Liars | Colourmusic (Lola's) I'm sure there isn't anyone reading this who doesn't already know Liars, and since they aren't touring behind new material or anything, I'll just say "hey, there's a Liars show in Ft. Worth tonight." Yes, they are currently touring HUGE venues and HUGE stages with Radiohead, so this will be a chance to see them in a venue that is much more suited for what they do. They've been very good every time I've seen them live, and I would be surprised if tonight was any different.
Efterklang | Slaraffenland | Mom (Hailey's) Solid show at Hailey's featuring Efterklang, a Danish group who I've seen compared to everyone from Max Richter to Godspeed to Sigur Ros to Mum to Steve Reich.
Cool Out (The Cavern) Schwa and Big J will be celebrating the one year anniversary of Cool Out by purchasing 100 drinks for all their regulars. I'm guessing it is first come first serve as far as that goes. Aside from a few off nights here and there, Cool Out has been a huge surprise over the past year, somehow figuring out a way to maintain a sizable and loyal crowd at, uh, the Cavern... on Monday nights. Yeah, what the hell, right? If you haven't ever been, this should give you some indication as to just how good these guys are at what they do. This should be one of the better nights to go for sure.
Attractive and Popular | No Way(Rubber Gloves) The obvious highlight here is No Way, a project featuring Shane English and Lars Larsen.
The Physics of Meaning | Gavin Guthrie | Verulf (1919 Hemphill) Perhaps if you're heading to Ft. Worth for the Liars show at Lola's, you might be interested in stopping by 1919 first to check out the solo work of Gavin Guthrie, a member of Florene, as well as Verulf, which ti me is still the best project associated with Matthew and the Arrogant Sea. I often wonder why Verulf doesn't get a little more attention.
2) Brave Combo - Polkas for a Gloomy World Doug Burr - On Promenade Shaolin Death Squad - Shaolin Death Squad Stumptone - Gravity Suddenly Released
New Arrivals:
Deep Snapper - Into the Ugly "Bourbon Street Blues" (featuring Karen Foster) Matthew and the Arrogant Sea - Kenjiurada
GOOD RECORDS LOCAL TOP SELLERS
1. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah 2. Mom - Little Brite 3. Faris Nourallah - Problematico
GOOD RECORDS OVERALL TOP 20
1. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs 2. Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost 3. Portishead - Third 4. Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity (Ltd.) 5. Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity 6. Murry Hammond - I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way 7. Ratatat - Shiller/Maholo 7" 8. Last of the Shadow Puppets - Age of Understatement 9. No Age - Nouns 10. Santogold - Santogold 11. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords 12. Duffy - Rockferry 13. Pattern is Movement - All Together 14. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In the Light 15. Animal Collective - Water Curses 16. Boris - Smile 17. Dark Meat - Universal Indians 18. Samamidon - All Is Well 19. We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mystery 20. Jamie Lidell - Jim
MON: Liars/Colourmusic (Lola's) MON: Efterklang/Slaraffenland/Mom (Hailey's) TUE: Capsule/Furnace/Trifle Tower/Hide and Secret (715 Panhandle) WED: Police/Elvis Costello (Starplex) THU: Mark Sultan/The Lash Outs/Bad Sports (Rubber Gloves) THU: Lymbyc System (Lola's) FRI: Strawberry Fields' Denton Deluxe Vol. 1 with Nouns Group/Fight Bite/J Gray/Florene/Verulf/Violent Squid/Peach Street Gang/RTB2 (Rubber Gloves) FRI: Age of Disinformation (Bath House Cultural Center) SAT: Ladyhawk/Neva Denova/Thrift Store Cowboys (Hailey's) SAT: Skate Jam with the Party, Tommy Boy and DJ Lisa Monet (Red Bird Skate Land) SAT: Strawberry Fields' Denton Deluxe 2 with Kaboom/Street Hassle/Deep Snapper/Eat Avery's Bones/Delphi/Zanzibar Snails/The International (Rubber Gloves) SUN: The Kills/Dax Riggs (House of Blues)
I almost just had to not publish anything today due to a personal energency of sorts. So below you've got links accompanied by less than my best work (bunch of one liners), and if you complain about it, then I hate you. Sorry. Ill try to add to this if I can later today (and be sure to check out some of the new Mp3s we posted in the MP3 section.)
FRIDAY
Dark Meat | Quiet Hooves | The Great Tyrant (Lola's) Strange bill tonight in Ft. Worth, as Vice Records' Dark Meat is joined by Great Tyrant, a band they couldn't sound any LESS like. Not that this is a bad thing necessarily, just strange. I've been completely underwhelmed by everything I've heard from Dark Meat, so maybe Spune added one of my favorite local live bands, Great Tyrant, in a specific attempt to get me to come to this show. Probs.
Executrix | The Heartstring Stranglers | Matthew and the Arrogant Sea (Exploding House) Exploding House is turning into quite a nice little development for the music scene in Ft. Worth. This is the first of two solid show's they'll be hosting this weekend, and although it requires a drive to Ft. Worth, the guys at Exploding House are making it harder and harder to avoid.
Cardinals | Dirty Water Disease | Doyen | Mom (802 Massey St., Denton) Birthday house party with kegs. Translation: show up early. Apparently Cardinals is Geistheistler.
Baptist Generals | Dust Congress (Cafe Rembrant, 703 McKinney Ave.) This is an Art Prostitute after party. I'm not sure if it's invite only or not, but it doesn't matter to me because I'm always invited to everything.
Radiohead | Liars (Starplex) Yes, I'm fucking calling it Starplex from now on. I'm not going to allow my teenage memories of Lollapalooza 95 to be clouded by some website I've never even been to.
Japanther | The Pharmacy | Naxat (Rubber Gloves) Uh, yes you should go to this show. Just heard some great new stuff by Japanther too.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Granada) This is a private show that requires an RSVP, which you can send to management@granadatheater.com I believe the show is free, and I don't believe I remember any BRMC songs other than that one that kinda sounds like a Brian Jonestown Massacre song mixed with a Jesus and Mary Chain song. You know the one, right?
Over the past few weeks, we've received several inquiries from people both in and out of town concerning Denton's Pyramids, a band that has recently signed to Hydra Head Records (home to Boris, Isis, Torche, and Big Business, among others) and collaborated with the legendary Blus Aus Nord. The group's dreamy, relatively formless wall of ambient reverb and drone has been compared to the likes of Jesu and My Bloody Valentine, and the two tracks on their Myspace page are both quite striking, existing in that delicate balance between the heavy and the celestial. So yes, they have this great record deal, they've already been covered in Pitchfork, and their songs are actually pretty good, but the funny thing about all this is that no one in the local "scene" seems to know anything about them. Who are these dudes? Why don't they play shows? How did they get a record deal? Well, we decided that since we are pretty much the coolest people in town, we'd just ask them ourselves. We sent Pyramids an email full of questions, and they were nice enough to answer some of them. I didn't say they were all very informative answers, but answers all the same. Here is our exchange:
1. The main question everyone is asking about you guys: who are you? where did you come from? A lot of people suggest that Pyramids couldn't possibly be from Denton because it's such a small town and most people seem relatively unfamiliar with you. So could you tell me your names, and where you are from, and why you might be relatively unknown in the area?
We fell from the sky. Half of the band is currently in l.a., but I run the joint out of North Texas. There is something in the water in Denton...
2. How did you end up on Hydra Head?
We are kindred spirits.
3. A lot of people mention things like "shoegaze," and Justin Broadrick and drone and Earth when talking about your music. Could you tell us about what influences you musically? I hear more gentle things in your sound like Atlas Sound and Animal Collective and stuff like that a bit too.
Aside from Blut Aus Nord and Cocteau Twins, the other artists on our remix disc really make up the founding fathers of our sound. It is such a mind blowing situation to be in, collaborating with every single musician that reflects the reasons why music controls our very beings. Toby Driver, JK Broadrick, the extremely underrated Blut Aus Nord, lovesliescrushing, Campbell Kneale, and of course the true genius behind the sound of this record James Plotkin.
4. Have you played out in the area any time recently? Do you plan to any time soon?
We have never played and are not sure if and when we will, but if the situation is absolutely right, then it just may.
5. How did you hook up with Blut Aus Nord?
They are one of the three best bands of all time and probably the most underrated. We are just really respectful fans and Vindsval enjoyed our music, so we collaborated.
6. What are your plans for the immediate future?
We have a follow up album already in the works that is just as epic, with a slew of collaborators to make it just as fun. This will be a Hydra Head release as well, though we don't know when.
Nothing really going on except for 80's Night at Hailey's and Disqo Disco at Fallout. Oh, and I can't wholeheartedly recommend but I can tell you that Reverend Horton Heatand Nashville Pussy are playing House Of Blues for free. Sometimes free is really expensive.
ADD: House Of Dang and And/Or Gallery present Summer Smackdown 2 featuring "Raiders Of The Lost Arc: The Adaptation." I've seen this and it's incredible: a group of youngsters spent a good chunk of their childhood recreating a micro budget version of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" scene for scene. Watching them grow up on camera as well as their dedication is as moving as it is hilarious. BYOB and BYOLC (lawn chair).
Check out the Goss Michael opening today, and the Martin Puryear if you haven't yet- it's closing the 18th.
TODAY
Tim Noble and Sue Webster (Goss-Michael) Interesting stuff with neon lights- I'm pretty excited about this one.
ADD: Summer Smackdown Movie Night: Part 2 (And/Or House of Dang Party Yard) How could I forget! I'm not sure if you can count Indiana Jones: The Adaption as art, but it will sure be a hell of a good time.
FRIDAY
24-Hour Video Race (Magnolia) The race starts at 11:59 a.m. It is too late to register, but you can see the entries next weekend.
SATURDAY
Nothing Moments (Public Trust) Another opening from our friends at Public Trust. I think I've heard rumors of an after-party?
Mutators | Modern Creatures | Gravity Propulsion System (Club Dada) I know a weeknight in Deep Ellum probably sounds like a Friday night in the library (albeit a very violent one) to most of you, but this certainly a reason to find your library card and make the trip. Vancouver's Mutators just got done playing the Smell in Los Angeles with Abe Vigoda, and you can certainly hear how they fit right in over there-- noisy, aggressive stuff that takes west coast hardcore's sloppy brattiness and combines it with an undercurrent of arty no wave and experimental, harsh post punk influences, all the while spitting it out with an overt nod to pop that makes it all even better. Their recorded material basically exploded in my headphones a few minutes ago, and I'm starting to think I'm going to HAVE to see this live. Modern Creatures are equally bratty and almost as appealing, with a bit more of an early 90's Olympia influence and more of a melodic, structured approach. Gravity Propulsion System, who will apparently be touring with Health for a bit this summer, are worth showing up early for too, showcasing a wide variety of sounds and influences from pop leaning hardcore to early industrial. This looks to be a fantastic show all around, and props to Parade of Flesh for one of their more solid bills. Highly recommended.
Taxi Fare (Zubar) Was really impressed with the big crowd Nature had out there last week. This thing is more fun than you'd ever guess, especially if you're talented enough to groove to dancehall. Give it a shot.
Retribution Gospel Choir | RTB2 | Daniel Folmer (The Cavern) Retribution Gospel Choir features Alan Sparhawk of Low, and this band sounds enough like his former group that you might feel compelled enough to check this out if you're a big fan. Unfortunately it resembles Low's last record more than their earlier and superiorly mopey phase. They mix in some borderline experimental instrumental passages of distorted bass and drums with dub textures. I'd give this at least one shot live, though it sounds as though Mimi Parker's vocals will be missed.
Ecstatic Sunshine | CEX | Schwa | Disqo Disco (Kettle Art, 8-11pm) Great show on an otherwise normal Monday night. Ecstatic Sunshine has been getting attention all over the place recently for their exceedingly pleasant drone pieces that always seem to be loud, noisy and messy yet comforting and almost gentle in their form and presentation. You can tell they're from Baltimore based on the obvious Wham City influence the band seems to carry in both style and substance (in addition to their friendship with Dan Deacon), but it seems to be the specifically Baltimoresque joy that gives their material a boost to set it apart from similar acts. This is post rock and noise and glitchy electronica and a lot of other things, but it really doesn't fall in line with any particular style enough to permit such a label. I just spent the past five minutes reading articles that compared them to LaMonte Young AND Crystal Castles, if that gives you any indication. Come early for the strange and exciting glitch hop of CEX too. The name kind of reminds me of that band Everyone Gets Laid from PCU, which is pure bonus points.
The Hard Lessons | Tiger Moth | Austin Brown (The Cavern) Ok, the Hard Lessons are a totally gay rip off of that one "Stacy's Mom" band (what is that, Nada Surf or some bullshit?), and they lose even more points for writing songs that lecture us about "plastic" people and how dumb the "scene" is. Uh, dudes, have you heard your own band? In other news, Dallas' Tiger Moth are much more interesting and tolerable, even if this isn't saying a whole hell of a lot. Their stuff reminds me of bits and pieces of a lot of different things you've heard before, including Spoon, White Stripes, Kings of Leon, T. Rex, and even stuff like Guns N Roses and Stone Temple Pilots. The songs are catchy enough and well written for sure, and if any of the aforementioned influences appeal to you, you'll probably enjoy this quite a bit. If not, then I wouldn't bother. I wouldn't be surprised at all if these guys start drawing bigger, pub crawlin' Greenville crowds in the near future based on this polished and forceful guitar rock sound. I'm just not sure if I'll be part of that crowd.
1. Stumptone - Gravity Suddenly Released 2. Doug Burr - On Promenade 3. Mission Giant - The Golden Triangle
GOOD RECORDS OVERALL TOP 20
1. Portishead - Third 2. No Age - Nouns (LP) 3. Animal Collective - Water Curses 4. No Age - Nouns 5. Black Angels - Directions To See a Ghost 6. Santogold - Santogold 7. Pattern is Movement - All Together 8. Magnetic Fields - Charm of the Highway Strip (LP) 9. Last Shadow Puppets - Age of the Understatement 10. M83 - Saturdays=Youth 11. Mojo - Mojo Magazine 12. Madonna - Hard Candy 13. Kooks - Konk 14. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours 15. Elvis Costello & the Imposters - Momofuku 16. Holy Fuck - LP 17. Ratatat - Shiller/Maholo (7") 18. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles 19. Stumptone - Gravity Suddenly Released (LP) 20. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
RECYCLED TOP LOCAL SELLERS
1. Record Hop - Record Hop
2. Delmore Pilcrow - Worn to the Weft Florene - Florene Oso Closo - Rest The Slowburners - Returning to the Air
Not a whole hell of a lot happening this weekend, but it's ok because none of you are really that cool anyway. Shows:
FRIDAY
Nouns Group | The Carrots | Daniel Francis Doyle | Fight Bite (Hailey's) Most people reading this blog are probably familiar with Nouns Group, Dan Doyle and Fight Bite at this point, but some of you might not be aware of the Carrots just yet-- the Austin band, which includes both former and current members of future WSJR girlfriends Finally Punk*, performs light hearted 60's girl group pop about boys and stuff that is surprisingly NOT retarded. I usually assume the worst with this kind of stuff, but I caught them in Austin during SXSW and really enjoyed their set-- it's like the Ronettes and the chicks from the Fleetwoods skimmed through a copy of Maximum Rock N Roll right before they dumped you.... and you'll like it.
The Sword | Torche | Stinking Lizaveta (Lola's) Austin's The Sword have certainly been blessed/cursed with the 'hipster metal" tag more than just about any other band I can think of this side of Wolfmother, but I've always wondered what it is, exactly, that makes a metal band "hipster" or "nigel" or whatever the members of Sunn0))) are currently pretending not to be these days. Is it their record label? Or their haircuts? Or the company they keep? Or their record collections? I'm actually asking here because I really have no clue, and frankly, I would think that whether or not members of this or that metal band went to art school should probably be rendered irrelevant if said metal band is actually good at playing, uh, metal. But hipster/legit debates aside, I've had several songs off of Torche's album Meanderthal stuck in my head all week long, and it's making me want to drive to Ft. Worth. If you haven't heard this record yet, you should really download it soon before Pitchfork gives it an 8.8 and ruins the whole thing. I suppose you could call it a "metal" record, but I wouldn't know how to break it down much beyond that-- no particular genre or subgenre comes to mind when I listen to it, but I do know that it is one of the most instantly memorable heavy albums I've heard in quite a while. It sort of sounds like something Headbanger's Ball would have played the fuck out of in 1993, with big fuzzy riffs, efficient solos and huge choruses that sort of go beyond any of the influences that crop up throughout the disk (diverse acts such as Kyuss, Soundgarden and even Queen come to mind). Anyway, Stinking Lizaveta is also well worth checking out, although they sound completely different from either of the other bands on this bill, with a sound that somehow seems more punk infuenced yet more classically metal. Maybe it's just the shitty recordings I heard, but I like it. The Sword are pretty good, but they are by far the LEAST interesting band on the bill.
Bitch Cat with the Scoop (Moosh) Featuring Semantic Noise... I'm sure it will be hip hop, but I'm NOT sure what it will be beyond that. I'm guessing of the backpack variety.
Tame...Tame and Quiet | Deep Snapper (The Chat Room) A benefit for the 89.3 KNON show Pagan Holiday, which airs Sunday night (technically Monday mornings) from midnight until 4am. $3 cover at an apparently cool Ft. Worth spot that I haven't had the chance to check out quite yet.
SATURDAY
Blood on the Wall | Record Hop (Lola's) Pretty good match up between these two bands, as both seem to draw from the canon of smart 90's rock that slowly seems to be creeping its way back towards relevancy in an underground climate that has been celebrating anything BUT the 90's for the past few years. Blood on the Wall's newest record Liferz, is truly one of my favorite pop guitar records of the year, reminding me of everything from Helium to Sonic Youth to X to Mudhoney. It isn't rocket science, but neither is partying, brah.
Car Stereo Wars | Sydney Confirm | Genova (The Cavern) Austin mash up dudes provide what is surprisingly the only relevant dance music in Dallas for the weekend. Their live sets are WAY better than their remixes, PS.
24 Hour Video Race Registration (Magnolia) May 16th is the annual Dallas 24 Hour Video Race. This Saturday will be the in-person registration at Magnolia from 12-2 with free screenings of past winners from 12:30-1:15. You can also register at the website. This years videos will screen May 20-22nd. More info on that later.
Still recovering from a busy Wednesday in Dallas last night. Sally Glassaka Fancy Fist played to a packed Cavern audience and charmed everyone with a couple of standards mixed in with a set of originals that won everyone over with her inspired yet vulnerable voice. Nature also had a really strong crowd to match a strong set for Taxi Fare, just down the block. With so much activity around Lower Greenville last night, you would have thought it was already that part of the weekend where you stand a good chance of getting in a street fight in the Taco Cabana parking lot.
Stars Of The Lid | Mom | Balmorhea (Granada) Stars Of The Lid is definitely one of the most popular drone acts of all time, and it's especially surprising considering how inaccessible their music is to most. Their set might be a good surreal contrast to the fairly posh Granada atmosphere. The moody yet much more structured groups Mom and Balmorhea also perform.
Thrones | Akkolyte | The High Cost Of Living (Double Wide) Tonight's show will be the first in a series of recordings that Akkolyte will use in putting together their upcoming LP, and I'm as excited about that as I was after first hearing a seven inch scored by a friend at a Moon Tunes show, earth-tones era in Dallas, maybe around 2000.
Stay Cool Swag School Presents-- Midlake DJ set/Young Doc | Totally Trash | Markus with a K (Rubber Gloves) We'll have some giveaways at this show, because it's about time that we give a little something back to the community that has provided us with so many special little moments spent wondering who hates us so much. Peace.
