Dallas Music Blog

Maybe. Nothing's set in stone, but according to this Morning News report of last night's City Council meeting on the Trinity River project, Stevie Ray's name made it onto the list of 10 possible names for the new road. The full list?

•Ascension Drive
•Cesar Chavez Boulevard
•Eddie Bernice Johnson Parkway
•Post Industrial Boulevard
•Riverfront Boulevard
•Stanley Marcus Boulevard
•Stevie Ray Vaughn Vaughan Boulevard
•Trinity Lakes Boulevard
•Trinity View Parkway
•Waterfront Boulevard

I think you've gotta go with Stevie Ray given these options--although I'm sure the city's salivating at the thought of selling property on the sure-to-be highfalutin Waterfront Boulevard... --Pete Freedman

Gossip site Showbiz Spy quotes the June issue of Glamour, revealing that Jessica Simpson is not only "in love" with Tony Romo--she's written a song for her man.

The song's called "Back in My Old Boots," and apparently it's about how "comfortable" Romo makes her feel...

Interesting.

Of course, this isn't the first time Jess has written a track for her beau of the moment. Remember this track? Had a very similar theme, didn't it? That worked out well for her, right?

Oh, and in other Showbiz Spy-Simpson family news, the site also has a fairly unsubstantiated report that Ashlee and her beau Pete Wentz, bass player for Fall Out Boy, might star in a new version of Jess' MTV show with Nick Lachey, Newlyweds.

This family really doesn't learn from past mistakes, does it? --Pete Freedman

Even though this post from our sister paper in Minneapolis purports to be about salvia and whether it's a good idea to smoke the marijuana alternative while attending a Roger Waters show (specifically in Dallas, oddly enough), the whole thing seems more like a slap in our city's face than anything else.

Apparently, "Dallas is to bad vibes as Los Angeles is to superficiality."

Aw, thanks, guys! --Pete Freedman

Dallas-born jazz clarinet and saxophone player Jimmy Giuffre died late last week on Thursday, April 24, of pneumonia and complications of Parkinson's disease.

After learning to play the clarinet at the age of 9, Giuffre began performing in local bands. Later Giuffre was drawn into the big band world and eventually transitioned into jazz music with his self--named trio, with which he earned acclaim as an "adventurous" jazz composer and arranger. In his later years, Giuffre served as an instructor and teacher at New York University, Rutgers University and the New England Conservatory of Music.

The 86-year-old musician died just two days shy of his 87th birthday. --Pete Freedman

Get your morning music fix with this video of Phil Pritchett playing at the Granada last Saturday. We had other plans that night. If you did, too, now you know what you missed. -- Chelsea Ide

See, it is about who you know: When the (pretty kickass) independent hip-hop label Definitive Jux--home to El-P, Aesop Rock, Dizzee Rascal, Del The Funkee Homosapien, RJD2, Mr. Lif and more--was looking for a DJ to remix the recently released album from rap trio Hangar 18, local DJ and beatmaker Rob Viktum was tapped to do the job. Mostly, according to the label's site, because Viktum and the H18 guys have been "friends...for a couple of years now."

Just released last week, Viktum's remix of Hangar 18's Sweep the Leg is a nice effort, one that really displays his talents--impressively, it sounds almost nothing like the original disc (which only really had one solid track on it by my count). But Viktum's efforts only add so much to the fun, but average, album; the disc is still pretty mediocre.

Although there is one nice perk: Def Jux is giving that sucker away for free. And that makes the whole thing a heckuva lot cooler. --Pete Freedman

Glenn Jackson, drummer for local rockers Tiger Moth, cannot believe the positive buzz his band is already generating.

“We are only five shows old, but the most common response from the crowd has been, ‘Holy shit!’,” says Jackson.

Along with brother Derek, Glenn was a part of Until They Arrive, a rather somber unit that broke up late last year. But the brothers decided to form a new band and turn up the volume.

“We both wanted to do something a little more rock 'n' roll, so we disbanded and started searching for a new singer,” says Jackson.

That singer turned out to be one Cheyenne Schweitzer, a 27-year-old Bible college dropout. (“We came across Cheyenne through a Myspace ad,” explains Jackson.) Completing the quartet was Ross Boyd, a bassist formerly involved with Chacka, Breaker and Magnificent Butcher.

Tiger Moth’s debut EP, which does a great job representing the band’s sweaty and solid stage show, was issued this month (the band is already recording a new single) and its CD release show at Dada this past weekend was enthusiastically received. Influences as diverse as Prince, Radiohead and even Led Zeppelin are mixed and cajoled in just the right ways, creating a sound that is refreshingly innovative.

“This is the best band I’ve been in,” says Jackson. “We definitely push each other.” --Darryl Smyers

Pitchfork's kinda been all over Japanese noise rock act Boris' new release, Smile, which is released stateside today. And Josh Baish of Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton keeps finding himself mentioned in the copy.

Why?

Well, the story goes like this: Baish went to a Boris show in Marfa, got into a tussle, had a piece of his ear chewed off by an assailant, and, in turn, lost the ear. Later, when Boris was putting away its gear, band members found Baish's missing flesh. And then they kinda sorta wrote a song about it. Seriously. True story.

Only now, the band seems kinda sick of talking about it:

Hey Speedealer: Looks like you're owed some money.

Well, you and thousands of other artists, according to this story. A Nashville-based entertainment lawyer says he's got a list of 7,874 artists that are owed money from Sound Exchange, a company that's supposed to collect royalties for artists, but claims it can't find the folks it has to pay.

Check the list. Your band could be on there, too. --Pete Freedman

...just by going to the band's web site. You have all week. --Pete Freedman

Wow! Apparently there weren’t scores of noteworthy performances at this weekend’s 28th Annual Denton Arts & Jazz Fest--because so far the only performance uploaded to Youtube is this kid’s solo:

.

Slightly more entertaining, the video of the “Freeze Mob” organized by the Denton-based group United Aid:

Sorry, guys, but there was no way I was heading to Pizza Hut Park yesterday to see Edgefest 17. A festival headlined by 3 Doors Down and Puddle of Mudd doesn't really tickle my fancy. And it wouldn't have in 2002, either.

Apparently, though, DC9 photographer Roger Caldwell didn't get that memo. He went to Frisco to take in the event, and actually put together a fine photographic collection of what the event was like. Seriously, check it out.

....then will someone please explain the draw of these bands to me? I'm all for trying to see the light on this one and having an open dialog here, but I just don't get it. Like, at all. --Pete Freedman

Well, if this review from our sister paper in San Francisco is to be believed, tonight's Caribou/Fuck Buttons show at The Loft isn't to be missed, if only to see Fuck Buttons perform its "downright menacing" knob-twiddling in person.

And, just a reminder, in case you can't make it to the Loft tonight, Fuck Buttons is playing a free in-store at 5 p.m. at Good Records. So you got you some options. --Pete Freedman

Maybe it’s a coincidence, but not long after we totally harshed on DFW NORML’s mellow about the terrible bands that perform at the organization’s events, they announced a party with music that approaches tolerability.

Well, at least it’s not rap-rock.

Reform-minded folks in more than 200 cities are participating in the Global Marijuana March on Saturday, May 3, and the Dallas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is making a day of it. The group will gather at high noon (their pun, not mine) at the Earl Cabell Federal Building for the march. And, afterwards, they’re having an afterparty at Bar of Soap with performances by two provocatively named bands, The League of Fucking Decency and Pentagon Missiles.

Pentagon Missiles are a very sloppy, raw and angry punk band that will have to do some serious self-censoring if they plan to abide by Eisenberg’s “No Cussing” policy when they play there May 16. The songs on LFD’s site, meanwhile, have a pretty raw punk sound, too, but they add a bit more musicianship and humor to the mix. Unless, that is, lines like “I’m only happy when killer zombies are on the move” were meant to be taken seriously. –Jesse Hughey

The rumors ran rampant through the crowd at the Palladium Ballroom on Thursday night as people settled in to watch Ghosthustler perform the opening set at Quick's Big Thing awards show. Was it true? Was this the final time we'd see Ghosthustler perform?

Turns out, yes--to an extent.

The band's awkward performance, which found the Denton-based electronic trio on a stage far too big and a venue far too cavernous for its comfort level (and found unfamiliar crowd members asking if the band's sound was for real or if it was a joke), was, indeed, the final time audiences would see the current incarnation of Ghosthustler perform.

Alan Palomo, the band's frontman, confirmed as much when I asked him about the rumors after his band's performance, but he said he didn't want to go on the record about it until after he spread the word himself on Myspace.

Well, in a Myspace bulletin sent out the next day, Palomo did just that:

"For reasons both creat​ive and life chang​ing,​ I have decid​ed to leave​ Ghost​hustl​er and move on. Amids​t these​ circu​mstan​ces my bandm​ates have deeme​d it neces​sary to carry​ on without me; I wish them the best of luck.​ Expec​t great​ thing​s to conti​nue being​ relea​sed from the Ghost​hustler name and from my new proje​ct in the near futur​e.​"

Ghosthuster's story is an interesting one; aside from a 10'' vinyl recording, the band never officially released its debut. And yet it found itself a blogosphere darling, earning accolades from Pitchfork and the locally based Gorilla Vs Bear.

We can expect Ghosthustler to continue on without Palomo in some capacity, but to what extent, is tough to say. Will the band find a replacement for him, or go on without an official vocalist as so many electro-dance outfits do these days?

We can be certain, however, that Palomo, whose departure from the band coincides with his move to Austin to attend college next fall, will continue to produce songs on his own. And, though he didn't want to go on the record with any of his possible band names on Thursday, the ones he offered up as potential monikers sounded, well, fitting of Ghosthustler's sound.

I'll do what I can to keep you posted on this front; as I type this, I'm trying to hunt down Palomo--as well as Ghosthustler's remaining members, Grey St. Germain Gideon and Noah Jackson--to get official on-the-record words about their projects' futures. --Pete Freedman

Local alt-country singer/songwriter Nicholas Altobelli (Italian descent, you think?) has just released his debut, Streetcar Visions, and he's cautiously optimistic about the release.

“The record is not perfect," he says, "but I’m proud of the songs even though I’m trying to stay away from the country side of things.”

Mixing folk, rock and, that’s right, country, the EP has barely hit the, ahem, streets, and Altobelli is already scheduling his next project.

“I plan on recording a folk album at my home studio this summer and hopefully having it finished by this fall,” says the 23-year-old wunderkind from Plano.

The EP features five original songs, but during Saturday night’s CD release party at The Cavern, Altobelli paid tribute to such Americana heavyweights as Uncle Tupelo, The Jayhawks and Ryan Adams.

“I started playing music because I failed my senior year in high school,” explains Altobelli. “I picked up the guitar, but it wasn’t until I listened to Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown that I really started to work on songwriting.”

Since Altobelli doesn’t drink or verbally assault the audience for talking during his show, it’s difficult to compare him to the ever-petulant, self-proclaimed genius that is Ryan Adams. Only when Altobelli chastised his own father (for continuing to request a certain song) did the singer’s link to Adams become slightly apparent. --Darryl Smyers

UltraViolet Rock Show
April 26, 2008
Club Dada

Better than: Just being satisfied with the awesome compilation CD that was pulled together for the benefit as well.

The good music vibes from last weekend were apparently still in the air last night, because the UltraViolet Rock Show and Art Auction at Club Dada was slamming with great music and a hefty crowd. The mini-Lollapalooza of local bands dominating two stages brought out a major crowd of people that filled every nook and cranny of the place, even the secret hiding place bar. Even a quick sprinkle of rain wasn’t going to prevent the show from going on -- just maybe the outside bands.

I walked in on Sunward, who before have never done much for me. I liked the band’s stuff, but can’t say it stuck. However, the group was crisp and clean during its performance on the inside stage. Playing an energetic set, Sunward gave a lot of energy as if it was playing for a stadium crowd. OK, maybe a Nokia crowd -- but that level of commitment to giving a good show seemed prevalent, or at least contagious, for following inside stage bands El Gato and Wonderfool.

It's nights like this upcoming Saturday night where I really wish I could be in more than one place at a time. But alas, I'm just a man, and I haven't been bitten by a radioactive anything.

I guess there's still time...

Anyway, here's your weekend, folks:

Free End of School Shows with Black Tie Dynasty, Red Monroe, Oso Closo and more
6 p.m. on Friday, April 25, and 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at Hailey's in Denton

The school year up at UNT is coming to a close, and the folks at Hailey's are throwing a big ol' two-night, free (for 21-and-uppers) party to celebrate the coming of summer. Say what you want about the Friday night show headliners, the polished Depeche Mode-esque Black Tie Dynasty (who took home Quick's Big Group award last night), but I'm just not a huge fan of the super sleek act. For my money--which won't come into play here as tonight's gig is, like I said earlier, free--I'd rather take in Red Monroe's driving, jangly indie rock performance right before Black Tie's. Of the two nights of shows, it looks like Friday's bill is a tad more filled out, so if you had to skip one of the two nights, I'd skip Saturday (although there are worse ways to spend your Saturday night than to take in Oso Closo's pleasing brand of pop-rock).

Ultraviolet Benefit
8 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at Club Dada

Had a lot of music for you to download for free here on DC9 this week. So, in case you missed any of it, here's your catch-up:

Stumptone -- "Halfforgotten"

Broken Teeth -- "Roll Over",

Does It Offend You, Yeah? -- "We Are Rockstars"

The Shackeltons -- "Your Movement"

Plus, yesterday over on Unfair Park, Wilonsky offered up this gem: Bobby Patterson and Shibboleth -- "Digging Up Bones"

And since we didn't post an mp3 round-up at the end of last week, we've got a few others to remind you about.
Lions -- "Evil Eye"

Blackheart Society -- "Don't Say You Love Me"

Over the past two weeks, we also managed to show you where snag new mp3s for old Freddie King live tracks (for free) and where to download some rare Buddy Holly covers from Eric Clapton (yep, also for free). --Pete Freedman

Next week in the Observer, you'll see our take on Stumptone's psyched out new disc, Gravity Suddenly Released (sidenote: all this "gravity" talk today is purely coincidental, I swear). And while I won't tell you exactly what the review says, I will pass along an mp3 from the disc:

Stumptone -- "Halfforgotten"

One listen to this track and I think you'll know whether we're gonna trash or praise the album. (Major hint: We sure as hell aren't gonna trash it.) --Pete Freedman

Just came across this short, little behind-the-scenes Youtube doc on the Old 97's' soon-to-be-released disc, Blame It On Gravity, which includes interviews with Rhett, Murry, Ken, Philip and even the band's locally-based producer, Salim Nourallah.

Says Rhett: "We're back, man. We're in Dallas. I keep thinking of this record as being some sort of love letter to the city, you know?"

Watch it for yourself.

When you're done with that, check out this tiny video screen clip of the 97's performing "Dance With Me" on Leno last night. And, if you're feeling frisky, take a shot for every time the camera focuses on Ken during a zoom in or zoom out. You'll be wasted soon enough. --Pete Freedman

Aspiring rappers, DJs, producers and urban fashion models might want to keep their last weekends in August open: The Sixth Annual Texas Summer Music Conference will be held at the City Center Westin Hotel in Dallas on Friday, August 29, through Sunday, August 31.

The TSMC is intended to educate aspiring entertainment industry professionals and serve as a networking opportunity. This year’s conference promises the opportunity to mix with execs from MTV, BET, MySpace, iTunes and AppleBottoms. It’ll also be the site of The Source Magazine Unsigned Hype Tour Finals & Digital Dymepiece Finals.

The conference is the brainchild of Mic Moodswing, whose Movement Entertainment Group is also the parent company of Down XM Radio, a full-service recording studio and two ABA teams (the Texas Tycoons and Houston Havoc).

Panelists in past TSMCs have included local heavy hitters like Erykah Badu, Play-n-Skillz, Big Tuck, Pikahsso, Skip Cheatham and Greg Street, along with national names like Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Too $hort and members of G-Unit.

Conference registration is complimentary to anyone who books a room at the host hotel and calls the TSMC with a confirmation number before June 1. --Jesse Hughey

All those who voted for Handshakes and Highfives to win Rock and Rumble back in November are about to be totally happy. The poppy screamo band from Granbury just signed with Hollywood-based Nightmare Records. The label is owned by Nick Moore from Before Their Eyes and Joey Simmrin of One Moment Management. No details just yet as to when Handshakes and Highfives will be recording a new album for the label, but now their EP has national distribution including being available in all Hot Topic stores. The band say it should have a Hot Topic exclusive t-shirt coming shortly, too.

If you're itching to congratulate the band members, they'll be playing 8 p.m. tonight at Plano's Rocksteady with Scene and Siren and Hi Im Polaroid. Tickets cost $10. -- Chelsea Ide

This weekend The Party will be a tad different. This time out the dance party will feature a four turntable setup. We're not sure it'll be all that different, but since it's free for the 21 and older set, It wouldn't hurt to find out. As usual, Nature, Sober and Select will be taking care of the tunes. The Party is 10 p.m. tonight, April 25, at Zubar. Go. Dance. -- Chelsea Ide

Midnight Drifter, the debut album from Fort Worth’s Whiskey Folk Ramblers, will be available for the first time at their CD release party Saturday at Lola’s in their home city. While they won’t be selling copies until then, you can get a taste of what it will sound like tonight when the acoustic folk / traditional country / bluegrass / klezmer / gypsy combo performs at The Cavern in Dallas.

The Ramblers album has 11 songs, plus an Ennio Morricone spaghetti Western-soundtrack-inspired intro and outro. The band covers Hank Williams’ “Ramblin’ Man” and two traditional songs, “Die Easy” and “Great Grandson.” Lead singer Tyler Rougeux is especially excited about “Great Grandson,” a song his grandfather taught him when he was a kid.

We talked to Rougeux about Whiskey Folk Ramblers' evolution and the frustrations of capturing the band’s live sound on record.

Tell me about recording the new album.

We tried to do it ourselves and it didn’t work out right. We tried to do it again kind of by ourselves, and just didn’t get the sound we wanted; so we finally went into the studio (Panhandle House in Denton). We knocked the whole thing out in a week.

The Austin American-Statesman reports today that James Dante Kings' family is offering a $4,000 reward for "leads to the arrest and conviction of the motorist who failed to stop" after striking Kings on I-35 in Austin at around 2 a.m. on Friday, March 28.

Just one more event in the ever-growing line of developments surrounding this case. --Pete Freedman

If you find yourself in Ft. Worth this weekend and--somehow--in need of some really bad '80s-inspired hard rock music, you'll find your fix at Rock Star Sports Bar, where Austin rock quintet Broken Teeth will perform on Saturday.

Broken Teeth's sound is everything you'd expect from an act booked to play a venue that calls itself Rock Star Sports Bar with a straight face. It just doesn't do a thing for me. Check out (and, yes, download for free) this track off the band's 2007 album Electric:

Broken Teeth -- "Roll Over"

Or you can just save the gas money and stay the hell away from Cowtown this weekend. --Pete Freedman

....then you might want to head over to Kidd Kraddick's studios in Irving. Here's why: Kraddick, host of the nationally syndicated radio show Kidd Kraddick in the Morning (heard locally on 106.1 KISS-FM), thinks he's found a gem in a a young unsigned artist he found named Freddy Wexler. Kraddick came across Freddy's music during a "Music That Makes You Cooler" segment in his show, and he thought enough of the guy to invite him down to perform in his Dallas studios. Now people are all excited the Kraddick might be able to get his new friend a record deal. You can read the full story here. Or you can just watch this video, which pretty much sums it up, too:

There's more: Yamaha's given Freddy a free piano, a film director is chronicling his trip to Dallas and some moving company has loaned him a truck for his travels for free. All because of Kraddick.

Adorable.

But as adorable as the thing that I can help but think of when I hear Freddy Wexler's name? I think not. --Pete Freedman

The members of White Arms of Athena, a progressive metal act from Mesquite, are checking out studios in order to complete their debut recording.

“The full-length will be called Astrodrama and it shouldn’t take longer than a month or two to complete,” says guitarist Colin McDonnell.

The band just played a high-profile gig at the Plano center and is setting up shows throughout the summer. The 19-year-old McDonnell is excited about the band’s growth over the past couple of months:

Seekers of Knowledge, take heed. Sixty Second Ape Magazine presents The Return of Knowledge tomorrow night at the Liquid Lounge in Deep Ellum.

From 2001 to 2005, Knowledge was a regular hip-hop showcase run by the Nice People collective. After taking a break to focus on recording and starting up SSA, the group is returning to promote live music, with plans to make Knowledge a monthly event.

Tomorrow’s edition is the CD release party for Imaginary Friends’ latest LP, Insufficient Funds. Other performers include T-Wrex, Top Notch, Zeale32 and Deadicated with DJs Rob Viktum, Fisher Pryce and Marty Mar on the ones and twos.

Show starts at 9 p.m.; cover’s $5 for 21 and up, $8 for 18- to 20-year-olds. --Jesse Hughey