Kickstart Your Workweek: 2/18/13

If you follow a number of local musicians (or any musicians not established on the national level, for that matter), you've no doubt seen your share of Kickstarter campaigns.  The website has become a major tool in helping musicians (among others) get funding for releasing records.  I've decided that every Monday, I will spotlight deserving local artists in need of your financial assistance.  So give these artists a listen, and if you like them and can afford to contribute, do so.  Plus, if you'll notice on their Kickstarter pages, there can be sweet incentives for donating, ranging from copies of the yet to be released CD all the way to private house concerts.  Check each artist's page for their rewards for donating.  Also, if you are in a band that has a Kickstarter campaign, email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com to let me know, and if I like your music, I'll be more than happy to spread the word.

Anna Thomas (Kickstarter page)
The young Ms. Thomas started recording her music at the mere age of twelve.  What makes that so amazing, however, is the incredible level of maturity, both in terms of performance and lyrics, that she possessed as such a young age.  Fast forward about five years later, and Anna is still writing beautiful and intelligent music that needs to be heard by all ages.  Fans of female pianists a la Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, and Fiona Apple should especially take note of her music.  She's already released an impressive EP entitled Break Apart, and is looking to record her first full length with producer Levi Bradford.  Her campaign ends in less than a week, so the time to donate is now.  And yes, there are rewards for donating.  My personal favorite is that for a $500 donation, one gets to co-write a song with Ms. Thomas, and she'll record a video of that song and post it on YouTube.  Pretty cool, huh?  Below is "Hush", the first song of Anna's I ever heard.  Listen and see if you love it as much as I did.



Caterpillars (Kickstarter page)
I first met Caterpillars' lead singer Christopher Robinson during his stint in Menkena.  He had the unenviable job of taking over Nolan Thies' position in the band.  And yet with his skills on the guitar, Mr. Robinson proved that he would not just merely "fill in" those shoes, but prove himself to be a musical equal to Mr. Thies.  That's no easy task.  Caterpillars may share some of the dreamy qualities of Menkena, but also manage to incorporate elements of electronica with slight hints of emo (and while I'm not generally a fan of that genre, Caterpillars make the sound work).  And the time to donate for Caterpillars is urgent, with less than three days left.  Below is my favorite track from their self titled debut EP, ":Lifetime in the Pretense".

Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio Playlist: 5/25/11

Again, thanks to Ducado Vega and Bloodrich for hanging out with me and performing on the show. I'll get more show recommendations up later, but needless to say, their show at The Bone with The Kul, The Red 100's, and Gypsy Bravado is THE show of the weekend. Now, on with the playlist.

"Red Palomino", The Demigs
"Prepared", Jessie Frye
"New Disco", Stella Rose
"Eyes Get Bigger", Oil Boom
"Better by Design", John Lefler
"Buy You", Spookeasy
"Crawl", The Virgin Wolves
"Love Bomb", Rude King
"Flick the Moon at Mars", One Red Martian
"Daylight", El Cento
"No, MY Generation", Kirby Brown
"Desperate Times", Old 97's
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Tim Locke
"Indian Melody", Calhoun
"These Are the Dead Days", Calhoun
"Coma Rally", Coma Rally
"Tearing up the Road", Grand Street Cryers
IN STUDIO PERFORMANCE: Ducado Vega & Bloodrich
"sEVEN"
"Love/Hate"
"Hella"
"Set Me Free", The Red 100's
"Time for a Change", The O's
"Labor of Love", Smile Smile
"Ellie", Scott Riegel
"Hush", Anna Thomas
"Two Words", Taylor Marie
"Will You Be There", Pale Horse

And if you'd like me to play your songs on my Deep Ellum Radio show, send some mp3s to ghost@deepellumradio.com and if I like what I hear, I'll play it.

The Lucky Thirteen: 11/22/10

Sometimes I like to mix things up and do a playlist with some sort of theme. Last week, I chose the "theme" of an all-request playlist. I took back the reigns this week, and decided to do an all female singer-songwriter edition. I've always had a weakness for female songwriters. Blame it on listening to too much Indigo Girls and Sarah McLachlan in college. Here are thirteen of my favorites from these parts. Forgive me if there are fewer comments than usual, with some songs not featuring any comments. It's going to be a busy week for yours truly, and you should see some of the rewards for that later this week on the blog. For now, just enjoy the music.

Standard playlist disclaimer: any artists, record labels, etc. who do not wish to be on the playlist for any reason whatsoever, email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and I will gladly remove the track. And if you'd actually like to be on the playlist, you can use the same email address to email me your mp3's. If I like the song, then odds are it'll wind up on a playlist.

1. "The Story", Emmeline
   Emmeline's CD release party for Early Morning Hours this Friday at Ten Times Cellar was what inspired me to do this playlist.


2. "Save Your Breath", Camille Cortinas
   Camille says her next CD should be out early next year. Keep your fingers crossed that she's right.


3. "Proof", Emily Elbert
   Coppell's finest will be playing the Kessler Theater this Saturday.


4. "Vulnerable", Sarah Jaffe
   You know, I thought about leaving Sarah Jaffe off of this list, and just... whoa, buddy! Take a deep breath. I was only kidding. You can quit hyperventilating now.


5. "For Ages", Sara Donaldson


6. "Gold Rush", Kristy Kruger


7. "Will Anybody Love Me", Lalagray


8. "What We Have Become", Phoenix Hart
   Here's a coincidence: I emailed Ms. Hart to get a track to put on my playlist. Before she ever got her email, one of her publicists saw that I'd published her cover of "Hot 'N Cold" and emailed me the album. Pretty crazy, huh?


9. "His Heart", Meredith Louise Miller
   Here's a 90's classic for you. Meredith, you need to come back to Dallas and play a show.


10. "Capture", Summer Ames
    This is a great song with a great video that you should watch. Click here to watch.


11. "For Keeps", Iris Leu


12. "Paper Girl", Katie Carroll
    Just a reminder, I'm assembling my top 40 for 2010. This song is pretty much guaranteed a spot on there. Want to know what else will make the cut? Too bad. You've got to wait, just like everyone else.


13. "The Cure", Anna Thomas
    Her EP, Break Apart, should be available on itunes by now, and it's worth getting. Also, I'm taking a moment to make a correction: she's 14, not 13. My bad.

The Lucky Thirteen: 11/1/10

Standard playlist disclaimer: any artists, record labels, etc. who do not wish to be on the playlist for any reason whatsoever, email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and I will gladly remove the track. And if you'd actually like to be on the playlist, you can use the same email addy to email me mp3's, and if I like the song then odds are it'll wind up on a playlist.

Also, it's worth mentioning that I'm now adding links to the websites of any artists featured in the Lucky Thirteen. If you like what you hear, then go to their site and learn more.

1. "Go On", The Shapes
   I've only been waiting for the debut album of The Shapes for about six years now. For those unfamiliar with the band, here's the Cliff Notes history: when Sons of Sound ended (click here for the Cliff Notes on them), Josh McKibben formed The Upsidedowners. Josh disbanded that group in early 2004. The remaining members, not ready to quit, formed The Shapes. And six years later, the album comes out. I hear their follow-up should be released sometime in early 2017.


2. "Ma'mma Jamma", The Virgin Wolves
   Since I did the covers themed playlist last week, this song had to wait because I just (finally) got their CD. This song combines a 50's boogie beat with the rocking style heard in their song "Virtue and Vice". This is a CD you need in your collection.


3. "House of All We Left Behind", Air Review
   I was originally going to share an acoustic version of "Chasing Corporate" on the Lucky Thirteen, but the Grooveshark website stated that the frequency of the file was too low or something like that. Oh well. Check out the band this Friday when they play Trees along with Radiant* and The Orange.


4. "Calistoga Blues", Les Americains
   Speaking of shows, this band will be at Double Wide on November 12th, celebrating their LP release. I'm not sure if there will be a CD to be purchased. Frankly, I was kind of hoping they'd put it out on 8-track, but no such luck.


5. "Supernatural", Rahim Quazi
   Mr. Quazi has told me on several occasions how excited he is for his next album to be finish and released. That makes two of us. In the meantime, here's the title track to his 2008 masterpiece.


6. "Mind in Trouble", Oil Boom
   I've gotten a few tweets from this band, so I figured that at the least, I should give them a listen. This song is a nice piece of bluesy rock, and I'm curious to hear more from the band.


7. "Mama Don't Like Me", The Roomsounds
   For some reason, Grooveshark insists on calling this song Mama192. I'm very anal about correct song titles, but I didn't want to not share the song just because of Grooveshark's error.


8. "Your Wife, Your Kids, Your Family, Your Friends", Analog Rebellion
   I must confess, I didn't really get into PlayRadioPlay, but I must say that Daniel Hunter's self-proclaimed "stadium lo-fi" is really winning me over.


9. "Fishbowl", Rhett Miller
   Call it a hunch, but I doubt Mr. Miller will be performing this or any song from his 1989 debut, Mythologies.


10. "Within the Flame", Anna Thomas
    Ms. Thomas will shortly be releasing her Break Apart EP, a collection of songs that would be mature and impressive for a thirty year old woman. The fact that she's thirteen makes it almost unbelievable, but in a very good way.


11. "To Whom It May Concern", The Burning Hotels
    Can someone explain something to me? Why is it that at a Burning Hotels live show, when the band announces "this is a song about Texas", barely anyone applauds? I mean, I thought that was supposed to be the one guaranteed way to get applause from an audience. And it's a good song too, so what's the deal people?


12. "Just Incase", Year of the Ox
    Fans of quality hip-hop and rap, take note: listen to The Indie Verse every Tuesday at 4 pm for Nic Hernandez' show "The Breeding Ground". Click here to check out his site. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to the show yet, but from the songs I've heard from his playlist, this man could be to local hip-hop music what Mark from the Local Edge is to local rock music. And that's no tiny compliment.


13. "You're No Good", Pale Horse
    I'm ending this playlist with this song, because, well, it's awesome. Yeah, that about sums it up..

Weekend Plans: 8/27/10 - 8/28/10

Before I get into any weekend plans, let me share some good news with you, my readers. If you haven't heard about it thru the DC9 at Night article or my Facebook posts, Club Dada will be reopening its doors. Josh Florence, who runs City Tavern, will be the new head guy at Dada. The game plan is to re-open Dada by year's end. I had the privilege of hosting the 2nd anniversary showcase for my blog at City Tavern, and it was truly a pleasure to work with Mr. Florence. He is that rare breed that knows how to blend an intelligent business design with a genuine caring for the musicians that play there. I've heard some horror stories about club owners from musicians, but I have never heard any musician say anything but the kindest things about Josh. If anyone can bring Dada back to its glory days, it would be Josh.

Since Club Dada isn't back yet, you still need to plan this weekend. Here are some suggestions:


FRIDAY:
Pale Horse/Little Black Dress/Charlie Shafter and the Gnomes (Double-Wide)
Hopefully you've read the Pale Horse interview by now. I'm not sure what else I have left to say about the band that I haven't said already. It is worth mentioning, however, that the band has allowed me to adopt their EP release party as a "post-birthday celebration." Oh, and Little Black Dress always puts on a solid show, so don't miss their set either.
Ruby Jane/Luna Matto/Trinity River Folk (Kessler Theater)
The only thing disappointing in regards to Luna Mattto is that they haven't hit the big time... yet. Ms. Matto's voice is somewhat reminiscent of Neko Case, though melodically her music rests in power of a Cat Power sort of vein. And the songs? I'm gonna say it: it's as good as anything Cat Power has ever released. That's the straight up truth.

SATURDAY:
Spector 45/The Phuss (LaGrange)
What, is this the weekend for EP releases? This show celebrates the release of Break Me. Spector 45 is never lacking in energy, and this performance will probably be even more intense than is usual for the band. One request though: keep all glass bottles away from bassist Adam Carter. And no, Adam, I'm not going to let you live that down.
The Burning Hotels/Ishi/Shapes Stars Make (Lola's 6th)
Burning Hotels are long time favorites in Fort Worth, but this show marks Ishi's Funkytown debut. Admittedly, the indie rock stylings of Burning Hotels may seem an odd pairing with Ishi's self-proclaimed "folktronica." I suspect, however, that both bands will wind up with a whole new set of fans by night's end.
Holy Moly/The Orbans/Bravo, Max!/Leland Williams (The Aardvark)
It's not often where I find two shows in FW to recommend, so this is kind of a shocker for me. While I'm not familiar with Mr. Williams, every other band gets a thumbs up from me.
Nicholas Altobelli (Roots Coffeehouse)
Actually, if you count North Richland Hills as part of Fort Worth, there are three shows to choose from. I'm inclined to say that Mr. Altobelli is the area's most underrated and underappreciated singer-songwriter. In the past almost three years since his debut EP Streetcar Visions, Nicholas has steadily grown as a musician. His latest, The Regulator, is filled with song that possess a simple beauty and that will linger in your head.
Anna Thomas (Landon Winery)
At a mere fourteen years old, Anna Thomas possesses a vocal talent that many local artists twice her age would kill to have. My only complaint? Let's have some shows in Dallas for a change instead of always playing in McKinney. Then again, McKinney people need good shows too.
THe BAcksliders/Sideshow Tragedy/Not in the Face!/JBe (City Tavern)
THe BAcksliders have become quite a predictable band. You can predict, with 100% certainty, that their shows will be a massively rocking experience. I'm sure this show will not change the above statistic.
El Cento/Orange Peel Sunshine/Les Americains/Diamond Age (Kessler Theater)
Word is that Les Americains will finally be releasing an album by year's end, which is welcome news. Also, Don Cento's new project, El Cento, sounds quite promising based on the one track ("Citizen") that I've heard.
Allgood Cafe Block Party
There are too many good acts to mention, so I'm just going to hit a few highlights. On the outdoor stage, catch Trey Johnson & Chris Holt at 2 PM, King Bucks at 4 PM, The O's at 6, and Boys Named Sue at 8 PM. Make your way indoors at 10 to catch New Bohemians. Proceeds will go to several charities, including the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation.