8/6/08 - Parata, RTB2, Loxsly, Daniel Folmer

went out to hailey's on wednesday night -tryin to get my fill before i go out of commission this weekend.

happily, another live-music nutjob i've recently met - The Tara^TM - showed up, too, so i didn't have to drink alone (how cool is that!). plenty of incoherent babbling ensued (on my part, i should say).

up first was daniel folmer. saw him once before, playing with only a keyboard player, and really dug it. last night, i was excited to see him set up with a full four-piece band. bleebe it or not, tho - eh, not so much. not that it was bad by any means, but i definitely liked him better with a stripped-down band - i think it's a better fit for his intimate, soulful music. next up was loxsly, from austin. really dug these guys. nice collection of dark, slightly-psychedelic indie pop, full of great keys and pedal steel. the only lighting on stage came from projected images on a sheet they had rigged up behind them. dono why, but it kinda bugged me that i couldn't see them. really enjoyed the set, tho. rtb2 was next, and they were amazing. my third time to see 'em, and it was easily the best of the three. great bluesy, gut-wrenching stuff with incredible guitar work and kick-yer-ass drums. of special note last night - ryan's outstanding vocals (i'd never noticed how great his voice is). and my GAWD can that dude play. i'm always amazed how they can sound like a full band with only two guys on stage. funny how much your mood influences your opinions - the song i thot was a beating last time was one of my favorites last night. anyways, 'twas a great set. parata was last. seen them three times also, with mixed results - it seems like it's different every time, and not at all what i remembered. this time, i heard a lot of weezer, and even some happy bullets, bleebe it or not. The Tara said she heard the Beach Boys (and the ramones, i think). anyways, they were good at what they were doin, but every song started sounding the same after a while.

8/2/08 - Ghost of Blind Lemon showcase

headed down to club dada saturday night to catch the ghost of blind lemon showcase. happily, muh buddies tk and knuckles joined me for the festivities.

'twas a long night - we got down there at 6, so we had plenty of time to get really and truly plastered. i myself set a new record for # of ounces of vodker imbibed without having to use the facilities (yes, my parents are very proud). so you'll have to forgive me if some of the details are a little sketchy.

things got started with Kristina Morland. saw her a couple weeks ago and was blown away, and last night was no different. what an amazing talent. incredible voice, beautiful songs, great songwriting. last night, she had a violin player dude (who tk was totally gay for) accompanying her, which was a fantastic addition. the combination of the awesome vocals and the soulful music routinely gave me chills. wonderful set. probably the highlight of the evening for me (at least musically speaking). bot the cd.

next up was American Werewolf Academy. meh, they were ok - nice sound from the 3-piece band, but the vocals weren't the greatest. knuckles gave them a rating of NSM (not so much). Rahim Quazi continued things outside. some pretty nice acoustic pop. loved the french horn and trumpet. need to check out the cd that chris raves about. back inside were the felons. fred (the keyboard player) has recently gone off to pursue other endeavors, so the boys performed as a three-piece for the first time. there's no doubt - i missed fred's keys, but i still thought the set was great, and i look forward to what dave and the boys will do with their sound. talked to dave, and he said the stuff they've been writing lately has been a lot harder than their previous stuff. i definitely look forward to hearing that. those guys have enough talent that whatever they come up with, it's gonna be great. stay tuned, eh? up next was the cut*off, who i've seen multiple times now. these guys always put on a good show, with some very polished alt-country-tinged pop. last night seemed to be heavier on the country influence than the previous times i've seen 'em, but i dono - maybe not. (you see what i mean about the lack of detail? to further add to the problem caused by large amounts of alcyhol, at some point during the evening we actually started chatting with some females, which is so incredibly rare and shocking that i think i was momentarily disoriented and lost track of why i was there)

back inside were the backsliders, who knuckles is totally gay for (well, at least for the hot chick lead, which i guess means it's not gay after all). anyways, they always put on a rockin show. not exactly my thing, but it does get the ladies dancin. rose county fair was next. it was during their set that the interaction with the females was at a pretty high pitch, so i don't remember a damn thing about them. sorry. last up was Somebody's Darlin, who i've seen before. some really high-energy, bluesy alt-countryish rock with amazing vocals. all in all, a great night - lotsa booze, lotsa great people (wimmens, even!), and some really fine music. hope chris does this again soon.