It List: Tuesday

We have Not New Music Tuesdays coming up for you in just a couple minutes, but for now, here are a few things to do tonight (you can view even more shows on our recently updated show calendar, which can be accessed by clicking the link above or by clicking on "Shows" underneath "sections" in the top left sidebar:

The Gaslight Anthem/Heartless Bastards/A Death in the Family (Granada): Oh great. The Gaslight Anthem. Really shitty band name. I wonder what this shit is going to sound like? Do I have to? Ok, fine. Let's see. I bet they have one of those shitty Myspace pages that takes forever to load. Yep. Oh, and surprise surprise: they're dressed like total douches too. Figures. The first song I'm hearing is called, and I'm not shitting you, "Great Expectations." It sounds like Social Distortion mixed with Uncle Tupelo, the Goo Goo Dolls, and the Boss (if he were a WAY bigger pussy). This isn't going well. The second one is sort of like a John Cougar song minus the youthful nostalgia that makes me not puke every time I hear one of his shitty songs. I wish this sounded more like Don Henley solo. And I'm not kidding. Uh oh, "Old White Lincoln" has an emo intro.... but then it turned into a song just like all these other songs. I'm bored now and out of stuff to make fun of. Can I give up? Sometimes I wonder why people roughly my age, or even younger, write songs reminiscing about stuff that happened before they were born. Do you really miss taking Suzy to the Drive in? Are you sure you aren't thinking of that one time you talked to some chick about At the Drive In on Friendster or whatever? Sometimes it seems like you'd have to try REALLY HARD to make music this predictable and derivative. The Heartless Bastards sound like a dream compared to this Gas whatever band. Their singer has an instantly compelling voice and delivery, and the group's songs are quite good too-- sort of a country influenced and psychedelically dusted garage pop that actually reminds me of the Oh Sees quite a bit, as well as Robyn Hitchcock a little bit less, and a few of the more popular garage rock acts to emerge in recent times a little more. This music is fairly stark, accessible, and just really well done. It's been a while since I've encountered a show where the opening act is THIS much better than the headliner.

Damien Jurado/Laura Gibson (Dan's Silverleaf): Damian Jurado apparently launched his career through a friendship with members of Sunny Day Real Estate over a decade ago, and has been an icon in the Pacific Northwest indie/neo-folk scene for most of the time since. He lists groups like Thanksgiving and Little Wings as "influences" on his website, which is apparently a joke because those groups were probably like 12 when Jurado started, and his stuff is way more straight forward and rock oriented than either of those groups, with more Replacements and less music concrete than the former, and a penchant for pop structures that isn't quite displayed in the latter. If you're in the mood for this kind of music, Jurado is a highly reliable go-to guy, and his local connection as an early champion of Bosque Brown is also something that will probably bring some interested parties out to the show this evening. I'll be in the mood for this if the Mavs lose tonight.

Disqo Disco (Fallout)

90's Night with Yeahdef (Hailey's)