Thought I would go with a topical selection this week. Now I don't know if I would really call this a controversy but Bongwater leading lady Ann Magnuson's fan page (maintained and frequently updated by Manuson) was recently kicked off of Facebook for a pretty stupid reason. You might think that it was because of some sort of radical leftist agenda she was pushing but instead it was because of the picture below. A nudity free mock up album cover, obvious spoof of the Roxy album, that had never been released and she was sharing with her fans. Of course her few but dedicated followers made an uproar and shortly there after her account was re-activated. I know this may seem ridiculous because it is Facebook and who gives a shit but it makes you wonder what role censorship will play in social networking's future.
But what about the music Frank? This here is the first album (this release is also packaged with the debut EP) from the duo of actress Ann Magnuson and Shimmy Records founder Mark Kramer. Over their brief lifespan and catalog, Bongwater have become known, at least to me anyways, as the masters of commercially viable avant-garde pop. The music is great, weird and catchy but the real star here is Magnuson and her Tracey Ullman raised by The Residents performance style.
This is definitely an experience for the adventurous listener. Bongwater know how to make a beautiful pop song, you just have to take a little avant-garde side trip to get to them. Where this could be a tedious exercise in the hands of less radical minds, Bongwater maintain a balance between the political and the trashy, the abstract and confrontational, the beautiful and the fucking weird. The music is out there and jumps from one style or spoken word piece to another with a rewarding spontaneity which rarely transcends similar artist's (Ween, Miranda July) intentions. That is not to say that this is a messy, drug fueled pop art experiment. It may be out there, but the music is totally accessible to those not in the college rock know. Great place to start or a great one to revisit. Also features some surprisingly heartfelt covers of The Monkees, Roky Erickson and the Moody Blues.
Oh yeah and their name is Bongwater and it is 4/20 get it?
Screening: "Don't Look In The Basement"- Mo Tai aka Devil Fetus/MO aka The Boxer's Omen (J&J's Pizza)
Todd Rundgren (Trees) Todd Rundgren's records were a favorite steal of mine when I raided my parent's collection as a teen, and I've always been envious of my father's claim to have seen Todd at the original Dallas Palladium, the one off of Northwest Highway. Wow, take a second to read over that link. Isn't it weird to read a piece on local music that doesn't sound like a text message convo?
Anyways, since you, and I, and however many people fit into the current incarnation of Trees will get to catch such a legendary talent in a club setting, and though that may not speak so well of where Mr. Rundgren's current perceived or more specifically, his commercial legacy stands, it is a privilege nonetheless.
A lot is made of whether or not Rundgren is at his best when he's all progged out with a group; which is how he got his start, with the overly capable Nazz, or if he's better with the Mesquite School Radio sound of his heavily Carole King-influenced period. And then there's that "other stuff" he did, the "synthesizer crap" that my mom always brings up when she laments his career arc. Which is more often than one would think. That "synthesizer crap" is most likely what has cemented his influence and lasting effect on both mainstream and underground music, particularly the riskier moves he made after scoring AOR gold, to the point where labels actually turned down some of his submitted material, as is the case with his never-released Disco Jets. The album is from 1976 and yet some of it sounds eerily like Ariel Pink'snext record.
It's funny to think of all the people throughout pop music's history that were laughed at or rejected by the public and by their employers, for testing uncharted territory; whether it be through technology or composition, style, philosophy and all other conduits of progressive approach and vision. It's a well-beaten cliche, but it's still fun to listen to those almost undetectable tendrils of influence slowly creep through the decades and shelves upon dusty shelves of music both heard and unheard, until it finally stops at your current time, reveals itself through a sample, or a busy keyboard part and in some subtle way, points at you as if to say, "I told you so."
Here's a link to an article from the Houston Chronicle blog which mentions the Houston angle, since DJ Premier was born there.
Here are a few somewhat obvious faves, but I still get really excited anytime I hear the opening samples to these tracks no matter where I am. "Code Of The Streets" may be the best hip hop song I've ever heard, or at the very least contains one of the greatest and most epic samples.
Nothing to report today, except Jazz at The Amsterdam, Cool Out, etc.
I spent some time at the Good Records "Record Store Day" event this past Saturday only to find that it was running three hours behind schedule, and that's no surprise, since there were so many acts booked. Nevertheless, it seemed like a success, even if I always spend all my time at these things waiting around for sets that seem to never come. I was mostly trying to catch Wanz Dover's new post-punk band and first non-DJ project in quite a while, The Black Dotz, and simultaneously trying to get a feel for whether or not Wanzactually likes dubstep. That guy is just so vague about his feelings, ya know?
The Majestic Dwelling Of Doom show was great this weekend, and things were much more on-schedule there than I expected. I was mostly excited to finally see Chest Pain, an Austin hardcore band with DFW roots, and they lived up to my expectations. You guys know that's what it's all about right? Living up to my shitty little expectations.
Anyways, Chest Pain's lead singer, Travis Smith, is late of Denton's Angry Businessmen (for which he played drums and sang), and Coppell's Tyrannosaurus X (for which he sang). This band is much heavier than the slightly humorous, bass-led root beer punk of Angry Businessmen, and much more like TX, with minimal groove sludge and blast-beat chaos.
I believe that Angry Businessmen was the only five-star review ever on We Shot JR, much to the annoyance of even my fellow writers. Their nomination in the Quick Awards was a local music highlight for me and I always think it's great when something so under-the-radar registers a blip in a big publication. I don't credit us for any of that, it's all up to the artists themselves. However, I'm often asked these days why we still do this site, after doing it for so long, and since it seems like more trouble than it's worth, and I realized why when I was at the Majestic Dwelling Of Doom. The answer is simple: So it isn't only left up to cynical idiots who don't care to really know anything about underground music to list a show like that, or to ignore it altogether. There's nothing romantic about it. That's it.
Oops, I forgot. A Twitter account that makes fun of the way people look in Denton is having a pizza party at Hailey's tonight. You know the sad part? When you rag on people and throw a party in Denton, people will definitely show up. We know all about that. Why Denton Sucks is also selling t-shirts. Denton, you're so kinky and masochistic, you're making us blush.
Oh, and while I'm at it and to tie this altogether: Angry Businessmen's lead vocalist Clint Butler will be DJ-ing and playing video clips at the Why Denton Sucks show tonight. So there you go.
TUE: Porcupine Tree (House of Blues) TUE: Todd Rundgren (Trees) WED: Beach House/Washed Out (Granada) WED: Bone Thugz-N-Harmony (House of Blues) WED: Les Claypool (Lakewood Theater) THR: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (House of Blues) THR: Yann Tiersen (Granada) THR: Daughters of the Sun/Vampire Hands/River Mouth (Rubber Gloves) FRI: Electric Vengeance/Youth Aggression/Hood Rat/Tatter'd Flag (1919 Hemphill) FRI: Katherine Young/Loop 12/Deflowered Electric Flesh Bride (Phoenix Project) SAT: Final Club/Marriage Material (Tradewinds) SAT: Del the Funky Homosapien (Palladium) SAT: Aquaserge/City Center/Casper and The Cookies (Rubber Gloves)
Lonestar Goldsprints Event (Trinity Bicycles located at 207 S. Main St. In Fort Worth) Apparently a "goldsprints" event involves "stationary" racing. And there will be alcohol, which usually doesn't mix well with racing events, but this is probably the lone exception. Event is from 6:00pm to 11:55pm.
Mass Sterilization | Chest Pain | Dark Forces | Geistheistler (Majestic Dwelling Of Doom): I know I've mentioned Chest Pain before, and I'm sure they would disagree with me, but I find their music to be far superior to what passed for punk and hardcore when I lived in Austin many years ago. This is a tough lineup, and Geistheistler's erratic set-times and ominous visuals are a nicely diverse touch.
Bill Wisener's Birthday/Record Store Day (Bill's Records, located at 1317 S. Lamar in Dallas) There's a surprising bit of crossover, artist-wise; Ha Ha Tonka and Dem Southernfolkz are playing here as well, but there's also Mr. Troll, which sure beats out some of the acts at both events. Dust Congress | Kampfgrounds | Delmore Pilcrow (Hailey's): Last minute Saturday night show at Hailey's with a better-than-usual lineup.
Uncomfortable title. Evidently all the pieces are priced at $777 (the sign of the Gangsta Beast?). The artist explains the show title: "Revolutionary, because justice is a must, especially in a culture that is blindly evolving as rapidly as ours, Gangster, because we will attain it by any means necessary."
These dub nights taking place recently around Denton have had some surprisingly large turnouts. Always cool to see some lesser known sub genre getting some love. Dubstep is something I definitely know very, very little about so I would like to extend a thanks to these fine fellows for teaching me a little. (FP)
