Just to let you know, the Undoing of David Wright will NOT be playing at Hailey's tomorrow night.... somehow the dates got mixed up. Instead they will be playing a show at their home base, the 8th Continent, this Friday the 19th with Zom Zoms and Austin's Cry Blood Apache (whom the Undoing consider to be one of the best bands in Texas right now, if I'm not mistaken).

It would probably be a great show anyway, but in addition to the line up, it will also be an unusal show for the Undoing in that they will be playing many of their songs for the first and last time, at least in the near future. Some of the songs on their debut record require acoustic drums, but they pretty much never play them because they don't have a live drummer. Well, on Friday, Matt from Eat Avery's Bones will be playing drums with them, giving them a chance to play some of these songs for the first time ever. It will also be the last time that most of you will have a chance to see them play these and any of the other songs off their first record because after Friday's show they will largely stop playing songs from their first album live and will instead focus on new stuff that will featured on their new album, which will also be titled the 8th Continent. All the songs will be played in the narrative order that they appear on the album, and the band ecourages people to dress up like "19th century grave robbers, prostitutes, medical students, street denizens, bar patrons, etc.," because they will be filming the concert for a possible live DVD release. Sounds like the place to be on a Friday night.

Dear Dumb People that think Tree Wave sucks,

Here is another person that is smarter than you who thinks Tree Wave rules. Thanks very much.

Sincerely,

the WSJR crew

1. Minmae | Hotel Hotel | Shiny Around the Edges (The Cavern)
This seems like a good opportunity for Dallas peeps to check out Shiny Around the Edges, one of the most interesting and unique bands in Denton (and the rest of the metroplex) right now. Shiny's eerie, atmospheric yet minimal folk certainly doesn't sound like anything else around here, and its done well enough to separate it from many of the experimental folk acts that have been getting critical attention in the national indie media for the past couple of years. They seem like one of those bands that will get national praise before many of the lame asses around here even notice them. Don't be one of those lame asses. I don't know what to make of Minmae, but they sound like a sort of ok Les Savy Fav with a My Bloody Valentine fetish and a Pavement jones, but probably not all that interesting. Austin's Hotel Hotel is another highlight, playing quiet waves of noise that are light on form and heavy sleepy wandering, which will be sure to turn away most of the SMU frat dudes that always seem to turn up at the Cavern, while keeping many of your eyes glued to the stage. We hear that their live performances can be quite memorable. Lets hope the Cavern can handle it.

2. The Party w/ DJ Nature (Hailey's Denton)

3. Shoplifting | Finally Punk | Eat Avery's Bones (Metrognome- Ft. Worth)
Shoplifting is one of those nice surprises for us- something we haven't heard until just now and wish we had before. Interesting guitar work, tunings and beats, and the Kill Rock Stars seal of approval should get some of your asses out to Ft. Worth, shouldn't it? Anyone that reads this blog and doesn't know about Eat Avery's Bones is dumb, and Finally Punk reminds me of Erase Errata, Les Georges Leningrad, K Records girly stuff and no wave. Good. Oh, and sweet "Negative Creep" cover.

1. Elf Power | The Instruments | Fishboy (The Cavern)
Although I don't care much for their latest album (it seems a little bland compared to past releases), Elf Power is a band I have listened to for a long time but have never had the chance to see live. I'm hoping they will play a lot of material from my two favorite albums of theirs, A Dream in Sound and The Winter is Coming, but I'm guessing that they will concentrate mostly on new material. And although the newer stuff isn't quite as exciting to me as some of their older stuff, its still great pop with enough of a dark side to keep it interesting. They're part of that second wave of Elephant 6 that people seem to either love or hate, so I guess you've gotta take it for what it is and love it or hate. Or be like me and kinda love it. And no, being consistent isn't really important.

Brooklyn's Instruments seem a little bit boring, but its that pretty kind of boring that you can probably tolerate well enough to get to the Cavern early and catch Fishboy (which is also something that you all probably absolutely love or hate). I don't think Wanz is around for Lost Generation upstairs, but something might be going down up there too. Oh yeah, its $10 and Elf Power is supposed to go on at 1130.

For a moment after tonight's game, I tried to imagine what this series must be like for the casual observer, an interested but neutral basketball fan that has no allegiance to either of these teams. It was pretty much impossible to do, but I would have to guess that so far, many neutral observers would tell you that this has been one of the most exciting and compelling NBA playoff series in recent memory between ANY two teams. I think it is pretty clear that these are the two best teams in the NBA, and that they are playing an absolutely amazing series.

I know I know, everyone wants to talk a bunch of shit about how good the Pistons are. I agree that they are very good, and I don't doubt their ability to take it to either of these two teams on any given night. What I am starting to doubt is their ability to beat the Mavs or the Spurs in a seven game series. I don't think their Eastern Conference "best record" is as impressive as everyone else seems to, because I think they easily drop 6-12 of those wins if they're playing in the Western Conference. Add in a very confident and talented Mavs team and a Pistons team that appears to be having trouble with the Cavs, and you seem to have the makings for what could be a very close and exciting NBA finals.

I know that the Mavericks still have a really hard task ahead of them, because the Spurs will NOT go down easily. But starting tonight, I am confident that the Mavericks are confident in themselves, and that feels pretty great. Jason Terry: money. Devin Harris: fucking money. Dirk Nowitzki: a great team leader. Stack was great for most of the night too, and Diop is playing really tough. Shit, even Damps added a bit here and there. Although I in no way think this series is over, even being able to talk about the possibility of the Mavs beating the Spurs in five games feels great. And being able to confidently suggest that the Mavericks are now in the same league as the Spurs and the Pistons feels even better.

Some albums that have been getting a lot of play around WSJR HQ lately:

Daniel Johnston- Yip Jump Music (recently saw the new documentary about him, and its fan fuckin' tastic. I liked Daniel Johnston when I was a teenager, mostly because I thought he was cute and funny. The documentary renewed my interest in him in a completely different way, especially the idea that he sometimes purposely went off his meds a week before one of his shows because he knew that people wanted to see him act crazy. That just really made an impression on me for some reason.)

Hot Chip- The Warning (new Hot Chip fucking rules. End of story.) "Boy From School" Link

ESG- A South Bronx Story

Wu Tang Clan- Wu Tang Forever (recently found this album in some boxes. Hadn't listened to it since like 1998. Its better than it was before.)

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young- Deja Vu

T.V. On the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain (Is that really what the album is gonna be called? Either way, its about five times better than their last one.) Link "I was a Lover"

The Jesus Lizard: Liar

The Boredoms- Pop Tatari

Sunset Rubdown- Shut Up I am Dreaming (all the bloghype is well deserved)

Tapes n Tapes- The Loon (this one is getting better and better every time I hear it)

Led Zeppelin- III, Houses of the Holy (yeah, I just got into THAT phase again. All I have to say is "Tangerine.")

Gang Gang Dance- God's Money

The Replacements- Let it Be (My favorite of theirs.)

Sonic Youth- Sister (80's retro has driven me to 90's nostalgia)

Sunn O)))- Black One

Flipper- Generic

Feathers- S/t (slowly becoming one of my favorite records of the year)

Ariel Pink House Arrest "Every Night I Die at Miyagis" Link

On another note, Gorilla vs Bear posted a link to this little write up on Sudgefan Steffuns, detailing why this guy is sick of him. I kind of agree, except I think I was sick of him the second I heard him. Like the guy writing the post, I do acknowledge that he is a great songwriter, and I do like some of his stuff. But like blogfriend Pimplomat, I don't quite get what all the fuss is about. Don't know why. I guess it might be because I'm not a slave to all your trendy hipster shit and have my own totally unique taste in music that is superior to most peoples and based on nothing but the sounds that I hear and the magic that is deep inside my soul. Oh yeah, thats why.

If artists or management do not want a song posted on here, please email me and we'll take it down immediately: Weshotjr@yahoo.com. THANKS

Not much going on tonight other than some basketball game I heard about. I also heard that Pitchfork is gonna give Devin Harris a "Best New Music" rating, so you guys should all check it out before it gets way too trendy.



Oh yeah, CeePee will be playing some new and old records upstairs at the Cavern tonight. Always a good setlist and a good time.

1. Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat
2. Danielson - Ships
3. Gustafer Yellowgold - Wide Wild World (DVD)
4. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
5. Gomez - How We Operate
6. Built to Spill - You In Reverse
7. Various Artists - Soul Sides Volume 1
8. The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
9. Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
10. Wolfmother - Wolfmother
11. Starlight Mints - Drowaton
12. Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies and Minds
13. Riverboat Gamblers - To the Confusion of Our Enemies
14. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
15. Various Artists - Electrolush
16. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
17. Tunng - Mother's Daughter and Other Songs
18. Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
19. The Theater Fire - Everybody Has a Dark Side
20. Tool - 10,000 Days

(as a side note, the worst part about the dumb little fights I got into last week was that someone compared this blog to Tool. I almost cried. Not kidding. In other news, I would be interested to see how the Theater Fire album starts selling after they get their inevitable Observer album review. I've always been curious about the relationship between local media, CD sales and concert attendance. I wonder if any of the bands or people involved in the music industry would care to comment on that. Does a good or bad album or concert review in the Observer have some kind of direct, measurable effect on these things?)

So I labeled the last win over the spurs "one of the most important in Mavericks history." I kind of want to say that about THIS game too, but I'd feel stupid repeating myself, not to mention the fact that labeling two consecutive games as two of the "most important" in franchise history would seem a little dramatic to say the least.

But if the last game was all about proving that they can win big in San Antonio, this one was a good demonstration of the Mavs newfound ability to protect the home court, and for what seems like the first time in a long time, they didn't blow a game in which they surrendered a really big lead late.

Perhaps the most encouraging part of the whole thing was that they were able to win without a HUGE game from Dirk, Stack, or Josh Howard. And after getting killed by D. Harris layups in game 2, the Spurs could not seem to find an answer for him in game three. The Mavs were again playing D, making their freethrows, and getting it together when it counted. Yeah, they nearly blew it at the end, and if I would have had a heart attack last night (which I probably almost did), I would have sent my hospital bill to Jerry Stackhouse for fucking up that free throw. But alls well that ends well, and it appears that we're catching all the breaks. Speaking of which, I really really enjoy watching Duncan and Poppovich and Parker turn into cry baby little bitches about fouls. Did you see those pricks? Every time a foul was called against them, they jumped up and down and cried. Duncan seemed like such a jerkoff at the end of the game, didn't he? Look buddy, any time anyone breaths on you too hard under the basket, you get a foul called and go to the line. So you better damn well be ready to have the same thing happen to you when you try to fuck with some Dirk Nowitzki at the end of the game. He's a superstar now too, you know. A superstar on a team that looks more ready to go all the way than any other in... damn it. Franchise history.

And no It list today because I don't know about anything to do. Yo, much respect to my moms, dog.

Lots of rock shows in rock city tonight:

1. Blood on the Wall | Psychic Ills | Fra Pandolf (Hailey's-Denton)
I think the Pitchfork review of Blood on the Wall's album Awesomer is really a pretty good description of the band. Yes they do sound like Goo era Sonic Youth, a bratty Velvet Undergound influenced college rock band and a variety of other early 90's indie stars that are cool to talk about again. And no, thats not a bad thing. Really, their album is just a pretty fantastic rock record and I'm sure they will be worth seeing live. And you know we're down with Fra Pandolf, a band that seems to have been picking up some buzz lately, and as a result will be playing some New York shows later this summer with Notes From Underground, another WSJR favorite. Psychic Ills sounds really cool too.... one of those quiet noisy bands with a spacey reverb vibe.

2. Scott Porter's Birthday Show: Hogpig | Jetscreamer | White Drugs... and others (Rubber Gloves)
Its free, and I'm guessing its gonna rock. Jetscreamer and White Drugs are bands that we haven't seen live yet, but are pretty sure based on the songs that we've heard that they basically kick ass. Like Blood on the Walls, Jetscreamer reminds me of a cool early 90's college rock band too. They're noisy as shit.

AND I ALMOST FORGOT: Teenage Symphony at Metrognome. This is a really good excuse to drive out to Ft. Worth to see a good band in a cool place. Really, fucking support this place before it goes under. Try going there once, because if you're interested in seeing good bands, art, film, and meeting smart people with cool ideas, you won't be disappointed.

Some good stuff to do tonight all over the place:

1. Strange Boys/ Chief Deathrage/ Eat Avery's Bones (8th Continent Denton)
I'm not sure, but I think I heard a new Strange Boys song on Meat Radio last night (unless it was Lydia Lunch), and I really liked what I heard. I've heard some of their other new stuff too, and it sounds like they are moving in a more interesting direction. Chief is a sludgy stoner rock kinda band that features one of the members of Undoing (I forget but I think its the A-Train). Seen them at the Yellow House, I believe it was, and they were really good. And who doesn't like Eat Avery's Bones?

2. Essex Green (the Cavern)
Elephant 6 style 60's influenced psyche pop on Merge records isn't for everyone, but I think its for me. Its the kind of band that I don't really want to like because of the all the Brian Chodetown Massacre 60's revival people that walk around bothering me all day (even though I like BJM), but Essex Green is really good, especially if you just want to have a Friday drinking night in May. Should be fun.

3. Chris Garver (Art Six 424 Bryan St. Denton)
Maybe I'm dumb, but I don't know what Art Six is. But theres the address. And here is an artist from Denton that we just heard for the first time the other day and really like. He does really good, somewhat experimental somewhat outsider influenced folk while managing to keep something of a pop structure so that its more like a song and less like a thesis statement, even though they can be good too. Go listen to the Myspace page if you don't believe thats possible. 9pm on the dot.

Paper Chase will be at the Granada with a bunch of bands I don't know and don't care to find out about, but I'd be interested to hear their new stuff.

Sheesh. Lots of shit going down these days. Its really pretty funny, isn't it? It seems that there has been an onslaught of negative reactions to this site from certain sectors ever since some guy on Denton Rock City called me a pussy a few days ago, claiming that I was a "coward" for being anonymous. At first I planned a long, reasonable defense of why I've tried to stay anonymous on this blog, but I'm so sick to death of debating the whole thing that I'm just not going to do it again. I've said all I have to say about it, and frankly I really don't give a shit anymore. If you've read what I have said in the past, thats still what I think. If you haven't, then I guess you can assume whatever you want. But before this blog becomes more trouble than its worth ( a moment that is rapidly approaching), I thought I would say a few things.

1. People have been emailing me, asking me who all these people are that have been getting so pissed off about the blog. The answer is that I have no fucking clue. Maybe its people we have made fun in the past, maybe its people who are friends with people we have made fun of in the past, maybe its people who know some of the comment posters and hate them, or maybe its people like one of the posters today, who just think I'm a shitty writer that doesn't know anything about music. Or maybe its none of the above. I don't know. And yes, I realize that doing something like this will generate some negative reactions, especially when a fairly large group of people involved in the local music scene read what I write on a regular basis. In that sense I've brought it upon myself, and being anonymous helps ease the pain.

2. That being said... other people have threatened to reveal my identity because they think they know it, and some have even sent me little love notes via email threatening to kick my ass. Although it seems rather silly to threaten a person with violence because they have a blog and don't like your band/venue whatever, I figured that it would happen eventually. And although I'm in no way trying to be a tough guy, I would like to ask those people to kindly go fuck themselves. If you've figured out who I am, or you think you have, good for you. Go tell it on the mountain if you find it necessary to do so. Do whatever you want about it. And if you've actually figured out who I really am (doubt it) and you'd like to start a physical fight with me, I guess there isn't a whole lot I can do to stop you. But I'm certainly not going to apologize or try to make nice, because I haven't done anything but try to be honest about my opinions.... and yes, I do realize that they are just that. Opinions. Believe it or not, my true aim isn't to piss people off or to try to be Mr. Indie rock elitist (which some people think I can't even pull off anyway). My goal has been to try to make Dallas more fun by promoting stuff I enjoy and bitching about stuff that I don't. End of story.

3. Frankly, of all the bands that I've made negative remarks about on here, I don't know a SINGLE ONE OF THEM PERSONALLY. Not one. And I'm pretty sure that I haven't even met most of them, or even been in the same room with them at any point (same goes for the vast majority of bands I have praised as well). And furthermore, neither my social life nor my career are in any way dependent on being friends with people in the local Dallas or Denton music scenes. So if you reveal who I am, I'll deny it, and keep writing until it gets boring or useless or both, without ever coming clean about who I am. And the other anonymous writers on here will keep posting too until they decide they don't want to do it anymore. I have serious doubts that people have really figured it out, and even more serious doubts that people would even know who I was if they did. But if it all ended tomorrow, it would affect my offline life like, not at all, because I'm not really involved with, nor do I care much about the "scene." So keep on thinking that you are holding something over me. And I'll keep on laughing at you.

And to finish off:

4. This will be the last post I will ever make about any of this shit until I decide to shut this thing down for good, whenever that day comes. I can't think of anything more boring than reading a blog about a group of people writing a blog. Self reference is one thing, but this is just getting dumb.

5. I have absolutely NO support for the Dallas vs. Denton debate, or the WSJR vs. DRC debate, or any of that stuff. I like and hate bands and places and people in both cities and everywhere in between, and if you're really concerned about "how denton scenester kids are" vs. "how dallas scenester kids are," then you're probably a moron that should try reading more. I have interacted with some really cool people online because of this site (and yes I mean cybersex), as well as some really big douche bags. And based on my experience, knowing where they live in this gigantic suburb known as DFWd just isn't a piece of knowledge that is very helpful in figuring out what kind of person they are.

So now I'll go back to my normal business around here, and you can too. I'm not turning comments off, or stopping people from posting whatever kind of shit they want on them. Its just too much of a slippery slope for me to fuck with right now.

Have a nice day.

JR

1. Teenage Symphony | Birth to Burial | Nouns Group/Clap Part (J&J's Denton)
Man, I wish I could go to this show. Should be a good one.

2. The Strangeboys (Doublewide)

3. Bob White and the F Electrics | Eat Averys Bones | Valhalla (Rubber Gloves)

4. 80's Night w/ Dj G (hailey's)

So the Dallas Observer awards were last night. The highlight of the night was the "Original Kreme" frozen coffee I picked up from Krispy Kreme on lower Greenville right before the VIP party started. Damn that thing was good. Overly sweet, but good. If that drink was a band, I would have stuffed the shit out of the ballot box for it. I guess I should have savored that frozen treat, however, because the rest of the night was all downhill from there.

When my accomplice and I arrived at the awards, we learned that our names were NOT on the v.i.p list. Gasp! How dare they not have us on that list! Don't they know who we are?! Two nutjobs dressed in P.L.O./gangster gear on a hot Dallas evening shouldn't have so much trouble getting into such an important event. We explained "who" we were and were politely ushered right in. It didn't even take a Trojan horse. Once inside, Sam Machkovech greeted us and respected our secrecy. It was the kindest I've ever seen Sam. If I didn't know better, I'd say he is a nice young man. Actually, last night made me feel as if I'm too hard on Sam sometimes.

So we headed into the main room and I was pretty let down that the only food to speak of was from Hooters. It's free, but I just couldn't bring myself to walk over to a Hooter's table. It's just not in me. Once inside we got a wide variety of reactions to our outfits. Some people seemed disgusted. These looks usually came from the overdressed girlfriends of guys in bands. I guess it's okay to dress up at the Granada (it is a theater after all), but something tells me that most of these girls would still rock a pair of Jimmy Choo mitsu stilettos at the Cavern or some other comparable sewer. Other people gave knowing and supportive smiles. Many of the band people were especially nice, and I'd like to thank them for their courtesy and good conversation. When we took our seats, an older woman grabbed my shoulder from behind and exclaimed,"Y'all are under arrest!" I was nervous about our appearance, so I jumped the gun and took her seriously for a second. "Why?" I asked. "Because you shot JR!" She then erupted into loud laughter. It was charming.

Not as charming was Pegasus Now, who played the VIP party. I could have waited and had Pegasus later. They played some Ira Kaplanesque guitar noise over mid-tempo pop songs, and although that formula hasn't done it for me lately, they weren't nearly as bad as I was expecting a band playing this event to be. That's probably one of the best things you can say about an Observer event performance.

Sam M. started off with a skit that referenced the roughing up of a Dallas Roller Derby girl. This had all the wit and subtlety of a fifth grade talent show, but it did kind of lighten the mood. Usually when I read Sam's work, I picture this smirking know-it-all know nothing, knocking 'em back at the Sons of Herman Hall bar while he scribbles out articles. Last night, I saw someone genuinely ready to make an ass out of himself, and I can give him some credit for that. Unfortunately, that doesn't help much in music reviews.

I won't go through each DFW music entity and who lost or won, because that's being battled elsewhere. Ifyou want to see some real sore losers, take a peek at what some of the people over at Denton Rock City have been saying since Tuesday. The Denton crew up front was even chanting that site's name as they announced the blog/website nominees. Now, I don't give the Observer much credit, much less their music "awards," but I think it's a little pitiful to be yelling the names of people and things that lost, or worse yet weren't even nominated. I mean, you weren't picked as one of the best in local music by a group of people that still listen to Flickerstick. Does that really bother you, Denton? As much as I respect Paul Slavens (though I prefer substitute hosting on his show by Gini Moscorro) I wasn't a big fan of him accepting on behalf of the John Peel of Dallas, JoshVenable. Well, he's like John Peel if John Peel had believed everything NME said and therefore had fucking deplorable taste in music.

I didn't know Record Hop was playing and that was a welcome surprise, because they still owe me for the impossibly drunken set I endured at Fry St. Fair. Thankfully, they made up for it in a handful of songs. The Brutal Juice collaboration was pulled off well too, but the crowd energy at Fry St. made that idea more effective. They also seem to have seamlessly worked their new drummer in, and that's no easy task.

A real low point for me was seeing some of the hosts that the Observer picked. Only in Dallas would an ex-special teams coach be asked to partake in such an event. He kept advertising a bar he owned down the street, and judging from the marketing tactics of some of the local bands in attendance (those horrible DOMA Myspace bulletins), I guess he fit right in. He definitely had more personality than the game show hosts from 105.3, however.

At some point there was break dancing, and I welcomed the relief from lukewarm acts and bad hosts. This gave everything more of a variety show feel, and I think that's more appropriate seeing as the awards aren't just for Denton drunks and pretty boy Dallas indie rockers. Oh, we should mention Ft. Worth too, because the Theater Fire played. I liked the Theater Fire's arrangements, and they didn't offend me, so I salute them for that. I couldn't make out the vocals as well as I'd like (essential in this genre) but that's okay. They were doing fine with the washboard and trumpets. Their music was gentle compared to everything else at the event, and I started to falling into a deep slumber during their set. I then realized that my face cloth was tied too tight around my jugular. Between that and my limited breathing, I almost passed out. It's hard work keeping your identity hidden.

Finally, it was time for them to announce the bestwebsite/blog award, as presented by two of my own personal heroes, Zac Crainand Robert Wilonsky. These two men helped me struggle through my teenage years. Where would I be today if I hadn't been weaned on a steady diet of their confusing and infuriating rock critic speak? Reading their work in the late nineties really taught me how to hate stuff. Especially their articles. So I was actually kind of moved to see them up there. Two men who had championed so many things I disliked and ignored everything I loved. Robert Wilonsky did say we were the best dressed people there, and while I appreciate the compliment, it should have gone to the Undoing of David Wright, so that they could have at least won something. The Paperchase sidemen didn't even appreciate being recognized as Dallas' best experimental and electronic act, but as long as they won in that category instead of an award for best rock band... I suppose justice was served.

As you probably know, We Shot JR and the rest in the website category lost to Texas Gigs. When I heard extremely loud cheers behind me upon the announcement, I realized that we had been sitting in front of the Texas Gigs gang the whole time. As we walked out of the building, I felt like we were two villains sneaking away into the shadows while the good guys triumphed in the spotlight. It all made so much sense to me. As the usual gang of who's-who's slapped each other on the back under the Observer banner, I was very glad to be what this music scene fears...A living, breathing ANONYMOUS.

Pegasus Now

Sam M. from the Observer as Roller Derby Girl

Ashlee Cromeens from Record Hop

Zac Crain and Robert Wilonsky