Kevin Moriarty, installed as Dallas Theater Center artistic director in June '07, makes his debut as DTC director later this month with, of all things, The Who's Tommy. Moriarty also makes his debut as DTC spokesman (not counting his video chitchat with Elaine in April) with this just-posted pitch for Tommy, which was extended through September 28 weeks before it even opened. Interesting note: DTC has hired the very theatrical, kinda classic-rocking Denton band Oso Closo to do the Who. Interested, very interested, though I've always been more of a Quadrophenia kinda guy myself. --Robert Wilonsky

Dooney Da Priest's anti-sagging-pants anthem -- which, turns out, is just a, erm, homage to this similarly monikered track that came out in 2006 -- gets special notice in the U.K. this morning, where the Guardian breaks down Dwaine Caraway's favorite song with several mentions of the deputy mayor pro tem. Seems Dooney's full-lengther has just arrived in stores; only, columnist Steven Wells doesn't appear to be a fan: "The media (dominated by middle-aged white men who for years have yearned to scream this song's intolerant message at youths sporting enormous lengths of designer shreddy above their clownishly baggy keks) are hyping Pull Your Pants Up! with a gusto that borders on the fascistic." Me, I hadn't thought about this song since last fall, till it was hyped in a British newspaper this morning. And now I can't get it out my head. Again. --Robert Wilonsky

If I may direct your attention to DC9 at Night for a moment, Pete's posted quite the present: the title track to Dallas Observer Music Awards fave Sarah Jaffe's forthcoming six-track EP Even Born Again, which the great Robert Jenkins dropped off yesterday. It's your for the taking; don't even need to ask. You'll want more, trust me. And, whilst we're on the musical note, guess I'll go ahead and post the final teaser for the forthcoming New Year record, out -- and I do mean, way out -- September 9. Look, you only think you know Bubba and Matt Kadane. I've listened to the new album, oh, a dozen times thus far -- turns out, you have no idea. --Robert Wilonsky

As Pete's taking the day off to recover from the Dallas Observer Music Awards -- and back in my day, we got an hour, tops -- thought I'd sneak this musical note by the goalkeeper. Because -- surprise, surprise -- it's a New Year notice, yet another in advance of the third album due from Matt and Bubba Kadane and the fellers on September 9 from Touch and Go. This is the second of three teasers -- this one, a soothing balm on a scorching morn. A better version's available here; so too are fall tour dates, including the September 18 kick-off at the Granada Theater. --Robert Wilonsky

Brian Barnaud

Taking Greendale to New York, via Deep Ellum

On Saturday, Undermain Theatre publicist Lisa Taylor sent out the reminder that director Katherine Owens; bandmates Kenny Withrow, Paul Semrad and Alan Emert; and cast members Bruce DuBose, Newton Pittman, Shannon Kearns-Simmons and plenty others are heading to NYC this week with their stage adaptation of Neil Young's Greendale. They'll take the show to the annual Ice Factory Festival, presented by Soho Think Tank at the Ohio Theatre, this Wednesday through Saturday -- where, just maybe, Neil Young will finally see the adaptation after skipping it during its Dallas run (which was end of March through early May).

Yesterday, The New York Times ran its own reminder in the Arts & Leisure section: a generous piece about "Morphing Neil Young for the Stage and Page." Young didn't talk for the story, which also deals with DC Comics' forthcoming comic book adaptation (ugh), but all the main Undermain'ers did, among them DeBose, the company's exec producer who initally applied for the stage rights once he discovered no one else had them. “I gather that it interested [Young] that we are a fairly small, experimental theater,” DuBose says, “He has really been generous and pretty much hands off.” Betcha at least one of Withrow's bandmates catches the four-day run. --Robert Wilonsky

Brian Harkin

Matt Kadane, left, and brother Bubba Saturday night at the Granada

I see over on DC9 that Pete's posted quite the rave for Saturday night's triple-header at the Granada: The Theater Fire, Matt and Bubba Kadane and Centro-matic. To which I'd only add that it was a bit of a sentimental kick to hear Matt introduce set-closer "Living Well" with a shout-out to former Bedhead bunkmates Kris Wheat and Trini Martinez, among the countless familiar faces on hand for a show that exceeded my own admittedly out-of-whack expectations.

Los Bros Kadane, who also dipped into the WhatFunLifeWas fun pack for some bruising "Crushing," performed several tracks from The New Year's eponymous album, due September 9 -- all killer, no filler. (Though, noted Matt after show, "Wait till you hear 'em with piano." So noted.) Till then, a rarity: Bedhead's shockingly faithful cover of the Stranglers' "Golden Brown," hunh? --Robert Wilonsky

Yesterday on DC9, Pete posted a note from Smile Smile's Ryan Hamilton in which the guitarist-vocalist mentioned that the duo got one of its songs, "Anymore," placed in a direct-to-video release, Jack and Jill vs. the World. The film -- "A Freddie Prinze Jr. movie with some promise," says here -- came out on DVD last week. Pete posted the trailer, but this morning, whilst cruising the YouTubes, I stumbled across the actual scene in which the song appears -- so, ya know, scratch this one off your Netflix queue. It's after the jump. --Robert Wilonsky

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Keven McAlester, at right, with Roky Erickson. One day we'll get a different picture of Keven. One day.

Couple weeks back, we posted the new Old 97's video for "Dance With Me" off the band's latest, Blame it on Gravity. It's an impressive piece of work, not only because it stars Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer, but because it signals a pretty remarkable evolution in the work of its director, Keven McAlester. Till now, the former met music editor, who I brought out to Los Angeles to replace me at New Times Los Angeles during my brief tenure there in the mid-1990s, has been best known for his Spirit Award-nominated documentary about Roky Erickson, You're Gonna Miss Me, and his videos for the likes of The New Year, Spoon, Vashti Bunyan and, yes, even solo Rhett Miller.

Keven's more or less done with his latest documentary, The Dungeon Masters, described here as "an exploration of the subculture of role-playing games, specifically Dungeons & Dragons." He hopes to get it into festivals this fall -- perhaps the Toronto International Film Festival, fingers crossed. And though he directed an earlier 97's video, for "In the Satellite Rides a Star," the new promotional short suggests a marked change in Keven's directorial style -- from static and simple to what amounts to more or less an extended action sequence, only hinted at in his video for Spoon's "The Underdog." After the jump, Keven talks about making the new Old 97's video and what comes after that. And, a highlight reel.

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A big thank-you to Pete Freedman this afternoon, as over on DC9 he's posted the new video from The Theater Fire -- which is for the new song "Uncle Wayne" off the band's forthcoming this fall Matter of Light. Which is nice and all -- like the Old 97's, The Theater Fire got 'em a teevee star to appear in their latest promotional narrative. But for those who head over to the band's mighty, mighty generous MySpace page, you'll also find four terrific tracks from the new record available for downloading: "Uncle Wayne," "Swashbuckler Blues" (or, perhaps, "Errol Flynn," as it appears on my iTunes), "Beatrice-Ode" and "Coyote." Or, as I now call them, the four songs I've just put on my iPod for nonstop weekend listening. --Robert Wilonsky

Greg Allen

The Buck Pets were, from left: Ian Beach, Andy Thompson, Tony Alba and Chris Savage.

So, a few hours after I posted that item yesterday about the Grand Hyatt DFW being all that and then some, one "Danny Explosion" dropped this comment concerning the highly rated hotel and its eatery: "I think the chef there is Ian Beach bassist for the Buckpets." And, hot damn, sure 'nuff: Only last week, Beach, who's been the chef de cuisine at the hotel's Grand Met since November, was profiled in the Fort Worth Business Press, and his former band got a quick mention. Turns out, says Beach, "Cooking’s always been my first love, even more than music."

Still, though, about that music: There's plenty of it to be had on the Buck Pets' surprisingly up-to-date MySpace page, complete with 18 demos. There's also a recently posted note from Veruca Salt's Louise Post about this Buck Pets classic. After the jump, "Sick + Stoned" in 1989. Who wasn't? And there's plenty more where that came from. --Robert Wilonsky

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Courtesy Lisa's computer

Lisa Loeb has the most amazing posses in the history of ever.

Surely I've mentioned that Lisa Loeb and I were cast mates in a Hockaday School production of The Pajama Game back in, oh, 1984, I think it was. (The school was low on public-school boys, I guess, and I had the only non-singing role, courtesy my sweet-talking Hockadaisy girlfriend, Amy Sanders.) Also, maybe I've noted in the past that Lisa's dad, Pete, is my mom's gastroenterologist -- name of my first book, nailed it. So, yeah, I've always had a soft spot for Lisa -- hence, this posting concerning her homecoming tomorrow and Saturday to promote her new kids' album, Camp Lisa, featuring the likes of Jill Sobule, Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon and (yes, that) Steve Martin and currently available solely through Barnes & Noble.

Oddly enough, that's just where she's performing Saturday at 2 p.m. -- at the Lincoln Park location across Northwest Highway from NorthPark Center. Later that night, when the kiddies are asleep, she'll be at Bend Studio. (Not cheap at $35, but you pay for the intimacy.) But not before she makes the local-TV rounds tomorrow in the a.m. on both Good Day Dallas and Good Morning Texas. After the jump, a video from the making of Camp Lisa -- included, really, because you can't get enough of the late, great Elmer Bernstein's contribution to Meatballs, "Are You Ready for the Summer?" Damn right I am. --Robert Wilonsky

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Keven McAlester, at right, with Roky Erickson, subject of Kev's acclaimed documentary You're Gonna Miss Me

Surely, the Friends know the name: He's an old pal, local boy, former met music editor, ex-Adventure Club co-host, my El Lay replacement and now an acclaimed filmmaker of both the short-form and long-form variety who's done videos for the likes of The New Year, Rhett Miller and Spoon.

Anyway, Kevvy Kev just finished the video for "Dance With Me," the first single off the Old 97's Blame it on Gravity, and it's a wondrous thing -- a beautifully, comically choreographed epic starring, no shit, Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica, who gets far more face time than the band -- a wise move, heh. I just posted it over on DC9 at Night; we'll repost it to Unfair Park later today, when I get Kev on the phone for a making-of Q&A. Till then, hop over to our music blog for some lunchtime entertainment; you will not be disappointed. --Robert Wilonksy

Pete Freedman

Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow, not necessarily new but Bohemians nonetheless

As promised yesterday, Pete's posted to DC9 at Night some rather nice aural souvenirs from Saturday night's Arts Magnet homecoming performance. Me, I'm partial to the new Norah Jones cut myself, though the hometown crowd surely appreciated Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow's tribute to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Download at your leisure, and listen along with this slideshow. --Robert Wilonsky

Denny Doran

From left: Some dude who's now in the Toadies, some dude who's now in Centro-matic, some dude who's now in The New Year and, um, Mark Hedman

Whilst cleaning out his closet, local photog Denny Doran stumbled across some never-before-developed snaps of the Dallas rock scene circa the mid- to late 1990s -- which, natch, is right in my wheelhouse. Doran gave them to our old pal Jeff Liles for his A History of Dallas Music site, Jeff forwarded some along to Observer music editor Pete Freedman -- and, voila, here's your Friday-afternoon slideshow, thank you very much. And, of course, I went with the Funland photo here -- maybe because this oldie-but-goodie came up during an iPod shuffle only yesterday, and it made me awfully happy. --Robert Wilonsky

Maybe not, but certainly a ... um ... rockin' New Year, as evidenced by the few seconds of new music previewed in the trailer below, for the band's eponymous release due September 9 on Touch and Go. The label has just released the song titles and album cover (oooh, fall colors!), but this trailer's all the new music you'll find thus far. At least, till Matt and Bubba Kadane and Peter Schmidt play the Granada on June 28, the last of three Texas shows next month. --Robert Wilonsky