MySpace Playlist: 2/8/09

Welcome to the Valentine's Day edition of my playlist, and there's a little something for everyone on the playlist. You've got upbeat songs, downbeat songs, happy love songs, not so happy songs, and everything that is in between. I've recycled some of these tracks from my top 10 heartbreak song playlist last year (click here in case you missed it) just because I love those songs. Besides, it can be tough to come up with new songs when you're working exclusively from the field of the local music scene.

1. "Let's Be Poor Together", Johnny Lloyd Rollins
   With the beating that the economy has taken lately, this beautiful ballad could easily be the theme song for many a Valentine's Day couple this year.


2. "I Love You", Spector 45
   Frankie, if you think that just because you posted a comment on my blog earlier this week that I'm going to feature your new song on this week's playlist... well, it looks like it worked. Who says shameless self-promotion doesn't work?


3. "The Night You Never Came to Meet Me", Kristy Kruger
   This is the first of the songs recycled from last year's list. She seems to specialize in dark songs, and this one while not dark per se, is definitely not in the happy love song category.


4. "Shampoo", Winslow Bright
   You remember that song from South Pacific, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair"? Ms. Bright has taken that same theme and modernized it. This song serves as a reminder that you can take a song of heartbreak and frustration and turn it into one damn catchy tune.


5. "To Love Somebody", Slobberbone
   I've got a pair of cover tunes coming up here. The first is the recently reunited Slobberbone covering the Bee Gees' classic hit...


6. "Wicked Game", Sara Donaldson
   And now Ms. Donaldson is putting her own spin on the Chris Isaak tune.


7. "Posterchild for Tragedy", Sugarbomb
   I would have loved to see this band crank out a few more ballads like this one. Reportedly, lead singer Les Farrington thought his lover might have died one night, and he wrote this song of heartbreak and permanent loss. Fortunately, the lover did not die, and we get this song out of the band. It's a win-win situation.


8. "Salome", Old 97's
   I could easily do a playlist of just Old 97's heartbreak tunes. In this song, Rhett sounds not just heartbroken, but broken in every which way possible. This is easily one of the most depressing songs that the 97's have ever put out.


9. "Lies", Fishing For Comets
   Sometimes writing great lyrics is not about clever wordplay or vivid imagery, but a simple line that is so honest that it can't help but grab your attention. "Lies" features such a line: "Got lost on the drive home/It's useless I suppose to hold on to something that's just not there." And when delivered by Camille, it feels like hearing your best friend acknowledge your pain, yet comforting you in such a way that you feel everything will be okay.


10. "You've Got Your Heart", The O's
    I had to wrap this playlist up with The O's, because this week belongs to that band. More on that later.

Weekend To-Do List: Slobberbone Edition

For the first time in about four years, Slobberbone has decided to dip their toes back into the pool of our local music scene. It's not like lead singer Brent Best hasn't stayed busy, with both solo shows and his other band, The Drams. Still, it's gonna be a lot of fun to see these guys play again. Tonight you can find the band at their favorite Denton hangout, Dan's Silverleaf. Tomorrow night they will perform at Barley House. I am not sure if there will be a cover at the Barley House show or not. There usually is not a cover there, but this show is such an enormous deal, I'd bring cover money just in case. Besides, if it's still free, that's all the more money you can drink with. Both shows will be opened by The O's, which makes the lineup even awesomer than it would be with just Slobberbone (which is pretty awesome without anything else).

Here's a brief list of everything else going on this weekend. Is it just me, or is this an unusually thin weekend for shows? Maybe all other bands are cowering in fear of playing against the mighty Slobberbone.

• Eric Neal, Camille Cortinas, Dave Little, Chris Holt (Friday: Opening Bell Mosaic)


• Clay & The Electronic Cowboys, Romp Almighty, The Flowerettes (Friday: Lounge on Elm Street)


• Sounds Under Radio, PVC Street Gang, Menkena (Friday: Lola's 6th Street)


• The Felons, 3Fantastic, Madison King (Saturday: Club Dada)


• RTB2, Slider Pines (Sunday: Barley House)

MySpace Playlist: 2/1/08

1. "Astronaut", Fate Lions"
   I apologize to my buddies in Fate Lions for forgetting to mention their show Friday night at City Tavern. I hope that kicking off this set with a FL song makes up for the omission.


2. "Let's Slip Away", Carmen Bright
   Winslow Bright's CD Lovable has made quite the positive impression on me. Alas, she made it so that her tracks could not be added to playlist. Guess we'll have to go with Carmen Bright's version. And for those keeping score out there, Carmen is her mother.


3. "Just Got Robbed", Greater Good
   The good news: Last night, I saw an amazing band at Double-Wide called The Heelers. You'll hear more about them later. The bad news: Greater Good, who was originally supposed to record a live album that night, had to cancel. And unfortunately, there are no shows on the horizon for this band. That's just not cool.


4. "The Vultures Are Circling", Jack with One Eye
   Next week's playlist will be a love/heartbreak/Valentine's day themed playlist. Next week is also the big record release party (that's right, they're releasing good old fashioned vinyl). Since "The Vultures Are Circling" just doesn't have that Valentine's Day feel to it, I figured I'd give the band their plug this week.


5. "The Royal Me", Les Americains
   I got to see this band play at Prophet Bar last month. It features the other half of the members of [DARYL], which pretty much means it features the members of [DARYL] that are not in The Crash that Took Me. This particular track for some reason reminds me of Echo and the Bunnymen. Well, it reminds me of a much harder rocking and less new wave version of Echo and the Bunnymen.


6. "People Go", Tonite Tonite but After Tonite You're on Your Own
   When Andres Negrete first told me of his band several years back, this is the band name he used. He then shortened it so simply Tonite Tonite, and briefly called it The Gang. He has now returned to the full-length version of the band name. Yes, it's long, but so is ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, and they did okay for themselves.


7. "They Were Red", Fishing for Comets
   Camille Cortinas will be doing a song swap with Eric Neal, Chris Holt, and Dave Little this Friday at Opening Bell Mosaic. I saw this fine quartet last year at the South Side location, and I'm sure this time around will be just as much fun as last time.


8. "20th Century Accident", Macon Greyson
   There there, 20th Century Accident. I know you've been feeling a little neglected lately. Ever since it was included in The Wrestler, "Blacklight" has gotten all the attention. I mean, just because it's in a major motion picture doesn't mean you, the title track to MG's last album, deserve any less attention, right?


9. "Haskell County", Nicholas Altobelli
   I'm going back to Mr. Altobelli's previous effort, his Streetcar Visions EP. If you heard him play it for the first time at his gig last night at Dunn Brothers Coffee in Addison, now you can hear him sing it with the correct lyrics. Just giving you a hard time, Nicholas.


10. "I Can Feel Your Love Is Waning"
    I'm saving the best for last. Obviously, the biggest deal this weekend is the reunion of Slobberbone. Catch them Friday night at Dan's Silverleaf, and then the following night at Barley House. The O's will be opening at both shows. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that this song will be played at both shows.

Weekend List: Where to Be, What to Do, etc.

Note to self: start writing the weekend shows update Thursday night. Friday evening is just too late, and Friday morning doesn't allow enough time for comments on the shows. Granted, this is better than nothing, but there are so many shows happening tonight and tomorrow that I definitely will not have the time to comment as much as I'd like. If I don't write anything underneath the show, it's not out of a lack of love for the show, just a lack of time.


FRIDAY:

• Daniel Folmer/Dust Congress/Nervous Certains (Good Records)
  In a time of recession, free shows are a beautiful thing. Daniel Folmer's releasing a new CD, but get there early, because Sean Kirkpatrick's band Nervous Curtains will steal the show.


• The Demigs/the cut*off/DJ Wolf (Andy's Bar)
  According to Andy's, DJ Wolf is not a DJ. Thanks for clearing up the confusion. Anywho, I love both The Demigs and the cut*off, and this is the best show in Denton all weekend. Nothing else comes close.


• Douglas Woodlane/Nicholas Altobelli (Banter)
  Oops. I forgot that Banter is in Denton too. OK, so this one comes close.


• Airline/The Orbans/The Polycorns (Double-Wide)
  In case you didn't know, The Lifters are now The Orbans. Airline is still Airline, which means they're still cool.


• The Slack (Lakewood Bar & Grill)
  Has anyone else noticed that booking at LB&G is getting better and better?


• The Beaten Sea (Opening Bell Coffee - Mosaic)
  Saw these guys last year at Kristy Kruger's benefit for Mojo. They were a very new band at the time, but I could instantly tell that this was a band to keep an eye on. No telling how far they've come since then.

SATURDAY:

• Nicholas Altobelli (Dunn Brothers Coffee Addison)
  I'll be starting out my evening here...


• Dove Hunter/The Heelers (Double-Wide)
  And then I'll most likely head to DW for some DH action...


• Salim Nourallah & The Constellations
  But I might change my mind and come here instead. You never know.


• Somebody's Darling/Charlie Shafter & The Gnomes
  The problem with raving as much as I have about SD is that I've lost anything new to say about them. So I'll just say this: they're great. 'Nuff said.


• King Bucks (Jack's Backyard)
  I'd never heard of this place until Fishing For Comets booked a show there for last weekend. This might prove to be a good new place for checking out bands. At the least, they've gotten two Saturdays in a row with great bands. That's gotta count for something.


• The League of Fucking Decency/The Capture (The Cavern)
  The opening band is a... Cure cover band? Don't get me wrong; I absolutely LOVE The Cure. Just seems like a weird fit for The LFD. That's all.

A Bright Spot in the Local Music Scene

If you were like me, when you first saw the name Winslow Bright on last Friday’s bill at the Granada Theater, you did not have the foggiest clue of who she was. In fact, I initially thought that Winslow Bright might have been a band. Never would I have imagined that she was a 17 year old girl from, of all places, Highland Park.

Perhaps even more surprising is how remarkable of a talent this young lady is. Do not let her age fool you: this is not typically teeny-bopper music a la Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus. Winslow has a gorgeous voice that ranges from cute to sultry, depending on the song. She also wrote the lyrics to the majority of the songs on her debut album, Lovable, and she has a definite way with words. “When you were barely three you could recite iambic poetry/Encyclopedic, photographic, pictionary memory/They said you were a genius girl, an IQ of 383/A scientific, word prolific, IQ-rific prodigy”, she sings in “Genius Girl”, an amusing song about a very book smart girl who loses her brain after falling in love.

Ms. Bright also received plenty of assistance from Dallas musician and producer extraordinaire, Salim Nourallah. He not only produced the album at his Pleasantry Lane Studios, but he also co-wrote all of the songs with Winslow, with the exception of her cover of Kristy MacColl’s “They Don’t Know”. The title track of the album was even originally recorded by Salim with his band Happiness Factor. Between Winslow’s lyrics and Salim’s consistent ability to write catchy melodies, the album is filled with great songs like the Roy Orbison meets Patsy Cline sounding “Could You Be My Baby” and my personal favorite, the uber-catchy “Five Thousand Miles to London”.

Even more remarkable than her CD is her ability to perform these songs live. Not only is her voice as remarkable live as recorded, but she has a definite way of connecting with the audience. She comes off as fully confident, yet never full of herself. And rarely have I seen an audience as excited to hear a performer as Ms. Bright’s audience. Most of the major name bands in Dallas would be lucky to have fans half as enthusiastic as those of Winslow Bright. Contrary to the lyrics of the title track to her album, it would seem that the audience found her to be quite lovable indeed.

Random Musings on an Icy Day

Every cloud has its silver lining. Yes, the weather outside is cold, miserable, and dangerous to drive in. Fortunately, this means I did not have to work today, leaving me time to work on the blog. I've got a story in the works on a young lady who I think is a musical force to be reckoned with. That update just isn't ready yet. Instead, I leave you with some random pieces of information that you may find interesting. Hey, at least you'll know, and knowing is half the battle. Ah, the zen of G.I. Joe.

• Okay, I'm a day late in breaking the big news. March 28th, Black Tie Dynasty is playing at the Granada Theater. That, however, is not the big news. Cory Watson, BTD lead vocalist, announced that the band is breaking up, and the Granada show will be their last. The band has never lacked in making fans, but I feel that the music critics have given this band way too hard of a time. At least Pete Freedman of Dallas Observer suggested that the band was just starting to come in to its own with their latest release, Down Like Anyone. Either way, I shall miss this band.


• Rahim Quazi has long been a Ghost of Blind Lemon fave, and I am always happy to promote this great talent. Well, here's another opportunity for me to promote, promote, promote. His song "In This Life" was entered into a songwriting contest in London called Festival 4 Stars Live. The winner of the competition gets a cash prize, plus will be flown to London and have the opportunity to play the song live at the Grand Finals and Awards Dinner. Click on the above link for Festival 4 Stars, and please vote for Rahim!


• Another one of my Dallas faves, THe BAcksliders, are in the midst of recording their follow up to You're Welcome. The band, for the time being, is focusing on the recording process and doing few shows at the moment. Am I the only person having some mad BAckslider cravings? If not, maybe this video I posted at the end of this entry will help tide you over until February 15th. The band will be playing at Poor David's Pub for the benefit for Jimmy Arnold.


• Finally, I've heard a lot of people say that they're considering leaving MySpace for Facebook. Facebook is honestly superior in most aspects except for one: music. As a local music fan, MySpace does a better job of serving my needs. However, I've found another social networking site devoted exclusively to the local music scene. The site is Dallas Music Wire (see list of cool blogs/websites for link), and I would encourage all my readers to sign up for the site.

Recording new album

MySpace Playlist: 1/25/09

Before I give you this week's playlist, I need to get a few thank you's out of the way. I would like to thank Ben Tapia at Club Dada for allowing me to do another one of my musical showcases. Thanks also go out to Rose County Fair, The O's, Erik Neff, and Nicholas Altobelli for not only agreeing to play, but for playing so damn well. John Pedigo definitely gets the MVP award of the night, for being totally awesome in both The O's and Rose County Fair, and for drinking large quantities of alcohol yet never letting it show in his performance. I thank Scotty Mankoff for coming out and taking pictures. A simple rule in the local music scene is that if Scotty is at your show, then it's a big deal show. Thanks Scotty for always making my shows a big deal. Click here to check out his pictures of my showcase. And most importantly, I thank every one of you who came to the show last night. I can't do what I do without an audience, so thank you.

Now, onto the playlist. You'll have to forgive me for feeling a little lazy after last night's rock spectacle. There will be no commentary on the tracks, and I admit the theme is a little lame: bands that start with the letter S. Still, I've got some good tunes here, so listen and enjoy.

1. "Bill Cosby", Shibboleth


2. "Pulling Teeth", Slider Pines


3. "Sad Song", Smile Smile"


4. "Easy", Somebody's Darling"


5. "Bjorn Yesterday", Sorta


6. "My Beautiful Life", Sparrows


7. "Social Reject", Spector 45


8. "The Christmas Tree", Stella Rose


9. "Posterchild for Tragedy", Sugarbomb


10. "Astronaut", Sunward

Super, Super, Super Big Weekend: The Sequel

Now that I've talked about my showcase yet again, I suppose I should hit some of the other big highlights of the weekend. If you wanna know where to find me tonight, go to Granada Theater. The ever talented Salim Nourallah is playing, along with one of my new favorites, Menkena. I'm also curious to hear Winslow Bright play; she's a 17 year old Highland Park girl whose celebrating the release of her CD Lovable tonight. The last musician that I can think of who came out of HP was Rhett Miller. Those are some mighty big shoes to fill, Ms. Bright. Oh, and Radiant headlines the bill. By the way, did the band keep or drop the asterik? I'm so confused.

Over in Fort Worth, they're getting not one, but two brand new clubs: Lola's Stockyards and The Longhorn Saloon. It's all owned by the same folks who own Lola's on 6th Street, so you know the booking is gonna stay solid. Both clubs have plenty to offer this weekend. Friday night brings Gary P. Nunn and Jack County to the Longhorn Saloon, and The Quebe Sisters Band and Ginny Mac will be at the Stockyards. The next night, Eleven Hundred Springs and The Derailers are playing the Longhorn Saloon, with The King Bucks, The Orbans (ex-Lifters) and Glen Farris playing at the Stockyards. Also, since both clubs are within walking distance of each other, they're offering a special deal Friday and Saturday where $10 gets you into either club.

You probably know that Flickerstick is calling it quits. You probably also know about the big House of Blues show with Calhoun, Stella Rose, and Holy Moly. You may not, however, have heard that Flickerstick is playing tonight at Lola's on 6th Street. They're calling it a "rehearsal jam". I call it a great opportunity to see the band in what is easily my favorite club in Fort Worth.

And here's the rest of what you have to look forward to:

FRIDAY:

• A.M. Ramblers, The O's, The Make Believers (Andy's Bar)


• The Burning Hotels, Airline, The Lemurs (The Moon)


• Awkquarius

SATURDAY:

• Fishing For Comets (Jack's Backyard)


• Chris Holt, Dirty Birds, Brian Miller, Paul Ramon (Opening Bell Mosaic)

But of course, you really want to be at Dada Saturday night, right? Hey, I gotta promote, right?

Super, Super, Super Big Weekend Here: GOBL Style

Wow, where do I even begin? There are too many big shows going on this weekend. Let me start out with some shameless self-promotion. If you've been paying attention, you know that I'll be doing another Ghost of Blind Lemon Showcase this Saturday at Club Dada. Cover is $10, and you'll be getting one heckuva lineup.

Get there early (9:00 to be exact) to catch one of my new favorites, Nicholas Altobelli. You may have heard me raving about his new album, Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom, and wondered what the big deal is. I could go into flowery descriptions of what the music sounds like, or I can simply say he's a great songwriter. Don't take my word for it; get there by 9:00 p.m. to make up your own mind.

Next up on the lineup are The O's. I cannot remember the last time a local band has gathered so much attention so quickly. Only mere months after forming, the duo was signed to Idol Records, arguably the biggest record label in Dallas. Look for their debut CD, We Are the O's, in stores very soon. If you want to get to know the songs that will be on the CD, see it live at my showcase.

I was introduced to the music of Erik Neff thru Club Dada owner Ben Tapia. Mr. Neff's sound is a little different from the rest of the acts on the lineup, leaning much more towards blues instead of alt-country. Still, this guy is a great vocalist and guitarist, and would be an asset to any lineup. There's a lot of buzz around Mr. Neff, and you may be telling the story years from now about how you got to see Erik "before he became a superstar". I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Finally, can you think of a better way to wrap up the evening than Rose County Fair? John Pedigo has been spending so much time playing with The O's that his more rocking band has had fewer opportunities to perform. In fact, this is their first show since my last showcase. Maybe The Ghost should personally adopt Rose County Fair. Maybe John & I will discuss that over a beer tomorrow night.

And that's only MY showcase. I'm just scratching the surface here. I unfortunately have to leave to go to my real job, but check back in later for other show options. I do leave you with one hint for tonight's best bet: Granada Theater.

Benefit for Jimmy Arnold

First of all, my thanks go to Scotty Mankoff for bringing this story to my attention. This past Christmas Eve, James "Jimmy Arnold", who is the bar manager at Poor David's Pub, was brutally assaulted. He has remained in a coma since the incident, and is still in the intensive care unit. To help with the mounting medical bills that Jimmy's family is accumulating, Poor David's Pub is holding a fundraiser on February 15th to help with the medical bills. The event, lasting from 2:30 - 9:30 p.m., will feature a raffle, silent auction, and of course, live music.

Here are some things needed for the event:

• Volunteers to help with the merch table, raffle, and/or silent auction.


• Items of value for the raffle or silent auction.


• Musicians to play the benefit show. Contact Colleen Morgan for more info on playing or volunteering.

One of the things I love about the local music scene is that people tend to rally together in times like these. For any of you who are Poor David's Pub regulars or who knew Mr. Arnold personally, this is an event to be at.