Dear Best Friends,I have to go because my real job asked me to do something where I might get paid if I finish. Love,
Your Secret Admirer
Butthole Surfers | Golden Boys | Nervous Curtains (Granada) Yet another band from the "Our Band Could Be Your Life" crowd that reformed with its original lineup. The Surfers are probably more known for their antics than their spotty output, particularly their work in the 90's. Records like "Locust Abortion Technician" definitely have brilliant moments, and I'm sure this show will be a spectacle no matter what. Aside from his work in this group, drummer King Coffey will always be highly regarded for giving Texas its last label that, along with its roster, had an international reputation you didn't have to be embarrassed by. Pain Teens, Cherubs, and Bedhead records on Trance are now collecting eyebrow-raising prices at record conventions. I never thought I'd see the day...
Despite the fact that we planned and organized a great deal for our most recent party, it would be a little difficult for us to write a formal "review" of the event because, we, um, missed a lot of it. Well actually, I take that back. We didn't really miss much of anything on Friday night, but things sort of took on a life of their own at a certain point, without our control, and we pretty much just went with the flow and had a blast.
Here's what I mean-- the original location of the party was 907 Denton St., better known as Muscle Beach. Things were fairly calm over there for a while, but after about an hour or so, the crowd really started showing up in big numbers, the dance floor filled up, the first keg floated, and things started taking off. Of course, this meant that the Denton Police were sure to arrive promptly, and arrive they did.
After the police made their presence known and announced that things would be shut down permanently, the crowd dispersed, and we started trying to figure out what the hell to do. After hearing rumors about the party being moved to several different addresses simultaneously, we received word that we might be able to hit up our new friends over at Time Bandits, who were just wrapping up hosting a fantastic show of their own in what is probably the most unique and appealing performance space in Denton or Dallas at the moment (seriously, go to the next show at Time Bandits in order to verify that I'm not exaggerating-- you'll thank me). Upon our arrival there, the gracious hosts promptly agreed to host our acts and our beer and the large number of people that we were hoping would follow us there. Unfortunately, Time Bandits were finishing up their party with a fantastic acid house set from Shane English that was seriously blasting loud enough to sound like Fabric from a block away. And surprise surprise, the police arrived at Time Bandits and the party was shut down for good.
Finally, we received a call from a certain someone informing us that the kegs had been moved to the Fra House, along with all of our performers, many of whom hadn't had a chance to play all night due to a lot of early commotion and a few acts of interference from Denton's finest. We arrived over there shortly after, drank some beer, watched a nice crowd assemble, and then witnessed Damaged Goods take the stage (or I guess the kitchen) for a set that began around 245 AM and was well worth the wait.
Anyway, Mattie has posted some fantastic pictures of the event in our photos section if you'd like to take a look, and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank-- Austin Brown, the residents of Muscle Beach, Time Bandits, the residents of Fra House, Damaged Goods, Schwa, Alan Palomo, the people from 715 Pandhandle who helped us with sound stuff, and the many other people who helped us with so much that night. We truly had a blast, and we hope you did too. Thanks Denton.
Girl Talk | Grand Buffet | Hearts Of Darknesses (Palladium) After recently acquiring the new Chunklet, I expected that there would be a mix of rage and disbelief to the humor contained within, since so much has changed in music in the past three years, roughly the last time an issue of the magazine came out. The issue opens with commentary about the serious decline in show attendance, people actually buying records, people advertising in zines etc. Elsewhere in the issue is a brief and easy-to-miss shot taken at Girl Talk by the always quotable Brian Teasley, who rhetorically asks Gregg Gillis if he's ever heard of "Plunderphonics," which you may or may not have heard of. I'm sure DJ's, music dorks, and art students probably have. I thought it was a pretty funny and somewhat obscure reference, though I wouldn't take too seriously the discrediting of a mash-up DJ, especially one who seems as surprised at his own success as anyone. I do however, recommend digging deeper into the world of artists such as John Oswald and Christian Marclay, two composers who seem like unlikely innovators of sampling and turntable technique, but most certainly are. Oswald has a somewhat prophetic manifesto called "Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative," which he wrote almost 24 years ago and is still relevant.
Anyways, I wish that I had been at that Girl Talk show where the stage broke. I heard that was pretty cool. Grand Buffet mixes white and nerdy indie rap with Tom Waits. Get there late.
Disqo Disco (Fallout Lounge) This is an after party for the Girl Talk show. It's also DJ RedSean's 21st birthday, so make sure and give him a ride home.
Weezer | Angels & Airwaves | Tokyo Police Club (Nokia Theatre) I will admit that I saw Weezer on the "Pinkerton" tour back in tenth grade. I will also say that it was a really fucked up show, with tons of pushing, people slamming against the stage barrier, Weezer doing some Altamont-style pleading with the crowd etc. They stopped the show twice, if I remember correctly. I hated it. There was a time in Dallas where a local band covered Weezer songs and called themselves "Weener." They were really popular. And people wonder why I grew to be so grouchy about local music.
Bangs | The Fieros | Big Bang (Hailey's) Hopefully JC The Soundguy will give us a mini-review.
Hey guys, since we're running this contest at the last minute, we're gonna do it this way-- our friends at the Granada gave us three pairs of tickets to give away to the Butthole Surfers show Wednesday night, and we'll give them to the first three people who email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.com with "Butthole Surfers" as the subject line. Maybe we'll start doing all of our giveaways like this so that it forces you people to check this website all the time... you know, sort of like how the Observer does it? What a bunch of amazing businessmen.
The Death Set | PVC Street Gang | Sydney Confirm | Tommy Boy (The Lounge) First of all, this show is completely FREE for everyone 21 and up, so even if you aren't too sure about the bands, you could at least give it a shot. Of course, I can think of a couple people on the WSJR staff who probably wouldn't go to this even if someone paid them, and I'm not really exaggerating. The Death Set has been something of a source of controversy around here for several months-- I like them, DL hates them, and no one else really seems to care either way. It seems that the main accusation that gets lobbed at the group is that they are some sort of Japanther rip off, and while the stylistic similarities are certainly apparent on some levels, it seems a bit trite to accuse one band of stealing pop punk aesthetic from another band. Ok, maybe they steal a bit more than that from Japanther sometimes, but really, The Death Set is a much more straight forward pop proposition than Japanther, and if they didn't hold their own on stage, record, or otherwise, then the critics might have a point. But anyone who has seen the Death Set live knows that this just isn't the case. Japanther is a post modern mash up that utilizes, or borrows, from all sorts of source material past and present, so if the Death Set borrows from them, aren't they essentially just doing the exact same thing? I don't know. They were voted best live band in Baltimore or something, so theres always that. Anyway, come early for PVC Street Gang, and even earlier to hear Tommy Boy.
MON: The Death Set/PVC Street Gang/Sydney Confirm/Tommy Boy (The Lounge) TUE: Girl Talk/Grand Buffet (Palladium) WED: Butthole Surfers/Golden Boys (Granada) FRI: Chinese Stars/El Paso Hot Button/Darktown Strutters/Cosmic Cocks (The Lounge) FRI: REM/Old 97's (Nokia) FRI: The Party (Zubar) FRI: MSTRKRFT (House of Blues)
Wow Denton. You have a nice little Friday night happening this week, and since we're involved in making it so awesome for you, I'm going to jump right to shows.... I can't do EVERYTHING for you people:
FRIDAY
WSJR Party with Vega | Damaged Goods | Schwa | Young Doc Gooden (Secret location, Denton) So you've obviously heard enough about this show around here at this point, and if you didn't RSVP, you're going to have to ask a friend for the address, because we aren't giving it out here. Sowwy. :-( Oh, and just to let you know, we WILL have free beer and other little treats for those 21 and up, but we suggest bringing your own stuff too, because we expect it to go fairly quickly. Stuff starts at 10, and if you feel like dancing tonight, you'd be dumb not to come. After all, we'll be featuring this year's WSJR winners in the categories of Best MCs/hip hop AND Best DJ. Come see why they won.
Dirty Diamond | Ribelle Scaltro | Mistress (Time Bandits) Fantastic line up for Time Bandits' first show. DL was the first one to tell me to check out Ribelle Scaltro, and I'm really glad he did, because she's honestly making some of the most interesting music in Denton right now-- disturbingly minimal beats backing otherwordly vocals that effectively hide any and all lyrical content while barely masking some pretty pop vocal melodies that are almost soulful at times, although you wouldn't really know it if you weren't looking for it. MP3 blogophiles will see similarities between Scaltro and groups such Nite Jewel, Gang Gang Dance, Memory Cassette, and even some of the more experimental output from Italians Do it Better, while record dorks will admire the choice early minimal electronica influences that abound throughout. Highly recommended.
CBGBs Tribute Night with Zanzibar Snails, Street Hassle, Deep Snapper and more (Hailey's) A tribute to a legendary New York venue that has somehow turned into a gift shop in Las Vegas or something. Anyway, check Hailey's website for the complete list of participating groups (sorry, time is of the essence here), but you'd be advised to catch Street Hassle as Johnny Thunders and members of Zanzibar Snails as Suicide. I'm not sure what those guys have up their sleeves, but I'd be very curious to find out-- how the fuck do you pull off live Suicide covers effectively? Something tells me they figured out a way. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Vega playing our house party tonight? LOL OMG JUST KIDDING
The Frenz | Hacienda | It's Unamerican to be Sad | We The Sea Lions (The Lounge) No cover for this one. Only got to take a quick listen to San Antonio's Hacienda, but I would recommend them for fans of groups like Fleet Foxes, Saturday Looks Good to Me, My Morning, Big Star, El Guincho, and the less embarrassing parts of Elephant 6.
The Ting Tings (House of Blues) Kind of cute disco indie pop for teenagers that recently hit numero uno on the UK pop charts. Bring on the car commercials!
SATURDAY
Wolves in the Throne Room | Nachtmystium | Lychgate (Rubber Gloves) Shit yes. Wolves in the Throne Room is one of those bands that I was inexplicably interested in before I heard a single note of their music, and then once I did, I liked them even more. Many have probably heard rumors about the band's strange existence, what with the communal compound outside of Olympia, WA, as well as the sheer, spellbinding power of the group's sound, which falls somewhere between Black Metal and shoegaze, but leans mostly to the latter. Check back with us this weekend, as we might have a little goodie for you involving this show.
Strange Boys | Bad Sports | Fungi Girls | Uptown Bums (Muscle Beach, 907 Denton St., Denton) Great show at a cozy little Denton venue featuring some real Texas garage punk standouts. Just checked out Cleburne's Fungi Girls for the first time and kinda dug em.... especially the song "Crystal Roads" on their Myspace page.
While I'm sure most of our readers already know about our party this evening (you can RSVP here until 1PM today, Friday) we also wanted to let you know that our friends over at Time Bandits Vintage in Denton will be having a party of their own this evening featuring performances by:
with visuals from Martin Iles and DJ sets from Time Bandits and Shane English. Things kick off at 8PM, and I believe they'll have some drinks and other treats for you too. So why don't you be totally awesome and hit this party AND ours tonight, huh?
Designer Drugs | The Party (the Loft) Iheartcomix approved Philadelphia based DJ duo Designer Drugs will take over the Loft this evening, just at the time when both their popularity and hip factor are rising about as fast as they are ever likely to again. Not a dis, just the way dance music always has been and always will be. Anyway, they have a solid batch of remixes circulating around the blogosphere these days, and much of their material seems to take root in the early 90's rave/post acid house/hard house sound that has suddenly become all the rage this year, much like the club kid clothes that everyone expected to go away but never actually did. Should be a pretty good time if you enjoy a mostly poppy DJ set with touches of the aforementioned old school, and really, almost everyone does.
Devin the Dude | Coughee Brothaz | Bavu Blakes (Granada Theater) Houston legend that really needs no introduction, right? Any dude you've ever known who has been pulled over and busted for weed will probably be at this show, and why shouldn't they be?
Neil Diamond (American Airlines Center)
Riverboat Gamblers | Astronautalis | On After Dark (Rubber Gloves) I'll give anyone five dollars if they can explain to me why anyone ever did or ever should give a shit about the Riverboat Gamblers. They're like that Fucked Up band minus the things that don't make them completely terrible. But anyway, like many shows I hate, I'm sure this one will be packed.
THURSDAY Brian Gibb: All that Glitters Isn't Gold (Magnolia Gallery) 8-10pm A reception tonight from 8 to 10pm for Gibb's new show.
FRIDAY Milk at Dawn (Chat Room) This show is a collaboration between Metrognome Collective and the Chat Room to showcase the photography of Brittany Elidemir.
House of Dang Anniversary Party (4221 Bryan St) 7-10pm I'm listing this mostly because this is a good opportunity to catch the last week of Ludwig Schwarz at And/Or next door.
So I have to admit that I was pretty excited earlier this week when I heard from our new friends at the Inwood Theater concerning this weekend's Dallas premier of the Flaming Lips' long awaited Christmas on Mars. The film's U.S. Premier occurred earlier this summer, and it has now been distributed in a few select cities across the United States to be shown in a variety of interesting locations, including some sort of Ukranian Socialist Club in NYC.
Anyway, the Inwood will be doing the Dallas screening on both Friday and Saturday night this weekend at midnight, and they've been kind enough to provide us with three pairs of passes to give away to our readers. If you want to win them, please email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and 5PM today (Thursday) with "Christmas On Mars" as the subject and your full name in the body. We'll choose three random winners. Good luck!
Opeth | High On Fire | Baroness (House Of Blues) I was reminded of Opeth when writing up the Kayo Dot show yesterday. They're a pretty polarizing group, you can either deal with the softer, baroque/goth-folk passages, or not, and I prefer their harshest moments, which like most bands, usually appear earlier in their career. Anyone who saw High On Fire at Rubber Gloves will probably be disappointed to have to see them at House Of Blues, but that's the way it goes. Metal seems to be recession-proof.
Boston Spaceships Featuring Robert Pollard | High Strung (The Loft) Bob Pollard and Dressy Bessy in the same night, huh? It's looking totally 1996 up in here. Bob Pollard is one of the most frustrating songwriters in rock history, which he most deservingly found a place in, after clamoring and fighting for over a decade. Bob's work with Doug Gillard was really the end of GBV for me, they became much less unique after his arrival, add to that the departure of Tobin Sprout, who was kind of Pollard's McCartney if not his Grant Hart, and it was strictly his solo work for me at that point onward. Minus the one with Gillard, of course. Pollard managed to redeem himself through said solo work here and there, along with some unreleased brilliance with the "Suitcase" box-set release. Even with some subpar material, Pollard is always a joy live, and definitely worth seeing. If you can get your hands on the ultra-rare "Relaxation Of The Asshole," a live album that features nothing but drunken bragging, anecdotes and all other manner of Pollard's slurred show-banter collected in one place, I highly recommend it. It takes a special kind of guy to get up on stage and brag about how you made better records than your peers, (including Nirvana, as he once did in Dallas), and that recording perfectly captures that essence. I'm pretty tempted to see this show, despite the natural concern that it might not match some of the guy's better moments. Still, it's hard not to root for Bob Pollard. The High Strung scored some cred by touring our nation's libraries and landing themselves on This American Life. Not a bad idea, but not really the band I'd like to see in a library. I actually caught them at RGRS years ago, and didn't really enjoy it there either. SHOW IS CANCELED TONIGHT... DONT GO THERE
UPDATE: There's a SEQUEL to that live album. Can't wait.
Dressy Bessy | Farah | Bad Flirt (Hailey's) I just listened to Dressy Bessy for the first time in years. Man, Elephant Six did not age well, that's about all I can say. At least Farah is playing.
Yeah Def (Rubber Gloves) This set is free for 21 and up, and I wanted to mention Yeah Def's pretty interesting new website featuring a roster of contributors from around the globe, and covering various topics, from dance music, to a fairly nerdy obsession with Diablo 3.
Hey-- anyone who emailed us about the party will still receive an email from us, but for those who have yet to do, just go here and quickly type in your email address in order to get all the info for Friday night. Thanks!
Brooke Berman of the eponymous art gallery has been promoting emerging local visual artists for about a year and a half now. She sat down with WeShotJr in a hard-hitting interview for this week's installation of Greatness.
Richardson Heights: What's it like being an independent art dealer while the American economy goes up in flames?
Brooke Berman: Sales can only go up, right? I can only hope to break even. I’m content when the artists make money; it’s positive affirmation for them.
RH: If you could have run a gallery anywhere in time or locale, where and when would it be? And why!
BB: This is tough, I was initially thinking the 60’s or 70’s in NYC. I am glad I am doing what I’m doing in the here and now, even with this economy.
RH: What is a normal day of the business week like for you?
BB: I work at the gallery 3 days a week. I am always playing catch up. Accounting and emails, phone calls, etc. If it’s the two weeks prior to an opening, I’m striking the show and planning/prepping for the next. I also have a colony of cockroaches that make appearances from time to time, so you can also find me begging someone else to "handle" them for me.
RH: In your opinion, who are some of the most promising lesser-known artists in North Texas?
RH: What is the most recent person, thing, or event that made you laugh?
BB: This show on HBO called The Life and Times of Tim.
RH: What is your work environment like (desk, office, lighting, operating system preference)?
BB: I use Mac at home and at the office. My desk is from Ikea, I have two stacked crystal lamps and a very old Suzani hanging on the wall in front of me. It is peaceful and quiet and me.
RH: Can you describe your favorite art piece in your personal collection?
BB: My daughter Hannah, who is 3, makes drawings. She’s really into faces. She draws the circle (oval) then eyes, nose, mouth and squiggly lines she calls “nice curly hair”. Each drawing has such a personality, the little faces have names and they come alive.
Image courtesy of Hannah Berman. The Gallery will be hosting an opening of wood, steel, and found object sculpture works by Dallas artist Jeff Green this Saturday from 6 - 9 PM.
Sorry there's no neat picture today, Blogger wouldn't cooperate...
Kayo Dot | Trifle Tower | Great Tyrant | Vorvadoss (Rubber Gloves) Kayo Dot are one of those bands that sound pretty suspect on paper; avant-metal mixed with Classical composition technique, decidedly non-rock instruments thrown in, someone in charge of gamelan etc. In fact it perfectly fits the description of what an old studio hand called "Duck Call bands," or any band on Tzadik that had John Zorn tacked onto their album credits, simply for adding duck call to one of their kitchen sink jazz-metal-classical recordings. To think there was a time, mostly in my teen years, where I bought ANYTHING on Tzadik or Avant.
You learn to break that habit the hard way.
Well, the good news is that Kayo Dot are not at all one of those cute, overly clever groups that really wants you to be impressed by the fact they can go from bossa nova to thrash in a nanosecond. We have more than enough of that music school dropout shit in the Lone Star State, though I won't name any names. Kayo Dot's music is actually interesting, the transitions in style and form, ominously ooze and stretch out of each piece over the course of eight or more minutes.
Add to that a diverse trio of groups featuring varying levels of darkness and complexity, and you have a fail-proof show.
