Adventures in Live Music

2/12/11 - Orange Peel Sunshine, Les Americains

2011-03-25T08:23:00.005-05:00

...at the Doublewide. Don't remember a whole lot aboot this show. Recorded on my iphone: "Les Americains: all plaid, all the time. Cute!" That is all. Orange Peel Sunshine and The Boom Boom Box played, too, tho I only seem to have evidence of the former.

1/23/11 - The Moondoggies, Quiet Life, The Naptime Shake

2011-03-25T08:17:00.008-05:00

Aaaah, so awesome to be back inside Club Dada, where it really all began for me. So great to smell the fresh lacquer, see the amazing renovations, the massive (relatively speaking) amount of space in front of the stage, even some functioning toilets (!). Sure, there seemed to be no actual heat in the place, but the forced-air propane heater reminded me of the good ol' days, so never you mind.

I was so enraptured with the new digs that I really didn't pay attention to the bands all that much, other than to note that the whole line-up, while very good, was just a bit too folky/country for my taste. Probably should have known that going in, but I was looking for any excuse to get back to Dada...

The Naptime Shake:

Quiet Life

The Moondoggies

1/8/11 - Novaak, Peoplodian, Eyes and Ears

2011-01-15T17:15:00.010-06:00

...at Hailey's.

Eyes and Ears (Denton). Two dudes - guitar & drums - plus a gal painting (Eyes and Ears, get it??). Mostly instrumental (a few oohs and aahs here and there). Pretty cool. Kinda veered into jam-band territory at times, but I enjoyed it overall.Peopleodian (Denton). Very interesting electro-pop. Led by the love-child of David Byrne and Bill Gates, who stayed hunched over a Korg on top of milk crates. Also featured guitar, drums and a female vocalist, who seemed to be intentionally singing in a different key. 'Twas a strange thing - I really enjoyed the music in every song, and I really enjoyed the vocals, but they just didn't seem to fit together (I'm sure there's some Point I'm missing). Definitely interesting to listen to, but a tad unsettling to my ear.Novaak (Denton). Ugh. I really don't get all the accolades this band is getting. Very standard, very 80's chick-led pop (here's a sample). Lead singer definitely channeling Debby Harry, minus the energy. Blech.

1/1/11 - lalagray, Sundress, Comrade

2011-01-15T17:14:00.008-06:00

...at City Tavern.

Comrade (Austin?). Seen these guys a few times now, and described them as "slightly weepy". I'm stickin' with my assessment, but my intrepid companion disagreed: "Weepy sounds so sad. Certainly sentimental, slow, intentional. Wish I knew what he was sayin".Sundress (Denton). Easily in my top five all-time favorite local bands, but you knew that. My intrepid companion's comment: "Trippy!"lalagray (Dallas). Was looking forward to seeing Ashley, what with all the positive press she's gotten 'round these parts. This night, she performed solo, with only her keyboard. Nice collection of tunes, and i loved her voice. But i have to admit - while her songs were pleasant enough, none of them grabbed me, or hooked me. Maybe it was just my mood that night, maybe it was the lack of a full band, maybe it was the (seemingly always) douchey audience at the CT that threatened to drown her out, but it seemed like each song just floated past, blended into the next one, and the next one, til the set was over. Anyways, I'd like to hear her again someday, to (hopefully) correct my impression.

12/14/10 - Mini Mansions, Man Factory, New Fumes

2011-01-15T17:12:00.008-06:00

...at The Cavern.

New Fumes (Dallas). One dude, plus laptop, guitar, autoharp. Wore a strange badger mask, on backwards. Had a projector duct-taped to milk crate, showing very interesting visuals on a sheet behind him. Couldn't see how the badger mask or the visuals were related to the songs, but I'm sure that's The Point. Very creative, very interesting. One nit-pick: dammit, interACT with the audience, will you please? Like most electronic artists I've seen, there's never a pause between songs, no talking to the audience, hell - no acknowledgment of our existence. Anyways, I did enjoy the set.
Man Factory (Arlington) - Longest. Sound. Check. In. History. 2 guitars (could swear they're twins), bass, keys, drums. Catchy pop. Inspired a drunk-ass front-row fanboy to clink his glass with his buddy so hard he broke it. I chuckled.
Mini Mansions (LA). Unusual 3-piece. Side project of Queens of the Stone Age bassist, so, you know, there's that. Keys, standup drums (very popular this year), guitar. Sometimes Beatles-esque, sometimes mellow psych pop. Wanted to be key-driven pop, but the drums & guitar wouldn't let it. Awesome cover of Heart of Glass, & you know I hate covers. Dug it, overall.

12/5/10 - Sundress, Final Club, Land Mammals, River Mouth,

2011-01-15T17:11:00.009-06:00

...at Hailey's.

The River Mouth (Denton) opened. 3-man band, two of them long-hairs. Stereotypical bluesy southern psych rock with super-heavy reverb on the vox. 'Twas ok, but hasn't that been done before? Like, a million times?Land Mammals (Denton). Said it many times before - I loves me some Land Mammals. Check 'em out.Final Club (Denton). Jangly, shouty, punkish noise rock. S'ok. My advice to lead - turn towards the fucking audience every once in a while (a pet peeve of mine, I'll admit).

Sundress (Denton). Ahhhhh, Sundress. Exquisite. Glad to see they're finally getting some well-deserved buzz around here.

12/2/10 - Mr. Gnome, The Baker Family, Dim Locator

2011-01-15T17:09:00.005-06:00

...at the Dee-dub, with Knuckles and the Piledriver.

Dim Locator (Denton) - one guy with slide guitar, plus foot-operated drum-type accessories. Massively talented, there's no doubt, definitely knows his way around that guitar. Some pretty decent bluesy tunes. Sometimes felt like technique was over-emphasized, but that's probably just me.

The Baker Family Band (Austin). Pretty enjoyable indie pop, though they took themselves a bit too seriously for my taste. Very Local Natives-esque, says The Les Savy Fan. I liked the way the blonde gal danced, it made my insides feel funny.

Mr. Gnome (Cleveland) headlined. Seen them many times now, and been blown away every time. Phenomenal.

11/24/10 - Stew!, Geronimo

2011-01-15T17:07:00.003-06:00

...at The Curtain Club, with Knuckles.

I don't remember much about this night, but here are three things i learned: one - Knuckles thought that one of the bass players fancied himself to be Cliff Burton (whoever that is). Two - if you let Knuckles drive your car, and it has a bump-shifter mode, he will attempt to burn up your engine, and three - knuckles' couch is mighty comfy. That is all.

This is Geronimo. Or maybe Stew.This is the other.

11/6/10 - Margot & the Nuclear So & So's, Jookabox, ???

2010-11-12T23:21:00.011-06:00

...at The Loft, where i seem to be spending an alarmingly increasing amount of my income...

Um, I have no idea who opened. The Burnt Ones were supposed to, but they didn't show. Some dude wif an acoustic played instead. Loved his voice, which was somewhat unique. Some friendly advice, tho - say your effing name every once in a while - people might actually remember you. Jookabox was next, and I have no idea what they're supposed to be, but I dug it. A lot. Super-high energy, fun stuff. Would love to see them again.

Margot and the Nuclear So & So's headlined. Meh. Coulda had the crowd (which seemed to be filled with ardent fans) in absolute ecstasy if they had only bothered to actually acknowledge their presence. Too bad.

10/19/10 - Frightened Rabbit, Plants and Animals, Bad Veins

2010-11-05T20:48:00.007-05:00

...at the Loft.

Started out thinking the Studio Bar & Grill (below the Loft) had the weakest pour in Dallas. Ended up knowing it didn't.

Bad Veins (Cincinnati) - these boys seem to have an affinity for opening for Scottish bands, being as how I saw them open for We Were Promised Jetpacks in Denton back in February. Anyhows, loved them then, and I loved them again. Great stuff. Plants and Animals (Montreal) - pure awesomeness Frightened Rabbit (Selkirk) - having endured the Lucy-van-pelt football treatment back in April (mother-effing vol-CANO!), i was completely stoked to witness FR's return to Dallas, and i was in no way disappointed. The boys presented a perfect mix of the old and the new (Midnight Organ Fight and The Winter of Mixed Drinks), while engaging the audience with anecdotes, witty banter, and their version of Scotch humor between songs. 'Twas everything I'd hoped for.

10/6/10 - Local Natives, Love Language, Union Line

2010-10-09T20:25:00.021-05:00

...at the mother-EFFing house of blues.

Have I mentioned how much I HATE the mother-effing house of blues? Who else can turn a $12 ticket into a $27 ream job? Convenience fees, pre-order fees, will-call fees, bend-over-and-stick-it-in-your-ass-just-cuz-we-can fees? Hate those TM bastards.

Plus which - $7 wells??? Eff. You.

Plus which, that ridiculously annoying dude in the bathroom, attempting to spritz us concert-goers with cologne and fill our post-micturation hands with soap, who is, i'm pretty sure, responsible for overall decreased levels of hygiene, as all the dudes duck out of the bathroom without washing at all, just to avoid him. Hope i'm not breaking the man-code here, i just thot u females deserve to know.

So - the show. Which is how the MFing HOB redeems itself.

Union Line - truthfully, i don't remember a thing about them. Didn't offend me, that much i know.

Love Language - ok, i don't remember much about them either, but i know that i absolutely loved them. So says my facebook, and my facebook don't lie. Local Natives - Effing. Orgasmic. Runtelldat, homeboy.

10/2/10 - Skunk Ape, Oh Lewis, Extraordinaires

2010-10-09T20:25:00.016-05:00

At RGRS.

Skunk Ape (Denton). OK, let me say up front - i am NOT a fan of punk. At all. And Skunk Ape is a punk band. Why, they're the epitome of a punk band, in my opinion. Thus, the comment i recorded on my iphone - "Total shit punk".

Oh Lewis (Denton). Enjoyed this set more than the last one i saw from them. Some very nice, crunchy, 90's guitar pop/rock. Can't tell you how many times I thought to myself, this sounds exactly like Fig Dish (an awesome late-90's Chicago band that you should check out here ). Same gravely voice, same style melodies, guitar playing, everything. Kinda spooky, but since I loves me some Fig Dish, I enjoyed Oh Lewis as well.

Extraordinaires (Philly) - hmm, not easy to describe this band. Part Jimmy Buffet party band, part Bare Naked Ladies. Strange, yet pleasing melange of cheese, sarcasm, silliness, political rambling, history lessons, etc. All in all, a lot of fun, with some very catchy and well-written songs. Only complaint? The insipid use of inflatables (dice, swords, toucans, etc.) that they insisted on throwing into the crowd. Before too long, all of them ended up on the floor, with all the spilled beer, and if you've ever been to Rubber Gloves, you know that inflatables that have wallowed in the puddles of beer on the floor of Rubber Gloves are NOT what you want flung at your head. Anywho. Another observation - the Extraordinaires' audience EASILY had the largest contingent of horrible white-boy dancers i have EVER seen. Too damn funny. I will attempt to upload a video of one such individual, and I promise, you will agree.
And here he is:

8/23/10 - Delta Mirror, Grassfight, Phantom Caste

2010-10-09T20:24:00.032-05:00

At Haileys.

Phantom Caste (Ft Worth) - Pretty standard but solid echo-y rock. Nice falsetto on lead. Overly phallic stand for keyboard. Haircut 100 dude on guitar. Note to guitar player - sipping a drink on stage (complete with lime wedge still on the side of the glass), THROUGH A STRAW? Not likely to inspire the females in the audience. Just sayin, from one highball-drinkin' guy to another. Ur welcome. Grassfight (Dallas) - seen them a few times now, and I always enjoy it, but for some reason, the over-use of the bullhorn got on my nerves this night. Delta Mirror (LA) - lots of recorded electro backing tracks, and very earnest vocals. Was mesmerized by the bass player, who i swear is the Hobbit dude from that episode of The Office (you know, Ryan's friend in NYC), who was wearing a stocking cap in the middle of august. Pretty sure he has special powers. Wasn't overly captivated by the muzak, however. Well, Haircut 100 dug it, anyways.

9/16/10 - Western Giants, MATAS

2010-10-09T20:24:00.031-05:00

At Lochranns in Frisco.

Western Giants (Denton) were up first. Just for fun, i thought I'd share the "conversation" my intrepid companion and I "had" on an iphone Notes page during their set:

---------------
Me: Not a great voice, eh?

Me: Lead singer from sundress? {googling followed}

Me: Yes. Shud stick to guitar playing. He's phenomenal in sundress, tho

Me: Warning - I will be singing along w Matthew. At the top of my lungs, most likely

She: Bassist looks good. Maybe they shud put him in front. Doesn't look gay at all in v neck.

Me: At least one of them has a girlfriend - chick w camera.

She: Ok, bassist just checked me out.

She: Waitress cute w shirt too. Didn't really see any of the rest of her.

She: Does the bassist keep making eye contact w u?
Me: I'm not lookin at him. U?
She: Good point.
Me: Ok, maybe I've noticed that, yes, but there's no one here, so..,
He's fascinated by the old farts in the audience.
-------------

And there you have it. fascinating stuff, right? anyhows, we enjoyed the set, tho i'm glad kennon has a day job in Sundress. MATAS (Denton) was up next. I did, indeed, sing along at the top of my lungs. Take THAT, Frisco.

9/10/10 - Fox and the Bird, Listen Listen

2010-10-09T20:24:00.030-05:00

At City Tavern.

The Fox & the Bird (Denton) - once again - awesome harmonies, great stuff. Two things, tho - lose the effing videographer, very distracting. And the effing cowboy hat. Listen Listen (Houston) - talented bunch of multi-instrumentalists. Loved the multi-part harmonies. Trombone/trumpet player passed out mid-tune, but soldiered on. Set came to an unceremonious end when the bass amp blew half-way thru song.

8/20/10 - Analog Rebellion, Archeology, Land Mammals, Young and Brave

2010-10-09T20:23:00.011-05:00

At Hailey's.

Young & Brave (Denton) - Pretty standard country-tinged pop. Chick on keys. Hair-band-era holey jeans on lead. Chick-led songs better. Nice harmonies. Set went on forever.

Land Mammals (Denton) - Truly awesome. Reminded me a lot of Ella Minnow (one of my favs). Lead singer a cross between brad pitt & rivers cuomo. Hot chick on guitar. Keyboard dude on twice his normal dose of Ritalin, pretty sure. Vocals unusual but they work. Unusually structured songs. Dug it. A lot.

Archeology (Portland) - Hmmm. Great harmonies, but i couldn't shake the 'we're-really-a-praise-band-but-we-like-to-pretend-we're-not' feeling. Axl Rose bandana on acoustic guitar player, long-haired jeezus lookalike lead. Very earnest. Felt artificial, tho it was catchy. Analog Rebellion (Aledo) - Truly awesome. Two guys plus laptop. Amazing guitar work.
Vocals a lot like Death Cab at times. Sometimes soaring & anthemic, sometimes just plain kick-ass rock. Loved it. Wanted to buy the CD from Daniel afterwards, but he couldn't drag himself away from the potential groupie long enough. Next time, then.

8/8/10 - Spooky Folk, Dark Dark Dark, The Fox and the Bird, Jeremy Buller

2010-08-09T20:37:00.007-05:00

At Hailey's.

Jeremy Buller (Denton) - solo acoustic. Don't really remember, sorry. The Fox & the Bird (Denton). Appropriate number of banjos, mandolins, violins, acoustic guitars. Chilling multi-part harmonies. Nice bells. Dug it. Dark Dark Dark (Minneapolis) - Oh my. What an amazing performance. Can be best described as sad accordion music, tho "haunting, beautiful, moving, soaring, & spine-tingling" also apply. Definitely heard a Leonard Cohen influence. Fell deeply in love with this band. Bought both CDs and a t-shirt, & gave them all the cash I had on me. Absolutely magical. Spooky Folk (Denton) - seen them a few times now - great stuff, always a good time. Favorite couplet: "I was born on the bible belt. Give me something sharp so i can kill myself". Preach on, brudda.

7/17/10 - DOMA showcase

2010-07-30T22:46:00.005-05:00

Better late then never, eh?

Twas glad this year's shindig was in the deepest of ellums - so much better than past showcases, held in douchebag central (otw known as lower Greenville).

First - Secret Machines. LOVE the SM, and not just cuz they popped my live music cherry (ouch!) back in 2006 at the lizard lounge. Howevers, this wasn't quite the same SM, being as how both Curtis brothers weren't in attendance. Twas either that, or the fact that my balls were in danger of melting, but I just didn't enjoy their set like I thot I would, despite the super-drunk/hot chicks dirty dancing wif each other just outside the (penitentiary-like) fence. Oh well, on to the next......which was The O's. Meh. Still don't get. But I admit - I hear the effing banjo, I have a hard time taking a band seriously. Just my bias, don't judge me!! Went to Trees to catch FUR, being as how I wanted to try out some new bands, & not just hear the same-o same-o. Curtain opened to reveal two dudes huddled behind two laptops. Me & my intrepid companion laughed heartily, then split. No fanks.

Went to the roof of The Bone & caught Nervous Curtains. Nuff said, u know I love the NC. Awesome, as always. Then off to the Door to catch Air Review. Another meh. Decent, but over-rated. Dime-a-dozen, in my opinion. Back to Trees to see Ishi, who I've been waiting to see a second time for a while now. Heard 2 songs and was done. Just not in the mood, especially since I knew MATAS was playing just down the street. So - back to the door, to once again get blown away by MATAS' genius. Just can't get enough of them, it seems. Then back to Trees for Mount Righteous. Fun! Last was Spooky Folk, back on top of the Bone (snicker). Great fun, lotsa exuberant dancing & such. Awesome cap to the evening.

6/29/10 - Julian Lynch, Sundress, Soft Healer

2010-07-10T22:41:00.008-05:00

Wedentondoit shindig at JnJ's. Actually started at 8, praise jeebus, but that means i missed Goldilocks and the Rock, who seem to be in bed wif WDDI, that's for sure.

Soft Healer (Austin). Dug it, but had a hard time figuring it out. Guitar confused me, at one point i wrote "surf punk?". Enjoyed multi-instrumentalist -part-time sax, mouth organ (oh yeah, i said it), keys. Sundress (Denton). Sweet baby jeezus, what an awesome experience this was. Sitting 10 feet from this band, totally enveloped by their sound -what can I say - 'twas orgasmic. Definitely some phenomenal songwriting going on here, with some awesome vocals, but the ethereal guitar playing (second pic) sets them apart. A cross between early radiohead, Travis, and a less-strident Muse - enough to make any serious music fan cream his/her pants. Absolutely phenomenal. Probably my favorite local band at the moment.

Julian Lynch (New Jersey, Wisconsin). Very interesting. Have to admit - you see a guy tuning up his clarinet before his set, you think "not a good sign". then he starts tuning his BASS clarinet, and you think "well, at least i'll get to bed early". But no - this was some some hauntingly beautiful stuff. Just one guy with wind instruments (some unidentifiable), a table full of pedals and such, a droning backing track, and amazing talent. Truly mesmerizing. No way was I leaving early.

6/25/10 - Sundress, The Clouds are Ghosts, Land Mammals, Retro Run

2010-07-10T22:34:00.005-05:00

Retro Run (Denton). Walked in half-way thru their set, to hear Vampire Weekend cover. Next two i didn't like. to top it off, they somehow felt themselves worthy of not one, but TWO encores. for the effing opener? uh, no. not how it works. get off the stage.

The Clouds are Ghosts (Austin). Shoulda dug this band, but didn't. Violin, keys, etc. Felt it was over-produced, trying too hard. facebook post said somethin about individuation or some rot. check it.
Land Mammals (Denton). Loved it. Supremely individuated, says facebook.
Sundress (Denton). Truly awesome. Funny - just that morning, i had heard an amazing song on KXT and jotted down the time, so i could look it up later to see who it was. Never got around to it, but i heard it again that night - twas Sundress' Dream Curl. How cool to hear it live.

6/14/10 - Good Old War, Yukon Blonde, Audra Mae

2010-06-18T12:14:00.005-05:00

Audra Mae (LA). Whoa - beautiful stuff. Great voice. coulda done without the Joplin cover, but that's just me.
Yukon Blonde (Vancouver). Really dug these guys, too. Kindof an amped-up Fleet Foxes.
Good Old War (Philly). OMFG, words cannot describe how much I love this band. First time I saw them, I described it as a religious experience, and this time, I was fully converted, full-immersion baptism and all. Amazing, amazing folky tunes with spine-tingling harmonies. and the whole band puts out this "everything's all right, yes, everything's fine" vibe that just fills your heart with joy. did the usual come-down-into-the-audience maneuver, and ended up right in front of me, which completely capped off the evening for me. truly a wonderful experience (despite the super-drunk chick who kept trying to get me to dance with her. Um, no).

6/11/10 - Bravo Max, The Wild Complete, Gray the New Black

2010-06-18T12:11:00.006-05:00

Gray, the New Black (Dallas). 3-man band. oh, no - definitely not my thang. no, no, no. Iphone says "crappy bluesy hendrix guitar shit", and you can't argue with the iphone, can you? no, you cannot. grateful that they reminded me that i'd forgotten my earplugs in the car, tho. So there's that (thanks, boys!). The Wild Complete (Flagstaff). Awesome folky rock. Loved the accordion. Go check out My Bird on their myspace page - superific. plus which, it's good to see Ringo bangin' on the ol' skins again. Very political band. Over-payed for the CD and t-shirt, hoping to help them afford a REAL bass drum, which they really need. Poor Ringo.Bravo, Max (Dallas). Enjoyed it, but damn - 5 guitars? really? felt sorry for the guitar player in the back, frantically strumming, with no evidence of his existence coming out of the speakers. Loved the clarinet (say WHAT?) & accordion. Good stuff.

5/29/10 - Curvette, Quiet Company, Holy Fiction, Goldilocks and the Rock

2010-06-08T22:53:00.007-05:00

Goldilocks and the Rock (Denton). Just two dudes, one on geetar, one on drums. Guitar/vocalist couldn't bear to face the audience, it seemed, something that always seems to annoy me. Plus which, he was auto-tuning the SHIT out of his vocals (despite Jay-Z declaring it dead and all), and I couldn't figure out if that was some sort of hyper-ironic statement that i was missing, or what. Bizarro, is what it was.

Holy Fiction (Houston). Been too long, folks. Iphone says "decent". Sorry.
Quiet Company (Austin). Always had a soft spot for QC, despite their endless and annoying myspace pestering. Good stuff.
Curvette (Denton). Truth be told, i slept thru most of their set, so i'll refrain from offering an opinion.

6/5/10 - Friendo, Nervous Curtains, George Quartz

2010-06-08T22:49:00.005-05:00

...at the Lounge.

George Quartz (Dallas?). This dude was formerly the frontman of Faux Fox, and if you can't figure that out from watching him, you just haven't been paying attention. Very similar in style to FF, and you know that's not my thing, but i'll be damned if i wasn't intrigued & entertained by his digitized nonsense and in-your-face stage presence. Entertaining for sure, i'll say that. Plus, it's nice to see that Tom Cruise has finally come out, and has a solid side gig between movie projects.
Nervous Curtains (Dallas). You know i love it. Bought me the CD and the t-shirt.

Friendo (Calgary). Yea, wasn't knocked out by these guys, but it's good to see the Donger still workin' after all these years. Also in their favor - the 'Most Awesomest Jorts Ever' award. Congrats!

5/31/10 - Plants and Animals, Lost in the Trees, Lazy Native

2010-06-08T22:46:00.006-05:00

...at Hailey's. The Les Savy Fan made it out, too, being as how he's a big Plants and Animals fan.

Lazy Native (Denton). Hmm, yea, they were OK. Everyone trying WAY to hard to sell it, tho, especially the Tambourine Man. Too funny.

Lost in the Trees (Chapel Hill). Oh my effin gawd, these guys were INCREDIBLE. One of the best sets I've seen in a long time. After their first song, the LSF texts me, "how great is this?", and i reply "fucking. AWESOME. worth the trip alone". three - count 'em, three strings on stage - two cellos and a violin, plus a part-time accordion/french horn (nice!)/xylophone, and tuba. Unfuckingbelievable. Amazingly moving chamber folk rock, with spine-tingling vocals from the accordion player. came down into the audience for their last few songs - always an awesome move, in my opinion, and i'm not just saying that cuz i happened to hold the xylophone for one of the songs :). Bought both the CD and a t-shirt afterwards. Amazing, amazing stuff. Not to be missed. Plants and Animals (Montreal) headlined. Totally fucking awesome.

5/26/10 - Clem Snide, Heligoats, MATAS

2010-06-08T22:42:00.006-05:00

Matthew and the Arrogant Sea (Denton). Awesome, as usual. Seemed like they changed up the set from the last time i saw 'em - more of the old-style, folky MATAS, with less of the new-style rock-based stuff i've heard lately. Maybe they tailored the set to the Clem Snide crowd? Whatever - i loved it. The Heligoats (Washington). Saw these guys back in February and fell in love. "Quirky, catchy, smart, funny" is how i described them. This set confirmed my opinion (and love). Absolute genius. Chris once again had hilarious preambles for many of his songs (I'd repeat them here, but they're all of the 'you had to be there' variety). Fantastic set.

Clem Snide (Nashville). I dono - couldn't really connect with these guys. Wanted to - there was some really pretty stuff, with some great harmonies, but it just didn't happen. Probly just a touch too country for me.

5/15/10 - Nico Vega, Red Leaves, Ella Minnow

2010-05-21T22:10:00.008-05:00

...at Hailey's. Knuckles came with, since Nico Vega met the Knuckles Criteria: hard(ish) rock, hot lead singer (female).

Ella Minnow (Denton). You know I loves me some Ella Minnow, and this show was no exception. My iphone notes: "Suddenly added 3 female singers, one wif hands planted firmly in pockets, one oh-so-sexy wif holes in her pantyhose, one wif hands planted firmly at her sides, all of them looking horribly uncomfortable, but doing a nice job. Love this band. Jeezus Christ. Fuckin orgasmic. So in love. "Red Leaves (Austin). They're billed as an experimental pop band, but i saw nothing experimental, 'cept for the fact that they kept switching out lead singing duties 'tween the dude and the gal and the drummer, which doesn't quite meet my criteria for "experimental". Perty good, tho not overly compelling to me. Bass player workin extry hard to sell it. Nico Vega (LA). Outrageous, high-energy, ass-kicking. Really put it all out there. Whirling dervish lead, sometimes heard Janis, sometimes heard Bjork. Knuckles says maybe his fav band ever. Drummer wore ripped black t-shirt last seen in Flashdance. Guitar player wore Hendrix curls & eye makeup. Awesome stuff.

5/13/10 - Foe Destroyer, Smile Smile

2010-05-15T14:04:00.003-05:00

again, at Lochrann's in Frisco, gawd bless Mr Spune. The Les Savy Fan showed, too, and unleashed his considerable charms on the helpless suburban female crowd. Look out.

Smile Smile was up first. Really enjoyed it, great stuff. Was shocked by how many songs of theirs i seemed to know. Only advice? Quit with the whole 'we-used-to-be-boyfren/girlfren, but we broke up and now we just verbally pick at each other during our set, isn't that funny?' thing. it's tired. i heard that shtick two years ago, and it just seems forced now. your music is good enough without it. just my two cents, which ain't worth even that.
Foe Destroyer headlined. former members of Oso Closo, i understand. Kept thinkin Weezer, but probly cuz of all of the BC glasses on display. 'twas OK.

5/7/10 - MATAS, Oh Lewis

2010-05-15T14:03:00.003-05:00

Oh Lewis (Denton). Sure, some fine and dandy guitar pop rock. Kinda blah - nothing overly distinguishable.
Matthew and the Arrogant Sea (Denton). Sheer genius. Love the new stuff. Can't wait for the new album. Have to admit - I missed hearing Pretty Purple Top Hat.Yea, so OK, it was a Centromatic show, but for a number of undisclosable reasons (u know, life and all that shite), i wasn't up to staying. maybe if they hadn't taken the Longest Set Change in History, i woulda stayed, but they did, so i didn't.

4/24/10 - The Hope Trust, Fate Lions, Red 100s, Jacob Metcalf

2010-05-04T22:39:00.004-05:00

Jacob Metcalf (denton). Very nice. Great violin (was that really a giant tattoo on her face?). Suitcase as bass drum - cool. Wonderful harmonies from the drummer. Nice clarinet (don't say THAT too often). only advice? skip the part where you bring yer friends up on stage to play/shake the popsicle sticks. very distracting, and it wasn't making any sound i could hear. really enjoyed the set. easily the highlight of the evening for me.
Red 100s (Denton). Ugh - not my thing at all. 3-man bluesy hendrix-like guitar rock. Good at what they were doin, just not for me.

Fate Lions (Denton?). Don't remember much. The note i wrote on my iphone - "Ugh. Completely ordinary."The Hope Trust (Denton). Ya, sure, some nice americana-tinged pop.

4/15/10 - Telegraph Canyon, The Orbans

2010-04-21T21:28:00.005-05:00

Part of Spune's free concert series at Lochrann's in Frisco (awesome idea, by the way, Senor Spune...)

The Orban's (formerly Peter Black and The Lifters, for those of you who have a hard time keeping up with the times) opened. Seen them a number of times. Still love Peter's voice - truly awesome. Really enjoyed their set. (Maybe a few too many covers? Yea, maybe.)
Telegraph Canyon headlined. My 7th time to see them?? Who knows. What I do know: they are Absolute. Fucking. Genius. No more to be said.
(Ok, maybe one more thing to be said: Chris - what happened to The Beard??)

4/10/10 - Mr. Gnome, Low Line Caller, Legs Against Arms

2010-04-21T20:57:00.002-05:00

...at the mothereffin Cavern. Dono for the life of me why Mr. Gnome chooses to play this effing stinking arsehole of a venue, but as long as they do, i will be there...

Legs Against Arms (Austin) opened. Dug it just fine, that's what i remember. Some really nice indie piano/guitar pop. next up was Low Line Caller (also from Austin). Dug these guys too. Sorta Muse-ish, is what i remember. Tho i have a problem with a lead singer who don't do nuffin but sang (seems kinda pretentious to me, just sayin), I liked 'em anyways, i did.

oh my effing gawd - Mr. Gnome (Cleveland) - Simply. Fucking. Amazing. I think every time I see these two (fourth time now?), i grow to appreciate them more. Absolutely phenomenal.

4/1/10 - B&BL, Andrew Tinker, Hendrick, Criminal Shift

2010-04-10T12:51:00.010-05:00

The Local Edge's Battle of the Bands Finals at Trees. Winner to open Edgefest (meaning they play at 1:30PM to a crowd of 7, but hey...)

Criminal Shift (Plano). Caught these kids a couple years ago and was blown away, and haven't been able to catch them again til now. Seems like the line-up has completely changed, except for Douglas (lead vocals, lead guitar). No more female keyboard player (in fact, no keys at all), now it's just 3 dudes wif guitars plus drums. Once again, I was really impressed by their sound. Very advanced and polished for a band full of youngsters who apparently rehearse in their mom's (nicely appointed, i should say) spare bedroom (see their myspace ;). Some really cool hard-drivin' rock material, definitely more rockin' than the last time i saw 'em. Was especially impressed by Douglas (like last time), who can really howl and belt it out, and also wail on guitar. He's quite the showman, too - very high energy and engaging. Drummer was awesome, too. Other two dudes sounded great, but looked slightly uncomfortable in front of a big crowd. Really enjoyed the set. Check 'em out.

Hendrick. Sure, sure - some very pleasant & polished indie guitar/piano pop, but when did Hendrick get so sensitive? I've never been a huge fan of theirs, but they seemed overly pussified that night. My (female) companion said he (the lead) could get away with it if he was hot...

Andrew Tinker (Denton). Ugh. Did not enjoy this at all. Can't understand how this made it to the finals. Good-timey bluesy piano tunes that suburbanites in Frisco would enjoy whilst supping at an Outback restaurant.

Bridges and Blinking Lights. My kryptonite. Said it many times - awesome music, but vocals of a 13-year-old girl. With strep. Thought they had figured that out when, during the first song, another guitar player sang along with jake, and i'll be damned if you could actually hear the vocals, but no - after a couple songs, he was mostly done, and it was back to straining to hear donald duck.

Really wanted to see Ishi again, cuz they are a riot, but mi companion was snoring so loudly it was interfering with the sound check, so we split.

3/21/10 - Suckers, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, Kelly Upshaw

2010-03-28T13:40:00.006-05:00

...at Hailey's

Kelly Upshaw (of Hope Trust fame), opened. All by hisself, wif acoustic or electric, plus delays and such. Nice voice. Made me want to check out his band, so there's that. But I couldn't help thinkin, oh here's where the drums would kick in, here's where the guitars would rock out, etc., and of course they didn't, on account of the fact that they weren't there. Nice ad for his band, which i suppose was the point, but i felt kinda cheated.

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers (Brooklyn) - absolutely loved it. Totally dug her howling, soulful, bluesy voice. Plus, I was completely mesmerized, watching her squeeze the shite out of that harmonium. Awesome. Kicked my ass. Check them out.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Brooklyn). Was really looking forward to this guy, based on his myspace page. Unfortunately, he performed solo, with only a keyboard as accompaniment, and that didn't come anywhere close to recreating the excitement of his recorded material. Plus which, he played a lot of covers, and you know how i feel aboot that.

Suckers (Brooklyn) headlined. Lots of moving parts here. Quirky, jangly guitar-pop. Most everyone in the band was a multi-instrumentalist, sometimes strumming a guitar on the down-beat, then smacking a drum and/or cymbal on the upbeat. Very impressive. Not exactly my thang, but very good, if you enjoy that sort of fing.

3/17/10 - Explodes into Colors, Cave Singers, Quasi, Duchess and the Duke, Ruby Suns, Moondoggies, Generationals, Seryn, Monastery

2010-03-28T13:07:00.009-05:00

Spune's 2k10 Rite of Spring Fling at Hailey's...

Many thanks to Mr. Spune, who set a shining example for other venues to follow by actually starting on time and keeping to the (previously published!) schedule, down to the gnat's ass. Bravo!

(mostly) copied from my facebook page:

0. Monastery (Denton) - one dude wif keytar, plus lots of electronics. Only heard half of one song, so i don't rightly know...

1. Seryn (Denton). Awesome 4-part harmony folk/folk rock. Beautiful.

2. Generationals (New Orleans). Wimpy, girly twee pop. Horrible vox. Blech.

3a. Vodker cranberry. Highly recommended.

3b. Moondoggies (Seattle). Bluesy piano, southern-twinged rock. Little heavy on the Rhodes, but decent.

4. Ruby Suns (New Zealand). Synthy pop, not bad, kept thinking "island pop", dono why, maybe the V-C is to blame

5. Duchess and the Duke. Unplugged. Booooooring

6?? Where am i?? Quasi (Portland). Many thanks to the lead guitar/singer, who spared me the indignity of capturing the Oldest Guy In The Room title. Too bad he sux. Oh my effing gawd. 3 Who covers in a row??? Done.

8. Cave Singers (Seattle). Gritty. Poetic. Dylanesque, yet rockin'. Awesome.

9. Explode into Colors (Portland). MORE COWBELL!! Kidding, tho that *was* featured prominently. 3 gals - two drummers and one bass guitar. Bizarre, yet oddly compelling.

10. Effing headliners cancelled.

3/11/10 - Stonybrook, Manned Missiles, Savage and the Big Beat, Native Lights

2010-03-20T16:48:00.005-05:00

...at RGRS, as part of the NX35 shindig.

Native Lights (Tulsa) opened up. Ya, sure, some pretty decent psychedelic pop. Whatevs.
Next up was Savage and the Big Beat (Denton). A very nice surprise. Only two dudes - one on Casio keyboard and one on drums. Quite charming, funny, and entertaining. Hey, there's only so much you can do with a casio keyboard and drum kit, but these guys made the most of it, with some very catchy & funny tunes. Definitely very childlike - songs about polar bears, dinosaurs, etc. Put a smile on my face, i can tell you that. Very much enjoyed it.
Next up was Manned Missiles (Denton). Yea, i dono - didn't hear anything overly compelling here, some pretty decent groovy pop, but that's about it. Need to further evaluate, methinks...
Sunnybrook was up next. Hmmm. Lotsa pub for this dude, but I don't really get it. At least this night, it was only the one guy, dressed in angel outfit and sunglasses. Lotsa effects, layers, instruments, and what-not, and interesting at first, but after a while, it seemed like his sole intention was to put me to sleep. Just not my thing, I guess.

Very sad to say - I was so dog-tired half-way thru the SB set, I just couldn't bring myself to hang around long enough to hear the Evangelicals - the entire reason i'd showed up on a thursday night. So I split. Regretted it the next day, but there you go...

3/6/10 - Baruch the Scribe, Sad Accordions, This Old House

2010-03-14T21:00:00.004-05:00

...at Hailey's.

This Old House (now named ODYSSEY, but not really) opened, and you know I loves me some TOH. Only issue? That goddam bass drum, lit up like a goddam reverse spotlight, rendering my cheezy-ass camera damn-near useless. But seriously - check out this band, whatever moniker they happen to adopt next. They are fucking awesome. Next up was Sad Accordions (Austin). Seen them once before and dug 'em, compared them to Telegraph Canyon. This time? OK, but not quite as good as I remembered. One song went on WAY too long, with the lead singin' "someone stop me" at least twenty times, i shit you not. Which prompted me to whisper to my companion, "jeezus christ, someone stop him".

Last up was Baruch the Scribe. Very interesting, I will say that. Voice a bit difficult to take at times, you might even say harsh, but at other times ('isn't it pretty to think so?' (see the myspace page)), it fit perfectly. I definitely want to check them out again, that's for sure. This particular night, I found myself not in the frame of mind to properly render a finalized

opinion, yet completely intrigued and looking forward to the next opportunity to do so.

3/4/10 - Manchester Orchestra, The Features

2010-03-14T20:58:00.003-05:00

Well, I'll be damned - a venue that starts early (7:00) and on-time. Only problem? I didn't know that about them, so I showed up at 8, having missed the first two bands. Out-thinking-music-venue Fail.

Another problem? I don't remember a damn thing about the two bands i did see (The Features and Manchester Orchestra). I'm sure they were both extraordinarily talented and put on one hell of a show. So glad i spent ten bucks to park and 17 to get in.

2/21/10 - We Were Promised Jetpacks, Bad Veins, Burning Hotels

2010-02-26T23:05:00.007-06:00

...at Hailey's

The Burning Hotels opened. If it wasn't for their sheer greatness, I'd definitely be in danger of reaching Burning Hotels burn-out status, having now seen them 3 times in as many months. But they are great, so I enjoyed the set, as usual.

Bad Veins (Cincinnati) was up next, and I absolutely loved 'em. Two dudes on stage - guitar and drums, plus a good ol'-fashioned reel to reel, providing everything else. Dark, lush, fuzzy indie pop. Awesome. The Les Savy Fan's verdict: "they're like the Killers, if the Killers weren't douchebags". So there you go.

We Were Promised Jetpacks (Glasgow) headlined. No exaggeration - this was one of the best sets I've ever seen. Label-mates with another favorite band of mine - Frightened Rabbit - they explore the same anthemic territory, but add a more powerful, beefier edge. My gawd, that dude can belt it out and make you believe, ya know what I mean? Just a totally enveloping, emotionally draining yet satisfying experience (at least, for me). Did not want the set to end. Truly phenomenal.

2/20/10 - Paul Banks, The Young Republic, Lindsay Rae Spurlock

2010-02-26T23:03:00.004-06:00

...at the Cavern.

Lindsay Rae Spurlock (Austin) opened. Loved her. Quirky, catchy piano pop, great voice, plus she's a hot. Great stuff.
The Young Republic (Tennessee) was up next. To my ear, it was completely ordinary bluegrass. Not that they weren't good at it - they were - but there was absolutely nothing distinguishable about it. My opinion only.

Postscript: I have been informed by an oh-so-courteous member of TYR that bluegrass is, in fact, NOT one of the genres they play. So screw me. Disregard my comments entirely - I obviously don't know enough about that side of the fence, or I just wasn't paying enough attention. They also sent me their new album, Balletesque, so I could listen to them in better surroundings, which I thought was super-cool of them.
Paul Banks and the Carousels headlined. Paul's first album (self-titled) is still one of my absolute favorites, and I always try to catch him when he comes to town. Loved him, as usual.

2/13/10 - The Heligoats, American Strange, Grassfight, Another Year Colder, John Lefler

2010-02-26T22:24:00.006-06:00

...at The Lounge. Gonna try and keep this one short - got some catching up to do.

'Twas very depressing to see The Bone and my beloved Club Dada shuttered, but it was encouraging to see all the new restaurants and bars that have opened recently in Deep Ellum. Also took a trip to Kettle Art between sets, and was happy to see it packed. Anyways, back to the show...

John Lefler, of Dashboard Confessional fame, was up first. Solo w/ acoustic guitar/keys. Decent, but nothing overly compelling. Another Year Colder was up next. Ugh. Totally generic alt rock. Headed for the door when they covered Roxanne about 3-4 songs in. Kill me.

Grassfight was next. Loved it. Dark, anthemic, beautiful. Right up my alley. Highly recommended.

American Strange was next. Nope - not for me. Really don't care for the over-vibrato'd vocals the lead was throwin' out.

The Heligoats (Washington) headlined. Pure. Effing. Genius. Quirky, catchy, smart, funny. Loved it. Kept hearing early solo Paul Simon, but also heard some Johnny Cash-type arrangements (not the voice, tho I loved his voice). Lead entertained between songs with some very interesting stories, including one about his "nervous tic" that involves sliding around inside AC ducts covered in vegetable oil in order to eavesdrop on party conversations. (OK, so you had to be there). Anyways, really enjoyed the set. Fantastic stuff.

short rant: k, look - to the moron who's running the show - when you've got 5 bands to get in before 2AM, you've got to start before 9:30, and you've got to watch the clock, goddammit. Don't let some spare band go on and on (I'll let you guess which one i mean), so the goddam headliner goes on after 1:30, and has their fucking set cut short cuz you gotta shut down at 2. My gawd, that pissed me off - The Heligoats come all the way from Washington only to have their genius set cut short cuz some stupid-ass can't fucking tell time and do some simple math. unbelievable.

2/4/10 - Dust Congress, Daniel Folmer, New Science Projects, Ryan Thomas Becker

2010-02-07T21:20:00.003-06:00

An all-Denton night at Trees. K, i will admit, i journeyed down to Trees mainly to see Matthew Gray's Writer, who i absolutely love, but who apparently canceled at the last minute, which disappointed me greatly, just sayin...

When I got there, Ryan Thomas Becker was playing, solo. K, make no mistake, RTB is a fucking genius, enough said. Sure, not quite as ass-kicking as when he's playing in RTB2, but still, such an amazing talent, he's a definite must-see. So do it. "My cannonball, my cannonball..." Next up was New Science Projects. My position on this dude is well documented, so I won't repeat myself. I'm afraid his uh, unique presentation is more suited to the intimate settings to be found in Denton. In the wide-open Deep Ellum venue in which he found himself, his style was mostly lost on the (scant) crowd. My opinion only, i assure you.

Next up was Daniel Folmer, who I've seen multiple times before. I remember nothing of his set, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, it was just one of those nights.

Same goes for Dust Congress, who I've enjoyed many times before.

1/30/10 - All the Day Holiday, Kinch, The City Lives

2010-02-01T23:24:00.004-06:00

...at RGRS

The City Lives (OKC) - fantastic energy, infectious emo/powerpop, kind of a harder-edged Dashboard Confessional. Loved the harmonies. Fabulously talented group. Absolutely loved it. Kinch (Phoenix) - holy shite, was i surprised by this band. Didn't expect much, based on the myspace page (was expecting nerd-pop), but my gawd, what a show they put on. Super-high energy piano pop, very catchy, yet complex. Fantastic. Totally sucked me in. Didn't want the set to end. The two leads separated at birth from...each other.

All the Day Holiday (Cincinnati) headlined. Some really nice soaring, anthemic emo-ish pop. Funny, this is the band i came to see (saw 'em a while back at Club Dada and loved 'em), but they came in third that night. Not that they weren't good, they just somehow paled slightly in comparison to the first two bands. Still really enjoyed it, tho.

1/23/10 - This Old House, !Peligro!, Spooky Folk

2010-01-30T15:41:00.004-06:00

Fantastic show at RGRS. 3 for 3:

Spooky Folk was up first, and omg, did i love Spooky Folk. Super-catchy, spirit-lifting, head-bobbing, smile-inducing folky rock. No way you can listen to it without experiencing a serious elevation in mood. Loved the violin (of course). Can't wait to catch them again. !Peligro! was up next, and I loved these guys as well. 3-man band, playing some smokin-hot bluesy rock. Perfect band name, if that tells you anything. Loved it.

This Old House headlined. Been dying to catch these guys again after hearing just a couple songs at a show back in May. And as I suspected, I fell in love with 'em from the very first song. Lush, ethereal, soothing, beautiful - very early-Radiohead, which is right in my wheelhouse. Gawd, I loved it. Definitely in contention to make my "favorite locals" list. Check 'em out.

1/21/10 - True Widow, Flashbulb Fires, River Mouth, Smoke and Feathers

2010-01-22T20:41:00.005-06:00

...Thursday night at The Boiler Room.

First time ever at TBR. Really liked it. Great sound, great drink specials ($3 double wells?? Dear sweet baby jeezus, give me strength!).

First up was Smoke and Feathers (Austin). Totally blown away by these guys. 4-man band playing kick-yer-ass southern-style psychedelic rock. Not usually my thing, but they converted me. Thought the theremin was a nice touch. Enough hair on stage to outfit an entire cancer ward (whoa, that was kinda dark, wasn't it?). Anyways, really enjoyed the set, which was entirely too short (not sure what the sound guy was thinkin, only giving them 20 minutes. Just start earlier, for chrissakes. It ain't rocket science). Next up was The River Mouth (Denton). Very similar to Smoke and Feathers - dark, dingy, rockin', theremin-inclusive. Just a notch down from S&F, but I enjoyed them as well. Vocals not quite as strong as S&Fs either, but servicable.

Flashbulb Fires (Denver) was up next. Some very nice anthemic-style piano pop. Didn't really fit on this bill, though - their sensitive musings and laid-back style was a bit of a come-down after having your ass kicked for the previous two sets, and the crowd seemed to lose interest. As part of a more fitting line-up, though, i'm sure they would shine. I enjoyed it, anyways.

True Widow headlined. Saw these guys once before, and was nearly put into a coma. I listened to two songs Thursday night, felt my life force dwindling rapidly, and split before it was too late.

1/16/10 - RTB2, PVC Street Gang, Luna Matto, Come On Go With Us

2010-01-22T20:37:00.009-06:00

...Saturday night at Hailey's.

Come On Go With Us (Mississippi) started things off. Absolutely loved these guys. Beautifully written southern-tinged piano pop. Awesome keyboard playing, even awesomer guitar playing. Loved the multi-part harmonies. Very Campaign-like, which is high praise indeed. Lead wore the stereotypical piano-player hat and skinny tie - always a giggle. Unfortunately, they were sold out of their full-length, so i bought the demo. Luna Matto was up next. Seven folks on stage. Very pleasant, laid-back, multi-layered acoustic pop tunes. Enjoyed it.

PVC Street Gang was next. Some pretty entertaining, straight-ahead, aggressive, screamy punk. Not exactly my thing, but they were definitely good at what they were doin.

RTB2 was up last. Loved it, as usual. Thanks be to gawd they didn't play their "slow set" like the last time i saw them. Saturday night's set was back to the usual ass-kicking, blistering, soulful, bluesy stuff i fell in love with all the previous times. One complaint - it seems like Hailey's is determined to always start the first band at 10, even if there's four on the bill. Which means the headliner gets cut short, cuz of the 2AM deadline. It definitely seemed to me like RTB2's set was shorter than usual. Just don't understand the thinking there.

1/9/10 - The Burning Hotels, Marquis of Vaudeville, They Were Stars, Companion

2010-01-10T18:29:00.007-06:00

...at Trees. Yea, so their myspace page said "Burning Hotels/Cowboys watching party", so I headed down early so I could watch the game with the multitudes, only to be greeted by a crowd consisting entirely of Trees' staff members. So the five of us sat at the bar and stared at the TV together. Good times, good times.

At half-time, Companion got things started. Squeaky-clean christian emo. Not terrible, but not at all my fing, baby.

Threatening to out-number the audience, They Were Stars was up next. Upwards of 7 people on stage, if I counted right. Completely loved this band. Led by Collin Cable (of Collin Cable fame), they played an awesome set full of catchy, crunchy powerpop tunes. Really good stuff. Will definitely look to catch them again.

Next up was Marquis of Vaudeville, formerly known as Wonderfool, which means this was my second time to see them. Really dug these guys (again). Some very well done, spacey, psychedelic, glam-y rock. Very tight & very polished - you can tell these guys have been playing together for a while. Love the voice on the lead. Check 'em out, for realz.

Last up was The Burning Hotels, who I've seen and loved many times, including just weeks ago. So - "ditto".

1/1/10 - One Hundred Flowers, Writer, Cartographers

2010-01-02T23:32:00.006-06:00

...at Hailey's. So the website says doors are at 8, and I wander in at 8:30 and stroll up to the bar, at which point the asshole bartender gets all pissy and rude cuz according to him, doors aren't til 9. When I explain that the website says 8, he looks at me (and everyone else that had come in) like we're idiots and huffs, "We'll open when we're ready, which is at 9". Well fuck you, asshole, how the fuck am i supposed to know that, all i have to go by is the goddam website, plus your door was open, so don't act like you're all put out cuz I show up early. No reason to be rude like that, so I either used the other barkeep to order, or if I had to use him, I stiffed him. Yea, you heard me.

Rant over. Happy New Year!

Cartographers (San Antonio) started things off. 6-man band: 3 guitars, 2 keyboards, plus drums. Meh, didn't really care for it. Pretty standard piano-pop. Might need to think about dropping a keyboard player, since it seemed like most songs were too heavy in that department, in my book.
Next up was Writer, the mercifully-renamed 'Matthew Gray, Delves into the Humanity Pools with the Six Foot Saucer Pot People'. So that would make them TAFKAMGDITHPWTSFSPP, which is a Prince reference, in case you're slow. Anyways, I've said it before - I love everything Matthew is involved in, and this band is no exception. Beautiful stuff. This was my second time to see them, and the only real change was that the bass player went from an upright bass to an electric. Oh, and the keyboard player and guitar player switched sides of the stage, which is neither relevant nor interesting, but since I get paid by the word, and I have a daughter going to art school in San Francisco, well you see how things can get out of hand? Anyways, really loved the set.

One Hundred Flowers (Austin) was up next. Very interesting band. Two guitars, two keys, drums. Have to say - for the first couple of songs, I was lost. At times, it almost sounded like the lead singer and the two backup singers were singing different songs (which is never a good thing). But then I started to listen carefully, and I realized there were some very interesting things going on in their songs. This is no verse-verse-chorus stuff, it is complex, and weird, and beautiful. Music that requires you to pay attention, but rewards you for doing so. Absolutely loved the two female voices layered over the lead's - haunting and goosebump-inducing. Really wonderful. Bought the EP, which is outstanding. Can't wait to catch them again.

P.S. If you actually believe I get paid, well, you can email me and I'll explain the Prince reference

11/19/09 - The Burning Hotels, Ishi, The Polycorns

2009-12-25T13:12:00.007-06:00

…at Trees. Never thought I’d step foot in the new Trees, being as how the booker only seems to book the same crappy bands that used to play at Firewater, but the good folks at 102.1 The Edge (never thought I’d say THAT) sponsor a free local show every Thursday night at Trees, so’s I went. Thought the venue was pretty nice, with really great sound (bleeding from the ears is a definite possibility).

The Polycorns opened. Loooved the Polycorns. Three-man band, lead switching between guitar and keys. Very unique voice on lead – sometimes very Thom Yorke-ish, which I love. Very unique song structures, really dug it. Bought the CD, which in my estimation, suffers from over-production on the lead vocals, but is otherwise aces.

Ishi was second. These guys were a riot. Really only two "musicians" on stage – a guitar player (who had double-duty as the laptop clicker) and a drummer. Two singers rounded out the band – one gal in 70’s costume plus a dude who I swear is the sound guy at the cavern. Anywho, these guys have the whole electro-dance thing down pat. I deemed it "music that drunk people dance to". Very fun set, that’s for sure, including a cover of "Walk like an Egyptian", in which every hot chick in the audience was encouraged to hop on stage and well, walk like an egyptian. Good times. Not really what I usually go for, but it was damn fun, I can tell you. Wouldn’t hesitate to catch them again.

The Burning Hotels headlined, and goddam, are they good. I’ve loved these guys for a while now – they never fail to put on a great show. Very polished, very catchy tunes, great showmanship. You absolutely MUST check them out, if you haven’t already. Great stuff, indeed.

11/14/09 - Rufus Wainwright, Joan Wasser

2009-12-25T13:12:00.005-06:00

…at Bass Performance Hall.

Joan Wasser opened. Meh, I wasn’t overly enamored of Ms. Wasser. Obviously a talented musician (guitar and piano), but neither her voice nor her songwriting really did anything for me.

Rufus was awesome, of course. Not quite as fun or bombastic as the full-band show at Nokia a couple years ago, but satisfying nonetheless. Gotta love Rufus. Yes - you do.

11/7/09 - Tribella, The Felons

2009-12-25T13:08:00.004-06:00

…at Jack’s Backyard. My first time at this place, and I was impressed, for the most part. Really nice back patio, with tons of tables, chimineas and a pretty cool lookin stage. The only problem? I guess some of Jack’s neighbors ain’t exactly music fans, so they have to keep the volume set at "nursing home" level. And just after I complained to The Princess that The Felons weren’t loud enough, the owner came up and told Dave to take it down a notch. Hmmpf. Kind of a limitation on that place, as far as outdoor concerts go. I’m assuming the indoor ones don’t share that problem.

Anyways, The Felons started things off, and you know how I feel about them, so I won’t repeat myself. That night featured the debut of their fourth member on guitar. Sure, he’s no Fred, but I liked the additional guitar, which rounded out their sound quite nicely, and allowed them to rock out even more, at least before the owner went oldster on their ass. Really enjoyed the set, as usual. Tribella, from Austin, was up next. Three-gal band. Really liked what I heard - some very pretty, ethereal pop tunes. Beautiful voice on lead. Would definitely like to hear them again.
Fingerless Ghost was up next, but the Princess and I were freezing our t’s off, so we split before they started.

10/9/09 - Hymns, OK Sweetheart

2009-10-16T17:56:00.005-05:00

...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

2009-10-16T17:49:00.003-05:00

...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

2009-10-03T19:11:00.004-05:00

...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

2009-10-03T19:09:00.004-05:00

...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

2009-10-03T19:07:00.004-05:00

...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

2009-09-07T15:47:00.012-05:00

...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

2009-08-23T22:02:00.003-05:00

... 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

2009-08-22T11:09:00.007-05:00

...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

2009-08-19T20:46:00.008-05:00

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

2009-08-12T22:27:00.006-05:00

...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

2009-08-12T22:24:00.004-05:00

...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

2009-08-02T14:49:00.007-05:00

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

2009-07-11T12:32:00.006-05:00

...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

2009-07-11T12:25:00.006-05:00

...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

2009-07-11T12:23:00.003-05:00

...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

2009-07-11T12:20:00.008-05:00

...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

2009-06-13T13:12:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-13T11:09:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

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

2009-05-31T20:08:00.000-05:00

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

2009-05-31T16:15:00.006-05:00

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

2009-05-25T10:46:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-25T10:43:00.005-05:00

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

2009-05-10T21:10:00.001-05:00

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

2009-05-10T21:00:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-10T20:57:00.006-05:00

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

2009-05-10T20:55:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-26T16:53:00.007-05:00

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

2009-04-26T16:51:00.004-05:00

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

2009-04-26T16:49:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-05T20:39:00.004-05:00

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

2009-04-05T20:36:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-05T20:30:00.006-05:00

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

2009-04-05T20:26:00.007-05:00

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

2009-03-22T18:05:00.005-05:00

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

2009-03-10T21:46:00.008-05:00

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

2009-03-05T20:39:00.005-06:00

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

2009-03-03T21:37:00.004-06:00

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

2009-02-17T21:10:00.007-06:00

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

2009-02-14T11:27:00.006-06:00

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

2009-02-03T20:40:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-20T22:03:00.005-06:00

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

2009-01-20T21:39:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-07T11:11:00.005-06:00

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

2008-12-15T13:19:00.008-06:00

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

2008-12-15T11:30:00.008-06:00

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

2008-12-09T20:55:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-02T13:56:00.008-06:00

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

2008-12-02T13:36:00.009-06:00

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.