Our friends at Rubber Gloves were nice enough to give us a pair of tickets to tonight's Wolves in Throne Room show, and since we don't have a lot of time to give them away, the first person who emails weshotjrtix@yahoo.com with "Wolves in the Throne Room" as the subject and a full name in the email body will win them... so go for it! We'll let you know when we have a winner. CONTEST IS DONE YALL
MON: Wolves in the Throne Room/ A Storm of Light (Rubber Gloves) MON: Best Friends Forever/Fred Xepplin and the Meatles/Drug Mountain (503 Sycamore, Denton) TUE: Little Joy/The Present/Queens (Club Dada) WED: Holy Fuck/Crocodiles/Damaged Goods (the Lounge) WED: Woven Bones/Uptown Bums/Bad Sports/TBA (Majestic Dwelling of Doom) FRI: Peaches/Drum of Death (Granada) SAT: GVSB Presents: White Denim/Harlem/PVC Street Gang/Fight Bite (Pastime Tavern) SUN: David Byrne (Majestic Theater)
MikaMiko | Strange Boys | Bad Sports | Rocket for Ehtiopia (Rubber Gloves) It sucks that MikaMiko dropped their former drummer, Kate Hall, for a new bro drummer, since she was probably my favorite thing about that band. I heard a rumor that it was because she wasn't "good enough." I really hate concepts like "good enough" and "better." Or even "acceptable," "on beat," and "competent." These things really have a way of ruining music. I actually don't know how much interest I would have in seeing MikaMiko without Kate, and I was really impressed by her when she filled in as a drummer for Finally Punk when we had them play the Melodica Festival last year. Rocket For Ethiopia also go a long way to prove that finishing each song live is vastly overrated. I could care less whether a band can get through a song or not, just don't be boring. Finally, I have heard nothing but good things about The Strange Boys' new record, even from people that really wanted to hate them. (DL)
Constantines | Crystal Antlers (Sons of Hermann Hall) Canada's Constantines have slowly built up a strong audience over the years with a sound that is often labeled "art punk," but could probably be more accurately described as some sort of earnest hybrid between post-hardcore, specifically Fugazi, and some of the more obvious influences of contemporary "indie rock" (Springsteen) with just a small dash of soaring post-rock guitars and noise thrown in the mix. Although a fairly solid band, Constantines seem to be one of those groups that thrives on the "art" or "experimental" labels they've been bequeathed by critics and fans without really delivering much in the way of either most of the time. Not that this necessarily makes them a "bad" band, because they aren't, and I'm guessing much of their highly listenable and energetic material will make for a very good live set. It's just that if you've been following the last few decades of American underground music, you've heard this before. Openers Crystal Antlers are a band that I was largely indifferent to on record when I first encountered them some time early last year, but when we caught them several months back at Swiss House, they put on one of the loudest and most brutal performances I ever witnessed at that venue, and afterwards, their compelling mix of prog, garage and 60's psyche rock, all put together with a fuck all lo-fi sensibility, revealed itself as an often exciting take on a number of different sounds that it seems like pretty much everyone enjoys on some level.
Quick's Next Big Thing with Play N Skillz | Damaged Goods | Dove Hunter | The O's | RTB2 | Smile Smile | Mount Righteous (Granada) This is the Awards Ceremony for Quick's local music awards, and I was pleased to have been selected to be on the nominations panel again this year. Glancing at the nominees list quickly will reveal a rather diverse group of local talent, including WSJR favorites like Fight Bite, Damaged Goods, the Great Tyrant, DarktownStrutters, Fungi Girls, Fergus and Geronimo, Orange Coax, Prince William, Mundo, The Party and more. The cover is $5 and its hosted by 1310 the Ticket's Gordon Keith. Sounds like a good time.
Brutal Juice | The Boom Boom Box | Saboteur | The Chameleon Chamber Group (Club Dada) Holy shit, this reminds me of listening to the Adventure Club in middle school or something yall. Brutal Juice is probably pretty, uh, brutal live, and I'm sure this show will be a shitload of fun, but still-- no matter what anyone says, Dallas is better now than it was in the 90's. At least I feel like that sometimes.
90's Party with Yeahdef | Clever Monkeys (Suite) This takes place in the basement of Suite, which is apparently a nice refuge from the douches on the main floor. I'm glad Suite came up with this concept.
Deep Snapper | TreOrsi | Kaboom (Spooky Haus, 1314 Austin St., Denton) Seeing scraggly little bands that play house shows every other weekend is one thing, but seeing bands that actually have a little polish to them, bands that actually practice like TreOrsi and Deep Snapper, in a house setting is almost always an improvement. For what it's worth, Kaboom has the distinction of being something in between these two classifications. I have just been overexposed to the rock club sound in general, where every roto-tom is mic'ed up and every tiny little thing you don't necessarily want to hear is digging into your ear canal and orbital bone like a rusty dentist drill. This is most likely Deep Snapper's last show for quite some time, since bass player Pat Ferguson will be out of the country for a year, so you should stop by and wish him well since chances are he probably has lent you or someone you know a guitar at the last second, fixed one of your amplifiers for zero compensation, or has given you a ride home when your shitty little dance party gets busted by the cops. Oops. (DL)
Bonnie Prince Billy | The Howling Hex (Granada) It suddenly occurred to me today that Will Oldham is the godfather of "Dustbowl Hipster," a trend that eventually replaced "alt country," though my theory about DustbowlHipsterism is that it is more of a lifestyle choice, where someone actually looks and acts like they're suffering out on the plains during said era, as opposed to the more uppity urban cowboy look that still haunts Dallas-Denton-Fort Worth music in particular. Dustbowl Hipsterism and Gutter punk culture cross at some point and this is perfectly embodied in Oldham's small role in the recent film, "Wendy and Lucy," which is basically like an emo "Where the Red Fern Grows."
Besides maintaining his popularity in the States, Europe in particular eats this shit up because they will actually believe somebody grew up on a farm or that he was raised by feral Pentecostals simply for rocking an unkempt beard. They'll have no idea that they actually just used to down Malibu and Dr. Pepper Cocktails at the Meridian Room on Wednesday nights, or grew up shotgunning brews and hitting on married women at Louisville Cardinals games. I realized this when I saw Will Oldham at the UK All Tomorrow's Parties, walking around like he fucking owned the place. And he basically did.
The guy has made a lot of "moves," and is often as interesting as he is annoying. One minute he's practically recording with Johnny Cash on his deathbed, and then he's off wearing all white and talking about how genius he thinks bands like The Cranberries and TLC are. Which is valid, but the minute you see a guy that looks like that describing his favorite records, and they all happen to be R & B/Top 40 stuff, it just gets a little...suspicious. I mean, I "get it," but it just wears a little thin sometimes. Sometimes I'm just annoyed that I didn't think of it first.
Oldham has a huge catalog, and there are actually a lot of good moments that tend to stick with you; an absurd lyric, country music performed with a drum machine, and even hiring Nashville session musicians to rework his early music. He is also a very dependable live performer; I pretty much hated his music before I saw him put on an excellent show at Rubber Gloves too many years ago. Mining similar similar territory in the trash-stained poses of American music history, though much harsher and psychedelic, is Neil Haggerty, who opens with his Howling Hex. (DL)
Nothing's happening tonight. The best stuff going on this weekend is possibly Elisabeth Shallij (featured image), Pavlina Panova, and Waddy Armstrong (it's next Wednesday, though).
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection Amon Carter Museum Opens Saturday, June 6, Through August 23.
The works of more than 50 African-American artists from the late 1800s to the present will be on view.
Joe Ing: Backroads Chip VanPelt: Viewing the World Through a Toy Camera Craig Balleu (small gallery) 14th Street Gallery 1412 14th street, Plano Opens Saturday, June 6, 7-9 pm
No personal websites for any of the artists. Really like this one by Joe Ing.
Definitely check out Elisabeth Schalij, might be the best stuff on here today. Deanna Wood is an encaustic artist. I've really been enjoying the stuff I've seen in that media lately.
The main installation image on Nic Nocosia's site is pretty impressive. Julie Bozzi's title pretty much sums it up (do the paintings mean anything?).
Book Signing and Artist Talk by Sergio Delgado Haley-Henman Gallery 2335 Hardwick Street, Dallas Opens Saturday, June 6, 7-9 pm
Pavlina Panova: "Natural Impressions: The Art of Pressed Leaves and Clay" TVAA Gallery 700 North Pearl Street, Suite G207, Dallas Opens Saturday, June 6, 2-4 PM
Despite Ms. Panova's artist statement, "I believe that every gift is a gift from God. I believe ART links Man with God — the Body of Mud with the Heavenly Soul.", the art looks nice... kind of opaque stained glass decoupagey something. A little craftsy, but not offensively so.
"Dog Days Of Summer" at the - June 6 : 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM Rising Gallery 4631 Insurance Lane, Dallas Saturday, June 6, 11 AM - 6 PM
I'm not sure if this is an art event, from their site: "This event is dedicated to our furry friends. Stop by and have a portrait made of your favorite feline, shop for custom collars, leashes and bowls, and enter for your chance to win some puppy or kitty prizes!" Paws in the City will be joining them for this very special occasion.
"Opening Reception: Featured Artist Series 2009" Kittrell-Riffkind Art Glass 5100 Beltline, #820, Dallas Saturady June 6, 1 - 5 PM
Colleen McInerney's Flash site might be the most atrocious usage I've seen. The background colors actually change while you're trying to read the text. At first I thought I was seeing spots from a day full of coffee, but no, it was Flash. The reason I bitch so much about Flash is because I work in Adobe Flex all day, which requires an older version of the Flash player for debugging... and most crappy Flash web sites crash my browser via Flash player. Just saying.
You absolutely have to see the picture on Carolyn Kilgo Weinman's home page. That may be my new Facebook profile photo. I'm also amazed by the guy looking down ominously from the upper-left corner on every page.
Wednesday
Waddy Armstrong: Love your Mother Marty Walker Gallery 2135 Farrington Stret, Dallas Reception Wednesday, June 10, 6-8 pm Through June 11. Three days only!
Animal Collective | Black Dice (House of Blues) Geez guys, what am I supposed to write about this show? Ok, first of all, anyone who has even considered going to this at any time over the past few months already knows that its been sold out for a while now, so there's that. And there honestly isn't a lot that can be said about Animal Collective that hasn't already been said time and time again in recent memory, as the group has risen to its unquestionable peak in popularity as well as its (debatable) peak in creative output, at least thus far. If nothing else, the surprising popularity of Animal Collective does say something about the group's unique, almost intangible appeal-- all things considered, this is still pretty strange music for a band that sells out the House of Blues, even if some of the lyrical sentiments on the past few records come dangerously close to Jeff Tweedy Dad Rock territority. But since we've already talked about this band and their latest record on here several times, I'd just like to add that Black Dice put on an excellent show, and those who may have had their doubts about the avant garde bona fides of this group when they emerged from Brooklyn in the early 00s on DFA records might want to check out their past several records, because they are all stellar. No matter how overhyped AC's latest record is, its still very good, and these are both excellent bands that put on great shows, and those who are fortunate enough to have tickets to this are probably in for a real treat.
Sir Richard Bishop And His Freaks of Anaby Ensemble | Oaxacan | Shane English (Rubber Gloves) Sir Richard Bishop is a former member of Sun City Girls and though his roots are in noisy post-punk, he performs heavily Eastern-influenced guitar pieces, and that's a direct influence from extensive traveling in Asia, not just listening to old field recordings. His style is sometimes reminiscent of a less busy Bert Jansch, though now that he's playing with an ensemble, whether or not these various disparate sounds are enhanced or diminished by the group remains to be heard. In any case, I'm sure it will be worth seeing live. I have no idea what Shane English will be performing tonight, but I would bet good money that it won't suck, and I would pay good money to see it.
Blackmoth Super Rainbow | School Of Seven Bells | Darktown Strutters (Hailey's) It's pretty remarkable that producer Dave Fridmann's "sound," characterized by a big and slightly clipping drum production technique, has yet to go out of style. I remember when "Soft Bulletin" came out, the general consensus was, "Yeah, this big, distorted drum sound is cool, but it will sound so dated in ten years." Guess not. And nobody seems to mind that every record he even breathes on sounds like Mercury Rev.
It actually makes perfect sense to pair BMSR with Fridmann's less-than-subtle technique, since it sounds like the band has sort of pushed for a smaller-scale (or lower budget) version of this aesthetic in the past anyway. When I first heard the tracks from the new album, they sounded very close to what I had predicted, which is not bad at all. Even Kanye likes it. This is one of those bands that make music perfectly suited for the instore-play at Urban Outfitters, except they are actually pretty good. It seems like something I would usually hate, like some band that grew up listening to "The Virgin Suicides" soundtrack while doing suburban gutter drugs in eighth grade, but I usually like what I hear enough to where I would probably ask what it was if it came on while I was shopping at a hipster clothing outlet. Just kidding. Nobody does that, do they? Ghostly International recording artists School of Seven Bells, as well as the excellently dark and sarcastic Darktown Strutters make this a very strong bill.
Detour with Redsean | Select | Vega | Ishi | Hoyotoho (the Cavern) This is one of the biggest lineups for a Detour show in some time, mixing some of the best known DJ's with some of the best known groups heavily influenced by electronic music, or groups that work in a lot of dance elements. Speaking of dance music, I was just in Germany and I found an Italo compilation record for four Euros at a flea market, as opposed to the two hundred dollars they often go for at record conventions in the US. Made my day. Not happy to be back, but I may try to make it to this show, since it is one of the most Dallas things I could do, and it might help ease the transition back into North Texas nightlife.
Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the big June 1, 1974 extravaganza at London's Rainbow Theatre featuring Kevin Ayers, Nico, Eno and John Cale, and I had originally planned to feature the live album that was recorded that night. Several years had passed since I had last heard the album, so I gave it a few spins. Unfortunately, I found the record to be pretty damn boring. The song selection isn't bad, and the musicians are certainly in fine form, but the versions presented seem a little lackluster to me. Fans of Eno may want to check it out based solely on the fact that so few documents of his live performances exist.
Half of the songs on the June 1, 1974 record are from Kevin Ayers' solo records, so I'll (partially) stick with my original intention and present his second solo album. Whatevershebringswesing is one of the more focused efforts in the Ayers catalog and arguably his best solo record; not only was he just hitting his peak as a songwriter, he managed to surround himself with a supporting cast that included a teenage Mike 'Tubular Bells' Oldfield and old Soft Machine bandmate Robert Wyatt.
Kevin Ayers released one more truly great album, 1973's Bananamour, before becoming more concerned with wine, bananas(?), and lounging on the beach. It's almost like he turned into the Canterbury scene's Jimmy Buffet.
Passion Pit | Harlem Shakes | Cale Parks (Granada) Just to let you know right off the bat, this show is SOLD OUT, so if you wanna go and you don't have tickets, you're outta luck. The first time I really heard about this band, other than through PR emails, was on Hipsterrunoff, where Carles referred to them as "Passhy Pit," which was about the funniest nickname I could imagine for a band like this, especially when you consider the implications that go along with receiving a nickname from Hipsterrunoff. Anyway, listening to this band's music makes me wonder what kind of dudes these guys are-- after all, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING about Passion Pit seems to cater to the music taste of hipsters so closely that it almost seems like a well researched marketing gimmick rather than a band, which says as much about the people being marketed to as it does the vehicle for the marketing. Do you like Animal Collective's new album? Well that's pretty cool, bro, because they kinda sound like that sometimes. Are you into MGMT? Well you're in luck, because they kinda sound like that too. Cool man, you're into blog house and Sebastian Tellier and you've heard a cosmic disco comp before and are kinda thinking about checking out acid house some time? Again, jackpot. They sort of sound like that as well. The truth of the matter is that many of their songs really aren't too bad, and a few are (surprisingly) more than tolerable-- it all just seems so completely calculated, however, that its truly hard to give too much of a shit about it. I've been wondering for a long time when this whole "hipster" aesthetic is going to become so deeply embedded in mainstream | teenybop culture that it will become way too embarrassing for anyone over the age of 22 to embrace it, and the scathing satire of websites like Hipsterrunoff has certainly helped to hammer home the point that such a time is approaching. It hasn't happened yet, but bands like this, along with the overall lack of ideas that seem to be emanating from this demographic, makes me think that it will happen very soon. What sucks even more is that I hate Passion Pit a lot less than I probably should.
We're very happy that our friends at Rubber Gloves have given us a pair of tickets to Wednesday night's Sir Richard Bishop performance, and we're going to give them away to you. For those who don't know, Bishop was a founding member of the legendary Sun City Girls, and is now touring behind an excellent new solo record with an ensemble, and we're really excited about seeing this live. Throw in a strong and highly appropriate opening line up of locals including Shane English and Violent Squid, and you've got a pretty solid bet. If you want to win this pair of tickets, just email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and Tuesday at 6PM. Good luck!
Not a lot going on this evening, as is typical for Monday nights, but this week looks very strong overall for shows, so cool your jets, man, and check this out:
Sarah Jaffe (Pearl Cup) I heard about this show a few minutes ago over on the Dallas Observer's local music blog, and I just have a couple questions about this $22 performance at a coffee shop:
1. You read that sentence up there, didn't you? I said this show is $22. You know how much the cover is for Bonnie Prince Billy at the Granada on Saturday? $20. That's two bucks less than it costs to see Sarah Jaffe play acoustic at a coffee shop, apparently. My intention here isn't to insult Jaffe, but rather to suggest that charging a cover like that to see a local singer songwriter at a coffee shop in this economy almost borders on insulting in some way, doesn't it? I know we discuss shows with expensive covers in a positive light all the time around here, and I guess if people are willing to pay that much to see Jaffe, then more power to her. I'm sure she'll do quite well tonight, and I don't fault her for it (she obviously didn't set the ticket price), because those who seek to become professional musicians these days probably have to take what they can get, when they can get it, if they're willing and able. Still, something just seems off about this, as I would imagine that such an expensive cover would serve as an almost insurmountable barrier for many of the fans that made Jaffe the local favorite she has become today-- namely, college students in Denton who probably can't afford a cover like this. I'll end this little rant now just by saying "damn, that sure seems like a lot of money," and hope that Jaffe plays a cheaper show around here soon for her fans who can't afford to spend quite that much on a show.
2. I also noticed in the Observer post a comment from author Daniel Rodrigue regarding the "Dallas audience" that bothered him so much with their drinking and socializing in the back at one of Jaffe's performances at Rubber Gloves a few months ago, because it just HAD to be Dallas people ruining the otherwise polite Denton performance, right? I know the old local legend is that Dallas audiences talk during sets and don't give a shit about the music and are there to be seen rather than to see anything, and I would say that this is true to some extent. I've experienced it countless times. But you know where I've also experienced it countless times? New York. Chicago. San Francisco. Portland. Los Angeles. London. Austin. Oh, and Denton too. Basically, I've seen this happen everywhere I've ever been, period. This comment makes me wonder whether or not Mr. Rodrigue has ever actually seen a show somewhere outside of the metroplex, or if he's ever even been to other shows in Denton, because unless I'm crazy, I see just as many hipster/scenesters talking and carrying on and tweeting and taking party pics in Denton as I do in Dallas, and a lot of times, I feel like I see even more of them, even if I, unlike Mr. Rodrigue, lack the amazing power of being able to tell which Texas city someone is from based on what they're doing while hanging out at Rubber Gloves. Again, this is not a knock on Denton, which is a city that I have consistently argued is better than anywhere else in Texas for music. It's just an acknowledgement that this kind of thing happens everywhere, and when you're in a place like Rubber Gloves, its pretty hard to expect people to behave like they're at a funeral simply because a performer you happen to love happens to be playing a quiet set. I'm not encouraging rude behavior here, either, but rather attempting to point out that this kind of silly Dallas vs. Denton stereotype debate has caused so many problems for our music scene over the years that it's just become completely boring. Although I could probably write a fucking treatise at this point as to why the music scene sucks in Dallas, I think furthering the Dallas/Denton divide with baseless and silly claims like does absolutely no good these days, in addition to the fact that it really doesn't make a lot of sense. Over the past three years, I've seen the Dallas and Denton music scenes begin to overlap to a much greater extent than they did just a few years ago, and this is obviously a good thing for both cities. In other words, I think this debate has died down considerably. And to borrow a bit from the political rhetoric of our current president, I think the local music scene is moving beyond these simplistic divisions just a little bit, and it seems to be a positive development.
As a side note, the only Dallas stereotype I enjoy is the one where Austinites think we're a bunch of crude, meat eating, violent jerks who fuck up their city at SXSW. Damn right we are.
Our friends at the Granada have hooked us up with three pairs of tickets to catch Bonnie Prince Billy and the Howling Hex this Saturday night, and if you want to win a pair, just email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.comany time between now and Tuesday at 5PM with "Bonnie Prince Billy" as the subject line and your full name in the body. We'll pick three winners at random. Good luck, nerds!
TUE: Passion Pit/Harlem Shakes/Cale Parks (Granada Theater) WED: Sir Richard Bishop and his Freaks of Anaby Ensemble/Oaxacan/Shane English (Rubber Gloves) WED: Black Moth Super Rainbow/School of Seven Bells/Darktown Strutters (Hailey's) WED: Detour with Redsean/Select/Vega/Ishi/Hoyotoho (the Cavern) THU: Animal Collective/Black Dice (House of Blues) THU: Au Revoir Simone/The Antlers (The Cavern) FRI: Mika Miko/Strange Boys/Bad Sports (Rubber Gloves) FRI: Constantines/Crystal Antlers (Sons of Hermann Hall) FRI: Quick's Next Big Thing with Play N Skillz/Damaged Goods/Dove Hunter/The O's and more (Granada) SAT: Bonnie Prince Billy (Granada)
