1/1/11 - lalagray, Sundress, Comrade

...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.

10/27/07 - Hendrick, Comrade, Swirve

met up with joe the boy-toy (not mine, you asses) at club dada. it's always nice to have a fellow music appreciator come out. didn't see amanda, must've gotten there too late.

first up was Swirve, a somewhat experimental instrumental/spoken-word trio from Dallas. Totally dug these guys. one dude on trumpet, a drummer, and a chick who yelled things and cackled into the mic every once in while. lots of filters, effects, loops, etc. Most songs had a totally cool groove - i defy you to keep your body still whilst listening to their stuff. definitely heard some laurie anderson influence in some of the songs, but talked to chris afterwards and he had never heard of her (!!!). geez, i figured every "avant-garde" arteest would know laurie. chris was kind enough to give me their cd - listening to it right now. really cool stuff. love it. he also told me they play the first wednesday night of the month at the absinthe lounge for their open-mic poetry night. hmmm, mebbe i'll expand my artistic horizons... anyhow, check out Swirve if you can. i will definitely be watching their page for new shows.

next up was Comrade, who i've seen before. 6-man band, i'm pretty sure - up to three keyboard players at once (!). some really nice pop, but i just kept waiting for them to start rockin out, and they never really did. most songs flowed along nicely, but when they'd get to the spot where you expect them to just start wailing away, they'd just keep on at the same level. don't get me wrong, they were some nice songs, but at a live show, you generally want some high-energy rockin at some point (well, at least i do).

last was Hendrick, who i've also seen before. also a 6-man, with 3 guitarists (nice!). the first time i saw them, their set was marred by way too many covers - a stevie wonder, a radiohead, and one sappy 80's-era love song. since then, apparently, they've written quite a bit, since i didn't notice one cover the whole set. thank gawd. first half of set was really great, high-energy guitar-led pop. great voice on lead - nice range, including falsetto (my thom yorke bias). have to say, second half wasn't quite as good. as soon as lead switched from guitar to keys, the momentum slowed quite a bit. still, some nice songs, and i think i remember that the last song or two picked it up again (when he switched back). overall, a pretty nice set, and i wouldn't hesitate to trek out to see them again.

then, we were unexpectedly treated to a special guest appearance by Sarah Jaffe, nicely complemented by the lead from comrade and a drummer. she played i think four or five songs, til the sound man said hey that's enough, we got a long day tomorrow (it was past two by then). loved her voice, and "two intangibles" gave me chills. wouldn't mind catching a full set sometime, especially when i'm not about to fall asleep on my feet.

pretty decent crowd there - i think hendrick has a pretty good following. went to cafe brazil afterwards to chill out and grab a bite. nice end to the night.