Sir Richard Bishop And His Freaks of Anaby Ensemble | Oaxacan | Shane English (Rubber Gloves) Sir Richard Bishop is a former member of Sun City Girls and though his roots are in noisy post-punk, he performs heavily Eastern-influenced guitar pieces, and that's a direct influence from extensive traveling in Asia, not just listening to old field recordings. His style is sometimes reminiscent of a less busy Bert Jansch, though now that he's playing with an ensemble, whether or not these various disparate sounds are enhanced or diminished by the group remains to be heard. In any case, I'm sure it will be worth seeing live. I have no idea what Shane English will be performing tonight, but I would bet good money that it won't suck, and I would pay good money to see it.
Blackmoth Super Rainbow | School Of Seven Bells | Darktown Strutters (Hailey's) It's pretty remarkable that producer Dave Fridmann's "sound," characterized by a big and slightly clipping drum production technique, has yet to go out of style. I remember when "Soft Bulletin" came out, the general consensus was, "Yeah, this big, distorted drum sound is cool, but it will sound so dated in ten years." Guess not. And nobody seems to mind that every record he even breathes on sounds like Mercury Rev.
It actually makes perfect sense to pair BMSR with Fridmann's less-than-subtle technique, since it sounds like the band has sort of pushed for a smaller-scale (or lower budget) version of this aesthetic in the past anyway. When I first heard the tracks from the new album, they sounded very close to what I had predicted, which is not bad at all. Even Kanye likes it. This is one of those bands that make music perfectly suited for the instore-play at Urban Outfitters, except they are actually pretty good. It seems like something I would usually hate, like some band that grew up listening to "The Virgin Suicides" soundtrack while doing suburban gutter drugs in eighth grade, but I usually like what I hear enough to where I would probably ask what it was if it came on while I was shopping at a hipster clothing outlet. Just kidding. Nobody does that, do they? Ghostly International recording artists School of Seven Bells, as well as the excellently dark and sarcastic Darktown Strutters make this a very strong bill.
Detour with Redsean | Select | Vega | Ishi | Hoyotoho (the Cavern) This is one of the biggest lineups for a Detour show in some time, mixing some of the best known DJ's with some of the best known groups heavily influenced by electronic music, or groups that work in a lot of dance elements. Speaking of dance music, I was just in Germany and I found an Italo compilation record for four Euros at a flea market, as opposed to the two hundred dollars they often go for at record conventions in the US. Made my day. Not happy to be back, but I may try to make it to this show, since it is one of the most Dallas things I could do, and it might help ease the transition back into North Texas nightlife.
Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the big June 1, 1974 extravaganza at London's Rainbow Theatre featuring Kevin Ayers, Nico, Eno and John Cale, and I had originally planned to feature the live album that was recorded that night. Several years had passed since I had last heard the album, so I gave it a few spins. Unfortunately, I found the record to be pretty damn boring. The song selection isn't bad, and the musicians are certainly in fine form, but the versions presented seem a little lackluster to me. Fans of Eno may want to check it out based solely on the fact that so few documents of his live performances exist.
Half of the songs on the June 1, 1974 record are from Kevin Ayers' solo records, so I'll (partially) stick with my original intention and present his second solo album. Whatevershebringswesing is one of the more focused efforts in the Ayers catalog and arguably his best solo record; not only was he just hitting his peak as a songwriter, he managed to surround himself with a supporting cast that included a teenage Mike 'Tubular Bells' Oldfield and old Soft Machine bandmate Robert Wyatt.
Kevin Ayers released one more truly great album, 1973's Bananamour, before becoming more concerned with wine, bananas(?), and lounging on the beach. It's almost like he turned into the Canterbury scene's Jimmy Buffet.
Passion Pit | Harlem Shakes | Cale Parks (Granada) Just to let you know right off the bat, this show is SOLD OUT, so if you wanna go and you don't have tickets, you're outta luck. The first time I really heard about this band, other than through PR emails, was on Hipsterrunoff, where Carles referred to them as "Passhy Pit," which was about the funniest nickname I could imagine for a band like this, especially when you consider the implications that go along with receiving a nickname from Hipsterrunoff. Anyway, listening to this band's music makes me wonder what kind of dudes these guys are-- after all, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING about Passion Pit seems to cater to the music taste of hipsters so closely that it almost seems like a well researched marketing gimmick rather than a band, which says as much about the people being marketed to as it does the vehicle for the marketing. Do you like Animal Collective's new album? Well that's pretty cool, bro, because they kinda sound like that sometimes. Are you into MGMT? Well you're in luck, because they kinda sound like that too. Cool man, you're into blog house and Sebastian Tellier and you've heard a cosmic disco comp before and are kinda thinking about checking out acid house some time? Again, jackpot. They sort of sound like that as well. The truth of the matter is that many of their songs really aren't too bad, and a few are (surprisingly) more than tolerable-- it all just seems so completely calculated, however, that its truly hard to give too much of a shit about it. I've been wondering for a long time when this whole "hipster" aesthetic is going to become so deeply embedded in mainstream | teenybop culture that it will become way too embarrassing for anyone over the age of 22 to embrace it, and the scathing satire of websites like Hipsterrunoff has certainly helped to hammer home the point that such a time is approaching. It hasn't happened yet, but bands like this, along with the overall lack of ideas that seem to be emanating from this demographic, makes me think that it will happen very soon. What sucks even more is that I hate Passion Pit a lot less than I probably should.
We're very happy that our friends at Rubber Gloves have given us a pair of tickets to Wednesday night's Sir Richard Bishop performance, and we're going to give them away to you. For those who don't know, Bishop was a founding member of the legendary Sun City Girls, and is now touring behind an excellent new solo record with an ensemble, and we're really excited about seeing this live. Throw in a strong and highly appropriate opening line up of locals including Shane English and Violent Squid, and you've got a pretty solid bet. If you want to win this pair of tickets, just email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and Tuesday at 6PM. Good luck!
Not a lot going on this evening, as is typical for Monday nights, but this week looks very strong overall for shows, so cool your jets, man, and check this out:
Sarah Jaffe (Pearl Cup) I heard about this show a few minutes ago over on the Dallas Observer's local music blog, and I just have a couple questions about this $22 performance at a coffee shop:
1. You read that sentence up there, didn't you? I said this show is $22. You know how much the cover is for Bonnie Prince Billy at the Granada on Saturday? $20. That's two bucks less than it costs to see Sarah Jaffe play acoustic at a coffee shop, apparently. My intention here isn't to insult Jaffe, but rather to suggest that charging a cover like that to see a local singer songwriter at a coffee shop in this economy almost borders on insulting in some way, doesn't it? I know we discuss shows with expensive covers in a positive light all the time around here, and I guess if people are willing to pay that much to see Jaffe, then more power to her. I'm sure she'll do quite well tonight, and I don't fault her for it (she obviously didn't set the ticket price), because those who seek to become professional musicians these days probably have to take what they can get, when they can get it, if they're willing and able. Still, something just seems off about this, as I would imagine that such an expensive cover would serve as an almost insurmountable barrier for many of the fans that made Jaffe the local favorite she has become today-- namely, college students in Denton who probably can't afford a cover like this. I'll end this little rant now just by saying "damn, that sure seems like a lot of money," and hope that Jaffe plays a cheaper show around here soon for her fans who can't afford to spend quite that much on a show.
2. I also noticed in the Observer post a comment from author Daniel Rodrigue regarding the "Dallas audience" that bothered him so much with their drinking and socializing in the back at one of Jaffe's performances at Rubber Gloves a few months ago, because it just HAD to be Dallas people ruining the otherwise polite Denton performance, right? I know the old local legend is that Dallas audiences talk during sets and don't give a shit about the music and are there to be seen rather than to see anything, and I would say that this is true to some extent. I've experienced it countless times. But you know where I've also experienced it countless times? New York. Chicago. San Francisco. Portland. Los Angeles. London. Austin. Oh, and Denton too. Basically, I've seen this happen everywhere I've ever been, period. This comment makes me wonder whether or not Mr. Rodrigue has ever actually seen a show somewhere outside of the metroplex, or if he's ever even been to other shows in Denton, because unless I'm crazy, I see just as many hipster/scenesters talking and carrying on and tweeting and taking party pics in Denton as I do in Dallas, and a lot of times, I feel like I see even more of them, even if I, unlike Mr. Rodrigue, lack the amazing power of being able to tell which Texas city someone is from based on what they're doing while hanging out at Rubber Gloves. Again, this is not a knock on Denton, which is a city that I have consistently argued is better than anywhere else in Texas for music. It's just an acknowledgement that this kind of thing happens everywhere, and when you're in a place like Rubber Gloves, its pretty hard to expect people to behave like they're at a funeral simply because a performer you happen to love happens to be playing a quiet set. I'm not encouraging rude behavior here, either, but rather attempting to point out that this kind of silly Dallas vs. Denton stereotype debate has caused so many problems for our music scene over the years that it's just become completely boring. Although I could probably write a fucking treatise at this point as to why the music scene sucks in Dallas, I think furthering the Dallas/Denton divide with baseless and silly claims like does absolutely no good these days, in addition to the fact that it really doesn't make a lot of sense. Over the past three years, I've seen the Dallas and Denton music scenes begin to overlap to a much greater extent than they did just a few years ago, and this is obviously a good thing for both cities. In other words, I think this debate has died down considerably. And to borrow a bit from the political rhetoric of our current president, I think the local music scene is moving beyond these simplistic divisions just a little bit, and it seems to be a positive development.
As a side note, the only Dallas stereotype I enjoy is the one where Austinites think we're a bunch of crude, meat eating, violent jerks who fuck up their city at SXSW. Damn right we are.
Our friends at the Granada have hooked us up with three pairs of tickets to catch Bonnie Prince Billy and the Howling Hex this Saturday night, and if you want to win a pair, just email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.comany time between now and Tuesday at 5PM with "Bonnie Prince Billy" as the subject line and your full name in the body. We'll pick three winners at random. Good luck, nerds!
TUE: Passion Pit/Harlem Shakes/Cale Parks (Granada Theater) WED: Sir Richard Bishop and his Freaks of Anaby Ensemble/Oaxacan/Shane English (Rubber Gloves) WED: Black Moth Super Rainbow/School of Seven Bells/Darktown Strutters (Hailey's) WED: Detour with Redsean/Select/Vega/Ishi/Hoyotoho (the Cavern) THU: Animal Collective/Black Dice (House of Blues) THU: Au Revoir Simone/The Antlers (The Cavern) FRI: Mika Miko/Strange Boys/Bad Sports (Rubber Gloves) FRI: Constantines/Crystal Antlers (Sons of Hermann Hall) FRI: Quick's Next Big Thing with Play N Skillz/Damaged Goods/Dove Hunter/The O's and more (Granada) SAT: Bonnie Prince Billy (Granada)
