FRIDAY

There are a lot of gallery events going on this evening that you might be interested in, so here are a couple noteworthy ones for you ( I won't pretend to be "art guy," I'll just tell you whats up)

And/Or Gallery: And/Or will be showing new works from 6-9pm with a performance from Florene at 830. And/Or events are always packed and always a lot of fun, so this will certainly be a pretty safe bet and a good way to start the evening. Featuring work from Michael Bell-Smith, Good Records' CJ Davis and gallery co-founder Lauren Gray (thats one of her pictures to the left there), it seems that the show will feature a pretty diverse selection of stuff, including some multi media pieces that sound pretty interesting Here is a press release on all the visual art stuff including links to individual artist pages.

Barry Whistler Gallery will feature work from Michael Miller, and although I'm not sure precisely what time it starts, I bet 7 o'clock would be a good time to hit it up.

The Public Trust will also be having an event, but unfortunately I don't have the details on it. These things usually go from 7 till 10.

Finally, Road Agent will have a reception for artist Elliott Johnson from 6 to 8 pm.

Black Angels | Strange Boys | Screening of "A Dirt Road to Psychedelia: Austin Texas During the 60's (Granada)
Black Angels are back in town for the first time in a while, and I'm kind of interested to see what new directions they are taking (if any) with their new material. Singer Alex Maas is honestly one of the better rock vocalists in Austin these days, adding a sense of nervous urgency to BA's music that really takes it up a few notches in my mind. And speaking of new material, the Strange Boys have apparently written a ton of it since moving to Austin several months back, and most of it is pretty great-- they've gone for a cleaner, slightly poppier garage kind of sound, and their tight playing live has rendered that a wise decision, considering that they've been able to maintain the punk energy that made their earlier material appealing to so many. This Dirt Road film looks like it might be pretty good too, documenting the psychedelic and anti war movement in Austin during the 60's. I wonder if they'll mention the 13th Floor Elevators? Anyway, you can watch a trailer and get more info here.

Hotflash with The Party | Schwa | Killtronix (Fallout Lounge)
Nature, Sober and Select will all be spinning at Fallout tonight with regulars Schwa and Killtronix. We tried to go check out the Party last week at Zubar, took one look at the line and decided to peace out. Translation: there will probably be a lot of people at this thing, and it should be nice since Schwa's old school funk stuff will balance nicely with the wide range of styles the party always plays.

Elam | The Elixir (Art Club)
Right next door, Art Club will feature a more mellow affair featuring Seattle's Elam, who have a bit of that Pacific Northwest pastoral/experimental folk vibe going on in addition to a Toad the Wet Sprocket vibe. If anyone tells you that I have that one Toad the Wet Sprocket song on my ipod, they're fucking lying because I totally don't. Play artist Einsturzende Neubauten!

Electric Six | Willowz | We Are the Fury (House of Blues)
Electric Six can go straight to hell, but Willowz are pretty sweet.

Lions | Max Cady | White Drugs (Rubber Gloves)

MC Router | Lazer | The Triggermen (Darkside Lounge)

SATURDAY

The Strange Boys (Good Records)
In store starts at 3pm.

Chief Death Rage | Lil' Tedly | Nevada Hill, Seth Sherman
and Nick Foreman | Dust Congress (Strawberry Fields)
Wild lineup at Strawberry Fields with everything from mellow songwriter introspection to the return of one of the most iconic Denton bands in recent memory. Drummer and singer A-Train has returned from Portland, and thus Chief Death Rage resumes their sludgy Budgie-sounding rampage that so many of us have missed for too long. Here's to hoping they also resume their hectic playing schedule so I can catch them multiple times in a single weekend. L'il Tedly is a brutal punk trio with low-frequency chugging riffs that recall the first three Wipers records. Local screen-printer and Zanzibar Snails guitarist Nevada Hill will be playing in a one-off performance with a trio featuring the jaw-droppingly complex finger picking of Seth Sherman and improvisational cello by Nick Foreman. Foreman will also be performing with his main project, Dust Congress, one of the best song-based projects in the area due to the subtle arrangements and distinct lack of stupid lyrics. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, hippies.

The English Beat | Eleven Fingered Charlie (House of Blues)
Middle aged ska dudes in the house! Of blues.

SUNDAY

Todd Rundgren (House of Blues)

Astronautalis | The Listener Project | a-b Theory (Doublewide)

Photo by Lauren Gray

Stereo on Strike Presents Lost Generation (Fallout)
I had the chance to check out another Lost Generation a couple weeks ago, and it's clear that Wanz has become a much improved DJ with an impressive collection of new dance records. Too bad no one shows up to this, because honestly, dance nights are a pretty big let down when the crowd consists of three dudes watching Family Guy. The same night I saw Wanz, I was also coerced into stopping by Meridian Room for karaoke, and man am I glad that no one I know goes there on Thursdays anymore. I used to think it was a shitty time even when my friends were singing, but I've rarely in my life encountered as many alternabros as I did the other week at Meridian. Yuck. Have you seen the blazers these shitbags wear?

How Hard | Kaboom | Will Frenkel (Rubber Gloves)
I remember seeing Kaboom at SHQ one time and watching lead singer Brad Santulli scare the crap out of way bigger dudes, one of which included a friend of mine who actually ran away from him. Thats pretty cool. I don't know a great deal about headliners How Hard, but they seem to play fairly straight forward hardcore inspired rock that certainly isn't bad in any way.

Treasure Mammal | The Freek Out | Karaoke (Radio UTD event at UTD campus)
This thing is free and I'm almost positive that it starts at 8pm. Phoenix's Treasure Mammal is a fairly entertaining lo fi synth pop outfit that seem to fall somewhere between Mahjongg and Chromeo with a goofy emphasis on slop and songs that aren't as fully realized as those from the aforementioned groups. Probably a fun live show.

(This is a review by Negativespace, a friend that will be doing movie reviews for us regularly. I know this movie came out a couple weeks ago, but the posting delay is my fault, and future reviews will be much more timely. I figured some people would be interested in talking about this movie anyway. Thanks. SR)

Most of what you've read about the Coen Brothers' latest is true: return to form, perfectly orchestrated, masterfully executed, beautifully photographed, tremendously violent and bleak as all-get-out. But what you haven't heard is that ultimately, all these things end up working against it.

Cormac McCarthy, arguably the best living American (fiction) writer today, wrote the 2005 novel from which the Coens unsparingly adapted this perfectly calibrated crime drama where specifics are immaterial: anonymous drug money, anonymous dead Mexicans and anonymous dead dogs all set the scene for a picture-perfect anonymous drug deal gone awry, leaving a briefcase with 2 million bucks to fall into the unfortunate lap of Nam vet turned hunter Llewellyn Moss (a surprising Josh Brolin), planting him forever in the oversized shadow of bounty hunter Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem.), who has been hired by some pseudo-anonymous businessmen to reclaim the missing money. Although Chigurh (pronounced su-gar) is a "bounty hunter," it is clear from the movie's first few moments that he isn't merely some nasty enforcer assigned to recover the drug money-- rather, he represents some amalgamation of dark forces with a greater purpose that seems to add up to little more than pure evil. Operating without license from any earthly outfit, he haunts the Texas landscape with his "cattle gun," dispatching souls and offering his unique brand of life-coaching to anyone who has the misfortune to land in his path en route to poor outmatched and outgunned Llewellyn.

The Coens, given their tendencies, likely gravitated toward Cormac McCarthy's novel for no other reason than the possibilities that arise from putting Javier Bardem in a page-boy 'do and watching him spill almost unthinkable volumes of blood. And although this is more than enough gimmick to sustain a two-hour movie, the Coens overreach.

The ultimate thrust of the story is pure McCarthy territory--unmitigated evil outmatching its meek prey (among them, a pillar of Texas grace, Tommy Lee Jones). But unfortunately, this is not Coen Brothers territory. They tangle their trademark quirky genre fuck-yous with McCarthy's pessimistic fatalism in an equation that just doesn't seem to add up. The impeccable architecture of the story and its execution were more than enough to elevate No Country from a mere crime-genre entry into an artistic achievement perhaps unmatched in the Coen canon. But then, in the waning moments of the film, the preceding magic is reframed in an even bleaker, ultimately hopeless hue, transforming the suspension of disbelief a viewer has labored to sustain throughout the film into a philosophical construct. The resulting dissonance is the Coens' real gift to you: the awkward space between their own cynicism and McCarthy's pessimism.

I understand perfectly that McCarthy's novel served as their narrative template, but it's in articulation where a story finds it's levity, and the Coens (tripping over Billy Bob's withered corpse) just don't speak McCarthy's language. There's a degree of the Coens' trademark hokey camp to the film's more nefarious elements that is troublingly recast in the concrete of real-life when we are forced to buy into its triumph. So deviously constructed is their own genre exercise, so nervy and breathless, that it renders the existential chord they strike in the final act bloated and woefully unconvincing, negating all that came before--much to my personal aggravation. Subversion of narrative convention is cool and all, especially in the service of ponderous old-man philosophical sermonizing, but its drawn in such bold strokes here that it feels kind of insulting.

Of course, this is the point. The Coens have made a cottage industry of condescending to their characters, their settings, and their audiences. It's just that usually it doesn't sting so badly. The film is devilishly entertaining and expertly made, but its nagging insistence of being taken seriously shines a big, bright light on its failings. Its possible that the Coens intend this movie as some sort of rebuke to critics who say they laugh irresponsibly at their own violence, but I doubt it. It's very likely that all these themes are explored much more satisfactorily in McCarthy's book too, presently available at most airports and all Malls and the Southwest Branch of the Mesquite Library.

Afterthought: Anyone with evil Chigurh's Promethean prowess could likely just as easily knock over an armored car or commit serial credit fraud without leaving a trail of collateral damage 16 corpses long. But then, what would he do with the Cattle Gun? Verdict: There is no real gravity in learning that Tommy Lee Jones is no match for the Bogeyman. Worth Your Time. Not Your Money.

It's What We Get (Hailey's)
Alan Palomo and Jason Faries' new dance night seems to be the most promising new electro weekly in the area, featuring a wide variety of pop, disco, and house, all brought to you with a respect for history that you wouldn't expect from a young duo and a taste for the newest dance tracks that you totally would.

Taxi Fare (Zubar)

Vampire Weekend | Uptown Bums | Handclaps and Harmonies (Rubber Gloves)
If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if the Walkmen did a song for song cover of Paul Simon's Graceland, then you probably have too much time on your hands. And if you've ever wondered about that AND thought it might sound cool, then you're probably a dork. And you'd also probably like Vampire Weekend, because they sound like that. I'm being a jerk, I know, but I can't take these NYC buzz bands anymore. If these guys were from Dallas, they'd probably be opening for the Valentines or something.

Kill Me Tomorrow | Koji Kondo | Laura Palmer (Doublewide)
Drawing from a variety of influences ranging from Fugazi to Enon to the Fall to Pere Ubu, San Diego's Kill Me Tomorrow presents a skeletal, drugged out take on art/post-punk that is certainly entertaining enough and quite engaging at times, especially when they allow their more experimental electro leanings a bit of breathing room in the mix. Parade of Flesh has put together an eclectic line up for this show, and you'll want to be certain to show up a bit early for one of Koji Kondo's brief but brutal sets.

Sydney Confirm | Krista LL Muir | Fancy Fist | DJ Mudi (The Cavern)
This show will feature our own Sally Glass playing with Sydney Confirm as Fancy Fist. I've actually never heard her sing in person (you can check one of her songs on her myspace page), but she better be good or she's fucking fired. Love ya sweetz! Krista Muir's indie folk is fairly pleasant if you're into that sort of thing.

Hangar 18 (Rubber Gloves)
I can't stand this goofy rap garbage, but some people apparently like it for some reason.

Thanks to the homies at Radio UTD, we have four pairs of tickets for Iron & Wine's performance at the Palladium Ballroom on Monday, December 10th, and we've decided against our better judgment to give them all away to you guys.



If you want to win, all you have to do is email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com between now and this Thursday at noon. Be sure to type "Iron and Wine" in the subject line and provide us with your first and last name. Four random winners will be notified via email and an announcement on Radio UTD that we'll tell you about soon. Good luck.

Cool Out at the Cavern, Bad Ass Jazz at Amsterdam (I really hate typing that name), and Bernard Wright at Gezellig. Anything else goin' on, cool dudes?

Good Records Local Top 5

1. Mom - Little Brite
2. Dustin Morris - Balance
3. The Polyphonic Spree - Live from Austin, TX
4. Shiny Around the Edges - Applied Quantum Physics
4.(tie) Fishboy - Albatross
5. Zanzibar Snails - Krakkatowiak

Good Records Overall Top 20

1. Sigur Ros - Heima (2DVD/LTD)
2. Sigur Ros - Hvarf-Heim
3. Japancakes - Loveless
4. Octopus Project - Hello, Avalanche
5. Mom - Little Brite
6. Burial - Untrue
7. Various Artists - Brazil 70
8. Phosphorescent - Pride
9. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ask Foriveness
10. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
11. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
12. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
13. Soundtrack - I'm Not There
14. Tunng - Good Arrows
15. Soundtrack - The Darjeeling Limited
16. Pedro - You, Me & Everyone
17. Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
18. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
19. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
20. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas

Strawberry Fields Top 3

1. Shiny Around the Edges - Applied Quantum Physics 7"
2. Raised by Tigers - LED
3. Parata - Heads! Heads! Heads!

Recycled Books Top 5

1. Fishboy - Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lone Star State with the Power of Rock and Roll
2. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
2. Midlake - Bamnan & Slivercork
3. Snarky Puppy - The World is Getting Smaller
4. Mom - Little Brite