin along with each song. pretty fun set.

1/17/09 - King Bucks, Calhoun, Jack County, The Atoms

headed to dada saturday night with knuckles, to meet up with the green-eyed greek gal and her gal-pals, who were celebrating a birthday in true girls-night-out fashion, with plenty of tequila, live music, pizza and puking (in that order).

first up - the atoms. to tell you the truth, since i couldn't for the life of me find their myspace page before the show, i assumed they were a country-ish band (which was sorta the theme that night), so i didn't really listen to them. soory.

next up was Jack County, who in fact ARE a country-ish band, so i didn't listen to them either. soory again.

next up was the greatness of Calhoun, one of my absolute favorite local bands. seen them too many times to count. and they were awesome as usual. i moved all the way up front so i could be pounded by their sound. it was painful, but worth it. absolutely love those guys.

got to witness the spectacle of the ticket's own mike rhyner attempting to make time with the birthday girl. pretty damn funny. but hey, give him props - i hope i'm that randy when i get to be his age.

king bucks were last. saw them once before and enjoyed it. didn't really pay attention this time.

soory for the especially lame-ass write-up folks. you know country just ain't my thang - i really only wanted to hear Calhoun.

1/10/09 - Hendrick, The Campaign, Sounds Under Radio

headed to the granada with Sunshine, my new lady friend (no, i am not kidding).

Sounds Under Radio was up first. these are the guys i missed t'other weekend in denton cuz i was uh, otherwise occupied. and unfortunately, i missed most of their set this time, too, being as how we were late, and the granada actually starts on time (imagine that!). anyhows, i heard three or four songs, and really dug it. only three guys on stage - no drummer - i must've missed that explanation. definitely derivative of radiohead, but that's cool, cuz i dig radiohead. would definitely like to catch a full set of theirs.
the campaign was next. seen them ages ago, and thought they were great, and that opinion was reaffirmed saturday night. as i said before, that dude can wail on that piano. very energetic, entertaining front-man with a great voice. loved it. and thank gawd, they changed their one cover song from billy joel to Cake.
hendrick was up last. i've seen them many times (cuz they seem to end up in line-ups with bands i like), but i've never really fallen in love with them, and saturday night continued that trend. to tell you the truth, after the dynamic set by the campaign, hendrick bored us a bit. we left after a few songs.

1/3/09 - New Frontiers, Gazelles, Eleisha Eagle

after a way-too-long hiatus (goddam holidays and what-not, you know), i headed to dada to catch the New Frontiers' last show. GReen-Eyed-Greek Gal (who has some sort of super-secret, sordid connection to the new frontiers, it seems (i'm guessing she was one of their groupies, at one point)) and Knuckles came with.

showed up only to see a long line out front. wow - never seen that before at dada. thot we might not even make it in, but we did, and the place was packed inside and out (luckily, it was a beautiful night for hangin' out on the patio). good for them - maybe they'll be able to keep their doors open for a while longer. thanks, solis.

one major disappointment - the drinks that night were easily The Weakest Drinks I Have Ever Had. even my man frankie, who usually makes a pretty stiff drink, let me down. ah well. can't have it all i guess.

Eleisha Eagle opened. 3-piece band: Eleisha on keys, plus bass and drums. nice stuff, very strong voice. kind of a tori-amos-does-cabaret vibe. GREGG thot she was tryin too hard and straining when she belted it out, but liked her when she toned it down. anyways, an enjoyable set. catch her if you can. Gazelles were up next. I've seen them many times, cuz they seem to get put on bills with bands i like, but i've never really liked 'em all that much. GREGG thot they were good, except for the lead vocals. This Will Destroy You was up third, but we missed them somehow. got lazy hangin out on the patio, i guess. wish i had seen them - this dude seemed to think they were awesome.

New Frontiers headlined. i've seen them many times, and always enjoyed it. i don't get fired up over them like i do some others, but it's always very nice. thankfully, there was no 'stop-down to play solo acoustic' that plagued the set the last time i saw them. 'twas a nice set. i enjoyed screamin out 'mirrors' one last time, and it was cool to have such a large crowd singin along with me. it's sad to see these guys go.

12/13/08 - Siren City, Fantastic Circus

went to andy's for the 2nd week in a row. and this time, get this - i had a date, i shit you not.

first up was Fantastic Circus, from Tyler. interesting, very interesting. but not always in a good way. strange melange of heavy metal riffs and calliope-like music (thus the 'circus' moniker?). mi compadre said it sounded like 5 different bands were playing at once. next up was Sounds Under Radio from austin. was looking forward to hearing them, based on what i heard on myspace, but alas, 'twas not to be. too busy re-injuring my tailbone in my car.

last up was Siren City. uh, not really my thing. pretty standard modern rock, with a touch of screamo thrown in. i began to regret not having my earplugs, as that kind of stuff can get pretty hard to take in a small place like andy's. all in all, tho, quite a memorable night. ;)

12/06/08 - the cut*off, beauxregard, the demigs

went to andy's in denton, wif muh buddy tk

the demigs, who tk is now even more totally gay for, started things off. pretty good, i thought. tk liked the new alt-countryish stuff they played. he spent a lot of time beatin down chris demiglio after the set, setting up some sort of after-hours rendevous at a recording studio or somethin. he is so gay for them...after the set, we wandered around the square. public property was attacked, santa was saved, trees were climbed, and tailbones were cracked. good times.

next up was Beauxregard, who i've seen many times. always enjoy their set. good stuff, and very well done. added bonus of a guitar-shaped pinata, which spewed some much-needed munchies. first time to see front-man J Quincy in something other than his usual all-white outfit. last up was the cut*off. seen these guys many times also - see previous write-ups. great stuff, as usual. always get "it's a beautiful life we live" stuck in my head for days after hearing them. went to fuzzy's taco shop afterwards - damn good stuff. back at home, someone decided to fertilize my lawn with fish tacos. good times...

12/3/08 - Robert Gomez, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea

went to dan's on wednesday night to catch MATAS and robert gomez.

matthew and the arrogant sea was up first, after returning from their recent tour. you know these guys are one of my favorite local bands. i cannot stress enough how much i love this band. see previous write-ups to find out why. check out their new release, "family family family meets the magic christian". you will thank me.
the robert gomez band was up next. i'd seen robert and crew a couple years ago and loved it, and wednesday night, i remembered why. that dude can write some absolutely amazing songs. he had a four-piece band that night, including keys, a french horn and a cello player. beautiful, haunting, phenomenal stuff. wish he would play around here more often.

11/28/08 - Backsliders, Scott McCurry Band, Escort Service, Doug Adams

still tryin to catch up, so - short and sweet

went to the lakewood bar and grill, wif knuckles and the les savy fan. knew it would be a rough show for me, but knuckles is a big backsliders fan, and i couldn't find anything else.

$4.50 for a vodker/cran. oo!oo, LBG.

doug adams was up first - solo acoustic. nice voice, nice songs. too many covers. escort service - omg, i really don't like these guys. seen them three or four times now (only because they happened to be on the bill), and they get harder to take every time.

scott mccurry band - pretty good stuff, sorta bluesy pop. enjoyed it at first, but holy shite did they go on and on. they must've thot they were headlining. swear to gawd it must've been an hour and 15 minutes. started drivin me crazy, what with all the covers they had to throw in to go that long. ended up leavin, sittin in my car, waiting for knuckles to text me that they were done.

the backsliders were the actual headliners. seen them multiple times. not really a big fan. i recognize that they are very good at what they do, but i'm just not interested in the overdone rock-n-roll hyperbole any more. just my opinion, mind you. got to see the LSF in action, plying his craft on unsuspecting females ('though he was getting some stiff competition from a gordon keith look-alike). knuckles was busy getting hit on by the over-40 BBW demographic. good times.

11/22/08 - David Garza, Sunward, Rahim Quazi, Bryan Wakeland, Morning Elephant

gettin way behind, gonna keep it short...

went to club dada with tk, a fellow Sunward fan.

morning elephant - with clay pendergrass and manya from blue petal, although they played most of the set without manya. tk fell in love with the oldster guitar player that he said was channeling jerry garcia. were like two completely different bands with and without manya - in fact, the aforementioned guitar player left the stage whenever manya came on - strange, we thot. enjoyed them both, but preferred their sound with manya - i'm a big fan of her voice.

bryan wakeland, "drummer for the polyphonic spree", was up next. wasn't especially captivated. some decent pop, nothing special. his hairdo offended me (kidding!) rahim quazi and the supernaturals - seen them a couple times before. very nicely done folky pop, including horns, which i love. Sunward - one of my favorite local bands (see previous write-ups for massive amounts of gushing). outstanding as usual. love those guys. David Garza - very talented, lots of variety in the set list. enjoyed it. tk made me leave early.

11/15/08 - I Love Math, The Slack, The Cut*off, Dave Little, Sparklepussy Barbie, Dark Knights of Camelot

headed to dada last saturday to catch salim's showcase. was accompanied (and driven (yes!)) by the Green-Eyed Greek Gal, who had managed to leave her family behind in an attempt to relive her glory days in deep ellum.

i ended up having a pretty rough night, because someone kept force-feeding me drinks (i think she wanted to take advantage of me). so i don't remember a whole lot, but i have some crappy pics, so...

Dark Knights of Camelot from Mississippi started things off. weren't even on the original line-up, but they were a very nice surprise. really liked these guys. 3-man band, high-energy, great tunes. catch them if you can.next up was Sparklepussy Barbie, and ohmygawd, no thank you. 80's electro-synth goth industrial. extremely annoying vocals. not my thing at all. we retreated to the (freezing-cold) patio for some respite. GrEGG kept going on and on about being strong like a bull, but i don't know what she was talking about. it was at this point that things got very fuzzy. i do remember some of dave little's set - i enjoyed that, would like to see him again. very entertaining. apparently, the cut*off played, since i have pics of them. GrEGG confirms, and says she liked them quite a bit - i knew she would - that's her kinda thing, and they are very good.and i think the slack played as well - i have a pic with eric neal in it, and he's in the slack, so...the last band we saw was I Love Math. or i should say, GrEGG saw - i was indisposed. she didnt care for them (thot they were too full of themselves), and since her live-music chops weren't what they used to be, she forced me to leave early.
good times, good times.