Saturday, November 15, 2008

Update on the Anju Gill Fall Megabill

As you may have noticed this morning, it's kinda cold outside. Originally, there were going to be two stages of entertainment at tonight's Club Dada show: outdoors and indoors. Therefore, all the entertainment has been moved inside (big shocker, I know). It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how well the bands can stick to the schedule, which is as follows:

7:00 - acoustic girl
7:45 - The Dark Knights of Camelot
8:30 - Sparklepussy Barbie
9:15 - Dave Little Meltdown
10:00 - Tonite Tonite
10:45 - the cut*off
11:30 - The Slack
12:15 - I Love Math
1:00 - Salim Nourallah & The Noise

By the way, this will be Tonite Tonite's farewell show, so I would encourage everyone to get there in time to see Tonite Tonite's last show tonight. Lead singer Andres Negrete will be starting a new band starting next year, and I will be sure to give you all the details. See you tonight!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Weekend Review: 11/14/08

Note: I'm sure this is hardly a comprehensive guide to shows this weekend. These are just a few of the best bets I know off the top of my head. Hope this helps.

FRIDAY:
Olospo/THe BAcksliders (Club Dada)
I must confess that I don't enjoy Olospo near as much as Chris Holt's current project, The Slack. I'm not as much of a fan of the jam band stylings of Olospo. Nevertheless, the absurd level of talent held by Chris Holt is enough to make any project of his interesting and entertaining. And as usual, THe BAcksliders will rock, just like they do every show. I wonder if THe BAcksliders ever get bored with rocking and kicking musical butt with every show. Who knows?
Del Castillo/Blue Petal (Palace Theater in Grapevine)
I was much impressed with this venue when I saw Rahim Quazi and Jimmy LaFave play there several weekends ago. Del Castillo is an artist I know by name only, but I can always recommend Blue Petal. Their sound seems to be shifting, going less from the sweet acoustic vibe to almost a more rocking sound with strong hints of sensuality in lead singer Manya's vocals. Check them out to see how good (or not good) my current Blue Petal description is.
Boys Named Sue (Allgood Cafe)
Sorry, I can't think of anything to say on BNS that hasn't been said already. It's good redneck fun, and I'll leave it at that.

SATURDAY:
Anju Gill Fall Mega-Bill (Club Dada)
Read my post, Remembering Anju, for details. A few things I left out previously: Dave Little and Sparklepussy Barbie are among the entertainers, and the entertainment starts somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00, depending on the source. This is my vote for show of the weekend, and this is where I'll be.
The O's, AM Ramblers, Jason Bonner (City Tavern)
Easily the best new band of the year, The O's ,with their minimal musical set-up, have created one of the richest sounds of any band I've heard in awhile. This may only be a duo, but there is nothing lacking in their sound. And no, this is not another White Stripes wannabe duo, but rather a country duo that is more reminiscent of Everly Brothers, if I were to be forced to make a comparison to another duo. AM Ramblers have been on my list of bands to see, and from what I've heard of them, they'll fit perfectly on the lineup with the O's. It will be interesting to hear how BAckslider Jason Bonner will mesh with the rest of the lineup. It's a shame that I'll be missing this show.
Bridges & Blinking Lights/The Boom Boom Box/Cocky Americans (Double-Wide)
Cocky Americans, unlike The O's, remain on the "Best Band I'll Miss Out On" (O's are now disqualified since I've seen them). I haven't seen Boom Boom Box, but the bands feature members of Baboon, Pleasant Grove, and PiNKSTON, so I'm sure I've at least seen all the members of the band playing, even if I haven't seen them together.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Remembering Anju


It was the summer of 2004 when I met Anju Gill at an Old 97's show at the former Gypsy Tea Room. We hit it off instantly, which should be no surprise, as few people share the level of intense love of local music as either of us. We continued to see each other at shows, and I always welcomed her company. It was always a joy to see her, more so than with most people. With Anju, when she spoke to you, it was never out of polite duty. I always sensed that she was a very genuine person, interested not just in the usual chit-chat about music and such, but about the well-being of myself or whoever else she was talking to.

Fast forward almost to years later, to what seemed to be an average day of me surfing the web, specifically MySpace. I was looking at Jayme Nourallah's page and there was a banner that read "Anju we miss you". My first thought was that it was such a shame that she moved, but I wished her well. It had me curious, so I logged onto Anju's page. After reading the comments on her page, I came to the heartbreaking realization that Anju's departure was of a much more permanent nature. I never that she suffered from depression until it was too late; I learned this only after she committed suicide.

I wish I could say that Anju and I were genuinely close friends, but that wouldn't be true. So let me say something that is true: I always felt that if we had had more time, that we would have become friends. I deeply regret that I did not get to know her better. I regret even more that I didn't know what she was struggling with inside of herself. She was someone that in spite of the fact that we weren't that close, had I had an inkling of what she was going through, I would have been there for her in a heartbeat.

Since her death, the Anju Gill Foundation has been established. The purpose of this foundation is to provide support, recognition, and community for musicians in the form of sponsorship, generating awareness and by hosting and planning live events in which local artists can be recognized. This Saturday at Club Dada is Anju Gill Fall Megabill, with the $10 cover charge going towards the Anju Gill Foundation. Entertainment will be on both indoor and outdoor stages and the artist roster reads like a who's who of Dallas music. Salim Nourallah, I Love Math, the cut*off, The Slack, Tonite Tonite, and the cut*off are among the artists playing Saturday. On a sadly ironic note, indoor headliner I Love Math and outdoor headliner Salim Nourallah played a show together at Allgood Cafe about a month before Anju's death, and that was the last time I saw her. Perhaps if we're lucky, her spirit will be felt at Saturday's show.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

A double dose of congratulations

I would like to thank Matt Morris, for showing that someone is interested in winning these contests. Actually, I should really thank Smile Smile for promoting this contest that I'm doing. Anyways, by naming "Waving the White Flag" in his email, he will get in Saturday night' show at Prophet Bar 100% free of charge.

Matt Morris isn't the only one who should be congratulated. Congratulations are in order for yours truly as well. Many of you know this already, but The Ghost is now engaged. No wedding date has been set yet, but I will let you know when my fiancee officially becomes Mrs. Ghost.

Here's Something to Smile Smile About

A few weeks ago, I held a ticket giveaway to see Jimmy LaFave and Rahim Quazi at the Palace Theater in Grapevine. Much to my dismay, no one won the contest even when I GAVE THE ANSWER to the trivia question in a blog entry. How depressing.

My readers, you have an opportunity to redeem yourselves. The fine people at Kirtland Records were kind enough to give me a pair of tickets to the Prophet Bar this Saturday to see The Bun To Your Hot Dog Tour. No, I don't know who came up with that goofy name. The tour features XO (members of Say Anything), Paper Mache, Shanti, and Dallas' own Smile Smile. I don't know anything about the first three bands listed, but I do know that Smile Smile is a great local band that doesn't play around these parts often enough. I've been listening to their CD Blue Roses a lot lately, and it's a gorgeous CD that's half melancholy, half uplifting, and all talent.

So, who wants to see Smile Smile Saturday night? If you want to see Smile Smile, here's what you have to do. Send me an email at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com that includes your name and you have to mention the name of one song off of Blue Roses in the email. The first person to do that wins a pair of spots on the guest list. By the way, I'm not certain, but I believe the Prophet Bar is 18+, so don't try to win if you can't get in. Good luck, and someone win these tickets please. It hurts my fragile ego when nobody even tries to win.