I want to take some time out of my busy day to address a few things. This website was started by Stoned Ranger almost four years ago, in January of 2006, so it will reach the four-year mark next month. That's a lifetime on the internet, and we've seen a lot of bands, venues, writers, local music editors, and blogs come and go, a lot of obscure artists rise to the top, and a lot of chest-puffing booking people, DJ's, promoters, songwriters, and bands fade into obscurity after being promised that they would really "be somebody."

We really like a lot of you. Seriously. I've personally met a lot of great people, especially since we've been less and less anonymous over the years, and I am grateful to all the bands, DJ's, and behind the scenes types that make our lives easier. A common claim is that we are simply promoting our friends that are in bands or our friends who are DJ's. Like I said, I have met a lot of people through the blog, and in most cases I had no idea who any of these people were before I heard their music. So that's it in the chicken or the egg argument, I was almost always a fan first. If any of you are stupid enough to believe that we could possibly be friends with the thousands of people we've covered on this website, then so be it. I have very often put people on this site who I don't care for personally, or whose music I didn't care for, because it's still worth mentioning. It's not always about me. If we are actually friends with these thousands upon thousands of creative people, well, as someone once sang, "I can't help it if I'm lucky."

All that being said, it has come to my attention more often, and especially in recent weeks in particular, that some people expect certain things from us, whether it be in the form of favorable opinions, including this or that show, or making sure we list every single promoter and presenter, when they are often the organizer of an event, and that's all well and good, but it's the artists that people go to see. We have often been left out of the story ourselves when we present something, and sure it sucks, but it's understandable.

This blog has never and will never be about altering our content at the behest of anyone, but especially not promotions people, who seem to be the main culprits when it comes to this particularly aggravating act. Some people want us to tone things down simply so we can give away a few tickets here and there. Some people want us to promote whatever they do, well, just because. I don't want to name names and I don't want to really call anyone out, but let me give you a few examples of the kind of thing I'm talking about to give you some insight (all responsible parties have had their names deleted)

"We have noticed that a lot of the content regarding the bands that play at -DELETED- (or in the area for that matter) is (sic) discussed in a negative light by WSJR."

"It is house policy to support those who keep it honest and kind but above all respectful."

"Can you shed light on how giving tickets away correlates with our mission here at -DELETED-?"

"It is difficult on our end to explain to a band's management why we are giving away tickets to a show, when the writer has nothing positive to say about the band or show."

"U always either don't mention the event and if u do leave out -DELETED- or talk shit to create a buzz on ur site"

"Ur such a hater it's funny cause ur readership is falling and we r growing bigger n bigger lick a grundal u lil bitch"

All very charming. We don't make any money doing this; if anything, we have lost an obscene amount of money by continuing to do the site for as long as we have, through various life changes, employment changes, people moving away etc. So as you can imagine, our obligation to anyone except ourselves and our readers is minimal. We will always gladly work with anyone who wants to work with us on giving away tickets, mentioning shows etc. as we always have, but we would be doing everyone a huge disservice if we decided to alter our content on behalf of such relationships. Nobody expects local publications, news outlets, or other blogs to change their content, so why should we?

As for those who have asked us for help, simply to turn around and tell us how unpopular the site is, well, that's baffling behavior for sure. If the site is so unpopular then why were you demanding favorable coverage in the first place? For the record, the site's readership has grown by 20 percent over the previous year, every year since 2006, with the trend looking to continue after this month. That isn't bragging, that's just what Google Analytics tells me. Look, I don't necessarily get it, and I know there have been times where the site certainly reads better than other times, but I am really grateful to those who have stuck with us, and I'm just as grateful to those who have just come on here to bash us. Everyone counts here, so thanks. I hope you are all making it through what is usually a miserable and grueling time of year. -DL

Onto the list:

Skinny Puppy | Vverevvolf Grehv (The Granada)
I've always been more of a Killing Joke kind of guy if I had to choose between aging Industrial pioneer bands that still exist, but I do think it's cool that Skinny Puppy had White Mice open for them on their last tour, a group that before that had played at House Of Tinnitus suddenly found itself at House Of Blues. Hilarious. At least this time, they'll be at The Granada. Fans of The Faint should also check this out to see Vverevvolf Grehv, which is a Faint side-project.

80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's)
DJ G has had what is arguably one of the all-time most successful runs for a weekly dance party in North Texas, and so I have been a little saddened by the fact that he will be retiring as the resident DJ for 80's Night come New Year's, but it looks his last show will be a great one: Italians Do It Better act Twisted Wires, Vulgar Fashion, and more will be performing with him for his New Year's Eve swansong.

Wild In The Streets (The Amsterdam)

Billingham's Defense System (Fallout Lounge)

This week there's a screening of what looks to be a pretty incredible short documentary about the Lake Como neighborhood in Fort Worth, directed by the Fort Worth husband wife team of Betsy and Carl Crumb. It's at the Rose Marine Theater on Thursday, December 3 (can't seem to find a starting time, but try 7PM). See the trailer here. PS: just got confirmation from Ben Rogers at Metrognome that it is, in fact, at 7PM.

Did you hear they've just broke ground to build a new $185-Million Museum at Victory Park called the Perot Museum of Nature & Science?

THURSDAY

Reading between the lines
Kim Cadmus Owens
Holly Johnson Gallery
Thursday, Dec. 3, 5-8 pm

States of Exception
Centraltrak
Gallery walk-through and open studios:
Thursday, Dec. 3, 5:30-8:30 pm

I saw this a few weeks ago. Pretty spare and artsty-fartsy, though the MVRDV video about vertical farming (entitled Pig City) was very thought-provoking.

FRIDAY

Holiday Presence
Kettle Art
Opens Friday, Dec. 4, in the evening.

Kettle's "fifth annual 'Holiday Presence' exhibit featuring original, affordable art and unique gifts."

Tangle
Billy Hassell
William Campbell Contemporary Art
Opens Friday, Dec. 4, 5-8 pm

Billy seems kind of like a technicolor David Bates. I like it. Speaking of Bates, are you familiar with his stuff? It's pretty incredible -- he's one of our finest North Texas artists. Check some out here. More goodness here. A New York Times review here. I just yoinked one for the feature image above.

SATURDAY

Rebecca Carter and Thomas Feulmer
500X Gallery
Opens Saturday, Dec. 5, 7-10 pm

Wow on the Rebecca Carter stuff (cool web site home page design, too). Combined with Thomas Feulmer, it should be a good & odd collection.

Art for the Masses
Dahlia Woods Gallery
Opens Saturday, Dec. 5, 6-8:30 pm

Scattershot
John Hartley
Mighty Fine Arts
Opens Saturday, Dec. 5, 6-9 pm

Image not at all courtesy of David Bates. It's called Rain Storm and is dated 2005. Sorry.

Denton Deluxe Release Party with Slackbeat | Peopleodian | Kashioboy | DJ Nodad (Rubber Gloves)
Show commemorating the fifth volume of this predominantly Denton-centric series (hence the name) which includes the following artists:

Violent Squid - Fizzy Dino Pop - The Make Believers - FUR - Dirty Bitches with Bread - Swedish Teens - Matthew Gray - Train by Rain - Eat Avery's Bones - Kashioboy - Darktown Strutters - Zanzibar Snails - Last Men - Owen Felix - RTB2 - Vulgar Fashion - Jack With One Eye - Blackheart Society - Leatherwood - Wu Fru de lu vs. Space Dragon Killer - Keepin' em Off the Streets

I hear that Wu Fru has a full-length and hopefully we can get a review on that by year's end. Horrible I know. I think we're just going to have to cull the reviews that we should have done this year, but that's the only card I'm going to show today. This compilation is available as a free download if you can do it by the time Rubber Gloves closes tonight; the link will go down at 2 AM. After that, you can purchase Denton Deluxe Volume Five at Time Bandits, AKA the lone non-bookstore place to buy records in Denton, and great records at that. Not just a bunch of Eagles Greatest Hits shit.

LINK:
denton Deluxe Volume 5 *link up till 2am 12/3

Metric | Band Of Skulls (The Palladium)
Juno Award winning, Broken Social Scene moonlighting, Canadian band Metric is at The Palladium tonight, along with England's Band Of Skulls. I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the different "Band Of" bands lately. Congrats to the winner of our ticket contest, who was not only excited, but very polite. Very refreshing considering how testy everyone seems to be acting this week.

We've got a last-minute ticket giveaway for you, one pair for Wednesday night's Metric show at The Palladium. Send an email to weshotjrtix@yahoo.com with "Metric" as the subject, along with your full name in the email by noon on Wednesday, December 2nd, and we'll pick a winner at random. To purchase tickets outright, click here. Special thanks to our friends at Big Hassle Media.

So many "semi-talented Traveling Wilburys" jokes I could make about this photo here, but I will politefully decline. -DL

Ryan Thomas Becker | The Beaten Sea (J&J's Pizza)
I'm confused. I didn't know Ryan Thomas Becker had a solo project; I thought that's what RTB2 was. He even uses the same drummer. Ryan Becker is a busy guy; he is probably the only non-DJ musician that performs as often as Yeah Def. I guess the main difference in the projects that either bear his full name, or simply his initials, is that his solo project is less "distorted electric" and more "folk-y acoustic." I was listening to this today, and someone asked me if it was Matchbox 20. That's a little harsh, even by my standards. Speaking of Yeah Def...

Yeah Def | Ian Bangs (Hailey's)
This is the beginning of Yeah Def's Texas tour, in which the young Denton-based DJ will perform nine shows, nine nights in a row, all in our notoriously large state. Good luck on the road, Joey, and make sure you're up to speed and don't forget the name of the Wu Tang song you played two tracks ago, and suddenly find yourself sifting through the "recently played" section of Itunes, like you did to my friend at Rubber Gloves when he asked what track you had just played a while back. Denton is friendly, but they don't put up with that shit in San Antonio.

Yeah Def Tour Dates:

12/01- Hailey's, Denton
12/02- Hailey's, Denton
12/03- Canvas, Austin
12/04- Cheerup Charlie's, Austin
12/05- Culnsweet, McAllen
12/06- Salute, San Antonio
12/07- The Cavern, Dallas
12/08- Hailey's, Denton
12/09- Hailey's, Denton

Disqo Disco (Fallout Lounge)
Everyone always complains about Fallout Lounge, but I never have a problem with this place. In fact, I would say it has a much more subtle and even non-existent "douche factor," when compared to other venues that mainly play dance music that I've ever been to, going all the way back to the first I ever attended, The Starck Club.

Bad Ass Jazz at Amsterdam, Cool Out at The Cavern, and Mayhem Monday at The Fallout. Talk soon.

TUE: CD Release: Ryan Thomas Becker/The Beaten Sea (J&J's Pizza)
WED: Denton Deluxe Release Party with Slackbeat/Peopleodian/Kashioboy/DJ Nodad (Rubber Gloves)
WED: Metric/Band Of Skulls (The Palladium)
THU: Skinny Puppy/Vverevvolf Grehv (The Granada)
FRI: Bill Callahan/Lights/Neal Morgan (The Granada)
FRI: M.A.N.D.Y./PointBender/James Warren/Kean/DragonLazer and Upstairs: Royal Highnuss/Redeye/Dub Til Dawn/DJ ET (eXcuses)
FRI: Vic Chestnutt/Liz Durret/Sans Soleil (Hailey's)
FRI: Division Of Power/Collick/Lunae Nemoris/Abuse Tactics (207 Pine St. In Arlington)
SATAesop Rock/Rob Sonic/DJ Big Wiz (The Granada)
SAT: Theatre Gallery/Prophet Bar Reunion: Shallow Reign/Decadent Dub Team/Loco Gringos/Cathouse/The Trees/Bat Mastersons and More (The Prophet Bar)
SAT: Shiny Around The Edges/Dust Congress/The Kris Special (Dust Congress House)
SAT: Irresponsible Voltron: Parson/Chi/Exceed/Marst/Hoodie Allen/Broken Teeth Crew: Anna Love/Prince William/Mike Townsend (The Cavern)
SAT: Blixaboy/New Fumes/Royal Highnuss (Good Records)
SAT: Grooms/Nervous Curtains/Eyes, Wings, And Many Other Things (The Handsome Kitten)

I'm not even going to do links. It's a holiday weekend, man. So you get We Shot JR as if it were some really shitty sight that doesn't link to artist pages. Sucks, huh? Kind of like a blog version of "It's A Wonderful Life." What if We Shot JR was never born? Everything would be so much lamer, so be really thankful for us.

A few notes:

Tonight at 1919 features Retro Spectro and Blank Blank, two bands that have broken up and are pretty great, so go see them. Stoned Men are minus a singer and plus a bass player. I recently received a very nice letter letting me on in some insider info about upcoming video work the group is involved in. Can't wait.

Don't miss Real Estate on Saturday. It's rare when someone makes a poppy guitar record in this day and age that isn't complete shit.

FRIDAY

Retro Spectro/Blank Blank/Orange Coax/Stoned Men (1919 Hemphill)

Wanz Dover/Blake Ward (Fallout Lounge)

Matthew Gray Delves Into The Humanity Pools With The Six Foot Saucer Pot People/ Monastery/Delmore Pilcrow/Caleb Ian Campbell (Rubber Gloves)

Cursive/Capgun Coup/Old Cranes/The Timeline Post (Hailey's)

DJ A 1/Select (Zubar)

SATURDAY

Mundo/Mark J/Chrisko (Green Elephant)

The England Ram A Band/Hard Times/Har Herrar/The County Lines/Tukr/Shaina Ferris/Joey Kendall (The Porch In Romney, TX)

J. Tillman/Pearly Gate Music/Sleep Whale (Hailey's)

Real Estate (City Tavern)

Dear Human/Manned Missiles/The Polycorns/Oh, Lewis (Rubber Gloves)

SUNDAY

MFM/Evolve/Habeeb/A Fail Association/The Watchers/Lil Foot/In Girum Imus Nocte (Wasted Words Art Collective located at 2404 S. Fielder Rd. in Arlington)

DJ G/Yeah Def (Hailey's)

Unwed Sailor/This Old House/Native Lights (Dan's Silverleaf)