Dallas Music Blog

​Alright: Another weekend! No sense in beating around the bush. Let's just jump right in and check out the show-going options on the DFW plate for the next couple of days. First, as always, the shows we've already plenty hyped up.

Tonight at The Green Elephant, various hip-hop and DJ acts will grace the venue's two stages--but the real highlight, surely, is a DJ set from UK-based dubstep tastemaker Mary Anne Hobbs, who's stopping through Dallas as just one of four stops on her US tour. Also tonight: Minnesota-based hip-hop duo Eyedea & Abilities will take the stage at Hailey's in Denton, and PVC Street Gang, TV Torso, New Fumes and Cocky Americans will rock The Project House.

Tomorrow night sees quite the party at the Palladium for the annual Meltdown event, this one featuring Kid Sister, A-Trak, David Guetta, Kill The Noise and others. Also going on: Dax Riggs plays The Cavern; The Slow Burners release its new disc at City Tavern; and Analog Rebellion performs a MADD benefit at The Door Plano.

As for Sunday? Well, we'll get to that when we list the rest of the weekend's noteworthy shows after the jump. Join us, won't you?

It was back in early September when we first posted the above unofficial video for Dallas-based electronic outfit Ishi's "Pastel Lights," set to the '80s not-quite-classic movie Solarbabies, and called the song "the best darn thing the band's released yet." And I still wholeheartedly stand by that claim--which explains my constant pleading with the band to allow us to post the track as a bonus mp3 download for DC9 readers since we first heard it.

The song--an undeniably catchy affair--seems to stand as a blatant change-in-direction moment for the once-mostly folktronica-based band; these days, Ishi's going all out on the electro-dance front. But, more than that, the band's seriously upped its live show ante, adding a little more swagger and whole a lot more confidence to its stage presense.

In turn, area audiences have responded in kind, showing up in major numbers to support the band's live performances of late--and packing out the house at Trees were the band performed last night as part of KDGE-102.1 FM The Edge's weekly all-local showcase, hosted by Mark Schectman of the station's The Local Show.

Indeed: This is a local outfit well worth watching in this post-MGMT universe, friends. And, as alluded to earlier in this post, click through the jump, where the band's been kind enough to succumb to our demands and offer up the song "Pastel Lights" as a free download.

​Not sure how we missed this when it was published back in October, but allow us to point you in the direction of a pretty fascinating blog post by the FADER--one which explores the backstory behind the moderate local D-Town Boogie track "Mr. Hit Dat Hoe."

Among the fun facts to be gleaned about Treal Lee and Prince Rick's hit in the write-up:

• According to Play-N-Skillz, here in Dallas, we used the word "hoe" can be used to describe pretty much anything: a girl, a party, a song. Go figure, right?
  
• "Mr. Hit Dat Hoe" is actually neither Treal Lee nor Prince Rick, but an impressive Dallas dancer named Kendrick "Mr. Hit Dat Hoe" Wilson. Wilson earned his nickname while busting out impressive moves on the dance floor--moves so impressive, his nickname became the inspiration for the whole song.

Seriously, kinda fascinating sociological stuff here--if, y'know, you look at it without the obvious connotations that come with something that seems to reference domestic abuse and the like. Anyway, the FADER's got the track up as a free download if you're interested in getting it. And, if you're not? Well, we'll post just the stream here after the jump, so you can hear the song first-hand...

Dianelly

Analog Rebellion's Daniel Hunter

​We've spent plenty of time in recent weeks sharing our excitement for the artist formerly known as PlayRadioPlay!'s new disc under the Analog Rebellion moniker. And, every time we hear a new leak from Aledo native Daniel Hunter's new upcoming disc, Ancient Electrons, our anticipation of the album's release only grows. Take, for instance, the newest song to leak from Hunter: "Marla Singer Doesn't Take Standardized Tests (Disposable Smile)."

Earlier this week, the song made its debut as a stream-only trake on AbsolutePunk.net. We dug it so much, we reached out to Hunter to see if he'd be willing to let DC9 readers check it out. Thankfully for all of us, he obliged. Check out the song--and download it for free--after the jump.

Dorrough's getting brian-freeze.

​You'd think that, in most instances, after scoring a major, nationwide hit with a song called "Ice Cream Paint Job," a rapper might consider avoiding the subject of frozen treats for a little while.

But oh how presumptuous of you that would be...

This past week, Dorrough's collaborator, the FADER-appreoved Fat B, released via his Twitter account a free download of a bonus track off Dorrough's debut full-length Dorrough Music. And the song he leaked? It's called, get this, "Caramel Sundae."

Rather than the breakthrough hit's automobile-focused subject matter, this time instead finds the rappers discussing the fact that "they like all flavors" of "ice cream," which, between you and me, I'm pretty sure is a euphemism. Like, OK, check this like from Dorrough: "I like the way you scoop / can you drop it on a cone?"

Check out the track--and, sure, go download it--after the jump.

Bustling, ain't it.

​A cursory Wikipedia search tells me that the City of Sherman has at least a little musical history--well more than I was a aware, at least--as the hometowns of Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame saxophone player Buddy Tate and country music icon Buck Owens.

But, the Owens-hosted Hee Haw and his 21 No. 1 Billboard country music hits aside, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a much more successful week of music news in the city's history than the seven days town just experienced.

Last Thursday night, before apparently an at-capacity crowd at the Hollywood House of Blues, Sherman's own Kirby Kelly beat out 4,000 other guitarists in Guitar Center's "King of the Blues" competition, earning him said title and a slew of prizes, not the least of which include $25,000 in cash, a shopping spree and an upcoming feature in Guitar World magazine.

And, while that alone would be a nice little notch in Sherman's belt, there's this, too: On Monday, Sherman-based pop-punk/rock outfit Kid Liberty signed a deal with Trustkill Records, which will release the band's full-length debut in early 2010. A respected label amongst the teen-scenester set, Trustkill's also the current home for acts like Walls of Jericho and the Dallas-based scene favorite Memphis May Fire.

All in all, not a bad week for a town with a population of under 40,000.

​Austin-based solo blues-rock performer Dax Riggs has quite the musical past, having fronted various sludge, metal and indie bands in the '90s and '00s before debuting his own material as a solo artist in 2007. The interesting this is that he manages to incorporate various elements of those past influences into his wide and varied sound now. Basically: This is rock 'n' roll--and in its purest form, in a sense.

Which makes this a nice treat then: Parade of Flesh, which is putting on tomorrow night's show from Riggs at The Cavern, has been kind enough to offer a pair of tickets to the show to one lucky DC9 reader. Want 'em? Be the first to email me right now with the title of Riggs' most recent release, 2008's If This Is Hell, Then I'm Lucky,  in the subject line. Good luck!

Oh, and speaking of Parade of Flesh: Today, in the coveted 5 p.m. drivetime slot--y'know, just when commuters are as far away from an Internet stream of the Indie-verse as possible--Parade of Flesh's John Iskander will be on the Internet-only station for the second installment of his new weekly, half-hour-long show. Fans of PoF's underground booking tastes will do well to take a listen.

Update: Contest is over. Congrats to our winner!

Your daily dose of national music news for Friday, November 20, 2009...

• It doesn't take The Dead Weather long to make records. The band just released its first album and it's already ready to release a new one.
  
• It didn't take Jay Reatard's former band to find gainful employ... they have joined up with Wavves.
  
• I don't know what it is about Morrissey that draws the ire of his fans... but, they are at it again.
  

​
Over the last decade or so, a prominent trend in gig poster design has been the retro-modern, minimalist approach, as seen attached to a lot of indie-rock and post-alternative groups. Classified by modernist tendencies and a focus on basic forms versus details, I'll admit, as much as I love that style, the trend was getting a bit threadbare.

But then you have examples like this week's above selection, which takes influence from a popular trend (if not the original style itself) and takes it in a direction that feels fresh and sincere. Designed by Gavin Mulloy (check out more of his impressive poster work at nocargarage.com), this fine display of design is one of those that raises the bar for local gig posters.

First off, the neutral gray monotone cast of the piece demands attention when viewed against other posters. Secondly, the calmness of the carefully worn pair of "All-Stars" bearing the hand-scrawled names of the bands sits comfortably and almost defiant of its flawless surroundings. You've got to love that quiet subversive juxtaposition.

The "All-Star" logotype tab anchored up top provides just enough visual balance for the Project House's clever homage to Chuck Taylor and show details below. This poster is tops; any band should be proud to be a part of this piece. Truly All-Star material.

Lastly, a reminder: Keep sending your poster submissions to gigposters@dallasobserver.com! Please don't forget to include the artist/designer's name and info for proper credit, and please try to send it in at least a week in advance. (And if you are so inclined to send in actual printed pieces, here's our address; you know who to send them to.) See you next week!

Last year's logo was pretty awesome...

​It was a couple weeks back now that KDGE-102.1 FM The Edge announced the lineup for the 2009 version of its annual How The Edge Stole Christmas show.

And, uh, you'll have to pardon us for missing the announcement when it first came to pass. For pretty obvious reasons. More on that later, though. Like, say, after the jump, with the dates and bands billed for this two-night affair?