In the early '90s, Matt Hillyer and his band, Lone Star Trio, were packing venues with a rootsy sound about the same time that Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond were forming the Old 97's. Since 1998, Hillyer's fronted Eleven Hundred Springs, an old-school honky-tonk band that's released several top-notch albums, including the recently released Midway. Speaking from his home in Dallas and in anticipation of tonight's CD release show at Dan's Silverleaf, Hillyer spoke about the evolution of the music scene.

Wild Moccasins

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Recent New West Records signees Wild Moccasins are nearing the re-release of their shimmering, catchy-as-all-get-out LP, Skin Collision Past. And, given the strength of the record, there isn't any reason to think that this quintet, featuring the she/he vocals of Zahira Gutierrez and Cody Swann, won't be tapping into the subconscious of the great 48 in the very near future.

With the gig Saturday night, we thought it would be a great time to catch up with Gutierrez and find out what album she would keep with her should she ever be stranded, and armed with only a contraption that might spin a few tunes for her.

Looking for love in all the wrong places? Looking for 35 Denton wristbands? If you find yourself clumsily walking behind pretty girls (or chasing a choice piece of man-tail) like the video above, then come out to the Mellow Mushroom on Monday, February 13. 35 Denton and The Indie-Verse have partnered up to bring you A Slice of Love, their own version of The Dating Game. Except this version will try to pair up men and women who love the Jesus and Mary Chain's early stuff.

If you participate, you get a wristband and, possibly, lucky.

Robb Reiner and Steve "Lips" Kudlow

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The two core members have turned into middle-aged road warriors, championing a vintage brand of heavy metal that's way too raw and sincere to be branded anything but genuine. Theirs is the kind that helped parent watchdog groups spring up all over the globe in the early '80s. Metal is scary, but the dildo that "Lips" has used to strum his electric guitar is even scarier.

With a remastered slew of albums, including Strength of Steel and Pound for Pound, set for Valentine's Day release (you've been wondering what to get that special someone, haven't you?), Kudlow, Reiner and a newly reworked line-up has hit the road once again. Dallas will get their share of Canadian metal when Anvil takes the stage Saturday at Trees.

We caught up with "Lips" over the phone and discussed musical vocabulary, metal ballads and the South American air.

Jessie Frye

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We posted about Fort Worth's Whiskey Folk Ramblers earlier this week, spotlighting their Daytrotter session and new Deadwood-ish video for "Gambling Preacher and His Daughter." Dallas producer about town Salim Nourallah will no doubt be playing some tracks from his upcoming LP, Hit Parade. And Denton's Jessie Frye brings some fireworks of her own. Hopefully we'll see a full-length from her this year.

Evan Dando is not made of plastic

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Almost 99% of interviews are done over the phone. And that's where the trouble can begin. Bad cell phone connections, background noise and a host of issues can quickly derail any interview. The thing that ruins most Q&As is the testy or unresponsive interviewee. With that in mind, here is my list of the five best and five worst musicians I have had the pleasure (or pain) of speaking with.

The difference between the two is that Kanye has grown with every album and backed up his outspoken attitude with great tunes, while M.I.A.'s output has declined with every album. Artists ranging from Shabazz Palaces to Gang Gang Dance have beat M.I.A. at her own high-impact, abstract art game since her vindicating mixtape, Vicki Leekx, dropped on the eve of 2011.

Speaking of games, during last Sunday's Super Bowl halftime performance, I was more impressed by that dancer with the propeller leg and that dude bouncing off the tightrope on his crotch than M.I.A.'s middle-finger stunt.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

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Dallas Distortion Music chats with Alan Ayo about their first year in business.

Kelly Dearmore asks Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra's Efrim Menuck what the deal is with post-rock.

Plus, a review of Ben Kweller's new album and recommendations for Thurston Moore, the Lemonheads, Fishboy, Zorch, Machine Head, and Los Campesinos!

Tim Kerr's "Monk"

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"This day and age in music, running a record store is a challenge, but so is running a gallery," she says. "One day while in Good Records, Chris [Penn, co-owner and manager] mentioned we should do something together and that is how it grew. We started with a long list of artists whose music and artwork we liked and whittled it down to our select few."

In addition to the art, Jad Fair, Tim Kerr, Will Johnson and Dan Phillips will play solo, as a preview of the special five-track album available that night.

Deb Doing Dallas

P.O.S.

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In a year spent throne-watching, Doomtree's 2011 release, No Kings, was an interesting comment on hip-hop's climate. Excessive in its own right, the Minneapolis collective has no less than seven official collaborators contributing to the final sound of their latest record. Not the baroque hip-hop of Kanye and Jay-Z, Doomtree's approach to excess is literal. There are just a lot of them.

Each member brings their own flavor to the mix, from spoken word to articulate, dizzying narratives, all backed by traditional 808 beats, drum machines and the occasional atmospheric instrumental track. Doomtree seem to define themselves by squirming out of every box you try to put them in, and their individual voices remain distinctive, further proven by their solo work. Yet the sum is at least as compelling as their parts.

Click to enlarge

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"In my head, the song created this story about a scorned guy that kidnaps the girl who never cared about him. And everything else pretty much spawned from that."

Indeed, it looks very much like it could be a Sonic Youth album cover circa the late '90s/early Aughts, or the subject of one of their songs. And, if you take a look at SY's discography, you'll notice a theme: The covers of EVOL, Goo, Sonic Nurse and Murray Street all feature ladies or girls.

Catch Moore and former Charalambides singer-guitarist Christina Carter at the Texas Theatre on Friday night. Demolished Thoughts may be a quiet album, but there's always the possibility it might get loud in there.

Since You Me at Six is already a major success in their home country of England, Josh Franceschi and crew have now set their sights on conquering America.

To that end, the pop-punk five-piece recently released Sinners Never Sleep, their most mature effort to date. Featuring intense numbers like "Bite My Tongue" and "Time is Money," Sinners succeeds in distancing the band from such obvious influences as Blink 182 and Incubus. Speaking from a London pub just a few days before leaving on tour and in anticipation of tonight's gig at The Door, Franceschi was kind enough to talk about this tour being his band's first headlining trip through America.

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What was the first show you remember seeing? Were you with your parents?
My parents are symphony musicians, so growing up I went to concerts as soon as I was old enough to sit still. To other kids, that was only cool when we went on a field trip to hear "Peter and the Wolf," and I got to act like a big shot because I knew someone "in the band." That hook-up stopped being impressive around the sixth grade. Being symphony musicians, my parents didn't like rock and roll, so my first rock show wasn't until 1995 when I saw Pearl Jam with Bad Religion opening at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee. I'm pretty sure my parents spent that whole night worrying that I would come home drunk, stoned, or both. While I was introduced to the seedy virtues of a Midwestern summer amphitheater rock show, I did not come home a drug-addled loser.

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If you play your cards right with a local music venue, all you need is a huge picture window as your marketing tool. Certainly anyone who has strolled by LaGrange and gazed inside felt the magnetic draw of not only impressively thought out tacos and vodka snow cones, but also an eclectic aggregate of local music and a built-in crowd.

Jeremy Poyo is the GM of LaGrange. Before that, he was one of the soldiers managing Gypsy Tea Room, circa 1997-2005. Further back, he was kid who grew up in a musical family, always being towed along to concerts and playing cello in junior high, a fact he tried desperately to hide from the unforgiving jocks leaving campus alongside him. Not an easy task considering the size of the instrument's case.

To hear Poyo speak of the local music venues he's been a part of, one word comes to mind: gratitude. That he recently reunited with his Gypsy Tea Room booking colleague Scott Beggs expresses that sentiment, and he's quick to credit the people around him with the success of a place like LaGrange.

Looks like they slide into Denton on Sunday, March 11, and SXSW a few days after that. They haven't put out a proper album since 1998, but who cares? We all want the early stuff!

And, in keeping with 35 Denton's trend of having Denton acts cover fest acts, the Baptist Generals cover "Head on." Perfect.