Random Weekend Stuff, Plus... a Memorial Day Weekend Countdown?

This past weekend was an excellent one for shows. I kicked off my weekend in Addison, of all places. No, I wasn't catching a Top 40 cover band. The Taste of Addison managed to booked Old 97's for Friday night's show, and the Old 97's were awesome. Granted, I can say that for every Old 97's show I've been to over the past thirteen years. There's something to be said for consistency.

Saturday was filled with benefit shows, and alas, I was only able to make two of them. My apologies go out to the SPCA and City Tavern. Maybe I'll manage to make it next year. I did, however, catch a brief portion of the Karen Naomi benefit show. I stayed long enough to hear Iris Leu's set (she's probably my favorite discovery of the year thus far), a song of Karen Naomi's (I never realized how beautiful and powerful her voice was), and most of Camille Cortinas' set (delightful as usual).

Afterwards, I headed over to Club Dada for the UltraViolet benefit. For those curious about the results of the auction, the winning bid went to Dave Hickmott, lead singer of The Felons. This marked the second time I saw the band play without Fred Holston on keys. The first time was at the GOBL showcase, and it was one of the first shows they performed sans Fred. It was obvious that the band was still learning to adjust to being a three piece. After seeing their performance Saturday, it is safe to say that the band is doing more than merely managing without Fred. In fact, it seems that Fred's absence has encouraged all three members to experiment more with their sound. Many of the tunes sound edgier, perhaps due to the aggressive drum beats by Jason Cook or the great bass lines thrown down by Adam Carter. As for Dave Hickmott's voice, he never fails to deliver the goods. Haven't heard the CD yet, but I have a good feeling.

On a completely separate note, I've been pondering an idea for a Memorial Day Weekend countdown. No, this is not going to be a Top 500 classic rock songs type deal, where no one is shocked that "Stairway to Heaven" remains at number one. What I wanted to do, instead, is compile a top ten list of the greatest bands to ever emerge from the metroplex area. The results will be found on my MySpace playlist to be compiled and published on May 24th.

Here's how this will work. Email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and send me your top 5 local acts of all time. Please put your favorite as number one, obviously. I don't want to put too many rules on this, but I do have two general rules. Here's the biggest one: I do not want people to use this countdown as a means of promoting their new band or their friend's new band. This countdown is supposed to represent the best of the best of what Dallas and the surrounding areas has ever put out.

Second of all, while this blog is rather eclectic in what it covers, please do not vote if you feel there is no shared ground in my taste and yours. Yes, I realize that there are some major local bands out there that have made their mark on our music scene that are far outside that of my musical taste. Pantera, Drowning Pool, and Forever the Sickest Kids are three bands that while I do not like their styles, I cannot deny the impact they have had on the music community. Having said that, I think this countdown should be a fair representation of the tastes of my readers, and if you do not share my taste, please be respectful and bow out of the voting process.

With that in mind, I welcome all your votes and look forward to seeing how this countdown will turn out. Voting will end May 22nd at midnight, so don't delay and send in your top five.