Goddamn it Friday night. Why do you have to let so many things happen tonight? Would it kill you to give one or two shows to Saturday night so that I don't have to make the Denton or Dallas decision again? I guess I could try to be one of those overly ambitious people who hits both cities in the same night, but I'm just too lazy for such things. Have you ever been carrying something, dropped it, and then kicked it the rest of the way because you were too lazy to bend over and pick it up? Yeah, I just did that. So obviously I'm not going to have the energy to go Zubar | House of Tinnitus | Fra House/Monkey Bar all in the same night. Oh well. I'll live. Here we go:

FRIDAY

The Party One Year Anniversary (Zubar)
It's really hard to believe what a big deal these guys have become over the past year. Whether it's packing the Zubar for their monthly party, enticing the SMU kids to dance to that new house at Green Elephant, showing up at every party around town or bringing in critically acclaimed touring acts, these guys have been everywhere and done everything this year. And although some people might dismiss their fans as misguided fashionistas, The Party would be a success in any major cosmopolitan city in the world right now, and their sets lists are the proof. And you know what, it's pretty hard to not have a good time at these things, no matter who you are.

Dead Echoes Fest (House of Tinnitus)
Another anniversary of sorts is happening here as House of Tinnitus hosts the second annual Dead Echoes drone fest. You can click on the Dead Echoes link above for the full line upset times, and Myspace links, but Sports, Shiny Around the Edges, Yellow Crystal Star, Mike McGuire and Shortwave Death System are the highlights in my mind, exposing the kind of musical diversity that most people don't seem to notice within what is popularly called "drone." Expect a friendly and enthusiastic crowd of people coming and going from a house that has really made a name for itself as a prestigious center for anything not-pop. Oh, and it's free.

Night Wounds | Modern History Duet | Red Faced Laughter (Fra House)
Denton's other big show of the night is also a house show and also free. What do you think of that? Night Wounds sort of play a rhythm focused post-punk/hardcore thing that seems to draw inspiration from the likes of Fugazi, The Raincoats, the Slits and New York no-wave. Whitehouse,Tx band Red Faced Laughter sounds like a very good reason to show up around the official start time of 10pm, packing a punch with a similarly abstract but aggressive freak out peppered with a demonstrable sense of shoegaze-like atmosphere all over the place, sounding at times like a marriage between Slowdive and Extreme Animals. A really interesting band from a strange place. Those are usually good, aren't they?

The Wrens | Get Him Eat Him | Midgetmen (Hailey's)
I'm not the biggest Wrens dude in the world, but I certainly respect them and enjoy their music whenever I happen to hear it.

Eat Avery's Bones | She-Dick | Prince William (Monkey Bar)
Parade of Flesh put this thing together to celebrate one of their birthdays. It's too bad it's happening on the same night as the big Party event, but I bet it's fun. I'm just curious to see what Eat Avery's Bones are like at the damn Monkey Bar.

DMA Late Nights (Dallas Museum of Art)
Tonight's DMA Latenight sounds like one of the better ones they've had, with a focus on the "dawn of Modernism" that will feature a screening of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and lectures on Marcel Duchamp, as well as drinks and food and all the other stuff they usually have. Good times.

White Drugs are playing at Doublewide with a couple bands I don't care about.

SATURDAY

Jandek (Rose Marine Theater-Ft. Worth)
We've already talked this show up enough, but we should say that this very well could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this guy in person. Sounds like he'll have some great backing musicians as well.

Broadcast Sea | Nouns Group | J Versus K (Hailey's)


Pre-New Sabbath Fest feat. Matthew and the Arrogant Sea | Fishboy | Ben Fleming | New Science Projects | Eli Brown | Daniel Folmer | Stanton Meadowdale | Sarah Reddington 6-12 (J&Js)
As a preview to the exciting folk festival happening in August, stop by J&Js all afternoon to check out a variety of acts. As for the organizers, the dudes involved with Gashcat and Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, we'll have more on them early next week. I've gotta go, so I just linked to the bands I know off the top of my head. Sorry.

SUNDAY

Mothfight | Ghosthustler | Mom | Instruments (The Cavern)
This Party Ends sponsored show has the makings for a good one: whether it's the spellbound electro-acoustic Mom, the strange electro indiepop of Mothfight or Ghosthustler, the only worthy recipient of the "new band" award in the Observer Music Awards, Party Ends is providing a good look at a lot of different sounds that are getting attention right now. And you know what? "Ride the White Horse" DOES sound like it could be a Ghosthustler song. Last time I checked, that was good.

Wild in the Streets (Hailey's)

After the initial excitement of learning that Jandek would be gracing the city of Ft. Worth with his presence this Saturday, July 21st at Rose Marine Theater, we started to wonder exactly what kind of show he was going to put on. My understanding of his live performance M.O. to this point is that he has traveled to different cities and played with a different group of musicians in each destination, focusing mostly on improv and avoiding all of his hit singles. For tomorrow's show, he'll be playing with some fairly well known Texas musicians: Will Johnson of Centro-matic (drums), Ryan Williams of Baptist Generals (bass), highly respected pedal steel player Susan Alcorn and long time Austin banjo player Ralph White.

Concert organizer and SXSW booker Craig Stewart tells us that the whole thing started in 2005 when he contacted Corwood Industries and asked if Jandek would be interested in playing his first Texas show in Austin. He agreed, played a show, and then contacted Stewart in 2007 to find out if he and his colleague Cathy Ross would be interested in booking a Jandek performance and concert film screening for SXSW. After Jandek's much talked about SXSW performance, Corwood once again reached out to Stewart and requested a show in Ft. Worth with Houston's Susan Alcorn. Once the booking details for the show were finalized, Stewart, Ross and fellow SXSW employee Tierney Stout put the rest of the musicians together in a collaboration with Corwood and created the Jandek in Ft. Worth Myspace page to promote it.

We sent out an email to each of these musicians and asked them a couple questions about the Jandek show and their thoughts on being asked to play it. Not everyone was able to get back to us, but we did manage to get some answers from Will Johnson and Susan Alcorn. Here they are:

What did you know of Jandek before you were asked to play this show? What did you think of his music?

(Will Johnson)I've followed along for some amount of years now, since the summer of '90. I picked up two jandek records down at waterloo in austin. My college friend quickly informed that there wasn't much more to learn about the person or people involved, outside of the very music i was holding in my hand that day, and that only heightened my curiosity. I guess i've bought about eight or nine more since then. At first it took a little while to get my head around the guitar playing, but i was immediately taken with the presentation and uniformity of the records, the sound of the recordings, the mysterious houston address, the voice and lyrics. iIve always felt like the method, dedication and perseverance of creating in this way is to be respected even if the music isn't really one's cup of tea. In talking to other folks that have followed along, after seeing the documentary and checking various websites, i've found that i know about as much now as i learned on that first day, and that's part of the beauty of Jandek. the definition is all the listener's own.

(Susan Alcorn) I must confess my ignorance. I had never heard of Jandek when I was approached to do this performance. The person who asked me seemed nice and I had that night open, so I accepted the gig.

How were you approached about the show, and what was your initial reaction to the invite?

(WJ) My bandmate (Matt Pence) was originally asked to do it. He seemed excited, but he knew i'd followed jandek for a while and was kind enough to pass the drumming duties along to me. my initial reaction was equal parts nervous and geeked. i was on an escalator in the Atlanta airport and immediately started to sweat it a little.

(SA) I was contacted by telephone. I think it was Craig who called, though I'm not sure. I was in the middle of a music project and had forgotten to write the information. Two days later I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I couldn't even remember Jandek's name and had forgotten about the concert when a friend telephoned me saying that he had read about it.

Have you had any contact with the representative from Corwood Industries? If so, could you describe it?

(WJ) No. No contact so far.

(SA) If Craig is a representative of Corwood Industries, then yes I have had contact. If you're referring to Jandek himself, we have not met.

What are you expecting on Saturday? Is there much of a plan as far as what will be played, how long it will be played, or any other details?

(WJ) I've heard of no plan as to what songs we're gonna do, or how we're gonna do them. I only know what time i'm supposed to be there and what instrument i'm supposed to play. That's where that excited/nervous chemical kicks in i guess.

(SA) I haven't the slightest idea what we'll be doing Saturday night except that the show starts at 7 PM. For me that is not unusual. As a musician, as an improviser, and as a human being, I feel it is important to think and act on the spot and to be real.

What kind of impact do you think Jandek's recent live performances have had on his overall mystique and image? Is it a good thing that he is finally playing live?

(WJ) I do think it's a good thing. I went to the show in austin a couple of years ago and walked away with another bundle of questions, and also the satisfaction of knowing i had finally heard the voice and seen the creator live. Every show appears to be very in the moment and with different musicians involved each time, and i think that's what makes each one its own unique event. Even as we now have the knowledge that the person playing live appears to be the same person that appears on the records, it feels like the mystique is moving on in a new way through these live shows.

(SA) As for the impact of Jandek and his mystique, I can't answer that. Is it a good thing that he's playing live? Well, he as a human being, just like you and me, if he wants to play live, then I think it's a good thing that he is playing. There are aspects of music, subtleties and nuances, that can only be shared and experienced live -- in the moment and in the same room.

Do you feel that you have anything in common with Jandek as a musician?

(WJ) Not really sure. Maybe i'll have a better idea about that after saturday night.

(SA) What I have in common with Jandek as a musician. From what little I have heard, I know that his music has an honesty and that he's communicating things that go beyond words and notes. I hope that, at times, I'm able to do the same.

Coming soon. You guys like alternative music and stuff, right?

As much as I like to run my mouth, I must be brief:

Lost Generation WIth Wanz and Ineka (The Fallout Lounge)
Tonight's guest DJ is We Shot JR favorite, Keith P.

80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's)
You know what songs are really good? "Enola Gay" by OMD, and "Everything She Wants" by Wham. No, I was being serious.

In case you were really sweatin' it, the Dallas Observer music award nominee list came out today, and you can see it here. Fucking snooze fest as usual. Moving on...

Not much going on today, but Astronautalis is playing at Rubber Gloves for those who are interested. I'm not crazy about him, but the guys at Party Ends sure seem to like him.

And I almost forgot, the popular Short Attention Span Theater will be happening at Hailey's as well. Good stuff.

Sally has pictures from last night's Cool Out, Saturday night's Party and Friday night's She-Dick/Select show posted on her page. Apparently, people are getting intoxicated at these events.....

Go on and click it. You know you love looking at these things.

Blitzen Trapper | David Vandervelde (The Loft)
This Gorilla VS Bear sponsored show features two Pitchfork darlings and their respective takes on classic and/or country rock, and none of it sounds at all like Wowee Fucking Zowee, as Pitchfork might have you believe. The amount of guitar soloing and almost adult contemporary feel-good melodies were somewhat surprising from both groups. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting from two acts I've heard so many good things about. Not surprising were the Eli Cash getups that bands like these always wear, as exhibited in these pics.

Short list today but glad there is something:

Cool Out At The Cavern With Schwa And Big J (The Cavern)
This highly popular event will feature Sober tonight as well. It's also free.

The people who organized the Jandek show happening this Saturday, July 21st at the Rose Marine Theater in Ft. Worth were nice enough to hook us up with a pair of tickets to give away to you guys, and since we already got our tickets, I guess one of you can have these.

So, if you'd like to go to the Jandek show this Saturday (starts at 730pm sharp), email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and Wednesday at 4pm with "Jandek" in the subject line. Please state your full name as well.

And because someone asked, I thought I should tell you that everyone is eligible to win these contests. We actually do choose the winner randomly, so whether or not you are in a band that we either like or dislike has NOTHING TO DO with whether or not you're going to win. Promise.

SHOWS OF NOTE THIS WEEK
TUES: David Vandervelde/Blitzen Trapper (Palladium Ballroom)
FRI: Dead Echoes Festival II (House of Tinnitus)
FRI: The Party One Year Anniversary (Zubar)
FRI: Nightwounds/Modern History Duet/Red Faced Laughter (Fra House)
FRI: The Wrens/Get Him Eat Him/Midgetmen (Hailey's)
SAT: Jandek (Rose Marine Theater- Ft. Worth)

FRIDAY

No One Conquered, Wyoming Potluck (715 Panhandle): I've had a chance to listen to some of Wagner Israel Cilio's songs, and I have to say I was very impressed by what I heard: brilliantly crafted lonely folk songs full of that lost highway echo that either really gets me or really turns me off, depending on how the rest of the music is put together. This guy has already developed a reputation for interesting live shows as he travels around the country playing houses and DIY venues, and although those looking to kick ass might want to look elsewhere for their fun this evening, I think this might be fun for the rest.

Centro-matic | Pleasant Grove | Dove Hunter | Sarah Jaffe (Granda)

Galuc Dadu | Follow that Bird | Genuine Imitations (1919 Hemphill)

Starlight Mints | Robert Gomez | The Separation (Hailey's)
Starlight Mints bring their smiling modern psychedelic goofiness to Denton once again. I've never been disappointed by one of their live shows, although I honestly haven't listened to Starlight Mints in a really long time.

DJ Select | She Dick (The Cavern)
Part of the Melissa's Deluxe series, featuring a cross dressing joke band that received the full story treatment in the Observer this week. I could give two shits about them to be honest, but as many of you know, I pretty much can't stand joke bands in just about any capacity, so if you're into that sort of thing, you might not want to listen to me anyway. Select will make it worth it for my peeps, at least.

Goth Valentine's Day with 100 Damned Guns | Boxcar Bandits | Silk Stocking | The Revelators | Landrest | Night Game Cult (Secret Headquarters)

Beyonce (American Airlines Center)

SATURDAY

Roky Erickson (Granada)
One of the most highly anticipated shows to come through town in a long time. From what I hear, this is the first time Roky has played in Dallas in over two decades, and it could very well be the last time he ever plays in Dallas based on his career record. They'll be showing the Roky Erickson documentary You're Gonna Miss Me at 7pm, followed by the show shorty after. A "can't miss" for anyone interested in psychedelic music in any way, shape or form.

UPDATE: It looks like the documentary might start at 8 as opposed to 7, which would make sense. But you can show up early if you want I suppose.

Hands Up Saturday with Nature/Sober/Select (Green Elephant)
Central Booking takes it's show up SMU way which will probably force the regulars to make the "extra hot chicks equals extra douche bags" calculation in order to see if they're still interested. I'm sure they will be, and I'll be too. You can always ignore most douche bags anyway.

The Marked Men | Teenage Cool Kids | Wax Museums | Stymie (8th Continent)

UPDATE: The 8th Continent show has been moved to SHQ, and all the performers from both shows will be taking the stage at some point over there. See the comments section for more detailed info.

Undoing of David Wright vs. Fishboy (Rubber Gloves)
A highly theatric show collaboration between these two bands with an emphasis on audience participation and all that stuff.

The Subliminator | Oveo (Secret Headquarters)
The Subliminator sounds like a robot Leonard Cohen with a Suicide fetish, and Oveo sounds like Oveo. They are ALWAYS worth seeing live, as you get something different every time.

Sarah Reddington | Clint Niosi | Tame...Tame and Quiet | Wanz Dover (The Chat Room Pub Ft. Worth)
A fundraising thing for Metrognome Collective, which is something that the people of Ft. Worth should really be proud of. If you're in the area, go support these guys.

Weird Al Yankovic (Myers Park and Event Center)
Look up. Look down. Now look at Mr. Frying Pan. I just said that because I have no idea where Myers Park is, and I don't feel like looking it up.

Theres a house party on Swiss Ave. Saturday night too. It starts around 9 and features three bands. I can't seem to track down the details right now, but I'll get them to you ASAP. All I know is that it's on the side of Swiss closer to Lakewood.

UPDATE: The house party is at 3114 Swiss, and gets started around 10. Some of the bands will be waiting to play until the Roky Erickson show is over and people have time to get over there. Performances from the likes of Happy Bullets, Lo-Fi Chorus and others.

SUNDAY

Seed: feat. Mom | Voot Cha Index | Handclaps and Harmonies (Sons of Hermann Hall)
An Art Conspiracy benefit show.

Dead Commuter | Sea of Bones | Judascow | The Great Tyrant | Dustheads | The Flood (1919 Hemphill)

Wild in the Streets (Hailey's)

I would have had this done sooner, but Myspace was going at a snail's pace for me today.... and unfortunately, that means some links are missing too. Sorry about that.

John Doe | Dead Rock West (Granada)
You know, I feel some kind of duty to talk about this show, but I'll be quite honest with you: I checked out some of the stuff that John Doe is doing these days, and I honestly can't stand it. If it was performed by anyone who wasn't as "cool" as John Doe, it would be compared to John Cougar and tossed aside like it deserves to be. But whatever. I honestly don't even really like X that much either.... pretty overrated and unremarkable in the big scheme of things if you ask me. So I guess you X fans can take my opinion with a grain of shut up.

Koji Kondo | Seasick/Pools/The Bleach Boys (1919 Hemphill)
This show starts just a couple hours from now, and serves as a tour kick off for Koji Kondo, who need to be seen by just about everyone reading this right now.

Matthew and the Arrogant Sea | Eaton Lake Tonics | Ryan Thomas Becker | New Science Projects (Rubber Gloves)
Matthew and the Arrogant Sea is the clear highlight of this show, and we'll have more information on what those guys have been up to either later this week or early next week. New Science Projects is worth checking out for sure too.

80s Night with DJ G @ Hailey's

Lost Generation with Stereo on Strike (Fallout Lounge)

And Plutonium Jukebox will be playing a downbeat set next door at the Amsterdam for those who are interested.

We're happy to present the third installment of our We Shot A Mix series, and I should tell you-- this might just be the best one yet. As we pointed out the other day, Stereo on Strike is the new DJ crew formed by Wanz Dover, and he was nice enough to put this thing together for us. I won't bore you with the details except to say that the track list is stellar and the mixing is flawless. The whole thing was mixed completely live too, which is something you'll appreciate even more once you hear it. Enjoy.

LINK

TRACKLIST:

Felix Da Housecat - What Does it Feel Like (Royksopp Return the Sun Remix)
Spank Rock - Bump(Switch mix)
Evil Nine (featuring Aesop Rock )- Crooked
Surkin - Radio Fireworks
The Field - Over the Ice
Roman Flugel - Gehts noch(Dominik Eulberg)
We are your Frenz so worry about it later (Wanz vs Justice,Simian, Futureheads & Switch remix)
Simian Mobile Disco - It's the Beat( Luke Vibert mix)
The Frenz - Psychomagic
DJ T - Stalker
Zander VT - 44 less
The Juan Maclean - Shining Skinned Friend
Speaker Junk - Foxxy
Sons and Daughters - Dance Me In (jd twitch and the truffle club optimo mix)
Gang of Four - At Home He's A Tourist (The Others Remix)
Ghosthustler - Parking Lot Nights(Wanz Dover long drive down I35 club remix)
Anja Schneider - lily_of_the_valley
Data - J'aime pas l'art(RMX 2007)
Public Image Limited - Swan Lake( Wanz Dover Punk the Punks mix)
Ellen Allien - Turbo Dreams
[a]pendics Shuffle - Dirty Bed
!!! - Me And Giuliani Down By The School Yard (A True Story)
Killing Joke - Turns to Red

(Wanz and the rest of the Stereo on Strike gang play at Fallout Lounge every Thursday night)

Seth Sherman | Dana Falconberry | Chris Welch (Secret Headquarters)
Former Early Lines member Seth Sherman brings a pretty effective brand of folk to SHQ tonight, with excellent intricate guitar playing, an interesting voice, and no sign of that annoying sensitivity disease that seems to afflict most local singer-songwriters who perform in a similar style. And although it's not exactly something I would jam out to in the car, Dana Falconberry's music is also quite good for many of the same reasons. I caught a performance of her's at SHQ a while back and enjoyed it quite a bit. Very instense yet soothing in some strange way. A noticeable talent. Have I mentioned that show before? I can't remember. Chris Welch is a member of Denton's Pinebox Serenade.

The Veils | Odis | Rober Gomez (Club Dada)
The Veils are fronted by Finn Andrews, son of XTC's Barry Andrews. His band sort of reminds me of a mixture of Wolf Parade and the Bad Seeds, with a bit of a U2 thing happening... and that's pretty good I suppose. I'm sure some people will hate it, but what can you do?