No Fold

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.

Not that I ever was. But hey, I didn't see you put a quarter in your disk drive. You're getting more than you paid for...
So for the past two weeks I've been immersed in the other side of music, the actual making of it. My newest band has been in the studio off & on the last couple of weeks, and that's been a great experience.. another band or two has kept me rehearsing and playing shows, which is the main reason I ended up in this town. So forgive me if I don't get the updates posted all the time.. it's easy to forget about writing about music when you're out playing it.

In the meantime, I have NO idea what tonight's show at Rubber Gloves is all about, but just look at this flier. LOOK AT IT. There's some cows... that's pretty awesome.

(poster by Nevada Hill)

Tonight's lineup (Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore, $5 over $7 under, doors at 9)

Strawberry Fields presents Denton Deluxe 1 with:
Nouns Group, Fight Bite,
J. Gray, Florene,
Verulf, Violent Squid,
Peach Street Gang, RTB2

Saturday Night's lineup (may start earlier than 9, I'm assuming same cover)

Strawberry Fields presents Denton Deluxe 2 with:
Kaboom!, Street Hassle,
Deep Snapper, Eat Avery's Bones,
Delphi, Zanzibar Snails,
The International

Not a lot else going on that I'm aware of tonight, unless you really like the Allman Brothers, then you can check out the Allmost Brothers - a pretty adept Allman Brothers cover band. Allthough I don't normally condone cover bands outside of the Halloween season, mind you.

...in an undisclosed location the musicians of denton (and friends) will gather for the ultimate battle. We're not talking "battle of the bands". Think of it more as a backyard version of "Iron Chef". The secret ingredient? Chili.

Kurt Cobain once joked that the Seattle music scene formed from "dinner clubs", they would gather to make a meal and playing music was just something for them to do while they waited for the food to cook.
It seems like Denton has it's own little Texas-style version of that.

I'll be wandering around tasting the chili for most of the day.
Sometimes I really love living in this town.

Haven't had much time to post lately, I've been making a little music of my own these days. I've been recording with some friends, I may work up a little something about the experience once it's done, who knows.

In the meantime, check out the new digs for our little music blog...
I'm a little lost in the new posting process, but we'll work it out.

New stuff coming this week. Stay tuned.

Well, The New York Times has a Sunday travel piece on Denton's music community and the hotspots thereof. Got a few beefs with some extravagance in the writing, but it is good (or, uh, interesting) to see the exposure too.

Comment with your favorite parts. I like the tidbit about the sleepy highway dotted with peanut farms leading into town.

I have no idea what's going on here, but I know it's happening at Rubber Gloves starting at 9pm and if it has the likes of Strawberry Fields, Qurencia, Oh Dear! Buttons and Weshotjr.com involved I'm all for it.
Avoid the cover by dusting off that bike you never ride.

This is third-hand knowledge, but the same info is being passed around by the guys at Gutterth & We Shot Jr.

Apparently due to the development going on around that end of Oak the building they're currently in will no longer be available after the end of the month.
The store will re-locate to the former office space of Rubber Gloves (411 E. Sycamore), but this means the end of DIY shows for the guys at Strawberry Fields (once they've actually moved, I would expect a blowout show or two before they leave their current location.)

It's the kind of thing you really hate to see, but from my own experiences in hosting DIY shows I've learned this sort of thing goes in cycles. The Argo was at the top of the pack and then completely gone in a year's time. The mighty Rubber Gloves was once an abandoned office for a concrete plant, the first shows were held in a room full of unused electrical boxes w/little more than a floor & a microphone. And though they moved on to be a full bar with rehearsal spaces and an international reputation in the touring scene they could have just as easily ended up with a new face and a new name in Dallas, just like Art Prostitute/Public Trust. Secret Headquarters fought the good fight for a couple of years only to end up as a pile of paperwork and broken mic stands in my own garage.
So here's to hoping the guys at Strawberry Fields make a go of their new location, I have nothing but respect for them for turning a bad situation into a new chapter.
And the new spot for an ill-fated and well meaning storefront DIY venue?
Anybody's guess.
Maybe it's your turn. I suggest finding a place within walking distance from the square, and don't forget to get all the right permits.
Once you're to that point give me a call, I'm in.

Rubber Gloves
Fri May 2 (Doors open at 9pm; $6)

Record Hop
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
Nouns Group
The Brewers

Record Hop has been riding a well-deserved wave of attention since the release of their latest self-titled album, but the real story here is the wall-to-wall lineup of awesome.
Without falling into the trap of comparing a two-piece band to a more famous two-piece band (but here I go anyway) The Brewers are about as close as it comes to Local H, one of my all time favorites. Not only that, but they sound like Local H steeped in a little early nineties Seattle grunge, which only makes it better.
Nouns Group is a quartet of pure bass, drums, anger, and screeching treble that hardly gets the attention they deserve. 10 years from now they'll be listed among the influences of the best of the underground rock scene.
Then take Nouns Group, clone them, then set the two halves against each other just to watch the carnage and you pretty much have When The Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth.
I don't know much about their lineup, but something tells me they share the same tangled roots as Nouns Group and Daniel Francis Doyle.

There's other stuff going on tonight, too.. just gathering details now.

UPDATE: apparently The Brewers can't make it tonight.
I'd be bummed, but I can't make it either. So I would have missed them either way.

The pick for tonight is Mariachi Inolvidable, rounding out a pretty big lineup for J&J's on a Thursday night. This show was put together by David Virden (aka Admiral David V.), who just woke up one day and decided he's going to start booking awesome shows all over town with a weird mix of bands. Most of these shows have happened on a night that coincides with a particular lunar event (new moon, pink moon, etc...), but some are put together in observation of a national "day", like Earth Day or International Workers Day (as is the case today). The show is usually free, but donations are collected for a related charity.
Another notable in this lineup is Mauve X, featuring Mauve Oed, originally one half of a then-duo act with Corn Mo.

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Andy's
Mount Righteous Talent Show hosted by Joey Kendall.
There's something a little hipster-ironic about Grapevine's Mount Righteous, but if you've seen them live you can't deny they're a lot of fun. I can't imagine what a talent show hosted by a band would be like, but good for Andy's for hosting what is most likely a not-very-normal show. The website didn't list a cost, but you can contact Andy's Bar at the link above if you would like to find out more.

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Rubber Gloves
Thu May 1 (Doors open at 9pm; $6)

Gazelles
Western Civilization
Broadcast Sea
Western Legend

I haven't really made up my mind about Gazelles yet. This is one of those cases where a band is really talented but I'm just not particularly interested in them for a live setting. I could see them as a soundtrack to an indie movie that's a little less trendy than Garden State but maybe a little less cool than Waiting. I'm not even sure what that means.
Regardless it would hardly be fair for me to not mention them just because I prefer to see live shows that have more sweat than sweaters.. they're a good band, and who am I to tell you what you should enjoy?

...at Recycled Books.

1) Record Hop - Record Hop
Stumptone - Gravity Suddenly Released LP (& CD)

2) Brave Combo - Kick Ass Polkas
Midlake - Bamnan and Silvercork
Oso Closo - Rest
Record Hop - Pareidolia
Shearwater - Theives
Snarky Puppy - World is Getting Smaller
Teenage Cool Kids - Remember Me 7"

Just in this week:

Delmore Pilcrow - Worn to the Weft
The Orange - "Lalaland"
Mistress/Calavera split cassette

Good to see Record Hop is still up there at the top. I also recommend the Stumptone album.
You can pick up most local CDs at Recycled Books (on the square) or Strawberry Fields (at Oak & Bonnie Brae).

sans friday night, since I'm just now getting a chance to post this...

There are other things going on this weekend as well, so I'll have more for you tomorrow. Be sure to check the DRC's main page for any festival updates.

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Saturday, April 26

Jazz Stage

10 a.m. — Ron Jones Quartet

11:30 a.m. — James Gabriano

1 p.m. — UNT Faculty Jazz Ensemble

2:30 p.m. — Ross Penderson Group

4 p.m. — John Adams Group

5:30 p.m. — Tribute to Marchel Ivery, with Eric Scortia, Clint Strong and Shelly Carrol

7 p.m. — Annagrey

9 p.m. — Delbert McClinton

Festival Stage

10 a.m. — Crownover/McMath Jazz Fiddlers

11 a.m. — Lifeline Church Band

11:45 a.m. — Ryan High School Strutters

Noon — Dallas Tap Dazzlers

12:30 p.m. — Denton Celtic Dancers

1 p.m. — Music Theatre of Denton

1:30 p.m. — Denton Ballet Academy

1:45 p.m. — Syncopated Ladies

2:15 p.m. — Calhoun Middle School Jazz Band

2:45 p.m. — Denton Dance Conservatory

3:45 p.m. — Denton City Contemporary Ballet and Denton Youth City Ballet

4:15 p.m. — Leil Nahar Mid-Eastern Dance Troupe

4:45 p.m. — Dance Fusion

5:30 p.m. — Denton Community Theatre’s Denton Theatre School

6 p.m. — UNT African Percussion Ensemble

7 p.m. — Laura Lynn and Friends

8 p.m. — Frontier Drum and Bugle Corps

8:30 p.m. — Frisco Pioneer Heritage Middle School Jazz Band

Celebration Stage

9:50 a.m. — Denton Community Band Jazz Ensemble

10:50 a.m. — UNT Jazz Singers

Noon — UNT L5 Guitar Ensemble

1 p.m. — UNT Zebras

2 p.m. — UNT Jazz Repertory Ensemble

3 p.m. — UNT Three O’clock Lab Band

4 p.m. — UNT Two O’clock Lab Band

5 p.m. — UNT Latin Jazz Ensemble

6 p.m. — UNT U-Tubes

7 p.m. — Ryan High School Jazz Band

8 p.m. — PS150 Christian rock band

Roving River Stage

10 a.m. — Sweet Harmony

11 a.m. — Dean Strickland

Noon — Doc’s Dixieland

1 p.m. — Lico Reyes

2 p.m. — Rhythm Tribe

3 p.m. — Winston Triolo

4 p.m. — Eric Bailey

5 p.m. — Joe Tucker

6 p.m. — Rebecca Hendricks

7:30 p.m. — Dave Zoller and Genie Grant

Center Stage

9:30 a.m. — Ryan Elementary World Wranglers

10 a.m. — Evers Park Elementary Choir & Chimes

10:45 a.m. — Strickland Middle School choirs

11:45 a.m. — Handbells at Strickland

12:15 p.m. — Houston Elementary Singers Choir

12:45 p.m. — Accordion Fusion

1:30 p.m. — Wilson Elementary All-Star Choir

2 p.m. — Ginnings Elementary choirs

2:30 p.m. — Denton Bell Band

3:15 p.m. — Denton Childbloom Guitar Ensemble

4 p.m. — Pecan Creek Elementary Bear Tones

4:30 p.m. — The Music Academy

5:30 p.m. — McNair Elementary Commander Choir

6:30 p.m. — J’anelle Avery

7:30 p.m. — TWU Signing Connection

8 p.m. — Hawk Elementary Maverick Ringers

Courtyard Stage

10:30 a.m. — Tenacious Root

Noon — Racina

1:30 p.m. — Yancey Stevens and the City Slickers

3 p.m. — Canta Rhythm & Brass

4:30 p.m. — Up All Night Blues Band

6 p.m. — Bonnie & Nick Norris

7:30 p.m. — Pops Carter & the Funk monsters

Sunday, April 27

Jazz Stage

10 a.m. — Jim Shannon Quartet

11:30 a.m. — Steve Story Quartet

1 p.m. — Wayne Delano

2:30 p.m. — Cindy Horstman and Mike Medina

4 p.m. — Tom Braxton

5:30 p.m. — Fingerprints

7 p.m. — Brave Combo

Festival Stage

11:15 a.m. — Charis Music Studio

Noon — Conte de Loyo Flamenco Theatre

12:30 p.m. — Dianne Cole Johnson School of Dance

1 p.m. — Mariachi Aguilas

2 p.m. — Isis and the Star Dancers

3 p.m. — Green Space Dancers

4 p.m. — TWU International Dance Company

4:45 p.m. — Outstanding Balance Dance Company with Jay Contrino Quartet

5:30 p.m. — Krum High School Jazz Band

6:30 p.m. — Nike Odunaiya

6:45 p.m. — Ponder Junior High Cheerleaders

Celebration Stage

11:20 a.m. — Joel Reese, children’s program

11:40 a.m. — Kinfolk

12:20 p.m. — Joel Reese, children’s program

12:40 p.m. — Dennis Scott, children’s program

1 p.m. — Twisted Dixie

1:40 p.m. — Joel Reese, children’s program

2 p.m. — Andrew Tinker Band

2:40 p.m. — Joel Reese, children’s program

3 p.m. — Burton Tyler Live

4 p.m. — 3 Strands

4:40 p.m. — Dennis Scott, children’s program

5 p.m. — Northpointe

5:40 p.m. — Miss Polly and Her Tiny Big Band

Roving River Stage

11 a.m. — Chisholm Trail Cowboys

Noon — Razzmajazz

1 p.m. — Michael Harrison

2 p.m. — Drums du Jour

3 p.m. — Charlie Lee

4 p.m. — Linda Atwell and Mike Garvey

5 p.m. — Joe Pat Hennen

6:30 p.m. — Chris Watson Band

Center Stage

Noon — Sweet Harmony

1 p.m. — Mister Joe & Friends

1:45 p.m. — Denton State School Drum Band

2:15 p.m. — Argyle Hilltop Elementary Soaring Singers

2:45 p.m. — Young at Heart

3:45 p.m. — Strictly Dixie

4:45 p.m. — Three 4 Jazz

Courtyard Stage

10:30 a.m. — Gary Granger Trio

Noon — Panhandlers Steel Drum Trio

1:30 p.m. — Big Chill Second Generation

3 p.m. — Little Jack Melody & His Young Turks

4:30 p.m. — Naked Lunch

6 p.m. — Brian “The Beerman” Houser

Last night we hit Rubber Gloves. The big hit of the night was the opening of Record Hop's set, where a video (provided by Martin Iles) projected behind the band showed a drum set in a field being shot to pieces by a machine gun, which bled into the first song for Record Hop & set the tone for the rest of the set. It's been a while since I've seen a crowd that large and that excited facing down a hometown rock band. A night like that does my heart good.

Tonight I'll most likely split my time between the show I'm playing and Dan's Silverleaf, hopefully scoring a little BBQ while I'm over there.

Check the post below for everything going on tonight.