New stuff from Tortoise as Bumps, Goose, Von Sudenfed, Thomas Fehlman, The Eternals, Battles and Apparat.
New old stuff from Keith Levene,Can, Richie Hawtin, Pop Group and more.
I was unimpressed by Battles the other night. Those people with their arms crossed that everyone keeps bitching about? Yeah, that was us. Give me a reason to uncross them and I might. Might.
Also, if you are at all familiar with the kind of crowd that used to be into Don Caballero or Storm And Stress, you would know that those people practically wrote the book on crossing their arms at shows. Damn.
80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's) I hate when they play Joe Jackson because Stonedranger will sometimes cry, and I have to console him.
Sticky Buns | Faux Fox | Pretty Vacant (Rubber Gloves) Should be another good sticky buns show tonight, and this time they've added Faux Fox and Pretty Vacant to the bill.
The B52s (House of Blues) The B52s used to be cool and all, but this shit costs 50 bucks, and I wasn't planning on taking it too seriously. And you know what sucks? I couldn't find one funny picture of Fred Schneider on a Google image search. Not one. It would have made this post at least three times better. So up yours, Fred Schneider.
Pete Best (Granada) I guess theres a bit of Pete Best in all of us, isn't there? You know, that part of you who is still suffering from that time that you had a chance to do something life changing and cool, and then for whatever reason it got all fucked up and you ended up playing shows at the Granada in Dallas instead of being a knighted billionaire? Well, the next time I want to be reminded of that part of me, I'll go to a Pete Best concert.
The story of Deep Ellum's downfall has become as played out as the neighborhood itself, but the tale of Expo Park's rise is just starting to get interesting. Over the past several years, the small community of bars, cafes and lofts located at the corner of Exposition and Perry has emerged as an on again off again alternative to the dreary Deep Ellum and dude-brah controlled Greenville, providing an intimate and relatively hastle free environment in which several interesting things might (or might not) be happening within mere feet of one another on a given night. Places like the Amsterdam, Art Club, Fallout and Minc have all hosted at least a few solid shows (along with some bad ones as well) over the past three years, and the popular neighborhood spot Meridian Room has continued to be a favorite of many East Dallas and Oak Cliff residents. Expo Park does face it's share of problems- crime, inconsistent venue booking, and that annoying homeless magician in the parking lot, but one newcomer to the neighborhood might help to raise the bar in area that already seems to be on the up and up.
As I walked through the relatively empty space at the corner of Perry and 2nd Ave that will soon be known as Sloppyworld, scene veteran and Sloppyworld proprietor John Freeman began to explain why he decided to risk a great deal of time and money to open a new music venue in a city that hasn't exactly been hospitable to such things lately. "Expo Park is the last cool neighborhood in Dallas," Freeman says, "and we can't let it die too. This might be our last chance." This kind of intensity and concern for the state of local music is a force that seems to guide Freeman in his vision for Sloppyworld, which will be Expo Park's first full time live music venue. He also seems to possess a keen sense of practicality.
"Dallas needs a cool mid sized venue run by people who are musicians themselves," he says, and any objective observer would have to admit that he has a point. With the closing of Gypsy Tea Room and Trees, as well as the emergence of the somewhat cold and corporate Palladium Loft and House of Blues, it is clear that Dallas could use a mid sized venue (200-500 capacity) run by someone who understands the city and the void that currently exists for more eclectic and experimental shows. Sure, places like Art Club and Doublewide will have a good show here and there, but due either to the size and/or booking preferences of Dallas' current venues, there doesn't appear to be a single place that is looking to consistently book the kinds of acts that many readers of this blog might enjoy. Like many in the area, Freeman realized that there was a sizable niche in the Dallas live music market that wasn't be satisfied, and he decided that it was prime time to seize a golden opportunity.
John Freeman's history in the Dallas and Denton music and art scenes is fairly well known, and his experience as both a musician, a venue employee and a promoter has been highly influential on his vision for Sloppyworld. He has seen and done a lot, working at the Argo, organizing as a member of the Good/Bad Art Collective, and most recently booking quality acts like Beach House for The Amsterdam. Learning from both the good and the bad, Freeman seems capable of taking the best aspects from some of those well known ventures and applying them to the concept and reality of Sloppyworld. "I can promise you that (Sloppyworld) will be like nothing you've ever seen," he says, adding that he envisions the place will be "kind of a mixture of the Argo, the old Good/Bad Art Collective, the Orbit Room, and a bizarre x factor that is all my own." He plans to have the venue open anywhere from 5-7 days a week, and hopes that the place will be seen not only as a venue, but as an epicenter for the musical and creative community in the area, hosting various activities and events in addition to the kinds of concerts that often have to venture north to Denton to find a home these days.
When I visited Sloppyworld a few weeks ago, the two things that became apparent from the get-go were it's size and highly desirable location. Located in 80 plus year old building that previously housed an antique store, the space's high ceilings, structural support beams and large, rectangular shape help create a spacious and warm atmosphere that is glaringly absent at places like House of Blues (duh). Furthermore, it's corner location assures that Sloppyworld will be one of the most highly visible venues on Perry street, situated a few dozed feet away from Meridian Room and Bar of Soap.
Of course, with so many upsides to a place that will be located in the economically depressed Fair Park area, it would seem that the city of Dallas would be more than accommodating to a business owner like Freeman. But unfortunately, things have not gone as smoothly in the planning and permit stage as one might hope. After several unsuccessful and unassisted attempts to figure out what kinds of permits were needed for the venue, Freeman's original opening date had to be pushed back several months in order to get all the paper work in place. "I had been to the permit building in Oak Cliff seven times over three months before they just told me that I needed a special use permit," Freeman said, "so then I had to go to City Hall, and it takes two months to process." City officials were largely indifferent throughout the process, but the problematic delays in construction were at least somewhat mitigated by some of Freeman's helpful neighbors and friends. "The girls at Doublewide have been amazingly supportive. Bar of Soap, Meridian Room, Fallout Lounge, and even Club Dada and Rubber Gloves have all sent their support. They're smart enough to realize that a new bar/venue in this area could only help everyone and bring more business to the area, which benefits everyone."
With the official opening date now set some time in mid to late September, Sloppyworld is just a few months away from opening it's doors. Of course, one new venue is not going to change the face of the neighborhood or the Dallas music scene at large, but talking with Freeman convinced me that he has the experience, integrity and musical knowledge to book good shows and run the venue in a way that should be beneficial to patrons and performers alike. Not every show will be something we're all into, but considering some of the highly respectable names he mentioned when discussing possible bands to book (I promised I wouldn't tell who), Sloppyworld's presence on the scene seems like one of the most promising developments in Dallas music in some time. "I plan to book bands that might not get shows here otherwise," Freeman says, "and I like strange and interesting bills where you have a mixture of bands on the same evening that may not seem to fit on paper, but when you put them together, some kind of rock n roll alchemy makes it the best show you've ever seen." How many Dallas venue owners have said something like that recently?
(Thanks to Dudes McRudes for taking the pictures above)
The Police (American Airlines Center) What am I supposed to say about the Police? I was thinking of cutting and pasting from the "old band that used to be good and then broke up, went through tough times and then came back to overcharge for a reunion tour in which they bank on nostalgia and bore people to tears with embarrassing new stuff" file, but I'll spare you.
Klever | Sober (Suite-4515 Travis St.) I have no idea what Suite is, but I'm guessing the uptown location probably explains most of what you need to know. Should be some weeknight fun for those that venture on to that side of 75 however, and if you aren't one of those people, you might want to make an exception tonight as Klever returns to Dallas for another show with Central Booking. I don't believe there is a cover, and they get points for chicks on cars poster.
Great Northern | Dove Hunter | Current Leaves (Palladium) I'm not the only one who sometimes goes on a band's Myspace, listens to a very short portion of one song and then completely dismisses them, right? I'm sure I'm not. But that is exactly what I just did with Great Northern. I've listened to exactly 10 seconds of their music, so don't bother asking for details. They blow. aNd iT DiDN't HeLP thAT tHey SPeLL THeir sOng TItLes liKe tHIS either. Actually, after listening to ten seconds of that garbage, hearing Dove Hunter immediately afterwards was a treat, even though I'm not the biggest fan in the world. And we're still waiting for Current Leaves to put that second full length together, but they've got some big fans of their live show amongst our crew.
1. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army (ltd. ed.) 2. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army 3. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait 4. The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy 5. St. Vincent - Paris is Burning
OVERALL TOP 20
1. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army (ltd. ed.) 2. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army 3. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait 4. Panda Bear - Person Pitch LP 5. Menomena - Friend and Foe 6. Amiina - Kurr 7. Jaylib - Champion Sound (re-issue) 8. Mice Parade - Mice Parade 9. Art Brut - It's a Bit Complicated 10. Battles - Mirrored 11. White Rabbits - Fort Nightly 12. Sea & Cake - Everybody 13. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum 14. Tomahawk - Anonymous 15. Efterklang - Under Giant Trees 16. Fennesz Sakamoto - Cendre 17. Bumps - Bumps 18. Dungen - Tio Bitar 19. Band of Bees - Octopus 20. Elliott Smith - New Moon
The new Black Moth Super Rainbow, Fennesz and Dungen are all really good. You should buy them. And do you think they pushed hard on the new Polyphonic Spree record over at Good last week?
Battles | The Frenz | Ponytail (Hailey's) Battles released their long awaited full-length last month and they seem to have alienated some of the audience they amassed with their first handful of ep's, but they most likely have gained a new one. Since signing to Warp they have been featured in places as strange as NME, and various other rags you don't usually find music with such a strong experimental pedigree. I'm not sure what to make of the new album, due to the whole thing being practically ruined with ridiculous and sped-up chipmunk vocals, but if that doesn't bother you then there is some genuinely interesting music there. The show will be worth it just for the frantic drumming and to witness how they pull off all of their sonic tricks live. The Frenz is Wanz Dover's most straight-ahead project, but even that's due to be untrue on a given night. The critically acclaimed Ponytail hail from Baltimore and they kind of sound like Deerhoof and the The Fucking Champs.
Jana Hunter | Brooke Opie | Oveo (Rubber Gloves) Jana Hunter has done pretty well for a singer from the rough streets of Arlington. She might be the only musician from this area to release something through Troubleman Unlimited unless you count Farah, and you should. Her song-writing is enjoyably sleepy and understated, and her vocals are much less grating than some of her contemporaries or than you would expect from someone championed by Devendra Barnhart. I think it's great that the avant/improv duo Oveo are playing with these two singer-songwriters. They played a much more punishing set than usual the last time I caught them at The Eighth Continent. Add the lovely vocals of Brooke Opie and you have what seems like a very solid yet varied show.
NOTE: Jana Hunter will be performing an in-store at Good Records at 6:30 pm.
Thanks so much for having me at your place on Friday night. I enjoyed the VHS or Beta and Roxy Cottontail show quite a bit, and I appreciate the fact that it was free. And you know what? I didn't even hate your venue as much as I thought I would. True, the no smoking thing is really lame, but with easy access to the large balcony, it's really not that big of a problem. And yes, the place does feel a bit more like a Carnival Cruise ship than an "edgy" downtown loft, but all things considered, I suppose it's not bad. In fact, I'll happily attend a concert there again. The only bit of advice I'd like to offer is to either retrain your current security staff or go out and get a new one. I didn't experience a lot of hostility personally, but I did witness a couple of the security guards being unnecessarily aggressive assholes several times throughout the evening in various situations. Now, I realize that you're just starting out, and there are certainly going to be a few bumps in the road. But if you could just go ahead and let the security staff know that they don't have to take a violent tone when they're telling people that the bar is closed or that they can't walk down a certain hallway, it would go a long way towards making people want to come back again. In fact, if they could tone down their attitude a little bit all together, I think it would help convince people that Palladium is a decent place to see a show. Thanks very much.
SHOWS OF NOTE THIS WEEK:
MON: Battles/Ponytail/The Frenz (Hailey's) MON: Jana Hunter/Oveo/Brooke Opie (Rubber Gloves) FRI: 400 Blows/Weedeater/Mitra (Pastime Tavern) FRI: Chromeo Record Release with Keith P/Schwa/Select (Fallout Lounge) SAT: Faux Fox/Ghosthustler/The Party DJs (Granada) FREE SAT: Mincemeat or Tenspeed/Cars Will Burn/Dave Smolen/Brokenizer/Dromez (House of Tinnitus) SAT: Attractive and Popular/Stag Film (Pastime Tavern)
The story of Deep Ellum's downfall has become as played out as the neighborhood itself, but the tale of Expo Park's rise is just starting to get interesting. Over the past several years, the small community of bars, cafes and lofts located at the corner of Exposition and Perry has emerged as an on again off again alternative to the dreary Deep Ellum and dude-brah controlled Greenville, providing an intimate and relatively hastle free environment in which several interesting things might (or might not) be happening within mere feet of one another on a given night. Places like the Amsterdam, Art Club, Fallout and Minc have all hosted at least a few solid shows (along with some bad ones as well) over the past three years, and the popular neighborhood spot Meridian Room has continued to be a favorite of many East Dallas and Oak Cliff residents. Expo Park does face it's share of problems- crime, inconsistent venue booking, and that annoying homeless magician in the parking lot, but one newcomer to the neighborhood might help to raise the bar in area that already seems to be on the up and up.
