This is a CD release show for Ishi's new album Through the Trees. How about someone send us a copy and I'll review it. I'll probably end up buying a copy tonight anyways because that is just how much I love local music you guys.
Hey remember when I said I was going to review that Sundress album? Well, I have determined at this stage is my analytical career I am having trouble pontificating on works that I have find, for lack of a better word, mediocre. I am working on it though.
I like Museum Creatures alot. Just the kind of abstract pop cacophony that gets my blood boiling. Fans of Max Tundra, Múm or Tigerbeat 6 artist should keep these guys on your radar.
Another CD release this weekend, this time J.Paul Slaven's 'Alphabet Girls Volume I'. I have heard nothing from the new album so far but I am sure it is pretty wacky and original, things we have come to expect from one of the more eccentric acts in the neighborhood. Regardless of his music, Slaven will forever be number one in my book for his job hosting 90.1 at Night which got me through many tough weekends in the past. I can't pick up that new station in my pent house so I haven't heard it since the move. Hope it is still good; I miss it.
B3 | The Adventures Of... | K.MC | John Stewart (Hailey's)
I could not find any information on any of these artist, maybe a little help Yeah Def? The tag line for this show is Flinch Face : Bands that are Shocking so I am expecting some extreme violence metal or some sort of Donny and Marie type incest act. I mean really what is shocking these days?
Dead Meadow and Sans Soleil share alot of the same attributes that I don't like but alot of other people seem to love. Femme Fest (Phoenix Project) Sunday
This weekend Dallas's Phoenix Project will be putting on Femme Fest, a two day festival focusing on the fairest of all sexes. I sat down for a few questions with Jessica, member of Phoenix Collective and also one of many presenters you will encounter this weekend. -FP
What is the concept behind Femme Fest?
Femme Fest is designed to show respect for the female artists/musicians within our community. We hope to empower and encourage women to pursue their dreams of success, whatever they may be. How does this festival coincide with the Phoenix Project mission?
This is about diversity and community, bringing progressive groups together for one common mission, radical change in our East Dallas community through cooperation, trust and solidarity.
In addition to musicians there will be workshops, speakers and other informative treats on the program. How has organizing this compared to one of the more traditional shows that PP puts on?
This has certainly put my organizational and promoting skills to the test. I have literally been eating, breathing and sleeping Femme Fest for the past month. It has taken so many people and groups coming together to makes this happen. Special thanks to Clandestine Project and Chris for helping us out with shirts. Spiral Diner for helping us out with promotion and food for the event. The Labyrinth for their generous donations, Mercy for Animals for their promotion help and Recycle Revolution for donating recycling receptacles.
What do you want the audience to take away from Femme Fest?
That there are many options available as to how you want to live your life.. You create your own reality. Life does not have to be a constant struggle. Through perseverance, family and community we can all find ways to live and work together to create sustainability within our communities and families. We hope men and women alike will feel empowered by the experience this weekend and that they will take that home with them and spread within their own community , workplaces and schools.
Can you tell us a little about DIY birth control?
Here is the intro to the workshop which is the one I will personally be presenting...
Since the 1960’s, when birth control pills were first introduced, millions of women worldwide have taken them, believing they were safe and effective for contraception. Unfortunately, that’s only a half-truth. Birth control pills are indeed very effective at contraception. But the downside is they’re extremely hazardous. Since the introduction of the Pill, there’s been an explosion of women’s diseases and maladies in a scope never experienced before in the history of medicine, including migraine headaches, pms, breast cancer, heart disease, strokes, anxiety disorders, blood clots, high blood pressure, uterine cancer, depression, the list goes on and on.
Accounts of herbal birth control were first described by Hippocrates over 2,000 years ago. Native women of both North and South America made use of more than 200 plants, roots and other medicines as means of birth control.
Controlling women's ability to decide when and how many children are conceived is an historical type of economic control. After the plague in Europe, the Church, which was by far the largest land owner and tax collector, had lost a huge majority of its indentured servants. The feudal system was lost due to great decline in population. The church categorically set out to abolish any means of controlling birth rates to regain its income in the form of serfs. The Church Inquisitors proclaimed, "no one is more dangerous and harmful than the midwives," the wise women that understood how to stop pregnancy and ease the pains of childbirth. They knew methods of abortions as well as contraceptive herbs. The knowledge was passed from woman to woman as men did not treat women. The witch hunts virtually wiped out the knowledge.
I will be going into a detailed examination of the woman's cycle, providing women with basic forgotten knowledge of how their body's work and also providing information on herbal birth control options. The focus is to empower women by helping them realize that their ability to produce life is not a handicap that needs to be controlled with harmful pharmaceuticals. With the right information it is a blessing that we can control and regulate.
Soular Power with Wanz Dover (the Cavern) Wanz will be spinning dub, soul, afrobeat and more at this bi-weekly event.
Delmore Pilcrow | Sir Name and the Janes (The Hydrant) I know DL said something about this yesterday, but whats with all the stupid fucking band names in Denton lately? I don't even want to find out what Sir Name and the Janes is, much less watch them play.
(In an effort to keep Dick Insulator off the street we sent him/her one of the numerous albums submitted to us for review that we haven't had time to get to. You can catch The Caterpillars live tomorrow night at The Door-FP)
This was a handoff. Someone at the office got handed a case. It smelled bad. They could tell it was dirty work. It got slid across the desk to me. Goddammit. I sat on this for the better part of a month and a half. Resented it. Knew it had to be done. It’s okay, girls. Dick’s on it.
The thing is, they asked for it. Caterpillars are ready for the mainstream. They have their Sonic Bids account. They can’t wait for your venue to give them an opportunity for which their paid monies have qualified them. Maybe this will help land them a choice spot at Boiler Room for next year’s NX35 Wank-Around Conferette. They have an artist bio, lyrics, and carefully chosen, standard issue press pictures. They even spent the big bucks on “legendary” producer “Ed Rose”. Caterpillars are begging you to make them the next big thing from the “legendary” Frisco scene, though they fail to make a convincing argument.
It could be said that their songs themselves are an argument. On the opener “One Thousand Times Before,” I thought perhaps the argument was in favor of nature. Lots of really earthy, yet otherworldly descriptive similes. You’ve got your full moons, whispery winds, waves of the ocean, light and fire both lingering; it’s like a fucking bowl of Lucky Charms. Unfortunately, these amount to no real point. From what this reporter can gather, these analogies only serve to help the listener understand that the narrator (Christopher Robinson) was right, and “she” was wrong. That bitch. CR did indicate that he had plans to overcome his non-specific struggle. These ambitions are further (vaguely) outlined with an allusion to “the looming day’s adventure.” I hope it went well. She can’t wait around forever. Or can she? It should be clear at this point to discerning readers that there is nothing new or original here, and therefore I can imagine some people liking it.
The puzzling lyrics and sophomoric insight continue throughout the record. On the second track, CR expresses his death wish. He regrets this boldness immediately, and in the next line admits that, underneath a “Lifetime of Pretense”, he merely wishes to escape people talkin’ that BS. CR feels like a “trapped form in a corporate world” and any number (five, so far) of repetitive, trite breakdowns have not managed to liberate him from his existential bondage. This reporter finds it more than unfortunate that CR admits abandoning a time-honored method of escapism: getting high. Let this EP serve as a reminder to everyone about the potential merits of recreational drug use by musicians. But Dick, tell a brotha how it sound like. Caterpillars fall somewhere between Linkin Park and Brand New, given that they make extensive use of electronic shtick, woeful angst, and uninspiring song structures.
Stylistically speaking, it took until about track 4 for me to realize that the subtle atmospheric electro-ambience was not merely a defining characteristic, it seems an unhealthy fixation. This reminds me of a debate between myself and one ||| on the comments boards last week. What happens when you have glossy, meaningless, use of both sequencing AND guitars? Well, this EP is a prime example. I found their guitar licks to be full of shimmer, glimmer, delay, and safety. Quite similar to The Apple seed Cast, in fact (see legendary producer “Ed Rose”). However, it failed to instill the same kind of longing and 9th grade faux nostalgia which “The ‘Cast” seem to be content with dishing out, years ago, and now re-issuing to get more royalties and tour dates. Drums and bass seem to serve the purpose of just being there like the shit Goldilocks thought was just right. No one will notice. That’s the idea. Then the hungry critics come home, notice that all the mediocre shit has been gobbled up, and proceed to wreck shop.
If you like the guitar stylee put forth by many of today’s rock millionaires, pointless but not utterly terrible vocals, all in front of a mild-porridge rhythm section, Caterpillars might be for you. If overly serious ballads and untapped youthful energy get your box wet, you might want to check out handsome white boy Christopher Robinson and his Caterpillars. Dick, however, has discovered that the lyrics actually contain the antidote for this Caterpillar’s venom:
“I almost fell to the ruined/ But then I learned to cover my ears”
I apologize for not doing an Art List the last two weeks, but I've been extremely busy making IT directors' wildest data center virtualization dreams come with a major beta software release signifying the end of about eight months of my work life. There wasn't much going on really, except Nevada Hill's goings on, as documented by Defensive Listening. But there's more going on this weekend. See for yourself.
Smiling at the Ceiling | Mouse Fire | Peopleodian (Hailey's) I had no idea that Peopleodian had a member of Boy Division, and that their music sounded anything like it does. Their minimal synth-pop was not what I was expecting at all, and perhaps, it's just their name that always throws (or turns) me off. WHAT IS WITH THAT NAME?!
