Just Because I'm Sick with a Cold...

Doesn't mean you shouldn't go to a show this weekend. Here are some cool options:

FRIDAY:

Macon Greyson, Sally Jaye, Brian Wright (Lakewood Bar & Grill) - Macon Greyson is one of Dallas' most underappreciated bands. Show them some love tonight.
Fate Lions, Ella, Anabella (Opening Bell Coffee) - Not only does Jason Manriguez help run the killer Sample Press, he has a nice little band called Fate Lions. How does he do it all?
The Fieros, Johnny Lloyd Rollins, Smile Smile, Binary Sunrise (Club Dada) - They started out as a Dallas band called The Valentines. Now not only has the name changed to The Fieros, their address is about to change. Before the band moves to Brooklyn, they say farewell to their hometown with a totally fabulous lineup. Farewell guys, you will be missed.

SATURDAY:

The essence of Saturday can be well captured by two words: Old 97's. They'll be playing that evening at House of Blues with Hayes Carll, and hopefully you already have your tickets, because the show is sold out. Maybe you'll luck out and find a scalper who will sell you a ticket for either a few hundred dollars or your first born. For those without the cash or first born, not to fear. Old 97's are doing an in-store performance at Good Records at 1:00 pm. I'd say the place would be packed in like a can of sardines, but it probably won't feel that spacious. Nevertheless, it's Old 97's, and it's free, so sweat it out and deal. And while you're there, if you don't have Blame It on Gravity, you can pick up a copy and learn all the songs before the show (if you have your tickets, that is). If you're looking for other options that don't involve Old 97's for Saturday, here you go:


Somebody's Darling, Salute (Lakewood Bar & Grill) - Wow! Two great shows at LB&G in one weekend. Looks like the club is on some sort of roll.
Fishing For Comets, Billygoat Brink (Opening Bell Coffee) - Someone buy Eric Neal a drink. He'll be doing double duty with both bands on the bill.
Boys Named Sue (Lee Harvey's) - It's being billed as the "Evil Neighbor is Gone" party. Just a thought here, but if you're moving near a bar that has outdoor live bands, you should either be OK with the music, or choose a different place to live, and not expect the club that was there before you to change. But that's just my opinion.
Eleven Hundred Springs, Big Smith, The King Bucks (Granada Theater) - My deepeest congratulations go out to the guys in Eleven Hundred Springs, who are celebrating their tenth anniversary together at this show. The best part? After ten years, the band shows NO signs of slowing down. None. Zero. Nada. That is no small feat right there.
Spector 45, Clay & The Electronic Cowboys, Escort Service, The Black Hollies (Club Dada) - This is a 5 year anniversary show for Spector 45. Hmmm... 10 year anniversary for Eleven Hundred Springs, 5 year Anniversary for Spector 45... maybe it's just coincidence, or perhaps this is a good time of year to start bands.

The Funkiest of Funkytown

In case you missed it, Fort Worth Weekly has announced their nominees for their 2008 Music Awards. I'm not certain when voting ends, but I do know that winners will be announced June 21 in downtown Fort Worth. Both parking and admission are free to this event, and I will give you more details as I get them.

In the meantime, I offer up for you a list of nominees in all the different categories. If I have a personal preference in a category, I will italicize the name of the artist, song, or whatever. Oh, and click right here to vote.

ROCK:

• Black Tie Dynasty


• The Burning Hotels


• Calhoun


• The Cut*off


• Lifters


• Tame.. Tame & Quiet

HARD ROCK:

• Exit 380


• Incendiary


• Jefferson Colby


• The Me-Thinks


• Sky Eats Airplane


• Spoonfed Tribe


• Stella Rose

HEAVY METAL:

• Addnerim


• Blood of the Sun


• Brickfight


• The Great Tyrant


• Legends of the South


• Merkin


• One-Fingered Fist


• Urizen


• Within Chaos

NEW ARTIST:

• The Black Bonnets


• Frontier Brothers


• Panther City Bandits


• Pretty Baby


• Proud Warrior


• Rivercrest Yacht Club


• Telegraph Canyon


• Whiskey Folk Ramblers

DJ/BEATSMITH:

• Buddah


• FNKY1


• Riot


• Sexy9


• Soul


• Wildhair

LIVE BAND:

• The Campaign


• Darth Vato


• High School Assembly


• Holy Moly


• The Iliads


• Pablo and the Hemphill 7


• Sally Majestic


• Villain Vanguard

NOTE: While I'm inclined to recommend The Campaign for this award based on what I've heard from the MySpace, I cannot honestly recommend any as live bands since I've seen none of them live. And after all, the award is best LIVE band.

AVANT-GARDE/EXPERIMENTAL:

• Alan


• Best Fwends


• The Bible Fire


• Eaton Lake Tonics


• Ghoultown


• PFFFT!


• Sleeplab


• Top Secret...Shhh


• Underground Railroad

ALT-COUNTRY:

• Dove Hunter


• Collin Herring


• Clint Niosi


• Panther City Bandits


• Telegraph Canyon


• The Theater Fire


• Whiskey Folk Ramblers

TEXAS MUSIC:

• Brad Hines


• Joey Green Band


• Jordan Mycoskie & The Fire-Breathing Fish


• Kyle Bennett Band


• Maren Morris


• Magee Payne


• Stephen Pointer


• Standard Transmission

C&W:

• 100 Damned Guns


• Tommy Alverson


• Cadillac Sky


• Lost Country


• Ginny Mac


• Phil Prichett


• Kurt South


• Quebe Sisters

ACOUSTIC/FOLK:

• Blackland River Devils


• Bosque Brown


• Daniel Katsuk


• PrinceRodriguez


• James Michael Taylor


• Russ Walton

JAZZ/WORLD:

• Amistad


• Daymond Callahan


• Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra w/Adonis Rose


• Jazz Monsters


• Jhon Kahsen


• Lazzo


• Rachella Parks

BLUES/FUNK:

• Dirty & Earthvibes


• James Hinkle


• Josh Weathers Band


• The Red Herrings


• Holland K. Smith


• Drue Webber


• JZ & Dirty Pool

R&B/RAP:

• 6TWO


• 8-11 & Ph.D


• Immortal soldierz


• PPT


• Rivercrest Yacht Club


• Smooth Vega


• Versatile


• Keite Young

VOCALIST (FEMALE):

• April Geesbreght


• Maren Morris


• Elizabeth Wills


• Beth Wood


• Zayra (Pretty Baby)

VOCALIST (MALE):

• Daniel Katsuk (Katsuk)


• Matt Mooty (The Burning Hotels)


• Cory Watson (Black Tie Dynasty)


• Carey Wolff


• Keite Young

SONGWRITER:

• Tyler Casey/Nathan Scheidewent (Titan Moon)


• April Geesbreght


• Collin Herring


• Daniel Katsuk (Katsuk)


• Tim Locke (Calhoun)


• Keite Young

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

• All The Good News - Telegraph Canyon


• Big Fire - April Geesbreght


• Denglish - PPT


• Last of the Great Mississippi Bluesmen Live in Dallas - The Blue Shoe Project


• Out in the Wind - Katsuk


• Past Life Crashing - Collin Herring


• Rivercrest Yacht Club - Rivercrest Yacht Club


• Texas - Playradioplay!


• Vinyl Destination - Joey Greene Band


• When the Music Starts - Mount Righteous

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

• Falter.Waver.Cultivate - Calhoun


• Goodwin 2 - Goodwin


• Gravity Suddenly Released - Stumptone


• Film Black - Titanmoon


• My Cosmic Self - Jefferson Colby


• Packaged Up for Beginners - The Cut*off


• Public Service Announcement - Spoonfed Tribe

SONG OF THE YEAR:

• Alibi - Lifters


• Elephants as Big as Whales - Playradioplay!


• Jenny O - Josh Weathers Band


• My Mistake - April Geesbreght


• Punches - Collin Herring


• To Me Mum - PPT


• Violent Man - Pretty Baby

Okay, I have to say this. Shame on the nominating committee for selecting PPT's "To Me Mum" instead of "Save it For Another Day" or "Who's That Girl?", the latter of which should be winning Song of the Year.

ROCK SONG OF THE YEAR:

• Big House - The Cut*off


• Breathe - Calhoun


• Grace - Goodwin


• Gravity Suddenly Released - Stumptone


• Morroco - Titanmoon

There must be something in the Fort Worth water. Both "Black Market Value" and "Need a Release" are better cut*off songs, and "Write for You" is Goodwin's best song.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

• Calhoun


• Green River Ordinance


• Goodwin


• Katsuk


• Playradioplay!


• Stumptone

COVER/TRIBUTE BAND:

• Child O' Mine


• Poo Live Crew


• Prophets of Rage


• Stoogeophilia


• Velvet Love Box

MVP:

• Lee Allen


• Andre Edmonson


• Matt Hembre


• Dave Karnes


• Marcus Lawyer


• Adonis Rose


• Bart Rose

I feel totally out of touch with the FW music scene at this moment. I know NONE of these names. Correction: Dave Karnes is the drummer for Rahim Quazi, and that's reason enough for me to recommend him.

VENUE:

• 8.0 Bar and Cafe


• Aardvark


• Arts Fifth Avenue


• Lola's Saloon


• The Moon


• Ridglea Theater


• Scat Jazz Lounge


• The White Elephant

Album Review: Supernatural, Rahim Quazi

Elvis Costello made the famous quote that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” It may come as a surprise to hear me, a blogger, say this, but I think that there is a large amount of truth in that statement. When music is truly at its best, it touches a place inside of one’s self that words cannot seem to do justice to. Very few albums truly reach that level, but Rahim Quazi’s Supernatural is such an album. So bear with me, as I attempt to dance about architecture.

The album opens with the title track, a truly infectious yet inspiring pop tune with a chorus (“5, 4, 3, 2, one day he’ll see you on the ground, lost or found/Save your life, that’s just no good anymore) that is likely to set up permanent residence in your head upon hearing it. It is the kind of song that would feel at home on the radio, and more importantly, it manages to possess a potential for mainstream success, while never feeling derivative or trying to be a hit single. The song naturally has the quality that demands repeated listening.

Much of the album has a strong pop sensibility to it. “She Falls” has a definite McCartney-esque sound to it. In fact, many of the tracks on the album (“In This Life”, “Goodbye”, and the hidden track “Life, It’s a Gas”) show a definite appreciation of the Beatles on Mr. Quazi’s part. While the Beatles influence is unmistakably apparent, the songs never come off as Beatles rip offs. In fact, one of the most pleasant things about this album is that the sound of the songs is truly original. Whereas most bands it is easy to play the “pin the tail on the influences” game as I call it, he manages to take his influences and meld it into something that seems to defy simple classification.

The album also manages to take a multitude of styles and put them together on one album and yet never does Supernatural feel disjointed. Some of the tracks like “Always Be There” and “You Fool” show a much more rocking side of Mr. Quazi (the latter of which translates into an intense experience when performed live). Other tracks like “Gifts and Burdens” and “So Much Better” are mellow, introspective numbers that tells stories that will draw the listener in. Granted, 2008 has not even reached the halfway mark yet, but I would be shocked if I heard a better album this year than Supernatural. Don’t just take my word for it. After all, I’m only dancing about architecture. This is an album that is a must have not for just local music fans, but for anyone who understands the power of music.

Last.fm Playlist: 5/25/08

I'm doing something a little different with the playlist this time around. This week's playlist has something of a theme. It's a playlist in remembrance of artists from the past. Some of these are bands who have broken up, and some of the musicians have passed away. Either way, I thought I'd make this playlist in honor of these musicians. By the way, with the current wave of reunion shows, I should note that as of the time of this playlist, none of these bands are actively playing together. That, of course, could change very quickly. You never know.

1. "Right Now I Could Be a Ghost", [DARYL] - It's not like [DARYL] has broken up per se, but Dylan Silvers has been far too busy with The Crash That Took Me to do any [DARYL] shows, so the band is "on hiatus" indefinitely.


2. "The Last Ride", Adventures of Jet - This is another band that does rare but ocassional reunion shows. Since the reunion shows tend to emphasize the Bobgoblin songs, I opted for this AOJ song instead.


3. "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", Blind Lemon Jefferson - You knew I had to put a Blind Lemon Jefferson song on here. It's a given.


4. "Some Sweet Day", Budapest One - Yes, Budapest One does an ocassional reunion show too, and the most recent reunion show was a matter of months ago. Still, it's hard to keep the band going on a full time basis when the two key players (Keith Killoren and Chad Stockslager) are busy playing with The Drams.


5. "New Hope PA", The Chemistry Set - One of my all time favorite songs by one of my all time favorite Dallas bands.


6. "Need", Eden Automatic - During the year 2001, their CD Glimmer would have easily made the top 10 most listened to CD list. Annette and Doug Conlon, have since moved to Los Angeles, but one can only hope they'll swing by Dallas again and play a show.


7. "Pent Up Brunette", Fury III - I've heard several songs by this band, but none could quite compare to this catchy tune. I'd call them a "one-hit wonder", except for the fact that this song unfortunately get a big enough following to earn the one-hit wonder title.


8. "Band", Hagfish - This is one band that hasn't taken advantage of the wave of reunion shows... yet.


9. "Gonna Be a Rockstar", Happiness Factor - The first time I met Salim Nourallah was when he fronted Happiness Factor. It's a decidedly more loud, rocking sound that what is heard on his solo CD's. The lyrical wit and sarcasm is still present in these tunes though.


10. "2828", Hi-Fi Drowning - I would've prefered to do "The Saint's Id" or "Everzo", but the titles have been switched, labelling "The Saint's Id" as "Everzo" and vice versa. Perhaps it shouldn't bug me so much, but it does, so I opted for this other fine track from Rounds the Rosa.


11. "Zermatt", Lucy Loves Schroeder - This is Sara Radle in her pop-punk days. Listening to this gives me the sudden urge to wear all red and black.


12. "Satellites", Red Animal War - I'm going to be honest here. During the time this band was together, I did not like them at all. I heard this track on a last.fm Dallas radio station, liked it, and to my surprise, it was a Red Animal War song. If I had heard more songs of this calliber by the band, maybe I would have become a fan.


13. "Rockin' Bones", Ronnie Dawson - I am glad that I got to see this Dallas rockabilly legend play live before he died in 2003.


14. "Pinball Song", Slobberbone - An average setlist by The Drams seems to contain more Slobberbone songs than Drams songs, so one could argue that Slobberbone is still together. Still, the lineup is different between the two bands. I opted for this song since I don't recall ever hearing this song performed at any Drams shows.


15. "Hospitals and Sex", Sorta - I remember watching in awe of what a tremendous job that Carter Albrecht did on keyboards when playing this song live.


16. "My Beautiful Life", Sparrows - And what a beautiful life it was.


17. "Life by the Drop", Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Stevie was known as a guitar virtuoso, but this track shows the more introspective side of the legend.


18. "Any Given Saturday", Spitfire Tumbleweeds - Here is the most recent entry in the list of broken up local bands.


19. "Bully", Sugarbomb - I never understood how this band failed to make the leap into the national scene. Their music was pure pop joy a la Ben Folds Five, Queen, Jellyfish, and the like. I have also never been so sad to see a band break up as when Sugarbomb did.


20. "Blown Away", Tripping Daisy - As I believe I've mentioned before, I never got the opportunity to see this band live. I was seriously considering going to one of their shows at Curtain Club, but before that show happened, Wes Berggren died of a heart attack.

Memorial Day Weekend Shows

I've got three days worth of recommended shows here. Check all these out; I'm sure there's at least one show on this list that you'll dig.

Friday:
The Slack (Barley House) - Sorry, Chris Holt is ill and will not be able to do the show.
Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights (Woody's Tavern) - Have I mentioned lately how totally incredible JT&NL are live? Their performances are electrifying and soulful and everything that music is supposed to be.
Crash Vinyl, Goodwin, Darlington (Double-Wide) - Is it just me, or there this major reunion show trend going on here? It started with Chomsky, then came Macavity, then tomorrowpeople, and now Crash Vinyl is reuniting. Too bad Sara Radle is busy with The Rentals and Calamity Magnet, otherwise we might haved lucked out and gotten a Lucy Loves Schroeder reunion show.


Saturday:
C.B.G.B. Benefit (City Tavern) - No, this is not an attempt to resurrect the New York City punk club. The initials stand for crawfish boil and great beer, and the event will raise money for both Cystic Fibrosis and autism research. Musical highlights will include the debut performance of Nick Durham's band Monchos Ponchos (7 pm), as well as the always fabulous Felons (8 pm), Millicent Friendly (9 pm), Escort Service (11 pm), and Dirt Blazers (midnight).
The Felons, The Farstar, Salute (Double-Wide) - For those who can't get enough of The Felons, they will also headline at Double-Wide.
Black Tie Dynasty, The Burning Hotels, The Demigs (Granada Theater) - I am seriously disappointed that I will not be able to make The Demigs part of the show due to work obligations. Chris Demiglio and his bandmates produce wonderfully catchy yet noisy tunes that are sure to please. Oh yeah, and Black Tie Dynasty are good too.
Sarah Jaffe, Telegraph Canyon (Club Dada) - Sarah is a unique musical force in the fact that she does something that almost no other act in Dallas can do: she gets people to shut up and listen. At every performance of hers I have seen, you could hear a pin drop during the set. When you have as beautifully haunting and powerful of a voice as Ms. Jaffe has, people feel compelled to listen. I am certain this show will be no exception.
Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights (Hat Tricks) - Why are JT&NL playing at Hat Trick's in Lewisville? Because Lewisville people need good music too. That's why.


Sunday:
Boys Named Sue, THe BAcksliders, 500 Miles to Memphis (House of Blues) - First of all, I think it's great for a larger venue like HOB to host a show for local acts. Second of all, BNS and THe BAcksliders are two of the best bands in these parts. While 500 Miles to Memphis is not local, they are an incredible band reminiscent of the best aspects of Slick 57. I believe this band did originate in Dallas, and if any members of the band are reading this, I will buy every band member a beer if you agree to relocate permanently in Dallas. Think about it.
Fishing For Comets (Sue Ellen's) - I see nothing about this on the Sue Ellen's website, but FFC's MySpace says that they'll be playing there. We'll see.

Shake It Up, Baby!

In case you haven't noticed, I really dig Greater Good. And if you haven't noticed that, you need to read Ghost of Blind Lemon more often. Seriously, you do.

But that's a story for another day. My point is that today, the band is finally releasing their first full length album, Shake Till I Let You Go. Although I do not have the album yet, I still feel I can recommend the album based solely on their live shows and songs on MySpace. I know you can buy the album on Itunes, Amazon, and the Barnes & Noble website. I'm not sure if you'll be able to find it yet at Good Records, CD World, or any of the other independent record stores in town, but I would call them and ask them to carry the album if they are not doing so already.

So get your copy, and yes, shake it till you let go. Yeah, that was cheesy. I know.

Last.fm Playlist: 5/18/08

1. "Serious", [DARYL] - Another frustration with last.fm is that they use brackets as part of their coding language. As a result, last.fm users can't really show their love of the band because the brackets in the band's name confuses the computers. Oh well.


2. "Bearfield Fight Song", American Werewolf Academy - My thanks to Aaron Thedford for finally uploading the band's catalogue to the last.fm website. I'm sure my readers will be thankful to Mr. Thedford after they hear what I can only describe as "candy to the ears".


3. "Fat Girls", THe BAcksliders - Another fabulous track from You're Welcome. The CD Release Party is June 6th at Double-Wide; save that date.


4. "Trick Photography", Black Tie Dynasty - I predict that BTD will not play this song Saturday at the Granada Theater. Frankly, I miss hearing this song at their shows.


5. "Throw Me Overboard", The Demigs - This band opens for BTD and The Burning Hotels at Granada. Be there early for this band. Why? Because they rule; that's why.


6. "Mama Help Me", Edie Brickell and New Bohemians - This song just never caught on the way it should have. I'd call it sophomore slump, except that the song is too good to slap that label on it.


7. "Still Below You", Fishing For Comets - I chose the version off of their debut EP because, well, that's the only version in the last.fm catalogue.


8. "Write for You", Goodwin - I've been listening to this song so much that I'm hoping all of you enjoy as much as I have. That's why "Write for You" remains on the playlist for a second week.


9. "What Are You Waiting For?", John Dufilho - Even though it's from John's solo album, it feels just like a Deathray Davies song. Not that that's a bad thing.


10. "Sophisticate", The Marked Men - I had not heard of this band until listening to them on last.fm's Denton Tag Radio. If you're a fan of pop punk (Ramones style of course, not Good Charlotte), then you'll probably like this song.


11. "A Smile in the Garden of Sunshine", Matthew and the Arrogant Sea - Okay, so the band went a little overboard with the multi-million dollar record deal story. Get past the hype, and what you'll find are some lovely songs by this band.


12. "In Tennessee", Nicholas Altobelli - Another thanks goes out to Mr. Altobelli for uploading songs on last.fm. His Streetcar Visions EP is a very enjoyable collection of songs that is well worth buying.


13. "Doreen", Old 97's - Alas, I do not have a copy of Blame It on Gravity yet. Perhaps I'll buy it at Good Records on the 31st when Old 97's also do an in-store performance. By the way, I want to know, readers, what do you think of the new album?


14. "Love My Way", The Polyphonic Spree- Yes, I'm a sucker for unusual cover songs, and this is definitely an unusual cover. Hearing the ever so happy Tim DeLaughter sing "It's a fashion with a gun my love", well, that just doesn't have that happy go lucky Polyphonic Spree vibe. Yet it works. Go figure.


15. "When We Was Kool", PPT - Is it humanly possible to frown and listen to a PPT song at the same time? I doubt it. By the way, if you haven't checked out the video on YouTube yet, do so.


16. "Almost Home", Rahim Quazi - I figured that the first Rahim song to be featured on a playlist would be the title track to his new album, Supernatural. That was before I saw that Rahim uploaded this, one of my favorite songs of his ever. This song has never made it onto an album; I've only heard it at live shows, mostly because he's kind enough to play it whenever I yell this song out. "Supernatural" will have to wait for another week. By the way, look for more stuff on Rahim on Ghost of Blind Lemon in the near future.


17. "Slide Shows", Rose County Fair - I have nothing witty or insightful to offer about this song, other than the fact that it's by Rose County Fair, which means it's good. Enough said.


18. "Hang On", Salim Nourallah - I've never known another songwriter who can write such sad lyrics and make it so utterly catchly as Salim Nourallah can do. Who else could write lines like "hang on, hang on/'til everything is gone" and make it a chorus that sticks in your head?


19. "Goats Across the Fire", Shibboleth - I love this song, but really guys, what's up with the song title?


20. "Your Life", Smile Smile - Between "Hang On" and this song, maybe I oughtta warn listeners to take their Prozac before listening to this playlist.

Mr. Mojo Risin'

Last month, Kristy Kruger's dog Mojo (pictured at left), was injured in a fall from a twelve foot ledge. The good news is that Mojo is alive and recovering from his broken leg. Unfortunately, Kristy had to use the money set aside for recording her next CD in order to save her dog’s life. As a result, she is holding a benefit show at Opening Bell Coffee this Saturday to help her pay off the doctor’s bills (totaling around $4,000). There isn’t an official “cover charge”, but you’d have to be a rotten cheapskate not to come up with the $10 “suggested donation”. Besides, just take a look at the lineup below and try to tell me this isn’t worth $10 just based on talent alone:

2pm Kristy Kruger
3pm Sunday Morning
3:30pm Jennifer Leonhardt
4pm Dylan Sneed
4:30pm Greg Pherigo
5pm Michael Earhart
5:30 Laura Harrell
6pm Becky Middleton
6:30pm Felix Flores
7pm The Beaten Seas
7:30pm Paul Slavens
8pm Merry and the Moodswings
8:30pm Taylor Davis
9pm M.C.R.
9:30pm Rahim Quazi
10pm Atom Hat Factory
10:30pm Kristy Kruger

Quite a lineup, huh? So come for a great day of music, and while you’re there, say hi to Mojo and sign his cast.

I Normally Don't Recommend CD Listening Parties, But..

This is no ordinary CD Listening Party. This is Old 97's CD Listening Party. Whenever the Old 97's are involved, all the rules change. It happens tonight at the Granada Theater, and there is no cover charge. That's right. Nada. Nothing. Plus, to top things off, there will be a special "mystery guest performance." Gee, I wonder who that could be? That's going to be a tough one to figure out.

The Ghost Names Names

I hope that you, my readers, have been enjoying my last.fm playlists. As much as I do enjoy creating, I am encountering one major frustration. My choice of songs on the playlist is limited to the artists who have downloaded their tracks on the site. I have repeatedly requested that artists upload their music onto last.fm but with little success. This time, instead of requesting artists in general to upload their material, I'm going to call out a few specific names. This is by no means a comprehensive list of artists I'd like to see on last.fm but rather a small sampler of the musicians I'd like to feature on my playlists.

These are some of the artists I'd like to see on last.fm:
Airline
American Werewolf Academy
Doug Burr
J.D. Whittenburg
Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights
Kristy Kruger
Lovie
Nicholas Altobelli
Rahim Quazi
Red Monroe
Sara Donaldson
Stella Rose

The following is a list of albums not yet available on last.fm that should be:
the cut*off, Packaged Up for Beginners
I Love Math, Getting to the Point is Beside It
Macon Greyson, 20th Century Accidents

Finally, these are artists that I'd like to see on last.fm but may encounter difficulties because of other bands sharing the same name:
Baboon
The Slack
Somebody's Darling
Tiger Moth

Oh, and if your band name wasn't listed, that doesn't mean you still can't upload your music and let me know.

Last.fm Playlist: 5/10/08

Okay, I've been bad this week and not posted a damn thing. I'll be doing more posting this week, I promise. In the meantime, here's a new playlist, sans the usual commentary.

1. "Wedding Day", THe BAcksliders


2. "These Are the Dead Days", Calhoun


3. "Calling Out the Bastards", centro-matic


4. "Hold Me Down", the cut*off


5. "I Feel Fine", Emily Elbert


6. "Honey", Erykah Badu


7. "Write for You", Goodwin


8. "Fear of Standing Upright", The Hourly Radio


9. "Let's Be Poor Together", Johnny Lloyd Rollins


10. "Carolina", Lifters


11. "Patchwork Alibis", Macon Greyson


12. "The City Sleeps", MC 900 Ft. Jesus


13. "Lost at Sea", Murry Hammond


14. "Elaborate Son", Pleasant Grove


15. "Save It for Another Day", PPT


16. "Giant Babies", RECORD HOP


17. "Goats Across the Fire", Shibboleth


18. "Low", Telegraph Canyon


19. "These Tears Could Rust a Train", The Theater Fire


20. "Sweetness", Toadies

Last.fm Playlist: 5/3/08

Note: the tracks on this playlist are put on shuffle, and will almost certainly not be played in this order. Also, if you're a local artist and you want to be on my playlist, submit your music to last.fm and let me know that you are now part of the last.fm catalog.

On with the playlist now:

1. "Typically I Don't Mind", THe BAcksliders - One flaw with last.fm is that they do not allow for case sensitivity for band names. Since there is another band called Backsliders, the band opted to call themselves "Backsliders, The". Whatever they call themselves, the music still kicks ass, and I am thrilled to be able to finally put their music on my playlists.


2. "Bells", Black Tie Dynasty - As a North Dallas resident, I love it when good music comes to my neighborhood. The Taste of Addison festival has a number of good bands playing, and the first band to play the show will be BTD. How cool is that?


3. "Julianne", The Crash That Took Me - I have been digging this song so much lately that I had to leave it on this week's playlist.


4. "I Regret The Day I Tried To Steal Daniel's Ego", The Deathray Davies- Awesome song title, and killer guitar intro.


5. "Cashing In", The Demigs - This song isn't really representative of their sound, as most of their stuff has a more Pixies/Sonic Youth sound, but it's a lovely song nevertheless.


6. "Make A Book", The Drams - I just had a craving for this song, and so it's on the playlist.


7. "Garden of the Sun", Emily Elbert - Emily is returning to do her first few shows in Dallas for the first time since last December, I believe. This time, she's coming with two other musicians, and it will be the Emily Elbert Trio. Check them out next Sunday at Taste of Addison.


8. "Sonnets", Fishing For Comets - They'll be at City Tavern Saturday, which is also my friend Caroline's birthday. By the way, click here to check out her blog.


9. "Up Where We Belong", Glen Reynolds - Who knows what tomorrow brings in a world where few hearts survive. All I know is the way I feel. If it's real, I... oh, wait, this is a different "Up Where We Belong"? Okay, just ignore me.


10. "You Know Nothing", Inner City All-Stars - It's hard to capture the energy of an Inner City All-Stars show on CD, but it's the best I can give you. Do yourself a favor, and experience this stuff live.


11. "Let's Be Poor Together", Johnny Lloyd Rollins - Being poor sucks (believe me), but he somehow makes it seem cool. That's Johnny for you.


12. "Lost At Sea", Murry Hammond - Last.fm is allowing people to download this track for free. It's enough to make me forgive them for turning THe BAcksliders into "Backsliders, The".


13. "Save It For Another Day", PPT - Here's another Taste of Addison performer. Check them out Saturday afternoon.


14. "Slow", Reverend Horton Heat - There's no truth in advertising with this song title. It's about as slow as a Ferrari.


15. "This Is Me", The Rocket Summer - I may get flack for this choice, but I don't care. During Bryce Avery's Calendar Days, he was creating some really infectious pop tunes like this. The newer stuff doesn't grab me so much, but I stand behind the fact that this first official album had some killer tunes on it.


16. "Erased", Salim Nourallah - Props to Manya from Blue Petal for her mad dance skills last Friday during Salim's performance of this song.


17. "2.5", Sara Radle - Ms. Radle's album You Can't Make Everybody Like You was filled with lots of great songs about heartbreak and break-ups, and this was one of the best from that album.


18. "Taking Its Toll", Smile Smile - Still haven't bought the Ultraviolet compilation CD? Shame on you! I left this song on from last week's playlist as a reminder to buy the CD, and also because I love this song.


19. "Bee Nice", Sparrows - Personally, I prefer the version on their 5ong5 EP, but since that's not available on last.fm, I'll settle for the album version.


20. "Kicking up the Darkness", The Theater Fire - Easily my favorite track from Everybody Has a Dark Side.
    

Saturday Shows, Part II

I'm just taking a quick breather in between sets. I just got back from watching Fishing For Comets at the Cottonwood Arts Festival. It was a fun show, and I loved hearing Camille sneak in a cover of Old 97's "Salome". Nice, but she still owes me an Innocence Mission cover song.

Anyways, on to the show options for tonight:

Radiant, The Crash That Took Me, Chomsky, Little Black Dress (Granada Theater)
I suspect all of my readers are familiar with Radiant, TCTTM, and Chomsky, so I'm not going to spend any time discussing the merits of those bands. Instead, I'd like to focus on Little Black Dress. I've been listening to their stuff online, and I've been digging it. Anyone who is a fan of the shoegazer movement (as I am) needs to check out the band. Little Black Dress starts at 8:00, so get there early enough to check these guys out.
Pentagon Missile, The League of Fucking Decency (Bar of Soap)
I think this is only the second show for The League of Fucking Decency (aka The LFD), and it looks like my attendance record will remain 0 for 2. It's a shame really, because their music is fun, rocking, and every bit as unpretentious as you would expect from a band called The League of Fucking Decency. Pentagon Missiles are the headliner, but again, get there early for The LFD.
I Love Math, Buttercup, The Happy Bullets (Double-Wide)
It's taken long enough, but Getting to the Point is Beside It has finally been completed. I don't know if copies will be available for sale tonight, but it's good stuff. Of course, I would expect nothing less from anything that comes from the mind of John Dufilho. I know nothing about Buttercup except that they come from San Antonio, and Cindy Chaffin raved about them in The Fine Line. That's good enough for me. Oh, and Happy Bullets are fun and, well, happy. Nice lineup.

Saturday Shows, Part I

First of all, let me just say that I am still coming down to earth from Rahim Quazi's CD Release Show. If you were not there, you didn't just miss a show; you missed an experience. I'll tell you more about that later.

Normally, I don't post Saturday events this early. There are two events in particular that if I wait until my normal posting time, it will be too late. The rest of the weekend recommendations will come in the afternoon, but these two options you need to know about now.

The first is the Cottonwood Arts Festival. Traditionally, the musical acts at this festival are not my cup of tea. Today's lineup, however, features one band that I have wanted to see, and another that I love. At 1:15 p.m., Oso Closo takes the stage. I haven't seen them live, and I'm not sure how to describe what I've heard, other than to say that it has a nice groove to it. The next artist is Fishing For Comets, who start at about 2:45 or so. Camille's sweet voice and lyrics are sure to appeal to all festival goers ranging in age from 4 to 84.

The second festival is the Mudbug Boil behind Lucky Lou's. As you may recall from my Goodbye Times Three article, this will be the final performance of Spitfire Tumbleweeds. Other acts on the lineup I'd recommend checking out include A.M. Ramblers, Rodney Parker and 50 Peso Reward, Big Daddy Alright, and Eleven Hundred Springs. The first band, A.M. Ramblers, starts at noon, so if you want to check them out, you need to get a move on.

The other shows can wait. Check in later this afternoon, and I'll hook you up with some cool evening shows.

One More Show to Mention

I've spent so much time raving about Rahim that I neglected to mention that the cut*off are having a CD Release Party at Andy's in Denton. They will be joined by Red Monroe, The Demigs, and Pet Hospital. If you live in Denton, this is the best place to be. But I have one question to the cut*off. You guys had a CD Release Party last Saturday in Fort Worth and tonight in Denton, so when are you going to show Dallas some love? I'm waiting for your answer.

As for other show recommendations, I'm not bothering. Between this show and Rahim's CD release party, that's all you need.

Something Supernatural Is Happening Tonight

In October 2006, I saw Rahim Quazi play at the Highlands Café. Technically speaking, this was not the first time I had seen him play. I had been watching him perform solo for years, and before that I followed him when he played keyboard in OHNO. This was, however, my first time to hear him perform songs that would be on the Supernatural CD. It was upon hearing these songs that I realized what leaps and bounds Rahim had grown as a songwriter. He had transformed himself from a good, solid songwriter to one of the finest in town; it was as if I had newly discovered who Rahim Quazi was all over again.

I predicted that this new CD, at the time to be entitled Gifts and Burdens, would be one of my favorite CD’s of 2007. There was only one problem with my theory; through delays, the CD never saw the light of day last year. I gave Rahim endless grief over this, not to be mean, but to try to encourage him to get his music out. Tonight, my wait ends. Rahim is finally holding the CD Release Party for Supernatural. I would rather not say too much about the CD, not only because I don’t have a copy yet, but because I foresee wanting to do a thorough review of Supernatural. I will say, however, that the title track is catchier than any song I have heard on the radio in the past two years. If there is any justice in the world of popular music, this song will be a hit throughout the nation. Yes, it’s really that good, not only in terms of songwriting skills, but also in production skills.

If you’re wanting a copy of Supernatural (and you should), then come to Club Dada tonight. Rahim and his band will be headlining a night of wonderful music, with Salim Nourallah & The Noise, Taylor Davis, and Blue Petal rounding out the bill. This isn’t even a close call, folks. This is THE show tonight in Dallas.

Goodbye Times Three

There is the old cliché that bad things happen in threes, and right now that seems to be the case. So far this week, I have the discovered that three different bands are no more. While none of the three were groups I followed very closely, it saddens me not only for the sake of the music scene, but because I never got the opportunity to really get to know the bands.

Many of you have probably heard that Ghosthustler frontman Alan Palomo has parted ways with the band. In its relatively short existence, Ghosthustler was able to gather a large following, especially over the internet. I only got the opportunity to see the band play twice. The first time was at last year’s Wall of Sound Festival. While their performance was good, watching a band play dance music when it’s too damn hot outside to dance, well, that just defeats the point. I finally had the opportunity to see them again last Thursday at the Quick Big Thing ceremonies, and their performance was fun, quirky, and dance-worthy. Although Ghosthustler has not officially broken up per se, it is uncertain as to what the future holds for the band.

Spitfire Tumbleweeds were a band that I never had the privilege of seeing live. While I have not seen them play, let me tell you what I know. I know that everything I have heard of the band on CD is very good. I know that many people whose opinions I hold in high regard are big fans of Spitfire Tumbleweeds. I also know from seeing Record Hop that Scott Porter is one massively talent instrumentalist. I also know that fans of the Tumbleweeds have one last opportunity to see them live. The band plays Saturday at the Mudbug Boil behind Lucky Lou’s in Denton. The festival starts at 11:00 in the morning, and according to the Spitfire Tumbleweeds MySpace page, they will go on at 3:00 p.m.

Several months ago, A Pacific Model announced that the band was on hiatus. This week, the band made it official that they were no longer together. While I cannot say I am surprised to hear the news, it is still disappointing. This was a band growing in popularity that was sure to appeal to fans of Chemistry Set, Airline, and Sunward, to name a few. APM shares a certain epic and dark pop sensibility with all the aforementioned acts. It was hinted through a MySpace bulletin that the members would continue to write and perform music, but not as A Pacific Model. I can only hope this is the case.

I bid a fond farewell to all three acts, and since bad news comes in threes, perhaps there won’t be any other major breakups in the coming weeks. One can only hope.