FRIDAY

The King Khan and BBQ Show | Wax Museums | Uptown Bums (Rubber Gloves)
I'm a bit confused as to all the different stuff King Khan is involved with, but I do know this--most of it rules, and the BBQ show stuff is no exception. The latest record from Khan's other band The Shrines, What Is?, has slowly become one of my favorite albums of the year, with a seemingly perfect mix of psyche, soul, garage and punk/hardcore influences that would probably be fairly impressive on their own. What makes the album great however is the fact that the guy can write insanely energetic, sloppy and soulful songs fifteen times over and stuff a record full of them. Seriously, this record is head and shoulders above the latest Black Lips, and anyone who likes the latter will certainly dig the former. All of the BBQ material I've heard has been good in the same manner with a slightly more melodic twist. This show will be great. And really, download that album.

ADD:There's a grand opening for new Denton record store/clothing store called Time Bandits, located at 108 W. Oak St., Suite 102, on the Square. I'm pretty excited to have a new place to shop for vinyl. The records they show on their Myspace page look really good, and I hope it's indicative of their potential inventory. Show up at 7 tonight, I've heard there will be free vegan cookies.



ADD:Bleach Boys | Stanton Meadowdale | Golden Boys (J &J's Pizza)
The Bleach Boys are a fierce surf-influenced punk band as well as an unlikely match for these two bands, but that makes this show definitely worth checking out. I've heard so many different things about the "loud band" situation at J & J's, and this bill seems to sum up all of that confusion nicely. I like being confused, so see you there.



The Dead See | 4 Days to Burn | The Conquerors (Red Blood Club)


The Dead See features members of disbanded Lubbock hardcore acts, Dolores and Skyscraper. If the intensity of those groups is any indication, my curiosity is definitely piqued. Fun Fact: Dead See guitarist Neil Barrett is the guy talking to Lightning Bolt about how awesome they are in the Lubbock scene of The Power of Salad DVD. Bands such as High on Fire and Pig Destroyer are listed as influences on their Myspace page, and it probably serves as a fairly accurate description of their sound-- grindcore and metal and various subgenres emerge throughout.
Tegan and Sara | Northern State (House of Blues)

SATURDAY

The Evens (Public Trust)
This certainly appears to be the Public Trust's coming out party as a viable place to see music in the area. How the rest of the venues in Dallas missed this one I'll never know (I guess they couldn't cancel one of their cover band nights or something), but honestly, I'm glad I don't have to go somewhere depressing (see the vast majority of bars and venues in Dallas) to see this show. I'm going to assume that I don't have to give anyone here a lesson on Minor Threat or Fugazi, and I probably don't have to tell any of you that The Evens sound nothing like either of those bands, so instead I'll just tell you that this show is cheap (5 bucks), there are NO PRESALES, and it starts promptly at 830. I've head rumors that those who can't get into the softer side of Ian via the Evens have consistently been impressed with how good they are live, and the chance to see such a legend in an intimate setting like this would be worth it even if he was just farting on a drum stick or something. Get there early sweeties.

Old Time Relijun | Burnt Sienna Trio | Violent Squid (Hailey's)
Considering that Old Time Relijun sounds like what would happen if Talking Heads formed a band with James Chance and Captain Beefheart, it's a bit surprising that they are on K Records and associate with the Portland/Anacortes, WA psyche folk crowd, but that's how they roll. I had the chance to watch some of their performances on Youtube, and I bet you won't get short changed if you watch em in person... and somehow, Burnt Sienna Trio and Violent Squid seem to be the perfect compliments for this band. Props to whoever put this bill together.

Record Hop | Meneguar | Teenage Cool Kids | Nouns Group (715 Panhandle)


Meneguar and Teenage Cool Kids share some similarities in that: A.) Both inspire spirited sing-alongs with the crowds they play in front of. B.) They seem like they could have co-existed and toured together in the mid to late 90's. Not only is that not a knock against them, I doubt they would ever take it as one. Record Hop has started to sound so huge, it will be a privilege to see them try to trap their arena tendencies within the confines of the fairly small playing area of Panhandle. This show starts early, at 8 O'clock. Pray that the Denton Police aren't the surprise special guests.

Wastemaker with Estaw | Chew Fu Phat | Select | Prince William | hosted by Pretty Vacant (Sloppyworld)
The owner of Sloppyworld recently commented that he was going to be running some underground type of unofficial shows at his new spot, and this one looks to be a really good excuse to go check this place out (but I'm just going for the show considering that I was like the first person to see it... ha ha). I've had the chance to listen to some Estaw remixes, and after hearing them AND Prince William's latest mix tape, I'll be more than happy to head to sloppy world and drink the FREE BEER they'll provide. And I don't take free beer from just anybody you know.

Official ADIKT Party-- Do Over with A One | Joe Rich/Churz (Gezellig)

Paul Oakenfold (Lizard Lounge)
Yeah, Lizard Lounge sucks, and most of the people who will be at this show probably think Paul Oakenfold is like an ugly Robbie Williams or something, but the guy basically started Madchester, introduced the concept of Raves to England, and was like the first dude to ever party in Ibiza. That's worth noting. A friend of the late Tony Wilson is a friend of mine.

The Theater Fire | Mermaid Blonde (Lee Harvey's)
Wildcat did a lil' interview with dude from Mermaid Blonde below, and I have to say that as much as I love to hate anything from Austin, I really dig the tracks I've heard from this guy-- quite noise, dreamy bedroom pop and a drugged out glaze are probably things you could say to describe MB's songs, and I wonder how this music might sound outside on a cool evening. Guess you can find out if you want.... I just might.

Bridges and Blinking Lights | Red Monroe | George Neal | Matthew and the Arrogrant Sea (Rubber Gloves)
CD release party for Bridges and Blinking Lights.

Denton County Revelators are playing at Campus Barber Shop on Fry St. at 5:30... free BBQ will supposedly be included.



Lyrics Born | Underdawgs (The Loft)

SUNDAY

AIDS Wolf | Undoing of David Wright | El Paso Hot Button | Church of the Snake | Pretty Vacant DJs (Public Trust)
Public Trust really knocks it out of the fucking ballpark this weekend. First The Evens, now this. For all the talk of how noisy AIDS Wolf is, they are surprisingly accessible. Comparable 90's act Harry Pussy were much more erratic when I heard them again recently. In other words, go see this show even if you think it might be that kind of music or just formless noise shit. You might be pleasantly surprised. There will also be a "one night only" exhibition of work from the group's poster making outfit, Seripop, which would be worth attending even if all these great bands weren't performing. Seripop's output has looked a little cleaner lately, but no less interesting or bizarre. We've covered the live activities every other act playing here on a regular basis, but I wanted to add that it's cool to see Pretty Vacant playing as well. Shows at the Public Trust aren't always of the greatest sound quality in the world, but the atmosphere is perfect.

(Defensive Listening contributed to this post)

The weather alone should make for a pleasant night at Lee Harvey's this weekend, and as an added bonus, LH hosts The Theater Fire with Austin's Mermaid Blonde on Saturday. Paul Brinkley shoulders the load in Mermaid Blonde while also contributing to a band called Goodnight, Fish. GF has demonstrated organizational wherewithal and a willingness to saunter up I35 to play the occasional DFWd show, but Saturday night will be MB's first attempt in Dallas.

Paul answered a few questions for us:

What's the relationship between Mermaid Blonde and Goodnight, Fish? Are you the only member that's in both bands?

I am Mermaid Blonde, at least from the recording sense, and in a “normal” lineup live, I would be the only common factor, besides Art (Narrow Escapes, Meryll) who has been playing with Goodnight, Fish lately. However, due to extenuating circumstances, Brendan (a major component of Goodnight, Fish) will have a key role to play at this particular show. Mermaid Blonde was conceived of as an Austin only band in order to facilitate shows, but seeing as how this show is in Dallas, and my longtime musical co-conspirator lives in Fort Worth, I was happy to make an exception, and luckily, Brendan agreed to help out with my pet project.

I noticed that Goodnight, Fish hooked up with Tame... Tame and Quiet for a couple of shows together a while back. Was it one in DFWd and one in Austin? How'd that connection come about?

I’m not really the one to ask about that… but as far as I understand, this friendship arose from the great Metrognome Collective. We were lucky enough to make their acquaintance and even luckier still to play with them. We played with them in Denton, and were supposed to play at the Mohawk in Austin, but a misunderstanding deprived Austin of Tame, Tame that night. Unfortunate - they’re amazing, as you all know.

Whereas Tame...Tame & Quiet is not an intuitive match for the type of music you make, Theater Fire and Mermaid Blonde seem like you'd complement eachother very well. How did Saturday's show with Theater Fire get arranged? Do you know the guys in Theater Fire?

It’s kind of a weird complement don’t you think? I’m not exactly sure how this happened – internet friendship allowed this opportunity, but I’m not sure how they thought of us. We’ve only played a handful of shows in Austin, and the record is still forthcoming, and we’re terribly excited to get to play with such a great band. I’d found a Theatre Fire cd years ago (bought it used, turned out it was a free demo) and then ended up playing in Denton with them when I was filling in on drums with The Lovely Sparrows. So I sort of know them, and was awed by the show they put on.

The number of places to see music around here has been dwindling at a steady pace for some time now. It's a great bar, but Lee Harvey's isn't really in the rotation as far as smallish rock venues go. Every once in a while they seem to step up to the plate with a nice show. A lot of people think that it reminds them of an "Austin" bar. Hopefully playing there will represent an improvement over the various Austin living rooms you've experienced. Have you ever been there?

I’ve never been to Lee Harvey’s. Can you give me directions? It’s huge improvement over trying to play through my sad PA at a friend’s house while people spill beer on our equipment. Dallas seems like a hard town to ‘crack’ musically, and I’m pretty ignorant about the venues there. I hope it’s not too much like an Austin bar – all that would mean is expensive drinks and no smoking.

What's the last show you played as Mermaid Blonde? Do you expect to play Saturday night pretty wheels off, or do you have things more or less polished?

The last show we played was almost impromptu. We were going to play another living room, then not, then we did. This was on 7-7-07 and it was a prime example of Mermaid Blonde unpolished, or at least unpracticed. Thanks for reminding me. The lineup for the Dallas show will make it more polished and more stripped down yet more glorious at the same time. This show is only a three piece, and this is two of the members’ first show with me, and they sound awesome. We’ve added guitarist Steven Garcia (who is Ghost Night, is also an alumnus of The Lovely Sparrows and is closely affiliated with the Austin label Natrix Natrix) and of course Brendan. Basically, we’ve thrown this together quickly but not haphazardly and these two fellows are helping me realize my dream of a Grand but lo-fi interpretation of an ill-fated seafaring voyage. In short, this incarnation of the band will be polished to just the right extent, and should be able to more closely express what exactly Mermaid Blonde is.

Will you be taking requests?

Only if you request a song we plan on playing. On thing is for sure though, we’ll be playing a special song that everyone should know.

Goodnight, Fish is scheduled to play at Hemphill on Dec. 7th. Here's a link to a session they played on 91.7FM out of San Antonio.

Monotonix | Life Death Continuum | Rival Gang | Young Widows (Eighth Continent)
Anyone who caught the Monotonix show earlier this year can tell you that tonight's show will be one of the most surreal and completely fucked experiences you'll ever have watching a live band. At once confrontational, interactive, uncomfortable, yet ultimately triumphant, they put on one of the craziest shows I've ever seen. And I've seen some shit. Their music isn't exactly indicative of how intense they are live, but that almost seems to add to their awesome absurdity. Life Death Continuum will be making their Denton debut (I think) and it will be the perfect setting if you've yet to see them or you're too Dentoned out to go to The Red Blood Club. Rival Gang is the official name of the collaboration between Record Hop's Ashley Cromeens and the remaining members of C!TR. Their overall sound seems to have darkened a little, yet hasn't completely lost the humor or fun involved in their last project.

Pack Of Wolves | Caddis | Four Days To Burn (1919hemphill)

Gunshy | Judas Claiborne | A Childlike Fear (Rubber Gloves)

Red Monroe | Smile Smile (8.0 in Fort Worth)
If someone would like to let us know a little more about this venue, it would be greatly appreciated.

80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's)

Buck 65 (Cambridge Room at House Of Blues)

Mystechs | Laura Palmer | The Tah-Dahs | The Dutch Treats (Double Wide)
No shortage of novelty here tonight, but John Freeman was so good hosting that second night of Rock Lottery, that I've made it a priority to see The Dutch Treats live.

Lost Generation With Wanz (Fallout Lounge)

We have three things to share with you this evening:

The first is a video from Denton's Shiny Around the Edges for their cover of Willie Nelson's "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye," a track they collaborated on with Castanets' Ray Raposa. If you've ever thought "man, I wish I could hear a haunted, minimal drone cover of a Willie Nelson song," then today is your lucky day:



The second is a podcast that we recently downloaded off of Shane English's new blog The Soundhead. Featuring everything from early industrial to noisy 70's Japanese Psyche rock to White Noise to Kraftwerk to no wave, its honestly one of the most interesting podcasts I've heard in a long time, due not only to the rarity and variety of the tracks, but also because of how instantly listenable the whole thing is. You won't find any pointless name drop trump cards here.

And the third is the latest mix tape from Prince William entitled Maker Maker. I'll let the track list tell you what you want to know:

Boys Noize-Deny SelectedAmerie-Take Control of Me (ESTAW refix)
Tepr-En Direct De La Cote (Alavi Rerox)
Hawatha Hurd-Fuckin' With Me (Super Commodore remix)
Dj Touche-Girls A Freak (Boy 8 Bit remix)
Snoop Dogg-Make It Clap (Hostage remix)
Crime Mob-Shine 'Cause I Grind (Christopher Wade OMG LOL mix)
Keyshia Cole-Let It Go (Kingdom 909 mix)
Depeche Mode-Just Cant Get Enough (Skeet Skeet's Iphone Ringtone edit)
Krazy Fiesta-Never Zkared
Marc Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse-Valerie (Sinden and Count of Monte Cristal Mix)
Simian Mobile Disco-Hustler (Armand Van Helden mix)
Benny Benassi vs. Public Enemy-Bring the Noise (Pump Kin mix)
Lexxy and K-Paul-Ponyboy (Boris Dlugosch mix)
Relentless-Soda Romp (Super Commodore remix)
The Funk Monkeys-Remember the Time (Sebastian Leger remix)
Plimsouls-Hold On
Chamillionaire-Industry Groupie

Aside from the excellent Taxi Fare at Zubar (featuring dancehall, one drop, reggae, etc), tonight is the third downer in a row around these parts (ha ha, just kidding. There is more if you just read below). But don't worry, things will pick up tomorrow as far as shows go, and we DO have more to post tonight, tomorrow and the rest of the week.



ADDED: Stupid me, I forgot to tell you about 2 things, and a third that happened after I posted:



The first is the Cyclecide show featuring Violent Squid and Life-Death Continuum, happening tonight at 1837 Corinth Street, better known as the Disturbathon wharehouse. The only thing more disturbing than what happens at Disturbathon is the neighborhood it takes place in, but check it out--it's part of the fun. Show starts around 9 I believe, and it involves bikes.



The second is Short Attention Span Theater at Rubber Gloves.



The third is Alan Palomo's It's What We Get DJing at Hailey's after Hailey's scheduled act canceled their show. Should be fun.

I wonder what this is going to sound like... but I'm excited to find out. Pretty big news for some of us.

It's been a while since we checked in with Sally Glass, and she has a bunch of great stuff posted from shows like Vorvadoss, Life-Death Continuum, and more. Look at em.

Somewhat slow night. Please feel free to use the comments section to debate that new Joy Division movie, Hotel Chevalier, and the future of Product Placement, like Stonedranger and I did last night.

Tonight the House Of Blues is hosting The Polyphonic Spree. In tonight's related news, McDonald's is hosting the McRib.

The Hourly Radio | IAMX (Club Dada)