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“Hey dude, you going to Superpages to see Rush?”

That doesn’t sound too rock 'n' roll but that’s the official new name of the Smirnoff Music Centre as of yesterday. Actually make that Superpages.com Center, which signed a multi-year contract with LiveNation for the venue.

LiveNation regional president Bob Roux is quoted in the press release as saying, “Our new relationship with Superpages.com is an important venture for us, the City of Dallas and the entire Metroplex community. I am extremely proud of the legacy of this facility, and we have now opened a brand new chapter in the venue's history. I anticipate the inaugural season at Superpages.com Center to be one for the record books.”

The venue started out in 1988 as Coca Cola Starplex (best name) and then graduated into a strong drink as the Smirnoff Music Centre back in 2000 to a bit of controversy. The venue starts its 20th year under the new name. Rush and Avril Lavigne will be among the first headliners to perform.

It’s not really the kind of place that strikes up nostalgic memories, but I do have deep appreciation for the Gipsy Kings show I saw there back in 2001. They sounded crystal clear as if straight from the CD and no, they weren’t lip syncing. I missed out on Toby Keith’s show last year, but am embarrassed to admit I ended up at both Paula Abdul/Color Me Badd and Yanni concerts. I’m hoping my Cranberries attendance will make up for that. All artists of which I’m sure are making esteemed colleague Noah Bailey cringe. -- Rich Lopez

The Jonas Brothers' have fanned the tween love flames in Dallas. Nokia Theater had to institute special rules for parents purchasing tickets to the boys' February 28 show. The day the tickets went on sale -- January 19 -- the boy band took to the rooftop of Nokia and offered up a preview. Needless to say, the tickets sold-out quickly. We just discovered a video of the Brothers' "surprise" performance on top of Nokia. Watch it with your little sister. She'll love you. Oh, a second Jonas Brothers show at Nokia has been added for March 3. Hit up Ticketmaster or Nokia Theater for tickets. -- Chelsea Ide

Rocky Athas has been playing the blues for almost 40 years. The Oak Cliff native grew up with another legendary string bender, Stevie Ray Vaughn. Athas’ band, Lightning Strikes, was an area blues/rock mainstay and Athas recently re-cut their debut for a European label. Athas’ finger tapping style has influenced every one from Eddie Van Halen to the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. Besides playing in a semi-super group, the Blues Berries, with renowned drummer Buddy Miles, Athas has his hand in several other intriguing projects. Athas took a little time to speak with us about where his style of blues comes from and where it’s going.

Who are some of your favorite guitarists? Are there guitarists who may have a flashy style that is without substance?

I will always love Freddy King, Buddy Whittington and Jimi Hendrix. To me, they were the best and most original. I must not forget George Harrison for melody content. I think if a guitarist has flash and that is what he works on, then this is his substance. To me a great guitarist has to have melody in his playing.

What’s more important, the solo or the song?

It really is always the song. If you have a great song, the solo will sound great working within the song.

You have been a part of the Dallas blues/rock scene for a number of years. How has it changed over time?

I think in the beginning the blues/rock thing was taken a little more seriously. It seems a few years back there was more effort put into the songwriting. Now it seems all that is going on is just jamming, which is fine for live shows but not really for CD listening pleasure. I just wish more focus would be on the songwriting. This is what made the great blues songs in the past, like "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King, such great songs. It's blues and it's a great song. I love that marriage.

The Hourly Radio is down one member as guitarist Ryan Short announced his departure. In a letter sent out via the band’s mailing list, Short stated he “… realized that as great as this was and as much I believed in where we could go from here, it was just not where I wanted to go. I could easily keep going and do all the great things that I'm sure this band will continue on to do, but I'd find myself far from where and who I hope to be someday.”

He gives a slight hint as to what the future holds for him as well. “I would do it all over again a million times over and had the time of my life... so, it's with no regrets that I’ll move onto the next phase of my life and will enter it as blissfully ignorant as I did the previous... for those wondering what that next phase entails all I can say is that it involves a family, a sailboat and farm in Wales.”

We here at DC-9 wish Short the best. Thanks for the memories and free downloads.

Here’s The Hourly Radio performing “Stealing Off” at the Granada Theater last month performing on a local pop-rock’s wet dream lineup with Black Tie Dynasty and Radiant. Yeah, I was there. -- Rich Lopez

Erv Karwelis over at Idol Records announced that they will be hosting their own official showcase at South by Southwest March 14 at The Wave. Expected to play are label artists (duh) Black Tie Dynasty, The Crash That Took Me, Mitra, Glen Reynolds, Watershed and P.P.T. Karwelis also mentions that some surprise special guests will be on hand as well. I'm crossing my fingers for this one, which is probably unlikely. -- Rich Lopez

While the Old 97’s were just recently in Dallas finishing up work on their next CD, those who need a quicker fix of frontman Rhett Miller can pick up the newest issue of Harp magazine. No, there won’t be a five page photo spread of the camera-friendly Miller, but included with the publication is the Shout it Out Loud Music Volume One compilation CD. Rhett performs his hayseed/pop interpretation of The Pixies classic “Wave of Mutilation.” Along with Miller, the disc features tracks by a collection of obscure bands from around the globe, including Cut Off Your Hands (Australia), New Violators (Norway), Boys Noize (Germany), Lonely, Dear (Sweden) and Seattle’s The Blakes. Rhett is easily the most identifiable performer among this lot, so much so his appearance actually sticks out as kind of odd. Shout it Out Loud Music is a film and television supervision company out of New York founded by a guy named Francis Garcia who has ties to Austin. Perhaps somewhere along the lost highway, Garcia heard Miller and the rest is, well, sort of, history. -- Darryl Smyers

Check out this video of Miller performing a Wave of Mutilation/Ziggy Stardust medley in 2006 on NYC Blues Cruise.

All you fake (and I guess real) guitarists who feel stage worthy after hours of playing Guitar Hero III, your time has come to display your talents. The Industry Bar will be hosting their Guitar Hero III Tournament for you to pit your shredding skills against Slash and other pixelated guitarists. And then you’ll test your metal (pun intended) against other geeks….er guitarists in competition for door prizes. So get your callous fingers ready and head up to the Industry Bar, February 4 and 11, for your axe-wielding title of Guitar Hero.

I keep waiting for Acoustic Guitar Hero which is more my speed. -- Rich Lopez

All the old big guns seem to be on the road. We just had Billy Joel and Van Halen and now we're expecting Bruce Springsteen. AEG Live just sent out word that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are heading this way as well.

Petty will be free fallin' his way to the American Airlines Center, Wednesday, August 27, with Steve Winwood as the special guest (a.k.a. opener). Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Monday, February 4. You'll probably want to pick them up after watching his halftime show at the Super Bowl the day before. Unless he has a wardrobe malfunction, in which case, he might be hard to watch.

Tom Petty goes Cloverfield-like in this home video of his 2006 show here. Provide your own barf bag. -- Rich Lopez

Any play including the word “nipples” in the title piques our attention, of course. And Paula Coco’s clever collection of monologues Nipples to the Wind certainly deserves a keep-’em-up gesture of adulation.

Stand-up comedian Coco, along with Dallas resident and actress Janye Anderson, performs quirky insights into 14 heroines of the Bourgeois in this two-hour play showing at the Dallas Hub Theater through February 24.

The garrulous female characters deliver a funny, spastic and uncomfortably realistic depiction of the types of colorful women that most of us Gen-Xers grew up with – our boomin’ grannies, busybody aunts and nutty, neighborly babysitters. The sensationalized yet common women explored in Nipples celebrate many of the peculiar and defining ideals of the American middle class woman: celebrity obsession, retail therapy, gossip, fervent accessorizing and family matters.

Although, the 10 funny vignettes are performed by women and ultimately about women, the themes are accessible to men and women across the social spectrum. And if, at times, the material does become slightly less relatable, the acting is so captivating and outrageous that the entertainment value remains elevated to a degree that keeps the audience engaged and smiling.

Sharon Jones January 27, 2008 Granada Theater

Better Than: The Super-fly doppelganger of Adam West performing the Bat-tussi on Soul Train.

In support of their third independently released album, 100 Days, 100 Nights, funk revivalists Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, played a vibrant and smooth variety-style hour and a half set to an eager Granada audience.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the eight-piece funk band (responsible for many of the rhythms backing Amy Winehouse on her 2007 album Back to Black) took the stage with a four-song set that lacked a bit of verve. If the crowd had been draped in petticoated chiffon dresses or sporting pompadours, the first 15 minutes may have proved to be a bit more interesting. Or, maybe, the Dap Kings, who are quite strategic in their music hype chess moves, intentionally started of sluggish as to hype the climactic moment when their superstar vocalist shimmied onto the stage.

Sharon Jones boasted immediate moxie with her passionate gospel-rooted swoons, covering classic rhythm and blues themes of love, loss and demand. The soundboard crew seemed to be confused as to the desired sound of the vocalist because several songs into the set, she gasped in frustration, “no monitors?” and “more vocals!” Some adjustments were made to her approval as she dived right back into her musical voodoo. Jones shook her shapely hips and silver pumps across the stage feverishly without ever allowing her gorgeous voice feel the strain of her physical workout. Aside from her sweat-soaked skin, the entire performance was an effortless homage to the glorious days of get-down, hardcore funk music.

This weekend was a blur – the good kind. There was drinking, dogs, dancing and, oh yeah, Diamond Dave. Dig in:

Hooch and Pooch by Kitchen Dog Theater

The folks at Kitchen Dog Theater went all out for the 2008 Hooch and Pooch gala Saturday night. There were Hoochinis and Poochinis available at the vodka bar, doggy bags filled with gift certificates to a variety of stores, a silent auction (one item up for grabs was an original Al Satterwhite print of the Houston Astrodome) and a lively dance floor thanks to DJ DeLuxe. We were a little bummed that we didn't run into anyone with their dogs – who were invited to the shindig, too.

Keller Williams at House of Blues

In addition to enjoying the jam band vibe at the Keller Williams and the WMD'S show Friday night, our reviewer Darren Burgfeld was fully impressed by the band's musical ability. We always prefer to see bands who have, you know, real talent.

Van Halen at American Airlines Center

Dude, what can we say? We're happy to see Van Halen (not Van Hagar) back in action. More than 20 years after the fact, and the group still entertains. If you missed it, don't worry. Van Halen returns to the AAC on March 3.

Sundance Closes

While our resident film guru Robert Wilonsky returned from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival last week, his LA Weekly counterpart Scott Foundas filled us in on the Sundance winners Sunday afternoon. -- Chelsea Ide

Keller Williams and WMD'S
January 25, 2008
House of Blues

Better Than: Spending your evening trimming Grandma’s corns for gas money.

Before I dig into the show, let me first drop my disclaimer: Going into the House of Blues I was about as familiar with Keller Williams and WMD'S as I am with the underground world of Dutch porn, meaning I know enough to bullshit my way through a conversation, but I’m not a knowledgeable fan. That being said, I went to this show with much more anticipation than any Dutch porn has ever merited from me. That’s saying a lot. I love porn.

My anticipation was well met right off the bat with powerful, transient nodes of musical bliss. This band takes simplicity and disguises it as complex rhythms, time signatures and expressive dynamics. I think Keller Williams has found the perfect hybrid of improvisation and structure, which pleases the jam band type as well as the trained musical ear.

The audience was led on a supersonic ride through musical metaphor and color-splashed rhythm. The reaction when there was a break in the action (and the action was nearly nonstop) was not one of deafening applause and shrill whistles, but one of appreciation. The crowd really bonded with the foursome on stage, following each note and facial expression with the intensity of a child watching Disney on Ice. Thank God Williams didn’t sport skates.

The WMD'S, Keller Williams' conglomeration of highly-talented musicians (Jeff Sipe, drums; Keith Moseley, bass and guitar; Gibb Droll, guitar), synced with the crowd, and the entire performance felt like we were all sitting around a living room together, passing a bowl and losing ourselves in a creative vibe. The WMD'S kept building and building the music into a sea of hands and cheers and colors and lights, like a Southern Baptist revival where someone spiked the punch.

Your dad’s favorite songwriter, Robert Earl Keen, plays Billy Bob’s Texas tonight; hard-rockin’ has-beens Van Halen will disappoint an arena full of nitwits Saturday; and former Fugee Wyclef Jean performs Sunday at the House of Blues while soul singer Sharon Jones performs with Amy Winehouse’s backing band, The Dap Kings, at the Granada in Dallas.

That doesn’t mean the local musicians are taking the weekend off. Here are a few shows of note:

The Lash Outs, Uptown Bums and Free to Kill Again. 10 p.m. Friday, January 25, at Bar of Soap. Free.

The Lash Outs and Free to Kill Again play good old, simple, uncompromising punk rock, while The Uptown Bums are considerably poppier and more soulful with groovy drumming and tambourines. A very nice lineup for a free show.

The Sword and Record Hop. 9 p.m. Friday, January 25, at Lola’s in Fort Worth. $10.

Denton hard rocker Record Hop are gearing up for its March album release and South By Southwest performance, so you can probably expect a lot of new material when the band opens for Austin metal band The Sword.

KNON Annual Bluesfest Extravaganza 3 p.m. Saturday, January 26, and Sunday, January 27, at Poor David’s Pub. $10.

For some, an assiduous 10-year music career can lead to red-carpet debauchery and self-congratulatory Letterman interviews. For true-Texan country star Pat Green, his acclaimed and earnest performing pilgrimage has compelled him to produce a tangible hard-covered assemblage of gratitude: Dance Halls & Dreamers – due out February 13 by University of Texas Press.

This $40 coffee-table conversation piece is sure to delight the honky-tonk hardcore with its ceremonial praise of Texas’ most famous get-drunk-and-dance venues. Ten time-honored dance halls are highlighted with insight from Texas sports writer Luke Gilliam, and off-the-cuff storytelling from the venues’ featured artist such as Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keen and Cross Canadian Ragweed.

Green’s verbal sentiment focuses on his proclaimed all-time favorite Texas trap: Gruene Hall (located in the same-named central Texas watering hole town). While other backwater ballrooms across the Lone Star State like Billy Bob’s in Ft. Worth, Stubb’s in Austin and Dallas’ own Sons of Herman Hall are exalted by the artists that each proudly incubated. The book is a vibrant and intimate examination of fly-on-the-wall perspective into the honorable houses that have honed Texas’ infamous boot-scootin’ boogie culture.

Local diva Edie Brickell is trying something new. The New Bohemians singer-songwriter has joined up with Harper Simon (Paul's kid) to start The Heavy Circles. The band is stylically different than Brickell's previous work, and we dig it. The duo will release its debut on February 12. Until then, you can download the track "Henri" here. -- Chelsea Ide