The Cure for Your Case of the Mondays

I know the day is just beginning, but let’s face it: you’re about to have a case of the Mondays. Mondays, as a general rule, suck. Nothing good usually happens on a Monday. I say usually because this is not your typical Monday. It’s not often I can say this, but you have several options for good shows this Monday.

Kristy Kruger (Opening Bell Coffee South Side on Lamar)
Today should have been Lt. Col. Eric Kruger’s 43rd birthday. As many of you know, Kristy’s brother was killed over a year ago in the Iraq War. It will certainly be an emotional evening, but it is always a treat to see Ms. Kruger perform. Other than Sarah Jaffe, I do not know of another female singer-songwriter who has the ability to captivate an audience like Kristy. I also believe this is her only Dallas performance this month, so catch her while you can.

The Donkeys/Orange Peel Sunshine/The League of Fucking Decency (The Lounge on Elm Street)
I really don’t know the first two bands, but I’ve always had a soft spot for opening act League of Fucking Decency. The LFD blends a lo-fi sound with lots of off the wall humor in their lyrics. The band is encouraging the audience to bring either sock puppets or their own instrument “to mock them”. If the band is half as entertaining as their lyrics and MySpace bulletins, then a fun time is sure to be had.

Romp Almighty (Barley House)
I got a bulletin from the band informing me of this “top secret” show. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.

MySpace Playlist: 1/11/08

Yes, it's time for yet another playlist. There's not really a theme this time around. No, it's just ten songs that I felt like putting on the list. And in case you haven't noticed, I've made it easier for you to like to my MySpace page. Just look to the left, and you'll see how to contact me thru MySpace, last.fm, and Twitter. As for email, go thru my blogger profile to contact me. Feel free to do that; it keeps The Ghost from getting too lonely.

1. "City Limit Signs", Nicholas Altobelli
   I really wanted to see more of Mr. Altobelli's set at Liquid Lounge yesterday. Alas, when one act bailed, the schedule put Mr. Altobelli directly up against Elkhart at Dada. I stayed for three songs at Liquid Lounge, then caught the rest of Elkhart (who are amazing, by the way) at Dada. This particular track is a demo version of a song from his next album.


2. "Devil's Basement", Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights
   I had meant to put this song on last week's playlist, but I somehow forgot. How I managed such an oversight I am not sure. What matters is that I have corrected said oversight. Enjoy this track, because you're not going to be seeing that many JT&NL shows in the near future. That's the price of being signed to a major label.


3. "Go On", The Shapes
   This is a band I almost put on last week's playlist. I hadn't heard much about The Shapes in awhile, and I assumed that the band was either broken up or barely played anymore. Well, there's an old saying: when you assume, it makes an ass of u and me. Point is, The Shapes are not only alive and kicking, they are FINALLY releasing their first full length album. Thanks for the update, Patricia.


4. "Might've Said It", The Spin
   Sometimes it's just fun to have a little blast from the past. This track was recorded in 1991 I believe. This was back in the days where all of my local music knowledge came not from live shows, but from KDGE. George GiMarc, KDGE needs you back, whether they realize it or not.


5. "Black Market Value", the cut*off
   Fort Worth people, listen carefully. The place to be in Cowtown this Saturday is The Moon. I believe the cut*off will be headlining the show. Also, go to their MySpace and check out the video for the song. Pretty cool, huh?


6. "I Hate This So Called Reality", The League of Fucking Decency
   Admit it, you love the name of this band. They'll be playing at The Lounge on Elm Street Monday night. Then you can tell all your co-workers the next day that you saw The League of Fucking Decency. It makes for good conversation around the water cooler, don't you think?


7. "Should've Known", Doug Burr
   The CD Release Party for The Shawl is Saturday night at Sons of Hermann Hall. For now, however, I'm going back to On Promenade for this killer track. He finally made a video for this track. Yes, it seems a little peculiar to release a video for a song that came from the album BEFORE the one just now being released. Give it a watch though, and I'm sure you'll agree that it's better late than never.


8. "Blacklight", Macon Greyson
   I noticed about a month or so ago that Macon Greyson was talking about this song being in a movie called The Wrestler. I didn't think much of it at first, figuring this would be a straight to DVD type movie. Now I'm hearing a bunch of Oscar hype for Mickey Rourke's performance in the film. I have no doubt the band will be playing this song Saturday night at City Tavern. Check these guys out before they go Hollywood and start dating supermodels.


9. "Go", Summer Ames
   I caught a little of Ms. Ames' set last night at Liquid Lounge. I listened to the first two songs, and then walked out when I heard she was about to cover Colbie Caillat's "Realize". I felt that was completely unnecessary, as both of the previous songs were far stronger than what I've heard from Colbie. And for those of my readers groaning at the mention of Colbie, I feel you should still give Summer's music a chance. It's a nice, mellow, folkish type vibe that would feel very much at home at Opening Bell Coffee. I say keep an eye on this young talent.


10. "When We Was Kool", PPT
    If you're looking at the player on my MySpace page, you're probably seeing the ad for the upcoming film on Biggie Smalls. It inspired me to put this song on the list, since PPT was easily my favorite rap act to ever emerge from the metroplex. The group has since gone off in separate directions: Picnic is doing his own thing, and Pikahsso and Tahiti are dawning the age of AwkQuarius. Tahiti has also released a solo track available on itunes called "Next to Me". Best of luck to all three members in 2009.

Weekend Stuff

I wanted to get out some last minute recommendations for shows this weekend. Nothing fancy here, just some good old fashioned live music suggestions along with witty commentary. Honestly, I think today will be more commentary and less wit. Hey, you can't hit a home run all the time.

FRIDAY:

Boys Named Sue (Allgood Café)
Redneck happy hour has become quite the tradition at Allgood, and there are no signs that this tradition will fade away. After all, this is Texas, and what do Texans love more than good country music and cold beer?
Nicholas Altobelli (Buon Giorno)
I know I've raved about Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom, but I rave with good reason. The album is filled with gorgeous, melancholy tunes that sound like what I'd imagine Nick Drake sounding like if he was raised Texan instead of British. You can also check out Mr. Altobelli Saturday night at Liquid Lounge. I'm not listing that show, since I'm not certain about the quality of the other bands on the lineup. I may swing by, however, just to check out this super talented guy.
Johnny Lloyd Rollins, Bridges and Blinking Lights, RTB2 (Double-Wide)
I'm not quite sure I get this lineup, but I'll go with it, just because Mr. Rollins doesn't play near enough shows anymore. Any opportunity to see JLR play is a delight, and I'm sure tonight's show would be no exception. My experience with RTB2 is very limited, but the few songs I saw them perform live has me curious to see more.


SATURDAY:

Eleven Hundred Springs (Double-Wide)
The band is recording a live album during the show, so if you've ever wanted to be on record (sort of), now's your chance. Get there early, as I'm sure the place will be packed to the max by the end of the evening.
Salim Nourallah, Chris Holt (Opening Bell Mosaic)
Can someone help me find some new ways to express how brilliant these two artists are? I think I've run out of original ways to do so.
Lovie, Monco Poncho, Elkhart (Club Dada)
I haven't seen the band since drummer Grace left, so maybe I'll get the opportunity to meet their new drummer, Leanna. Joining the bill will be Monco Poncho (led by the awesome Nick Durham), and Elkhart (who I've been dying to finally see).

MySpace Playlist: 1/4/09

First of all, to any readers patiently (or impatiently) awaiting my podcast, please bear with me. There are songs I am lacking from the countdown, plus it just takes time to put together. It will happen.

In the meantime, check out the songs on my MySpace profile. Last week I spotlighted some awesome songs that didn't quite make the countdown. This time, instead of looking back, I'm looking forward. I'm giving you a small glimpse of what will hopefully be big this year. These are songs that will hopefully be released by year's end. I can't promise that all of these songs will receive a proper release, but hopefully they will. By the way, I am still without a sound card, so I'm going on faith on a few of these tracks. Comments are highly appreciated on any and all tracks.

1. "Rocketships", Menkenna
   I feel like I'm cheating but using Menkenna in both 2008 and 2009 playlists, but I don't care. I saw them last night at the Prophet Bar, and I am still reeling from their set. The band manages to pull off the feat of blending together the gorgeous atmospheric vibe of the best shoegaze sounds with all the emotional intimacy of a singer-songwriter type. If there is any justice in the Dallas music scene, this will be a huge year for Menkenna.


2. "You've Got Your Heart", The O's
   I also got to see this band with Menkenna, and I just love this band to death. If you haven't seen them yet, you need to remedy that immediately. They've got plenty of shows coming up, including a particularly special one on January 24th at Dada. Trust me, you need to reserve that date on your calendar.


3. "Which We Have Heard and Known", Doug Bur
   There was no better CD released in 2006 than Doug Burr's On Promenade. Following up such an amazing disc is a difficult and unenviable task. Yet I feel confident that if anyone can pull it off, it would be Mr. Burr. This is one of the songs on the playlist that I have unfortunately not had the privilege of listening to. I have complete faith, however, that this track is going to be amazing. After all, it's Doug Burr. Need I say more?


4. "The Vultures Are Circling", Jack with One Eye
   If you like this track, you can download it free on the band's official website. It's a free promotional download that I believe is a limited time offer before their CD Release Party February 13th at The Lounge. I haven't heard this track either, but I like what I've previously heard by the band.


5. "Beg You to Stay", Smile Smile
   Talk about hot off the presses. The band just posted this rough demo on MySpace today. Obviously, another track I'm posting on faith.


6. "My Best State", The Felons
   Finally, a track that I have heard. I haven't seen them play live since my showcase in August. At that time, the band had just recently said goodbye to their keyboard player, the multi-talented Fred Holston. I am highly curious to hear what direction the band is going in now, since they are now sans keyboard player.


7. "Mr. Natural", Trey Johnson
   Sorta may be gone, but that's not stopping Trey from recording new material. I talked to him about his upcoming solo CD, and he told me it was a very different vibe from what he did with Sorta. This should be interesting to hear.


8. "Erased", They Were Stars
   No, this song is not related to the Salim Nourallah song of the same name. All I really know about this band is that they played at Dada Halloween night, covering songs by The Cure. Hey, that's a good enough starting point for me.


9. "Robin", Little Black Dress
   It looks like this will be a great year for Idol Records, between CD releases of The O's and this band. Hmmm... Menkenna, Jack with One Eye, Little Black Dress... is this the beginning of a shoegaze revival? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


10. "From Under the Blankets", Sara Donaldson
    Ms. Donaldson has had this song on her MySpace since 2006, and we're still waiting on her second CD to be released. I know, I know, between her paintings, photography, yoga, and everything else she has on her plate, there's not a lot of time on her hands to release a CD. Still, I can hope, can't I?

The Top 10 Performances of 2008

Happy new year to all my readers! I've got some big stuff coming your way in the next week (hopefully) including a few big announcements and The Ghost's first ever podcast. I'll be counting down the Top 13 local songs of 2008. I know that's a weird number, but hey, go with it.

For now, I hope you'll settle for my countdown of the top 10 performances of last year. Note: I am not counting down the best lineups of the year, just specific performances. Sometimes the artist mentioned will not even be the headliner of the bill. No matter what, these are the performances that I shall remember the most from the past year. Here we go.

10. The O's (October 25, Allgood Cafe)
    If I had to choose my favorite new band of 2008, the title goes hands down to The O's. I had my suspicions of the potential talent that The O's would possess. Their performance at Allgood simply cashed in on their potential. Both John Pedigo and Taylor Young are first rate singers, songwriters, and musicians. Yes, the band consists of only the two members. No, there is not a need for extra members. The sound is complete and needs nothing more. Their debut album will be released on Idol Records early next year. Keep an eye on these guys, because 2009 is gonna be their year.


9. Record Hop (April 24, Palladium Ballroom)
   I had always thought of Record Hop as a talented band, but it wasn't until their performance at the Quick Big Thing Awards Show that I actually GOT Record Hop. Sure, my ears were bleeding after their performance, but more significantly, I was in awe of the raw, fierce talent possessed by the band. Major props go to Scott Porter, whose guitar work had me captivated. The set was not a long set, but it left me craving more.


8. Little Black Dress (May 3, Granada Theater)
   Radiant was the headliner, and the biggest draws on the lineup were The Crash That Took Me and the newly reunited Chomsky. It was Little Black Dress, however, that captivated me that evening. I've become a fan of the shoegaze sound in the past few years, and I have never seen a Dallas band that captured the sound so well. Can't wait for their debut album, also coming out on Idol Records.


7. Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights (March 15, The Idle Rich)
   Sure, Mr. Tyler was at least half blitzed by the end of his set. The amazing thing is that whether sober or not, all the members put on a killer performance, blending the best aspects of 60's soul, classic rock, and southern rock, and presented it as the perfect soundtrack to an early St. Patrick's Day party. I left the show thinking that JT&NL just might be the best live band in Dallas.


6. THe BAcksliders (August 2, Club Dada)
   OK, so perhaps I'm a little biased here. First of all, you may recall that the date in question was my anniversary show at Dada. Yes, I know, I did put on a fabulous show that night, didn't I? But seriously, it was a great set, and the peak of the evening came with the highly energized performance from THe BAcksliders. The band's set balances the perfect blend of rock n' roll energy with a genuine passion and professionalism with their musicianship. I could have chosen so many performances of theirs to put on the list, but ultimately I think they took the cake that night. After this performance, I started to believe that it's THe BAcksliders, and not JT&NL, who deserve the title of "best live band in Dallas".


5. Dove Hunter (February 2, Lola's)
   It was my first (and so far only time yet) at Lola's, and I had already seen an amazing set featuring The Cush, Telegraph Canyon, and one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Doug Burr. I had seen Dove Hunter before, and thought they were a likeable band, but a band I didn't fully "get". About halfway though their performance of "What Turns Inside", I had the a-ha moment. It wasn't like a light bulb going off over my head, but more like lightning striking my body. It was an awe inspriing performance, and I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Quincy Holloway is the best drummer in Dallas, hands down. I spent half the set in awe just watching him on drums, wondering how he manages to be so precise with his rhythm, yet so fierce in pounding his kit. I still haven't figured that one out yet.


4. Sarah Jaffe (January 19, Allgood Cafe)
   One could say that Ms. Jaffe's performance was a perfect storm of sorts. I have never seen Allgood Cafe as packed as it was for her performance. I have also never heard the audience as quiet as it was for Sarah. I guess when you have the beautiful and haunting voice that she has, it shuts people up and makes them listen. I've heard the phrase "you command respect, not demand it", and I've never seen this statement proven so true as it was during her performance.


3. The Chemistry Set (January 11, Club Dada)
   I saw this band for the first time in 2002, and it didn't take long for me to become a faithful follower of this band. And by "faithful follower", I mean a obsessed fan. I'm glad Steve Duncan never issued that restraining order he was talking about. Seriously though, the reason I became a fan of the band is that they were the perfect blend of ambitious indie rock sounds, without any of the typical indie-hipster pretentiousness that surrounds most of those type of bands. It was with great sorrow that I said farewell to this band early last year. Fortunately, the band went out with a bang, digging up old favorites ("Abagail", "Tyranny of the Urgent") and typical favorites ("Lee Minor 7", "Why Don't You?"). Steve even got his former Grand Street Cryer bandmate (and Calhoun lead singer) Tim Locke to bust out an old GSC song. Damn, I still miss those guys.


2. Rahim Quazi (May 2, Club Dada)
   Ever since I heard Rahim perform the song "Supernatural" for the first time, I had extremely high hopes for the CD. I even wondered if I had set my expectations so high that there was no way Mr. Quazi could live up to the hype. Something unexpected then happened: Rahim didn't live up to my high expectations, he surpassed and annihilated those expectations. He kicked off his set with "Supernatural", and continued the set with killer track after killer track. The performance ran the gamut of sounds and emotions, ranging from slow, poignant, and insightful ("So Much Better") to rocking and energetic ("You Fool"). I could go on and on, but the truth is that words would not do justice to his performance. Trust me, you had to be there.


1. Sorta (October 23, House of Blues Pontiac Garage)
   I'm not even sure where to begin to describe this show. Yes, it was obviously a highly emotional show. You could see many an audience member fighting back the tears, and some of them unable to fight the tears back. It was a beautiful night filled with Sorta favorites, as well as tracks from their final self-titled CD. The band closed with "Afraid of the Dark", one of Sorta's most beautiful and haunting songs ever. When the band sang the final refrain, "Oh, it's over now", well, I'm sure I wasn't the only audience member with a lump in their throat the size of a softball. In spite of the highly emotional nature of the evening, the band held it together and sounded as tight as ever, in spite of the lack of Carter Albrecht's musical presence onstage. It may be over now, but the memory of both Sorta and of Carter remains with all of us.

MySpace Playlist: 12/28/08

Greetings and happy belated holiday wishes from "The Ghost".

Earlier this year, I created weekly playlists on last.fm as a means of exposing readers to local music I like. When last.fm changed the way they set up playlists, it made it less feasible to do weekly playlists. It also didn't help that their library of local artists was lacking at best. I'm going to try a new tradition by creating a weekly playlist on my personal MySpace page. Each week I will spotlight ten songs; sometimes there will be a theme for the songs, and other times not so much. Either way, it gives me opportunity to share music with my readers.

Speaking of sharing music, I'm going to try to create my first ever podcast. I make no promises how it will turn out, but I'm trying to do a year end countdown, Casey Kasem style. The following ten songs are songs that unfortunately did not make the countdown. Take a good listen, and think about this: if these are the songs that DIDN'T make the countdown, imagine how killer the actual podcast is gonna be.

So, here goes the playlist:

1. "Dalton the Prophet", Nicholas Altobelli
   Thanks a lot, Nick. You send me your brilliant CD, Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom, after I made the list of songs. Actually, the truth is that it's difficult to pick a singular song off of this CD. The strength of the CD is how perfectly all the songs fit together; to take one song and isolate it seems to take away from the package. Still, "Dalton the Prophet" is an excellent song, but merely a small taste of how good this CD is.


2. "Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue", Old 97's
   I, like many, found the band's previous CD, Drag It Up, to be a letdown. Rhett and the gang came back full force this year with Blame It on Gravity. This track is easily my favorite off of the CD, and quite possibly the best song Murry Hammond has ever done with the 97's. By the way, Mr. Hammond also released a solo CD this year, titled I Don't Know Where I'm Going, but I'm on My Way, and it's easily one of the best albums of the year.


3. "Just Got Robbed", Greater Good
   This song just BARELY missed out from being in the podcast. I almost considered doing a top 14 instead of the top 13 that I plan to do just so I could include this song. Unfortunately, top 14 is kind of a weird number.


4. "Summer Ship", American Werewolf Academy
   AWA was one of the many bands that I had the privilege of getting to play the blog's one year anniversary show. Although "Summer Ship" was really released in 2007 on the Zac Crain for Mayor benefit CD, the song found a more proper release on their new CD, Triceratops.


5. "No Deliverance", Toadies
   Yay, Toadies are back, yay!


6. "The Moon", Elkhart
   Much like Nicholas Altobelli's Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom, Elkhart fell victim to the same trap. Their CD was another where the entire disc was wonderful from start to finish, but there was not the one song that stood out from the rest. So I offer you the title track as a taste of Elkhart. Keep an eye on these guys in 2009; I think this is a band whose following will grow.


7. "Stupid Girl", The Liking Strikes
   This is just such a fun and catchy song. Even the most pretentious indie hipster would have a hard time getting this tune dislodged from his or her head.


8. "Honey", Erykah Badu
   Ms. Badu hasn't sounded this good since her debut album, in my opinion.


9. "Bill Cosby", Shibboleth
   This is quite possibly the best instrumental song released all year. Runners up: everything else from Experiment in Error.


10. "Feelin' the Wait", Menkena
    Okay, I have a confession to make. I added this song to my playlist because the band is allowing anyone who posts a Menkena song on their MySpace page to download the EP free of charge. With beautiful dreamy songs like this, you'll want to do the same thing.

A Final Flicker of Sound

It may surprise some of my readers to know this, but I have always been a big fan of the band Flickerstick. I saw them for the first time in 1999 opening up for Grand Street Cryers (yet another band that never received the respect I felt they deserved). I don’t remember much about the set, except for the fact that I thought their songs were unusually catchy. It was about a year later when I got to see my second Flickerstick show, and the band had grown by leaps and bounds. One of the things that immediately caught my eye was the stage presence of lead vocalist Brandin Lea. With his Mick Jagger style strut and his ability to connect with the crowd, the band seemed destined for success.

That success almost happened. The band got the opportunity to star in VH1’s reality competition show Bands on the Run, and even went on to win the competition. Epic Records re-released their debut album, Welcoming Home the Astronauts, with some new tracks and some re-recorded tracks. The album failed to perform to expectations, and they were dropped from Epic Records. The band has maintained a highly loyal local following, almost always selling out any show they perform.

I was disappointed to learn that the band is now breaking up. Flickerstick has announced the dates for their final shows. The last Dallas show will be January 24th at House of Blues. The band will play two farewell shows on February 27th and the 28th at Aardvark, which I believe is the first venue the band ever played. The band will probably play for about two hours for each performance, which I hope will allow time for some cover songs (“Fade into You”, “Black Metallic”) and some more obscure favorites (“Execution by X-Mas Lights”). Tickets will go on sale for these shows this Friday, and I would count on all of these shows selling out. The band is known for their energetic live performances, and I think it is safe to say that Flickerstick will go out with a bang and not a whimper.

Update on the Anju Gill Fall Megabill

As you may have noticed this morning, it's kinda cold outside. Originally, there were going to be two stages of entertainment at tonight's Club Dada show: outdoors and indoors. Therefore, all the entertainment has been moved inside (big shocker, I know). It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how well the bands can stick to the schedule, which is as follows:

7:00 - acoustic girl
7:45 - The Dark Knights of Camelot
8:30 - Sparklepussy Barbie
9:15 - Dave Little Meltdown
10:00 - Tonite Tonite
10:45 - the cut*off
11:30 - The Slack
12:15 - I Love Math
1:00 - Salim Nourallah & The Noise

By the way, this will be Tonite Tonite's farewell show, so I would encourage everyone to get there in time to see Tonite Tonite's last show tonight. Lead singer Andres Negrete will be starting a new band starting next year, and I will be sure to give you all the details. See you tonight!

Weekend Review: 11/14/08

Note: I'm sure this is hardly a comprehensive guide to shows this weekend. These are just a few of the best bets I know off the top of my head. Hope this helps.

FRIDAY:
Olospo/THe BAcksliders (Club Dada)
I must confess that I don't enjoy Olospo near as much as Chris Holt's current project, The Slack. I'm not as much of a fan of the jam band stylings of Olospo. Nevertheless, the absurd level of talent held by Chris Holt is enough to make any project of his interesting and entertaining. And as usual, THe BAcksliders will rock, just like they do every show. I wonder if THe BAcksliders ever get bored with rocking and kicking musical butt with every show. Who knows?
Del Castillo/Blue Petal (Palace Theater in Grapevine)
I was much impressed with this venue when I saw Rahim Quazi and Jimmy LaFave play there several weekends ago. Del Castillo is an artist I know by name only, but I can always recommend Blue Petal. Their sound seems to be shifting, going less from the sweet acoustic vibe to almost a more rocking sound with strong hints of sensuality in lead singer Manya's vocals. Check them out to see how good (or not good) my current Blue Petal description is.
Boys Named Sue (Allgood Cafe)
Sorry, I can't think of anything to say on BNS that hasn't been said already. It's good redneck fun, and I'll leave it at that.

SATURDAY:
Anju Gill Fall Mega-Bill (Club Dada)
Read my post, Remembering Anju, for details. A few things I left out previously: Dave Little and Sparklepussy Barbie are among the entertainers, and the entertainment starts somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00, depending on the source. This is my vote for show of the weekend, and this is where I'll be.
The O's, AM Ramblers, Jason Bonner (City Tavern)
Easily the best new band of the year, The O's ,with their minimal musical set-up, have created one of the richest sounds of any band I've heard in awhile. This may only be a duo, but there is nothing lacking in their sound. And no, this is not another White Stripes wannabe duo, but rather a country duo that is more reminiscent of Everly Brothers, if I were to be forced to make a comparison to another duo. AM Ramblers have been on my list of bands to see, and from what I've heard of them, they'll fit perfectly on the lineup with the O's. It will be interesting to hear how BAckslider Jason Bonner will mesh with the rest of the lineup. It's a shame that I'll be missing this show.
Bridges & Blinking Lights/The Boom Boom Box/Cocky Americans (Double-Wide)
Cocky Americans, unlike The O's, remain on the "Best Band I'll Miss Out On" (O's are now disqualified since I've seen them). I haven't seen Boom Boom Box, but the bands feature members of Baboon, Pleasant Grove, and PiNKSTON, so I'm sure I've at least seen all the members of the band playing, even if I haven't seen them together.

Remembering Anju

It was the summer of 2004 when I met Anju Gill at an Old 97's show at the former Gypsy Tea Room. We hit it off instantly, which should be no surprise, as few people share the level of intense love of local music as either of us. We continued to see each other at shows, and I always welcomed her company. It was always a joy to see her, more so than with most people. With Anju, when she spoke to you, it was never out of polite duty. I always sensed that she was a very genuine person, interested not just in the usual chit-chat about music and such, but about the well-being of myself or whoever else she was talking to.

Fast forward almost to years later, to what seemed to be an average day of me surfing the web, specifically MySpace. I was looking at Jayme Nourallah's page and there was a banner that read "Anju we miss you". My first thought was that it was such a shame that she moved, but I wished her well. It had me curious, so I logged onto Anju's page. After reading the comments on her page, I came to the heartbreaking realization that Anju's departure was of a much more permanent nature. I never that she suffered from depression until it was too late; I learned this only after she committed suicide.

I wish I could say that Anju and I were genuinely close friends, but that wouldn't be true. So let me say something that is true: I always felt that if we had had more time, that we would have become friends. I deeply regret that I did not get to know her better. I regret even more that I didn't know what she was struggling with inside of herself. She was someone that in spite of the fact that we weren't that close, had I had an inkling of what she was going through, I would have been there for her in a heartbeat.

Since her death, the Anju Gill Foundation has been established. The purpose of this foundation is to provide support, recognition, and community for musicians in the form of sponsorship, generating awareness and by hosting and planning live events in which local artists can be recognized. This Saturday at Club Dada is Anju Gill Fall Megabill, with the $10 cover charge going towards the Anju Gill Foundation. Entertainment will be on both indoor and outdoor stages and the artist roster reads like a who's who of Dallas music. Salim Nourallah, I Love Math, the cut*off, The Slack, Tonite Tonite, and the cut*off are among the artists playing Saturday. On a sadly ironic note, indoor headliner I Love Math and outdoor headliner Salim Nourallah played a show together at Allgood Cafe about a month before Anju's death, and that was the last time I saw her. Perhaps if we're lucky, her spirit will be felt at Saturday's show.