No Fold

Yesterday I incorrectly stated that Sarah Alexander was playing the Dallas Scaregrounds last night, turns out it's tonight. I'll be there for that, then I'll most likely head back to town for one of these:

(quick & dirty, so no links today)

Dan's Silverleaf: Wayne The Train Hancock

Hailey's: 80's dance night (always a good time)

Rubber Gloves: Murder by Death, William Elliot Whitmore, J. Roddy Walston and the Business

Tonight I'll return to the Dallas Scaregrounds for a Sarah Alexander solo set, plus tonight I'll be running the sound board there - as I do from time to time for a little extra cash.
If things are over in time I'll most likely head back to Rubber Gloves for the rest of the BS Art Fusion Show. I believe Florene is the musical act, and this being Halloween week there's supposed to be a costume contest and pumpkin carving. I can't imagine that not ending in a beautiful mess.

Last night I started out with a little of Paul Slavens at his standing Monday night improv gig at Dan's Silverleaf, but then wandered over to Rubber Gloves to catch Magnolia Electric Company.

I realize the photo from my cell phone is a little dark & blurry, but I couldn't think of a better way to represent the vibe coming from a live band that honestly sounds a little light and sometimes even twangy on record. The impression I walked away with wasn't that the instrumentation itself was especially exceptional, it was the mood they created that stuck with me. Frontman Jason Molina is a very unimposing figure to say the least, meek and maybe a little shy - but he has a very powerful voice that seems to find its way out in spite of those qualities. Molina is a wordsmith of a caliber that is rarely seen in the so-called "indie rock" circuit, and it's this poetry that earns the band its reputation.

As for today, who knows? If you know of anything going down tonight feel free to leave me a comment. In the meantime, I'm breaking out the 'ol soldering iron and catching up on some much-needed repair work on some of my own instruments. And I've got an amp-building project that's been on my to-do list for months now, maybe I'll try to make a little headway on that. Better get in all I can, next week it's back to the daily grind.

That's right, TWO made up words in the headline. But don't blame me, I didn't make 'em up. But it means just what it says - I'm taking a week off from work and pretty much spending as much time as possible either checking out bands or doing some music-related thing.
This past Friday I started off at the Dallas Scaregrounds, a haunted house/carnival/rock show hybrid that's been going on every weekend in October for the past few years. I'll be the first to admit I rarely venture outside of Denton for a show, but the entertainment is arranged by one of Denton's Own, Brook Ray. And that pretty much means our little musical family spends a lot of time in haunted houses when October rolls around. The crowds are generally friendly and just like most venues here in Denton the bands can range from terrible to amazing, and they usually do. I'm a fan of not knowing what to expect.

Day two was a busy day. First, the family and I headed down to Ft. Worth for
a little time at the Zoo. You might say "Hey, what's rock and roll about that?".
Two words, my friend: Drumming. Monkeys.
Afterwards we ended up downtown for a bite, and there was a huge country music concert on Sundance Square. We didn't stay.

Later that night I headed to Hailey's for Slackbeat, Dust Congress, and Zanzibar Snails.

I had originally gone for Dust Congress, but the surprise of the night was Slackbeat, a treble & gain drenched trio featuring drums, bass, and banjo. Hard rock banjo. You just can't make this stuff up. Once the doors were closed at Hailey's I moved on to House Of Tinnitus
for the last bit of a show that had taken place there. The band was already done when I got there and the night quickly devolved into a bunch of people half-dancing to records of what sounded like A Tribe Called Quest. Not a bad way to cross a Saturday off the calendar.

So today's day 3. Once I'm done here I'm heading to the edge of town to a friend's house to pick up a guitar. Just about every guitar I get my hands on gets a "custom" treatment in one way another, and he's usually the one that does the wiring. I guess it's the musical equivalent not being able to wear clothes "off the rack". I'm sure that's indicative of some underlying emotional issue or something, but the voices tell me it's nothing to worry about.

After that it's off to a friend's son's first birthday party. He's very rock and roll for a baby. And after that? Question mark. There's plenty going down for a sunday night, I think I'll just leave it to you to find out what. Maybe I'll see you there. Maybe tomorrow I'll blog about what I totally saw you doing after the show.

Or maybe my waning youth will catch up with me and I'll fall asleep on the couch at 8pm.

You never know.

I'm just that unpredictable.

It's October, the weather's cooling off.. should be about time for Rock Lottery 11, no?
No. Word is Denton's version of an all-star game will be moved to spring of '09. We'll just have to wait 'til then, I guess.

Something to look forward to that's coming a little sooner:

Magnolia Electric Company Oct 27th at Rubber Gloves:

So I've had a few fairly busy weeks with both work and my own life/music thing lately. Haven't had much chance to blog, but I've had a few experiences recently that I might share with you in later posts.
So the short of it is that it's October, and that's my favorite time of year in Denton. I never was much for Halloween as a kid, but since I've lived here I've grown to love it. The bands are working up their best cover sets, friends are scrambling for some fairly odd items to include in truly unique costumes, and retail stores are rolling out Christmas items..wait, what? Nevermind.. we'll talk about Christmas when it's closer, how 'bout we get to some rock'n'roll?

Tonight at J&J's on the Square (9pm, Free)

I'd include links, but if you're myspace savvy you can find 'em with little trouble.
Give me a break, would ya? It's my first blog post in forever.

Well, free if you're over 21, $5 if you're not. Either way, not a bad deal at all for such a decent lineup.

Doors open at 5, I suggest getting there early. Bob White and the F-Electrics would be my pick of the night.

Hailey's (122 Mulberry, 5pm, FREE)

DJ young doc gooden
Florene
Pepi Ginsberg
Make Believers
Grassfight
Bob White and the F-Electrics
Sydney Confirm
Kaboom

Hailey's (122 Mulberry, 9pm, $6 under 21, $8 over)

Gazelles
Dignan
Homer Hiccolm and The Rocketboys
Airline

Rubber Gloves (411 E. Sycamore, 10pm, Free)

The BS Art Fusion show

This is a great idea that's destined to make a huge mess, which is my favorite kind of idea. I'm always interested in the thought process involved with creating art, and I'm endlessly entertained by the thought of someone else coming behind the artist and destroying that process with their own.

For more info, here's the BS press release: (no, really.. that's what it would be called, right?)

The BS Art Fusion Show is a collaborative project bringing local area artists together to create spontaneous works of art. This is a multi-artist experience which showcases the abilities of the artists to react to changing surroundings. Art Fusion begins with multiple artists assigned to a respective station. The artists then work within a specified time creating spontaneous ideas on canvas. When the time is up, the artists will then rotate to the next canvas to pick up where the previous artist left off. The end result is a unique multi-dimensional piece of artwork that can never be reproduced. This is the essence of the BS Art Fusion Show.

one might drop by Dan's Silverleaf tonight for Mi Son, Mi Son, Mi Son, a very talented group of folks playing Cuban music out on the patio. Goes good with a mojito.

Not much else going on in town tonight, unless I've missed something.
Feel free to let me know, eh?

So it's no secret that this isn't my regular gig..
sometimes there's just too much going on and not enough time for me to tell you about it.
We're working on that. Look for some new music bloggers coming soon. Can't wait.

In the meantime, there's this interesting (and seemingly amicable) split between Strawberry Fields proper and those involved in both Strawberry Fields and the "Denton Deluxe" compilation discs, and apparently this means the Denton Deluxe folks are delving into all kinds of local art, not just music.
Tonight's the second in a three night run at Rubber Gloves for the Denton Deluxe Players, performing an original play by Chad Withers titled Graveyard Love.
I have no idea what to expect of this, but you can't beat the price and you're guaranteed something well thought out and entertaining.

I'll be splitting my time between these two shows:

At Rubber Gloves (411 E. Sycamore 9pm; $5):

Celebrate Brooks's (Bob White) Wedding with:
Record Hop
Shiny Around the Edges
Bob White and the F-Electrics

I count Bob White among my favorite rock bands, and I'm glad to see them making this rare appearance. Between weddings, babies, and making records this band has been in hiding lately, let's hope we see more of 'em.
Since there's a wedding theme here, formal attire is encouraged. I'll have to dust off the 'ol top hat.

At Dan's Silverleaf (103 Industrial 9pm; $10):

Blue Mountain
The Drams

The Drams are fronted by Brent Best (ex Slobberbone). Ask him about his mad go-kart skills.

Dan's Silverleaf (103 Industrial, $7, 10pm)

The Backsliders
RTB2
The Make Believers

J&J's on the square (FREE, usually starts around 8 or 9)
Too lazy to type more links, luckily Fishboy always comes through w/the nifty flyers:

So tonight I'm loading up in a car with some friends and heading to the Observer Music Awards. I don't venture out to Dallas much. Not that there's anything wrong with the Dallas music scene (though I could go on and on about parking.. maybe I'm getting old), I'm just comfortable in my "little d" world. We'll see how the night goes, maybe I'll venture out more often.

If you're staying here at home, I'd suggest this show (lifted from the RGRS site, html code and all.. Hey, it's a 5 o'clock post):

Rubber Gloves (411 E. Sycamore 8pm, $7)
Harvey Milk

Yells At Eels

Zanzibar Snails

So the first thing I would like to mention is the kick-off of the "Rolling Prarie Dog Tour", a gang of musicians based in Denton that are loading up on a big yellow school bus named Molly and heading all over the southwest during the hottest part of the year at the peak of gas prices. You've just got to REALLY want to go out on tour to deal with all of that.

They kick it off tonight at J&J's on the square. Here's a poster (created by Gigi Foster) with more details:

Other than that, I can't tell you much.
I know you should check out Bridges & Blinking Lights, opening up the show at Hailey's tonight - followed by Denton-turned-Austin band Faceless Werewolves. The Werewolves aren't really my thing, but I don't always like the best bands so don't take my word for it. (Insert Reading Rainbow joke here)

Just down the street a new contender appears - Andy's Bar has always been around, I just haven't always been too interested in the bands they were booking. Things have been looking up for the Andy's calendar lately. I don't know much about San Antonio's Dovelovers, but there's something about their sound that draws me in.
They've got the whole Desert Rock (read: Queens Of The Stone Age) sound down, though I'm not sure the vocals fit the style. That may just be an issue with the recorded version, I'd like to see what he does live. They also seem to shift gears from the stoner rock to the more laid-back Radiohead-esque ambient sound, reminds me of some of the late 90's Jade Tree bands like One Line Drawing (or various other Jonah Matranga bands. - you should look him up).

That's all I have for now.
Go do something. You're online WAY too much.

(but not completely)

Rumor has it Cool Beans has been booking some decent shows lately, so for the first time in a while I'll be venturing west of Carroll for tonight's show:

Singer/Songwriter night, w:
Chris Flemmons (Baptist Generals)
Dan Dockril (Zest of Yore)

Chris is a great songwriter, expect to hear his solo versions of Baptist Generals tunes, plus a few they rarely play live as a band.
Dan promises all new material played by his yet-to-be-named trio. I have very high expectations based on the quality of his songwriting so far.

Show starts around 10 (on the Cool Beans Roof), no cover charge.

Earlier today Josh Baish, owner of Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios announced a new policy concerning cover charge:

If you're going to just go in to drink at the bar, there's no cover.. you'll only pay cover if you want to go into the next room, where the bands are actually playing. (with the exception of larger shows, where the crowd will most likely be too large for just the show room).

I'm not sure where I stand on it, but I like that they're thinking about new ways to serve their patrons. And it's always nice to be able to just pop in to say hello to friends w/out having to pay a cover for a band you're not particularly interested in, so there's that.

Oh, and in similar news, Strawberry Fields - denton's own independent music/movie store - has officially opened in their new location, the Rubber Gloves building at 411 E. Sycamore. It's a big week just east of Bell Ave., methinks.

Tonight would be a good night to check it all out - in lieu of a band RGRS will be featuring "Rock Band", a chance for patrons to rock out w/the popular video game.
And tonight - no cover at all.

Both Steve Fromholz and Kinky Friedman make up a night of nothing short of Texas legend on a stage that is quickly gaining the same status.
The show starts at 8pm tonight, tickets are $40. A little steep for my blood, but a small price to pay for what you're sure to see & hear tonight.

There has been a lot of talk of touring lately, there usually is this time of year..
but what's different this time is that most of the talk is of canceling or postponing tours, or worse - ways to raise the thousands of dollars it would take just to pay for the gas.

I'm in the midst of planning a tour myself, so maybe I'm just painfully more aware of it right now, but recent discussions with my peers have left me believing there's just no way around it.

To a community of musicians that has advocated bicycling, carpooling, and shorter commutes to the day-job for environmental (and health reasons) the actual price of gas is normally a secondary factor at best.

I'm planning to follow a couple of tours this summer, just because this sort of thing interests me. I'll probably even share it with you, even if you're not interested in it. I mean hey, at least I'm writing again, right?

Our brethren at Quick have posted a link to footage shot for WFAA's Gordon Keith show of Record Hop doing what they do best - rocking out in an awkward environment.

Click here for the video.

I say WFAA should dump the talk show format all together & just fill those nifty Victory Park studios with rock bands.

deep Snapper
Into the Ugly
recorded January 2008 at The Echo Lab with Matt Barnhart
Mastered by David Willingham

Floating through the week on Tuesday's high, I can't help but relate the characteristics of everything I like to those of a certain presumptive Democratic nominee. My family physician, with her lanky hands and calm, listening eyes, gave me an update on her two young children -- one is a boy -- and I thought of the smiling Obama sisters. Choice sandwiches-on-the-run have tasted classic but fresh, hearty with straightforward whole wheat and hopeful, crisp spinach.

Though it'd be less of a stretch to introduce deep Snapper on such terms, I'll spare you. It's no good to assume the members' political leanings, and We Shot JR already called the band's style "sophisticated."

Into the Ugly is the second release proper by a few persistent dudes who use their supple brains to raise fists. I'll admit it up front: I'm partial to jazz-informed cerebral rock; I rolled down the windows and pumped the quotable, blistering sermons of Red Animal War's Black Phantom Crusades as a mode of social evangelism in the gated neighborhoods of my youth.
Deep Snapper's latest is not quite as face-melting as the aforementioned album, but its as thoughtful and more palatable. "Splitting the Differents (Sic)" represents Into the Ugly's overall cleverness. It's catchy, with dissonant punches in just the right spots and a sunny reference to west-coast punk.
Throughout, grown-up rants about "urban sprawl" with "competing dry cleaners across from each other" make this an album of record by musician dad-types turned scene regulars turned band to watch. Mixing courtesy of Tre Orsi's Matthew Barnhart treats deep Snapper as the articulate rhythm section and guitar machine that it is, and an introduction to Dallas jazzman Dave Willingham's work is just another of this record's gifts.
Luckily. dS plays out often. Check here for an old-fashioned Web site calendar; no June Denton dates are up yet. And yeah, don't forget this.