Don't quite feel like FRYing out in the sun with a bunch of frat boys this weekend? Ok ok, I might be a little bitter about Fry Street Fair due to some previous bad experiences (I'm talking like near death bad), but personal crap aside, the strength of the following line up should persuade you to at least spend a little bit of time at the 8th Continent on Saturday:
Um, yeah. You might want to spend more than a little time there. I'm not sure what it costs, if anything, but I bet someone can let us know in the comments section. Oh, and while you're pondering your weekend plans, check this little video clip from Zanzibar Snails:
New Science Projects | Real Live Tigers | Gashcat | Desiree Anastasia (Club Dada) This showcase of singer-songwriters marks the return of New Science Projects from an epic tour and the last "New Music Tuesday" at Club Dada. The song on Desiree Anastasia's page that sounds like it has organ or harmonium (would a music schooled gear fetishist please correct me?) is probably the best song sample of the bunch but it's not common for solo acts to lug these instruments around so who knows if you'll get to hear it. Real Live Tigers almost veers into spoken word territory as a result of the deadpan singing style but I prefer that over a lot of the forced histrionics I've endured from singers in this genre as of late. Gashcat is a disturbing name.
Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment, shall we? More often than we'd like, local rock concerts are fairly drab affairs. Sure, seeing a solid local line up in a comfortable venue with a bunch of friends (who might include the bands themselves) can be great fun, but local shows often lack some of the excitement, anticipation, and unexpected pleasures that can transform a run of the mill concert experience into something great. It isn't anyone's fault most of the time, but the concept of diminishing returns tends to seep into the equation once you've seen some of your favorite local bands X amount of times. It usually isn't you and it usually isn't the bands, its just the way things work. After a while, you know what to expect from the bands you catch on a regular basis, and although you'll continue to enjoy their performances, the chances that you'll see or hear something new seem to grow smaller and smaller with each passing experience.
But as anyone who attended Saturday's show at Rubber Gloves can probably attest, the aforementioned state of affairs isn't always the rule. In fact, you didn't even have to be a fan of any of the bands performing on Saturday to pick up on the relatively high level of excitement and energy that was swirling around the venue even before the first act took the stage. Sure, it was clear that many of the people in attendance knew many of the other people in attendance, but scene schmoozing and the consumption of intoxicating substances weren't the only things fueling the fire. Much like a handful of other big shows we've seen in Denton in recent months, the potential for getting carried away was measurably present on Saturday, and it was the bands, not the beers, that were responsible for it.
A sizable portion of the early excitement probably had something to do with the debut performance of Denton's Ghosthustler, a band that has already received a good deal of national blog coverage (thanks largely to Gorilla vs. Bear), college radio play, and casual interest from a noteworthy record label, all on the strength of two Myspace demos and a total of zero shows. This kind of premature attention can often lead to disproportionate tongue in cheek comparisons to ghosts of hype hustlers past, but lets just go ahead and squash all that shit before it starts: lead singer Alan Palomo's microphone basically didn't work throughout the entire set, but it was still quite clear that Ghosthuster is getting ready to start kicking everyone's ass all over town. We don't want to dig too deep into their sound since we're preparing a longer piece on them for later this week, but the combination of Palomo's commanding stage presence along with the alarming precision and glitchy hard hitting dance floor funk of the music was quite exhilarating, particularly for a debut, and the fact that more than half the audience already seemed to know their two songs made the absence of vocals less of a problem than one might imagine. Anyone in attendance that doubted whether Ghosthustler would be able to "pull it off" in a live setting is probably already planning to take a second look, as the band didn't seem at all like one that was playing live for the first time.
Eat Avery's Bones experienced some sound problems throughout their set as well, but again, their hyperactive and devoted fans could have cared less. Its a bit difficult to say much about this band that hasn't already been alluded to on this blog, but I have serious doubts that anyone could watch one of EAB's 15 minute sets and not at least laugh and enjoy themselves enough to consider the experience well worth it. Running through several of their short songs with the comic intensity of a cartoon character on meth, Eat Avery's Bones wowed the room with sheer joy and intensity, and if the speed of light proggy breakdowns or the ferocious pacing of the drums didn't get you, the microphone wizard certainly did (really, all the guy did was stand there holding a mic and he was still hilarious). The band's creativity is infectious in a live setting, and the silliness surrounding much of what they do doesn't end up hiding the fact that they've got the raw talent to do whatever the hell they want. Similar to bands like Japanther, TheMae Shi or even Lightning Bolt, Eat Avery's Bones is able to utilize humor and a sort of 8-bit Hypercolor aesthetic to make the aggressiveness of their music that much more interesting and rewarding.
Austin's Cry Blood Apache was apparently two men short of a full band on Saturday, but that didn't stop them from putting on a fantastic show, albeit a much darker and spacier one than the bands they shared the stage with. Its kind of funny that people in the comment threads were comparing CBA to Suicide and early industrial today, because my first reaction to their set was "sounds like Suicide," and my second reaction was "sounds like Suicide mixed with late 80's Ministry." I guess Nitzer Ebb would be a fair comparison too (as they hint at on their Myspace page), but last time I checked, sounding like any of those bands was far from a bad thing. And I don't mean to suggest that the band is overly derivative either. For one thing, to even remind someone of Suicide in the first place is a commendable accomplishment, and CBA was able to turn it up quite a bit by deconstructing some of Suicide's creepier moments and allowing the chaos of noise and industrial clatter to drill through Rubber Gloves like a psychedelic jackhammer, pounding rhythms and disturbing atmospherics into everyone's heads.
And of course, the Undoing of David Wright, back in action after a hiatus of several months, was jaw droppingly loud and ferocious. The last time I saw one of their shows was several months ago at Darkside Lounge, where the band appeared to be struggling with sound problems, difficult new material and a general lack of focus. On Saturday, despite a few more sound issues, Undoing put on the most aggressive performance I've ever seen from them. A sensory overload of flashing lights, nervous tempo changes and harsh beats yet again served as a forum for Shane English and A Train to display their typically tight playing, but what was really striking was how difficult much of the new material was. The set, although very rhythmic, was noticeably less dance oriented than the typical Undoing set you might have seen over a year ago. The thing is, everyone up front was still dancing. There wasn't a four on the floor beat to be found for more than what seemed like ten seconds, but the crowd was still moving like they always have at Undoing shows. The band appears to be in the process of regrouping and evolving, and if Saturday's show was any indication, they might be headed to some strange but exciting places with both music and visual performance.
Of course, theres no telling what Undoing or any of these other bands might do next. The show was attended by people who had obviously seen the entire line up before, but the excitement in the air made it clear that people were prepared to experience just about anything that night. That mystery is part of what makes all of these bands so good, and it played a big role in making Saturday's performance the best local show I've seen this year.
Black Wizardz | Teenage Cool Kids | How Hard | Patrick P (J&Js) Although its Monday night at J&Js, I'm guessing this show will be anything but subdued,as Alex Atchley's Black Wizardz headline a loud, spastic punk leaning show. Its hard to tell much from Black Wizardz' Myspace page, but the tracks I've listened to sound humorous and frighteningly aggressive, and although the quality of the recordings borders on unlistenable at times, I'm quite intrigued to see what the hell this stuff sounds like in real life, with two dudes on stage. Hopefully it will be as noisy as advertised. The much poppier Teenage Cool Kids seem to take a refreshingly fun and simple approach to pop punk (in a Descendents kinda way), which is saying a lot in 2007.
Death To False Metal: Doom, Drone and Ambient Edition (Rubber Gloves) This is pretty self explanatory, isn't it? Sounds like fun to me.
1. Voot Cha Index - The Talking House/Cradle 7" 2. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times 3. Panda Bear - Person Pitch 4. Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis 5. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Ever Sank 6. Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline 7. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 8. Tame.. Tame & Quiet - Tin Can Communicate 9. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver 10. Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone 11. Innocence Mission - We Walked in Song 12. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha 13. Papercuts - Can't Go Back 14. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait 15. Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future 16. Melee - Devils & Angels 17. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block 18. Eluvium - Copia 19. Low - Drums & Guns 20. Microphones - Don't Smoke/Get Off the Internet 7"
I figured since we were dumb enough to forget about Sunday's Yo La Tengo show, we could at least post their classic video. Anyway, check back with us later for a show review.
Chris Garver | Street Hassle | Jacob Ides (Secret Headquarters) A good songwriter with a lack of self-importance that permeates the work of similar inwardly focused artists. I prefer Garver with a backing band as the sometimes shaky setup only emphasizes the uncomfortable vulnerability of the material. Street Hassle sounds like you like you might expect from a band that named themselves after a Lou Reed solo album, though they sound more like Peel Slowly And See out-takes than his 70's material. This didn't grate on me the way some of the VU knock-off bands do and I hope I can say the same for their live show. Jacob Ide is a singer-songwriter from Oklahoma but his preaching to the choir lyrics, while well-intentioned, possess all the subtlety of being hit in the mouth with a claw hammer.
Select | Sober (Adikt Footwear) Sober and Select play this Gallery Opening at a Adikt Footwear, a specialty sneaker and apparel shop. This event is from 6:00 to 9:00 pm tonight, so you should probably shut down your computer if you're reading this right now and you plan on attending. I'm wondering if Select is ballsy enough to play "Walking On Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox two weekends in a row. Is that a jam now? Without a doubt one of the most confusing DFW music moments I've had in a good while. Thanks, Select.
Tame...Tame And Quiet | A Childlike Fear | Eaton Lake Tonics (The Chatroom) Tame...Tame And Quiet is that rare local band that a wide variety of people seem to agree on, and that includes everyone from the "It's all good" mainstreamers to the hateful hipsters. It's somewhat surprising considering Tame...Tame and Quiet don't seem to go out of their way to please anyone but themselves and I'm glad people are noticing. We would have had the definitive review of their album if I hadn't lost my damn copy. I'll see what we can do. It's never too late to blow everyone's fucking mind. Eaton Lake Tonics features the songs of Anthony Dominic Ferraro played with a revolving cast of backing musicians. As such, there have been mixed reviews of their live shows, none of which really come from reputable sources so we'll see. A Childlike Fear have a creepy name and a creepy sound but that's not a bad thing. Having this CD release show at The Chatroom is definitely not a bad thing and I want to reiterate that this hidden little Fort Worth gem is the only bar where I always completely enjoy myself in the Metroplex. Forget that Old Monk nonsense.
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists | Love Of Diagrams (The Granada) I've never been able to really get behind Ted Leo's work, even in the acclaimed Chisel. I always thought he made more sense as a Lookout Records act as opposed to Touch And Go. Australian openers, Love Is A Diagram sound like they could be okay and they somewhat resemble the late, great Canadian band, The Organ, but without, well...an organ.
SATURDAY
The Undoing of David Wright | Eat Avery's Bones | Cry Blood Apache | Ghost Hustler (Rubber Gloves) It's no secret. We like these people. The whole damn lineup. This could be the show of the Spring. Go if you don't believe me. I'm sure someone you know will. The Undoing of David Wright ends their painfully long hiatus and we're going to do something a little different today by letting the band tell you what they've got planned in their own words with this press release:
The Undoing of David Wright Is Back! Cybernetics, Ghost Stories, and Comics
DENTON, TX – Experimental punk band The Undoing of David Wright returns from hiatus with announcements about their new experiments in performance technology, their April 7th CD release show, and their new comic book.
Six months following the show rumored to be their last, The Undoing of David Wright return to the stage this Saturday, April 7th, at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton, Texas. “Throughout our hiatus we have not been dead or in comas,” defiantly claims programmer/vocalist Lars Larsen. “We have been in a phase of heavy experimentation, developing new songwriting workflows and performance techniques.” The primary shift of which Lars speaks is the introduction of a Computer Machine on stage. Shingles Tuwear (bass) and A. Train (guitar) will now run their instruments thru the Computer Machine’s audio interface for not-so-subtle manipulation, and then back out to their amplifiers. “This approach has afforded us unparalleled freedom in the precise manipulation of our sound, and the automation of Computer Machine-based effects allows us to accomplish previously unimaginable things, such as the ability to, hands-free, swap the sounds of live instruments instantly, in mid-song. In keeping with our original philosophy of concept, we are in this way able to reach towards greater complexity and texture, while further eliminating the need for any knob tweaking mid-set. So we can still drive across the stage on flaming combat motor bikes and make scary faces at all times.”
“The entire experience has become very cybernetic. We’ve always used synthetic drum sounds in an attempt to liberate our creativity – the use of synthetic drums is referenced heavily in the third of our Eight Laws of Undoing. But now the production knowledge we’ve accumulated in this sector can be cross-applied to the biologically controlled instrumentation of the band as well – without altering the immediacy of the performance,” says Larsen. “It’s kind of like building a really badass playground for yourself. To be honest, this crazy ass Computer Machine power should not even be in our hands, because we love playgrounds a lot, even though ours tend to topple over and hurt people.” In addition to the reconfiguration of cables and Computer Machines on stage this Saturday, Larsen promises, with a wicked creepy smile, “a wicked creepy looking sequenced light show, shit-tons of fog, sunglasses with little blue lights in them, and the customary nihilism of any Undoing performance.”
The Undoing of David Wright will release Ghost Stories, a self-produced CD EP, at the show this Saturday. In addition to new tracks featuring The Undoing’s first experimentations with the Computer Machine, the CD will finish with remix and/or live versions of songs from We Dig With Fingers Crossed and the upcoming full-length Tales of The Eighth Continent. There will be a limited, numbered edition of 50 pieces made. That’s right, pieces. Not copies. The packaging is painstakingly created out of layered foam shapes – and each cover will feature unique, one-of-a-kind artwork handmade by the ghost of an infamous Atlantean sculptress the band met while conducting a séance during their most recent Icelandic tour. “We can’t release her name,” Larsen says. “We don’t want just any band to summon her up.” Ghost Stories is an experiment by the band, who are interested in a parallel universe in which music, and all other information, is free; and finding ways for career-driven independent artists to survive requires alternative thinking. “While we are grateful to anyone who contributes financially to our project by the purchase of our recordings, we do not expect the modern consumer of music to feel motivated to purchase physical media unless it is in some way unique, limited, or really fucking cool looking. Ghost Stories is an experiment in all three, to see if these attributes will indeed stir up interest in the purchase of our recordings,” says Larsen. Ghost Stories is a thematic sequel to their 2005 release, We Dig With Fingers Crossed, and features narrative-driven songs about the spirits of deceased grave robbers.
The Undoing of David Wright are still negotiating the release of their upcoming full length, Tales of the Eighth Continent, and hope to see it out by the end of the year. The band will share no details about what projects are up next, only whispering conspiratorially about dark cities in cyberspace and interactive video.
As if the new CD and stage show weren’t enough to keep them busy, The Undoing of David Wright is collaborating with New York comic book artist Sunday Hollis on the first issue of The Undoing of David Wright comic book. “It’s kind of an early 00’s teenage Twilight Zone,” says Larsen, who is the writer. “Doing a comic has always been one of our big wouldn’t-it-be-cool-if ideas, and it’s a pleasant surprise to see it happening.” The first issue is titled The Dorm of Doom Pt. 1, is 6 pages long, and will be self-published by the band. “Our various misadventures are much too larger-than-life for photographs or biographies. They are best recorded in comic books. When we make music, we make it for ourselves. And the comic is aligned with that same philosophy. Therefore, there will be a lot of jokes you won’t get, so don’t try.” The comic will also be released at the April 7th show alongside Ghost Stories and a new run of unique merchandise.
Written by the ghost of William Burke. April 5, 2007.
Wow. It's hard enough for most bands to try keep their guitars in tune.
Beauxregard | Plid | Marcus Rubio | Freak Noise Afterparty with 2MAI (Secret Headquarters) Beauxregard are an ambitious local pop band that evolved out of the now-defunct Trophy Club, a charming local group that disbanded a few years ago. Beauxregard is a little more slick than that outfit but I'd still like to see them to compare and contrast. Plid is straight 80's craziness with some of the most authentic Reagan-era synth sounds I've heard from many of these retro groups. I'm not quite clear on the 2MAI after-party situation but if someone would like to explain, it would be much appreciated.
Unconscious Collective will be playing a free show at Red Blood Club at 1:00 pm.
Tame...Tame And Quiet will also be playing a free in-store today at Good Records at 3 PM. This is in anticipation of their show that night at The Cavern with Black Lights and Tober Omi.
MC Router | Mad Happy (Bar Of Soap) Mad Happy do this mix of folk and hip-hop that sounds somewhat like Portishead and Coco Rosie. MC Router is the premier nerd-core rapper in the area.
