As many of you probably already know, Ariel Pink will be playing with Vivian Girls and Fight Bite at Hailey's this Saturday, April 11th, and Spune Productions was nice enough to give us a pair of tickets to the show to give away to you.... you know the drill-- email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and Wednesday at Noon with "Ariel Pink" as the subject line and your full name in the email body. Good luck losers!
We're definitely getting a dose of icons lately. Leonard Cohen last Friday, Morrissey this Friday, and tonight, Iron Mike Tyson. James Toback's new documentary of the controversial fighter, simply titled "Tyson," has been extremely well-received, with positive reviews and standing ovations at the various festivals in which it has been shown. I have admittedly been looking forward to seeing this film for over a year, and will finally get the chance tonight, thanks to Gordon And The Whale. They are presenting a preview screening at The Magnolia tonight, and you can get in for free by printing out the Facebook invite here. Film to start at 7:30, but you should arrive extra early due to limited seating.
PS-For those of you who think it's terrible to be promoting a film about such a flawed character, most likely the same crowd that sips Cabernet while intellectualizing Capturing The Friedmans or Chicken Hawk, look, just give me a break already.
Leonard Cohen (Nokia Theater) Leonard Cohen is the king of songwriters that get by on personality above all else, and yet what separates him from much lesser poets is that a good chunk of his material is actually worth revisiting on a regular basis.
Though much of his early work can seem like smokey-voiced variations on "To Ramona," the majority of it is excellent, especially on tracks like "The Partisan," where he took traditional European folk music and made it uniquely his own. The song sounds much less dated than most acoustic guitar songs recorded in 1968. Cohen's evolution of sound kept him relevant, for instance, not sounding like he was trying too hard by using synths in the 80's. In addition to shrewd choices like working with (and getting threatened by) Phil Spector, having Allen Ginsberg (andDylan) sing backup on a track, etc., he also had the good fortune of ultimately being associated with such hip cultural milestones as "Pump Up The Volume," as well as being covered by everyone from Electrelane to Judy Collins, Rufus Wainwright, and John Cale. He's one of those undeniably "cool" icons that make for a tough argument for those claiming his coolness is overrated. Listen to how giddy TV and radio interviewers are in any old clip or recording if you don't believe me. It will be a privilege if I actually make it to this show.
Quintron and Miss Pussycat | Psychedelic Horseshit | Mo Brown (The Prophet Bar) We were stunned by the revelation of this show, finding out about its existence only in the past 48 hours, and wondering how such a good bill could end up at The Prophet Bar. There should be some type of warning, designation, or ranking that booking agents can check when placing a show, but, oh, well. Psychedelic Horseshit have a much-improved live show from what I'm told, and apparently it is more chaotic and noisy than ever. Quintron and Miss Pussycat have sort of evolved into their own brand judging by the number of superficial or maybe just casual music fans I hear referring to the events they've thrown in New Orleans over the years. The last time I remember being at a show they were apart of was Oops! (The Tour), an insane traveling lineup that included Lightning Bolt, Arab On Radar, and The Locust. Even though I can't even recall Quintron's set, that's the way I'd like to remember it if it means I might end up at tonight's venue.
Realicide | Yatagarasu | Lil Foot/No Music Plays in Hospitals (House of Tinnitus) Big show at House of Tinnitus tonight. Realicide is an astonishingly harsh hardcore/raw industrial/electronics group, influenced by everything from political American hardcore punk to Cabaret Voltaire, but with more emphasis on beats. It's really fantastic stuff that I hadn't had the pleasure of hearing until recently, but I'd highly recommend it if you're into any of the above genres.
Social with Females | Vega (the Cavern) Vega will be the guest DJ tonight at this new weekly DJ set.
Riverboat Gamblers | Record Hop | Hello Lover (Club Dada) So if you have the musical tastes of a 15 year old who just heard punk rock for the first time over Christmas Break when his mom got him a Best Buy gift card, then you might be totally into Riverboat Gamblers. Some of the stuff on their latest record isn't quite as terrible as their older work, but that isn't saying a whole lot... I don't know, there's just something really irritating about boring, polished mall punk like this when its marketed to the public as "dangerous" and "rockin" and "cool." Being able to predict every note a band is going to play before they play it? Fucking snooze fest if you ask me, energetic live show or no.
Uptown Fridays with Select (Zubar) Select plays a good deal of old school house and hip hop on Friday nights, and its free.
SATURDAY
Robyn Hitchcock and the The Venus 3 (Granada Theater) The legendary Robyn Hitchcock headlines at the Granada on a busy weekend for legends. After getting his start in the beloved Soft Boys, Hitchcock developed a very loyal following based on his solo work, which recalls everything from The Byrds to Bob Dylan to the Beatles to Pink Floyd, among others, with charmingly surreal lyrics and an obvious lean towards the softer, poppier side of classic psychedelia. Almost all of it is breezy, reflective, and immaculately crafted. On this tour, Hitchcock will be playing with his band the Venus 3, which includes Peter Buck of R.E.M.
SAS with Select and Schwa (Backroom of Zubar) Last month's first installment of SAS, which kind of served as an after party for the Cut Copy show at the Granada, was apparently pretty packed and quite a good time, and since it seems to be the only decent dance event happening in the city on Saturday, I would expect a similar crowd.
Dust Congress | Geistheistler /Piccline | Zanzibar Snails (Rubber Gloves) Dust Congress played an excellent set in the lead singer's home earlier this week, and you would not believe how much space a marimba takes up in a living room. I want to quickly add that Piccline includes members of Fra Pandolf, and I can't wait to hear them.
Before we get started, I'm going to do something a little out of the ordinary and post some tracks to download, something I've been meaning to do since yesterday. This is solo work from George Quartz of Faux Fox. Here they are:
Doug Burr | Matthew And The Arrogant Sea (Palace Theater Arts Center located at 300 South Main Street in Grapevine) Give credit to Spune for their increasingly bizarre show locales. Grapevine has spawned many a local musician, and tonight Doug Burr and MATAS are returning the favor and bringing it back to one of the area's most ridiculed suburbs. No shortage of strong opinions when it comes to these two acts, so tonight's show is either a smart pairing of two of the area's most noteworthy songwriters in an unexpected spot, or...a really long drive.
The Strange Boys | The King Bucks (Double Wide) I'm sure this show will be packed, due to the disparate but devoted followings of these two groups, though there might be more bleed-over than you would expect. I mean, it's safe to say that both groups openly love Ray Charles and other assorted icons of song, so it's equally safe to assume that your average Dallas music fan is probably not averse to either of these acts and their dedication to past traditions of popular music. In other words, DFW likes its country, garage rock, old fashioned rhythm and blues etc., and that will pretty much be covered in the course of only two sets, so what's not to like? I can see some Ticket fans perhaps being thrown off by Strange Boys frontman Ryan Sambol's rather high register, but that's about it. Oh, and I want to mention that The Strange Boys are going on an epic tour with Mika Miko and The Coathangers this summer, something that can only add to the momentum they have managed to build since moving to Austin.
80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's) Sun Club (Rubber Gloves)
As we mentioned a few weeks back in a post about their first live performance, Denton's Fergus and Geronimo have attracted a lot of attention very early on in their existence, but they aren't exactly newcomers to the local scene. Comprised of Andrew Savage and Jason Kelly (of Teenage Cool Kids and Wax Museums, respectively), the group serves as something of a stylistic departure for its members, with a sound that is more reminiscent of motown, various aspects of proto-punk and even C86 pop as opposed to the punk, hardcore and garage influences that can be heard in the duo's other projects.
The tracks they've shared with us are actually pretty phenomenal, and the fact that the group has studied and learned well from motown and 60's pop is quite evident-- instantly and almost infectiously catchy vocal parts are delivered with an unmistakeable enthusiasm and confidence as they dance on top of simple, jangly guitars and bright keyboards, all with a rough around the edges lo-fi charm that seems to be one of the only things that the group's sound has in common with that of many of their future labelmates, which we'll get to in a second. But first, downloadthe excellent "Tell It (In My Ear)" to hear for yourself (or HERE if you hate ZShare). Then stop by their Myspace page to hear two other stand out tracks, and as you listen, read the following interview with the band (I'm just making suggestions, ok?)
1. I know you guys play in other bands around town and have been doing so for a while, so could you tell our readers who all of you are and what other musical projects you're involved with? And I see that only two of you are listed in the myspace with several others listed as "including." Are there only two primary members of Fergus and Geronimo?
Andrew- I'm in Teenage Cool Kids and I just started playing in Wiccans as well.
Jason- I play in the Wax Museums and Potential Johns, both of which are on sort of a hiatus. I recently starting playing with Big Blow as well.
Andrew- The band is just me and Jason. We have friends that help us out live, but we want to maintain the recording/songwriting core to just the two of us.
2. Could you tell us how you guys got together, and what inspired you to start this group as a serious endeavor?
Andrew- Jason recorded the Teenage Cool Kids full length, which was a four month process. We listened to a lot of music during that time and sort of worked out a list of influences for a band we wanted to start. I still question at what point something becomes a serious endeavor. Is it once something is on the internet? Is it when you have a record out? Is it when you go on tour? I don't know if this endeavor is at that point yet, the main goal of the band is to just write songs that we like and have fun. Jason- Plus babes.
3. I've heard that you wanted to start this project because you wanted to play motown inspired music. What are some of the main musical influences for Fergus and Geronimo? Do you listen to a lot of motown, or to bands that were themselves inspired by motown, or both?
Andrew- Motown is definitely a love. The original idea for me was Four Tops by way of Mothers of Invention. I don't think the latter influence entirely manifested in the songs for the singles, but it should be more evident on the releases to come. Personally, I do listen to a lot of soul and 60's black pop.
Jason- My influences for this band are pretty scattered. I can appreciate and be influenced by anything that I feel has heart to it. I don't plan on limiting my song writing to anyone particular style though. I have a hard time picking favorites/specific influences, there are far to many.
4. Did you guys get the name Fergus and Geronimo from the two characters in that movie War of the Buttons? If so, what was it about that movie that you liked? If not, where did the name come from?
Andrew- The name is most definitely from War of the Buttons, the 1994 Irish film. It is a long time favorite of mine, and I made Jason watch it. I anticipate a cease and desist letter from Warner Bros. Pictures any day now. Anyway, the movie has grown on me over the years, and I like the strange relationship between the two characters and how it develops in the film. I thought it would be fitting for a two piece.
5. I see that despite the fact that you've played only one show, you've already agreed to record a full length for Troubleman Unlimited, a label that features releases from Vivian Girls, Glass Candy, Pocahuanted, Meneguar, etc. How did you guys get hooked up with Troubleman?
Jason- We aren't exactly sure how TMU found us. We put the songs on the internet with no real intentions, and TMU just contacted us out of the blue wanting to put out a record. We were flattered and excited, and we also feel lucky.
6. Another interesting label you'll be releasing music on is Woodsist, which features releases from Wavves, Sun Araw, Sic Alps and many other critically acclaimed and well known acts. How did this happen so fast?
Andrew- Yeah, Woodsist is doing the first single. I've known Jeremy (Woodsist) for a couple of years now, and I booked Meneguar and Woods' shows in Denton. I am excited to work with him because, personally, I know how sincere he is about underground music, and he doesn't really care whether or not a band is going to "blow up" (of course this has happened). And I respect his opinion on music-- he has a discerning taste, but also eclectic. I really like the variety and quality that Woodsist has been releasing.
7. Have you guys recorded much of the material for these releases yet? If so, when, where and with whom did you record?
Jason- We have recorded the first two singles and both of them should be out this summer. We are going to start recording a third single for Douchemaster Records along with the LP for TMU as soon as we get our tape machine back from repair. I do all the recordings in my house(bunker hill), It's haunted.
Andrew- Jason saw a ghost last night, it was being super negative.
8. What are your plans for the immediate future of the band? Do you have the dates set for the tour with Teenage Cool Kids this summer?
Jason - Our immediate plans are to record the third single and the LP before the end of this summer. I'm also going to be recording Fungi Girls, Wiccans, Uptown Bums and my new band Big Blow in the near future. We might play a couple of shows this summer but no more than a handful. In August we plan on doing a west coast tour with Teenage Cool Kids (the hipster rap group). We have tentative dates but how long we stay on the tour depends on whether or not I go to Europe to play drums on a Nobunny tour. We should have everything figured out soon.
9. Finally, Andrew, tell me about how you learned of the whole Cool Kids cease and desist, what your reaction was, and if you've had any contact with the band or its management since then.
Andrew- The letter came in my inbox via our label, to whom it was served. I think everyone's reaction seems to be that it is more or less poor judgement on their part. We tried to be civil and openly challenge them to an eating contest, but no response. Honestly, this is the exact reason I am ethically against copyrights/trademarks. It seems to hinder creativity more than it protects it. Oh well, we have an LP coming out in two weeks and all this free press.
Devlin & Darko | The Party (Plush) You have to RSVP to get into this show (by sending one to thepartydfw@gmail.com), which is either part of the setup at Plush, or maybe it's due to the potentially large crowd that two guys from Spankrock's crew might bring out. I'm not sure. They are also part of the Baltimore Bass Connection, which is somewhat self explanatory and they mix everything from Kurtis Blow to the Talking Heads in their playslists, which caused a coworker to ask me if I was listening to Girl Talk earlier today. I had to politely explain that this was in fact, "not a mashup."
Speaking of which, The Party's theme tonight is "Anything But Mashups," and it's one I'm sure will find a lot of support around here. Oh, and I hear that the Funktion One Sound System will also be utilized and that it's the "best in Texas and/or Southwest." Can I get a soundguy confirmation on that?
Left Of The Dial With DJ G (Rubber Gloves:) Saw a preview online of some of the stuff that will be played tonight: Clan Of Xymox, A Certain Ratio, Chris & Cosey, Section 25, Dream Syndicate etc. Sounds fun. Can I request some Blue Orchids?
Anthem Night With Prince William | Females | Yeah Def (Hailey's) How did Prince William snag that URL, by the way? How the hell was it not already taken?
