10/6/07 - 1000 MFH

went to firewater to support my buddy chris batman bender and his band 1000 Miles From Home. only one other guy from work showed up - where were you, bitches!?! had to get loaded before i got there cuz i can't afford to drink there. stage set up outside - pretty damn nice. lots of punkass bitches in straight-brim ball caps cocked to the side. that's firewater, eh?

Elocation - such the typical firewater band. if you've ever been there, you know what i mean - lead singer who doesn't play, spiked hairdo, grabs mic with both hands and emotes painfully, screams a lot bent over. definitely played way too long.

1000 Miles from Home - definitely NOT the typical firewater band. OK, so these guys don't fit into my favored sub-genre, but seriously - if you're into modern alt rock, and you haven't given these guys a shot, you really should. Check them out live if you can, it's much better than the cd or myspace - they've improved greatly over the last year or so (partly due to the addition of a second voice (in my opinion, but i have a thing for harmonies)). they've also added a fantastic drummer (and I don't usually notice the drummer). these guys play a slew of thoughtfully-crafted modern rock songs, so much better than most of the bands you typically hear at firewater. despite my usual attitude towards bands of this genre, i can truthfully say i really enjoy their shit.


left after that. was hoping to shoot down to pastime to catch sean kirkpatrick's set, but my buddies in elocation screwed that up for me by playing for-f-ing-ever. tried to scare up some fun on the way home, but no one was up for it. an early night, then.

and so the search begins for a sunday show...

9/30/07 - Do Make Say Think

convinced myself I couldn't miss the DMST show at Hailey's. That's what I get for drinkin in the afternoon. $14 cover - yikes.

History at Our Disposal - some interesting experimental tunes, some not so much (was he trying to sing out of tune? couldn't tell). OK.

Do Make Say Think - instrumental band from Ontario; horns, sax, guitar, violin, machines, drums. some really beautiful, sprawling, orchestral songs. some I couldn't wait to be over. wasn't really feelin' it after a while - left early.

btw, what's up with denton? must be somethin in the water, cuz there seems to be an unusually large percentage of short people there - very bizarre (not the first time I've noticed that).

9/29/07 - Paul Banks, Last Gasp

started out at lucky's roadhouse again, this time the joint was empty (no more $.25 drinks, eh?). went back to car to, uh, fetch something and stepped in ankle-deep mud pit behind lucky's. in sandles. shee-ut. got to use bathroom at cavern for somethin besides pukin', tho. heh heh. joe finally showed up. missed first band - no loss, based on their myspace/purevolume. went back and forth from cavern to lucky's between bands, watchin mr. q make time with ultra-wasted a&m drop-out chick (that's right, darlin, i graduated in '98) who's name we forgot but had bachelorette-party gal friends with s&m gear. how does he do it? must be his stylin' shirts. anyways, the show:

paul banks - this man is a musical genius. listen to his cd - i dare you to disagree. the next rufus wainwright, i tell ya. amazing voice, as i've said before. fantastic songwriting. wish he had closed with "color", instead of sam cooke/beatles/bowie medley. both songs show off his pipes, i just think it's best to close with your own material, especially when it's so goddam strong.

the last gasp - 2nd time to see. excellent, as before. loved the harmonies from the keyboardist. really enjoyed the set. met christian afterwards - super nice guy, gave me their demo cd.

a pacific model - 3rd time to see. some songs in definite radiohead territory, some more ordinary. powerful lead vox. Cure cover - bleh.

pretty good crowd at the cavern, which means the usual annoying louder-than-the-band chatter and scuse-me scuse-me as people try to get to the bar. was entertained by preternaturally short dude with pony tail and goatee makin time with the ladies, or was that his 50-something sugar daddy boyfriend behind him pretending to groove to the music? i don't know, i should be nicer.

9/22/07 - Fishboy, etc.

OK, so I didn't make it to the City Tavern after all to see The Chemistry Set. I wasn't into the other two acts, plus I found out about the free show at J&J's. Why do they keep their shows such a secret, btw? No website, nothing on pegasusnews - I found out about it in the comments section of weshotjr (from fishboy, actually). Anyways:

Cartwheels in Central Park - one-man band: dude with a bass guitar and a Mac. nice songs, actually, for what he was working with. talked too much. kept forgetting his own lyrics. but not bad.

Satin Hooks - 3-man band from Houston. nice straight-ahead protest rock - said something about the federal reserve and new orleans or something. high energy. good stuff.

The Dimes - four-man from Houston. Dug these guys a lot. Kind of The Strokes meets Arcade Fire? Great music, couldn't really hear the vocals.

Fishboy - enjoyable, fun nerd-pop. have to get used to his voice.


this was my first time a J&J's - nice place, but not exactly a first-rate sound system, by any means. whaddaya expect for free, eh?

9/15/07 - Chemistry Set

OK, got pretty messed up at lucky's roadhouse before-hand (25 cent drinks!), so I missed alice rose and pretty much zest of yore. sorry, dudes, have to catch you next time. but chemistry set was incredible. where was the fucking crowd??? godammit, i just don't get it. incredible set - pilot kiss my karma, world in reverse, million dollar day - jesus these guys are good. bought the cd, finally (thanks, tk!).

finally, a good night at the cavern, but only because the crowd was thin. went back to lucky's afterwards to sober up - too funny, watchin 5'2" vanilla ice in sunglasses dirty dance with some britney spears wannabee's.

chemistry set next week at city tavern - be there, shitheads. i know i will.

9/8/07 - Stavely, The Orange, Great Raven

omigod, i hate the effin' cavern. spune - please, fortheloveofgod, find somewhere else.

nearly came face to face with the barkin dog Avi Adelman - walked by as he filmed a car being towed away. jesus christ, dude, find a hobby.

Timothy Moffett - one-man band: drum machine and some sort of electronic guitar/keyboard contraption. reminded me of jean-michael jarre's stuff - very 80's.
Stavely - 4-man, all with X's on their hands. amazing stuff. great voice on lead - a real natural. loved all the songs, and not one cover to be found. CD coming soon, they tell me. looking forward to seeing them again. made the night for me.
The Orange - 5-man, plus mannequins. hard to describe the music style, just good-timey jangly pop rock. didn't see evidence of the whole psychedelic thing, myself. high-energy lead - even knocked the lights out. lead vocals a tad reedy, even a little emo? 3rd or 4th song in was a top 40 cover - ugh.
Great Raven - 5-man, plus chick backup singer. lead wore goofy beret/newsboy hat and pained expression. some songs overtly bluesy (SRV-ish). pretty good, just didn't connect. couldn't get past the stupid-ass hat (kidding).

Rant cancelled

I was going to rant about the flakiness of the live music scene, how I've been screwed countless times by bad information or just lazy venue website dudes, how more people might come out if shows were more user-friendly to the workin' man, etc. etc. etc., but I realized it's stupid and pointless, so nebermind.

9/5/07 - Parata, Glen Farris, Dust Congress

Went to another free night at Rubber Gloves:

Dust Congress - i've seen him before - one-man band (guitar/banjo, kick-drum, high-hat, etc.). amazing how much sound one man can generate on his own. this time, he added a 4-mallet marimba player and a trumpet player. nice additions, but more instruments means more things to keep in tune and together, and that was a problem here and there with the trumpet player. nice songs, definite leonard cohen/loudon wainwright vibe. voice a bit thin and strained (he even apologized for it).

Glen Farris - really looked forward to this, after hearing the haunting, chill-inducing stuff on his myspace page. wondered how he would duplicate that live, and alas, he did not. Just him and his guitar (and harmonica). definitely a talented musician and songwriter, but in the end, it was just another dude with his acoustic (although a very talented dude).

Parata - these guys were fantastic. two guitars, bass, keyboard and drums. fairly complex songs - lots of tempo and mood shifts. everyone in the band had to keep on their toes, and they did. great songwriting. lead vocals a bit reedy, but good enough. really enjoyed the set - will be watching their page for their next gig.

Old Canes - cancelled "a couple days ago". rant to follow.


decent crowd once again. two stumbling drunks. way too much smoke. AC blower a real distraction during the quieter acts.

9/3/07 - RTB2, Hardin..., Childlike Fear, Florene

Went to the first night of Rubber Gloves' Free Week. godblessem, they must know how broke I am right now (long story).

Florene - totally cool. two guys, four keyboards, one guitar, and a mac. no vocals, per se. sort of a panda bear/mogwai vibe, really nice songs, would love to see them again.
A Childlike Fear - OK. guitar, bass, drum. Liked some of the music, but didn't care for the croaky, strained vocals
Hardin Sweaty... - entertaining as usual. not really my thing, musically - it's a bit harsher than i normally like, but the sense of humor and energy make up for it
RTB2 - one guitar, drums and tracks. great pipes on lead. some real heart-felt bluesy tunes

decent crowd for a monday night. froze my arse off in there - will bring parka next time.

9/1/07 - Chemistry Set, JDW, Shibboleth

Hailey’s - 9/1/07 Walked to SHQ first to check out the art show - very, uh, interesting. lots of boobies.

Anyways, the show at Hailey's:

Shibboleth - nice instrumentals, some keyboard-led, some guitar-led. very catchy.
JD Whittenburg - great tunes, loved the harmonies (amanda from boca tinta), lead vox a bit nasal
The Chemistry Set - fantastic as usual. "world in reverse" an amazing song - someone must be a radiohead fan. great set.

the sound mix was, as is all too common, lousy. it always amazes me that the sound guy, who's standing about 10 feet away from me, can't hear what everyone else can - the backup vocals can't be heard, the drum's too loud, or whatever. very frustrating.

hailey's was damn near empty - where was everybody? I figured since school had started, crowds would be picking up, but nope. oh well, they missed a great show.

8/18/07 - Airline, Latture, Calhoun, Chemistry Set

method entertainment all-day event - got there at 7:30

salute - G southern rock (not my thang, tho), 3-man, greasy-long-haired ball cap bassist
greater good - VG, 6-man, where have these guys been?
chemistry set - awesome
calhoun - also awesome, david herman look-a-like lead (flickerstick guitarist)
latture - incredible, piano-led indie pop, awesome back-up vox, great violin; from little rock
jonathan tyler & the northern lights - G, but southern rock again
airline - VG, not quite as good as others


best show in a long time. 5 incredible bands in one night. hope method does it again soon.

8/17/07 - Tha Bracelets, Man Factory, etc.

Red Pony Clock - 10-man band, horns aplenty, oboe (!), couldn't hear vocals well. OK happy psych-pop
ZipZipZapZap - OK punk pop
The Man Factory - OK
Tha Bracelets - eh

this was a perfect example of a show I didn't like mainly because the type of music being played just wasn't my thing. all of the bands were pretty good, from what i remember (although the number of tequila shots i had definitely impaired my cognitive abilities - thanks, tony).

Show listing, 12/06 to 8/07

Here's a listing of the shows I have been to in the last 8 months, with a few comments thrown in here and there. Don't expect incredible insight or music-critic-speak - I just know what I like. If I say I don't like a band, I'm not saying they're bad, just that they're not my thing (at least, in most cases). One's taste in music is a very personal matter, eh?

You'll notice a lot of these bands just have a simple note about whether or not I liked them. I hope to elaborate a little bit more in the future, but I originally just used this list to remember who I would want to see again.

Some abbreviations:

G = good
VG = very good
RH = radiohead
WOS - wall of sound (not sure if that's even the right term)

You'll also notice that I sometimes throw in a reference to some distinguishing feature of a band ("bald-headed lead" or "chick bass player"). That's nothing more than my way of helping me remember the band (my memory of these gigs isn't always perfect, ifyouknowhatimean).

I'd love to hear your comments...

(forgive the awful formatting, I can't get this thing to do what I want)
-----------

Hailey's 12/20/06
Whitman G
Stella Rose G, 3-piece, chick bass player
Millicent Friendly G, some down-tempo
Lord Henry VG, Pete Townshend bass player, short set

Firewater 1/6/07
Wumb G (Tool knock-off)
King Zero OK
Venture no
Moving Atlas G
Deaf Pedestrians G (15 beers ago)

Firewater 1/13
Paperface G
Kessler OK
Vehicle Reason VG (great harmonies)
Miser VG (good show, anyway. music OK)

Hailey's 1/20
O'Brother OK (nice sound, bad singer)
Comrade OK (nice sound, slightly weepy)
Broadcast Sea OK (talk-singing, good sound)
Pompeii Awesome, beautiful, bot cd
Dignan G
New Frontiers VG, some mellow acoustic-y, some WOS (Mirrors)
Quiet Company VG; 3-man, kybds, some WOS
Gazelles no

Firewater 1/27
Justin brown translation good
Anagen ok
Green river ordnance good
Josh goode band omigod no (nearly got my ass kicked shouting down the band)
Manny trevin ditto

Granada 2/3
Smile Smile nice acoustic rock, harmonies
Faux Fox WTF? no
The Crash That Took Me Good sound, not-so-good singer
Black Tie Dynasty good, but so 80's

Rockhouse Live 2/10
Phil Marshall VG
Social Jab G (but not my thing)
Miser G (peaked early)

Secret HQ (2/17)
Stumptone awesome, some trippy, some acoustic, trumpet, WOS
Trumpet Assassins 2 trumpet players with filters, effects; cool at first, grew old quickly

Andy's 2/17
2 month reunion whiney emo
Falling View ok emo
Less is More whiney emo

SHQ 2/24
Harry has a Head Like a Ping Pong Ball thrash funk, not my thing
Zanzibar Snails droning with squeaky sax, no
Great Tyrant didn't wait around

Andy's 2/24
Trebuchet OK rock
Paris Green spastic lead singer, rock; no
Upside flying V, heavy rock; no

Hailey's 2/25
Bosque Brown beautiful haunting folk, violin, bass, drums
Tacks, the Boy Disaster keyboard-driven pop indie rock; some great songs, some OK
Happy Bullets bald-headed lead, trumpet/trombone, good rock

Club Dada 3/3, buncha bbws not listening
Soular excellent RH rock
Radiant excellent, long set
Hendrick OK; started strong, faded quickly; stevie wonder, RH, unknown sappy covers

Rockhouse Live 3/10
1000 miles from home good, started to sound the same after awhile
Uncrowned ok

Hailey's 3/13
Ra Ra Riot VG; violin, cello, bought CD, from syracuse, audio problems
Red Monroe VG; awful audio problems, ended set early
The Changes G; nice pop rock
Cloud Cult VG; sophisticated alt rock, cello, violin, painters!

The Bone 3/15
The Future Unlived bluesy texas rock no

The Cavern 3/17; st patty's day assholes, valet assholes, good sound
Plain Jane Automobile Exc RH stuff - bought EP
Hourly Radio G - lousy vocals, tho (strained, whiney)

Rubber Gloves 3/18 empty, $5.25 double
Phantom Family Halo drum set up front, two-tone singing
Narrator Mets shirt, ok, "all the tired horses in the sun…"
Chin Up Chin Up "beds are burning" vocals (very annoying)

DoubleWIde 3/24 very smoky, $8 dbl
Tre Orsi G, short set
Dove Hunter G
Hogpig G, Hard Toadies

SHQ 3/31
Dust Congress One man band, guitar, accordian, banjo, bass drum, highhat - good bluesy country
100 Damned Guns 6-piece - good country

Andy's 3/31
Telegraph Canyon VG folky rock
Million Year Dance Gandhi lead singer - VG, bought CD (which was terrible, btw)
oso closo big guy lead on keyboard, G rock - peter hated

Cavern 4/7 bad night
Tober Omi OK unusual rock, free cd
Black Lights don't know
Tame Tame and Quiet don't know

Liquid Lounge 4/14 $8 cover, $7.50 dbl, good sound
Three Fantastic Excellent; Jim Morrison frontman, very original
Heights OK; dream-rock WOS, weak vocals
The Ruse VG; U2-style
Twilight no-shows

The Cavern 4/21
Umbrella Army boring, Mac and keyboards
Kunek good musically, never grabbed me, long-haired dude on keyboards
Grand Serenade good singer, never grabbed me
Radiant good as usual

Hailey's 4/22
A Northern Chorus canadians, cello and violin, 3-part harmony, VG
A Twilight Sad scottish, atonal vocals
Aereogramme scottish, weepy quiet/loud WOS, VG

Hailey's 4/28
Evangelicals great sound, annoying atonal vocals, red lights, smog machine
Katie Eastburn keybd and kick drum, unique ballads
Sunset Rubdown very original/unique, yelpy vocals, VG

Firewater 5/5
Chalklign G; some screamo
Clearcut G; tapdancin bullhorn frampton
Seven Story Drop pretty boy crap
Venture eh
Edgewater screamo crap, vocals weak

Rubber Gloves 5/10
The Tah-Dahs G; Funny lead, kept tuning guitar, "Lord don't let me down"
Alex Delivery Experimental instrumental (mostly), dude on floor with laptop, japanese gal on keybds, some good grooves
Frog Eyes Canadians, epileptic meatloaf singer, choppy vocals, chick drummer, didn't like style

Green Elephant 5/12
Levi Smith whiney lead, but good folky rock
Transcenders no idea, remember some good songs

Curtain club 5/19 excellent sound system; $10 cover, $3.75 R&C
1000 miles from home 1st time I really enjoyed show; 2nd singer/guitar a real plus; left after that

Granada 5/26 won tickets (weshotjr)
sir richard bishop? very good classical guitar, but boooooring
animal collective VG; original, some great songs, some awful

Hailey's 5/31
The Dodos very good, finger-pickin guitar + drums
Theater Fire one guy missing, 2 trumpets, good songs, but low energy

Hailey's 6/8
tammany hall machine excellent, bot cd, keybds, trombone
lalaland 3-piece, hot bass player, VG
peel skinny dude in dress (ugly dress contest), OK

Rockhouse Live 6/9 $9 dbls, $6 shots
Household Gods TV w/ candles, house band, OK
1000 miles from home G; much improved
opus flux OK

Hanks 6/14
Opus Flux tailored set to Hank's crowd - not good

Club Dada 6/20 $5 cover, $10 dbl
Quiet Company loved it
A Pacific Model good, curly-haired big guy lead, some trip-rock

Hailey's 7/1
Darcy G pop, nasally vocals, lead in 3-piece suit
David Ramirez Band VG piano-led pop
Andrew McKinney sappy pop, covers

cavern 7/6
headstream first show, liked it, free cd, big fro bass player
silver cities G rock, squeaky vocals
seneca hawk 3-man, VG rock, peter bot cd, indian drummer

shq 7/7
teenage bees 2-man, punk-ish, funny (get your mitts off my dick)
aimless never miss excellent; 4-man, chick keybd, projector visuals, bot both EPs

RGRS 7/7 $5.50 dbls
Hardin Sweaty... punkish at first, hilarious stuff (robocop, wedding cake, etc.), great show
Happy bullets not as good as I remembered, didn't hear most of it (upstairs)
Voot Cha Index G poppy rock

hailey's 7/13
the separation exc pop, harmony
robert gomez really pretty, accordian (P. slavens), baritone
starlight mints decent psych pop, vocals a little fey

hailey's 7/15
hogpig G as usual
mouth of the architect exc heavy RH music, long songs, but screaming death-metal vocals
made out of babies shrieking chick lead

rockhouse live 7/20
otenki OK
1000 MFH G
Opus Flux G

cavern 7/21
Paul Banks awesome voice, 1/2 acoustic set, rufus-like, great stuff
Last Gasp VG alt rock/pop, chick on kybds
A Pacific Model 3rd time to see, G

cavern 7/25
missed Pompeii - start time moved up!

hailey's 8/1
demigs VG, bot cd
new frontiers Excellent
dear and the headlights VG, dashboard, bot cd

cavern 8/3 full of drunken frat boys throwin up horns
smile smile nice
mark mallman G; 2-man, synth and drums + tracks, spaz lead
redballs G; not my thing
valentines same

club dada 8/4
fulton read OK pop rock, vox got a bit old
frankie 54 last-minute fill-in, solo rockabilly
quiet company VG as usual, bot cd

nokia 8/10 $15 parking, $12 dbl (new record)
rufus wainwright awesome

Why am I doing this?

Real answer: I'm not sure. I must be going thru a "phase", or a mid-life crisis, but right now I can't get enough of listening to live music in the Dallas/Denton area, and I feel compelled to "talk" about it. So here I go:

When I started going to live music shows last year, I really couldn't find a resource to help me decide what show I would like best, given my tastes. Yes, the local music blogs helped somewhat, but they usually only talk about a few acts (and usually not the ones I'm interested in), when there are dozens to choose from in any given week.

I found that the only solution is to scan the listings of upcoming shows on DdCal, weshotjr, and pegasusnews and listen to songs on the bands' myspace pages. I categorize and "grade" all the bands and keep track of them in a spreadsheet (only an engineer, eh?). Also, after each show, I jot down a few notes about each band, so that I remember whether or not I'd want to see them again.

Since last December, I've seen about 150 bands and amassed a decent little database. The following post will be the listing of those shows to date. After that, I'll try and post reviews after each show.

It's important to note - these "reviews" were originally only for my benefit. They reflect my taste only. If you happen to share my taste in music, you might get something out of it. If you're into the music scene in Dallas/Denton, you at least might find it interesting.

What's my taste? My top four: Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Laurie Anderson, and Rufus Wainwright. What would that be - art-rock/pop? with some shoe-gaze thrown in? I don't know, I just know I like it. Favorite "locals"? Pompeii, Red Monroe, Chemistry Set, Calhoun, Quiet Company, New Frontiers, Radiant, Stumptone, Paul Banks... Check out my myspace page for more info: www.myspace.com/steve_mcf

Again, I will admit, I'm not sure what the point of this is, I just know that I seem to be obsessed with listening to live music, and I'd love to connect with those who feel the same way. If this blog helps me do that in some way, then I'll consider it a success. So please, don't hesitate to comment, email, whatever.

Who am I?

I'm an engineer in North Texas who recently discovered a love for the local live music scene (big D & little d). I spend as much time as I can in dingy, smoke-filled bars listening to whatever sounds good to me - I find it very therapeutic. Makes it hard to get up and go to work early in the morning, but hey, sacrifices must be made.

I won't pretend to be a music critic, so don't expect in-depth analyses. I just plan to talk about the shows I go to, the bands I see, the venues, and the crowds.