Weekender

Not a lot of stuff going on this weekend, pals, but here's what we got:

FRIDAY

Mudhoney/Record Hop/Melba Toast (Granada): Ok, since it's already been 20 years since Mudhoney first emerged on the national college radio circuit with their debut single "Touch Me I'm Sick," it is probably the perfect time to look back and assess how significant these guys really were in the grand scheme of things. It's funny to hear people talk about how gimmicky "indie rock" has become over the past few years, because really, the same complaints that some of the old folks around here make concerning groups like Ghosthustler and Roy G and the Biv could be lobbed right back at their early 90's heroes, couldn't they? Was (is) Mudhoney's music derivative? Of course-- classic rock radio and American hardcore are the two obvious ingredients for every grunge band. And how did their music end up being so fashionable? Well, as many already know, a little bit of smart ass and highly clever marketing from the founders of Sub Pop was what attracted the attention of the international underground community to the Seattle sound in the first place. Sub Pop created an air tight image of the Seattle grunge bands (particularly Mudhoney, Tad, Green River and Nirvana) as neanderthal, beer drinking smart asses that somehow stumbled on to the hippest sound on the planet, and all of this was cemented through the label's masterful manipulation of the media, and particularly the English media, where one simple little article by Everett True in Melody Maker launched a feeding frenzy for all things Seattle across the pound. And when one considers the caricatures and exaggerations found in that initial article, it's pretty tough to discuss the grunge phenomenon without using the word gimmick, no matter how talented many of the bands in that scene were. All this aside, however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being in the right place at the right time, and the fact that Mudhoney is still playing large theaters like the Granada 20 years after the fact is testament to the longevity and success of their sound, not to mention the fact that they simply kick ass more often than not. Add in Record Hop as the perfect opening act for this show, and we should be in for a treat this evening, gimmicks and all.

Wye Oak/Brickfight/Nouns Group (Chat Room): Merge Records' Wye Oak headline this show at what seems to be everyone's favorite Fort Worth venue this evening. Their sound is something of a mixed bag of timely influences, and it's mostly a pleasant one-- you'll hear things like High Places, Electrelane, and Camera Obscura in there, and most of the songs off their most recent release are strong, if a bit safe and a tad bland at times. Overall, however, it certainly sounds worth seeing on a night like this. This will also be the last local shows for Brickfight, a group that will be departing for the Windy City soon. They've had their hands in both the Metrognome Collective and Fort Worth's Exploding House over the past couple of years, both of which ended up being very worthwhile ventures for the local scene. Best of luck to them.

Faux Fox/Hawatha Hurd/The Party (the Lounge): The first in a rather long series of shows at the Lounge, a place that seems to be giving the best effort we've seen in a while to get a little action going on in Deep Ellum once again. And although the concept of "saving" Deep Ellum comes off as "too little too late" these days, there isn't any reason why at least one place can't be relatively successful there, at least for the time being. This will be the CD release show for Faux Fox's latest LP, which we reviewed a couple months ago, and in addition to the Party DJing in between sets (and presumably after the sets), you'll have a chance to check out Hawatha, who has to be in the running for most underappreciated MC in Dallas.

Uptown Friday with Select (Zubar)

Eyes Wings and Many Other Things/The Angelus/Clint Niosi/New Science Projects (Doublewide): This is s FREE show.

SATURDAY

The Great Tyrant/Sean Kirkpatrick/Silk Stocking (The Lounge): Someone in the comment section called this a "gross" show, but if I were one of these groups, I would take it as a compliment. Especially if I was in Great Tyrant.

Rival Gang/Geistheistler (Fra House): Hey Fra House, you should really start telling us about your shows again.

Red Monroe/PPT/Baboon/Glen Reynolds (Club Dada): I was going to say that I thought PPT broke up, but then I realized that this PPT will just be Pikahsso and Tahiti, and then I totally forgot what I was doing and started doing something else. And what has Red Monroe been doing lately?

The Jakeys/Swedish Teens/Heelers/Starhead/Boxcar Bandits (Dan's Silverleaf)

The Jonbenet/The Dead See/Broadcast Sea/Soviet (Ruber Gloves)

SUNDAY

For Your Pleasure with DJ G and Gabriel (Hailey's Club)

Three On Sunday: Video Presentation with Martin Iles (Dan's Silverleaf): This always cool event features three eclectic choices from the seemingly endless video collection of Mr. Iles. Did I already call him the Irwin Chusid of North Texas? This week's presentation includes an early 80's hip hop themed TV show that didn't get past the pilot, Antony And The Johsnons, and a piece on carnivorous plants in 3D, glasses provided. More info:

"The Carnivorous Syndrome In 3D"

"Graffiti Rock"

"Antony And The Johnsons"

Event starts at 10:30 PM.