Weekender

FRIDAY

Gowns/Glen Farris (Monkey Bar): The first of two good shows from Parade of Flesh this weekend-- Gowns is quite strange and highly intriguing to me, with quiet, slow and drained sounding songs

Jeff Samuel/Stereo on Strike (Minc): You may not know much about Jeff Samuel, but anyone interested in Chicago house or the contemporary electronica scene in Berlin should probably take note of this show, as Samuel has made a name for himself as a DJ and producer spinning at places like London's Fabric, Tokyo's Yellow, and Berlin's Panoramabar. And although he scores major points simply for being remixed by Ricardo Villalobos, his tracks are fantastic all on their own, ranging from jack house influenced stuff to more minimal blip stuff that is fashionable in his new home town of Berlin. Great DJs don't often attract great crowds in Dallas, but I hope this is an exception. Stereo on Strike will be spinning on the patio as well.

SATURDAY

Devendra Banhart/Jana Hunter (Granda Theater): I actually really like most of Devendra Banhart's music, but I can also see why the guy annoys people-- the goofy outfits, the cutie pie California hippie thing, etc. And although he certainly faulters a bit on his records (too many throw aways, too much goofing off), there are genuinely powerful moments on all of them, and his ability to jump from tropicalia to eerie English folk to cricket chirping Americana while maintaining a unique and readily identifiable sound throughout is quite impressive to me. He's made a couple great records, and I still listen to them quite a bit.

Strange Boys/Brimstone Howl/Sean Kirkpatrick (Pastime Tavern): Dallasites with good taste in rock music who ARENT into Devendra will probably show up here for what will probably be a roudy loud show hosted by Parade of Flesh. I didn't get a chance to see Brimstone Howl the last time they came through town, but I have always been really impressed with what I've heard from them, and seeing them at Pastime sounds like a good idea to me.

Infinity Crew 10 Year Anniversary with the Party (Nine Eyes): Art gallery party thing happening from 8 until midnight featuring The Party spinning all evening and free catering and what not.

Rilo Kiley/The Bird and the Bee/Grand Ole Party (Palladium)

Rock Lottery 9 (Dan's Silverleaf): Most of you probably understand the concept of Rock Lottery at this point, and although I don't hold the event in the high esteem that so many others seem to, I would consider checking this out for sure, especially given the number of quality local musicians involved this year-- Shane English, Matt Burgess of Eat Avery's Bones, Megan Carroll of Nouns Group, and Mike Seman of Shiny Around the Edges just to name a few. Some very nice selections from the RL people this year. Could be interesting.

SUNDAY

Sonic Youth/Meat Puppets (House of Blues): Sonic Youth swings through town after an appearance at the legendary Marfa, and despite the high ticket price, if this ends up being anything like their last performance here in Dallas, then it will be a can't miss. I was a bit skeptical of their last show simply because I hadn't seen them play in like a decade and wasn't sure if they continued to pack the kind of punch that you'd expect. Damn, was I wrong. Mixing in the best of their most recent records with a lot of older favorites, Sonic Youth absolutely blew me away last time around. They played everything with the kind of precision and fire that most bands half their age can't even pretend to display, and although I've never been one of those "dude, got that new Sonic Youth Japanese import B side collection" dudes, that last show left no doubt about SY's place in the history of American experimental rock music.

Suishou no Fune/ST 37/Rahdunes/Zanzibar Snails (Hailey's): It's too bad for us Dallas folks that this show is going on the same night as Sonic Youth, but Dentonites who don't feel like driving to Dallas AND paying a lot for concert tickets should consider checking this out. I admit that I don't know a great deal about Suishou no Fune, but considering the character of the band's ambient, dark psyche rock, perhaps their biography is better left a mystery. Very good stuff that comes off as challenging and hard to follow at first, but soon becomes hypnotic and starts to make a lot of sense just as you realize how good it is. Austin's long running ST37 is another band I didn't know much about, but their mixture of traditional psyche rock and American avant garde/noise is quite interesting... and of course, you'll probably get a preview of the new Zanzibar Snails release that I keep hearing so much about. Hopefully we'll get our copy soon and have a report for you.

Rock Lottery 10 (Dan's Silverleaf): Just wanted to add that Rock Lottery is hosting its second night and ten year anniversary party on Sunday. The event is hosted by John Freeman with Wanz Dover providing the music between acts. Participants include many heroes and villains of Rock Lottery's past including Sarah Alexander, George Quartz from Faux Fox, George Neal of Little Grizzly, Daron Beck of The Great Tyrant and Pointy Shoe Factory, Ashley Cromeens of Record Hop and Rival Gang, Paul Slavens, and Tre Orsi's Matt Barnhart. This looks to be the definitive version of this event and I actually want to go more than I have in previous years. All proceeds go to the Denton County African American Museum which opens in February, so this event is not the self congratulatory free-for-all that some have previously tagged it as (including myself), and I think more big shows would do well to benefit more than just the participants.-DL