Dallas Music Blog

Peter Bjorn and John, El Perro del Mar
House of Blues
November 14, 2009

Better than: slogging through my DVR.

Jayme Rutledge

Peter, Bjorn and John at House of Blues on Saturday.

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"This is Dallas, right?" Bjorn Yttling asked, his porn 'stache bobbing above the microphone. "Maybe you know him from your school. Or your dad's school. Do you know Meat Loaf?"

Say what?

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, A.A. Bondy
House of Blues' Cambridge Room
November 14, 2009

Better than: Having to actually attend a New Orleans funeral to feel uplifted.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland

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I confess to be fond of brainy, melancholy music leavened with joy, and, I'm happy to say, that itch got scratched last night by Elvis Perkins in Dearland and opener A.A. Bondy in the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues on Saturday night.

Patrick Michels

​Three days after getting back from Austin, I've still got a good post-festival buzz. With all apologies to NX35, it was by far the most fun I've had at a Texas music festival.

Oddly, the rain didn't bother me all that much. It made things messy and uncomfortable, but it also kind of humanized the festival for me, if that's not too corny a way of putting it. It makes it hard to judge people's coolness level when they're muddy from the knees down, huddled under umbrellas and wearing ponchos. That's not to say that Day 1 was some kind of unbearable hipster fashion parade--it certainly wasn't. But there were a lot fewer people who looked like they were trying to get their picture in Vice Dos and Don'ts on Day 2.

I already can't wait till next year.

Five biggest regrets from the weekend

1. Catching only the final notes of the Street Dogs set Sunday afternoon. The gyro I got after a half-hour wait at the Kebab-a-licious stand was almost worth it, though.

2. Missing The Strange Boys. I'm guessing they played a lot of new stuff. Anyone catch them?

3. Not buying a Metallagher T-shirt.

Patrick Michels

​Some people attribute weather changes, fortunate or otherwise, to God. The Riverboat Gamblers' Mike Wiebe thought someone else was responsible for the all-day drizzle and showers that turned Waterloo Park into Mudderloo Park.

"Someone said, 'It was sunny yesterday, I'm surprised it's rainy now,'" he said during his band's set. "I'm like, 'Are you fucking kidding me? Danzig is here. He flew in on a black pterodactyl. The crops are dying. It's because fucking Glenn Danzig is here!'"
 
As for me, I blame myself for taunting the elements with this ridiculous post about the pretty scenery and lack of Zilker Park mud and dust. Whatever the cause, the weather and slick mud thinned the crowds but couldn't dampen some truly great performances.

Astronautalis
2:25 p.m.
Without backing musicians, Astronautalis rapped and sang over MacBook accompaniment, climbing and running through the crowd, selling "My Dinner With Andy" from The Mighty Ocean and Nine Dark Theaters with even more gravelly vocal dramatics than usual. As usual with his performances, the highlight was his freestyle story spun on the spot from five audience-provided topics. In this case, The Twilight Zone, squirrels, syphilis, Asians and losing one's sack lunch merged into a story about a quest to find the Lunchable, which was stolen by an STD-ridden rodent, that ended with a fortune cookie's prediction that it would rain during his set but he'd have fun anyway. Ending with the anthemic fist-pumping "The Trouble Hunters" from Pomegranate, it certainly looked like the fortune came true.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Deadly Syndrome, Family of the Year
The Loft
November 7, 2009

Better than: nursing a bottle of wine while watching a Cheaters marathon.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Not the Polyphonic Spree, I swear.

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Underneath the disco ball at The Loft, the swaying and jumping of the crowd caused the floorboards to shake and shiver in the early Sunday morning hours. The source of their enthusiasm, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, either believes in strength in numbers or was simply curious to see how many people (and instruments) it could squeeze on stage.

Trumpeter Stewart Cole, who describes himself as "the odd man in everybody else's band" also plays the tambourine, keyboard and various other instruments for the Los Angeles-based folk rock troupe. He's one of the dozen or so talented musicians, including a pianist and accordionist, who create the appealingly diverse musicality that characterizes the Magnetic Zeros. By midnight, all of these musicians were packed onto The Loft's stage--except for lead singer Edward Sharpe, the alter ego of Alex Ebert.

HEALTH, Times New Viking
The Lounge on Elm Street
November 6, 2009

Better than: a visit to the free clinic.

HEALTH

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Even the bands noticed it: Something was just off about The Lounge on Elm Street on Friday night.

"There's kind of a weird vibe in here," Times New Viking drummer/vocalist Adam Elliott said, somewhat miffed, addressing the crowd just before his band launched into its set.

Blame, first and foremost, the crowd size, which could be summed up in a single word: meager.

At its peak, the room topped out at maybe 70 audience members--quite the shame, too, given amount of combined buzz the two top names on this bill, Times New Viking and HEALTH, were riding heading into the Friday night show. Thankfully, neither band's performance suffered from it.

All photos by Patrick Michels

Death singer Bobby Hackney

​Choosing Fun Fun Fun over the Austin City Limits festival this year was a no-brainer decision, and I have not regretted the decision to pass on Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam and Ben Harper for a nanosecond.

Sitting on the soft grass and turning away from the Orange Stage before Death's set to watch a beautiful sunset over the trees of Waterloo Park really emphasized the superiority of the venue to the mud- or dust-clogged hell that Zilker Park can be. Add to that Transmission Entertainment's no-filler lineup streamlined to two days and fall weather and there is no competition.

Here are a few quick thoughts on some of my favorite performances of the day.

Crystal Antlers
1:45 p.m.
I only caught the last song and a half from Royal Bangs, though the singer's explanation of some technical difficulty was the funniest stage banter I heard all day: "There was a ghost thing on stage and we had to re-computer some, ummmmmmmmmm [drawing out the umm for about 30 seconds] ... OK, this is our last song. We're Royal Bangs!" And with that, they launched into a gloriously sloppy blast of over-driven beats, synth buzz and red-hot guitar. But Crystal Antlers were the next best thing in the psychedelic mishmash of rock, pop and pure energy. For some reason, the heavy reverb and effects on Andrew King's Fender Jaguar reminded me of Abe Vigoda's guitar sound. Damian Edwards' bongos, often sounding like something right out of a car chase scene in some forgotten '70s crime movie, added a fun propulsion to the set, as did his enthusiastic dancing.

​AC/DC
American Airlines Center
November 2, 2009

Better than: sleepwalking through another night of the World Series snoozefest...

AC/DC didn't rip a page from the Rolling Stones playbook last night and dig deep into its early catalog.

Rather, with few exceptions, the band played it by the numbers, sticking predominantly to its (admittedly sizeable) catalog of run-into-the-ground, overexposed radio hits.

But what was worse was that the band seemed to play these songs without much genuine enthusiasm.

Hanson, Hellogoodbye
House of Blues
November 1, 2009

Better Than: Spending $80 to sit in the nose bleed section at another concert

Hanson's all growns up, and they're all growns up, and they're all growns up.

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Hanson stopped in at the House of Blues last night to perform before a more than loyal crowd as part of its Use Your Sole Tour.

But these weren't the kid stars you remember. Forget about the group's teen days. And yes, forget about "Mmmbop."

Hanson is all grown up and all business. There's no need for stereotyping. They've got some actual talent.

Butthole Surfers, Peaches and MEN

Granada Theater
October 30, 2009

Better than: Not too much--especially since it was my birthday.

Butthole Surfers

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About this same time last year, the original conglomeration of the Butthole Surfers came to Dallas to perform for the first time in over a decade. And even though drummer Teresa Taylor wasn't exactly up to the task (having not played for quite a while), the band sounded terrific.

Even singer Gibby Haynes' dad (know around these parts as Jerry "Mr. Peppermint" Haynes) showed up for the fun and the entire night's vibe was exuberant.

Not this time around. Coming at the end of a semi-lengthy tour (and minus Teresa), this quartet of Surfers (especially Gibby) was surly from the start. Only guitarist Paul Leary seemed to be having any fun at all. Bassist Jeff Pinkus (who I literally caught wind of in the parking lot before the show) looked like a man on the wrong end of a buzz.

Brand New, Thrice
Palladium Ballroom
October 30, 2009

Better than: flipping through zillions of censored horror flicks on cable.

Brand New

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Waiting for the members of Brand New to approach the stage was more like waiting for a song to begin on Guitar Hero--or kinda like an encore before the show even begins.

One of many sold-out shows the band has played during this fall tour, the Palladium brought a very excited, diverse crowd Friday night. Meanwhile, the Long Island band brought a much more artsy feel than usual--projectors behind the band featuring a beating heart, boxing cats, a ballerina and a few kids riding bikes with some sort of monkey mask hiding their faces.

Anyone who may have been dragged to the show against their will? Well, they definitely had a great show to watch behind the band, at least.

The Pogues and Justin Townes Earle
The House of Blues
Friday, October 30, 2009

Better than: any other pretense for self-destruction this Halloween weekend.

Patrick Michels

Check out our slideshow for more photos from the show.

​For most of the show, the argument behind me simmered at a level of quiet disagreement--a nudge into the crowd, a quick tug of restraint and a few words exchanged. It took Pogues accordionist James Fearnley running back and forth across the stage midway through their set, stirring the pit into more of a frenzy with each lap, to bring the fight to a head.

That's when the man behind me made his earnest move for the mosh pit, throwing off his collared shirt and lunging toward the stage. He looked a little more like a rabid dog when his girlfriend reared back with a vice grip on his arm and chewed him out well enough to hold him in place for good.

To judge by the conversation's tone, this was familiar ground for these two: The instinct to dive in and throw elbows, and the reasoned voice of someone who's been down this road--blood stains and lawyer fees--a time or two before.

Nice to see that, at least 20 years since the last time the Pogues played Dallas, they had attracted just their kind of crowd.

Mutemath, As Tall As Lions
Palladium Ballroom
October 29, 2009

Better than: Watching Spinal Tap's Experimental Jazz Odyssey... well, almost better.

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It was clear that when Mutemath started its set that it would be playing new songs--lots of 'em. And it was clear that the band was going to have to work hard to win over a capacity crowd that was mostly excited to hear its older stuff.

To their credit, the band members used every trick in the book--from the sing-along of "Noticed" and instrument swapping to cool lights and a backdrop fashioned to look like an old amphitheater.

But, in the end, giving the audience what it wanted was what paid off.

Alice in Chains, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle

Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie
October 23, 2009

Better than: your lame family reunion.

The new Alice in Chains.

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After five hours of mind-numbing, mediocre music at Friday's Freakers Ball at Nokia Theatre, the night's redeeming moment came when Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell invited his dad, Jerry Sr., on stage during the encore.

There, right before the unbelieving eyes of loyal fans, was the man immortalized by his rock star son as the Rooster.

The band dedicated "Rooster," arguably one of the best rock songs about war, to "all the roosters out there" serving their country.

Jerry Sr. earned the nickname during his Army tour in Vietnam, an experience he rarely, if ever, discussed with his son.

Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow & The Missing Men, Disco Doom
Granada Theater
October 22, 2009

Better Than: a Thursday evening at home in your rocking chair.

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At his Good Records performance held earlier last night, Lou Barlow expressed his love for playing in the endangered venue of the record store.

"I love playing record stores," he said. "It's like playing in a church--it's one of the only places where no one talks through the set."

Well, Lou can add the Granada Theater to the list of those places: The capacity crowd was thoroughly mesmerized not only for his performance with indie rock mavens Dinosaur Jr. but also for an incredible set from Built to Spill.

Rodrigo y Gabriela
House of Blues
October 19, 2009

Better than: anything else in the flamenco-meets-rock-meets-mariachi wheelhouse

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I'd heard about Rodrigo y Gabriela's ability to harness the power of a six-piece band with just two acoustic guitars, but seeing the phenomenon live was nothing short of spellbinding.

The duo--originally from Mexico and now based in Ireland--took the stage on its first visit to Dallas and immediately whipped the crowd into a jumping, clapping frenzy. The impossibly fast strumming, plucking and percussive tapping let loose such a rich and layered world of sound that it seemed as though a troop of ghosts was rocking out on invisible bongos, tambourines and maracas.

Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
Sons of Hermann Hall
October 19, 2009

Better than: having to tell everyone to shut up myself.

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Hope gets what Hope wants.

And, four songs into Hope her Sons of Hermann Hall performance with the Warm Inventions, Hope Sandoval had had enough of some of the relatively (by Dallas standards) quiet conversations going on among the crowd as she sang.

In a short rant that ended with her telling the offenders that they could talk all they wanted on the other side of the exit door, she reduced the crowd of approximately 200 to total silence for the remainder of her hypnotic set.

Certainly none of the males that dominated the crowd held it against her?

Daniel Folmer, Dust Congress, Glen Farris, and Sabra Laval
J&J's Pizza, Denton
October 17, 2009

Better than: watching OU-TX fans yell at one another on the parking lot that was I-35E.

Danny Fulgencio

Dust Congress' Nick Foreman. And a cello. For more of Danny Fulgencio's shots from Saturday night, check the slideshow here.

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Were it not a music venue, the dirty basement at J&J's Pizza would be the kind of place you might expect to find small skeletons. From its stained concrete floors to its low, dust-covered rafters, this venue lends itself to all things ominous.

That said, throw in a small bar, tables, chairs and a floor-level "stage" and you have a dark intimacy unlike any of Denton's hotspots.

And in a dimness akin to the dive bars of Hollywood's underworld, Daniel Folmer, Dust Congress, Glen Farris and Sabra Laval played a free show for a quiet crowd of perhaps 50 people. Folmer headlined the event, which doubled as a CD release show for his new album,  Dead End.

The Cannabinoids feat. Erykah Badu and Shiny Toy Guns
Victory Plaza
October 16, 2009

Better Than: a Texas-OU tennis match.

Check out photos from the show here in our slideshow.

Continuing the time-honored tradition of competition between Texas and Oklahoma, fans at Victory Plaza were treated once again to a duel between the states--only this one involved a battle of the bands.

Sponsored by Red Bull, the unique Soundclash event pitted bands from opposite sides of both the musical spectrum and the Red River against one another, as Dallas-native Erykah Badu and her experimental hip-hop jam band The Cannabinoids took on the Oklahoma City indie rock outfit Shiny Toy Guns.

Given the unconventional nature of the concert, some explanation is in order: With two full stages at either end of the plaza, each group opened with a 15-minute set, followed by four rounds of competition, each of which featured a different twist that was meant to stretch the bands outside of their musical comfort zones. What ensued was a back-and-forth volley of styles that kept the audience on its toes and very much into the results of the contest-much like the college football fans for the following day's Cotton Bowl match up.

​Har Mar Superstar
The Lounge on Elm Street
October 16, 2009

Better than: watching the Sooners get beat again.

From the time Har Mar Superstar strolled onto stage with his Lone Star tallboy, it was clear he was there to party.

The bad part? There were only 50 or so people there to party with him.

And, whether it was the lack of a crowd or his constant drinking throughout the show, it seemed like Har Mar was slightly bored on stage, just going through the motions.

Basically: It looked like he was ready to get the show over with so he could really get his party on and hit on girls.

Vivian Girls, True Widow, The Uptown Bums
The Cavern
October 15, 2009

Better Than: flying around in my mom and dad's homemade hot air balloon...

Vivian Girls

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Vivian Girls started its first ever Dallas set Thursday night at the Cavern with a song consisting of four words: "Sound check one two."

Ah yes, the classic, beguiling sound-check song that has every hipster moving until they realize what's really going on. After about 20 seconds bassist Kickball Katy broke the song up by sweetly announcing, "You can hear us, but we can't hear you!"

All 100 or so audience members enthusiastically shouted back as they pressed up to the front of The Cavern's tiny stage.

​Buddy Guy
House of Blues
October 15, 2009

Better than: hob-nobbing at the foundation room bar upstairs.

"Hi, can I ask you a question?" your author said to the sound engineer at the front of the house.

"Yes?"

"I'm a journalist for the Dallas Observer, here to cover the show. I was wondering if there's any way you could help me get a snapshot of his set list for my article?"

"There is no set list. He doesn't use one!"

"Really? Thank you. That's all I needed to know."

..and so began one hell of an unforgettable evening of guitar playing and showmanship.

"Ladies and Gents, please welcome to the stage...five-time Grammy Award winner, Mr. Buddy Guy!"

The crowd cheered, but then? Get this: Dallas actually shuts the fuck up for this guy. The crowd hushed like it was in church when Guy "broke it down" to a barely audible whisper on the strings of an old, cream-colored stratocaster; ominously peeking out from underneath a black & grey fedora. Guy loves to "break it down", and does a good dozen times in a set.

Slowride
Elm Street Tattoo
October 14, 2009

Better than: going under the needle.

Hal Samples

Slowride reunited at Oliver Peck's Elm Street Tattoo last night.

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U2, Muse
Cowboys Stadium
October 12, 2009

Better than: Half-time at the proper name spelling bee.

Hal Samples

For more photos from last night's performance, check out Hal Samples' slideshow.

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The first thing everyone noticed, of course, was the much ballyhooed stage, a spider-looking contraption that house a circular inner stage, an outer-ring walkway, movable bridges that connected the two, and a 360-degree, high-definition screen suspended above it all.

Extravagant doesn't even begin to describe it. But, really, that was the theme of the whole evening at Cowboys Stadium--from Muse's rocking opening set, which served as an example of how all stadium show opening sets should be done, to U2's second encore, when Bono and Co., two hours into their own show, returned one final time to perform for its adoring crowd, this time with the frontman basked in red and blue lasers.

It'd be surprising, maybe, if this was another band. But, no, this is U2, the greatest stadium rock act alive. And, in turn, the band treated audiences to what essentially served as the greatest two-hour-long half-time show ever produced.

Half-time for what exactly? Well... life, perhaps?

Maxwell, Common
American Airlines Center
October 12, 2009

Better than: Relying on your weak-ass game to get some action tonight.

Quia Querisma

Maxwell at the AAC last night.

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It goes without saying that the majority of the crowd that gathered at the American Airlines Center to witness Maxwell in his crooning, shuffling, smiling greatness were women.The sprinkling of men who were there were on dates (or "date night"), and the headliner knew this.

And, lucky for them, In light of the rolling sea of feminine screaming and nearby swooning, as the singer promised nasty-dirty-stanky love, he still positioned himself to be the ultimate wingman.

Wavves, Ganglians, El Paso Hot Button
The Lounge on Elm Street
October 9, 2009

Better than: a show where you can hear every note played with precision.

Mattie Safford

Click here for a full slideshow from Friday's show.

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There was a definite, palpable energy flowing through The Lounge on Elm Street on Friday night.

Maybe it was just all the booze; this show, after all, was a BYOB event. And, making matters even more interesting, it was also an all-ages affair. Do the math: It adds up to quite the fiery combination. Then add in a bill of high-energy, lo-fi acts known for thrashing about on stage, on top of that? Well, suffice it to say that the room had the potential to turn into a madhouse--for better or for worse. 

That was part of what made it such a captivating night, though: Everyone was watching, waiting to see how things would turn out and how the night would end. They did so excitedly, sure, but maybe with a little precaution too. Who knew what was going to happen?

Even Nathan Williams, the man behind the Wavves moniker and surely not a stranger to such displays, seemed a little concerned. After just the second song in his quick set, Williams addressed the crowd, which, just before the stage, had turned into something of an ugly mosh pit. Bodies were flailing about in every direction, hands were reaching on stage and pulling on Williams' gear, drinks were flying left and right. It was all a little much--even for him.

"Just a reminder," Williams said while catching his breath between songs, "remember we're all here to have fun. So be cool."

HYMNS, OK Sweetheart, My Empty Phantom
Hailey's Club
October 9, 2009

Better Than: sitting at home on a Friday night

HYMNS at last week's DC9 in SPACE taping.

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Playing to an unfortunately minuscule but, nonetheless, quite enthusiastic crowd on Friday night at Hailey's, HYMNS proved it knows how to have a good time.

Even after a 10-day tour through Texas, the band, promoting its latest album, Appaloosa, still more than matched its crowd's enthusiasm, urging the audience to inch closer to the stage if they wanted to really enjoy the full concert experience.

This much has to be said, though: Although the enthusiasm is much appreciated, the audience may have gotten nauseous from watching band member Jason Roberts dart, shake and bob his body back and forth across the stage. Thankfully, any any actual nausea proved fleeting: Despite a bit too much movement, the band's funky guitar beats and beautiful vocal harmonies made for a fun, classic rock time at Hailey's.

Wilco
Palladium Ballroom
October 9, 2009

Better Than: Anything?

Patrick Michels

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. For more shots, check out Patrick Michels' slideshow from the event.

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Two songs into the set came the climactic moment: "A Shot in the Arm," off 1999's Summerteeth. Pure rumble and all rapture, the sound of a band falling apart as it comes together. Melody melts into noise--music as mercury--but nobody ever loses their place, not Nels Cline, machine-gunning from his guitar teensy bleeps and thunderous roars; not Jeff Tweedy, who's inching ever closer toward being the soul singer he's always imagined himself to be; and not the rest of the band, which uses a jackhammer for the detail work. We're still in the second song here, and by the time it wraps up one wonders: What next? How to top that?

But this is Wilco, which was just getting warmed up: Twenty-five songs left to go, with one dating all the way back to A.M. ("Casino Queen," back when Tweedy was still interested in Gram Parsons's old gig) to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot's cast-offs ("Cars Can't Escape"). Not to mention the between-song banter: the playful jab at tapers who nitpick setlists; Tweedy affectionately teasing the audience member struggling to harmonize in tune; the frontman's swapping of his sweaty H&M pearl-snap-up for a gold lamé button-down during the "sartorial interlude."

The Palladium, sold out and jammed up tight on a brisk Friday night, might as well have been your backyard, by a campfire; Wilco loves you, baby.

David Bazan, Say Hi
Dan's Silverleaf, Denton
October 8, 2009

Better Than: trying to drive home in the rain.

If we pretended that this photo was from last night, you'd probably believe us, huh?

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Even before the storm rolled in and David Bazan finally lumbered on stage at Dan's Silverleaf, last night's elbow-to-elbow capacity crowd had to know that it was in for an unforgettable night. After all, for this tour, a post-Pedro the Lion Bazan was going to once again be backed by a full band.

I overheard that Dan's has pre-sold 150 tickets, and that people were showing up from as far away as Oklahoma for the performance. So, no surprise, the place was packed before and during Say Hi's opening set--but as soon as Bazan started his set, the patio cleared too, and, no exaggeration, I've never seen people pack in so sardine-like at Dan's.

Ask around if you think I'm exaggerating.