Hey, is anyone going to Scion Garage Fest? Is this lame or cool? I know it has a lot of everyone's favorite bands, but SCION garage fest? Not exactly subtle with the sponsorship there, unfortunately. I understand that sponsors are an oft-accepted part of most festivals (except for the successfully anti-corporate All Tomorrow's Parties), but this is the one of the most crass things I've seen in a while.
Elliott Levin Trio | The Tidbits (Phoenix Project located at 406 Haskell Ave. in Dallas) Philadelphia's Elliot Levin is a published poet, as well as a prolific saxophonist that has recorded for ESP, and studied under Cecil Taylor; that alone is reason enough to attend this performance. Throw in the fact that he'll be backed by what is arguably the best rhythm section in the state, The Gonzalez Brothers, and this show seems even more essential.
I should take this time to also mention a new recording that The Gonzalez brothers are featured on, "The Great Bydgoszcz Concert," a live recording with trumpeter/father Dennis Gonzalez's Yells At Eels, along with Lisbon, Portugal resident Rodrigo Amado on saxophone. The release is from a live show in Poland, recorded in March of last year. More info here.
Nervous Curtains | Florene | Phantastes | Lychgate (Rubber Gloves): I saw Lychgate a few times and always liked their muscular, death-drone, as it lacked the intellectual pose that can be off-putting about some multi-member acts that exist in the realm of largely formless psych music. After catching Lychgate a couple of times recently, I found that they have added a new arsenal of sonically dynamic qualities to their material that have really opened up their entire set, making it even more intriguing. The quiets are even quieter, not really building up, but making the loudness even more jarring and allowing for an explosive finale when the climactic conclusion is drawn. Throw in the wild, synth-driven antics of Phantastes, as well as Florene, and Nervous Curtains, and you have one of the darker, and more avant-leaning shows of Free Week.
Elvis Costello (Nokia) I'm normally an Elvis Costello detractor, but can you believe that the top ticket to see Collective Soul tonight is about six bucks more than the top ticket to this show? That's ridiculous, even to a guy like me, who thinks that Elvis Costello's finest moment was co-writing Paul McCartney's last Top 40 hit, "My Brave Face," which is featured above. This song has nothing going for it; terrible production, embarrassingly self-referential lyrics, and an over the top refrain that sounds like it was recorded in a crowded baseball stadium. And yet, I find this track irresistible. The sophistication of the daringly ornate verse that builds up to the chorus in particular makes this a Youtube favorite, much to the dismay of everyone else around me. Costello is touring with a mostly acoustic band, and is playing in a more reserved manner than you might expect from this so-called "aging punk rocker." Expect some Merle Haggard and Velvet Underground covers. Might be the highlights for me, since the chances of him rocking the aforementioned hit are slim.
