... I won't be blogging for a few days because I'm off to be a beach bum. I'll be back Wednesday with a tan and a hangover in full effizzect. Until then, keep checkin' back here for Lesley's clubalicious goodness.
Saturday will serve as the last hurrah for the current incarnation of Denton music-'n'-stuff store Strawberry Fields. After that, the owners will be moving out of the colorful West Oak building, and getting the new location next to Rubber Gloves ready for action.
But the sad part of this whole move thing is that we have to say goodbye to those fun-as-hell, all-day in-stores. The new digs just won't accommodate 'em. So the guys at SF are planning something epic for their last night of noisemakin'.
Starting at around 1 p.m. Saturday, several acts that have performed at the store before (or appeared on its very fine Denton Deluxe compilations) will play, hang out, drink beer and eat barbecue. Although the lineup doesn't appear to be completely set, it looks as though Daniel Folmer, New Science Projects, Fight Bite, Drink to Victory, Ella Minnow and Deep Snapper all have slots. (Sorry if some of these have dropped out -- I can't get anybody from SF on the damn phone)
We're not that far off from the planned Sept. 2009 opening of the new DART Deep Ellum rail station, you know. In my mind, it can't get here fast enough. But based on an announcement today, it appears that the new station will be much more than a building next to some tracks. DART has given Reel FX Creative Studios and Brad Oldham Inc. $1,365,000 to conceive and install a series of sculptures around the new station.
Oldham is an area sculptor, known partly for his work in restaurants and venues all over the country (including Craft and LFT here). Reel FX, well, that company does just about everything you can think of, from outdoor mural projects, to animation and visual effects for blockbuster movies, to trailers for video games. They even took some time in April to put together our Big Thing trophies (visual aid after jump). That said, we doubt the new sculptures in Deep Ellum will resemble giant disco balls. But you never know!
So, congrats to everyone involved. We can't wait to see the results.
We've got a short but sweet interview with Frankie Campagna, lead singer of Spector 45. The Dallas greaser punk band celebrates its fifth anniversary on Saturday with a show at Club Dada. Click here to see what Frankie had to say about Spector 45's past, present and future.
And while you read, here's a li'l treat from the past:
... and I'm lovin' the first mix of the summer that the WeShotJR folks commissioned for their "We Shot a Mix" series. It was put together by Tommy Boy, who cleverly decided to keep things old-school. The fonk! Get it here.
It appears that this evening's Lost Generation at Fallout Lounge, featuring the offbeat selections of DJ Wanz Dover, will be the last of its kind. Wanz sent a message via MySpace announcing his weekly musical tour of the underground at the Expo Park bar had been dropped from the calendar.
"In true Dallas fashion I am being canned for another hip hop night. I like hip hop, but do we really need another night of it? After tomorrow there will be no place to go have a drink and hear some cutting edge underground toonz," Wanz wrote.
A call to Fallout Lounge to confirm this info wasn't answered (understandable, since it's daytime). Wanz wrote that Lost Generation tonight will be his last, and he plans to go out in style.
"I am starting at 9 p.m. so I can play an extra long setlist. I will be joined by special guests for a special live set at some point during the night."
The fact that Jessica Simpson's new country song leaked online has already made the bloggy rounds for a day or so, but I couldn't not share it with you. Especially since a co-worker tells me that DJs on The Ticket played it yesterday and ripped it throughout.
Me? I automatically compare the new song, called "Come On Over," to her Mariah-wannabe pop swill of days past, so I'm not so bothered by it. ... Until I picture her singing it to Tony Romo. Then I gag.
They've got pool, amateur poker on Saturdays and tango on Tuesdays. And a bottomless mimosa brunch on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pics of the new place after the jump, courtesy of owner Shelley Martinez.
If you've been there, feel free to share what it's like. Seems more like a bar than a cafe to me, but I guess it's hard to shake that feeling when the place was once a nightclub. Judging from the pics, they've done a nice job, though.
You'd think local music would slow down a bit during Memorial Day weekend, but nope. Here's what I caught on Friday and Saturday.
Strawberry Fields' Denton Deluxe showcase (Friday at Rubber Gloves):
I was only able to see the first three acts of this two-night, goodie-filled bill, but they made the drive up 35 worthwhile (as did some succulent lamb from International Food). First-band-on-the-bill RTB2 (above) blew me away, as it is wont to do. The duo somehow achieves a full-band sound, thanks to Grady Sandlin's slow, deliberate drumming and guitarist/frontman Ryan Thomas Becker's marriage of classic rock and soul. I don't think I've heard a more affecting vocal performance in months. The next two acts were both offshoots of Matthew and the Arrogant Sea. MATAS drummer J. Gray got a full band together to sufficiently rock up his quiet, melancholy folk recordings. Then Caleb Gray (of MATAS) and Gavin Guthrie (of Florene) did their Verulf thing, which featured distorted guitars and vocal ahhhs that sound like they're coming from the bottom of a well. Captivating.
Here, In Arms (Friday at Prophet Bar):
After a weird and wonderful warm-up set from Denton's Ella Minnow (love the dude in the cape) and an issue-filled soundcheck, singer Brent Engel and his three bandmates in Here, In Arms played their part-Springsteen, part-Bright Eyes rock for a warm crowd. Fans of Brent's from when Here, In Arms was just him, a guitar and a laptop sung every word to reworked versions of "Cinema" and "We're All Going to Hell." The new, more balls-out arrangements to Engel's songs allow him to ham it up on stage like a real rock star, which is obviously why he likes the full-band setup better. As he should. See this band live next time it plays.
Here, In Arms, "Weekends and Holidays":
Happy Bullets at Re*Cov*Er Deep Ellum party (Saturday at Prophet Bar):
Not too much to say here. Jason Roberts, Tim Ruble and company played the fun, brassy art-rock from last album Vice & Virtue Ministry, as well as a few new ones that were surprisingly jangly. But I never have a bad time seeing these guys live. They know what they're doin'. The occasion? A celebration of the latest Deep Ellum mural contest, for which I was a judge. Visit fellow judge Cindy Chaffin to see videos from the awards ceremony and the Bullets' performance.
Black Tie Dynasty (Saturday at the Granada):
I went to check out the new music from forthcoming Black Tie CD Down Like Anyone, which the guys recently finished recording in Oak Cliff. The tunes I heard definitely have the same moody, retro-rock feel as the stuff from 2006's Movements, but lead singer Cory Watson is right about them sporting more intricate, unpredictable song structures. The biggest departure was a tune on which PPT's Picnic and Smile Smile's Jencey Hirunrusme helped out with vocals. That was pretty exciting. But the best moment for the impressively large crowd at the Granada? When Black Tie moved seamlessly from one of its first songs ever, "Crime Scene," to its local smash, "Tender." Dallas folks love them some BTD.
If you read today's Quick cover story on I Love Math, the alt-countryish band made up of three Deathray Davies members and the Old 97's drummer, you're no doubt looking to hear those songs we promised to play you.
I Love Math, "Some Bridges are for Burning" (original post):
Deathray Davies, "Safety Goggles and Headphones" (original post):
Got some free time tonight? Go to the Barley House around 7:30 to hear the new I Love Math CD and hang out with John Dufilho. Should be fun. Ain't no cover.
The Party's skating-rink bash didn't start until 11:30 on Saturday, and that combined with the fact that it was in Duncanville had me thinking that maybe I should stay home. (I'd been antique shopping with my mom in the god-awful hot weather all day.) But I'm so glad I powered through.
How many times do you get to skate to bumping 90's music as an adult? And bring your own alcohol in a plastic bag?
The Eats blog had something about this late last week, but I wanted to weigh in because I think it's such a loss. Big D's Dogs, the hot dog shop on Lower Greenville that served up house-made Shiner chili dogs and Thai Chili Lime dogs, closed yesterday.
Gonna have to make this one short -- but it's all about listening to the music anyway. Who am I kidding?
Dallas rock band Here, In Arms headlines the Prophet Bar tonight, and frontman Brent Engel (above) was nice enough to let us stream a song from the band's forthcoming album. Methinks you'll like Brent's devil-may-care vocal stylings...
Here, In Arms, "Weekends and Holidays":
I'm gonna be at the Here, In Arms set tonight after heading back from Denton, where I'll be checkin' out the first half of the first night of the Strawberry Fields Denton Deluxe showcase. (That was a mouthful.) Acts playing at tonight's Rubber Gloves show include RTB2, J. Gray, Verulf, Fight Bite and Nouns Group. Tomorrow the fun continues with a showcase featuring Delphi, Zanzibar Snails, Eat Avery's Bones, Kaboom! and more.
J. Gray, "My Guitar Plays One Thousand Songs":
Tomorrow night I'll be back at Prophet Bar for the Re*Cov*Er Deep Ellum celebration. Happy Bullets are playin'. And then it's on to the Granada to hear all the songs from Black Tie Dynasty's forthcoming album (see post below).
OK, so it's been open since late last year, but I hadn't been to the reopened Lakewood Tavern since, so I decided to check it out last night. It's in the space next to Matt's Rancho Martinez, where the new owner, Steve, used to work. We were the only ones there, which led Steve to close early, but he said they get a good crowd on weekend nights.
It looks very similar to the old Lakewood Tavern, but one difference is that it's a nonsmoking bar. Steve said they would have had to put in a new, pricey air filtration system, so it just wasn't cost effective to allow smoking. He said anyone who's wanted to smoke there has had no problem with chilling outside on a bench. I think eventually this could be the case for all Dallas bars, like New York, so the Tavern might be doing people a favor by getting us used to it!
Oh, you thought Hot and Fresh Week was over? Silly you. From today's Liner Notes:
We'll be debuting a clip of a song from local nu-wave band Black Tie Dynasty that will be on forthcoming album Down Like Anyone. The 10-song follow-up to 2006's Movements was recently recorded during a two-week session with producer John Congleton at his Oak Cliff studio. Black Tie lead singer Cory Watson says the group will play the new album in its entirety on Saturday at the Granada, despite the fact that the album may not hit stores until fall. "We spent a lot more time on this one than we did Movements, and are very excited about the new stuff," Watson told us in a phone chat. "We've got strings all over the record, trumpets, even a dulcimer. And very different song structures this time around."
Watson told me the track you'll hear a snippet of, "100x," is "the most straightforward song we did for the new album."
Have any of you heard about this place? I was at Cosmo's last night, and got to chatting with a friendly young woman about pool patios. She asked me: "Do you know the faux?" Or maybe it was "fo."
I said: "The faux?"
She said yeah, it's this place in East Dallas that's like a country club with a pool, only the drinks are really cheap and no one cares what you look like. (I love this idea. The pool deck in my apartment building intimidates me. And also... cheap drinks?)
I asked her what the exact name of it was, but she didn't know. She said it was something like Fellowship of the Eagles. But everyone calls it "The Fo." Or Faux. (Aaagh, whatever.) I've tried Googling that, but can't come up with anything.
UPDATE: It's the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, or "Foe." They have a page on Pegasus and everything. Apparently it's a charity group that raises money for heart disease and cancer, and they also pushed for the founding of Mother's Day. (The nationwide order did back in the day, not this specific chapter.)
If you're been to the pool -- or you know of any other hidden ones out there -- feel free to share a story.
Random thought regarding my Q&A with Forever the Sickest Kids' lead singer that ran in today's paper: I'm thankful we didn't use "The Kids are Alright" as the headline. That expression is so played out.
And here's something not so random: Lead singer Jonathan Cook's thoughts on his favorite three songs from FTSK's power-popalicious debut album Underdog Alma Mater.
"Whoa Oh! (Me Vs. Everyone)" -- "It's a song we wrote together and has a lot of meaning, so we're excited it was chosen as first single."
"Hey Brittany" -- "It'll always be special because it was the song that got us the attention and notoriety that we have."
"She's a Lady" -- "Another one worked hard on by all six of us, but it has a clear message, in that it's about our respect for the females."
Forever the Sickest Kids, "Hey Brittany":
Forever the Sickest Kids plays a sold-out show Saturday at House of Blues.
A few years ago when I lived in Denton (I'm so cool) I wouldn't let a week go by without a trip to Recycled Books.
I'd spend at least an hour digging for used vinyl. I'd walk around with 5 worn paperbacks in my hands, trying to figure out which ones to put back because there was no way I would ever read all of them. I'd go through the alphebetized VHS tapes, finding countless classics for $3 each and, in turn, avoiding an unpleasant trip to Blockbuster. And I'd peruse the local-music shelf, silently judging the bands by their CD covers.
The store, on the Square at the corner of Oak and Locust, is still my first stop every time I go to Little D. It's just my kind of place. And thank Jeebus it hasn't gone the way of the dinosaur like so many other mom-and-pop places. In fact, the staff is celebrating its 25th anniversary this weekend. Look for big discounts from Friday through Monday, and on Saturday from 11 to 5 there'll be "goodies, prizes and drawings," according to the flyer I picked up there on Sunday.
So plan to go this weekend, especially if you've never been before. The store has expanded its local-music area from one shelf to three, and the section has prime real-estate right up front. Don't just judge the covers, by the way. Ask somebody what's good.
I'll gladly accept any and all ruminations on Recycled in the comments field.
Leave it to the boys in Red Monroe to do something a little different with their Gordon Keith Show appearance. For a performance of brand new song "Pat Mayse Lake," the members wore karate uniforms and invited some musician friends (I see peeps from Smile Smile and Happy Bullets in there) to contribute background vocals, chops and kicks. You just have to see for yourself.
Stopped by the dive/dance bar on Saturday, because we're doing a short segment on the place for Young Street. The velvet rope was still there. Got to speak with GM Shane, who told me about some more changes happening there. News after the jump.
It sucks to fill up your gas tank these days, but at least you can stop at a classy bar and have a cheap drink. (And, on Wednesdays, free food!) Here are some new specials at the Library Bar, inside the Warwick Melrose Hotel.
Tuesdays: Jazz and $6 classic cocktails from 4 p.m. to midnight. Or you can get a regular mixed drink such as gin and tonic, or rum and Coke.
Wednesdays: Complimentary five-spice calamari from 4 to 7 p.m., and $5 house cocktails
Thursdays: The World's Best Cosmo for $7. (I haven't tried it, but with SATC around the corner, I'm eager to try.)
I Love Math is an alt-country band that started as John Dufilho's side project to the Deathray Davies. But the simple, slightly twangy tunes have won the band its own loyal fanbase -- one that should be pretty excited on May 27 when new CD Getting to the Point is Beside It comes out.
The current lineup consists of Dufilho, his DRD bandmates Jason Garner and Andy Lester and the Old 97's drummer Philip Peeples. They don't have an in-town CD release show planned, because they'll be getting ready to hit the road as the opener on the 97's U.S. tour.
I'll have a lot more on the new album from Dufilho in coming weeks, but right now I just have a track to tease ya. It's the CD's opener.
One of the new Dallas bands I'm lovin' lately is Menkena, a slow-burn shoegaze group made up of singer Jimmy Menkena, Mike Simmons (Tweed), Nolan Thies (Little Black Dress) and Brent Elrod (Sedan).
I saw one of the band's first shows a few weeks ago at Double Wide, and I left longing for a recording of the entire thing to listen to both early in the morning and late at night. It's that kind of music -- the kind that you want to put on during moments of ... reflection.
I just got off the phone with Menkena, 33, who talked to me about everything from his childhood Beatles obsession ("I literally thought they were the only band in the world when I was little.") to what inspires his dreamy lyrics ("I'm just sick of hearing songs about girls"). There's not time to cover all that right now, but it'll come.
The singer moved to Dallas a couple of years ago from Brooklyn, where he'd lived for more than a decade and played punk rock with the band INDK.
"When I came here, I had all these acoustic songs written, and wanted to put out a solo, Nick Drake-type album," the 33-year-old singer said (with his mild Brooklyn accent). "But I also had all these shoegaze-y, noise ideas that kept coming to me, and then they sort of found their way into that material."
"And once Mike heard the stuff, he had an idea to put together a full band, and I went with it."
So now the guys are starting to rework some of Jimmy's material and record new stuff at Toby Pipes' local studio. They're working on a single to put out first, and then they'll move on to a full-length album.
The song you're about to hear is one of the recordings Jimmy had done before his band came along. He actually recorded it in Brooklyn, and the rain and train sounds come from field recordings made outside a friend's apartment.
"'Feelin the Wait' is sort of a self-realization song. Writing songs takes me such a long time, and this one is about realizing that the waiting has to end. It's like, this is it," Menkena said. "This song actually helped get the ball rolling and put me in the right headspace for the project we're doing now. I'm 33 years old, I've been doing music since I was 13, but now the fire is burning hotter than ever."
Menkena, "Feelin the Wait":
Menkena's next show is June 13 at All Good Cafe. The combination of shoegaze and chicken-fried steak excites me to no end.
It's 80s Prom Night at Lotus, with 80s drink prices from 8 to 11. If you're looking for a dress, Mei Mei's Fashionette in the West Village had the cutest pretty-in-pink number in the window yesterday.
DeMarkus Lewis, who I hear has moved to London, comes back to his ol' hometown for a show at Minc.
The Loft's got the Reverb Party (from the folks who brought you Brown Sugar), with Geno Young, Jay Clipp and Danjah One. Doors at 9 p.m.
There's a 24-hour Guitar Hero marathon at the Blockbuster on Lemmon and McKinney. Starts at 2:30 today, kicked off my none other than Dallas mayor Tom Leppert.
In case ya didn't know, former Little Grizzly frontman George Neal is writin' and singin' with a new band, the Slow Burners. They've been playing around Denton a little, and I was lucky enough to catch a blistering set a couple of months back in J&Js' basement. The group -- consisting of Neal, Grady Sandlin, Clint Hoyler, Jeff Gruber and Ryan Thomas Becker -- has a love for experimentin', and tries to make each new song different than the others in style and influence.
"This band is a culmination of things I've been doing all my life," Neal said today in a phone chat. "I've been in an Irish folk band, a punk band, country bands, even a ska band. This is my chance to throw it all together."
"It's a fun, explorative process."
The track you're gonna hear, "Returning to the Air," will be on the band's forthcoming full-length CD, but is also the title track of a teaser EP released last week. You can get that on the band's Myspace and at Recycled in Denton.
Of "Returning," Neal says, "It's a strong song, and a good representation of what the band does. It's a calling card for what's to come on the album, and we're all really, sort of intensely proud of it."
The Slow Burners, "Returning to the Air":
The Burners' next confirmed show is June 20 at J&Js, but they're trying to nail down a couple of dates before that at Barley House. I shall let you know.
During a sit-down interview with the Ghosthustler guys a few months ago (when Alan Palomo was still with the band), they kept bringing up this new dance act in town, called Roy G and the Biv. And when I went to listen to the duo's tracks, I knew exactly why Ghosthustler loved them so much.
The two acts seemed to share a philosophy about making dance music: It should push the envelope with its production while retaining all the elements of great pop music. In other words, it don't never hurt to make a song radio-friendly. My assumptions about Roy G and the Biv's musical mission were confirmed when I talked to one half of the duo on the phone earlier this week.
"We have a love for really good harmonies. The dance music I like has that, and good chord changes," singer Max Townsley said.
21-year-old Townsley is an English student at UNT. He and Berklee College of Music student Drew Erickson, 23, met when they were in high school (Townsley at Booker T. and Erickson in Colleyville). They've always wanted to start a band together, but got serious about it a year ago when Erickson was home from Boston for spring break.
They now have at least four songs done, and are working toward getting a full-length album ready to release in August.
"We work really fast together," Townsley said. "We both play drums, piano, guitar and bass, so no one is assigned to any specific parts when we're recording."
Three of Roy G's songs, including what I'll play you today, are infectious old-school butt-shakers that feature Townsley taking on the persona of a superfly ladies' man. But that's not exactly who Townsley is in real life, he said.
"I think it's funny. A lot of music we make represents a certain spirit. We're not thuggish at all, but we do take an approach to making art that sometimes calls for a bit of exaggeration when necessary."
Roy G and the Biv, "Think You Might":
Erickson and Townsley don't plan live shows anytime in the future. They're about a year from being done with college, and still need time to work out who will do what on stage: "We did talk about how we'll handle the live thing, and we'll figure that out more when he comes back from Boston," Townsley said.
But you're gonna want to get hip to these guys now, because come album time, they may just be the talk of the town.
Where you've seen him: Well we (the party/ central booking) have our monthly parties, Hands Up (The Loft) and The Party (Zubar), which are both in the Dallas area. Since moving to Austin almost three years ago, I have managed to have some really good residencies. I currently have weekly residencies at Beauty Bar as well as the longest running hip hop night in Austin which is held at Nasty's with my good friend Dj Mel. I also have the monthly residency at Mohawk which is the Austin "The Party".
Genre: This is always a tough question. I can try to be really specific, but I don't really have that much space to explain the whole deal. Basically, anything with soul in it. I try not to play one specific genre generally to keep things fresh and please as many tastes as possible. I have had a strong musical upbringing and have managed to keep a wide radar for all things.
rane ttm 56
technics 1200s
pioneer efx 500
shure sc35c cartridges
serato scratch live
headliner dj bags
Current favorite track: Le Le - Breakfast (prince klassen young pro edit)
Memorable DJ Booth Moment: There was time when a girl came to request something from me at Beauty Bar and her breast managed to take the needle completely off the record that was playing and we then proceeded to have an argument about her breast knocking the needle off the record. She then came back to the booth and proceeded to intentionally hit the needle off the record this time with her hand. I then got her kicked out.
Dream gig: Well it's not really dj related for the most part, but I guess there is some lineage and direction towards it. here goes.
Larry Levan (dj set)
Arthur Russell (live performance)
Daft Punk (dj set)
Yo La Tengo (live performance)
As far as a dream gig for myself, that would require a time machine. I would love to be able to play along side kool herc, jazzy jay, afrika bambaataa or any of the countless other founders in New York roughly around 79-83.
Dallas DJs are.... not really on my radar. I can speak highly of those I know, and speak poorly of those that dont know any better. Vinyl is still in my life, diversity is a must, and bottle service is a joke.
Howzabout a little country to ease you out of your slumber? This track comes from the friendly folks in Eastwood, the Dallas country band that's just finished recording the follow-up album to 2006's Die Tryin'.
Before offering us the chance to stream an almost-final mix of new one "Right Place Wrong Time," member
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