The Granada has hooked us up with two pairs of tickets to see Brian Jonestown Massacre this coming Monday, April 13th, and if you want to win a pair, email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time before 5PM today with the band's name as the subject and your full name in the Email body. Good luck! And remember, no matter what has happened to this band over the years, it couldn't possibly be as bad as Joel's band (which we forced you to watch earlier this year).

Stereo Total | Leslie and the Lys | Sydney Confirm (Granada)
Stereo Total sort of remind me of eating at a mall food court. They've been around a long time, so they're reliable, and they've got a lot of different stuff, much of which is good-- you know... pizza, Chinese food, burgers, stuff like that. You like all that stuff, so why not go somewhere where you can have your choice? Stereo Total is similar-- lots of credible influences, everything from 60's pop to Serge Gainsbourg to garage punk to synth pop and many other fashionable reference points, most of which you probably like. All of it is pretty good, but much like a mall food court, most of it is mildly satisfying most of the time, yet almost always far from great. It seems that a lot of Stereo Total's material from their decade plus existence has been decently enjoyable, yet never ground breaking or even all that exciting. Again, there is nothing wrong with what they do, but it seems that stylistic variety and cool points for exotic tastes take precedence over quality with this group, and much like Sabarro's or Panda Express, experiencing them might be a temporarily pleasant but strangely, almost inexplicably underwhelming venture.

80's Night with DJG 5th Year Anniversary (Hailey's)
Tonight is the 5th Anniversary of DJG's 80's Night at Hailey's, and whatever your opinion of 80's dance music, DJs, or anything else regarding local music, you have to admit that maintaining a residency anywhere in north Texas for five consecutive years is quite a feat, especially considering how popular the night has been for most of its existence. I would get to this one early, as I'm sure it'll be completely packed, and G will be giving away multiple pairs of free tickets to see Morrissey as well, so keep your ears out for those announcements throughout the night. Apparently only the first 75 people or so in the door will be eligible for the ticket raffle, yet another reason to get there early. Look, 80's night can be kind of a meat market, and if you're not in the mood, it can be a major beating, but DJG has been doing things the right way all along, regardless of the crowds, and he should certainly be congratulated for that.

Sun Club (Rubber Gloves)

Nanda Devi | Zwounds | Demeanor | Sohns | Jubilee | Dead Friends (1919 Hemphill)

Top Notch Thursdays with Sober (Zubar)

Basement Hitter | Billy Billy/Freddy Schulze of Heartstring Stranglers | Spooky Folk | Manned Missiles | Hats and Statues | Daniel Folmer | RTB2 (J&Js Basement)
Is this the first annual meeting of badly named local folk bands? Spooky Folk? Hats and Statues? What am I supposed to do with that shit? Actually, I heard quite a bit about Spooky Folk during NX35, where they got a high profile thumbs up from Chris Flemmons of the Baptist Generals, as well as this quote from one Dallas Observer music writer (I honestly can't remember which one)

"Without a doubt, Spooky Folk is one of the more remarkable acts playing around town."

Not sure what that says about the band, the newspaper or our "town," but all I can hear on their Myspace page is some solidly executed, paint by numbers "Indie Folk," complete with surrealist lyrics about nature, a quivering lead vocal and a general feeling of sadness that reminds me of, well, what the Baptist Generals were doing. A decade ago. Nothing wrong with it, but if this band is "remarkable," particularly in a town full of similar acts, we're in big trouble.

SATURDAY

Breaking The Sound Barrier (Haley-Henman) 7-9 pm
Featuring sound installations from Annie Davis, George Davis, Riyad El-Masri, Amalia Zelaya El-Masri, Jeff Hatch, KeLaine Kvale, Christopher R. Morgan, Rene Parnell, Morton Rachofsky, Marco Rubino, John Sadler, Silvia Thornton, and Cassandra Fink.

SUNDAY

94 Faces of Gordon Carver and Presidential Portraits of current and past by Ike E. Morgan (Webb Gallery)4-8pm
A show featuring two amazing self-taught artists: Gordon Carver recently passed away, leaving behind 94 framed drawings of hairy faces. Ike E. Morgan's work has been up at Webb before- his portrait of the Clinton Family is a personal favorite of mine.
This show will be up until June 28th, and Sarah Jaffe will be performing at the opening reception.

(This is the first appearance of a new feature in which we invite local artists to conduct interviews with other artists, sort of as a tribute to Interview Magazine. Today's not-as-unlikely-as-you-might-think installment features Fight Bite's Leanne Macomber interviewing Infernus of Gorgoroth.)

Being from Texas is a lot like being from Norway, in one respect: If you take guitar lessons as a kid in either place, there is a 99% chance that you will learn Slayer before you have time to figure out who Kurt Cobain was. Having Viking or cowboy blood, you might also ceremonially burn Yngwie Malmsteen (Swedish Chivalry Metalist) instructional videos in your back yard (after hurling your guitar out of your bedroom window).

Safe to say that by the time your instructor teaches you about the tritone interval (the precise moment he starts offering you shoulder rubs and complimenting you on your developing figure), you will well be aware that Norway = Black Metal.

I don't think I need to explain what Black Metal sounds, looks, or thinks like, but I'll say that it makes even the most threatening and ominous gangster rap sound like a two-month old being baptized in a mega church. For anyone who's interested in spikes, inverted pentagrams, cathedral torching, and corpse-paint, Gorgoroth is a musically rich introduction and is certainly a defining example of the genre.

Gorgoroth was formed by guitarist, vocalist, and composer Infernus in the year 1992. Their first release, 'A Sorcery Written in Blood,' was bad ass, and was followed by more bad ass-ness. If you don't like the concept of 'Sexual Bloodgargling,' I don't think we should have to live on the same planet.

Gorgoroth has seen more than a half a dozen line-up changes, but Infernus has been there every step of the way. Semi-recently, former singer Ghaal and bassist King ov Hell tried to kick Infernus out of the band and keep the hard-earned name. Thankfully, Infernus had Satan on his side, along with a copyright lawyer or two.

So this is when I was invited to do a telephone interview. I'm guessing the folks at We Shot JR might have thought it would be funny for a pansy like me to converse with a man who looks like he sharpens his teeth with the bones of orphans and moisturizes with afterbirth.

Long story short: We exchanged many an "Alo?" and he sounded very nice, but the technical difficulties were too many. We ended up having to finish through e-mail. I didn't get to ask him if I could come house sit next time he goes on tour... but i do have 96 minutes remaining on my phone card...

Thank you for taking my questions.

No problem. Sorry for the bad connection. Was driving from Oslo to Bergen passing an area with loads of tunnels. But enough about such excuses. I am honestly a bit more fond of doing e-mailers. So it is no problem for me. Thank you.

Growing up what sparked your interest in music? What were some of your early attempts like?

Mh, not much to talk about, honestly. Before I started Gorgoroth back in 1992, I could barely even play guitar. It is difficult to point out some specific things which sparked my interest in music. That has been there for as long as I can remember.

Of all the places you've been and all that you've seen, what were some of your most memorable experiences?

That's not such an easy question either. I am generally fond of traveling and seeing new places, so I try to get a lot of that done when I have the time to do other things than directly metal music related work. Thus I have seen a lot of places, but I find it difficult to decide which is the most memorable of them. In terms of touring with a bunch of drunks on a bus, desecrating not only the places we have visited but also more or less our own self-esteem and reputation, I have for sure seen some memorable stuff as well. But tour stories belong where they should be: on the bus together with companions, not in the media.

What unexpected influences do you have? Sounds or concepts that don't directly manifest themselves in your music?

Hehe, are you giving me the chance to fall into the trap of a thousand other black metal musicians, who use and abuse every opportunity to build a set of hopeless myths around themselves as soon as they get to hear the word "radio" or "tv?" My influences should be apparent to some, and to others they are not. The ones who don't get connected with it directly, go listen to something else. I don't need you.

Were you at all surprised when you learned that King and Ghaal were trying to force you out of the band that you created?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. I mean, I knew there was something going on, and I knew for quite some while that the cooperation could not continue much longer. But that they would try to do what they did - no, it caught me a bit by surprise, I must admit. Then again, there are methods for dealing with such. And I applied them. Nice try, though!

I'm sure you were relieved when the verdict came, ruling in your favor. Do you have a renewed sense of energy? A new direction?

Energy levels are more or less high all the time. And this did not in fact affect me a lot. It meant a whole load of work and some attorney bills that had to be dealt with. Strictly speaking, that should not have been necessary. But some people now and then have to learn it the hard way, it seems. Me including. Now, I am of course relieved. I am happy, though not surprised to have it confirmed that I was right, and I was right all the time. This is a victory of reason and it is a victory for the music business as well, as it creates some sort of predictability in the market, making it clear that some 7th generation bass-player cannot come and claim the name and logo of a band he did not start. No matter what legitimizations he might come up with and present to the public. As for in what direction it will now continue: it will be coming down the same road I intended it to, when I first started the band, years before those two ex-members were invited into the band in the first place. We are going to continue writing, producing and performing Satan's music and we are going to do that for another 17 years or more.

How did you decide Gorgoroth's new line up? You've enlisted some familiar faces. Is it all coming together as you had planned?

Taking the mess back in 2007 into consideration, more or less everything has gone according to the plans since then. It gave me the chance to do a certain clean-up operation simultaneously as the legal proceedings went on. Most people I trusted and worked with until then, passed the test. But some others did not. Perhaps, I should recommend other bands to put this to practice as well? Seriously, it gave me the chance to get to work with some rather splendid guys that I had really wanted to work with for years. And as I already knew the co-operation with the two ex-members was on its way to hell, in retrospect the only thing I could have done without was actually their petty attempt to run off with the name and the logo.

When you set out on a new record do you always have a finial vision in mind or is it ever a visceral experience?

It is a bit of both. On the upcoming album I had all the music ready. And I spent some months with the drummer/co-producer, Tomas Asklund, arranging it. But nevertheless, the rest of the guys will undoubtedly put their mark on the product as well, in a way which only they are able to. There was a reason why I chose to work with exactly those guys. So this is in no way a solo-project or some weird black metal dictatorship of a band co-operation, and the last amount of work hasn't been done yet. As far as our schedules say, we will be done with the mix on June 26th, and by then it will be clear whether everything comes along according to a final vision or not.

Of all the diverse groups and musicians you've worked with over the years, which has been your favorite collaboration?

Difficult to say. I have been touring with a lot of different musicians and bands, both bigger and smaller acts. I can at least say I am very happy with the collaboration we had with 1349 on the European tours of 2004 and 2005. We have also been touring with bands such as Krisiun and Dissection as well, which were also very good and professional experiences for me.

You're 2004 Krakow show has become legendary. Where did the visual ideas come from?

From somewhere inside my head, perhaps?

The physical form of Satan has been described in many texts and has been represented in all sorts of extremes throughout graphic art and film; are there particular descriptions or images that satisfy your idea of Satan's form?

Yes.

You have described yourself as a Gnostic Satanist. Can you elaborate a bit?

Indeed I can. I regard myself as a man of God. I live in a universe where humanism and so-called atheism in all their forms appear as meaningless and void. I do believe in God, a demiurge, and a vehicle to fulfill and take me to where I belong. And that is Satan. He represents to me a striving towards complete goodness and truth. He is my direct line and my yes and my no.

I have a band with no name. Would you do us the honor of making up a name for us?

No, but I can give you good advice on the road: as soon as you make that up yourself, be sure to tell future members whose creation it is, in case they later on should fail to understand that. Remember that, and you will be a fool for a day, max.

Thank you for your time. You are such a celebrated musician and figure!

Thank you as well. And again, sorry for the bad connection on the phone that other day. Best regards!

I have to be very brief today, but we will have some more stuff for you tonight. Does the title of the album pictured here remind anyone else of a lost Boz Scaggs record or something? Bands are so weird.

Great Lake Swimmers | Matthew And The Arrogant Sea | Kate Maki (Hailey's): I was looking through our archives to see what we've said about Great Lake Swimmers, and actually found nothing, except that they were on the Good Records' Top 20 for about four consecutive weeks in 2006. Hope that tells you what you need to know.

Dead Kenny G's | Yells At Eels | DJ Pendergrassin' (Club Dada)

Shapes Stars Make | Buddha Fingers/David Sunshine (The Cavern)

The Life And Times | Trebuchet | Dead Twins (Rubber Gloves)
Not to say anything about The Life And Times' music, but the bio on their page has provided excellent entertainment for me today. Will someone decipher the following gem?:

It's also [a record] that heavily scratches that rock itch, ahem, but doesn't drown you in Gee Whiz Factor bullshit.

Please, somebody, anybody, tell me what the fuck that means. I'm begging you. Oh, and the bafflement I felt reading the bio actually kind of sums up what I think about their music. A final word to bio writers everywhere: Never type simply "Floyd" without the "Pink."

ADD: Wanz Dover is tonight's "Get Fucked" guest, along with the usual lineup of Mikey Rodge, Killtron, and Whack-A-Tone (Fallout Lounge)

Before we begin, one more thank you to Gordon And The Whale for helping us out with seats for last night's Tyson preview. The film was excellent, and I'm looking forward to an interview they've conducted with director James Toback that's going to be showing up on their website sometime next week.

Here Holy Spain (Good Records)
This is a free in-store celebrating the Dallas group's new release. Starts at 7 PM, and there's a keg just in case you didn't give up beer for Lent.

Disqo Disco | Dani Deahl (Fallout Lounge)
Tonight's guest is Chicago-based DJ, Dani Deahl. Deahl is fairly active in other aspects of music besides performing, moonlighting as a journalist for publications such as URB and BPM, which means I've probably read her work at SR's house without even realizing it. She also releases music through her own electro imprint, Calamity Jane, which is a subsidiary of beloved 20 year old House label, Strictly Rhythm.

Off With Their Heads | Swedish Teens | Last Of The Interceptors | Stymie (Rubber Gloves)
Fairly similar lineup to last night's 1919 show.

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


Paul Slavens (Lola's Stockyards)

Laurie Anderson - Big Science (1982, Warner Brothers)

Wow, procrastination must be the hardest habit to break. I've known that I was going to write about this particular record since I started doing this damn column, yet here I am typing away Monday night, during the NCAA title game.

Q: Why Big Science this week?
A: My lovely daughter is having her first birthday on Thursday (YAY!!) and this is the first album that she really seemed to react to/enjoy, so I'm doing this for her, even though she will never remember it.

I've always enjoyed Anderson's work as a guilty pleasure, but listening to this album 8 million times over the course of three or four months made me appreciate it even more. This album was released to showcase the highlights of her eight hour performance art piece "United States Live," which must have been a beating to sit through. When condensed to just under 40 minutes, eight of which are taken up by the UK #2 hit 'O Superman,' this thing works pretty damn well.

--Before anyone comments "I can't believe you didn't say anything about her and Lou Reed..." Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed were married last year. So I guess she has a penis.

Off With Their Heads | Kids of Cons | Raging Boner | Division of Power (1919 Hemphill)
Not that I have fun dissing shows at 1919 Hemphill or anything, because I don't, but if you're into any of the local supporting acts and plan on checking them out tonight, I would go ahead and leave after they play, because Off with their Heads remind me of some fairly embarrassing mid 90's pop punk band who probably opened for Rancid on their "Ruby Soho" tour or whatever. I just never need to hear this kind of music again I don't think.... sowwy. Anyway, Division of Power is probably the highlight here if you can take political punk, and Raging Boner doesn't sound half bad either.

Cool Out (the Cavern)