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

...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

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

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

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

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

...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

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

...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

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

...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

...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

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

...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

...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.