FRIDAY

Strange Boys | Coathangers | Bad Sports (the Lounge)
I avoided the Coathangers for a while. I just didn't have room in my life for another Fader-friendly garage rock band from Georgia. However, further inspection revealed this to be a foolish preemptive dismissal, which we can all be guilty of, especially when you willfully overexpose yourself to the daily promo glut and accompanying bottom feeding aspects of the "industry." My point is, my interest was raised when I saw that The Coathangers were said to be reading a different (and less explored) page of Georgia's musical history, they were compared to Pylon. And though I wouldn't necessarily go that far, I can say that there is a more adventurous disconnect between the instruments that gives the group a similar kind of scrambling attack. Two more obvious garage punk-influenced bands are performing, and nothing against them of course, especially not the always great Bad Sports. (DL)
Hotel, Hotel | Sabra Laval | Emil Rapstine | New Science Projects (Annex House)
Nice, diverse line up at Annex House this evening, with Austin headliners Hotel Hotel providing quite a change of pace from some of the other solid acts on the bill.

Deer Tick | Dawes (Hailey's)

The Paper Chase | Matthew and the Arrogant Sea | Tre Orsi (Dan's Silverleaf)

The Takeover with Select | AV | VMB (Zubar)
This new monthly even on the second Friday of each month will feature reggae, hip hop, reggaeton, salsa, merengue, funk, and bachata. Sounds like it should be good, and certainly something different for a lot of our readers I'm sure.

Big J/Schwa (Suite)

Radix | Vortexas | Sore Losers | Ian Bangs | Pudge B | Stabbalanches (Rubber Gloves)

The Theater Fire (Lee Harvey's)

Matsuri | Moldar | Jubilee | They Mostly Come Out at Night (1919 Hemphill)

SATURDAY

Earth, Wind and Fire | Chicago (Nokia Theater)
Has Earth, Wind and Fire seen an even bigger rise in their legendary profile lately after it was revealed that they were Barack Obama's favorite band of all time? Hard to say, but either way, they probably don't need it. Their early singles are undeniable, of course, "Shining Star," "Let's Groove," and "September," among others, but I've recently taken a liking to some of their later, 80's snyth funk material, of which the 1983 album Powerlight is the best example. This whole thing makes me wonder what some of our former Presidents' favorite bands were. I read somewhere that George W. Bush loved motherfucking Night Ranger, which makes sense-- can't you just picture that shithead pumping his fists to the chorus of "Sister Christian" alone on the couch at 6AM, polishing off that last beer with that one last line of coke, rejoicing in the fact that he'll never have to worry about anything for the rest of his life? God bless Texas, yall.

Echo Toll | Wu Fru de lu (Majestic Dwelling of Doom)




Hentai Improvising Orchestra (Lola's)
 Featuring members of Zanzibar Snails, Great Tyrant and Dust Congress, among others. 




Books of Shadows (Metrognome's Firehouse Gallery)
 Take the stage at 10pm.

Neckhold | Aphonic Curtains | Ascites (House of Tinnitus)
This is a return to a more complete harsh noise lineup at HOT with the headlining act, Neckhold, impressively traveling all the way from Australia on an interhemispheric journey to perform their vicious combination of noise and screaming. Habeeb is the name of the solo project for Steel hook Prosethes' L. Kerr. He has been working on the project on and off since 2001. Though it's much more expansive and ambient-sounding than the rest of these acts, it is by no means less intense, and has a cloudy and brooding quality to the music. (DL)

Matt and Kim | Giggle Party (House of Blues)
I know this show is in the smaller Cambridge Room, but its surprising that Matt and Kim are playing such a big venue, and even more surprising that a relatively new band like Giggle Party is opening-- two groups that normally stick to DIY venues

J-Live (the Lounge)

SUNDAY

Wanda Sykes (Nokia Theater)
The Sykes roast of Obama is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while, particularly her comments about Sean Hannity. And her performances on Curb Your Enthusiasm are almost all gems, especially the Crazy Eyez Killa episode. I know a lot of people don't feel the same way, but I love Wanda Sykes.

Raymond Scott - Soothing Sounds for Baby, volumes 1-3 (1963, Epic)

If you can't tell by the title of these albums, they were in fact meant to be played for babies as an "aural toy" during the "feeding, teething, play, sleep and fretful periods" that children endure over the course of their first 18 months.

Listening with the hindsight of the 46 years that have passed since their release, it becomes quickly evident that this set cannot be filed away under 'novelty' or 'children's albums.' The term 'ahead of it's time' is often abused, especially in music discussions, and many artists that have had this term applied to them were most certainly influenced, whether directly or indirectly, by Raymond Scott's work as a musician, band leader and DIY engineer. Instead of rambling on incessantly about Scott's accomplishments, I'll simply direct you to his official website, which is very thorough. Don't miss the article written by long time colleague Bob Moog if you are into the whole electronic music thing.

My daughter, for the most part, has been indifferent to these recordings, but some of you out there may have young children that will enjoy these albums as they were originally intended, though, after reading many of the posts in the comments sections lately, I seriously doubt that most of your dicks have been out of your hands long enough to reproduce...

So, approximately two weeks ago, wielding the Journalistic Weight of this here cutting-edge North Texas Art column, I randomly tried to interview Dallas artist Kim Wyly, when her show opened somewhere a couple of weeks ago (at Cerulean Gallery?) ---- but I couldn't because she was gallivanting about somewhere in Spain with an iPhone™ / paintbrush in hand.

While waiting for her response, and while perusing her web site, I decided I really like her stuff. There's a certain good-good Outsider Dirtiness that I think is hard to reproduce -- without some core true-good dirty-dirty Outsider characteristics. If you know what I mean.

I finally tracked her down via aforementioned iPhone™ this week (the true Outsider's Walkie-Talkie) and she had these timelessly hard-hitting art opinions to express:

Mini-Greatness: Kim Wyly

Richardson Heights: What is your studio set up like? What kind of environment do you create while you work?

Kim Wyly: The studio is above the garage. There is plenty of good light. There are 3 tables and 2 easels. The studio is pretty organized... There are stacks of magazines that I flip through to get inspired like Elle Decor, Art in America, or Nylon. Music also inspires me. I usually play anything from Santogold, M83, Wilco, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gospel music, or the local 70s radio station.

RH: In your artwork do you employ any unique techniques that you've developed on your own?

KW: One technique that I use is I layer oil paints with gesso to create texture. I start with a painting or idea. Once the oil painting has dried, I apply a thin layer of gesso allowing part of the painting to show through, then I paint another design, creating a layered appearance.

RH: At what point, or after what event, did you start calling yourself an artist?

KW: I consider myself an "artist in training," because I am still learning. Art is a medium to communicate with others. Part of my art sales go to local non-profits. A few that have been or will be supported by the art shows are: New Friends New Life, Dallas Childrens Advocacy Center, Dallas Life, and Operation Kindness. This is a way to communicate and bring awareness of worthy causes.

RH: Can you describe how you develop titles for your work?

KW: Sometimes I think of a word that captures the symbolism of the painting. Most of the titles come from Caroline and Virginia at Cerulean Gallery. I will email photos of the work, then they come up with titles.

RH: How do you know a piece is finished?

KW: When I look at a piece and think, I would hang that on my wall.

RH: I couldn't agree more...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So, if you're not so concerned with how cool your Tight Indie Rock Pants (TIRPs) are going to look at The Granada's Neil Sedaka concert this week, you should attend an art show instead and feel slightly less like an asshole....

FRIDAY

SQUARED
Artists' Showplace
SW Quadrant of Coit and Arapaho in Richardson
Reception: Friday, July 10, 6 to 9 PM

Featuring live music by the "Paul Utay Band" (un-fortunately un-googleable).

save nikki
Nicole Morrow (?)
Rising Gallery
4631 Insurance Road, Dallas TX
Reception: Friday, July 10, 6 - 9:30 PM

"[Nicole] Morrow feels her work is a way to express herself without speaking." And that is precisely why I put a heat-sensing Hallmark Greeting card that sings "We Are The Champions" in front of every painting I create. That speaks for me.

FLUXHIBITION #3: Thinking Inside of the Box
The Gallery - UTA E.H. Hereford University Center
Reception: Friday, July 10, 6 - 8 PM

"Sponsored by the Student Art Association, The Gallery at UTA presents an international exhibit of "Boxes, Cases, Kits and Containers" from the Permanent Collection of the FluxMuseum in conjunction with the International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction."

Slow Cooked & Hickory Smoked
Etty Horowitz, Will Johnson, Linda Sheets, Katie Maratta, Kenney Mencher, Inki Min, Skip Noah (A++ Kick-Butt Artist), Jamie Pink, Andrew Wick, Camille Woods, and Dahlia Woods.
Dahlia Woods Gallery
Opens Friday, July 10, 6 - 8:30 PM

SATURDAY

Double Take
Joel Sampson and Maureen Brouillette
Garret Art Gallery
111 E. Virginia
McKinney, TX 75069
Located on the North side of the square.
Reception: Saturday, July 11, 7 - 10 PM.

Glenn Comtois
Eclectic Expressions
201 E. Sanford, Arlington TX 76011
Unknown time. Probably 6 - 9 PM.

Summer Series 09
Haley-Henman
2335 Hardwick Street, Dallas TX
Saturday, July 11, 7 - 10 PM.

"A group show featuring fifteen artists" [READ MORE]

Roberta Harris: UP
The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future
Reception: Saturday, July 11, 3 - 5 PM

Kenn Thorpe: Church and State
Afterimage Gallery
Reception: Saturday, July 11, 7 - 10 PM

Andrew Kendall
Metrognome Collective
Reception: Saturday, July 11, 8pm - with music by Book of Shadows at 10.

Image courtesy of Kim Wyly.

Low (the Loft)
We've all had those dreams that involve us suddenly realizing that we have some kind of deadline at work we didn't prepare for or a really important test at school we didn't study for, and I sort of got a taste of that feeling this afternoon when I realized that I had to write about low today but had never really sat down and listened to a whole Low record all the way through. It seems strange, really, as I've sort of followed their careers from afar since the mid 90's, and have known countless people throught the years who have considered Low to be one of their favorite bands. Their mostly quiet and minimal arrangements and their often stunning harmonies have always been somewhat interesting in a certain context, although based on the rather limited amount of time I've spent listening to them over the years, it seems they've tried to diversify their sound a bit in recent years to varying degrees of success, trying to rock a little more here or add more electronics there. The point is that even for a person like me, who's a sucker for drugged out atmospheric music as well as quiet and depressing music, neither Low's music nor the stories surrounding the members of the group have ever compelled me to do much more than passively note "oh this is Low, this is pretty good I guess" as I listen to them on someone else's stereo. This isn't meant to be harsh, just honest, and besides-- after 15 plus years, how much is really left to explain about these guys?

Top Notch with Sober with Tony Schwa and Luke Sardello (the Cavern)
For those who don't know, Luke Sardello was a major figure in the Dallas dance scene in the late 80's and 90's. He was one of the first to bring Chicago and Acid house to Dallas in 88 and 89 and began frequenting Dallas' underground warehouse party/rave circuit in the 90's. Should be a lot of fun to see out at the Cavern this evening. Read a nice Central Booking interview with Sardello here.

80's Night with DJ G (Haliey's)

Abe Vigoda | Sydney Confirm | Talbot Tagora | Cosmic Cocks (The Cavern)
Though it was obvious that Abe Vigoda had been moving into a musically more beauteous direction for sometime now, it is still surprising that they went from the rough, West Coast, art/punk ghetto of Olfactory aand Not Not Fun to the much more austere and refined world of Bella Union.* I guess they used enough reverb effects to finally catch the Cocteau Twins attention all the way across the Atlantic. They love that shit over there. It actually makes perfect sense in a lot of ways, and Abe Vigoda has managed to stay consistently interesting by continuing to tweak their sound, something I can't necessarily say for a couple of their over-hyped peers. Fellow Smell-scene, tour-mates Talbot Tagora might be the real surprise here; even with the rather tossed-off, Thurston Moore-like apathy of the vocals, the crumbling and splintering guitar crunch of the backing tracks saves everything. Recommended.

Soundclash with Royal Highnuss | Tomb | Blixaboy (Zubar)
Ever since Wanz got played on the BBC, his name is starting to pop up on torrent sites and he even has a Youtube tribute video made by a fan. That's how you know things are "happening." And to think his bar mitzvah wasn't even that long ago.

Minsk | Hawk VS Dove | Four Days To Burn | Blood OV (The Lounge)
When I saw that Minsk is from Chicago/Peoria, it reminded of something I had been thinking about lately: When exactly did all of the 90's math rockers from that area all evolve into doom metal-heads? This music is still somehow imbued with the same highbrow noodling, or at least long, exhausting passages and various other sonic signifiers that mark bands of both genres as distant descendents of psych-rock. It's worth noting that everyone involved loves aluminum guitars, no matter their superficial differences (IE counting quickly versus rocking slowly). I've heard of Minsk described as "Neurosis with everything cool stripped away," and they do certainly sound like something that would fit in on Neurot Records, heavy on the mood with clearly enunciated and literate lyrical content. This quick comparison could possibly be selling the group slightly short however, and it's probably worth it to see and hear how true that is, at least to catch the devastating Blood Ov. This is another in a flurry of shows by extremely new local booking player, Mouthbreather Productions.

Monks Of Saturnalia | Yells At Eels (Sandaga Market located at 1325 East Levee Street, Dallas)

Little Birds | Kory And The Komrades | Burnt Sienna Trio (Rubber Gloves): I've long thought that Brooke Opie is as capable a singer as most SSW's around here, if not more so. I wonder why she isn't more known. Experimental banjo trio Burnt Sienna opens.

Dance Your Face Off (Fallout Lounge)

*Major points lost for misspelling Psychedelic Furs name on the Bella Union site.

Golden Animals | Violent Squid (Rubber Gloves)
Golden Animals is a California duo that plays 60's Garage inspired rock, and much like bands from that era, their really dirty, hyper-reverb material tends to work best; the cleaner, laid back blues numbers sound stiff and forced. Thankfully, the former will probably be what is showcased live. There is almost no point in trying to describe what Violent Squid will do, but it tends to be almost always primarily instrumental more than anything else, with an ever-rotating lineup.

Trifle Tower | Dark Forces | Back Stabbath | Geistheistler (J&J's Pizza)
This is the beginning of a tour up to the East Coast for Trifle Tower and Dark Forces, and it will be one of Trifle's Tower's last DFW shows for some time, since their guitarist is going to attend school out-of-state. It will also be a good opportunity to catch a hardcore lineup like this at J&J's; shows of this nature don't seem to be as common here anymore.

90's Night With Yeah Def (Hailey's)

Disqo Disco (Fallout Lounge)

Our friends at the House of Blues were kind enough to hook us up with three pairs of tickets to Sonic Youth's performance with Awesome Color next Wednesday, July 15th in the House of Blues Main Room. If you want to win them, email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and Thursday at noon with your full name in the body and "Sonic Youth" as the email subject. We'll choose three winners at random. Good luck!

Do you guys like house parties? Do you like house shows? Are you down with DIY? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you'll probably be totally down with this year's Dallas Observer Music Awards. You know the Dallas Observer, right? Under the direction of music editor Pete Freedman, the local "indie weekly" has really become involved in supporting and nurturing the local DIY/house party circuit in recent months, and we're happy that they've had the guts to really dig deep and expose some of the unsung heroes of local music. And we know they aren't doing it because they're trying to milk the aesthetic for cool points, either, ok? They really "get" what's going on in the local underground right now, and they want to show their strong allegiance to the scene with a HOUSE PARTY THEME for this year's Observer Awards. I guess that's pretty good news for the local music community, isn't it?

But let me guess, Mr. or Mrs. Elitist, you're skeptical, right? I bet you're wondering, for example, whether this sudden embrace is a tad hypocritical considering that the Observer's music editor feels like his voice is just too large and important to cover house shows without the Police getting wind of them and shutting them down, right? And hmmm, I bet you're also dying to know why the Observer would want to get involved in the house show circuit when their editor wrote the following scornful comment in response to this discussion about why they won't cover house shows:

But, to respond: We're not gonna cover a band that pretty much exclusively plays this scene. We won't preview a gig and let our 100,000+ (at least) weekly readers know about an illegal house show just because that's the only chance they'll have to see a certain band.

Doing so is unfair to everyone: to the band, to the house venue's owners, to our readers, to the people who aren't friends with the party-throwers, to the musicians who aren't friends with the party throwers and won't get booked, etc. I could go on. Plus, how many people can actually attend these shows? Only so many.

Point is, if a house/DIY venue is doing something really cool and WANTS our support, we'll consider it. But we're not gonna go out of our way and pander to show with an attendance of a couple dozen people. Doesn't make sense on any level. At least, not to me. Or to our thousands of readers who, a) aren't at this show, and b) almost certainly aren't invited.

Well don't worry about it, bro, because although the Observer will be embracing the look and feel of "house parties" at their awards ceremony this year, they won't really be stooping low enough to actually host any kind of real house show or DIY event themselves, ok? You see, tomorrow night the paper will be hosting a party that is literally at a house in Dallas (which we won't name in the spirit of fairness), but instead of actually having some sort of substantive event there, they'll be using the house as a backdrop for a photo op-- the Observer gang has invited all of the Observer Awards nominees to come over so that they can "snap candid and posed party shots" (quotes from the invitation) of local bands at a "house party" that isn't really a party but rather a photo shoot for a corporate owned newspaper. I guess you could kind of call it, well, a fake house party. But as negative as this label might sound at first, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it-- this way, their photographers can get pics of everyone 'fuckin chillin' at a kewl house partie without having to worry about its "illegality" or a pathetically small audience of "a dozen" showing up or even about booking bands or creating something that anyone other than a PR agent will truly give a shit about. It's the best of all worlds, really, and its refreshing to see that the Observer has finally decided to take a short break from posts about St. Vincent and Erykah Badu in order to embrace the thriving house show culture that they seemed to so adamantly oppose up until quite recently. The local underground has been waiting to become "legitimate" in the eyes of the dallas music critic community for some time, and this might be the first important step towards finally making that dream a reality.

New Science Projects | Ryan Thomas Becker | The Heartstring Stranglers | Joey Kendall | Kids of Cons (The Hydrant)

Cool Out (the Cavern)

Bad Ass Jazz (Amsterdam)
I wish they would change the name of this thing because it's a fun, quality jazz night that often features some great performers and I'd really like to be able to take it more seriously.

Paul Slavens (Dan's Silverleaf)