That cat has one thing on its mind

​After the Great Cupcake Flood of 2008 and the Cake Ball Frenzy of 2010, the baked goods wave seems to have slightly receded in Texas.There's only so many times you can hear "red velvet cake" before you want to stab someone with a spork. However, among the many niche food industries that have come back in vogue recently, ice cream still hasn't reached its full tidal potential. Where are the "new" Ben & Jerrys, hmm?

Local musician Aaron Barker sort of fits the description: Glasses, tattoos, had a corporate job and got laid off. Watched a three-hour documentary about the history of ice cream and had a revelation during a 100-degree Texas summer.

"There was this 20-minute bit in the documentary about ice cream college," Barker explains as we sit at Cafe Brazil in Deep Ellum. "And I thought, 'Let's do it. Let's go to ice cream college.'"

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​Are people still using PlayStations? If the brand is looking for a charming accomplishment via their product, they need look no further than Big K.R.I.T. As a resourceful teenager, Justin Scott used PlayStation's MTV Music Generator to form his first beats, and that entrepreneurial spirit guided him as he continues to form his identity as a producer, emcee and collaborator.

In the last year alone, the 25-year-old Mississippi rapper had the lone featured verse on The Roots' 2011 album, Undun, produced for artists like Jackie Chain and T.I., and pushed his eagerly awaited mixtape, 4evaNaDay, out March 5. Last here in November on The Smoker's Club tour at the Granada, K.R.I.T. shares what we can expect with Saturday's headlining set at Trees.

"Well, I can wild out a little bit more ... and go deeper into all of my material. There will be joints from all of my releases, plus the new work from 4evaNaDay."

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The Beach Boys, back in the day

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For decades, The Beach Boys have been a diluted version of their former selves, touring with the likes of John Stamos on bongos. Since Brian Wilson was fired in 1982, the band never really topped the greatness of 1988's "Kokomo." Rumors of bad blood circulated around the remaining band members and Wilson, who has recorded under his own name since the late '80s. But late last year, it was announced Wilson would rejoin the band for a new album and a tour.

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Jay Barker

Stephen Malkmus, more photos in the slide show section

​Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
Granada Theater
Tuesday, February 21

There was a noticeable difference between the Jicks of last night and the reunited Pavement I saw at Stubb's in Austin in 2010, mainly in that the Jicks looked happy to be there. Stephen Malkmus walked onto the Granada stage in a trucker cap and jeans, and rolled a heavy jam right out of the gate.

Pavement's music was always like foreplay -- there's the build, the build, the build and then the nail. The Jicks' music follows suit, but is built more around tempo changes and rhythmic shifts than feedback and dissonance. Drummer Jake Morris, formerly of Portland's The Joggers, was the linchpin, and saved many of the songs from coming this close to jam band territory.

Not that there's anything wrong with that; Malkmus' blues and classic rock influences have never been out of reach, even in Pavement, but his solo material is more structured around the guitar work, not so much the lyrics. He's the king of the extended jam, and nearly every song had one. "Senator" and "Share the Red" from last year's Beck-produced Mirror Traffic showed Malkmus getting his real emotional trash out in the form of ripping solos. Solo therapy. Is he an underrated guitarist? Yes, but many of the guitar parts were indistinguishable from song to song.

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​Talking to Matthew Good can feel like being reprimanded by your high school history teacher. Opinionated, well-spoken and extremely blunt, Good never hesitates to delve into areas of interest not common to most singer-songwriters.

The guy just happens to be a damn fine songwriter as well. Whether fronting his own band, as he did from 1991 to 1995, or as a solo artist, Good's literate take on alternative rock has made him a star in his native Canada. Speaking from a tour stop in Phoenix in anticipation of tonight's gig at the House of Blues, Good shared the differences between Americans and Canadians and how if he wasn't making music, he'd be teaching history.

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​You've seen the white and black Sealion sticker at most bars around Deep Ellum. Luckily, the band is worth the attention, and they're even hitting the road with the Toadies at the end of March. Friday, they play "the final Annex House show" at the fabled Lakewood crash pad.

All four members of the band shared their first show experiences, from the good (Weezer) to the bad (Yellowcard).

What was the first show you remember seeing? Were your parents with you?
Hunter Moehring (vocals/guitar): My first show I was probably seven or so and my stepdad took me to see Yes at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston. I don't remember much except I really wanted to leave. I guess I knew right away I didn't like prog-rock. Still don't.
Alex Poulos (drums): Weezer and Sparta at Coca-Cola Starplex. My parents dropped some friends and I off, and we sat on the lawn. That was the first time I heard Sparta, which lead to an obsession with At the Drive-In.
John Warwick (vocals/bass): My stepdad took me to the first real show I ever attended. It was Counting Crows and Live at Coca-Cola Starplex in, like, 1997. I remember having fun. I also remember it being the first time I'd ever been around pot. I thought it smelled bad.
Cole Denton (guitar): When I was young my uncle managed a Beatles cover band called Rubber Soul. My parents took me to see them pretty often. I don't think I realized they weren't playing original songs until I was older.

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New Multitudes

​Yesterday, various social media outlets were literally on fire with the news of Centro-matic singer Will Johnson's "supergroup" with the Kadane Brothers and Pedro the Lion's David Bazan.

That almost made us forget about his other other band, New Multitudes, which features Jay Farrar, Anders Parker and his former Monsters of Folk cohort, Jim James. They've got a self-titled album out next week on Rounder Records, which mines Woody Guthrie's unreleased catalog. If that roster of talent didn't make it clear, it's pretty great, and Guthrie's daughter Nora guided the four through his old ephemera for inspiration.

Apparently someone on the Conan O'Brien team really likes it too, because you can stream the album here. "My Revolutionary Mind" especially is pretty lovely.

​Check out this new track from A.Dd+ if you're hungover, hungry, awake, alive, a human being. It's been on repeat in the DC9 bunker all morning.

"Shit Got Crazy"

John Iskander and friend

​ Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans, where we get to know the people behind the scenes in Dallas/Fort Worth music.

John Iskander was "at dinner with a priest" when he came up with the name Parade of Flesh, his one-man live music "boutique." But it would be rather antiseptic to label what he does as simply booking bands. I mean, the man has vision and aspirations: He'd love to book a black metal show at Medieval Times, and take over July Alley, for starters.

Iskander gets to know his bands' particular vibe enough that he's able to sort of custom-build a show. Sure, any good booker will have a sense of flow when it comes to pairing up bands, but Parade of Flesh seems to have a special flair for it, combining art and style to put some texture to his shows.

The bands he works with aren't always the most well-known, nor do they likely have tons of press resources available. Adding to the challenge is the fact that Iskander focuses on new bands nationally, not just locally. He has his work cut out for him when it comes to familiarizing not only himself, but his followers with new sounds. Luckily, he seems to have earned his customers' trust.

Iskander does his homework, pays attention to new music, seemingly via all those little indie labels out there, and treats his components like ingredients.

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​Some bands just like to be mysterious. Take Houston's Indian Jewelry for example. Although the band has been around for a little over a decade, very little biographical material is available. Various articles on the band list five members, but some list only two, and even then, pseudonyms are used. The band itself has changed monikers at least ten times.

In any case, one Tex Kerschen, purportedly a member of Indian Jewelry, agreed to answer questions, but only via email. In anticipation of tonight's show at City Tavern, Kerschen "spoke" about his band's anonymity and its place in the Houston music scene.

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