1. A big house party show in Denton tonight at 816 Congress will feature Anavan | Faux Fox | Chief Death Rage | DJ Steven Void. You all know the sounds of Faux Fox and CDR by now I'm sure, and Anavan is an aggressive, synth heavy post-punk/electro dance group from Los Angeles that will be playing tonight as part of a small tour. They're nothing you haven't heard before to be sure, but they sound like they might just explode in the kind of small crowded room that the house party is sure to provide. This is probably going to be a shitload of fun. Faux Fox will be previewing tracks off their new EP ( sounds pretty good to me), which will be for sale at the show. As far as I know, the show is free. Steven Void (who has been a part of High Society events) spins a lot of very poppy electro, some harder dance/pop stuff (one of his Myspace remixes features Out Hud, for example), as well as touches of space disco and old school house. Very Solid.

2. While in Denton, you might want to stop by Hailey's for 80's house/electro with DJ G.

3. In Dallas, Zoo will be going on at the Cavern, where they will be playing a Willowz DVD in its entirety starting at 9pm. Afterwards, I think they'll be doing their usual collage of random cool video shit. Thats the only way to really explain their setlists without typing a whole paragraph of examples. The Willowz, who we're big fans of, will be playing Club Dada on Saturday. Haven't seen the DVD, but I'm curious...

4. Hip Hop at the Slip Inn will be happening as usual.

5. And do Red Light Knights, who are playing at the Cavern tonight, share members with Kings of Leon? Seriously, I'm asking, not making a joke. They sound exactly the same except worse. They're not bad to be honest, but come on...

We should have some feature posts tonight, so check back wit us.

Hey, the Strange Boys finally figured out how to put songs on their myspace page... congrats guys! And it couldn't have come at a better time, because they've posted four brand new tracks that are all very good. Each one clearly signals a shift in focus for the band, but one in particular, "Author, Author," really stands out as quite a change. The song has some of the sad, medicated feel of Lou Reed's quieter solo stuff, and Ryan Sambol's detached vocal delivery works perfectly with Greg Enlow's clean piano. Good stuff.

Two things going on in Denton tonight that should be well worth everyone's time. I know for a fact that they will be worth you money because both of them are FREE.

The first is the show we talked about the other day at House of Tinnitus, which will feature the following bands in (we believe) the following order:

The New Flesh
Daniel Inhumn
A Fail Association (a harsh noise band from what we can gather)
Chief Death Rage

Maybe someone from the house crew can jump on the comments and fill us in on the exact times and set order, but we're pretty sure that things get started at 8 o'clock. Last time the show was free and they had free beer, and we're hoping this time will be the same. However, they do ask for small donations for the touring bands. And just as an FYI to people that might not be inclined to go to a noise show: this one is much more of a hard rock show than a noise show, so you might want to give it a try.

Also, DJ Nature will doing The Party as always at Rubber Gloves. If you know you can't make it to the Zubar party this Friday, you might want to head up.

Oh, and don't forget about Flashlight Party's Radio Clash, where they will be spinning post-punk, Italo disco, new wave and the like at Haileys. Guess thats THREE free things happening in Denton.

As I watched the election returns last night, CNN's Paul Begala made a comment that really stuck with me. When Wolf Blitzer asked him to explain the Democratic success in house and Senate races around the country, Begala discussed the changing face of the party and claimed that this year's crop of Democratic challengers "weren't your grandfather's Democrats." I guess he meant this as a compliment to those candidates, a sign of some sort of positive change or progress in the party as they gained power for the first time in a long while. I, however, took it as an omen of sorts.

Of course, I really don't want to be Mr. Negative on the morning after the Dems gained 28 seats in the House (enough to run the place) and a 1 vote majority in the Senate (most likely), and I also don't want to rain on the parade that I myself will be throwing today in response to the news that Donald Rumsfeld has stepped down as Secretary of Defense (Its about time!). But I do have to say that I had mixed feelings about the results last night.

For one thing, its true that this was an important victory for the Democrats considering that they've been the minority on the Hill for the past twelve years. However, it should be noted that anything BUT a big Democrat victory would have been crushing because historically, the party in the White House almost ALWAYS loses midterm elections during the 6th year of a presidency. In fact, George W. Bush is 3-1 in the past four elections, and most presidents don't even do THAT well. 4-0 would have been pretty much unheard of.

It should also be said that while the gains were big for the Dems last night, they still didn't come close to the landslide 54 seat pick up that the Republicans and their famous "Contract with America" enjoyed in 1994, meaning that while this might have been a big win in some respects, it will probably not be considered as important as the Republican revolution of the early 90's.

Its still a win, and I'm very happy to see the Republicans sweat it out. It was a also a sign that Merica might not be willing to turn complete control of the country over the Republicans just yet, which is a good thing. My only problem comes when I look around at many of the victorious Democrats and realize that I really don't have much in common with them from an ideological standpoint. There weren't very many Dems in the mix this year that support the invasion of Iraq, but there certainly were a good number of relatively hawkish candidates, as well as several that were pro-life, pro gun, pro Bush tax cuts, and simply middle ground on everything else. McCaskill in MO, Tester in MT and Webb in VA are all fairly conservative Democrats in most respects, and many of the victors in the key house races last night hold similarly right of center views. This country as a whole has swung quite far to the right over the past twenty five years, and the Democrats have gone with it. "Liberal" is still a four letter word to most Americans, and the term "progressive" hardly even exists anymore. Even the party's most iconic contemporary leader, Bill Clinton, was in most respects a conservative. He passed the legislation that allowed large media corporations to start running the world, he engaged in several unnecessary and costly military ventures around the world, and he supported a vision of free trade that helps multinational corporations and few others. The democratic party saw the success of Clinton and the Republicans as a sign that they had to move to the right in order to remain competitive, and thats exactly what they've done.

I'm very happy the Dems won last night, and I'm excited to see what they plan to do with their new power over the next two years. The need for change is clear, and I hope the Democrats deliver. I just worry that these days, a victory for the Democratic party doesn't necessarily mean a victory for those of us who are happy to be called "liberals."

Looks pretty dead tonight.

Social Distortion (Lakewood Theater)

I've never been a fan and I feel sorry for the people that love the band enough to pay $26.50 tonight. I can definitely relate to loving a band so much you'd go broke for them but I think punk is too expensive for me. I have to admit that one of life's little pleasures is that scene in the 80's punk documentary, Another State Of Mind, where you can't tell if Mike Ness is slam dancing on his back, having a drug induced seizure or both. If you aren't one of Social D's faithful fans my advice is to rent this documentary instead. It'll be cheaper and you'll enjoy it a hell of a lot more.

1. Because Jerry Falwell, James Dobson and the rest of the highly motivated Christian right will be out voting against anything that involves even the slightest bit of common sense. Their votes shouldn't count so disproportionately.

2. Because 3, 129 U.S. troops and an estimated 48,000 civilians have died in Iraq while the Bush Administration and its incompetent Republican congress have done nothing to improve the situation. In fact, they are blaming those that question their wisdom for many of the problems that THEY have created.

3. Because its a really nice day today

4. Because 81% of people with incomes over 100,000 a year voted in 2004, while just 58% of those with incomes less that 30,000 did.

5. Because only 46% of people between the ages of 18-24 voted in 2004, while 73% of 65-74 year olds vote. You probably don't have a lot in common with the latter demographic.

6. Because we should probably try to be as important to politicians as lobbyists and interest groups.

7. Because although a vote for anyone other than a Republican usually doesn't count in Texas, there is actually a small chance that Rick Perry might lose tonight. Wouldn't that be nice?

8. Because if you vote, you'll at least be allowed to bitch about the results.

Since there doesn't appear to be much going on tonight other than Jazz at the Amsterdam Bar (a place that really seems to be on the up and up recently), I'll take this opportunity to tell you about a good show in Denton this Wednesday at House of Tinnitus, featuring a band called The New Flesh who sound like they are going to tear the roof off of the place. Really, the recordings on their Myspace page aren't the greatest as far as quality, but you should give them a listen and think about how they will sound in a packed living room. You might want to think about going, especially since another one of our Denton favorites, Chief Death Rage, will be opening.

the line up (NOT tonight, but Wednesday) which should get going around 8pm:

The New Flesh
Robert Inhuman
A Fail Association
Chief Death Rage

More posts coming today and this evening.

1. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait
2. The Blow - Paper Television
3. Beach House - Beach House
4. sunnO))) & Boris - Altar
5. Jeff Tweedy - Sunken Treasure Live (DVD)
6. Benoit Pioulard - Precis
7. Dosh - The Lost Take
8. Califone - Roots & Crowns
9. Clark - Body Riddle
10. Burden Brothers - Mercy
11. A Hawk And A Hacksaw - The Way the Wind Blows
12. Kasabian - Empire
13. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
14. Yo La Tengo - I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass
15. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
16. David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts EP
17. John Legend - Once Again
18. Malajube - Trompe-L'oeil
19. Animal Collective - Hollinndagain
20. Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet

Tim Hecker's Harmony in Ultraviolet is an incredible record that is slowly becoming one of my favorites this year. Its certainly not the easiest music to wrap your head around right away, but anyone that likes shoegaze or the darker side of ambient will dig it. In other news....

SCENE RULE #76: The Burden Brothers aren't allowed to wear eyeliner anymore, and any other Dallas band with an average age of 34 or greater must apply for a special eyeliner permit before wearing it in public. Thank you.

It looks to be sort of a slow weekend for live music, but there are still a few things going on that you might be interested in. We're doing this early today, so check back tonight and the rest of the weekend for updates if you wanna:

FRIDAY:

DJ G will be doing his Unknown Pleasures night at the Cavern, spinning underground and obscure 80's stuff.

Record Hop will be playing at Hailey's with mainstream rock/pseudo punk acts Baboon and Saboteur as part of Baboon's record release party. I don't particularly care for either Baboon or Saboteur, although I'll admit that I've heard a few decent Baboon songs over the years.... its just that they seem to be pretty bland run of the mill KDGE rock for the most part. However, Record Hop is playing and its a slow night, so what do you want?

Violent Squid will be playing a birthday party/ Dia De Los Muertos house show at 1001 Carrol Blvd. in Denton tonight. Keg will be available but Ty Stamp recommends bringing some of your own shit. Not sure what time they will play, but someone might be able to tell us in the comments section.

SATURDAY:

An art show featuring the work of painters April Pierce and Vanessa Michel will be taking place at Art Prostitute from 7-10pm. DJ Select from Central Booking will be spinning records all night, and Shiny Around the Edges will play live in the gallery at 8pm. Throw in the fact that its free and will probably have free alcohol, and you've got a great way to start the night.

Also going on early on Saturday, The Video Association of Dallas will present Resident: A Retrospective, a two hour series of videos produced by the San Francisco avant garde music/visual/performance art group The Residents. Here is a part of the press release:

"the Video Association of Dallas presents (eye), Resident, a retrospective of 35 years of works from San Francisco-based avant garde performance and multimedia art group, The Residents.The Residents are known for their anonymity and eccentricity. Originally from Louisiana, they they moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s and formed Ralph Records. The tour band members always appear masked, (most often in giant eyeballs with top hats), are not referred to by name or even pseudonym, never grant interviews, and communicate entirely through spokesmen at The Cryptic Corporation. Whether the band consists of tour members, or a rotating crews of performers is the subject of much speculation. Their work is sometimes obtuse, often playful, and always imaginative.The Residents' work spans decades, having embraced many cutting-edge media arts forms and modes of experimentation. Most recently, The Residents have produced internet-based work, such as 2006's The River of Crime, an online community art project and radio drama, and the Timmy videos on YouTube. In October 2006, they were the subject of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York."

The event will take place at 7:30pm at The Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park (1121 1st Ave. at Grand, actually inside the Fair Grounds), and the association has suggested a $5 donation. The Residents' often short musical pieces and some of the concepts surrounding them are about all I know of them, but their story is an interesting one, and you can certainly say that they have been one of the more influential experimental/avant/performance groups in the U.S. They're probably a big deal to the strangest band you like. You can call 214-428-8700 for more info, or click here.

After going to either of those early events, you might want to check out the Lost Generation Make Out Party at The Amsterdam Bar in Expo Park. This edition of the party will feature DJ and electro performances from Wanz, Stephen R, Sean Vargas of High Society, Convextion, Cygnus and Alex Ander. The last Make Out Party at the Amsterdam was packed and it was a blast. You can expect this one to be the same.

Also, The Smoke will be going on next door at Avenue Arts.

SUNDAY

Trivium | The Sword | Protest the Hero | Seemless (Ridglea Theater)

Ah, Yes……the name alone conjures up images of wizards and warriors, centaurs and ligors. While Yes will be remembered as a band that put a tremendous amount of effort into creating their own mystical universe of (often lame) prog-rock possibilities, they seem to be enjoying a rather modest relevancy upswing in contemporary experimental and underground music these days (even Pitchfork gives a partial nod to some of their stuff). Perhaps the reason that some of their work can be considered worthy of discussion today is because Yes were not a band of songs or albums, but one of moments. Despite their unimaginable capacity for lameness (they wrote a 20 minute song based on Tolstoy’s War and Peace for fuck's sake) Yes possessed the ability to compose incredibly beautiful and interesting music that shouldn’t be ignored or entirely dismissed as laughably ironic fodder.

Before we proceed, I should say that I know very little about the incarnation of Yes that may or may not be touring as we speak, but for the purposes of this entry I will continue to refer to them in the past tense. Yes' influence on modern day critical darlings has been well documented (Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Akron Family), and many of the hipper than shit bands that bloggers often rave about clearly continue to experiment with structure,meter, melody and harmony in ways similar to what Yes was doing way back when. But whether or not they realize it, the more today's bands push the envelope, the more they run the risk of being compared to progressive rock, or more crudely put, “Prog Rock."

And just what the hell is “Prog Rock” anyway? Progressive Rock has evolved into a muddled, distorted concept that seems to have even less meaning than it once did. After all, how exactly does one define“progress” in art or music? I’m not trying to be facetious here either... just think about it. The lamest of all “Prog Rock” wankers (Dream Theatre, Rush) may in fact view their musical progress much the same way that a fascist would admire Michaelangelo’s work for simply being more anatomically correct than more "inferior" works... in other words, the antithesis of the concept of "progress" by most modern measures of the term.

At last week's Chief Death Rage show, I was reminded once again of how some prog elements are making their way into the music scene and gaining relevance amongst more forward thinking musicians. Although quite a bit more heavy than anything Yes ever produced, CDR’s songs swayed back and forth in between stop time riffs, subtle half step modulations and wild rhythm changes, all of which were executed with the acute precision of, well, a prog rock band. Take Rush’s “Cygnus X-1” and Black Sabbath’s, “Black Sabbath” and your somewhere close……I think. The truth is that “Progressive Rock” becomes an outdated term when you consider the high level of experimentation going on in the areas of song structure, rhythm and sonic texture today. The traditional “progressive”definition could possibly encompass a gaggle of artists too broad to be lumped together, rendering it all but useless. As the musical universe expands outward, the word “progressive” will become increasingly irrelevant and silly, and this is probably for the best.

Having said that, Yes were the quintessential pioneers of original “progressive”music, whatever it might mean, so we should probably take a closer look at a few Yes moments that somehow distinguish themselves from the lunacy of the band's overarching collective persona. UNT jazz school drop out stoner kids, eat your heart out.

First, let’s go over some rules before listening to Yes music:

1) Ignore the lyrics, they’re complete shit
2) Ignore the song titles, they're beyond pretentious
3) Ignore any and all roman numeral demarcations for their“compositions”……sigh
4) Pay attention to the production, its usually stellar for its time period and sounds great on vinyl

And now, the top 3 Yes moments:

1) Starship Trooper: 4:14 to 5:00- This is Yes at their pinnacle, with great harmonies and a bassline melody that compliments the vocals. The drums almost emphasize melody more than rythm, which is an early Yes staple. Keep listening, this song has a wild conclusion with dueling stereo guitar solos and Bonhamesque bass drum triplets! MP3

2) Heart of the Sunrise: 0:30 to 2:03- Maybe one of the most dramatic build-ups in rock music history. This song will be immediately recognizable to anyone who has seen Buffalo 66. I'm not sure what kind of keyboards they used for this track, but they sound brilliant. MP3 (this is the right one now)

3) South Side of the Sky: 5:50 to end- The guitar and bass riffs are killer. Easily the heaviest song Yes ever wrote, and one of their best. MP3

(This is Howard Bob Johnson's first post for WSJR, and he will be a regular contributor covering everything from local music to Dream Theater's fashion choices.)-SR

As you can see, we're really late with this thing today, so I'll be very short and you'll have to deal with it. We've got a feature post coming a bit later this evening, so keep an eye out for that if you wanna:

As usual, hip hop at the Slip Inn, 80's with DJ G at Hailey's, and Zoo video DJ at the Cavern.

Teenage Symphony is playing at Dada tonight with a soft rock/indie pop line up that I can't really say anything nice about (Rahim Quazi, The Antiques, The Felons), so my advice would be to proceed with caution.

And thats all I got for you right now. See you later this evening.

In my short post about Dead Echoes yesterday, I referred to Zanzibar Snails' music as "free jazz," which prompted one of the band members to quickly reject the label in a comment thread. My initial reaction was indifference (I guess they can call themselves whatever they want, I thought), but after I pondered it for a couple of minutes, I realized that my use of the term might have been a bit lazy and overreaching, even though I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from a band that I hadn't experienced in person. After finally getting to see Zanzibar Snails perform at the House of Tinnitus last night, however, I am now completely sure that the term "free jazz" doesn't describe their music at all, and the only real link I can find between them and Ornette Coleman is a saxophone. Last night's Dead Echoes fest at House of Tinnitus was full of surprises like that, and it was honestly one of the better local shows I've seen this year.

Despite what some of the anon comment posters seem to think, I'm not really the biggest "noise" or "drone" guy in the world. Sure, there are many free form and ambient electronic groups that I like, and I probably listen to a lot more "noise" than your average indie dude on Blog Street. But as I've said before, some of my interest in that music is more theoretical than experience oriented, and quite frankly, I often find a lot of it to be lacking in anything truly compelling or profound on either level. Of course, this isn't to say that even subpar noise doesn't have some sort of value outside of how one normally values rock or pop music, its just that a lot of it doesn't hit me where I want it to, conceptually or otherwise.

This is why visiting the House of Tinnitus last night was such a pleasure. Right off the bat, I think it should be said that there didn't seem to be any kind of pretentious holier than thou vibe to be found anywhere on the property, despite what some people would have you believe. Spending just a few minutes in the middle of the respectably sized and good natured crowd that we encountered last night was enough to reveal what is really going on in various corners of Denton: relaxed, intelligent and fun groups of people putting on good shows, enjoying one another's company, and passively not giving a shit what people on blogs think about them. If anything, the energy that we encountered at House of Tinnitus was healthier and more welcoming than that which exists at many of the venues we've visited around town in recent months, and I was glad to see it.

The music we heard once we settled in was consistently provocative, decidedly forward thinking, and often innovative. My idea of what Zanzibar Snails would be like completely changed within the first minute or two of their performance, which started off with a low hum of keyboards and guitars before slowly and gracefully building up to several points of soaring frenzy with doses of sharp, heavy saxophone holding everything together. The sax was incredibly well played and almost always front and center throughout the performance, but it was really only a small part of the mood and atmosphere that the band created, mixing jagged, noisy guitar bursts with thick layers of ghostly, trance inducing sound swirls that certainly took anyone who was paying attention on a ride that was constantly rising and falling and rising again. It seemed that as soon as they locked into any kind of pattern or groove, they would abruptly and appropriately move things forward with the slash of a guitar or a pause for space to creep in, celebrating their ability to throw you off guard while regaining your attention an instant later. The constant back and forth resulted in a genuinely satisfying set that was intense but surprisingly organic and easy to digest.

After their pleasurable but draining performance, we were happy to discover that OVEO packed a punch equally powerful but slightly more hypnotic, spacey and lush. With a nearly constant electronic drum beat serving as a pattern forming and repetitive background, Oveo crafted dark, glacial waves of buzzing electro noise that didn't invite you to listen as much as force you to hear, allowing the music to control the room and be absorbed into the audience while taking a life of its own. As they got deeper into their set, a complexity and cohesiveness that we hadn't heard in their previous work with You Are the Universe made itself quite apparent, as the group displaying its ability to properly utilize repetition while dancing around thinly layered rhythms with a tape machine to keep things interesting and ever-expanding, invading the subconscious while also putting on a show. Paul Baker's strong and surreal visuals also worked their magic throughout all the sets we saw, effectively playing to the music and sometimes taking a life of their own.

Noise rock isn't for everyone, and you can expect an outright rejection of this music to continue in some circles around town no matter how good these guys get. But the strong performances we witnessed last night (including a part of PD Wilder's excellent set) and the excitement surrounding them were refreshing in a way that few other experiences in local music have been this year. These bands aren't going to slap you across the face with something that you can jam out to at any time in any place. Instead, it seems that the performers and audience members in attendance at House of Tinnitus last night were there to create and consume music (and beer) that is meant to be enjoyed in a manner that simply doesn't have anything to do with most rock music, approaching the listening experience inside out, upside down, and every which way but conventionally. This fact isn't good or bad in and of itself, its just different, and there are a lot of musicians and cliques in the area that could only hope to have as much fun as the House of Tinnitus folks were having last night. I'd even be willing to wager that if some of the haters around here attended the next Tinnitus show with an open mind, they too might find many of the pleasant surprises we did. The term "free jazz" probably wouldn't even come up on the ride back to Dallas.

Jesus, its already November. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. I also can't believe how fast this day has gone by, which is why the list is going to be short today. We're trying to hammer out some stuff that WILL be posted this afternoon and evening, so stay tuned for that. Anyway, tonight:

Beck's show at Gypsy Tea Room is sold out, so if you don't have a ticket, I wouldn't bother giving a shit if I was you.

The Party w | Dj Nature (Rubber Gloves)

Metro, with DJs Nicole and Laureen, will be happening upstairs at the Cavern.

Adrian Belew is a name that a lot of people around here probably know, but one that a lot of people at large probably don't. In case you aren't familiar with him, he's a fantastic guitarist who has played (and written) with Bowie, Talking Heads, King Crimson and Frank Zappa. To be honest, I don't know much about the work he is doing these days, and I simply don't have time to do any research on it right now. What I do know is that he is playing at the Granada tonight, and it might be good.

This is Radio Clash will be going on at Hailey's tonight as well.

If this video of our spineless, incompetent piece of filth president trying to start a false controversy doesn't inspire you to go out and vote for ANYONE other than Republicans this year, then I don't know what will. For that asshole to pretend for one second that he cares about the troops or is "on their side" is positively infuriating. Troops in Iraq are dying on the battlefield as I write this, and Bush, Rove and Snow are talking about this. It looks like the Matt Drudge bullshit machine is trying one last time to generate some sort of outrage that will help the failures in the Republican Congress keep their jobs. Lets make sure it doesn't work, even if voting for liberals in Texas is typically an exercise in futility.