6/26/08 - What Made Milwaukee Famous, Three Fantastic, AM Ramblers

left my buddies knuckles, the piledriver, and mr. amsterdam to their nefarious plans (including the assault of municipal property) and headed down to the effin cavern to catch a midweek show.

first up were the AM Ramblers, who I saw a couple months ago at Hailey's. Once again, if bluegrass is your thing, you can't do much better than these guys. Great 4-part harmonies. Very talented musicians.

Next up was Three Fantastic, from Houston. 4-man band - 3 guitars plus drums. saw these guys over a year ago at the Liquid Lounge, and was floored by 'em. i described the frontman as a jim morrison impersonator - howling voice, high-energy, total showman. this time - not as much. the lead seems to have calmed down somewhat over the last year or so, or the songwriting has changed quite a bit (or i'm just not remembering it very well). these guys can rock, no doubt - amazing playing from both guitar players. the vocal parts seemed almost uh, how can i describe it - loungish? i'm not sayin they were bad (in fact, i dug his voice), but you end up with an unusual combination of melt-your-face guitar playin and lounge singing. it was definitely unique and interesting, i'll say that. definitely worth checking out, if you get the chance.

What Made Milwaukee Famous headlined. was really looking forward to their set, as i really liked what i heard on their cd. only a 4-man band last night (apparently the lead guitarist was sick) - guitar, keys, bass, drum. fairly large group of loyal fans singin along with all the songs (and by fairly large i mean like 7 or 8). definitely a very high concentration of Rhythmically Impaired Dancers (gawd bless 'em). some songs definitely had a happy weezer-ish pop vibe, others were more anthemic and coldplay-ish, but with more masculine vocals (great voice on that dude, btw). lead was very funny, very engaging. i definitely enjoyed the anthemic songs more - the others i could take or leave. overall, 'twas a nice set.

6/21/08 - Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Beauxregard, Frankie 45, Pet Hospital

gonna keep this one short and sweet - i'm in one of those 'why the hell do i bother' moods. again, sorry for the crappy pics and video.

went to Sons of Hermann Hall for the Art Con SEED Event on saturday night. huge crowd (most undoubtedly there for the art auction, not the music). first up was Pet Hospital, who i've seen multiple times. very laid-back set - seemed like 80% of it was just Steven by himself, channeling Thom Yorke (while the rest of the band chatted amongst themselves on stage). not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that, it's just different from the room-filling rockin sound i'm used to from those boys. maybe they were throttling back because of the audience/environment.
Spector 45 was supposed to play next, but only Frankie 45 played due to some sort of mix-up or scheduling problem. it was nice (dude's got some talent), but i was definitely in the mood to get my ass kicked by the full band. next time, eh? (dear gawd, that pic is awful. sorry, frankie.) Beauxregard was up next. 'twas the same fun-filled retro new-wave pop i saw last time. good stuff.
last up was Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, one of my favorite local bands (see write-up here). they were outstanding as usual, although the set lacked the magic of that night at Dan's, which is totally my fault for letting the environment get to me - the lights were up, people were milling about and hobnobbing, etc. Made it hard for me to lose myself in the music. despite all that, i still enjoyed the set. those guys rule.

outtie...

6/19/08 - Telegraph Canyon, Birds and Batteries, Salim Nourallah, Lee Simmons

after my week-long vacation wif the kiddos, i was eager to feed the beast, so i headed to dada last night for the artist-in-residence show. turned out to be a pretty good night, thanks to a surprise (at least to me) addition to the line-up. the les savy fan showed, too, but i think he only went down there to hook up wif his new gal-pal (not that there's anything wrong with that).

first up was Lee Simmons, from Austin. did a nice solo acoustic set. very earnest. at one point, whipped out a ukelele. wouldn't mind seeing him with his full band (which is what i usually say aboot solo acoustic acts), but 'twas an enjoyable set.
next up was Salim Nourallah, this time backed up by John Lefler (who plays with Dashboard Confessional, according to Debbie, who seems to know who everyone is and who they've played with) for a few songs, then Chris Holt for a few. Both accompanists added a nice touch to Salim's stuff. Birds and Batteries, from San Fran, were next. really enjoyed these guys. hard to describe their sound - sometimes alt-countryish, sometimes 80's synth-y, sometimes straight-ahead rock, usually a beautiful melange of all three. really good stuff - very unique. would definitely like to catch them again (they seem to come thru here a lot, so keep an eye out).

and the surprise of the night - Telegraph Canyon played last. man, these guys are incredible. every time i see them, i appreciate them even more (see my previous write-up here). just an amazing combination - the folky acoustic guitar, the rockin electric guitar, plus the keys and organ, all accompanied by Chris' incredibly soulful voice and the beautiful harmonies from Sherilyn. amazing stuff. definitely the highlight of the evening for me. btw, Telegraph Canyon has been nominated for several FW Weekly Music awards. you should go here and vote for 'em. voting ends the 23rd, so hurry up. oh, and they're playing saturday night at the prophet bar. praise jeebus. i was sooo happy when i walked in the door at dada and found out TC was playing, but it sure was strange that they weren't listed in the line-up (i know i could've gotten at least Knuckles to come out and see 'em, if i had known). according to Chris, they had that show on their calendars and flyers for a while, but club dada seemed to have no idea that they were supposed to play. what a flaky bidness. i hope such screw-ups don't discourage TC from playing in dallas - that would be a real loss.

another great thursday night at dada, tho the late finish made my friday mornin a bit rough. definitely worth it, tho.

see you out there...

Busy end of the week

after a week hiatus, i am ready to hit the scene once again.
here's where you'll find me in the next few days:

thursday at club dada for salim nourallah and birds and batteries:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2008/jun/19/96314/

friday:
quiet company, homer hiccolm, etc. at club dada:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2008/jun/20/100582/

or florene a couple doors down at kettle art:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2008/jun/20/101910/


saturday:

matthew and the arrogant sea, pet hospital and beauxregard at Sons of Hermann:
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/guero_iam/?action=view&current=seed.jpg


see you out there, eh?

6/7/08 - Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Florene, Daniel Folmer

jeebus chrust what an incredible line-up tonight at dan's silverleaf, a place i have to say, i usually associate with high cover charges and alt-country acts. but tonight they totally nailed it. absolutely perfect line-up. first up was daniel folmer, and hells yeah, this guy has Something Special. seen a lot of great pub for this dude, and liked what i heard on myspace, so i was really lookin forward to his set, and he did not disappoint. jeezchrist, how can such a young dude write such mature and soul-searching songs? played sometimes wif an acoustic, sometimes electric. had friend playin keyboards, too. definitely had Technical Problems, some amp buzzin so loud it threatened to drown him out, so some songs he played totally unplugged wif no mic or nothin. eventually figured it out, tho. anyhows, really loved what he was doin up there. instantly wanted to buy the cd, which i did later, just droppin the money into his briefcase and takin the cd, jeezus i hope he got it.
next up was Florene, and jeezus. effing. christ. please, for the love of all that is holy, go see this band. seen them 3 or 4 times now, and they have gotten exponentially better each time. in-fucking-credible. second song they played - orgasmic. i swear to gawd i almost came in my pants. ok, not really, but you get the point. incredible aural collage of guitar, synths, filtered vocals, beats, etc, etc, all from only two dudes (and a shitload of equipment). totally awesome. methinks aaron definitely has some Performance Artist in him, pulling a black silk stocking over his head and face part way thru for a couple songs, then smearing white makeup on it to form a face - LOVE that shit. reminded me of laurie anderson, someone he's prolly never heard of, but should. talked to Gavin afterwards and bot their cd, too. can't wait to see them on the 20th at dada. made their way into my top 5, they did. last up was Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, who as you know, are already in my top 5. was disappointed with their short set last week at RGRS, and verbally pelted one of the MATAS guitarists with that oh-so-important bit of information as he was takin a whiz, and he said they got fucked over at that show or somethin - wonder what that story is. anywho, there were no such problems tonight - they played all the ones i wanted to hear. i swear, when these guys get rockin, there is no denying their amazing musical abilities and awesome songwriting. of special note for me tonight - the guitar playing of this dude. amazing. also - as usual - matthew's vocals - emotion-filled, gut-wrenching, powerful, transcendant. quick story - one time i saw MATAS on a sunday night, and matthew asked the crowd - anyone go to church this morning? then he said, "yeah, me neither - this is my church". and i thot, hell yeah - you have no idea how much that resonates with me. anyhow, i loved every second of their set, can't wait to see them again. all in all, a fantastic night in denton...

6/5/08 - The Felons, the cut*off, Salim Nourallah

ahhh, yes - artist-in-residence thursday nights at dada, back in action after taking May off. wish they'd still start at 8:00, tho - that was nice.

June's artist in residence is Salim Nourallah, doing solo acoustic sets. now i understand why this dude gets so much pub. wonderful collection of dreamy, beautiful, sometimes beatles-esque pop tunes, with unique vocals, nice guitar work and instantly catchy melodies. really dug it. definitely made me want to catch him with the full band - i will be watchin for that. next up was the cut*off, from Ft. Worth. definitely enjoyed their set this time much more than the first time i saw them back in november, when it seemed like they played a lot of covers. nice set full of muscular, slightly psychedelic pop tunes. they easily win the award for Band With The Highest Number of Girlfriends Who Remind Me of Jennifer Love Hewitt. they were joined on stage at one point by Jenn Nabb and Salim, who both added some nice vocal touches. definitely want to catch them again. last up was the felons, and i've gushed way too much already about this incredible band on these pages - it's starting to get embarassing. suffice it to say, thursday night's performance did not disappoint. it seems that i NEVER get tired of hearing these guys.

5/31/08 - Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Red Monroe

had a pretty good night at Rubber Gloves on saturday:


drove up to the place and wtf? a LINE to get in?? outrageous. never seen that before at RGRS. couldn't bleebe it. the place was packed (with squishy female goodness, no less). had to park in the weeds. was worried i was gonna start a grass fire and have nothin but a flask of vodker to fight it with.


first up was Red Monroe, who proved once again why they're in my top 5. i've seen them now too many times to count, and every time they kick my ass with their jangly, groove-filled rock. this time was even better cuz they played not only Blue Mountain Air from the first album, but they closed with A Return to the Old Way of Thinking (prolly my favorite RM song) and Carolina Cigarette. hell yeah! only one problem - waaay too much reverb on eric's vocals - so much so that you could barely hear him. i complained to the sound guy, who looked at me like i was insane, then took time out from eatin his dinner to defiantly swipe at some slider on the board, but i don't think it did anything, i think he was just tryin to get rid of me, cuz i didn't notice much difference. oh well, still enjoyed the set.
next up was Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, who also happen to be in my top 5. totally love their stuff - haunting, beautiful, spacey folk. love matthew's voice. dug their set, for sure, but it sure seemed like a damned short one - like only 4 or 5 songs, maybe? mebbe it was just me, but i was left unsatisfied, wanting a few more.
headlining was Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, from Indiana. was pretty impressed with these guys. 8-man band, with rotating line-up of instruments including geetars, keys, lap-steel, violin, auxilliary percussion, trumpet (dude was amazing when he finally let loose), french horn (!), trombone. lead singer separated at birth from dave grohl. hot chick on keys. unnecessarily illuminated bass drum. some really polished, multi-layered, sophisticated melodic pop/folk. some songs totally connected with me, some fell flat. about 3 songs in i realized - hory sheet, half the damn crowd is singing along! on just about every song! so that explains the huge crowd. these guys must be on college radio a lot or somethin (shows what i know). anyways, really dug the set. i'll never understand it, tho - why is it that kids will come out in droves for some out-of-town air-played band, when equally talented local bands play to near-empty rooms on a routine basis? hmmpf.


p.s. soory for the extra-crappy pics

Saturday night show

Tonight I'll be at Rubber Gloves, listening to two bands in my top 5 list: Red Monroe and Matthew and the Arrogant Sea. So if you're there and you see a middle-aged unhipster stumbling around (yea, flyin solo tonight, as usual), come by and say hey.

5/24/08 - The Felons, Salute, The Farstar

didn't seem to be very many choices this past weekend, show-wise, but thank gawd the felons continued their 'Play Damn-Near Every Weekend In May' Tour, with a stop this past saturday at the dee-dub (that's the doublewide, dontcha know).


first up was the farstar. really enjoyed their set. 5-man band - two guitars, bass, drums and lead sanger, who played a little keys ever now and then. mostly, he rocked back and forth with the microphone and emoted, in that oh-so-Firewater-band fashion. but not to worry, what came out of the speakers was very un-Firewater-like (which is good, in my opinion ('case you hadn't figgered that out)). some really good indie pop/rock, definitely above average. very polished. nice harmonies between lead and geetar player. lead vox not overly strong, but got the job done. was thinkin about buyin the (salim nourallah co-produced) EP, but muh buddy bill beat me to it and let me borrow it (thanks, bill!). i'll be keeping my eye out for these guys in the future - wouldn't mind catching them again.

next up was salute, which i have a hard time saying in anything other than the old HeeHaw fashion: saaaaaa-LUTE! (google it, youngsters). anyhows, if southern rock is your thang, you can't do much better than these guys. 3-man band, sounds like 5. great geetar work, fantastic voice on lead.

you know southern rock ain't my thang, tho, so after a few songs i wandered out to the patio to chat wif the aforementioned bill and the ghost of blind lemon. love talkin music with fellow fanatics.


last up was the felons, and i just don't understand how you could not love this band. from the dark, moody anthems like Worse for Wear, to the infectious, keyboard-driven poppy greatness that is My Best State (which always manages to get just about everyone moving (or at least nodding their heads)), these guys play some of the best pop songs in town. and after saturday night, their stuff can also be categorized as Music For Drunk-Ass Chicks To Dry-Hump Their Roided-Out Boyfriends To. vurry entertaining. anyways, their next show is June 5th at Dada. check 'em out.

see you out there...