Screening: "Don't Look In The Basement"- Mo Tai aka Devil Fetus/MO aka The Boxer's Omen (J&J's Pizza)
Todd Rundgren (Trees) Todd Rundgren's records were a favorite steal of mine when I raided my parent's collection as a teen, and I've always been envious of my father's claim to have seen Todd at the original Dallas Palladium, the one off of Northwest Highway. Wow, take a second to read over that link. Isn't it weird to read a piece on local music that doesn't sound like a text message convo?
Anyways, since you, and I, and however many people fit into the current incarnation of Trees will get to catch such a legendary talent in a club setting, and though that may not speak so well of where Mr. Rundgren's current perceived or more specifically, his commercial legacy stands, it is a privilege nonetheless.
A lot is made of whether or not Rundgren is at his best when he's all progged out with a group; which is how he got his start, with the overly capable Nazz, or if he's better with the Mesquite School Radio sound of his heavily Carole King-influenced period. And then there's that "other stuff" he did, the "synthesizer crap" that my mom always brings up when she laments his career arc. Which is more often than one would think. That "synthesizer crap" is most likely what has cemented his influence and lasting effect on both mainstream and underground music, particularly the riskier moves he made after scoring AOR gold, to the point where labels actually turned down some of his submitted material, as is the case with his never-released Disco Jets. The album is from 1976 and yet some of it sounds eerily like Ariel Pink'snext record.
It's funny to think of all the people throughout pop music's history that were laughed at or rejected by the public and by their employers, for testing uncharted territory; whether it be through technology or composition, style, philosophy and all other conduits of progressive approach and vision. It's a well-beaten cliche, but it's still fun to listen to those almost undetectable tendrils of influence slowly creep through the decades and shelves upon dusty shelves of music both heard and unheard, until it finally stops at your current time, reveals itself through a sample, or a busy keyboard part and in some subtle way, points at you as if to say, "I told you so."
Here's a link to an article from the Houston Chronicle blog which mentions the Houston angle, since DJ Premier was born there.
Here are a few somewhat obvious faves, but I still get really excited anytime I hear the opening samples to these tracks no matter where I am. "Code Of The Streets" may be the best hip hop song I've ever heard, or at the very least contains one of the greatest and most epic samples.
Nothing to report today, except Jazz at The Amsterdam, Cool Out, etc.
I spent some time at the Good Records "Record Store Day" event this past Saturday only to find that it was running three hours behind schedule, and that's no surprise, since there were so many acts booked. Nevertheless, it seemed like a success, even if I always spend all my time at these things waiting around for sets that seem to never come. I was mostly trying to catch Wanz Dover's new post-punk band and first non-DJ project in quite a while, The Black Dotz, and simultaneously trying to get a feel for whether or not Wanzactually likes dubstep. That guy is just so vague about his feelings, ya know?
The Majestic Dwelling Of Doom show was great this weekend, and things were much more on-schedule there than I expected. I was mostly excited to finally see Chest Pain, an Austin hardcore band with DFW roots, and they lived up to my expectations. You guys know that's what it's all about right? Living up to my shitty little expectations.
Anyways, Chest Pain's lead singer, Travis Smith, is late of Denton's Angry Businessmen (for which he played drums and sang), and Coppell's Tyrannosaurus X (for which he sang). This band is much heavier than the slightly humorous, bass-led root beer punk of Angry Businessmen, and much more like TX, with minimal groove sludge and blast-beat chaos.
I believe that Angry Businessmen was the only five-star review ever on We Shot JR, much to the annoyance of even my fellow writers. Their nomination in the Quick Awards was a local music highlight for me and I always think it's great when something so under-the-radar registers a blip in a big publication. I don't credit us for any of that, it's all up to the artists themselves. However, I'm often asked these days why we still do this site, after doing it for so long, and since it seems like more trouble than it's worth, and I realized why when I was at the Majestic Dwelling Of Doom. The answer is simple: So it isn't only left up to cynical idiots who don't care to really know anything about underground music to list a show like that, or to ignore it altogether. There's nothing romantic about it. That's it.
Oops, I forgot. A Twitter account that makes fun of the way people look in Denton is having a pizza party at Hailey's tonight. You know the sad part? When you rag on people and throw a party in Denton, people will definitely show up. We know all about that. Why Denton Sucks is also selling t-shirts. Denton, you're so kinky and masochistic, you're making us blush.
Oh, and while I'm at it and to tie this altogether: Angry Businessmen's lead vocalist Clint Butler will be DJ-ing and playing video clips at the Why Denton Sucks show tonight. So there you go.
TUE: Porcupine Tree (House of Blues) TUE: Todd Rundgren (Trees) WED: Beach House/Washed Out (Granada) WED: Bone Thugz-N-Harmony (House of Blues) WED: Les Claypool (Lakewood Theater) THR: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (House of Blues) THR: Yann Tiersen (Granada) THR: Daughters of the Sun/Vampire Hands/River Mouth (Rubber Gloves) FRI: Electric Vengeance/Youth Aggression/Hood Rat/Tatter'd Flag (1919 Hemphill) FRI: Katherine Young/Loop 12/Deflowered Electric Flesh Bride (Phoenix Project) SAT: Final Club/Marriage Material (Tradewinds) SAT: Del the Funky Homosapien (Palladium) SAT: Aquaserge/City Center/Casper and The Cookies (Rubber Gloves)
Lonestar Goldsprints Event (Trinity Bicycles located at 207 S. Main St. In Fort Worth) Apparently a "goldsprints" event involves "stationary" racing. And there will be alcohol, which usually doesn't mix well with racing events, but this is probably the lone exception. Event is from 6:00pm to 11:55pm.
Mass Sterilization | Chest Pain | Dark Forces | Geistheistler (Majestic Dwelling Of Doom): I know I've mentioned Chest Pain before, and I'm sure they would disagree with me, but I find their music to be far superior to what passed for punk and hardcore when I lived in Austin many years ago. This is a tough lineup, and Geistheistler's erratic set-times and ominous visuals are a nicely diverse touch.
Bill Wisener's Birthday/Record Store Day (Bill's Records, located at 1317 S. Lamar in Dallas) There's a surprising bit of crossover, artist-wise; Ha Ha Tonka and Dem Southernfolkz are playing here as well, but there's also Mr. Troll, which sure beats out some of the acts at both events. Dust Congress | Kampfgrounds | Delmore Pilcrow (Hailey's): Last minute Saturday night show at Hailey's with a better-than-usual lineup.
Uncomfortable title. Evidently all the pieces are priced at $777 (the sign of the Gangsta Beast?). The artist explains the show title: "Revolutionary, because justice is a must, especially in a culture that is blindly evolving as rapidly as ours, Gangster, because we will attain it by any means necessary."
These dub nights taking place recently around Denton have had some surprisingly large turnouts. Always cool to see some lesser known sub genre getting some love. Dubstep is something I definitely know very, very little about so I would like to extend a thanks to these fine fellows for teaching me a little. (FP)
Over the past couple months, Final Club have been playing a steady stream of shows throughout the Denton circuit, and the combination of some smart booking choices, a few intriguing instrumentals posted on Myspace and a little boosting from some local blogs has put the band on the tips of local show hopper's tongues. For those too lazy or physically unable to make it out to one of their performances, you now have the opportunity to hear an accurate representation of their live show from the comfort of your own home-- recorded over three weeks in the band's home and part time DIY venue The Lion's Den, Final Club have offered up their first EP Hot Gaze as a free download to the public. So is this hype train pulling out of the station too early, or should you pack your bags and catch the next arrival ? I'm gonna go with the latter. Final Club's debut may not be the most original recording I've heard recently, but it is definitely one of more enjoyable.
The four piece owe a debt to all things "indie guitar rock" from the 1990's on, and the band's drugged out guitar sheen notably recalls fellow Texans The Butthole Surfers and their abrasive and irony drenched take on abstract, modern day acid rock. Final Club play it much safer most of the time, however, which leads to a much more pop oriented product infused with the aforementioned fuzzed out sloppy crawl of a band that spent most of its heyday being anything but pop. Despite the obvious differences, however, the influence is still there in the sense that both groups share a uniquely Texas sense of psychedelia that seems to be a bit unidentifiable-- I think it has something to do with the sunsets, or it might be that the sheen echos off the reverb in the recordings the same way that Texas breeze caress your cheek after a hard night of partying.
Unfortunately, the songs do lack personality in some spots. All of the six tracks achieve what they set out to do, but there is never anything too surprising or unique-- no, it's not a boring listen deprived of personality, but I would like to hear the individual members loosen up a little bit. This is of course taking into consideration the as of now short lifespan of the band, but the good news is that as more shows and jam sessions occur, we may begin to encounter more personality and stylistic signatures for the band to call their own.
One strength the group has going for them is in vocalist Brendon Avalos, who exudes the foggy eyed innocence of Daniel Johnston mixed with the nasally acid punk sounds of Rodney Anonymous. It would have been easy to hide the vocals behind the wall of guitars, but I appreciate the decision to make it an active participant in the bands sound.
The six songs here don't necessarily show a lot of range, but the quality of the short set shows a promise of things to come. Closing track "Wizard Wells" does take some unexpected turns here and there which adds some spice and serves as a model the band would be well advised to follow in the future. I recommend you download and give it a listen before you dismiss it as a throw away recording that Final Club couldn't charge you for. After a couple of listens, you can tell that this is a release by a band who enjoy making music and just want you to hear it.
Coche Bomba | Life Erased | Akkolyte (Phoenix Project) I saw Coche Bomba described as being influenced by West Coast Power Violence, though there are many more melodic tendencies in the vocals than I was expecting, all the way down to some classic Punk "whoa-oh-oh" backing vocals. This band came all the way from Lyon, France so come out to the Phoenix Project and don't be stingy at the door. The Phoenix Project has been compared to 1919 Hemphill, but like most things in Dallas, there is something darker about it, and I mean that in the best sense, the overall atmosphere is very positive.
Video Rehab Presents: "Suckfest" (Tradewinds) This vampire-themed event will be showing clips from The Hunger, Salem's Lot, Grace Jones' Vamp, as well a double feature of The Lost Boys and Near Dark.
Hey there, our friends at Palladium hooked us up with a pair of tickets to LCD Sounsystem's performance on Wednesday, June 9th, and you can win them right here before they even go on sale. If you'd like to win, simply email us at weshotjrtix@yahoo.com any time between now and this Friday at noon. Please include your full name in the email body and "LCD Soundsystem" as the subject. We'll choose one winner at random, so good luck!
FYI-- we're giving away another pair on Twitter to one lucky winner who reposts our announcement. Try winning both ways if you want.
Tonight is the last Disqo Disco for a long time. From the FB invite: After 2 years and some change, the end has come for Disqo Disco as a weekly event. We've had a lot of fun, and made a lot of friends. A lot of those friends have moved on to new cities, but a lot of them are still lurking around the streets of Dallas.
With that being said, I ask that ALL of you come out and make this a big explosion of ecstasy and pleasure!! This is the last Disqo Disco EVER, as a weekly, and if you've ever had a good time with us, then you owe it to yourself to come relive it once more!
Disqo Disco is not dead however! We're taking time off from the weekly to nurture new endeavors, including the digital label we've started and the reason we began DJing in the first place: our live band SYDNEY CONFIRM. Be on the look out for new music from both! As well as shows!
BONUS FLIER THAT SOME RUDE JERK MADE ON MY DOODLE BUDDY (note: info is not accurate)
First things first: Gutterth Live's Facebook profile needs to stop aimlessly adding my obscure cousins that are too smart to go local shows, as well as friends of mine who can't go, because they live in Southeast Asia. Chances are when they visit The States, the first stop will not be a J&J's show on a weeknight. Annoying.
Saw a lot and did a lot of "local music" stuff this weekend. After taking a little break from going out so much, I attended events at The Phoenix Project, Fallout Lounge, and The Modern in Fort Worth, respectively. A brief recap along with some random notes:
I've always liked the Wiccans' recordings, but have actually never gotten to see them live. I tried once, but they wouldn't let me into the show at 818 Hickory because I had a little reporter's notepad with me, and I was taking notes all the way down to the street. Just kidding. I'm not a total douche, believe it or not. Anyways, The Wiccans live show is something that I wished happened more often. The mix of speedy hardcore with golden oldies barre chord fuzz, and nasty sludge punk breakdowns was the exact kind of concoction that was just a muddled enough blur of influences to avoid any obvious stylistically oppressive pitfalls. It was just enough to snap me out of this bored and disgusted haze I had felt for the past week, and lifted my spirits about live music, at least as far as the weekend was concerned.
Somebody stomped on my foot at one point during the show, and it hurt really badly, but it was a nice reminder that some audiences still "get into it." There was a time when circle pits would have grated on my nerves, but lately I'm glad to see any sort of participation and enthusiasm. I hated kids in the 80's that wore T-shirts donning slogans like "SHIT HAPPENS" in hot pink letters, and tried to kick my ass so often that I started carrying around a can of Raid bug spray hidden under my shirt, but now I wish I could see those kids out and about, knocking things over at shows. Any sign of life, even a slightly unpleasant one, is better than the vacant looking minions that populate Brinker joints all across The Metroplex, and give up on life by 25.
I should have mentioned this before, but Cole Garner Hill the "hard rock columnist" who writes the "Dead Beat" column for Quick is not only very knowledgeable, but is a great writer as well, and pretty much makes a mockery out of most other people trying to tackle the "other Music" at similar publications. He also writes for The Fort Worth Weekly, where he's also an asset to one of the few independent alt. weeklies in the country. It's nice to have someone out there writing who actually knows what he's talking about, instead of some culture vampire journalist that only covers the underground in a cynical attempt to round up more readers in a coveted demographic. His recent interview and live video combo with Drug Mountain was so cool and well-put together, that I was shocked to see that it was for a Dallas Morning News publication and not some metal/hardcore nerd's blog. I know that sounds like a knock against Quick, but honestly I have always preferred it over other weeklies and dailies.
Later that evening, I heard a remix of Joy Division's "She's Lost Control" from one half of Billingham's Defense System at The Pizza Lounge, before heading next door to catch the always wonderful Anthony Stanford and Keith P's Black Friday. I won't even attempt to go over the play list, but I'll summarize it by saying I didn't necessarily know a lot of it, but it was still really good. I will be talking to someone from that crowd soon, to give us more insight into the almost psychotic habits of record collectors that explore that particular sonic dungeon of the 80's, so look forward to that. I know you love it when we talk about what we're going to do, as opposed to doing it.
Finally, I really enjoyed the Modern 'Til Midnight event, as it's almost impossible not to have a good time at the Modern, however the borderline steep ticket price keeps too much of the riff raff away that I'm sure would have liked to have caught the Ben Jones performance and exhibit. Warpaint played really well, but I have a hard time with mid-tempo indie rock, especially the jammy variety that exists somewhere between Yo La Tengo instrumentals and reformed goth vocals. The performance was still good, and it's hard not to be taken by the sights and sounds of a group as they perform in front of that beautifully shallow body of water eerily lapping against the "critical regionalism" of Tadao Ando's building design. It just never exploded the way I hoped it would, however Warpaint drummer, Stella, a crowd favorite by the end of the set, is really something. "Girl Rhythm" indeed.
Seeing Warhol and Basquiat's collaborations, and to a somewhat lesser extent Francesco Clemente, was so moving and unbelievable that it was ultimately depressing. When you revisit that work, it makes even some of the most impressive pieces of the past thirty or so years seem like a joke. It hasn't aged a second. Pile that on top of his manipulation of television, where he interviews everyone from Divine to Phillip Glass and it really makes the time we're living in seem like a hollow knockoff of an era indeed.
Oh, wait, I forgot the It List:
Power Animal | Final Club | Kampfgrounds | DJ Set By Bryce Isbell (Majestic Dwelling Of Doom) Power Animal hails from Philadelphia, though they are on Waaga Records and they recorded their album, People Songs, with the members of Sleep Whale, so you might accidentally assume they're from Denton. As such, they have a familiarly layered, chamber pop approach, complete with strings and xylophones. What differentiates them from more mood-oriented acts like Sleep Whale is that structured vocals play a big part in the group's sound. If you click here, you'll see one of the members headbanging to to a xylophone. Video courtesy of the aforementioned Gutterth Records, since the video is a preview to an upcoming Podcast featuring the group.
Final Club continues to be an almost controversial and hot local topic, with a fully realized and almost polished confidence to their sound, while Kampfgrounds doesn't pick up at all where Last Men vocalist Luke Dayton left off with his previous group, but instead finds the singer also playing guitar with a mix of forceful and triumphant sounding, songwriting-based punk that is a nice blend of distortion and earnestness. Dayton's range between irrational rage and clear-headed directness is impressive.
Cool Out (The Cavern) A joyous event that's almost the opposite of Black Friday, except that the music is still really good, whether it's Danceteria No Wave or soul and disco tracks that you normally don't get to hear at most Dallas DJ nights.
MON: Power Animal/Final Club/Kampfgrounds (Majestic Dwelling of Doom) TUE: Julian Casablancas (House of Blues) TUE: Kevin Devine/Writer (Dan's) WED: Coche Bomba/Akkolyte/Life Erased (Phoenix Project) THR: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (Dan's) THR: Sally Glass & Madison King (Tradewinds) FRI: Black Dotz/Service Industry/Sydney Confirm (The Lounge) FRI: Acid Mother Temple/O.G.O.D. (The Loft) FRI: Mass Sterilization/Chestpain/Gheistheistler/Dark Forces (Majestic Dwelling of Doom) FRI: Rotundus/Violent Messiah/Life Erased/Brainsore (1919 Hemphill) SAT: Murder by Death/Ha Ha Tonka/Linfinity (Rubber Gloves) SAT: James Hall (The Kessler) SAT: Smile Smile/Spooky Folk (Dan's) SAT: The Anchor/No Heroes/Genius Party/Totally High/Serious Business (1919 Hemphill) SAT: Matthew and the Arrogant Sea/Slobberbone/This Old House/Final Club (Industrial Street) SUN: High on Fire/Priestess/Black Cobra/Bison BC (The Loft) SUN: Shat/MC Lunchboxxx (Rubber Gloves)
Uh oh. One of these NME approved British buzz bands with larger than life egos and songs designed to appeal to anyone and everyone who's ever heard of Oasis or U2. Shit, right? Well, not exactly. The Big Pink picked up a lot of steam very quickly across the pond, thanks in no small part to a succession of catchy singles (one of which was remixed by Gang Gang Dance) and its various members' involvement in releasing "nu rave" singles by the likes of Klaxons and others. The songs on their full length debut are certainly larger than life in many respects, and have often been compared to groups like Oasis, the Stone Roses and The Verve. So of course, if these bands piss you off, I wouldn't even bother. However, if you're open to the darker side of brit-pop, as well as doses of shoegaze and Big Beat infused Post-post punk, then you could probably do a lot worse than the Big Pink. Furthermore, attending this show would mean catching the excellent A Place to Bury Strangers, whose live shows aren't to be missed if you're interested in some piercing feedback and JAMC- Loop inspired noise pop. And at the risk of sounding too much like a Homer here, Darktown Strutters are probably still the most compelling act on this bill, which is rather solid overall. (SR)
Camera Obscura have been close to my heart over the course of my post-adolescent life. Their music has been a soundtrack for many a days spent in frollicing in the summer sun and even more night spent alone clutching my teddy bear and reading Satre. Like all great pop music it goes great with any situation. In my opinion all great pop music must be 1. catchy and 2. relatable. Something like Justin Timberlake or Lil' Wayne are undoubtedly catchy, but I can't really relate to them, nor would I ever want to. Now I am not saying that I am a thirty something Irish indie pop band but I do think that the mentality and demeanor of Tracyanne Campbell and co is much closer to where I am in my life, at least for the moment. As pop music tends to do their songs get indulgent at times, both musically and lyrically. Where some one like the aforementioned Wheezie indulgences include crime and bling, Camera Obscusra indulge in loneliness and reflection.
Since the death of John Peel and subsequent departure of Nigel Baillie their music has lost some of the more overtly twee elements and have really filled out their sound with strings and production bombacity. Big, beautiful songs filled with bitter sweet lyrics free of irony or repose. The closest thing we have to a Bacharach/David sound, along with fellow favorite Jens Lekman. I am not afraid to say I cherish this kind of music but I only from a very limited number of artists. Baroque pop or whatever you want to call it is littered with overwrought, schmaltzy, indulgent and other cringe-worthy elements coming from bands too cute or too serious for their own good. But not Camera Obscura; they got what it takes!
I was a little let down with their latest effort, My Maudlin Career, initially because I had such high expectations coming off of Let's Get Out of This Country. Luckily I have come to enjoy it more with age, and can't wait to check them out again. (FP)
I understand that Shearwater don't feel the need to bind themselves to the structural trappings of modern music but I think their concept has gotten ahead of the physical reality of their music. Their songs have some really nice moments and Meiburg's voice has character but the songs never seem to go anywhere. It all sounds over calculated and a bit pretentious to warrant the amount of listens it takes to appreciate the the desired effect of the music. I would much rather listen to Talk Talk. (FP) Hello Shark | New Science Projects | Spooky Folk | Roy Robertson (Danny Tanner Manor) What the hell is going on here?
The Buck Pets | Boom Boom Box (Trees) The Buck Pets are from Plano. They are widely known as the only good thing to ever come from Plano in the time that they existed. Had they not signed to a major label and instead formed some sort of scene around them, complete with record stores, a label, and so on, perhaps Plano would not be 85% Republican today. But then they wouldn't be as well-known as they are. Bands have to make a lot of unfair choices. Still, you did a good thing, Buck Pets. -DL
ANS | Unit 21 | Bleach Boys | Dark Forces | Collick (Rubber Gloves) Collick is one of the best examples of tackling the weirdly paranoid mood and heavily chorused guitar style of "Metal Circus"-era Husker Du. That was when they were still nasty enough to sound scary on the hardcore tracks, but you could tell they were just on the verge of being total wimps and admitting to liking The Monkees. Those kinds of extremes are hard for any artist to capture. (DL)
live feed : psychedelic horseshit/orange coax/video - majestic dwelling of doom
Weekender is gonna be a little late. say 6:30 or so, enjoy these recently embedded videos.
Got these videos in this morning! The post will be updated later in the day with more from Psychedelic Horseshit, Orange Coax and Video but thought you would enjoy this teaser.
