FRIDAY (By DL and SR)

Forgive the typos etc. We start writing this at 6 PM, okay?

Cadillac Fraf Memorial Show with Garuda | Suiciety | The Great Tyrant (Lola's Saloon)
A special show with three Fort Worth legends of yesterday, the day before yesterday, and well, today. Chad "Cadillac Fraf" Percy was a musician and FW icon, whose life was cut tragically short after a scooter accident left him comatose in September of 2008, finally succumbing to his injuries earlier this year. He performed solo under the Cadillac Fraf moniker, in addition to releasing a 7" and performing with Mockingbird Cartel.

So to pay tribute, some of Fraf's friends who happen to have played in some of Fort Worth's most highly regarded groups, are putting on a couple of shows, despite the fact that two of these bands have been defunct for years. Starting in 1988 and ending in 1993, Suiciety is considered one of the first Tarrant County acts that played in the "doomy/stoner rock genre." Influenced by such greats as Neurosis and Cryptic Slaughter, the group featured two future members of beloved dub act, Sub Oslo.

Garuda was a notorious thrashy hardcore act with fearsome, scream/growl dynamic vocals, and acrobatic drumming and backing tracks. They haven't played since 2004, and are missed along with the oft-mentioned groups, Bread And Water, and Of Death, from the same era. Both of the reunited acts will also play at Lovejoy's in Austin tomorrow night, a club which Fraf was known to frequent. More info on Fraf here.

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Texas Theater located at 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. Dallas, TX 75208)
This is a showing of Lon Chaney's 1923 version of Hunchback, with Paul Slavens providing live accompaniment. This is one of those events that sounds like it will be pretty fun to attend, except I almost always wind up not going. Last time I went to a similarly high concept performance like this, it was in this little building on White Rock Lake almost a decade ago, and there was a live classical quartet playing dissonant, horror-themed, drone music. This leather jacketed punk rocker went along and he was talking about how much he liked it while trying to blow my mind with the fact that he listened to King Crimson. He also refused to shake hands with anyone (like "The Man" does), even though he worked in an office. Years later, I confronted him and forced him to shake my hand and totally ruined this Christmas party with unbridled awkwardness. We in "The Biz" call this "funcomfortable." Anyways, the event itself was a really great experience, and I bet this will be too. More info here.

The Theater Fire | Weird Weeds | Nick Jaina (Chat Room Pub)

Charlie Louvin | AM Ramblers (Lola's Stockyards)

Richard Lloyd | The Felons | The Mumbles (Club Dada)
Freakishly good guitar player who I would still pay to see, even if he actually does release a whole album of Hendrix covers.

SATURDAY

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum | Invincible Czars (Longhorn Saloon)
I'm sure you've heard me complain about the session musician geekiness that ruins bands like this for me so I'll spare you. What really sucks is that since these bands actually do "listen to everything," they obviously have some very good influences, and will occasionally have a really great little passage or mind-numbingly difficult and cool riff, only to have it ruined by what sounds like Bjork singing over Dream Theater, with a side of world music usually heard at shopping malls.

Record Hop | Saboteur | Nervous Curtains (Annex House)
Surely the loudest and likely the most crowded show Annex House has put on yet.

Loop 12 | The Watchers | Convextion | DJ Per | The Great Tyrant | Projections by Tommy Boy (Sons of Hermann Hall)
Very solid line up, if a tad unusual for Sons of Hermann. It's a shame that Loop 12 doesn't play out around town more often, as their multi media sensory overload performances are some of the most unique musical experiences created by any band in the area, with a mixture of video art and overwhelming electronic compositions that walk a fine line between dance oriented electronica and difficult, collage oriented avant garde. The Great Tyrant should be a nice compliment to this performance as their set will overwhelm in an entirely different way-- raw power, fronted by Tommy Atkins' extraordinary bass playing and Darren Beck's booming, theatric vocals. To top all off, this show also features The Watchers, a project featuring members of Zanzibar Snails, Mike Maxwell of Sonic Deathwave System, and even though he will probably resent this, the first employee at an unnamed local record store whose taste in music doesn't completely drive me up the fucking wall, and is always playing something great whenever I shop there.

Spinal Tap (Nokia Theater)
Here's an HSO for you-- Spinal Tap is one of the least funny Christopher Guest mockumentaries. It's better than Mighty Wind or whatever, but doesn't touch "Best in Show" or "Waiting for Guffman," even though its a pretty great movie in its own right. Seeing a full blown Spinal Tap show live would probably be pretty entertaining, but unfortunately, Guest and company will be ditching their Spinal Tap props and costumes and will be playing Spinal Tap songs, get this, acoustic. Wait, What? They'll also tackle some material from "A Mighty Wind," which I never found particularly funny or entertaining. Look, the economy sucks, and you'd probably be better off staying home and watching one of these films on DVD or something.

Hank Fest (Art 6 in Denton)
8 hour benefit show for Hank, the dog, to help with his medical bills. Featuring Alex Atchley and The Bad Times, Absence of Color, and many, many others.

Fate Lions (Opening Bell Mosaic on 300 Akard Street
Dallas, TX 75202): Fate Lions, talk about something I expected to dislike. They kind of surprised me, though. Sort of reminds me of the one or two songs I like by Ivy or Freedy Johsnton, or some random track by a major label obscurity that would be featured on the free cd that comes with one of those annoying over-sized British music mags. I don't think they would take that as an insult. In any case, they shouldn't. Much better than a lot of straight-forward Dallas pop rock.

ADD: SAS AKA Select and Schwa (Zubar)
Featuring Unit One in the backroom as well.

SUNDAY

Daniel Francis Doyle | Yells at Eels | Orange Coax | Eat Avery's Bones (Aboca's, 100 S. Central Exp. #63, Richardson)
Obviously, we're big fans of everyone here, and I have to say, it will be an honor to see these bands perform at this "venue." One thing I should mention is ex (?) C!TR member Sashenka Lopez's vocal contributions to Orange Coax give the group a force field of confidence that is as charming as it is overwhelming. Quite often, Lopez, seems to be the one necessary ingredient in whatever group she is in that just barely keeps things from going completely off-balance; shouting, dancing, and playing along with absolute certainty. It's nice to know with 100 percent confidence that this will be a great show, thanks in no part to us, but to the quality of the acts and people involved. Note: Five Dollar entry fee gets 21 and up a cup with which to consume alcohol. Pizza by the slice and soft drinks also available.

ADD: Chest Pain/Dark Forces/Coin Return (Bike House located at 5640 Vickery)
Why does this have to be the same night and time as our show? I've been dying to see Chest Pain.

For Your Pleasure with DJ G (Hailey's)

First things first. I want to mention that the voting is open in Quick's "Big Thing." The winners will be announced at the annual celebratory show; this year it's June 5th, at The Granada.  I think the nominees, once again, are more comprehensive and accurately representative of the actual state of local music than just about any other local, nominee-based awards event.*  Even though I may not be into everything that Hunter Hauk writes about, that's kind of the point.  He continues to be one of the most objectively apolitical writers in town, even when he is on the receiving end of harsh criticism.  And get this: he can actually name the correct city a venue is in when doing a show preview.  Amazing.  

Fleetwood Mac (American Airlines Center)
  So, I recently got tangled up in a stupid music argument, as I so often do, this time about whether or not Lindsay Lohan's interest portraying Stevie Nicks in a film is an unthinkable blasphemy that this seventies icon shouldn't be subjected to. Give me a break. I think Lohan is the perfect pick for such a ghastly rock personality, and the fact that Nicks herself was appalled only strengthens my case.  Is there a more annoyingly shaky and quivering voice in all of popular music?  I love weird voices, but there's something about her singing that's often unbearable.  Ever heard her cover "Silent Night?" And her dreary hippie-witch getup that is often regarded as equally as influential as her music, can really make you grateful to have spent your twenties around day-glo leggings more than anything else.

I probably don't hate Fleetwood Mac as much as I used to, and I guess Lindsey Buckingham is a much less cheesy guitarist than most guys in a huge band from this era have any right to be.  That's probably the best thing I can say about their post-Peter Green work.  Just hope that Stoned Ranger gets them next time, so he can tell you how much he loves to play "Rumours" on his Nano when he's jogging.  

Cake (Palladium)
I could pay $35.00 for "cake" at the Palladium. Just not this Cake at this Palladium.

The Enright House | Waterfalls (Mountain House located at 5320 Tremont in Dallas)


Running out of time here, so I'm going to let Mountain House's own Evan Horn describe this in his own words (from his Myspace)

...having a house show this Thursday night, April 30th.
both bands do this ambient, lost at sea, drone thing,
not too different from what Hauschka, Eluvium, or even
local heroes, Mom, are doing. expect the sort of sounds
that you might hear from a beach-front shoemaker shop,
or recordings taken from inside the boobs of a volcano.

very minimal stuff.

The Enright House is from New Zealand, and will play at 10pm.
Waterfalls is Dallas' John Barker's new project and will open at 8pm.
this is a free show. bring your own whatever.

DJ Wild In The Streets (The Amsterdam Bar)

Sun Club (Rubber Gloves)

80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's)

*Stoned Ranger was one of many qualified panelists. I would like to think that the nominees would be just as diverse, even without our input.

I should probably start off with an announcement that And/Or Gallery will soon be closing its doors. Keri, the assistant at And/Or, sent us this:

"Yes, And/Or is closing for the moment. Paul is moving to NYC in
September and I'm pretty much going as well. We are thinking about
re-opening the gallery in NYC in 2010. But we have a show with Chad
Hopper opening May 9th, and we may do one more show after that."

Sniff. It will be a sad day when they finally move out...

Onto the list:

THURSDAY
James Bland: Texas Artists' Portraits, Part 1 (CADD Art Lab) 6-9pm
Portraits of 44 North Texas artists with their work.

Edward Setina Artist's Talk (Centraltrak) 6-8pm

**Charley Harper exhibit closing today at Public Trust. Check out Holly Jefferson's interview with Nick Z, showing at Public Trust next week.

FRIDAY
Cliff Garten: Organic Geometries (William Campbell Contemporary) 6-8pm

SATURDAY

...and so we beat on, ceaselessly: The Photography of Jeff Riley (Firehouse Gallery) 6-8pm
From 8-10:30pm Nick Hennies and Sandy Ewen of the Weird Weeds will perform. Artist's reception is free, the show following is $5.

Christopher French: As the Land and the Air Is (Holly Johnson)6-8pm

Letscher, Lapthisophon, and Ottinger (Conduit)5:30-8:30pm

Spatial Shifts: Jay Shinn and Rupert Deese (Marty Walker)6-8pm

Maysey Craddock & Faith Gay (Pan American) 5-8pm

Wu Jialin: Homelandand Don Schol: Vietnam Remembrances (PDNB)5-8pm

Breaking The Sound Barrier: Music Series #5(Haley-Henman) 7-9pm

Jordan Fein and Desirae Embree: Non-linear Equations (Avenue Arts)

Image courtesy of Metrognome Collective and Jeff Riley.

And A Child Shall Lead Them
An Exhibition of new work by Nick Z
Friday, May 8 | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Public Trust

Asked to describe his work in five words, Boston native, Nick Z, responded: young, raw, creepy, autobiographical, and subversive. Previously known as a successful street artist with a talent for partnering vibrant colors and simplistic yet endearing characters, Nick would roll his eyes if he was exclusively recognized for his early achievements. The press has been generously respectful in the past few years, recognizing his progression in style, dimension, and scale of projects. His ambitious gallery installations most often incorporate assorted found objects and arrangements, phrases on wall and paper, colorful spray-painted images, cartoonish faces and figures, and videos on monitors.

The first time I saw your work was around four years ago in Boston’s South End, my neighborhood and yours at the time. I saw this smallish piece of bright-blue-painted rectangular plywood affixed with a magic marker sticker featuring one of your cartoon-like characters and zip-tied to a fence of a public garden. I soon went back to steal it and it was already claimed. About a week later I spied a similar piece around ten blocks away and immediately cut it down and put it on my mantle. At that time you were already showing in galleries coast to coast. Why was it, and is it still, compelling to show your work outside of white walls?

The only reason I was putting my work on the street at that time is because I had so much of it. I figured I would put everything I wasn’t showing outside instead of throwing it away. It didn’t mean anything to me at all. Then, it was just like a personal obsession or bad habit. Now, I don’t feel compelled to put anything on the street at all. It’s something I did at one point years ago but don’t feel compelled to now—especially since “street art” has become such a household term. I find it all pretty gross.

Do you think your imprint on the streets of Boston—whether prolifically tagging, creating elaborate, large scale spray-painted murals, or asserting ephemera on any visible surface—helped advance your career as an gallery-showing artist?

In general, gallery shows are hard to get. I would say, at that time it was a nice lil’ spark, good advertising, and that’s it. Even if I attracted someone’s attention and I got a commission or a show as a result, I still had to bring clients to my studio to show them my real work.

Have you ever been arrested because of your art?

No, that would totally be counterproductive for me.

Was there a career turning point when you became less of a graffiti/street artist, terms I know you deplore, and more of an established mixed-media artist?

The goal has always been for my work to been seen in galleries, for people to really engage mentally. I may have once been referred to as a street artist, but that was just something I was doing while waiting to show off my real work.

Having been to a few of your solo shows, I love to see how you completely take over and transform a space. How much planning goes into this beforehand, and how much is improvised once you begin the installation?

How do I prepare for that? I don’t really. Sometimes I will plan which objects I want to be in the show, but when I see the space, I’m already, like, ready to go. But usually it’s all improvised, which I feel is way more honest and harder to accomplish. I consider every space a challenge, and I love to make something happen from nothing.

Almost two years ago you and German artist Kai Altoff, your close friend and mentor, collaborated for a show at the Barbara Gladstone Gallery in Manhattan. It received high accolades in the New York Times, scored a spot in the Best of 2007 issue of Art Forum, and caught the attention of Takashi Murakami, who purchased some of your work. That installation marked a visual departure from your more lighthearted work. It became more advanced and showcased a darker side of your personality that continues to resonate in current projects.

I guess it was a total departure. I am really proud of that growth. Around that time I started seeing life differently—being exposed to new stimuli. I became more truthful to my work and myself. So my style changed and moved forward into heavier concept and content.

You are featured in the current issue of New American Paintings. How does that recognition compare to your other career highlights?

I'm really siked to be in that publication. Since college, I’ve always looked through it each time I saw a new issue on the bookstore shelves. I guess it’s highly personal for me—an incredible accomplishment to get recognized by them.

What inspires you?

My close friends—not only their work but also them personally. But more specifically, my brother Matthew, my mentor Kai, and my good friend and consistent co-collaborator Mister Never routinely inspire me. However, I am also highly affected by music and think a musician’s form of expression really gets me to the core.

Is there anything you want to see or do while you’re in Dallas?

I’d just like to ride a bike around, see what people are up to and how they are living, drink beers, and hit some thrift stores—I love them.

Napalm Death | Kataklysm | Toxic Holocaust | Coliseum | Trap Them | Earthrot | Ebola Zaire (Ridglea Theatre)
You've got to hand it to the ever-touring metal/grindcore etc. bands. They have got this merch thing down to a precise science. Go to any band's page from the various death metal/grindcore/d-beat genres and you'll always be bombarded with some insane gif flashing all the black look-a-like hoodies (pictured) these groups are pushing. It kind of ruins the whole effect doesn't it? It's akin to seeing a crust punk use a blackberry or a gang lord return his drink at Starbucks.

Most of these bands have been around for some time, as far back as such unthinkable years as 1991, or even 1982 in the case of Napalm Death. A lot has been lost since then, with Napalm Death peaking around the time of their first Peel Session but having flashes of brilliance here and there in the decades since. Even though die-hards always complain these groups haven't been good for decades, I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of them tonight, but perhaps not all seven. I doubt the crowd that does show up would appreciate Pegasus News calling this show "screamo" however.

Delmore Pilcrow | RTB2 | Daniel Folmer | Tex Winters (J & J's Pizza)
Portland.

Schwa | Prince Will | Select | Red Sean | Ishi (Tribeca)
This is a big lineup for Wednesday night, in celebration of Tony Schwa's 21st Birthday. Oh, I mean it's free for 21 and up. Happy Birthday, Schwa!

Dubbel Dutch | Females | Yeah Def | Killanova (Hailey's)

Collin Rose/DJ PWR/Art by Amy G (The Cavern)

Bobb Trimble - Iron Curtain Innocence (1980, Vengeance)

Every time I listen to this album I'm overwhelmed by how out of place it sounds. By the time 1980 rolled around there was very little music coming out that could even be considered remotely psychedelic. Apparently Bobb Trimble failed to notice this, or maybe he just didn't give a shit. At a time when his peers in Worcester, MA were neck deep into punk rock, Trimble broke suit by unleashing a whopping 300 copies of this space-psych-folk masterpiece to little or no reception. Instead of the Black Flag/Ramones/Sex Pistols influences that were the norm at the time, the music on Iron Curtain Innocence draws from the Beatles, Tyrannosaurus Rex (Marc Bolan, cool!!), and Love, while the wavering falsetto vocals remind me of the female vocals on Comus' First Utterance.

In the years since it's release, record collectors have paid up to $1500 for original copies of Trimble's albums. Thankfully, Secretly Canadian has reissued both Iron Curtain Innocence and it's follow-up, 1982's Harvest of Dreams on both lp and cd, making them available to people that aren't big enough assholes to spend over a grand on one record!

We have Not New Music Tuesdays coming up for you in just a couple minutes, but for now, here are a few things to do tonight (you can view even more shows on our recently updated show calendar, which can be accessed by clicking the link above or by clicking on "Shows" underneath "sections" in the top left sidebar:

The Gaslight Anthem | Heartless Bastards | A Death in the Family (Granada)
Oh great. The Gaslight Anthem. Really shitty band name. I wonder what this shit is going to sound like? Do I have to? Ok, fine. Let's see. I bet they have one of those shitty Myspace pages that takes forever to load. Yep. Oh, and surprise surprise: they're dressed like total douches too. Figures. The first song I'm hearing is called, and I'm not shitting you, "Great Expectations." It sounds like Social Distortion mixed with Uncle Tupelo, the Goo Goo Dolls, and the Boss (if he were a WAY bigger pussy). This isn't going well. The second one is sort of like a John Cougar song minus the youthful nostalgia that makes me not puke every time I hear one of his shitty songs. I wish this sounded more like Don Henley solo. And I'm not kidding. Uh oh, "Old White Lincoln" has an emo intro.... but then it turned into a song just like all these other songs. I'm bored now and out of stuff to make fun of. Can I give up? Sometimes I wonder why people roughly my age, or even younger, write songs reminiscing about stuff that happened before they were born. Do you really miss taking Suzy to the Drive in? Are you sure you aren't thinking of that one time you talked to some chick about At the Drive In on Friendster or whatever? Sometimes it seems like you'd have to try REALLY HARD to make music this predictable and derivative. The Heartless Bastards sound like a dream compared to this Gas whatever band. Their singer has an instantly compelling voice and delivery, and the group's songs are quite good too-- sort of a country influenced and psychedelically dusted garage pop that actually reminds me of the Oh Sees quite a bit, as well as Robyn Hitchcock a little bit less, and a few of the more popular garage rock acts to emerge in recent times a little more. This music is fairly stark, accessible, and just really well done. It's been a while since I've encountered a show where the opening act is THIS much better than the headliner.

Damien Jurado | Laura Gibson (Dan's Silverleaf)
Damian Jurado apparently launched his career through a friendship with members of Sunny Day Real Estate over a decade ago, and has been an icon in the Pacific Northwest indie | neo-folk scene for most of the time since. He lists groups like Thanksgiving and Little Wings as "influences" on his website, which is apparently a joke because those groups were probably like 12 when Jurado started, and his stuff is way more straight forward and rock oriented than either of those groups, with more Replacements and less music concrete than the former, and a penchant for pop structures that isn't quite displayed in the latter. If you're in the mood for this kind of music, Jurado is a highly reliable go-to guy, and his local connection as an early champion of Bosque Brown is also something that will probably bring some interested parties out to the show this evening. I'll be in the mood for this if the Mavs lose tonight.

Disqo Disco (Fallout)

90's Night with Yeahdef (Hailey's)

Mates of State | Black Kids | Sun Bears (Granada)
I guess I'm a terrible "indie culture" blogger or whatever, because until earlier this afternoon, I had honestly never listened to the somewhat controversial Black Kids for even a split second. Of course, much like most of you, I had heard all about the group in late 2007 and 2008, as their faces were splattered on just about every cultural barometer one can think of-- Vice, Pitchfork, Leno, Letterman, NME, Spin, Rolling Stone, etc., and the astounding wave of press and critical praise for the band culminated in one of the biggest PR hype campaigns for an "indie rock" group in recent memory, which in turn made the whole thing more than a little difficult to stomach.... hence the whole "never listened to them" thing. And with this kind of rapid commercial success came, of course, the inevitably huge and over-the-top backlash, embodied most notably in Pitchfork's abrupt change of heart between the release of Black Kids' "Best New Music" EP and their debut full length, which fell victim to one of the website's infamously dismissive photo reviews. Aside from concerns that the band wasn't really, uh, all that good, I also read complaints, around the time of their full length release, addressing the supposedly racial undertones behind their name, as well as a variety of other grievances that had nothing to do with the group's music or artistic vision, if they have one. Truth be told, this group isn't terrible, really-- they've written a few decent, dance leaning pop songs that seem to be as close to being "hip" as anything this marketable could possibly be. My first reaction to hearing them related to how much the lead singer tried to emulate Robert Smith, until I realized that he was just ripping off the guy from Hot Hot Heat ripping off Robert Smith, which is clearly worse. Their songs, overall, are a pretty bland mix of dance punk, pop punk and mid 00's catch all indie a la Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Wolf Parade, and it is just mind blowing that this was considered in any way exciting in 2007, after these sounds had largely run their course with everyone other than teenagers. At the end of the day, it seems that Pitchfork and others were so harsh and quick with the backlash not because this band is chronically bad, but because they are nowhere near as good as the omnipotent online hype machine manipulated people into thinking they were. Music "journalists" and bloggers certainly seem to adopt a sort of herd mentality when confronted with bands like this, and the backlash might involve something more subtle than this crowd simply trying to appear as relevant as possible. Instead, it might be an apology of sorts-- "hey guys, we're sorry we told you this band was so great when they weren't. We all got carried away trying to talk about them before everyone else, and with the speed at which MP3 blogs and fashion websites move these days, we had to take a chance and go ahead and praise them just in case they ended up actually being a good band, which would make us look stupid unless we said something great about them right now, which is what we did. We rolled the dice and crapped out. However, as part of our commitment to customer service, we've gone ahead and ripped the band apart for you, just to make extra sure that we never put you through the experience of purchasing anything related to the Black Kids again. Sorry for the inconvenience!" So the public forgets about their free downloads, the websites and magazines continue to look hip and relevant, and the only people who lose any credibility in the long run are the group of young, mediocre musicians who probably should have never been "almost famous" in the first place. Indie rock 4eva!

Cool Out (The Cavern)