The Lucky Thirteen: 3/19/12

First off, thanks to those who have commented on the piece I wrote about Adam Carter. It's a story that has taken me this full year to get my words together. In writing about Adam, it brought a lot of painful memories to the forefront. Yet in the end, I found it a healing experience, and I hope that discussing the issue helps bring some healing to those who knew him.

Now, on to happier subjects... like local music. 35 Denton and SXSW may be over, but it seems that this week has brought a sudden wave of CD release shows. So in this week's Lucky Thirteen, I'd like to mention some CD releases I'd recommend, along with some shows that don't feature a CD release. And just for good measure, I'll throw in some other songs just because, well, just because.

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. "Space Blanket", Darstar
   


2. "Counting the Holes in My Heart", Gray, the New Black
   So you think just because I book at The Crown and Harp it means I'm going to use every opportunity I have to shamelessly promote the shows I book? Well... of course I will. Of course when you can book bands as good as Darstar and Gray the New Black, wouldn't you be wanting to share that news with everyone? So here's the deal: this Friday at Crown and Harp, doors open at 9, Velvet Guard goes on at 10, Darstar follows at 11, and Gray the New Black wraps up the night at midnight. Cover is only $5.


3. "Break My Spirit", The Roomsounds
   I've been raving about this band since the Fall of 2009. And through those years, I kept bugging the members, asking when they were going to release an album. About two and a half years later, the band will finally release its eponymous debut album. The CD release show happens Friday night at The Prophet Bar, with Madison King and Goodnight Ned opening for the band. If you buy a $12 ticket to the event, or pay $12 at the door, you get your very own copy of the CD. Speaking of Roomsounds and Prophet Bar, they'll be playing the Big Folkin' Festival on March 31st at Prophet Bar. Another venue that will be participating in the event is In Accord, and I'll be booking the lineup there. Curious? I'll be sharing more details on that very soon.


4. "When Your Hope Dies at Your Feet", The Farstar
   Speaking of CD release shows, May 4th will be The Farstar's CD release at Curtain Club. Here's a little music to help tide you over until then.


5. "Stupid Little Circles", Sara Radle
   Ms. Radle may now call Los Angeles home, but from about 2000 until the summer of 2005, she called Dallas home. And this Thursday, she'll make her way back to our fine city, as she performs at LaGrange with I Love Math and True Achiever (it's their CD release show). LaGrange seems the appropriate venue, considering that owner Rob Schumacher used to play drums for her in Lucy Loves Schroeder.


6. "Nine Stories", Signals & Alibis
   When one thinks of local shoegaze, the first three bands to come to mind are usually True Widow, Menkena, and Little Black Dress. I think it's time that Signals and Alibis gets added to the short list of quality local shoegaze acts. But don't just take my word on the matter; check them out Saturday night at Liquid Lounge.


7. "Save Me", Siren Sea
   Mix part sensual vocals, part dreamy melodies, with a dash of pop (not to be confused with Top 40), and you have the fine musical gourmet treat known as Siren Sea.


8. "Julie", Dovetail
   Whereas previously the band seemed to fall more within a Coldplayesque vibe, this new song finds the bands melding together elements of 60's psychedelia along with a bit of southern rock style. The result is the best sounding Dovetail song I have heard to date. While I haven't finished listening to the new album, Mount Karma, I suspect I'll be raving about them a lot this year. If you want to see them, they'll be having their CD release Saturday night at Granada Theater, with Salim Nourallah, RTB2, and Menkena rounding out the bill. It's hosted by The Local Edge with Mark, which only makes it awesomer.


9. "Talk to My Heart", THe BAcksliders
   The wait is almost over: Friday marks the first BAcksliders shows since August. Word is the band will be debuting a large amount of new material during their set at Double-Wide. Also on the bill are Dallas-turned-Austin band The Red 100's and Fort Worth blues rockers Quaker City Nighthawks.


10. "Little Heart", Clint Niosi
    The intro to this song is a little quite and almost sleepy, yet once the percussion begins, the tune becomes hypnotically fascinating, with Mr. Niosi's lyrics taking center stage. If the word gets out about Clint's music, he could be one of the true sleeper success stories of the year.


11. "Coke (Live)", Flickerstick
    For some reason, I've found myself going through a real Flickerstick kick as of late, having listened to the majority of their two studio albums in the last week. Of course, Flickerstick was always best experienced live. Brandin Lea, if you're reading this, what do you say to doing a reunion show?


12. "San Francisco", Dead Beat Poetry
    Another CD I've found growing on me this past week is Dead Beat Poetry's self titled EP. The band's music cannot be labelled easily. On one hand, that makes it harder to promote a band and to find the appropriate fan base. At the same time, the blend of blues, hard rock, and even a little indie only makes it a more interesting listen. Check them out Saturday at 2826 Arnetic.


13. "Winds of Antarctica", Mark Brandt
    Folk can be a hard sell in Dallas. There's not much I can think of that's a harder sell than someone singing over nothing but an acoustic guitar. Actually, I can think of one harder sell: someone playing acoustic guitar without ANY vocals. It's a difficult road that Mark Brandt has decided to travel. Fortunately, he is a talented enough guitar player to make the journey an interesting travel. Mr. Brandt will hold his CD release show Friday, with Temple Diver and Arielle opening.

The Lucky Thirteen: 10/4/2010

This week's Lucky Thirteen contains absolutely no new music whatsoever. Instead, I'm taking the opportunity to travel back in local music time to the early 2000's.

Some might think that to be an unusual period for waxing nostalgic. Perhaps this is because I was not a first hand witness to the glory days of late 80's/early 90's Deep Ellum. I missed out on the rise of New Bohemians, as well as such local heroes as Ten Hands, Course of Empire, Tripping Daisy, Rev. Horton Heat, Toadies, Deep Blue Something, and the many others that helped define that musical era. While I did catch on to the Old 97's early on, it wasn't until the early 2000's that I became consumed with the sounds of the metroplex. If it wasn't for the early 2000's, I would not have come to love local music, and there most certainly would not be this blog. I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on where this journey of local music started for me.

(Next week, I will return to playing newer songs, so if you want your song to appear on the list, email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and if I like it, you may wind up on the list.)

1. "Jack Never Crashes", The Deathray Davies
   The first time I saw them, they had the unenviable task of opening for Old 97's. Although this is arguably prime musical real estate so to speak, there is one problem with opening for them. Usually, there's only one thought going through my mind when seeing a new band open for Old 97's: how much longer until they start? The Deathray Davies pulled off a nearly impossible feat during this set; I never was wanting their set to quit. I knew from that moment on that this was one amazing band.


2. "Just Like Anyone", I Love Math
   This band originated as a means for John Dufilho to test out potential DRD songs before taking on a life of its own. This is probably my favorite track from their self titled debut.


3. "Big Drag", Lucy Loves Schroeder
   Before becoming a Rental or even going solo, Sara Radle made her mark on the local music scene with this pop-punk band. During a period where the phrase pop-punk got a bad rap due to national acts like Sum 41, Simple Plan, and Good Charlotte, Lucy Loves Schroeder kept true to a more classic pop-punk style a la Ramones or Buzzcocks. The band may not have broken much new ground, but it managed to create some really short but amazing pop melodies. In fact, "Big Drag", clocking in at barely over 3 minutes, could be classified as an epic in the LLS songbook.


4. "Hello", Sugarbomb
   This band came so close to the big time. RCA signed the band and released their album Bully. The lead single, "Hello", was even getting radio play not only in Dallas, but across the country. There was even talk of them doing a national tour with Garbage or The Verve Pipe. Then 9/11 happened. The music business, like the rest of the country, was thrown into a tailspin. Sugarbomb was one of many bands that lost major label support after 9/11. The band never really recovered, and broke up less than two years later.


5. "Cold And Grey", Sons of Sound
   Looking back, Sons of Sound could easily be regarded as a Dallas supergroup, even though no one knew it at the time. The band featured Josh McKibben (Happy Bullets), Chad Stockslagger (The Drams, The King Bucks), and at different points both Chris and Jason Bonner (THe BAcksliders). It always amazed me that for as much talent as there was in that band, not many people still know who they were. Here's hoping a little Ghost of Blind Lemon love helps change that.


6. "Gonna Be A Rockstar", The Happiness Factor
   Although I'd heard a few Moon Festival tunes (most notably "Desert City Sleeps"), this was my first true taste of Salim Nourallah. This was easily Mr. Nourallah's most aggressive sounding band, but this trademark sarcasm and wit can be easily found in this track.


7. "Cut from the Same Cloth", Legendary Crystal Chandelier
   I could isolate probably half a dozen lines from this song and analyze their brilliance. Instead, just listen to the whole song and save me the time and effort.


8. "Straight Razor", Chomsky
   One cannot discuss Dallas music of the early 2000's and not mention Chomsky. Okay, it can be done, but it would be an omission of epic proportions. Their live sets were equal parts professional musicianship and onstage debauchery (Glen Reynolds was a master of both). Throw in some killer hooks, a certain amount of new wave nostalgia, and Sean Halleck's trademark vocals, and it equalled one of the biggest local acts of that time.
   
9. "It's All Gone Wrong", Pennywhistle Park
   For a few months in 2001, it seemed like Pennywhistle Park was destined for greatness. Their live shows were growing stronger with each listen, and this song set up permanent residence in my head. In fact, if I had made a list of the best local songs of 2001, this would've EASILY made the number one slot. Shortly after the release of their album, The Built Up for the Big Let Down, lead singer Lindsay Romig left town to move to Los Angeles. She has since moved back to Dallas, but has not actively pursued music. Lindsay, let's change that.
   
10. "Star", Captain Audio
    Admittedly I wasn't a die hard Captain Audio fan, but I gotta give props to this tune for being really catchy.


11. "Bring Me the Head of Jose Cuervo", Sparrows
    This may not be the most profound song Carter Albrecht ever wrote, but it's probably the most fun one.


12. "The Technology", [DARYL]
    Before there was The Crash That Took Me, there was [DARYL]. Both bands shared a certain sense of musical ambition and experimentality under the helm of Dylan Silvers. But while TCTTM leans more towards 60's psychedelia, art-rock, and shoegaze, [DARYL] meshed together a balance of loud guitars and classic synthesizer sounds. There was also quite a fixation on technology, as exemplified by this title track to their 2002 album.


13. "Execution by X-Mas Lights", Flickerstick
    In 2000, there were three bands critical in developing my love of local music: Deathray Davies, Chomsky, and Flickerstick. Flickerstick called it quits last year, and it was an emotional show for me. Chomsky had already called it quits, and at the time Deathray Davies were on an indefinite hiatus. The show marked an end of an era of sorts for me. At the end of their farewell show, Brandin Lea performed this song, adding a few extra verses toward the end. You can click here to the see the video. In spite of having part of the song cut out and questionable cinematography, I can't watch it without getting a lump in my throat.

The Lucky Thirteen: 8/23/10

1. "You're No Good", Pale Horse
   J.R. Denson and the gang from Pale Horse were kind enough to let me adopt their EP release party this Friday at Double-Wide as a post birthday celebration. Speaking of Pale Horse, J.R. and Aaron Carder were the first victims of a GOBL interview. If you had witnessed the interview, you'd know why I call them my victims.


2. "Just Wanna Try", Luna Matto
   Why, oh, why, Luna? Why do you have to play Friday night against Pale Horse? It's been too long since I've seen one of your shows. Let's change that. The sooner, the better.


3. "Teenage Dope Fiend", Flickerstick
   I got into a conversation about Flickerstick with a girl at the Airline Farewell show the previous weekend. Ever since that, the band's music has been on my mind. Here's one of my favorites from Tarantula.


4. "So in Love With You", Katie Carroll
   First of all, thanks to all who came to Opening Bell Saturday night for my birthday celebration, musicians and friends alike. And I say an extra special thanks to Ms. Carroll for tossing me the first flower during this song. It made me feel special and all.


5. "¿Dónde Está Mi Pantalones? ", Clay Pendergrass
   Mr. Pendergrass recently recorded a couple of new tracks, one of which ("Unicorn $") was originally going to be on this week's Lucky Thirteen. Alas, I couldn't download the track, so look for that track on an upcoming playlist. In the meantime, enjoy this song with the muy divertido title.
   


6. "German Chocolate Cake", Bravo Max
   I previously mentioned how John Keener from Lakewood Bar & Grill is quite the fan of this band. I'm sure he's thrilled that they'll be playing at the bar this Friday night.


7. "Turn Out Empty", The Beaten Sea
   After all the buzz that's been surrounding the band, I figured it was about time I give it a listen. I'm not going to lie; I'm not as in love with the band as many in the scene, but they do have some good tunes. "Turn Out Empty" definitely is a quite nice tune.


8. "Country Fried Quickie", Spector 45
   Pale Horse isn't the only band with an EP release show this weekend. Spector 45 will be at La Grange this weekend, and I'll be continuing post-birthday celebrations there.


9. "Shake Your Dandelion", Ishi
   After all, we all need to shake our dandelions from time to time.


10. "Tempo Bledsoe", Smile Smile
    I liked Blue Roses, but their new CD, Truth on Tape, shows that the band is growing in its songwriting abilities. The title track is easily one of the songs I've listened to the most this year, and "Tempo Bledsoe" is quite a catchy tune as well.


11. "Punchline Afternoon", Charming Gardeners
    Speaking of catchy, I just can't get enough of this tune.


12. "Alibi", The Orbans
    Here's a leftover from Peter Black's days as a Lifter that made it onto When We Were Wild. This is easily the most rocking song off the band's new album, and probably my favorite as well.


13. "Godot", Carter Albrecht
    Mike Snider and Allgood Cafe are throwing a little block party this Saturday that benefits the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation. There are too many good acts to list, so just click here to see the lineup. Sure, I could have posted a song by one of the performing artists, but it was the perfect excuse to post a Carter classic. Not that any excuse is needed.

Stella!!!

Earlier this year, Fort Worth saw two of its biggest bands, Flickerstick and Black Tie Dynasty, call it quits. Yes, both acts are from the same city and each has a very large fan base. There is, however, a more significant common thread between these two bands. Both Flickerstick and BTD had the ability to reach out to a more mainstream crowd while still having a unique enough sound to appeal to a more indie rock crowd. That has always been a difficult act to pull off, but both bands were successful at doing just that. That begs the question: now that Flickerstick and Black Tie Dynasty are no more, who has the potential to fill in their footsteps?

To me, Stella Rose seems like the most likely successor to the throne. When the band played with Flickerstick on their final show, it was apparent to me that Stella Rose has the talent to become one of the biggest bands in Fort Worth, as well as the surrounding areas. The bands sound does share some definite similarities with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Lead vocalist Stephen Beatty sounds slightly like Peter Hayes, particularly on "Makin' It Easy", the opening track of Nine Caged Tigers, and "Fall Apart" definitely sounds like it could have been an album cut from Howl.

Stella Rose, however, incorporates a harder edge in many of their songs than do BRMC. Much of this can be attributed to Matthew Mabe's fierce skills on the drums. Mr. Mabe's skill is most noticeably fierce in the live shows. Ladies, take note: he often gets so hot in the live sets that he takes his shirt off. The band's energy is far more visible in their live set, where even the mellower songs have an added edge to their sound. The band draws a large following in their hometown of Fort Worth. I couldn't help but notice that it seemed the majority of the audience at Flickerstick's final show knew the words to most of the Stella Rose songs and were singing along. When an audience is that pumped for an opening band at another band's swan show, that's saying something.

My only beef with Stella Rose is that they spent TOO much time in Fort Worth. Some Dallas shows would be nice. In the meantime, they will be playing at The Moon in Fort Worth this Saturday night, along with Little Black Dress and RTB2. This is one of the best lineups I've seen in Funkytown all year, and Fort Worth residents would be smart to check this out. Heck, Dallas and Denton people would be smart to make a small road trip.

Oh, and while you're at it, you can vote for Stella Rose in the Fort Worth Weekly music awards, where they're nominated for Best Hard Rock.