5/17 - Saturday night pick

come to Dada on Saturday night to catch the Felons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGJE7w8BNzY

and mr. Gnome:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3MHusvdW6pE

see you there...

awwww yeah! - late-breaking word - sunward has just been added to the line-up. my two favorite local bands in one show - shweet!

5/15/08 - Symphonic, 6thGrade, Wind Ensemble

omigawd, what a night. 7 bands, no cover, free parking, early start (6:30!), right in my backyard. look out, deep ellum, your turf is being challenged.


i was really only there for three bands, so i'll only comment on them..


first up was Symphonic, straight outta McKinney (represent!). 60-70 people on stage - no kiddin. amazing, the variety of sounds comin from all those people - horns, woodwinds, drums, etc. played a raucous version of "marching marines" - melted my face. of special note was the lead bassoon player - unbelievably talented musician. i was transfixed. wanted to buy the cd, but they don't have one yet. shame.


next up was 6th Grade, and holy smokes, were they awesome. i fell in love immediately. right up my alley. fantastic collection of indie show tunes and marches. definitely want to catch them again soon. i thot the snare drumming was incredible, and i dont usually notice the drummer. talked to the snare drummer after the show and babbled on (coherently, mind you) about how amazing her performance was. when i asked her when their EP was comin out, she said "what's an EP?". anyhows, check this band out if you get a chance.


headlinin the show was Wind Ensemble, another 70-man band. omigawd, i couldn't bleebe what i was hearin - i just closed my eyes and blissed out for thirty minutes. heard some Holst, also some Sondheim. vocals were a bit screamy, but OK. i was absolutely blown away by the lead oboe player - what a talent. i usually whip out my earplugs when i see the oboe, but man, can she play that thing beautifully - no squeakin or nothin. catch this band while you can, before they blow up...


all in all, an amazing night.



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speaking of great bands, come to Dada on Saturday night to catch the Felons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGJE7w8BNzY

and mr. Gnome:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3MHusvdW6pE

see you out there...

5/10/08 - Somebody's Darling, The Felons, Escort Service, Romp Almighty

Headed down to Deep Ellum on saturday night to catch the felons and romp almighty. got there way too early cuz i got suckered in by romp's bulletin that said they'd start at 8. cant bleebe i fell for that - oldest trick in the book. anyhows, got there early enough to get the last free parking spot in DE (yay, me), and had a chance to talk to laura and trey (romp almighty), and for some reason decided to inform them of my one-time trot-line fishin prowess (ah, me). went back to dada and also had lots of time to chat with my man fred (keyboard whiz-kid from the felons, photographer extraordinaire, and Juno-writer Diablo Cody's Number One Fan (btw, did you know she used to be a stripper? it's true!)).


went back to the allgood cafe at 9 for romp almighty. been waitin forever to see these guys again, cuz i fell in love with 'em at haileys awhile back (see review here). once again, i was transfixed - beautiful voice, totally cool fuzzed-out synthesizer, great guitar playin, haunting melodies. fantastic. only complaint - the sound system at the allgood really just wasnt up to the task. at hailey's that night, part of the greatness of it was being enveloped by their sound and laura's voice, and the allgood just aint set up for that. here's hoping laura and trey start playin more venues that can really showcase their stuff. they deserve it. went back later and got a free EP from laura, who told me their full-length should be out in about three months or so.
back at dada, spent some time on the patio with the usual crew around there - great people. back inside, escort service started off the evening. some decent guitar-based pop/rock, reminded me of bowling for soup sometimes, sometimes the foo fighters. the greatness of eric neal on bass and backup vocals. perty good.

next up were my boys the felons. i've raved over and over about these guys, and i've never been disappointed by one of their shows (see my previous reviews here and here). dave's voice just amazes me. so listen up - the felons are playing a lot of shows in the next couple months - do yourself a favor and check them out.

here's a really terrible video of one of my favorite felons songs, Worse for Wear:

Here's Dave singing happy birfday to valerie (co-owner of dada), whose birfday we were celebrating.

last up was Somebody's Darling. holy smokes, can that woman belt it out. i'm sure she gets beaten down by the constant comparisons to Janis Joplin, but the similarities are inescapable. what a ball of fire and energy (and hair!) on stage. if you dig the whole alt-country-rock thang, check out this band.

see you out there...