Experiment in Error, the new album from Dallas instrumental band Shibboleth, hits stores this week on Idol Records and is already available on iTunes. It's an eclectic collection that touches on surf-rock, boogie woogie, old soul and country. There's even some futuristic ish in there, such as the track I'm playin' today, "Bill Cosby."
"The title was a spur of the moment thing. I finished writing out the song for the band and, in need of a title, 'Bill Cosby' just popped into my head," writes guitarist Don Cento in an e-mail. "It seemed silly and fitting and obtuse. The synth break-down was actually inspired by (but quickly moved very far afield from) a Harry Nilsson song, 'Jump into the Fire.' Other than that it's just your standard game show theme from Neptune."
Shibboleth, "Bill Cosby":
Shibboleth plays a CD release show on Saturday at Sons of Hermann. To get a taste of what you'll see that night, watch this video of the trio (with friends) playing The Gordon Keith Show this weekend.
Oh, one more thing -- I hear that the band will be performing some of its new material with the great Bobby Patterson at the end of Saturday's set. If the idea of the upcoming Shibboleth + Bobby album already has you salivatin', you'll definitely want to be there.
The unreleased tune by Denton singer-songwriter Daniel Folmer that I'm about to play you might be the freshest track you hear all week. He recorded it, like, three days ago at a session at Echo Lab in Argyle. It'll be on his new album A Leaf, which Folmer hopes to make available at his show Sunday at Dan's SilverLeaf in Denton.
The album combines days-old tracks with some that have been stewing for a few months, all inspired by a long-distance love thang Folmer's got going with a gal who lives in Chicago. Hence, the title of this new track, "To Chicago and Back."
"It's about the process of seeing someone intensely for two weeks and then not seeing them at all for a month. There's some major withdrawal at work there," Folmer said in a phone chat.
That withdrawal comes through in slow-burning, epic fashion, thanks to almost-whispered vocals and sad-as-hell piano from Folmer's friend and band member Glen Farris.
"Glen's been playing piano for a church lately, so his church-playing skills come through in this one."
Daniel Folmer, "To Chicago and Back":
Hear more new songs from A Leaf tomorrow night at the Cavern, as Folmer shares a bill with RTB2 and Retribution Gospel Choir.
Reader Gordon C. recommends The Loft, the bar at the new NYLO hotel:
It's a pretty cool spot with a retro flair that includes chairs that hang from the ceiling just like in the Austin Powers movies.
My wife and I met there for Happy Hour last night and were very impressed. I'm told there's a dj or Friday and Saturday nights & the place appears to be growing in popularity. The back area of the hotel includes these cabana style sofas, an outdoor pool, and lounge chairs which makes for a nice social vibe after dark.
Now that I live downtown, my next question is: How do I get there on public transportation?
Since two Dallas greats, Old 97's and Shibboleth, are releasing albums this week, we thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to try to preview as much of the new and unreleased music of the local scene as possible.
So welcome, my friends, to Hot and Fresh Week. At least that's what I'm calling it.
You might want to keep this blog up on your desktop all week, because from now until Friday afternoon, I'll be streaming a bunch of new tracks from locals you love and some you might not know about just yet. I'm not gonna spill what's to come just yet. Just trust that it'll be good.
To kick things off in style, we've got a spankin' new track from the Old 97's' Blame It On Gravity, which hits stores tomorrow. It's called "My Two Feet," and to gain some insight into the track, I called album producer Salim Nourallah, who recorded the 97's at his Pleasantry Lane studio in Vickery Place.
"'My Two Feet' is the collision of a song Rhett [Miller] had, and Murry [Hammond] had this bridge and these words that he was always throwing out but never got used. So it really is a true co-write between Rhett and Murray, which is unusual," Salim said.
"From the beginning, that song represented the pop side of the Old 97's, but also it's grounded in rock 'n' roll. ... This is one we wanted to be natural and straight-ahead, and they pulled it off."
The Old 97's, "My Two Feet":
The 97's will host a listening party for the new album tomorrow night at the Granada.
I'd been reading about Drum and Bass Under the Stars at the Whisky Bar for a little while now. (Dallas Dance Music peeps: Yes, I'm a lurker.) The weekly event -- free for everyone -- has house music on the first floor provided by local Got House? DJs, and d-n-b on the rooftop patio.
While I'm not exactly a drum n' bass fanatic, I can appreciate it as a genre, especially because so few bars play it anymore. I finally had a free Thursday and stopped by last week.
In case you haven't heard, Monday's shaping up to be a pretty big day for local '90s alt-rock sensation the Toadies.
The band has been invited to play a short set during a break at the Western Conference Finals hockey game at American Airlines Center, between our Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. No, Todd Lewis and company won't ice-skate around with their instruments. They'll crank out some acoustic goodness from the players' bench. Should be a sight to see, if you can get tickets to the dang thing.
In other Kirtland Records news, Smile Smile will be opening up for A Simple Plan at the Palladium on Monday. The folks at Kirtland have hooked us up with a couple of free tickets to that show. If you are interested, be the first to comment on this entry with the word "gimme" (be sure to put your e-mail address in the appropriate field) and they are yours.
Pick up a Quick today to peruse our gorgeous Summer Concert Preview section in all its glory. Or if you don't believe in paper, see it online here. You'll notice that the centerpiece is about Radiohead, and features several local-music types talking about the band.
I'm pretty sure we could have filled the entire section with people's thoughts on Radiohead, so feel free to use the lovely comments field to answer the questions posed to our participants.
I'm mainly interested in hearing which Radiohead album is your favorite and why. For the record, mine is Kid A, judging by how many times I've listened to it in iTunes. The play-count numbers don't lie, y'all.
One more little stat about me before you start typing: I've listened to the In Rainbows track "Nude" all the way through 42 times.
Spoken-word poetry fans: Embargo Bar in Fort Worth is hosting Palabrazos, featuring local poets and a bilingual VJ-troupe called Verbobala, who are based in Mexico and Arizona. VJ means they combine large-scale video projections and poetry. Sounds interesting, no?
Zubar has a 90's party with M. Knight and Brent. Can I make a request for Joe Public?
It's the chili and salsa cook-off at Lee Harvey's. Proceeds go toward charities that help lupus. Doors at 11 a.m.
The Meridian Room has an opening art reception for local collective CPR. They've built a big, mixed-media piece that'll span the length of the inside walls. Reception runs 8 to 10.
Absinthe has something called the "Sexy Robot Party" that sounds interesting. Wear your sexiest motherboard baby, yeah.
So last night around 10 p.m., I was innocently having a $2 Miller Light draft on the patio at City Tavern, when suddenly this group in black clothes comes scurrying up to the curb. One dude carries a boom and a few others have cameras.
The girl sitting next to us suddenly stands up and hits the guy she's with.
"Who the [expletive] is that?" she yells. Her comments are directed at a long-haired girl in glasses, standing next to the cameramen. This girl, the hitter, is wearing a short blue dress and a string-bikini top underneath. (Yeah, I didn't get it either.)
Just caught a MySpace post by Andy Bothwell (a.k.a. Astronautalis), who recently spent time in town recording his next album. In the post, which I'll paste in after the jump, he gives thanks to several local musicians who helped him make the new music. We're talkin' the guys from the Paper Chase. We're talkin' Jaffe. We're talkin' members of Midlake and the Spree. I really don't know if I can wait until September for this one. Andy's words are better than mine, though. Read on.
I know I've posted a lot about them lately, but this tidbit didn't fit in today's story: They are offering FREE Gran Marnier margaritas on the patio on Monday, from 6 to 7. No RSVP required, but get there early to make sure you get a spot. And valet is complimentary, too.
And now they've got lots of money to show for it. Razzoo's, based in Addison, recently agreed to settle a sex-discrimination lawsuit to the tune of $1 million. The bartenders say the company only wanted women behind the bar.
So, umm.... is Hooter's next? Ker's Wing House? Anyone? I guess it's okay to have women exclusively as servers, as long as there are dudes behind the bar.
And so the after-Alan era begins. Remaining Ghosthustler members Noah Jackson and Gray Gideon have decided to take down all the band's previous tracks featuring its former frontman from the ol' MySpace page. Now up in the player is a new remix of a track by U.K. act Futurecop!. In addition, Ghosthustler writes, "Look forward to our new single that will blow up on the scene in about 2 weeks." Will do.
In today's Liner Notes, I promised to post some goodies. Let's get to them:
Here are parts one (above) and two (below) of a look back at five years of local greaser punk band Spector 45. Its frontman, Frankie Campagna, is one of the hardest-workin' musicians in town. Spector 45's current lineup (and oh, how the lineups have changed -- you'll see) will put on an anniversary show May 31 at Dada.
And here's that Collin Herring song I talked about. "Punches" is from the Fort Worth country singer's new CD Past Life Crashing, and features background vocals from Canadian singer Kathleen Edwards. One of Herring's finest, I do believe.
Where you've seen him:Green Elephant - Sunday Sessions(1st Sunday each month); founder of Poor Vida, a local artists' collective that produces music, events, video and other media.
Memorable DJ Booth Moment: The Great Keg Beer Spill of New Years Eve 2001. My infamous friend Jeff Spock and I were playing dnb at a packed out house party. Everybody was rockin and I just started to lay down a few tracks when suddenly the sound just cackles and dies out. Everyone stops to stare at me, I look over at Jeff "Deer In Headlights" Spock only to see he was blinded by the fact he commited the ultimate party foul - spilling beer into audio circuitry.
Dream gig:
1. Conducting for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra 2. Opening up with MC Astro for Pharcyde.
I've got a Q&A with Mansion mixologist Michael Martensen running tomorrow, and the staff was kind enough to send me one of his recipes. Here's how you make the Passion Lily, which Martensen describes as "everything you want in a cocktail. It's not too sweet, not too sour." Also: Did you know he was only 25?
The Passion Lily
¼ oz lime juice
¼ oz St Germain Liqueur
2 oz Absolut vodka
Splash of cranberry juice
Splash of simple syrup to taste
Combine ingredients into a Boston shaker mixing glass and add ice. Cover with metal shaker, and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.
It's Shecky's Girls Night Out at F.I.G. downtown. Fifteen bucks at the door (or $30 for a deluxe goodie bag) includes cocktails, product samples and the chance to shop up to 50 different brands, many of them deeply discounted. Party runs 5 to 10 p.m.
The Breeders are at House of Blues. Tix are $17.50 to $25.
So last night I stopped by Cyclone Anaya's after work as planned. (It was around 8.) Unfortunately I didn't realize how boosh-boosh [that's my "techno music" noise] it was. Why did I think this place was going to be like Chuy's? Instead, there was recessed lighting and lots of glass and a top-shelf margarita menu with no prices. (Which means they're probably around $10 to $12 each.) The place was packed and I was hungry and didn't feel like waiting. Yes, I have no patience.
We ended up at the Windmill Lounge on Maple. There -- joys! -- we discovered it was $3.50 frozen margarita night. We slurped our margs and noshed on chips n' queso and played some songs on the jukebox. (Bowie "Space Oddity," Scissor Sisters "Laura," Dwight Yoakam "Little Sister.") Hubby and I were the only people in the place. The bartender wore a cowboy hat. It was an awesome Cinco de Mayo.
If you rode the mechanical bull last night at Mattito's, I was with you in spirit.
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