Video Preview of Tomorrow's Show

As you've probably heard me mention more than a few times, I'm hosting the first Blogosphere showcase this Wednesday at Club Dada. There has been a slight change in the lineup; The Roomsounds will not be playing the show. Here is the lineup as it currently stands:

9:00 Rahim Quazi
9:40 Phoenix Hart
10:20 Madison King
11:00 Goodnight Ned

All acts are acoustic except Goodnight Ned. Cover is a mere $5, and the show is for 21+. I think this is going to be a great night of music, but don't just take my word for it. I want to give everyone a little taste of what tomorrow will sound like. As a result, I have include some video clips in order to prepare you for the greatness that will be tomorrow night. Let's start with the first musician on the lineup, Rahim Quazi. He'll be focusing primarily on songs from his upcoming CD, Born on a Tuesday during tomorrow's set. One of those songs is "Ghost Hunting", a song that he also performed at his show last March at Kessler Theater (one of my favorite shows of last year). Here's a video of that performance:



Next on the lineup is Phoenix Hart, an artist that has been getting more and more attention as of late, and deservedly so. Between her gorgeous voice and well written songs, all the attention is well deserved. Here's a brand new tunes of hers, "Angels (Where Are You Now)", that is every bit as good as the tunes on her latest CD, Save Love.



Madison King, the third on the lineup, has yet to release an album, and I could only find one YouTube video of her. It's video of a songswap she did in December with Ryan Thomas Becker and Danny Balis. It starts with her and Ryan doing a cover of "Rainbow Connection" before her going into her own music.



Finally, I'd post some video of Goodnight Ned... if it existed. It doesn't, so you'll just have to come tomorrow night to see what they're like live. You've got to have some surprises, right?

The Lucky Thirteen: 1/24/11

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. "Supernatural", Rahim Quazi


2. "Until We Meet Again", Phoenix Hart


3. "Two Songs", Goodnight Ned
   For those looking forward to Wednesday's GOBL showcase, here's a little update. The Roomsounds, alas, are not able to play the show. Do not fear, however, as I have gotten Phoenix Hart and Madison King both to agree to do acoustic sets. Rahim Quazi will kick off the show with an acoustic set as well, primarly focusing on material from his upcoming Born on a Sunday. And of course, Goodnight Ned will end the night with a full band set. So if you need something to do on a Wednesday night, you know what to do.


4. "Set Me Free", The Red 100's
   I believe I've said before that The Red 100's are one of the bands that I predict will have a big year. I believe that statement is worth repeating. Obviously, as I have just repeated it. But seriously, there seems to be a move on the part of many bands towards a more rootsy, blues oriented sound, and The Red 100's could easily position themselves as leaders of this musical movement.


5. "Red in the Morning", Menkena
   First off, if you missed the band's CD release show at LaGrange, shame on you. I've never seen the band in finer form, and GOBL fans know how much I've always loved the band. But if you did miss Saturday's show, you can at least partially redeem yourself by going to the Kessler Theater on Friday night. They'll join a bill with another GOBL fave, Luna Matto, and Daniel Folmer will be on the bill. Or will it really be "Danny Rush"? I'll let you know if I figure out which identity shows up.


6. "Kids in My Backyard", Soviet
   Wow, this band has really come out of nowhere it seems. The band's formula seems to be pretty straight forward: write fun, catchy songs. It seems to be working for them. Who knew it was that easy?


7. "Charmed", The Bright
   The Bright has certainly received plenty of attention from local ABC affiliate WFAA (Channel 8), having played the channel's New Year's Eve show for the past two years. This particular song of theirs has really grabbed my attention more than any of their other works. It reminds me sonically of Sugarbomb, except with heavier guitars in place of Les Farrington's keyboards.


8. "You Pressed The Crash Button", Novaak
   Is it too early to start nominating best song of 2011 contenders? If not, this gorgeously performed song would be fighting for top honors.


9. "I'm Immune", Chris Holt
   Mr. Holt has really cut back on live shows, which is a shame because the tracks off A Cosmic Joke deserve to be brought to life on a regular basis. But until he plays more shows, you need to take advantage of the shows he does, like Friday's gig at Club Dada with Salim Nourallah and The Monco Poncho.


10. "Coming of the Century", Course of Empire
    After seing Mike Graff's solo performance at LaGrange this past Saturday, it inspired me to dig up this CoE classic and share it with everyone. It's very different from the Lou Reed/Stones/Bowie boogie blend played that night, but until he records some of that, you'll have to settle for this. And by settle, I mean enjoy.


11. "Buy You", Spookeasy
    Not enough people know about Spookeasy yet. I'm out to change that.


12. "Tryin' to Have a Good Time", The O's
    I've seen people use posters for GOBL showcases as Facebook profile picture. But last week was the first time I've ever had someone take a picture of the Grooveshark player on my page and use that as a profile pic. What can I say, except that featuring a new O's song can have that effect on a person.


13. "Emulate", Spector 45
    Spector 45 booked a show for this Saturday at LaGrange before Frankie Campagna passed away. The remaining band members decided to fulfill their obligations to the club, and recruited a longtime friend of Frankie's, Cody Bigham, will take over the vocal responsibilities. It obviously won't be the same, but for those who missed Frankie's last performance, consider this your chance to say goodbye to the band.

Weekend Plans: 1/7/11

First off, let me say how wonderful it was to see so many supportive and loving faces at Dada last night. It was a beautiful memorial concert, and I do want to discuss it in more detail on the blog. When I do write about it, I want to have more time to write a review that does Frankie's memory justice.

In the meantime, here are a few of the shows taking place this weekend. It's a little slow of a weekend, but the year's still young. The next few weekends will likely be more festive.


FRIDAY:
The O's (American Airlines Center)
I guess you can say that The O's have officially hit the big time, now that they're performing at American Airlines Center, performing at the same venue as nationally known artists like Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, and Ozzy Osbourne. Sure, they're sharing the bill with a hockey game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers, but let's be honest, The O's are the real reason to attend the AAC tonight.
Victor Rosario/The Roomsounds/Phoenix Hart< (Opening Bell Coffee)
It seems unusual to have a band that puts on as rocking and energetic of a show as The Roomsounds in a usually mellow venue like OBC, but I'll take me some Roomsounds whenever I can. Phoenix Hart delivers a more traditional OBC performance, and her CD Save Love is filled with plenty of catchy tunes and lovely vocals.
Tweed EQ/The Red 100's/Jokersdeck (Double-Wide)
The Red 100's are near the top of the list of bands I haven't seen but need to in 2011. I've also heard many friends raving about Tweed EQ, so this might be a good opportunity to check out some newer bands.


SATURDAY:
The O’s/Southbound Lane/Wheeler Sparks/Luke Wade (Kessler Theater)
If you're looking to see The O's in a slightly more intimate venue than AAC, well, here you go.
Fatty Lumpkin/Fever in the Funkhouse/Electronicos Vaqueros (Club Dada)
Is it awful of me that I've never seen Fever perform live yet, especially since they're one of the few bands from Deep Ellum's heyday that are still performing and even releasing new material? On a separate note, if you plan on going to this show, get their early enough to hear Clay Pendergrass' band, Electronicos Vaqueros.

The Lucky Thirteen: 11/29/10

Due to difficulties with Grooveshark, today's playlist has been severely delayed. Before reading comments on the artists, I'd like to point out that two artists on this week's Lucky Thirteen, namely Phoenix Hart and Ronnie Fauss, have Black Monday specials, so hurry to take advantage!!!

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. "Christmas (Doesn't Have to Be So Bad)", THe BAcksliders
   I hope everyone has seen the major showcase announcement on the blog featuring this band as the headliner. Here's a little Christmas song from the band. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I feel it's safe to start dusting off the Christmas songs.


2. "District County Court", Daniel Folmer
   I'm not sure whether the proper artist name for this song is Daniel Folmer or Danny Rush. I just know that I'm digging this more rockin' country side of the man.


3. "Until We Meet Again", Phoenix Hart
   While at Emmeline's CD party (I'll discuss the event more later), I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Hart. She's every bit as likable as her tunes. Speaking of those tunes, you can download her album Save Love for a mere $4.99 until Tuesday, 2:00 A.M. CST. Trust me, that's a steal that you don't want to miss out on.


4. "Do You Love Me?", The Bat Mastersons
   Thanks to my friend Michelle Stockton for giving me a copy of Tales from The Edge Vol. 7 & 8, featuring this Bat Mastersons classic that I hadn't heard since it came out in 1993. It was a nice blast from the past.


5. "8587 (Birthday)", Sore Losers
   Nic Hernandez requested the duo's "Epic Outro" a few weeks back. Now I'm spotlighting my personal favorite of Sore Losers.


6. "When We Were Wild", The Orbans
   The Orbans will open for the Epic Ruins CD release show at Lola's this Saturday. Calhoun, also featured on this week's Lucky Thirteen, completes the bill.


7. "Clara", Paul Slavens
   Also this Saturday night, Opening Bell Coffee has quite the stellar lineup with Summer Ames, Garrett Owen, and Mr. Slavens. No word on whether he'll be performing songs from Alphabet Girls, Vol. I, making up songs for donations, or both.


8. "Virtue and Vice", The Virgin Wolves
   Ah, more good shows... this one taking place this Thursday at Rubber Gloves, with Deep Snapper and Paper Robot opening.


9. "Apocalypse (A Love Story)", Calhoun
   I've heard the band's new track, "Knife Fight", on The Local Edge with Mark. I'd love to post that song on a Lucky Thirteen, but alas, I don't have the song. Do you hear that, members of Calhoun? I'd love to play songs from your upcoming album, Heavy Sugar, but I don't have it yet. Maybe you can fix that problem? And no, I'm not too proud to hit up bands for CDs if the music is awesome enough.


10. "Shivonne", Menkena
    Menkena will opening for Birds & Batteries this Thursday at Lochrann's in Frisco. While you're there, bug Jimmy and ask him when the album's coming out.


11. "A Hundred Years", Emmeline
    A few times a year, a show takes place that is more than a nice show, but transcends into a genuinely beautiful experience. Emmeline's CD release was one of those nights. This is a very talented young lady, and I'm proud to have been a part in helping her music get out to the public. Well done, Emmeline, well done.


12. "Barn Burner", The Roomsounds
    What happens when you mix The Roomsounds, Becky Middleton, and ugly Christmas sweaters? Find out Friday night at The Prophet Bar.


13. "Driving Through Memphis", Ronnie Fauss
    Ronnie's CDs are being sold for a 2-for-1 price; click here to take advantage of this opportunity. This track is from his new CD, Mulligan, and will most likely be played Saturday when he opens for Grant Jones and the Pistol Grip Lassos at the Kessler Theater this Friday Thursday.

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.

Lucky Thirteen: 10/26/10 (Covers Edition)

With Halloween coming up next Sunday, I wanted to do something to celebrate the day without doing the ever cliched ghosts/goblins/monsters type playlist. So instead, I'm doing what I did last year: an all covers playlist. That may not seem so Halloweenish at first, but stop and think for a second. What do most people do to celebrate this holiday? They dress up in costume, trying on a different character. In a sense, the cover song is the musical equivalent of that.

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.

1. "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", Clay Pendergrass
   I received this tune from Mr. Pendergrass at the same time as "Unicorn $", but I've been saving his reworking of the Paul Simon classic for this week.


2. "Stoned", Funland
   This is from the infamous split single released on Idol Records where Funland covers Old 97's, and Rhett and the gang return the favor.


3. "All The Pretty Girls", Lovie
   I'm not sure how well known this Judys song is known outside of Texas, but it's certainly a classic here. Lovie does quite a nice job with the song as well.


4. "Love Untold", Jayson Bales
   Thanks to Mr. Bales for sending me his cover of this Paul Westerberg song. I've been enjoying his cover at live shows, and am glad to have this to listen to whenever I feel like.


5. "Jump Into The Fire", Tripping Daisy
   Tim DeLaughter and the band remade this Harry Nilsson tune for the soundtrack to the 90's teen horror film The Craft.


6. "Love My Way", The Polyphonic Spree
   Here's another cover from Tim DeLaughter, this time reworking this 80's classic from The Psychedelic Furs. So I did two covers by DeLaughter. It beats covering "Something in the Air" three times in one night. Oh wait, Tim already did that. Open mouth, insert foot.


7. "Wicked Game", Sara Donaldson
   Sara, where have you been? Your gorgeous voice and haunting work on the cello are sorely missed around town. Whether it be covering this Chris Isaak song or playing your own music (I honestly prefer the latter), Dallas needs you.


8. "Damnit", Smile Smile
   Blink-182 has never sounded as good as when done by Smile Smile.


9. "You May Be Right", Holy Moly
   I like their cover of Billy Joel here, but I'd love to hear the band cover some Violent Femmes. The only potential problem is that with lead singer Jim Rose's voice, it might be hard to distinguish their cover from the original.


10. "Hot 'N Cold", Phoenix Hart
    I'm not the biggest Katy Perry fan (and that's putting it mildly), but Ms. Hart does a nice job with this cover. Her own material is even better than this. If you want to hear her and get new music from her, head to House of Blues Thursday night for her CD release with The Roomsounds. Don't hold me to this, but I believe that you get the CD with the price of the ticket.


11. "Keep-A-Knockin'", THe BAcksliders
    There's a good chance you'll hear their cover of this Little Richard tune this Saturday, when they perform at Kessler Theater with Floramay Holiday and Trinity River Folk.


12. "Summer Of '69", Bowling For Soup
    Oh yes I did.


13. "99 Luftballoons", Crushed Stars
    Who knew this 80's hit from Nena could sound so dreamy? As far as I'm concerned, this easily trumps the original.