Mom | Tree Wave | Shiny Around the Edges | Voot Cha Index | History at Our Disposal (Granada) I've been looking forward to this one for the past week or so-- seems like a really big show for Mom, a band that has the backing of CJ Davis' record label and a reputation for solid live shows that seems to be growing by the day. Frankly, I find it strange and quite pleasing that they've received as much attention as they have to this point-- Dallas is one of the last places in which you'd expect to see a quiet, soundscaping "electroacoustic" band start to gain a noteworthy following. More Music for Airports than Behind the Music, Mom's compositions are typically like a pleasant daydream, and I mean that as a compliment. Rounding out the bill are the excellent Shiny Around the Edges and Voot Cha Index, a band that clearly isn't for everyone but probably underrated locally.... it's too bad they have to break up before any of them are old enough to hang out in many of the places they perform. And this just seems like the perfect place to make my final DOMA comment of the year--honestly, free food and shit like that aside, how many of you would rather see tonight's Granada line-up than last nights? Despite the potentially contrarian anon comments this question will attract, I'm guessing the percentage is quite high, even among those who actually went to the ceremony last night. To me, that says it all.
Sarah Reddington Farewell Show with New Science Projects | Daniel Folmer | Chris Garver (Rubber Gloves) The members of Sarah Reddington are clearly smart-- they picked the month of August (and the hottest week of the year at that) to pack up and ship off to beautiful Portland, OR where they plan to continue being Sarah Reddington in much more tolerable temperatures. I honestly didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with their music while they played around these parts, but I always dug what I heard, and I wish them the best. They sound like a band that could continue to become more and more interesting.
La Piovra/The Bleach Boys/Druids on Parade (1919 Hemphill) Bleach Boys rule. Seriously. Listen.
Sorry... Myspace isn't working for me right now, so I guess you can't listen.
now for something almost as important as the observer awards
I just thought some of you would enjoy reading this article from the Nation's John Nichols, who sums up the failures of Karl Rove and points out that he might not have been the brilliant Machiavellian mastermind that many of us thought.
More posts (aside from the It List) coming later today.
Here we have two events I can't really endorse at all.
Dallas Observer Music Awards (The Granada) The event everyone has been waiting for. All the controversy, all the hype, all of the showcases at poorly chosen venues, leading up to this one glorious night where we celebrate C-list Dallas celebrities and all the free Red Stripe you can drink. (bottled fucking water however is one dollar, even if you're VIP. ). Big D Little D had better not rip off the We Shot JR street apparel look from last year's awards, we worked really hard on those outfits. I don't know what we have in store for everyone in the event that we would have to an accept an award, but I do know that this year's ceremony has made me nostalgic for the general mediocrity of last year's, and that's something that's hard to admit considering I gave a somewhat scathing review last time around. The supergroup theme of this year's headliner is highly indicative of the current baffling and somewhat clueless state of the paper and not all of that group is what I would call super. And to think that their music editor had the nerve to call our anons "boring." Judging from their recent coverage, please let me be bored. All hangups aside, just try to have a good time.
Sean Hannity Freedom Concert featuring Montgomery Gentry, Lee Greenwood (Nokia Theater) This is what I like to see. A Hannity related event that was co-created and sometimes presented by Oliver North is definitely freedom in action. You too can become a felon on multiple counts in our country, sell weapons and drugs to a worldwide network of everyone from our supposed enemies in Iran to Central America, testify and be sentenced, and then get off the hook to not only become a FOX News correspondent (wonder if he has a Myspace?) but to also put together family-friendly events like this. If that isn't what real freedom's all about, I don't know what is. Yes, I know it's for charity but the irony here is amazing on a level that a kid with a colored bandana around his neck and an Alf t-shirt can't touch.
Feel like going to see Cat Power this Friday the 17th at the Granada? Don't feel like paying for it? Well, email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and 4pm this Wednesday August 15th for a chance to win two free tickets to the show. Just give us your name, and make sure "cat power" appears in the subject line. You can thank the Granada Theater for the hook up.
Screaming Females | Angry Businessmen | Koji Kondo | Rocket For Ethiopia (1919 Hemphill) This powerful lineup has resulted in an unplanned trip to Fort Worth and that's a real drag, my friends. We're talking up to an hour and a half in rush hour traffic. Luckily, it will be worth it since we have some of the area's best bands that exemplify hardcore as a relevant, resilient and evolving genre coupled with New Jersey's Screaming Females, who sound pretty great judging from their page samples and even seem to exhibit some diversity, something that is often lacking as I scour these band pages. I recommend the track "Baby Jesus", which balances the band's abrasive tone with some choppy rhythms and a memorable melody. I also saw some bulletin where someone described this band as "awkward." Always a plus, in my opinion. Where there's awkwardness, there is also often genuineness. An increasing rarity in today's eyesore (or earsore) of a musical landscape.
Cool Out with Schwa And Big J (The Cavern) If you hate the pictures so much, why don't you show up and see if you look any better?
1. Mom - Little Brite 2. St. Vincent - Marry Me 3. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army 4. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army (ltd.) 5. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
OVERALL TOP 20
1. Okkervil River - The Stage Names (ltd.) 2. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 3. Okkervil River - The Stage Names 4. Mom - Little Brite 5. St. Vincent - Marry Me 6. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army 7. Magnolia Electric Co. - Sojourner 8. Art Brut - It's a Bit Complicated 9. Matthew Dear - Asa Breed 10. Lightning Dust - Lightning Dust 11. Nick Drake - Family Tree 12. John Vanderslice - Emerald City 13. Bad Brains - Build a Nation 14. Justice - Cross 15. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army 16. Ween - Friends EP 17. Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold 18. Magic Numbers - Those the Brokes 19. Ola Podrida - Ola Podrida 20. Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
WED: Mom/Tree Wave/Shiny Around the Edges/Voot Cha Index/History at our Disposal (Granada) WED: Sarah Reddington Farewell Show (Rubber Gloves) THURS: Ladybug Transistor/Paper Cuts/Brooke Opie (Rubber Gloves) FRI: Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues Band/Micah P Hinson (Granada) FRI: Stereo on Strike Party (Minc) SAT: Record Hop/White Drugs/Douche (Fra House) SAT: New Sabbath Festival (J&Js and Denton Square) SAT: Social Junk/Pony Bones/Mugu Guyman/Zanzibar Snails (House of Tinnitus)
Not to get all emotional on you, but Tony Wilson had such a huge impact on how I listen to music (and which music I listen to) that I had to post something about his death. He will be missed.
