The Eleventh Day of Christmas

Wow, not many Days of Christmas. Thanks to all who have participated, and congratulations to yesterday's winner, who will be seeing Telegraph Canyon, Air Review, and Smile Smile at Dada this New Year's Eve. And in case you were wondering, the correct answer to yesterday's question was "Pastel Lights". Air Review did "Chasing Corporate"; Smile Smile did "Truth on Tape"; and Telegraph Canyon did "Shake Your Fist". That left "Pastel Lights" by Ishi, and they'll play New Year's Eve at Trees, not Club Dada. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Since today is my "Eleventh Day of Christmas", what better thing to give on Day 11 than tickets to Eleven Hundred Springs? They'll play January 14th at Granada Theater, and this band is a must see for fans of genuine country music. All you have to do to win is name any track from their latest CD, This Crazy Life. And yes, I will accept the name of ANY track from that CD. First one to email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and include the name of one of those songs in the subject line wins. Good luck, my readers!

The Lucky Thirteen: 4/4/10- 4/10/10

Standard 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.


Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

1. "Undercover", Bridges & Blinking Lights
   The band is keeping busy this week, playing first Friday night at the Kessler Theater (a venue so great I felt the need to add a direct link) with Nervous Curtains and Happy Bullets. The following night, they join Cocky Americans and Manned Missiles for a show at City Tavern.


2. "I Love You", Spector 45
   I would have liked to place this song in last week's playlist in order to promote the band's set at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival Saturday night. Unfortunately, this song somehow didn't fit in among the other tracks in the previous mellow themed playlist. Spector 45, not mellow? What a shocker. Although I heard several people complain about the sound quality at the Festival, I thought it was one of the best sets I've heard from the band as of yet.


3. "Libertine", The Buck Pets
   The band reunites at Trees this Saturday night, with The Boom Boom Box and Dead Beat Poetry opening.


4. "Your Virgo", Lovie
   I hope you've taken advantage of the free download of this tasty pop nugget from Lovie. Good stuff!


5. "The Impossibility of Life in the Mind of the Dying", Les Americains
   Several months ago, Robert Efurd from Les Americains sent me this track that has yet to be released on CD. Since the band plays Friday night at Prophet Bar with Austin band The Criminal Kind for their CD release show, now seemed a good time to share the track with my readers. Oh, The Roomsounds is also on the bill, and they're most definitely worth checking out.


6. "Party Like You Mean It", Damaged Good$
   What can I say, this song just seems to keep worming its way into the Lucky Thirteen. It's just cool like that.


7. "Paper Bag", Katie Carroll
   The first time I heard this track on The Local Edge, it instantly grabbed my attention. I even tweeted host Mark to find out the name of the artist. When I found that the Dallas Observer made this a free downloadable track (click here for the article and mp3), I downloaded it, listened to the song, then listened again, and again, and... well, you get the idea. I anxiously await both live shows and CDs from Ms. Carroll.


8. "Austin's Birthday", The Burning Hotels
   
9. "Chasing Corporate", Air Review
   Both bands play Trees Friday night for a stellar night of music that also features Radiant and They Were Stars. By the way, is it Radiant or Radiant*? I can never remember.


10. "Maybellene Don't", THe BAcksliders
    The Bonners (plus Taylor Young on drums) don't play these parts near as frequently as I'd like, but this Friday the band headlines a nifty little show at City Tavern. Cricket Taylor and the Electromagentics and The Action Is open for the band.
    
11. "Barrier Reef", Old 97's
    
12. "Honky Tonk Angels (Don't Happen Overnight)", Eleven Hundred Springs
    
13. "Bleeder", True Widow
    Oh yes, music festival season is still going strong, with this weekend's big event being the MusInk Festival going on at Fair Park, starting Friday night and ending Sunday night. Go to the website for all the details on bands and world class tattoo artists, but I'll tell you know that the biggest local guns per night are Old 97's for Friday night, Eleven Hundred Springs for Saturday night, and True Widow for Sunday night.

The Lucky Thirteen: 3/21/10 -3/27/10

1. "Just Wanna Try", Luna Matto
   This is a status update posted from my personal Facebook account: "I've just received several mastered mp3's from Luna Matto and they are freakin' amazing. Opening my email was like Christmas morning!" Not only are the songs wonderful (as I would have expected), but Jimi Bowman's production job leaves no room for complaints or even suggestions. Expect to see lots of Luna's music on my playlists for the next few weeks. Actually, expect to see lots of her music throughout the year.


2. "Will You Be There", Pale Horse
   Pale Horse is keeping their calendar full, but keep an eye out for a really special show in the near future. I'll tell you more as the date come closer.


3. "Nothing Ever Goes Right", Salim Nourallah
   Oak Cliff has slowly been transforming itself into a cool bohemian type neighborhood. Jeffrey Liles' opening of the Kessler Theater will no doubt make the area even more interesting. He has several good shows planned there, including this Friday's show featuring Nicholas Altobelli, Rahim Quazi, Chris Holt, and Mr. Nourallah.


4. "Honky Tonk Angels (Don't Happen Overnight)", Eleven Hundred Springs
   So, you live in Plano and are frustrated because you have to drive to Downtown Dallas to hear good bands live? Saturday will be a nice reprieve for you then, as Eleven Hundred Springs takes the stage at Love & War.


5. "Bragging Type", Trey Johnson
   Ever since I saw Mr. Johnson perform at Poor David's Pub the previous weekend, Mount Pelee is in heavy rotation again. This track in particular has been going through my head a lot lately. There are worse things than that.


6. "Undercover", Bridges & Blinking Lights
   I'm going to make a confession here. It's taken me a long time to get B&BL. Even the first few times I heard this track, I thought it was good but not great. Fortunately, KXT and Mark from The Local Edge have insisted on playing it repeatedly, and with each listen I grew more fond of the song. Mission accomplished: I get it now.


7. "Woman/Free", Calhoun
   Last May, Calhoun played a show at Aardvark that they said would be their last for awhile. That usually translates to "final show" and "breakup of the band". Imagine how surprised I was then to discover that the band is recording new material and planning for a new album to be released this summer. The band also posted three free downloads on their bandcamp site of tracks that will not be on the album. If these are the tracks that didn't make the cut, this bodes very well for the quality of their next release.


8. "Pretty Boys", Sara Radle
   Tonight Ms. Radle returns to Dallas with her new band, Walking Sleep. They will play at Barley House along with Happy Bullets.


9. "Knock on a Nail", Mildred
   This is one of my favorite local tracks from the early 90's, also featured on Tales from the Edge Volume 2.


10. "Sandman", Bonedome
    Speaking of the Tales from the Edge series, I previously said that George Gimarc would have put this track on one of the CDs in a heartbeat. While it's unfair of me to put words in Mr. Gimarc's mouth, the song definitely captures the early 90's alternative rock sound extremely well, and would have fit so comfortably along side such classic local bands as The Spin, Pop Poppins, Moon Festival, Bat Mastersons, and so forth. Bonedome will undoubtedly perform this song Friday night at LaGrange for the CD release show of Thinktankubator.


11. "We Will All Be Changed", Seryn
    Plano isn't the only suburb getting a local music treat. At the Flower Mound Toms shoe store, Seryn will be performing Saturday afternoon, along with possibly my favorite Austin musician, Jaimee Harris. Oso Closo was on the bill, and I'm not sure if Oso Closo offshoot Foe Destroyer will take their place or what will happen. All I know is that you have the opportunity to buy new shoes, hear good music, and help those in need all at the same time. By the way, if you don't know the story behind Toms, click on the link above.


12. "Party Like You Mean It", Damaged Good$
    I enjoyed this song from last week's playlist so much that I decided to keep the party going strong.


13. "Truth on Tape", Smile Smile
    Sometimes you play a song several times before really hearing it. This past week I finally heard "Truth on Tape" for the first time, and it is an amazing song that perfectly balances heartbreak with great soaring catchy melodies. This is easily the best song the band has recorded to date, and the rest of the album is very good as well.

The Lucky Thirteen: 2/22/10 - 2/27/10

Sure, it's a day late, but better late than never, right? I'm short on time, so forgive the briefer comments that usual.

Standard 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.

1. "Caldera", The Timeline Post
   I'm working on a review for the band's new album, Slow Descent. No, I don't do a lot of album reviews, so when I do, that usually means something really significant. In the meantime, I leave you with this track from the album, which I think is the perfect introduction to the band. The song is almost split into two different parts: the harder rocking half, and the darker, more melancholy half. Both halves are amazing.


2. "Need a Release", the cut*off
   Work has been busy lately to say the least, and I have been stressed out. Simply put, I have lately related to the idea of needing a release. Rarely do I select songs for playlists based on my personal life, but I decided to make an exception. Besides, it's a darn good song.


3. "Young & Reckless", The Roomsounds
   The band will be opening for RTB2 this Saturday at Barley House. This is a band that I've wanted to see live for quite some time. This song has captivated me for quite awhile, and I'm hoping the live show cashes in on the potential shown in these two minutes of pop bliss.


4. "Great American Trainwreck", Eleven Hundred Springs
   "Great American True Country Music" could just as easily be the name. It'd be truth in advertising.


5. "I Can't Make You Happy", Ronnie Fauss
   Mr. Fauss has managed to get himself on a quite impressive bill this Thursday night. He'll be performing with Brent Best & Danny Balis at Allgood Cafe.


6. "This Is Me", The Rocket Summer
   Bryce Avery has a new CD coming out, and the CD release show happens Friday at Granada. I may get flack for this, but I don't care. His early material, particularly his Calendar Days CD, is just really great pop music, and I don't care what the indie hipster kids say.


7. "Sins of the Father", Course of Empire
   Fell in love with the song at first listen back in my junior year in high school. Still love the song.


8. "Romance Tried to Kill Me", Cocky Americans
   Great song title.


9. "All Yesterday's Parties", Nervous Curtains
   I don't know whether or not this track is on the band's upcoming debut album. I do know that the LP release show will take place at Good Records Thursday. What, no CD?


10. "Little Bear", Elkhart
    The band will play Friday at Bryan Street Tavern, and the band will undoubtedly sound beautiful, as usual.


11. "Infatuations Never Last", The Slack
    Mark from the EDGE, I'm jealous. You get to host these great shows at Trees, and this Thursday's show may be the best lineup to date. Andrew Tinker, Johnny Lloyd Rollins, Fate Lions, and The Slack on one bill, plus no cover. Why don't I get to host a lineup that cool? It's just not fair.


12. "Sweetness", Toadies
    I'm not going to lie. There are lots of Toadies songs in the Hypster catalog, and that saved me the time of uploading my own music. Hey, cut me some slack. At least I didn't choose Vanilla Ice.


13. "At the Switches", Air Review
    This track from Landmarks grows on me with each listen. For that matter, so does the entire album.

The Lucky Thirteen 2/14/10 - 2/20/10

Alas, we have come to that time of year, Valentine's Day. For some, it's a day of joyous celebration filled with love. To others, it's a conspiracy of a holiday created by Hallmark and chocolate companies that depresses the lonely ones. To reflect those mixed opinions of the holiday, I have created a playlist showing both the happier and the sadder aspects of that thing we call love.

Oh, and of course, I can't start a playlist without the standard 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.



Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

1. "Get Used to Disappointment", Sara Radle
   Two years ago, I declared this track to be the best song about heartbreak to ever emerge from the metroplex. There's another song on this list that is now rivaling Ms. Radle's tune for the number one spot, but there's no denying the power of this story of a woman afraid of falling in love. And based on the ending of the song, those fears are well based. Any mixed tape of heartbreak songs is incomplete without this track.


2. "Every Time I Get Close to You", Eleven Hundred Springs
   It's quite a stark contrast from "Get Used to Disappointment" to this track, a honky-tonk celebration of love. This is as certain to put a smile on your face as the previous track was likely to have you feeling down.


3. "Beg You to Stay", Smile Smile
   It's hard to discuss the band's new CD, Truth on Tape, without going into the personal lives of Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme. Listening to the songs make you feel like you're eavesdropping into personal conversations between the former husband and wife. The tension between the two onstage is often very visible, yet musically the band is as solid as ever. This particular tune is a perfect blend of sweet pop melodies combined with Mr. Hamilton's earnest plea.


4. "Salome", Old 97's
   I suppose I could do a Valentine's Day playlist of songs without any Old 97's. But really, what would be the fun in that? The band's success is due to their energetic delivery of their tales of heartbreak that are always authentic without ever being maudlin.


5. "Romance Tried to Kill Me", Cocky Americans
   Have you checked out the video for the song? If not, do so now!


6. "I Still Wait", The O's
   The opening line of this tune, "I broke my heart in Arizona waiting on a train/I stood alone for several hours but you never came" is so perfect that it almost seems archetypal of country music. And when the duo hits the chorus, well, it's pretty darn awesome.


7. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
   If any song could dethrone Ms. Radle's track for best heartbreak song, this would be the one. Although the story is not as clearly laid out as it was by Sara, the vocal performance by Josh Hendrick is so powerful that I believe that the emotions are communicated far beyond what mere words can do. Also, more props to guitarist Hans Grubein, who is quite possibly the most underappreciated guitarist in the metroplex. Oh, and I'll bet they'll play this song Friday at House of Blues. Tickets are as cheap as $20 for a group of four (in advance).


8. "Breaking up the Love Scene", Summer Ames
   I finally received her latest EP, Complicated Daydream, which was recently reviewed in the Dallas Observer by Alan Ayo. I agree with his statements that she is indeed "above average" in her vocal talent. I also think that she has yet to reach her full potential. Still, I never felt that the CD had the "customary coffeehouse sound", and in fact, in many tunes, she defiantly breaks that mold. Anyways, I figured this song fit in quite nicely on the playlist, as it's sweet sounding enough to appeal to the hopeless romantics, yet there's a definite feeling of frustration coming from the lyrics, which the cynics will enjoy.


9. "It's Over", Danny Balis
   This song, unlike the previous, falls exclusively into the heartbreak category. I cannot think of another person in the metroplex with a voice suited better for country than Mr. Balis, and I love the steel guitars on this track. If you like your beer laced with tears, this track will do the trick.


10. "Posterchild for Tragedy", Sugarbomb
    Back in the day, few bands had as energetic of a performance as Sugarbomb, with each show feeling like the perfect party. Yet strangely enough, the band never wrote a better song than this tale of a man who loses his lover - permanently. If only the band stayed together longer, it would have been interesting to see if the band would have explored this more introspective side.


11. "Sun Rain Love", Rahim Quazi
    I wanted to place Mr. Quazi's "Coffeebreak" in last year's V-day playlist, but the song was not on his MySpace playlist (an example of why I prefer Hypster). Anyways, he suggested this track as a less depressing alternative, and I figured I'd use it this year. Next year, however, it's back to the downer of "Coffeebreak". You've been forewarned.


12. "Lies", Fishing for Comets
    "Got lost on the drive home/It's useless I suppose to hold on to something that's not there." I don't think Ms. Cortinas has written a finer line than that.


13. "The Ocean", Sara Donaldson
    There have been two times in my life where the sheer beauty of a vocal performance leaves me speechless and choked up. The first was when I heard Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" the first time, and the second was when I heard this song. The story she tells is equally beautiful and, as risk of sounding corny, it's quite touching. By the way, I usually don't post MySpace links for the singers, but Ms. Donaldson has been sneaking underneath the radar for WAY too long. Listen to more of her stuff, or better yet, buy her newest album, Leaving Winter, on iTunes. ("The Ocean" is off her first CD, ...The Beginning, which isn't on iTunes yet.

MySpace Playlist: 12/13/09

Ghost of Blind Lemon's MySpace Playlist (12/13/09) on MySpace Music - Play Playlist Songs & Download Tracks

1. "Section 1 (Have A Day/Celebratory)", The Polyphonic Spree
   Granted, I have missed the last few Polyphonic Spree Christmas shows. Still, it doesn't feel right that there isn't one this year. I placed this song on the playlist in hopes of it satisfying my craving to see them live. It isn't helping. If anything, I'm missing them more now.


2. "Merry Christmas Now", Rahim Quazi
   Thanks to Mr. Quazi for uploading this holiday song. Next week's episode will (hopefully) all be songs of the season, or at least songs that somehow relate to the season. Please, start uploading your tracks now, because at this rate, I'm not going to have enough tracks to use unless I start borrowing from the LeAnn Rimes Christmas CD. Please, don't make me do that.


3. "Mermaid of Virginia", The Naptime Shake
   This song still sounds to me like a county version of early Belle & Sebastian (particularly their song "Mayfly"). This may seem an usual comparison for the band, yet I mean that as a compliment.


4. "This Crazy Life", Eleven Hundred Springs
   Sometimes it's easy for me to get behind on events, so thanks to DC9 at Night for letting me know about this new Eleven Hundred Springs track.


5. "Change Gon' Come", Dem Southernfolkz
   This Saturday marks the 4th Annual Orphanage Christmas Benefit at Double-Wide. It's sponsored by 1310 The Ticket as usual, and the musical lineup is quite strong. Dove Hunter will headline, and other performers include Dem Southernfollkz (included in the playlist), The Orbans, Sparklepussy Barbie, and DJ Slim. All proceeds go toward the Gladney Center for Adoption.


6. "City Lights", Hendrick
   This past Saturday, Hendrick opened up for Oso Closo for their annual Christmas show at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. The two will perform together this Thursday at Granada Theater, but this time it is Hendrick that takes the top billing. Here's a track off the album other than "Echo and the Pass", which I hope my readers are not tired of. Heaven knows that I am incapable of tiring of that song.


7. "Girl from the City", The King Bucks
   The band refers to themselves as the "hardest working band in the business", and heaven knows these guys keep busy. They'll perform Saturday Thursday night at Hank's in McKinney. What, only the one show this week? Slackers. (NOTE: Thanks to my friend Michelle who corrected me on the date, and is now being offered the position of official GOBL proofreader)


8. "Sandman", Bonedome
   About a month ago, I met Allan Hayslip at Double-Wide. We chatted for awhile, and then he gave me a copy of his band's CD, Thinktankubator. I asked him to describe the sound of this project, and he told me he had heard several different comparisons, and he wasn't sure which ones were accurate. He mentioned comparison to Bowie, and the comparison seems fair for his vocals, but not so much in the melodies. I can't pinpoint the exact influences, but I will say that it strikes me as sounding like early 90's, pre Nirvana alternative. George Gimarc would've put this band on a Tales From the Edge CD in a heartbeat.


9. "Stay With Me", Sarah Jaffe
   When I discovered Ms. Jaffe was playing this Friday at J&J's Pizza, I went to her MySpace to find a track to place on the playlist. Apparently I have not been visiting her site often enough, as there were many new songs available, including the track I chose. I'm predicting this is a track from her upcoming Kirtland Records release, Suburban Nature. I'll be anxiously awaiting that release next year.


10. "Gimme Back My Fleetwood Mac", The Tah-Dah's
    Bands just don't stay broken up the way they used to. In the past couple of years, there have been too many reunions to count. Some have stayed together (Toadies, Deathray Davies), while others have only done a few shows (Chomsky, Macavity, Brutal Juice, The Tomorrowpeople). Now, The Tah-Dah's are reuniting. I'm not sure if this is a one time deal or something more permanent, although their MySpace consists almost totally of new songs. Perhaps there will be a new CD released soon. I don't have any answers to that question, but you can ask them Saturday when they play at Bryan Street Tavern with Happy Bullets and Drawn By Jaymz.