Monday, January 30, 2006

We Like Red Monroe



Part of the reason this blog was started was to bitch about Dallas and be funny as shit and way cooler than you. Another reason was to learn more about local music, and to see if there were any good bands in Dallas that we didn't know about before. So you'll have to excuse us if you've already heard of Red Monroe. We hadn't until recently, and we actually listened to them for the first time today. The influences are nothing new I guess... Mercury Rev, Echo and the Bunnymen, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Joy Division. But shit, no one in Dallas is referencing these kind of post-punk/goth/ psyche bands and doing it any better than these guys. Before we heard them, we had seen their name around town here and there, so a lot of you might have already heard of them, listened to them, and made up your mind about them. Or maybe not. For those that haven't, take a little journey over to their Myspace page and listen. Fans of the aforementioned bands as well as those that fancy the shoegaze thing will probably dig it. They've got a show on Feb. 11th at the Curtain Club in Dallas and we're going. So should you.

15 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The show will be at Club Clearview, not at Curtain Club. (and fyi, it is with Dallas faves the Valentines and What Made Milwaukee Famous, from Austin. You should check them out too.)

5:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are the Valentines dallas 'faves' now? Never knew...

12:30 AM  
Blogger stonedranger said...

yeah. Not sure about that one.

1:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think they're fairly favored by sites like texas gigs, dconstruction, etc. that is what i meant. but anyway, i like them. and i like red monroe. and i like what made milwaukee famous.
so, yeah. good show.

3:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Red Monroe is okay i guess... but as far as being a part of the "dallas music scene", well, i dunno.

... i have a feeling that, first chance they get to bail on dallas and "get huge" in some place like LA, they will.

and that makes me sad.
and that makes me like them a little less (like that girlfriend that you never trusted for some reason, and then you found out that reason).

4:38 PM  
Blogger stonedranger said...

Not sure what their ambitions are since we don't know any of them and haven't seen them live or anything. We just dig some of the songs we heard on a CD someone gave us. Is the live show douchey or something?

6:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the best way to get deep ellum back on top is to get it some exposure. "releasing" your favorite bands out into the world can only help the Dallas music scene. do you think they can have a worthwhile career in music being 60 years old and still playing in dallas every weekend? BTW, LA suxs for bands, as well as NY. needle in the haystack scenario. i like the valentines and congratulate them on their cd. i will definitly be at that show. WMMF is fantastic as well. just some opinions. dont we all want to help out?

10:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I actually hung out with a couple of the guys from red monroe at the Cavern...when I went to see the Black Angels. I think they may be the most insecure guys I've ever met. But they're ubber-ambitious. They're not part of the "Dallas Music Scene," who would want to be drowned out by what's considered "Dallas Music" - If I were them, I'd detest the "scene". I think they're going to be huge...and that's no reason not to like them.

11:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

no, their live show is ok.
and they are actually ok guys.
but they have stars in their eyes, and like bellafante (but they beat them a bit) that could mean moving to whatever hip town they can in order to catch a buzz (LA, NYC, wherever) and in the process, i don't really feel like they are helping the scene in dallas to be a better one... but i'm probably being a bit harsh too. we'll see.

5:41 PM  
Blogger zak said...

the Dallas music scene is doing ok and if a band isn't a part of it by choice or whatever then they don't deserve our (the fans and buyers) support. I don't respect any band that chooses to hold itself apart from its local scene and other bands or bails for 'greener pastures.' That type of attitude further alienates people and weakens the 'scene.'

Why would anyone detest the local Dallas scene unless they are not a part of it or unaware?

This kind of talk annoys me. Be a part of something, go out to see shows and events, support your local acts and not just the same old safe ones or your friends bands, buy cds, take an interest, start a zine or a blog... or shut the fuck up. Bitching and moaning about what we don't have won't get us anywhere.

10:25 PM  
Blogger stonedranger said...

I agree that bitching and moaning about this and that and Dallas sucks and that whole thing really gets kinda old. I think anyone that has traveled enough will acknowledge that while places like New York or London or Paris might be cooler than somewhere like Dallas or Denver or Cleveland, in many respects every place you go is more or less the same, and most of your experiences in any city are more or less what YOU make of them, not what other people do for you. Its just as easy to be depressed in New York as it is to be happy as hell in San Antonio.

That being said, I have to disagree with the sentiment that people should support their local scene just because its their local scene. part of creating a good scene is specifically NOT supporting bad music. And theres a lot of it here in Dallas, just like in any other city. But we've gotta sort out the good and the bad, and boring bands like Belafonte, etc shouldn't get support. While we can't blame bands like Red Monroe for being fed up with Dallas (lord knows we are too) and not wanting to stick around just for the sake of the local "scene," we do think that there is enough talent around here to change things... as long as we support local bands selectively, keeping the good in and the bad out.

2:44 AM  
Blogger zak said...

Yeah, I certainly agree with you about being selective about who you support. Just because a band plays here doesn't mean they deserve our support. There are plenty of bands playing in this town that are awful or are at the very least, un-inspiring and boring.

One thing I do like about Dalas is that it is small and so much easier to sort the bad from the good compared to a place like Chicago, Austin, NY, LA or Seattle.

That is the great thing about this blog versus other locally supported sites because you guys tell it like it is and don't waste time on music that doesn't deserve attention, or at least you focus on the more indie part of Dallas/NTX music. The It List is a great way to find new bands or DJs to see and I hope people take advantage of it.

I'm obviously optimistic about the chances of a solid indie scene growing and suriving in Dallas and NTX.

11:04 AM  
Blogger stonedranger said...

so are we.

1:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

These guys rock

5:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

full of shit... All I heard was bad lyrics and a lot of Television referencing in the tunes. Your blog is fucking stupid..

12:11 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home