Weekender

FRIDAY

There are a lot of gallery events going on this evening that you might be interested in, so here are a couple noteworthy ones for you ( I won't pretend to be "art guy," I'll just tell you whats up):

And/Or Gallery: And/Or will be showing new works from 6-9pm with a performance from Florene at 830. And/Or events are always packed and always a lot of fun, so this will certainly be a pretty safe bet and a good way to start the evening. Featuring work from Michael Bell-Smith, Good Records' CJ Davis and gallery co-founder Lauren Gray (thats one of her pictures to the left there), it seems that the show will feature a pretty diverse selection of stuff, including some multi media pieces that sound pretty interesting Here is a press release on all the visual art stuff including links to individual artist pages.

Barry Whistler Gallery will feature work from Michael Miller, and although I'm not sure precisely what time it starts, I bet 7 o'clock would be a good time to hit it up.

The Public Trust will also be having an event, but unfortunately I don't have the details on it. These things usually go from 7 till 10.

Finally, Road Agent will have a reception for artist Elliott Johnson from 6 to 8 pm.

Black Angels/Strange Boys/Screening of "A Dirt Road to Psychedelia: Austin Texas During the 60's (Granada): Black Angels are back in town for the first time in a while, and I'm kind of interested to see what new directions they are taking (if any) with their new material. Singer Alex Maas is honestly one of the better rock vocalists in Austin these days, adding a sense of nervous urgency to BA's music that really takes it up a few notches in my mind. And speaking of new material, the Strange Boys have apparently written a ton of it since moving to Austin several months back, and most of it is pretty great-- they've gone for a cleaner, slightly poppier garage kind of sound, and their tight playing live has rendered that a wise decision, considering that they've been able to maintain the punk energy that made their earlier material appealing to so many. This Dirt Road film looks like it might be pretty good too, documenting the psychedelic and anti war movement in Austin during the 60's. I wonder if they'll mention the 13th Floor Elevators? Anyway, you can watch a trailer and get more info here.

Hotflash with The Party/Schwa/Killtronix (Fallout Lounge): Nature, Sober and Select will all be spinning at Fallout tonight with regulars Schwa and Killtronix. We tried to go check out the Party last week at Zubar, took one look at the line and decided to peace out. Translation: there will probably be a lot of people at this thing, and it should be nice since Schwa's old school funk stuff will balance nicely with the wide range of styles the party always plays.

Elam/The Elixir (Art Club): Right next door, Art Club will feature a more mellow affair featuring Seattle's Elam, who have a bit of that Pacific Northwest pastoral/experimental folk vibe going on in addition to a Toad the Wet Sprocket vibe. If anyone tells you that I have that one Toad the Wet Sprocket song on my ipod, they're fucking lying because I totally don't. Play artist Einsturzende Neubauten!

Electric Six/Willowz/We Are the Fury (House of Blues): Electric Six can go straight to hell, but Willowz are pretty sweet.

Lions/Max Cady/White Drugs (Rubber Gloves)

MC Router /Lazer/The Triggermen (Darkside Lounge)

SATURDAY

The Strange Boys (Good Records): In store starts at 3pm.

Chief Death Rage/Lil' Tedly/Nevada Hill, Seth Sherman
and Nick Foreman/Dust Congress (Strawberry Fields): Wild lineup at Strawberry Fields with everything from mellow songwriter introspection to the return of one of the most iconic Denton bands in recent memory. Drummer and singer A-Train has returned from Portland, and thus Chief Death Rage resumes their sludgy Budgie-sounding rampage that so many of us have missed for too long. Here's to hoping they also resume their hectic playing schedule so I can catch them multiple times in a single weekend. L'il Tedly is a brutal punk trio with low-frequency chugging riffs that recall the first three Wipers records. Local screen-printer and Zanzibar Snails guitarist Nevada Hill will be playing in a one-off performance with a trio featuring the jaw-droppingly complex finger picking of Seth Sherman and improvisational cello by Nick Foreman. Foreman will also be performing with his main project, Dust Congress, one of the best song-based projects in the area due to the subtle arrangements and distinct lack of stupid lyrics. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, hippies.

The English Beat/Eleven Fingered Charlie (House of Blues): Middle aged ska dudes in the house! Of blues.

SUNDAY

Todd Rundgren (House of Blues)

Astronautalis/The Listener Project/a-b Theory (Doublewide)

Photo by Lauren Gray

It List: Thursday

Stereo on Strike Presents Lost Generation (Fallout): I had the chance to check out another Lost Generation a couple weeks ago, and it's clear that Wanz has become a much improved DJ with an impressive collection of new dance records. Too bad no one shows up to this, because honestly, dance nights are a pretty big let down when the crowd consists of three dudes watching Family Guy. The same night I saw Wanz, I was also coerced into stopping by Meridian Room for karaoke, and man am I glad that no one I know goes there on Thursdays anymore. I used to think it was a shitty time even when my friends were singing, but I've rarely in my life encountered as many alternabros as I did the other week at Meridian. Yuck. Have you seen the blazers these shitbags wear?

How Hard/Kaboom/Will Frenkel (Rubber Gloves): I remember seeing Kaboom at SHQ one time and watching lead singer Brad Santulli scare the crap out of way bigger dudes, one of which included a friend of mine who actually ran away from him. Thats pretty cool. I don't know a great deal about headliners How Hard, but they seem to play fairly straight forward hardcore inspired rock that certainly isn't bad in any way.

Treasure Mammal/The Freek Out/Karaoke (Radio UTD event at UTD campus): This thing is free and I'm almost positive that it starts at 8pm. Phoenix's Treasure Mammal is a fairly entertaining lo fi synth pop outfit that seem to fall somewhere between Mahjongg and Chromeo with a goofy emphasis on slop and songs that aren't as fully realized as those from the aforementioned groups. Probably a fun live show.

Review: No Country for Old Men

(This is a review by Negativespace, a friend that will be doing movie reviews for us regularly. I know this movie came out a couple weeks ago, but the posting delay is my fault, and future reviews will be much more timely. I figured some people would be interested in talking about this movie anyway. Thanks. SR)

Most of what you've read about the Coen Brothers' latest is true: return to form, perfectly orchestrated, masterfully executed, beautifully photographed, tremendously violent and bleak as all-get-out. But what you haven't heard is that ultimately, all these things end up working against it.

Cormac McCarthy, arguably the best living American (fiction) writer today, wrote the 2005 novel from which the Coens unsparingly adapted this perfectly calibrated crime drama where specifics are immaterial: anonymous drug money, anonymous dead Mexicans and anonymous dead dogs all set the scene for a picture-perfect anonymous drug deal gone awry, leaving a briefcase with 2 million bucks to fall into the unfortunate lap of Nam vet turned hunter Llewellyn Moss (a surprising Josh Brolin), planting him forever in the oversized shadow of bounty hunter Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem.), who has been hired by some pseudo-anonymous businessmen to reclaim the missing money. Although Chigurh (pronounced su-gar) is a "bounty hunter," it is clear from the movie's first few moments that he isn't merely some nasty enforcer assigned to recover the drug money-- rather, he represents some amalgamation of dark forces with a greater purpose that seems to add up to little more than pure evil. Operating without license from any earthly outfit, he haunts the Texas landscape with his "cattle gun," dispatching souls and offering his unique brand of life-coaching to anyone who has the misfortune to land in his path en route to poor outmatched and outgunned Llewellyn.

The Coens, given their tendencies, likely gravitated toward Cormac McCarthy's novel for no other reason than the possibilities that arise from putting Javier Bardem in a page-boy 'do and watching him spill almost unthinkable volumes of blood. And although this is more than enough gimmick to sustain a two-hour movie, the Coens overreach.

The ultimate thrust of the story is pure McCarthy territory--unmitigated evil outmatching its meek prey (among them, a pillar of Texas grace, Tommy Lee Jones). But unfortunately, this is not Coen Brothers territory. They tangle their trademark quirky genre fuck-yous with McCarthy's pessimistic fatalism in an equation that just doesn't seem to add up. The impeccable architecture of the story and its execution were more than enough to elevate No Country from a mere crime-genre entry into an artistic achievement perhaps unmatched in the Coen canon. But then, in the waning moments of the film, the preceding magic is reframed in an even bleaker, ultimately hopeless hue, transforming the suspension of disbelief a viewer has labored to sustain throughout the film into a philosophical construct. The resulting dissonance is the Coens' real gift to you: the awkward space between their own cynicism and McCarthy's pessimism.

I understand perfectly that McCarthy's novel served as their narrative template, but it's in articulation where a story finds it's levity, and the Coens (tripping over Billy Bob's withered corpse) just don't speak McCarthy's language. There's a degree of the Coens' trademark hokey camp to the film's more nefarious elements that is troublingly recast in the concrete of real-life when we are forced to buy into its triumph. So deviously constructed is their own genre exercise, so nervy and breathless, that it renders the existential chord they strike in the final act bloated and woefully unconvincing, negating all that came before--much to my personal aggravation. Subversion of narrative convention is cool and all, especially in the service of ponderous old-man philosophical sermonizing, but its drawn in such bold strokes here that it feels kind of insulting.

Of course, this is the point. The Coens have made a cottage industry of condescending to their characters, their settings, and their audiences. It's just that usually it doesn't sting so badly. The film is devilishly entertaining and expertly made, but its nagging insistence of being taken seriously shines a big, bright light on its failings. Its possible that the Coens intend this movie as some sort of rebuke to critics who say they laugh irresponsibly at their own violence, but I doubt it. It's very likely that all these themes are explored much more satisfactorily in McCarthy's book too, presently available at most airports and all Malls and the Southwest Branch of the Mesquite Library.

Afterthought: Anyone with evil Chigurh's Promethean prowess could likely just as easily knock over an armored car or commit serial credit fraud without leaving a trail of collateral damage 16 corpses long. But then, what would he do with the Cattle Gun? Verdict: There is no real gravity in learning that Tommy Lee Jones is no match for the Bogeyman. Worth Your Time. Not Your Money.

It List: Wednesday

It's What We Get (Hailey's): Alan Palomo and Jason Faries' new dance night seems to be the most promising new electro weekly in the area, featuring a wide variety of pop, disco, and house, all brought to you with a respect for history that you wouldn't expect from a young duo and a taste for the newest dance tracks that you totally would.

Taxi Fare (Zubar)



Vampire Weekend/Uptown Bums/Handclaps and Harmonies (Rubber Gloves): If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if the Walkmen did a song for song cover of Paul Simon's Graceland, then you probably have too much time on your hands. And if you've ever wondered about that AND thought it might sound cool, then you're probably a dork. And you'd also probably like Vampire Weekend, because they sound like that. I'm being a jerk, I know, but I can't take these NYC buzz bands anymore. If these guys were from Dallas, they'd probably be opening for the Valentines or something.

It List: Tuesday

Kill Me Tomorrow/Koji Kondo/Laura Palmer (Doublewide): Drawing from a variety of influences ranging from Fugazi to Enon to the Fall to Pere Ubu, San Diego's Kill Me Tomorrow presents a skeletal, drugged out take on art/post-punk that is certainly entertaining enough and quite engaging at times, especially when they allow their more experimental electro leanings a bit of breathing room in the mix. Parade of Flesh has put together an eclectic line up for this show, and you'll want to be certain to show up a bit early for one of Koji Kondo's brief but brutal sets.

Sydney Confirm/Krista LL Muir/Fancy Fist/DJ Mudi (The Cavern): This show will feature our own Sally Glass playing with Sydney Confirm as Fancy Fist. I've actually never heard her sing in person (you can check one of her songs on her myspace page), but she better be good or she's fucking fired. Love ya sweetz! Krista Muir's indie folk is fairly pleasant if you're into that sort of thing.

Hangar 18 (Rubber Gloves): I can't stand this goofy rap garbage, but some people apparently like it for some reason.

Free Iron & Wine Tickets

Thanks to the homies at Radio UTD, we have four pairs of tickets for Iron & Wine's performance at the Palladium Ballroom on Monday, December 10th, and we've decided against our better judgment to give them all away to you guys.

If you want to win, all you have to do is email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com between now and this Thursday at noon. Be sure to type "Iron and Wine" in the subject line and provide us with your first and last name. Four random winners will be notified via email and an announcement on Radio UTD that we'll tell you about soon. Good luck.

It List: Monday

Cool Out at the Cavern, Bad Ass Jazz at Amsterdam (I really hate typing that name), and Bernard Wright at Gezellig. Anything else goin' on, cool dudes?

Last Week's Local Charts

Good Records Local Top 5

1. Mom - Little Brite
2. Dustin Morris - Balance
3. The Polyphonic Spree - Live from Austin, TX
4. Shiny Around the Edges - Applied Quantum Physics
4.(tie) Fishboy - Albatross
5. Zanzibar Snails - Krakkatowiak

Good Records Overall Top 20

1. Sigur Ros - Heima (2DVD/LTD)
2. Sigur Ros - Hvarf-Heim
3. Japancakes - Loveless
4. Octopus Project - Hello, Avalanche
5. Mom - Little Brite
6. Burial - Untrue
7. Various Artists - Brazil 70
8. Phosphorescent - Pride
9. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ask Foriveness
10. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
11. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
12. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
13. Soundtrack - I'm Not There
14. Tunng - Good Arrows
15. Soundtrack - The Darjeeling Limited
16. Pedro - You, Me & Everyone
17. Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
18. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
19. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
20. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas

Strawberry Fields Top 3

1. Shiny Around the Edges - Applied Quantum Physics 7"
2. Raised by Tigers - LED
3. Parata - Heads! Heads! Heads!

Recycled Books Top 5

1. Fishboy - Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lone Star State with the Power of Rock and Roll
2. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
2. Midlake - Bamnan & Slivercork
3. Snarky Puppy - The World is Getting Smaller
4. Mom - Little Brite

Monday Morning Rock

SHOWS OF NOTE THIS WEEK

TUE: Kill Me Tomorrow/Koji Kondo/Laura Palmer (Doublewide)
WED: Vampire Weekend/Uptown Bums/Handclaps and Harmonies (Rubber Gloves)
FRI: Hotflash Party with The Party/Schwa/Killtronix (Fallout Lounge)
FRI: The Black Angels/Strange Boys (Granada)
SUN: Todd Rundgren (House of Blues)

Weekender

In case you didn't notice, we have some good MP3s posted below for your downloading pleasure. And now we have this stuff:

FRIDAY

Demons/Goat/Aphonic Curtains/T.E.F. /Voyant/Judascow (House of Tinnitus): Demons refer to themselves as a "visual music" group, and you can sample some of these visuals on their Myspace page-- pretty interesting stuff that will probably be much more interesting in a live setting as opposed to a Myspace page. And if Demons roam on the slightly less harsh side of the room, locals Voyant are on the other extreme, forcing anyone who digs them to question their own sanity. And no, thats not an insult in any way. T.E.F, who appears to use some found sounds here and there, is also quite explosive.

The Party (Zubar)

Baboon/Bring Back the Guns/Tame...Tame and Quiet/Blackheart Society (6th St. Live)

SATURDAY

Peter, Bjorn and John/Besnard Lakes (the Loft): So it's pretty clear that PB&J have produced 2007's "oh my god, I'm so sick of this song because I downloaded it six months ago" indie single of the year, receiving play at sweaty dance parties and yuppie dinner parties pretty equally. The majority of their material is fairly enjoyable indie pop of the standard variety, and if you're at all interested in this show, I would buy tickets now because I hear it is close to selling out. Besnard Lakes might be an interesting opener as well, as they inhabit some of the same "indie rock" brand terrority that PB and J does while incorporating some more adverturous space and prog influences into their material.

The Frenz/Sydney Confirm/Florene/Cygnus/U-Gene (Sloppyworld): Stereo on Strike event featuring Wanz' Frenz project and Laptop Deathmatch highlight Cygnus, who seems to be more celebrated in places that are not his home town. It's a shame, but I can't say it's a surprise.

Swiss Party with Sydney Confirm/Heart String Stranglers/Backflap (3114 Swiss Ave): The people throwing these Swiss Ave. parties have done a pretty good job of creating a fun environment over there, and with the rumor that this party will serve as the unofficial Peter, Bjorn and John After Party featuring an appearance by the band, this might be one of the biggest parties they've had yet. These things are usually $5, and often don't get jumping until well after midnight. Free kegs are usually in the house as well.

Markus with a K/Ian Bangs/Holla and Dutch/Sticky Buns (Hailey's): This is a We Made Out Once Party featuring ex Denton staple Markus with a K, a guy who has moved down to Austin and actually made a name for himself as a DJ. The rest are local DJs who all seem to have accumulated pretty loyal followings.

Captured by Robots!/Nathan Browningham/Alex Atchley Experience (Rubber Gloves): Fans of Night Game Cult, Kavinsky and Chromatics will probably dig Browningham. And I'm not even sure how you might describe Alex Atchley's solo stuff.

SUNDAY

Wild in the Streets (Hailey's)

Heavy Rotation

Here are some MP3s from albums we've been listening to around WSJR HQ lately:

SR Picks:

Bruce Haack, Electric Lucifer: Bruce Haack was an electronic music pioneer who never quite fit in with similarly distingusihed artists such as Silver Apples and White Noise. Primarily a producer of children's music, Haack began his career in the late 50's experimenting with music concrete and building homemade synthesizers for dance productions and children's educational albums. In the late 60's, Haack developed an interest in psychedelic rock and the Vietnam protest movement, culminating in his 1970 anti-war concept album Electric Lucifer. The record delves into styles and statements that Haack had previously explored in only a peripheral manner, and the results are often striking. The songs on Electric Lucifer are quite dark and strange for sure, and due perhaps to Haack's association with highly expressive theatrical children's productions, the entire record takes an overtly narrative approach to songwriting and performance, focusing as much or more on telling a story than on presenting songs as individual pieces of music. The listener can hear the strong psychedelic influence throughout the record, but more impressively, the influence that Haack has had (indirectly or otherwise) on American and European electronica is pretty apparent too, leaving one wondering whether discovering Haack's music just might have been one of Suicide's secret weapons. Or maybe it was just their sunglasses....

"Incantation" LINK

The Pastels, A Truckload of Trouble: 1986-1993: Ok, so sue me-- for the past couple of weeks I've been wimping out to C86 era sensitive Scottish twee pop bands, and damn it I'm not ashamed. At some point during one of my hundreds of spins of Orange Juice's Glasgow School last year, I guess I decided that I could use a little more guitar pop in my life, and along with a pretty sweet "best of" collection from The Chills, The Pastels have been the band that I've turned to for my fix time and time again. Truckload of Trouble, a singles compilation, has been my record of choice, showcasing the best of the band's mid period material and most of the really great singles they released during the heyday of their existence. A lot of the songs rock quite a bit harder than one might expect from a group that has garnered the "twee" label, falling somewhere between the aforementioned Orange Juice and the beloved Vaselines, a band that I first started listening to when I was a kid because Kurt Cobain had their t-shirt or something. Managing to strike a balance between self aware, rough around the edges DIY amaturishness and a romantic rememberence of classic pop rock song structure, The Pastels are a pretty refreshing listen in a climate where such influences are something less than in vogue.

"Nothing to be Done" LINK

Plastikman, Musik: Hey, you know that super hip minimal/german/glitch/dubstep/new acid/Villalobos whatever disc you've been rockin' ever since you found out about it on Boomkat? Well, I'd wager that your record wouldn't sound exactly the same if it wasn't for the contributions of underappreciated 90's minimal producer Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman. Kicking off his career as a DJ in the early/mid 90's, Hawtin concentrated on acid house as he began to dive into the depths of the dark, robotic minimalism that could be found in much of the Detroit techno and Chicago house that inspired him. The following track off of his acclaimed 1994 album Musik is one of its shortest, but the textures are fantastic and the mood is only slightly more striking than how ahead of its time it sounds-- a lot of today's fashionable techno clearly seems to be borrowing from his approach.

"Kriket" LINK

High Places, various singles and Myspace tracks: If you've ever wished that the Blow sounded more like Gang Gang Dance without losing the pop, you might be interested in High Places' sweet, psychedelic beach sound. I honestly don't know a whole lot about these Brooklynites (don't hold their home base against them), but with the blog success of bands like Beach House and albums like Person Pitch, I wouldn't be surprised if these folks started to get a little more attention in the coming months for their haunting vocals and Brian Wilson on heroin production choices. Very nice stuff.

"Golden" LINK

Psychedelic Horseshit, Magic Flowers Droned: In a year that has brought us a surprisingly large number of excellent hardcore influenced noise/rock records, Psychedelic Horseshit's fuck all new LP Magic Flowers Droned has become one of my favorites. The obvious influences of Velvet Underground, The Fall, Homosexuals, Butthole Surfers and Cleveland proto-punk are all there, but this is the kind of music demands you think less and freak out more, and you'll probably be happy to comply. The track I've posted here isn't the most song oriented nor the most freaked out of their material, but it'll give you a pretty good idea of what you're in store for if you pick this one up. It's kind of silly, but so am I.

"Can't Get Enough" LINK

Various Artists- Milky Disco Compilation: A pretty nice collection of quality cosmic disco tracks from the likes of Lindstrom, Luke Vibert (as Kerrier District), Studio, Black Devil Disco Club and more. This album has been in rotation for a while in my car, and I've decided that one of my favorite tracks comes for the seductive Sally Shapiro--

"Spacer Woman" LINK

DL Picks:

Pylon- Chomp: Though the DFA's recent reissue of this group's first album, Gyrate, is a welcome surprise, I'm already hoping that they'll release their less celebrated second record. The scratchy guitar and disco rhythm aesthetic is actually more fully realized on the sophomore effort and might actually do more towards making the point that the group was predicting the future the way DFA would have you believe. They are right of course, since Jame's Murphy's taste and ideas are often superior to his actual music. I have a couple of versions of this, so it might be a vinyl rip, unless it was taken from a compilation, so please excuse any fidelity issues. Those of you using one of Wes Anderson's favorite Ipod/Fisher Price speaker setups probably wouldn't notice anyway.

"Yo-Yo" Link

Blue Orchids- Greatest Hit (Money Mounatin): I accidentally discovered Blue Orchids when I realized that a Slovenly song I really liked was originally performed by them. Since it was one of my favorite Slovenly tracks, I was immediately intrigued and set out to find the album of origin. It turned out that two members of Blue Orchids were founding members of The Fall, which is only obvious half the time. The other half is spent on winding, psyche-organ passages and some outright pretty melodies. This track tends to be the latter and a friend of mine remarked that it reminded her of Felt as well as The Kinks. The reissue of their first album along with some random 7-inch stuff is worth looking for, if only for a version of "All Tomorrow's Parties" that has the group backing up Nico and produced by Martin Hannett. How's that for being almost pornographically cool?

"Bad Education" LINK

...Of Death- Build A Bridge And Get Over It: A fixture of Texas Hardcore shows from 2000 until 2003, Fort Worth's ...Of Death would have been a great band just based on the completely unpredictable structures and intensity that tempered their spastic blast, grind and thrash attack. And then there's the issue of the vocals. So inhuman, to hear them is to feel as if you're being attacked by a sky full of hummingbirds with whirring power drills for beaks. That will make more sense when you hear this track. I say it's an issue because some people are bound to not understand the appeal of this, like all great art. Best local vocalist ever? Probably. I'd pay these guys two hundred bucks out of my own pocket to reunite for one show. The singer is now a DJ in Chicago and some of the remaining members are in The Chimeneas. I'm a total poser for always meaning to see them live and never actually going.

"Chewing On Tin Foil" Link

Slovenly- We Shoot For The Moon: Just for good measure, a track by the aforementioned Slovenly. They somewhat defy what one might think of when someone mentions 80's SST. Their melodic guitar noodling and hyper-literate lyrics sound like a logical lead in to Polvo and similar 90's acts that followed. We Shoot For The Moon is considered their best record by the seemingly few followers they have. It has a drive and focus not found on earlier efforts and then charmingly throws that all away for the unexpected cover (Neil Young, Blue Orchids) or a twenty minute extended medley of beautiful synth instrumentals, noise experiments and harsher live material. I've owned this record for years and it still surprises me.

"Running For Public Office" LINK

Lizzy Mercier Descloux- Press Color: This is a compilation of French born Lizzy Mercier Descloux's early work, including the confrontational No Wave she performed under the Rosa Yemen moniker. No matter how detuned or alienating, there is something very lovely about Descloux's vocals. This track simultaneously sounds like No Wave-era punk and 60's French Ye-Ye female vocalists. Her later work revealed her to be a worldbeat innovator, and though that material can border on cheesy, her voice usually saves it.

"Torso Corso"LINK

Closed for Thanksgiving

We'll be back with new stuff on Friday morning. For entertainment tonight, you've got the wonderful Taxi Fare at Zubar with DJ Nature or the Misfits at the Granada without Glenn Danzig. Oh well. And I'm pretty sure It's What We Get isn't happening at Hailey's this evening. Here is a little something to make your holiday even more special (courtesy of Cliff Notes):

Selling Out Isn't Possible

I wonder what you guys thing of this little essay, written by Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes in response to criticism of his decision to permit advertisers to use Of Montreal songs in commercials. Here's the whole thing:

Are you a sell out? Yes. Don't let it bother you though, cause apparently I am also a sell out, and so are your parents and everyone you've ever known. The only way to avoid selling out is to live like a savage all alone in the wilderness. The moment you attempt to live within the confines of a social order, you become a sell out. Once you attempt to coexist you sell out. If that's true, then selling out is a good thing. It is an important thing. If we didn't do it, we'd be fucked, quite literally, by everyone bigger than us physically who found us fuckable.The pseudo-nihilistic punk rockers of the 70's created an impossible code in which no one can actually live by. It's such garbage. The idea that anyone who attempts to do anything commercial is a sell out is completely out of touch with reality. The punk rock manifesto is one of anarchy and intolerance. The punk rockers polluted our minds. They offered a solution that had no future. Of course, if the world would have ended before Sandinista! was released then everything would have been alright. It didn't. Now we have all of these half-conceived ideas and idiot philosophies floating around to confuse and alienate us. I think it is important to face reality. It is important to decide whether you are going to completely rail against the system or find a way to make it work for you. You cannot do both -- and if you attempt to do both you will only become even more bitter and confused.

When I was younger, and supported my parents, I chose to float between the two. A lot of people choose to do this. There are so many confused young people running around now polluted by this alloyed version of the tenets of the punk rock manifesto. Of course they're confused. It isn't possible to be in chorus with capitalism and anarchy. You must pick one or the other. Very few people are willing to do it, though. The worst kind of person is the one who sucks the dick of the man during the daytime and then draws pictures of themselves slitting his throat at night. Jesus Christ, make up your mind! The thing is, there is a lack of balance. When capitalism is working on a healthy level, everyone gets their dick sucked from time to time and no one gets their throat slit. It's impossible to be a sell out in a capitalist society. You're only a winner or a loser. Either you've found a way to crack the code or you are struggling to do so. To sell out in capitalism is basically to be too accommodating, to not get what you think you deserve. In capitalism, you don't get what you think you deserve though. You get what someone else thinks you deserve. So the trick is to make them think you are worth what you feel you deserve. You deserve a lot, but you'll only get it when you figure out how to manipulate the system.

Why commercialize yourself? In the art industry, it's extremely difficult to be successful without turning yourself into a cartoon. Even Hunter S. Thompson knew this. God knows Duchamp and Warhol knew it. Some artists are turned into cartoons and others do it themselves. I prefer to do it myself. at least then I can control how my cock is photographed. Why should it be considered such an onerous thing to view the production of art as a job? To me, the luckiest people are the ones who figure out a way to earn a living doing what they love and gain fulfillment from. Like all things in this life, you have to make certain sacrifices to get what you want. At least most of us do. If you're not some trust-fund kid or lotto winner, you've got to slave it out everyday. People who wanna be artists have the hardest time of it 'cause we are held up to these impossible standards. We're expected to die penniless and insane so that the people we have moved and entertained over the years can keep us to themselves. So that they can feel a personal and untarnished connection with our art. The second we try to earn a living wage or, god forbid, promote our art in the mainstream, we are placed under the knives of the sanctimonious indie fascists. Unfortunately, there isn't some grand umbrella grant that supports indie rockers financially and enables us to exist outside of the trappings of capitalism.

The thing is, I like capitalism. I think it's an interesting challenge. It's a system that rewards the imaginative and ambitious adults and punishes the lazy adults. Our generation is insanely lazy. We're just as smart as our parents but we are overwhelmed by contradicting ideas that confuse us into paralysis. Maybe the punk rock ethos made sense for the "no future" generation but it doesn't make sense for me. I like producing and purchasing things. I'd much rather go to IKEA than to stand in some bread line. That's because I don't have to stand in a bread line. Most people who throw around terms like "sellout" don't have to stand in one either. They don't have to stand in one because they are gainfully employed. The term "sellout" only exists in the lexicon of the over-privileged. Almost every non-homeless person in America is over-privileged, at least in a global sense.

Obviously, I've struggled with the concept. I've struggled because of the backlash following my songs placement in TV commercials. That is, until I realized that the negative energy that was being directed towards me really began to inspire my creativity. It has given me a sense of, "well, I'll show them who is a sellout, I'm going to make the freakiest, most interesting, record ever!!!" ... "I'm going to prove to them that my shit is wild and unpolluted by the reach of some absurd connection to mainstream corporate America."

I realized then that, for me, selling out is not possible. Selling out, in an artistic sense, is to change one's creative output to fit in with the commercial world. To create phony and insincere art in the hopes of becoming commercially successful. I've never done this and I can't imagine I ever will. I spent seven years not even existing at all in the mainstream world. Now I am being supported and endorsed by it. I know this won't last forever. No one's going to want to use one of my songs in a commercial five years from now, so I've got to take the money while I can. It's the same with pro athletes. You only get it while you're hot and no one stays commercially viable for long. It's not like Michael Vick is going to be receiving any big endorsement deals anytime soon. As sad as it may seem, one of the few ways most indie bands can make any money whatsoever is by selling a song to a commercial. Very very few bands make enough money from album sales or tour revenue to enable themselves to quit their day job.

Next time you see a commercial with one of your favorite bands songs in it, just tell yourself, "cool, a band I really like made some money and now I can probably look forward to a few more records from them." It's as simple as that. We all have to do certain things, from time to time, that we might not be completely psyched about, in order to pay the bills. To me, the TV is the world's asshole boss and if anyone can earn some extra bucks from it and they're not Bill O'Reilly, it's a good thing.

It List: Tuesday 11/20/07

Another slow day, but the Granada is showing some new music DVD's on their big screen tonight. They're mostly lame but one of them is Nirvana: Unplugged In New York, which is a holiday classic from late 1994. That and the Charlie Brown Christmas Special are pretty much the last two cultural icons that I associate with this time of year that haven't been completely ruined. Oh wait, there's always this.

It List: Monday

Same old shit for a Monday. Looks like we have a pretty slow week for shows due to the holiday, but there is some stuff going on here and there, and we'll have some solid posts this week for you as well. Additionally, we'll have a pretty cool little announcement coming within the next couple of days.

Last Week's Good Records Sales Charts

LOCAL TOP 5

1. Fishboy - Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lone Star State with the Power of Rock and Roll
2. Shiny Around the Edges - Applied Quantum Physics (7")
3. Mom - Little Brite
4. The Polyphonic Spree - Live in Austin, TX
5. Tre Orsi - N0. 7 (7")

OVERALL TOP 20

1. Sigur Ros - Hvarf-Heim
2. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
3. Fishboy - Albatross: How we failed to save the Lone Star state with the power of rock and roll
4. Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
5. Soundtrack - I'm Not There
6. Phosphorescent - Pride
7. Efterklang - Parades
8. Octopus Project - Hello, Avalanche
9. Prefuse 73 - Preparations
10. Saturday Looks Good To Me - Fill Up the Room
11. Shiny Around the Edges - Applied Quantum Physics 7"
12. Mom - Little Brite
13. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
14. Soundtrack - The Darjeeling Limited
15. Port O'Brien - The Wind and the Swell
16. Flight of the Conchords - Complete First Season DVD
17. Gustafer Yellowgold - Have You Never Been Yellow? CD/DVD
18. Fiery Furnaces - Widow City
19. Shuta Hasunuma - OK Bamboo
20. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

Monday Morning Rock

SHOWS OF NOTE THIS WEEK

FRI: Demons/Goat/Aphonic Curtains/T.E.F. (House of Tinnitus)
FRI: The Party (Zubar)
SAT: Peter, Bjorn and John/Besnard Lakes (Palladium Ballroom)

Weekender

Sorry for the late, light Weekender. We'll add to it if we need to. Predominantly written by Defensive Listening.

FRIDAY

Aesop Rock/Black Moth Super Rainbow/Blockhead/DJ Signify (The Loft):

Aesop Rock is one of the biggest names in independent Hip Hop and I don't mean to be pointlessly contrary on this subject but I have to agree with Stonedranger on a lot of these acts. Indie Rap tends to prize the geek over the gangster, and though that might be respectable, it's not always a better listening experience. Making as many obscure references as Dennis Miller in a really nerdy voice is not really how I get down, though some of the production on these records make them worth a listen or two. DJ Signify for example, is obviously talented but the minute someone like Buck 65 starts in on it, I quickly lose interest. Black Moth Super Rainbow has been compared to Air, and whenever I hear one of their almost too obvious mournful little chord progressions I want to hate what follows, but never do. For that alone, they're actually much better than Air. I'm a sucker for treated vocals over huge beats.

The Dwarves/13th Victim/Lyin' Bitch and the Restraining Orders/Screaming Red(Red Blood Club):

Good thing The Dwarves cut their sets so short and usually destroy something leaving no hope for an encore, because their music has devolved into in-joke pop punk that's much more offensive than any of their album covers. They do put on a quite a live show, so if you're into spectacles, by all means go. I'm assuming Lyin' Btich And The Restraining Orders is a Ronnie Dobbs' reference. Red Blood Club has had some good lineups lately and is one of the only reasons that people I know have to go to Deep Ellum.

Meat Puppets(House of Blues): Of all the older groups playing out this weekend, The Meat Puppets are probably your best bet, if the general reaction to their last visit to North Texas is any indication.

Stereo On Strike(Minc): This free show marks the first time Stereo On Stike will headline Minc. Wanz says he'll be playing a batch of music spanning his interests in various genres, with an emphasis on Fidget.

DJ Nature is playing 90's reggae at the Cavern

Prince William and Killtronix are spinning at Fallout

Matthew And The Arrogant Sea /Ben Fleming/Florene/ J. Gray (Strawberry Fields)

Fishboy/Cavedweller/Man Factory (Rubber Gloves)

Pleasant Grove/Scott Adair/13 Ghosts (Doublewide)

SATURDAY

NOVEMBERFEST with Nouns Group/Tame...Tame And Quiet/Shiny Around The Edges/Tre Orsi/Fierce Perm/Douche/Fight Bite(Rubber Gloves):

All of the Bakesale proceeds from this show will benefit the Denton Community Food Center. I believe the patchwork nature of this lineup is the result of both SHQ and Fra House no longer hosting shows. Fight Bite opens the show and features members of C!TR and Teenage Symphony. The group's sound is very melancholy with lots of organ, keyboard percussion and airy vocals. Tame...Tame and Quiet and Tre Orsi approach some similarly thoughtful sonic territory, though Tre Orsi comes off as less prog-rock and seem heavily influenced by The New Year and Shellac. Fierce Perm are from Olympia, Washington and sound like the sort of agitated rock that Olympia became famous for. Douche is one of the loudest and fiercest of all local groups and Shiny Around The Edges is a high concept act that always mixes it up with barely recognizable feedback-suffocated covers, so I won't pretend to know what they might do at this show. I do know that they often feature local talent to accompany them onstage.

Hands up with Queen Majesty/June D/The Party (The Loft):

Queen Majesty is here to make up for her last Taxi Fare appearance that unfortunately fell through. Central Booking have very quickly made up for it by having the Reggae Vinyl archivist back in town, and at The Loft as opposed to Zubar. Promoter/DJ June D has made a name for herself not just in New York, but has mixed at countless parties across the US, heavy on Ed Banger and other French Electro stuff. And of course rounding things out will be The Party. This all-ages show is only $5 before 11 pm.

Helmet/Burning Brides/Totimoshi/Record Hop (Ridglea Theater)

Listening to Helmet's more recent material was a very similar experience to finding out what the aforementioned Dwarves have turned into. I remember this band being able to pull out the occasionally stunning block of riffage, and though that's still intact in the overall sound, any quality moments are ruined by dreadful modern rock radio crooning. In fact, I'd take Record Hop over any of these touring acts.

Lollipop Shoppe (Sloppyworld)

The Happy Bullets (Lee Harvey's)

SUNDAY

Nothin' yet... check back.

It List: Thursday

Sondre Lerche/Dan Wilson (Club Dada): This will probably be the biggest Dada show since Ghostland Observatory packed the place last year, and this artist is considerably more popular and internationally recognized. Sondre Lerche is one of those artists that plays it so safe and middle of the road, which has ironically made him the lightning rod of many a music argument I've heard in the past few years. In fact, I think the opinion is fairly split around We Shot JR Headquarters. If you've made up your mind, get to Club Dada early as this might sell out. I've been waiting a long time to type that sentence.

Chin Up Chin Up/Handbrake/The Ponys (Rubber Gloves): I've never quite understood the appeal of Chin Up Chin Up. There's something a little too overwrought about the singing, or the fact that they basically make "Emo For Smart People" or something along those lines. The Ponys are a slightly better Chicago act with more dated influences, and some of their work for In The Red rocks just enough to be noteworthy, except when the Jagger/Richards wannabe tendencies get out of hand. Actually, that goes for a lot of almost decent bands. Handbrake performs somewhat sporadically and I've missed them on too many occasions now. Their music has a very nice treble-encrusted sound that I'm sure is murder on the ears live, but that's okay. Most people's ears deserve to be murdered every now and then.

ADD: Sorry, forgot to throw this one up there--

San Serac/Keith P/Wanz Dover (Fallout): Should be a big show for Stereo on Strike this evening as the somewhat buzzed about San Serac invades Fallout Lounge. The work I've heard from him has ended up reminding me of the highly respected and MUCH buzzed about French producer Kavinsky-- sort of a spaced out, highly stylized throwback early 80's synth pop thing that recalls everything from the synth funk of Dirty Minds era Prince to Gary Numan to Yellow Magic Orchestra to mid period Human League and Heaven 17. It's really pretty quality stuff, and I think the accompanying DJ sets will go nicely with it. It's nothing you haven't heard before, but whatever. (SR)

Jonanna Widner Fired

A super secret inside source from the Dallas Observer confirmed in an email to us this morning that Jonanna Widner was fired as Music Editor yesterday. A retrospective on her role in the highly regarded local cover band/dudes with birds nest hair scene is forthcoming.

None of the details are available at this time, but I bet someone will send us something soon. Stay tuned.

It List: Wednesday

Short Attention Span Theater with musical guests, Dana Falconberry and Seth Sherman (Rubber Gloves): Dana Falconberry has collaborated and performed with Peter And The Wolf, but her music is less pretentiously exotic and features none of that group's kitchen sink approach to instrumentation (aka strumming on antique shop instruments you don't really quite grasp or understand.) Instead, Dana's music relies mostly on the strength of her strong yet endlessly aching voice as she sings on a variety of cryptically archaic topics. Seth Sherman is an experimental guitarist strongly influenced by the work of Sandy Bull and John Fahey. The difference between Sherman and say, the people on that John Fahey tribute album that Vanguard Records put out last year is that he can actually pull some of that tricky alternate tuning and speed-of-light finger picking material off convincingly.

Bleach Boys/Rageous Bros/The Wayward Boys/Duane Peters Gunfight (Darkside Lounge): I believe this show was originally at Red Blood Club, but switched venues at the last minute due to the horrific stabbing situation of last weekend. Tonight marks the debut of the hilariously named Rageous Bros, a new thrashy blast beating hardcore group with members of Trifle Tower. Their demos sound pretty insane and I'm hoping to catch them soon. The Bleach Boys call themselves "Denton Surf," but that's impossible. According to St. Vincent, there isn't a single body of water anywhere near Denton.

The Hold Steady/Art Brut (Palladium): Art Brut has long been compared to The Fall, and they even acknowledge this on their web page. They reassure their Myspace visitors that they actually sound like Pulp. A couple of thoughts on this: 1. Don't ever compare your band to an inferior band if you disagree with the artist you're most commonly compared to. 2. Nobody really sounds like The Fall. Also, nobody really seems to like The Hold Steady, even people with questionable taste.

It List: Tuesday

Goddamn it man. Two great shows tonight, and unless you drive really fucking fast, you'll have to pick one (post written by Stonedranger):

Architecture In Helsinki/Glass Candy/Panther (Hailey's): For some reason, every time I hear Architecture in Helsinki, I think about Fiery Furnaces. Perhaps its the manic, hyper short attention spans of both of these bands that causes it, but whatever the reason, I always come to the same conclusion: Fiery Furnaces are overrated, and Architecture in Helsinki are not. I know I know, they aren't really similar enough to compare in this way, but I just like taking shit. I mean talking shit. To me, Architecture's songs often seem to border on gimmicky, but the underlying chaos of their work is often refreshing thanks to a solid emotionally provocative core that ties most of their music together. Its tempting to dismiss some of their more restless material as little more than throwing shit against a wall to see what sticks, but for me, more careful listens have revealed something more happening beneath the surface, which is something I don't find in the work of, say, Fiery Furnaces. Glass Candy returns to the area after quite an upswing in media recognition over the past few months. In addition to playing a major role in making the Italians Do it Better compilation After Dark one of the more thrilling dance releases of the year, GC's Johnny Jewel has also earned quite a bit of praise for the Chromatics album Night Drive, which came out a few weeks ago. If disco for heroin addicts sounds appealing to you, then you'll probably enjoy taking in the Italo/Eurodisco/synth pop influenced sounds of Glass Candy, who despite what you might think at first glance, put quite a bit more thought into what they do than the average hip dance act. Panther is obviously the least substantive of the three groups here, and although I'm not crazy about his record, I've heard so many things about his shows that I would be interesting in checking him out.

Jens Lekman/Sarah Jaffe (Granada): Maybe it was because the first Jens Lekman review I ever read was written by an annoying dork, but for some reason I sort of ignored this guy until like three or four months ago when I heard his single "Maple Leaves" for the first time and was completely blown away. Lekman's combo of audacious samples, over the top crooning and twee inspired smart ass love lyrics might all be pretty awful on their own, but they certainly come together to produce some moving and genuinely funny pop songs for people that would never really listen to funny pop songs. His latest record, Night Falls Over Kortedala, contains so many strong moments that it is a bit hard to take in one sitting for the first time, but Lekman's charm, which seems to draw from Morrissey and the sweet yet cynical energy of bands like the Pastels, makes it a pretty easy listen after a while, and one of the better pop albums I've heard this year.

And Fishboy is playing a free show at Good Records at 630.

It List: Monday

So there is an early show at Good Records this evening featuring Port O'Brien, The Physics of Meaning and the Tah Dahs... these things usually have free beer, and it starts at 6.

Also, URB magazine will apparently be hanging out at Cool Out tonight, meaning that those people who always look like they're posing for pictures will really be posing for pictures all night. But don't let that freak you out-- Cool Out has an atmosphere that takes after its namesake: cooled out.

You've also got Bernard Wright at Gezelling and Bad Ass Jazz at New Amsterdam if you're into that.

Monday Morning Rock

SHOWS OF NOTE THIS WEEK

TUE: Architecture in Helsinki/Glass Candy/Panther (Hailey's)
TUE: Jens Lekman/Sarah Jaffe (Granada)
WED: The Hold Steady/Art Brut (Palladium)
THU: The Ponys/Chin Up Chin Up/Handbrake (Rubber Gloves)
THU: Sondre Lerche/Dan Wilson (Club Dada)
FRI: Aesop Rock/Black Moth Super Rainbow (Palladium Loft)
FRI: The Dwarves/13th Victim/Lyin' Bitch and the Restraining Orders/Screaming Red (Red Blood Club)
SAT: NOVEMBERFEST with Nouns Group/Tame...Tame and Quiet/Shiny Around the Edges/Tre Orsi/Fierce Perm/Douche/Rival Gang (Rubber Gloves)
SAT: Hands Up with Queen Majesty/June D/The Party (Palladium Loft)
SAT: Helmet/Burning Bridges/Totimoshi/Record Hop (Ridglea Theater)

Weekender

FRIDAY

The King Khan and BBQ Show/Wax Museums/Uptown Bums (Rubber Gloves): I'm a bit confused as to all the different stuff King Khan is involved with, but I do know this--most of it rules, and the BBQ show stuff is no exception. The latest record from Khan's other band The Shrines, What Is?, has slowly become one of my favorite albums of the year, with a seemingly perfect mix of psyche, soul, garage and punk/hardcore influences that would probably be fairly impressive on their own. What makes the album great however is the fact that the guy can write insanely energetic, sloppy and soulful songs fifteen times over and stuff a record full of them. Seriously, this record is head and shoulders above the latest Black Lips, and anyone who likes the latter will certainly dig the former. All of the BBQ material I've heard has been good in the same manner with a slightly more melodic twist. This show will be great. And really, download that album.

ADD:

There's a grand opening for new Denton record store/clothing store called Time Bandits, located at 108 W. Oak St., Suite 102, on the Square. I'm pretty excited to have a new place to shop for vinyl. The records they show on their Myspace page look really good, and I hope it's indicative of their potential inventory. Show up at 7 tonight, I've heard there will be free vegan cookies.

ADD:Bleach Boys/Stanton Meadowdale/Golden Boys (J &J's Pizza): The Bleach Boys are a fierce surf-influenced punk band as well as an unlikely match for these two bands, but that makes this show definitely worth checking out. I've heard so many different things about the "loud band" situation at J & J's, and this bill seems to sum up all of that confusion nicely. I like being confused, so see you there.

The Dead See/4 Days to Burn/The Conquerors (Red Blood Club):

The Dead See features members of disbanded Lubbock hardcore acts, Dolores and Skyscraper. If the intensity of those groups is any indication, my curiosity is definitely piqued. Fun Fact: Dead See guitarist Neil Barrett is the guy talking to Lightning Bolt about how awesome they are in the Lubbock scene of The Power of Salad DVD. Bands such as High on Fire and Pig Destroyer are listed as influences on their Myspace page, and it probably serves as a fairly accurate description of their sound-- grindcore and metal and various subgenres emerge throughout.

Tegan and Sara/Northern State (House of Blues)

SATURDAY

The Evens (Public Trust): This certainly appears to be the Public Trust's coming out party as a viable place to see music in the area. How the rest of the venues in Dallas missed this one I'll never know (I guess they couldn't cancel one of their cover band nights or something), but honestly, I'm glad I don't have to go somewhere depressing (see the vast majority of bars and venues in Dallas) to see this show. I'm going to assume that I don't have to give anyone here a lesson on Minor Threat or Fugazi, and I probably don't have to tell any of you that The Evens sound nothing like either of those bands, so instead I'll just tell you that this show is cheap (5 bucks), there are NO PRESALES, and it starts promptly at 830. I've head rumors that those who can't get into the softer side of Ian via the Evens have consistently been impressed with how good they are live, and the chance to see such a legend in an intimate setting like this would be worth it even if he was just farting on a drum stick or something. Get there early sweeties.

Old Time Relijun/Burnt Sienna Trio/Violent Squid (Hailey's): Considering that Old Time Relijun sounds like what would happen if Talking Heads formed a band with James Chance and Captain Beefheart, it's a bit surprising that they are on K Records and associate with the Portland/Anacortes, WA psyche folk crowd, but that's how they roll. I had the chance to watch some of their performances on Youtube, and I bet you won't get short changed if you watch em in person... and somehow, Burnt Sienna Trio and Violent Squid seem to be the perfect compliments for this band. Props to whoever put this bill together.

Record Hop/Meneguar/Teenage Cool Kids/Nouns Group (715 Panhandle):

Meneguar and Teenage Cool Kids share some similarities in that: A.) Both inspire spirited sing-alongs with the crowds they play in front of. B.) They seem like they could have co-existed and toured together in the mid to late 90's. Not only is that not a knock against them, I doubt they would ever take it as one. Record Hop has started to sound so huge, it will be a privilege to see them try to trap their arena tendencies within the confines of the fairly small playing area of Panhandle. This show starts early, at 8 O'clock. Pray that the Denton Police aren't the surprise special guests.

Wastemaker with Estaw/Chew Fu Phat/Select/Prince William/hosted by Pretty Vacant (Sloppyworld): The owner of Sloppyworld recently commented that he was going to be running some underground type of unofficial shows at his new spot, and this one looks to be a really good excuse to go check this place out (but I'm just going for the show considering that I was like the first person to see it... ha ha). I've had the chance to listen to some Estaw remixes, and after hearing them AND Prince William's latest mix tape, I'll be more than happy to head to sloppy world and drink the FREE BEER they'll provide. And I don't take free beer from just anybody you know.

Official ADIKT Party-- Do Over with A One/Joe Rich/Churz (Gezellig)

Paul Oakenfold (Lizard Lounge): Yeah, Lizard Lounge sucks, and most of the people who will be at this show probably think Paul Oakenfold is like an ugly Robbie Williams or something, but the guy basically started Madchester, introduced the concept of Raves to England, and was like the first dude to ever party in Ibiza. That's worth noting. A friend of the late Tony Wilson is a friend of mine.

The Theater Fire/Mermaid Blonde (Lee Harvey's): Wildcat did a lil' interview with dude from Mermaid Blonde below, and I have to say that as much as I love to hate anything from Austin, I really dig the tracks I've heard from this guy-- quite noise, dreamy bedroom pop and a drugged out glaze are probably things you could say to describe MB's songs, and I wonder how this music might sound outside on a cool evening. Guess you can find out if you want.... I just might.

Bridges and Blinking Lights/Red Monroe/George Neal/Matthew and the Arrogrant Sea (Rubber Gloves): CD release party for Bridges and Blinking Lights.

Denton County Revelators are playing at Campus Barber Shop on Fry St. at 5:30... free BBQ will supposedly be included.

Lyrics Born/Underdawgs (The Loft)

SUNDAY

AIDS Wolf/Undoing of David Wright/El Paso Hot Button/Church of the Snake/Pretty Vacant DJs (Public Trust): Public Trust really knocks it out of the fucking ballpark this weekend. First The Evens, now this. For all the talk of how noisy AIDS Wolf is, they are surprisingly accessible. Comparable 90's act Harry Pussy were much more erratic when I heard them again recently. In other words, go see this show even if you think it might be that kind of music or just formless noise shit. You might be pleasantly surprised. There will also be a "one night only" exhibition of work from the group's poster making outfit, Seripop, which would be worth attending even if all these great bands weren't performing. Seripop's output has looked a little cleaner lately, but no less interesting or bizarre. We've covered the live activities every other act playing here on a regular basis, but I wanted to add that it's cool to see Pretty Vacant playing as well. Shows at the Public Trust aren't always of the greatest sound quality in the world, but the atmosphere is perfect.

(Defensive Listening contributed to this post)

6 Questions for Mermaid Blonde

The weather alone should make for a pleasant night at Lee Harvey's this weekend, and as an added bonus, LH hosts The Theater Fire with Austin's Mermaid Blonde on Saturday. Paul Brinkley shoulders the load in Mermaid Blonde while also contributing to a band called Goodnight, Fish. GF has demonstrated organizational wherewithal and a willingness to saunter up I35 to play the occasional DFWd show, but Saturday night will be MB's first attempt in Dallas.

Paul answered a few questions for us:

What's the relationship between Mermaid Blonde and Goodnight, Fish? Are you the only member that's in both bands?

I am Mermaid Blonde, at least from the recording sense, and in a “normal” lineup live, I would be the only common factor, besides Art (Narrow Escapes, Meryll) who has been playing with Goodnight, Fish lately. However, due to extenuating circumstances, Brendan (a major component of Goodnight, Fish) will have a key role to play at this particular show. Mermaid Blonde was conceived of as an Austin only band in order to facilitate shows, but seeing as how this show is in Dallas, and my longtime musical co-conspirator lives in Fort Worth, I was happy to make an exception, and luckily, Brendan agreed to help out with my pet project.

I noticed that Goodnight, Fish hooked up with Tame... Tame and Quiet for a couple of shows together a while back. Was it one in DFWd and one in Austin? How'd that connection come about?

I’m not really the one to ask about that… but as far as I understand, this friendship arose from the great Metrognome Collective. We were lucky enough to make their acquaintance and even luckier still to play with them. We played with them in Denton, and were supposed to play at the Mohawk in Austin, but a misunderstanding deprived Austin of Tame, Tame that night. Unfortunate - they’re amazing, as you all know.

Whereas Tame...Tame & Quiet is not an intuitive match for the type of music you make, Theater Fire and Mermaid Blonde seem like you'd complement eachother very well. How did Saturday's show with Theater Fire get arranged? Do you know the guys in Theater Fire?

It’s kind of a weird complement don’t you think? I’m not exactly sure how this happened – internet friendship allowed this opportunity, but I’m not sure how they thought of us. We’ve only played a handful of shows in Austin, and the record is still forthcoming, and we’re terribly excited to get to play with such a great band. I’d found a Theatre Fire cd years ago (bought it used, turned out it was a free demo) and then ended up playing in Denton with them when I was filling in on drums with The Lovely Sparrows. So I sort of know them, and was awed by the show they put on.

The number of places to see music around here has been dwindling at a steady pace for some time now. It's a great bar, but Lee Harvey's isn't really in the rotation as far as smallish rock venues go. Every once in a while they seem to step up to the plate with a nice show. A lot of people think that it reminds them of an "Austin" bar. Hopefully playing there will represent an improvement over the various Austin living rooms you've experienced. Have you ever been there?

I’ve never been to Lee Harvey’s. Can you give me directions? It’s huge improvement over trying to play through my sad PA at a friend’s house while people spill beer on our equipment. Dallas seems like a hard town to ‘crack’ musically, and I’m pretty ignorant about the venues there. I hope it’s not too much like an Austin bar – all that would mean is expensive drinks and no smoking.

What's the last show you played as Mermaid Blonde? Do you expect to play Saturday night pretty wheels off, or do you have things more or less polished?

The last show we played was almost impromptu. We were going to play another living room, then not, then we did. This was on 7-7-07 and it was a prime example of Mermaid Blonde unpolished, or at least unpracticed. Thanks for reminding me. The lineup for the Dallas show will make it more polished and more stripped down yet more glorious at the same time. This show is only a three piece, and this is two of the members’ first show with me, and they sound awesome. We’ve added guitarist Steven Garcia (who is Ghost Night, is also an alumnus of The Lovely Sparrows and is closely affiliated with the Austin label Natrix Natrix) and of course Brendan. Basically, we’ve thrown this together quickly but not haphazardly and these two fellows are helping me realize my dream of a Grand but lo-fi interpretation of an ill-fated seafaring voyage. In short, this incarnation of the band will be polished to just the right extent, and should be able to more closely express what exactly Mermaid Blonde is.

Will you be taking requests?

Only if you request a song we plan on playing. On thing is for sure though, we’ll be playing a special song that everyone should know.


Goodnight, Fish is scheduled to play at Hemphill on Dec. 7th. Here's a link to a session they played on 91.7FM out of San Antonio.

It List: 11/08/07

Monotonix/Life Death Continuum/Rival Gang/Young Widows (Eighth Continent): Anyone who caught the Monotonix show earlier this year can tell you that tonight's show will be one of the most surreal and completely fucked experiences you'll ever have watching a live band. At once confrontational, interactive, uncomfortable, yet ultimately triumphant, they put on one of the craziest shows I've ever seen. And I've seen some shit. Their music isn't exactly indicative of how intense they are live, but that almost seems to add to their awesome absurdity. Life Death Continuum will be making their Denton debut (I think) and it will be the perfect setting if you've yet to see them or you're too Dentoned out to go to The Red Blood Club. Rival Gang is the official name of the collaboration between Record Hop's Ashley Cromeens and the remaining members of C!TR. Their overall sound seems to have darkened a little, yet hasn't completely lost the humor or fun involved in their last project.

Pack Of Wolves/Caddis/Four Days To Burn (1919hemphill)

Gunshy/Judas Claiborne/A Childlike Fear (Rubber Gloves)

Red Monroe/Smile Smile (8.0 in Fort Worth): If someone would like to let us know a little more about this venue, it would be greatly appreciated.

80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's)

Buck 65 (Cambridge Room at House Of Blues)

Mystechs/Laura Palmer/The Tah-Dahs/The Dutch Treats (Double Wide): No shortage of novelty here tonight, but John Freeman was so good hosting that second night of Rock Lottery, that I've made it a priority to see The Dutch Treats live.

Lost Generation With Wanz (Fallout Lounge)

Local Stuff

We have three things to share with you this evening:

The first is a video from Denton's Shiny Around the Edges for their cover of Willie Nelson's "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye," a track they collaborated on with Castanets' Ray Raposa. If you've ever thought "man, I wish I could hear a haunted, minimal drone cover of a Willie Nelson song," then today is your lucky day:



The second is a podcast that we recently downloaded off of Shane English's new blog The Soundhead. Featuring everything from early industrial to noisy 70's Japanese Psyche rock to White Noise to Kraftwerk to no wave, its honestly one of the most interesting podcasts I've heard in a long time, due not only to the rarity and variety of the tracks, but also because of how instantly listenable the whole thing is. You won't find any pointless name drop trump cards here.

And the third is the latest mix tape from Prince William entitled Maker Maker. I'll let the track list tell you what you want to know:

Boys Noize-Deny SelectedAmerie-Take Control of Me (ESTAW refix)
Tepr-En Direct De La Cote (Alavi Rerox)
Hawatha Hurd-Fuckin' With Me (Super Commodore remix)
Dj Touche-Girls A Freak (Boy 8 Bit remix)
Snoop Dogg-Make It Clap (Hostage remix)
Crime Mob-Shine 'Cause I Grind (Christopher Wade OMG LOL mix)
Keyshia Cole-Let It Go (Kingdom 909 mix)
Depeche Mode-Just Cant Get Enough (Skeet Skeet's Iphone Ringtone edit)
Krazy Fiesta-Never Zkared
Marc Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse-Valerie (Sinden and Count of Monte Cristal Mix)
Simian Mobile Disco-Hustler (Armand Van Helden mix)
Benny Benassi vs. Public Enemy-Bring the Noise (Pump Kin mix)
Lexxy and K-Paul-Ponyboy (Boris Dlugosch mix)
Relentless-Soda Romp (Super Commodore remix)
The Funk Monkeys-Remember the Time (Sebastian Leger remix)
Plimsouls-Hold On
Chamillionaire-Industry Groupie