Pre 4th of July Weekend Plans

Expect to hear more from me in the coming days. In the meantime, there are a few shows happening this weekend that I couldn't let pass without mentioning. Without further ado, here they are.


FRIDAY
Ian Moore & The Loosy Coils/Seth Walker/Rahim Quazi (The Kessler)
My Weekend Plan segment has always been a favorite of Mr. Quazi's, so it only seemed appropriate to do one on a weekend he's playing. Granted, he's only the opening slot, but any show featuring Rahim is one worth mentioning. There are few artists who not only put on a consistently good show as he does, but also even fewer who manage to keep each performance fresh and unique. My only complaint? It's taking WAY too long for the follow up to Supernatural to be released. What's up with that?
Gravity Feed/Ten Can Riot/Regetta de Faux/Geronamo/Christian Rios/Blake Mackey (Lakewood Bar & Grill)
This show is a celebration of the club's assistant manager (and friend of the Ghost) Jon Keener, and that's reason enough for me to attend. Get there early, as Blake Mackey is worth hearing. The man just might be the most talented acoustic guitar player in the metroplex. And while I've yet to hear Ten Can Riot, I've heard plenty of good reviews on the band.
Fate Lions/Soviet/Man Factory/Tape Deck Mountain (Lola's)
Power pop makes a strong showing tonight at Lola's, and Fate Lions are arguably the best power pop act in town. Soviet has often mislabeled as punk, whereas garage pop would be a much more fitting label. Either way, Soviet makes some pretty catchy tunes themselves.
The Demigs/Paper Robot/Deep Snapper (Andy's)
For those who have listened to my show on Deep Ellum Radio, you've undoubtedly heard me play The Demigs on more than one occasion. Their album Cities Can Wait is easily one of the best sounding albums of the year. Yes, the production is first rate, but more importantly, the songs match the same level of quality as the production. Fans of late 80's/early 90's pre-grunge a la Pixies will not want to miss this show.


SATURDAY
Rock-A-Tron 5000 Music Festival (Dada)
Somehow this festival almost slipped underneath my radar. I don't know if that's a sign that the show is being underpromoted or if I'm just that out of the loop. Either way, this all day event has plenty of good acts, including openers Spookeasy (2:15 pm), Sealion (8:15 pm), and Here Holy Spain (12:45 pm), all of which are playing on the indoor stage.
The Marfalites/Southern Karma/Steve Jackson/Mr. Troll (Poor David's Pub)
I previously called The Marfalites "Dallas' best kept secret in country music." Perhaps part of the reason they're not better known is that the band as of yet has not released a CD. They're working on their official CD, Three Penny and No Soul. But around the time that CD is released, they will ALSO release a live CD of Saturday's show. In fact, every one who pays the cover at Saturday's show gets their very own copy of the CD free of charge. And The Marfalites are definitely a band deserving of its own live CD, as they are easily one of the better live acts in the metroplex.
The King Bucks (Adair's)
There's been a lot more talk about The King Bucks this week due to a rather vicious writeup in the DC9 at Night blog. The author blasted the band for not having enough stage presence and not connecting with the audience. Admittedly, the band is pretty much the antithesis of flashy, but that would really not fit the Bucks. The King Bucks play simple, old school country: nothing more, nothing less. And if real country is what you're looking for, you'll be hard pressed to find a better option than the Bucks. And as for not connecting with the audience, Chad Stockslagger's banter alone shoots down any arguments that the band cannot connect with its audience. And the songs definitely connect with the audience, and really, isn't that what it's about?
Bronze Whaler/The Virgin Wolves/Binary Sunrise (Hailey's)
Tweed EQ/Bigelow Station/The Roomsounds (City Tavern)
Dead Rider/Nervous Curtains/Pinkish Black (Double-Wide)
Too many good shows, not enough time to discuss them. What a wonderful problem to have.

Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio Playlist: 5/25/11

Again, thanks to Ducado Vega and Bloodrich for hanging out with me and performing on the show. I'll get more show recommendations up later, but needless to say, their show at The Bone with The Kul, The Red 100's, and Gypsy Bravado is THE show of the weekend. Now, on with the playlist.

"Red Palomino", The Demigs
"Prepared", Jessie Frye
"New Disco", Stella Rose
"Eyes Get Bigger", Oil Boom
"Better by Design", John Lefler
"Buy You", Spookeasy
"Crawl", The Virgin Wolves
"Love Bomb", Rude King
"Flick the Moon at Mars", One Red Martian
"Daylight", El Cento
"No, MY Generation", Kirby Brown
"Desperate Times", Old 97's
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Tim Locke
"Indian Melody", Calhoun
"These Are the Dead Days", Calhoun
"Coma Rally", Coma Rally
"Tearing up the Road", Grand Street Cryers
IN STUDIO PERFORMANCE: Ducado Vega & Bloodrich
"sEVEN"
"Love/Hate"
"Hella"
"Set Me Free", The Red 100's
"Time for a Change", The O's
"Labor of Love", Smile Smile
"Ellie", Scott Riegel
"Hush", Anna Thomas
"Two Words", Taylor Marie
"Will You Be There", Pale Horse

And if you'd like me to play your songs on my Deep Ellum Radio show, send some mp3s to ghost@deepellumradio.com and if I like what I hear, I'll play it.

Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio: 5/17/11

Alright, so I'm quite a bit late in posting this playlist. Better late than never, right? Besides, now's a perfect time to remind you to listen to tomorrow's show on deepellumradio from 6-8 pm CST. I'll be joined by special guests Nick Metzger (manager of The Orange), along with Scott Tucker and Cody Waits of The Orange. Speaking of that band, I'll be doing a live broadcast from Curtain Club Friday night for The Orange's show. Come hang.

And before I digress any further, here's the playlist.

"So, Within", Seryn
"Open the Night", One Red Martian
"I'm Immune", Chris Holt
"Eyes Get Bigger", Oil Boom
"Allison", The Burning Hotels
"Get It on the Floor", LehtMoJoe
"Hey Jane", Bravo, Max!
"Heart's on Fire", The Marfalites
"I Know a Thing or Two (About You)", Tweed EQ
"If It Never Gets Better", Taylor Davis
"Billy Prichard", Slobberbone
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Robert Anderson
"The Fall Fashions", The Deathray Davies
"Accomplice", Nervous Curtains
"Wired to Make Waves", Nervous Curtains
"Prepared", Jessie Frye
"Gusto", The Demigs
"Shake Your Dandelion", Ishi
"Daylight", El Cento
"Geek", The Crazy Ivans
"Turn on Your Radio", THe BAcksliders
"to the 9's", hormones
"Fake Museum", Raised by Tigers
"Like a Charm", Here Holy Spain
"New Disco", Stella Rose
"Set Me Free", The Red 100's
"Paper Girl", Katie Carroll
"Tryin' to Have a Good Time", The O's
"Bridges", Sorta
"Schoolboy", Kirby Brown

Weekend Plans: 5/13/11

While Friday the 13th is in theory supposed to be an unlucky day, this weekend seems to be very lucky for fans of local music. There are an abundance of good shows this weekend, more so than unusual. The only unlucky part is that you can't be in more than one place at a time. I'd need at least three of me to reasonably cover all this good music.

And while I eventually will start giving more commentary on my weekend recommendations, today will not be that day.


FRIDAY:

• RTB2/THe BAcksliders/The Demigs (Dan's Silverleaf)


• Emmeline (Roots Coffeehouse)


• The Orbans/Quaker City Nighthawks/Fate Lions (Magnolia Green Park)


• Jessie Frye/Salim Nourallah & Chris Holt/Manned Missiles (LaGrange)


• Rahim Quazi/Mora Collective/Mi Prospero (Opening Bell Coffee)


• Dallahachie Boys/The Marfalites/The Driftin' Outlaw Band (The Bone)


• The Boom Boom Box/Garbaj Kaetz/Darktown Strutters/Unconscious Collective (Pastime Tavern)

SATURDAY:

• HOMEGROWN FEST (Just click on the link for all the important info)


• The Beaten Sea/Oil Boom/Dovetail (Kessler Theater)


• Garrett Owen/Jaimee Harris/Tiger Darrow/Matthew Bridgman (Opening Bell Coffee)


• North of Autumn (Lochrann's)


• Binary Sunrise/L.A.X./Nervous Curtains/New Fumes (Club Dada)

I feel certain that I've omitted a show of significance. Show me the error of my ways in the comments section.

Homegrown Fest '11 Tickets

One of the biggest local shows of last year had to be Homegrown Fest, and this year's lineup is only going to be bigger. For details on the lineup, check out the Homegrown Fest website. You can also purchase tickets at the site for the big show Saturday. Of course, if you'd rather not pay, that can be arranged too.

Josh Florence, one of the founders of the event, was kind enough to give me two pairs of tickets to the show on Saturday that features Neon Indian as the headliner. Before Alan Palamino started Neon Indian, or even Vega, he had a project in 2008 that released a single called "Parking Lot Nights". I'm even letting you listen to the track below. But here's my question: what was the name of that group that performed "Parking Lot Nights"? The first person to send an email to ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com with the name of that band in the subject line of the email wins the tickets. It's that simple.

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If you don't win the tickets today, fear not: I will be giving away the second pair of tickets on the Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio Show on Deep Ellum Radio this Wednesday night 6-8 pm. But of course you were already planning on listening, weren't you?

Weekend Plans: 5/6/11

Lotta good shows to talk about, not a lot of time for me to talk before heading downtown. So here's the basics.



FRIDAY
Dead Beat Poetry/The Roomsounds/Scott Tucker/Joe Hardy (Liquid Lounge)
If the above video doesn't convince you to come, I don't know what would. Except maybe the knowledge that I'll be broadcasting live from the Curtain Club patio with deepellumradio. Yes, I'm biased, but that's beside the point. It's still the show to be at tonight.
Dovetail/Quaker City Nighthawks/The Misteries (Double-Wide)
The Prospect Before Us, Spookeasy, Sealion, Leading Story, Rammit, Jacob Chaney (The Prophet Bar)
The folks from Spookeasy swear that Sealion is an amazing band. Don't know if they're right or not, but either way Spookeasy is worth the price of admission.
Tony Scalvo/Salim Nourallah/Kristy Kruger (Club Dada)
Mr. Scalvo from Fastball headlines, but in my book, Mr. Nourallah and Ms. Kruger will steal the show.
Jessie Frye/Tiger Darrow/Bravo, Max! (Dan's Silverleaf)
This is Ms. Frye's Denton CD release show. Solid lineup all the way through.
Tweed EQ/Disposable Music/Bass Drum (The Crown and Harp)
The owners of The Cavern hinted that music shows would be fewer and fewer after the change of names happened. And yet this lineup, featuring blues-rockers Tweed EQ and Disposable Music (featuring members of Happy Bullets), is stronger than most of the shows last year at Cavern. Go figure.

SATURDAY
Here Holy Spain/Broken Gold/Record Hop/Orange Peel Sunshine (Club Dada)
If you prefer RAWK to rock music, then this is your show. It'll be loud, in your face, and musical greatness. By the way, I haven't raved near enough about HHS's latest effort, Division.
Lolaspalooza (Lola's)
Pretty much any one single band on the indoors stage is worth the price of admission alone. Together, it's gonna make for a great night. Go to Lola's website for times and stuff.

Weekend Plans: 4/29/11

I'm writing this mere minutes before I head out for the night, so forgive the brief commentary. I'm sure I'll forget a really important show, so feel free to point out any significant omissions in the comments section.

And now, the shows...


FRIDAY:
THe BAcksliders/RTB2 (Double-Wide)
Not only is this a CD release show for THe BAcksliders, but they're also recording a live CD tonight. Maybe if you shout loud enough, you'll hear yourself on the record.
Human Groove Hormone/Immigrant Punk/Paul Chrisopher Yanez/Emmeline/Suzanne KimBrell/Jennifer Bean/Audacious/Karyna Cruz/Backwater Opera/Mark Brant/Sonya Jevette (Lakewood Bar & Grill)
Check out my last blog entry for my thoughts and such.
Tweed EQ/Sir Silky (Fallout Lounge)
I hope Tweed EQ's CD release show doesn't get overlooked, considering that THe BAcksliders are playing down the street. Their album Second Tour is full of plenty of bluesy riffs and classic rock revivalism. As for Sir Silky, he'll certainly bring the party to the show.
Smile Smile (The Belmont)
Word is that the duo is working on material for album number three. You'll probably get to hear some of the new tunes tonight.
The Roomsounds, Van Darien, Pale Horse, Griffin Schmucker, Gypsy Bravado, Playtime Rabbit (The Prophet Bar)
I don't even have time to start talking about how much talent is on this lineup.

SATURDAY:
The Phuss/THe BAcksliders/The Demigs (Lola's)
THe BAcksliders bring their CD release party to Ft. Worth. Openers The Demigs had their CD release show at Dada recently, and so say it sounded tight would be an understatement. Fans of Pixies and Pavement, get their early so you don't miss them.
Pastime Tavern's 74th Anniversary Party
Highlights will include Luna Matto, Here Holy Spain, and Flowers of God (most likely sans Sarah Jaffe).
The Marfalites/These Mad Dogs of Glory (LaGrange)
Are the Marfalites the best country act in Dallas? Maybe. Are they Dallas' best kept secret in country music? Undoubtedly.
The Broadsiders/Rude King/Dog Company/Letters to Voltron (Liquid Lounge)
For those who listened to my radio show Wednesday, you heard me say that I'm usually not a ska fan. You then heard me bust out local ska band Rude King's "Love Bomb". Why? Because I am ALWAYS a fan of a good catchy song. From what I've heard, Rude King has plenty of those.
Rahim Quazi/Ryil Dylan (Claypit Restaurant)
Note to Rahim fans: Rahim will NOT be playing his usual hook-filled singer-songwriter material. Instead, he's busting out some Indian music. Fans of Mr. Quazi may be curious to see him branch out into this different musical direction.

My Apologies to Emmeline... and Trevor

On my deepellumradio shows, I tend to focus almost exclusively on trying to promote shows specifically within the Deep Ellum neighborhood. After all, that is one of the primary focuses of the station: to support music and venues in that neighborhood. Unfortunately, that may mean many worthy concerts do not get mentioned on my show.

Right before my most recent show aired, musician (and friend) Emmeline asked if I'd made a mention of her show Friday. I felt like a real idiot, because I had not. Granted, the show takes place at Lakewood Bar & Grill, clearly outside of the Deep Ellum proper area. But still, I was quite upset about my omission.

Why is that? Sure, Emmeline is one of the best singer-songwriters within the area, but the issue goes deeper than that. The bill also features Suzanne Kimbrell and Karyna Cruz, two singer-songwriters that have piqued my curiousity as of late (I still have not seen either play live yet). No, this goes beyond any mere performer (or group of performers for that matter).

All the proceeds of this show go to The Trevor Project, and if you are not familiar with the group, I urge you to check that website out immediately. And while I usually refrain from any commentary about social issues on the site, I feel compelled to comment here. This is a cause that in my opinion goes beyond one's sexual preference. This is an issue of a person's right to not be bullied. And yes, I consider that a right. It is an individual's right to not be harassed whether because of their race, religion, sexual preference, or any other fathomable issue.

Yes, there are MANY fabulous shows tonight, and I will address them later this afternoon. But I felt this one deserved a little extra attention, as it is for a good cause. In fact, make that a critically important cause.

Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio: 4/27/11

For those who have been faithfully listening to my radio show on deepellumradio, I give you my sincere thanks. To those who have not been listening, I hope to convince to start listening every Wednesday 6-8 pm CST. Perhaps if you see the fine musical selections that you're missing out on, that will convince you to turn up your computer speakers and give me a listen. So without further ado, here's this week's playlist.


"Underground", Kirby Brown
"Hotel Denalian", Bravo, Max!
"Missing Funerals", Salim Nourallah
"Hands Where Words Cannot Go", RTB2
"City of Hate", Toadies
"Carney's Lake", W.A. Fite
"Save Your Breath", Camille Cortinas
"Chasing Corporate", Air Review
"Justify or Explain", Tweed EQ
"Man with the Crooked Crown", Nicholas Altobellit
"You're No Good", Pale Horse
"Burn It Down", Here Holy Spain
"Tropicall", Soviet
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Kim Bonner
"Holy Water", Princess Tex
"Holiday", Vibrolux
"Potential Future Selves", THe BAcksliders
"Turn on Your Radio", THe BAcksliders
"sEVEN", DuCADO Vega
"Parking Lot Nights", Ghosthustler
"Set Me Free", The Red 100's
"Love Bomb", Rude King
"Charmed", The Bright
"Eyes Get Bigger", Oil Boom
"Skull Eyes", True Widow
"Three", The Timeline Post
"Sins of the Fathers", Course of Empire
"Remember You", The O's
"Pawn Shop Special", The Marfalites
"Someone Else's Blues", Greg Schroeder

And for those who have been wondering, the Ghost of Blind Lemon theme (intro song) was created by Clay Pendergrass, and the outro song is an excerpt from Rahim Quazi's "Supernatural (Reprise).

Also, feel free to email me at ghost@deepellumradio.com with song requests, suggestions for the show, or if you have an mp3 you'd like me to play.

Edgefest 21: And Then There Were Ten...

For the second year in a row, KDGE is giving local bands the opportunity to open up at Edgefest. Last week, twenty bands were selected, and fans had the opportunity to vote for their favorite band. The ten with the most votes moved on to round two this week. Voting for this round ends this Sunday at midnight, and the three acts with the greatest number of votes progress to the final round. Already, two favorites of mine (Luna Matto and Spookeasy) have been eliminated. There are still, however, several excellent choices remaining. Here is a look at my four favorite bands still competing (listed in alphabetical order), complete with a little summary on each band. I have also included my thoughts on how well each band would fit in at Edgefest.

DuCADO Vega
MY THOUGHTS: I was impressed with this band the first time I heard "Seven" on The Local Edge with Mark. The track is a fresh blend of electronica, funk, and rock that is not like anything else in the metroplex area. While the song is good, you cannot fully understand and appreciate the band without experiencing their live performance. The live show is much more raw and funky, sure to get any audience on its feet. Fans of Prince and old school Lenny Kravitz are sure to love this act.
FITTING IN AT EDGEFEST: There's certainly no comparable act to DuCADO Vega on this year's lineup. And traditionally, the station veers away from more dance oriented music. Using that same logic, Ishi should not have opened up for Edgefest last year (and they did). And while Ishi may make you want to dance, with DuCADO Vega you feel the NEED to dance. So if the kids still like to dance, they'll end up fitting right in and winning over a new crowd.

North of Autumn
MY THOUGHTS: The youngest band of the four selected, this group is surprisingly mature in their presentation and level of skill. The one time I saw them play, not only was the performance tight, it was complete with a full light show, making it more an experience than a mere performance. The crowd seemed to be in full enthusiastic agreement with me. While the band's sound may be a little poppier than might please the die hard indie hipster crowd, for fans more concerned with catchy melodies than being trendy, North of Autumn will more than do the job.
FITTING IN AT EDGEFEST: The sound is certainly lighter than the majority of the lineup. NoA definitely would be a more natural fit for Coldplay for even The Fray than Jane's Addiction or Social D. Still, their melodic rock would certainly make a lovely way to start out the fest.

Pale Horse
MY THOUGHTS: Wow, here I am yet again having to come up with new things to say about this band. Let's start with the fact that "You're No Good" was my favorite song of last year, and that I named the band as one of the best live acts in the metroplex. The level at which I love this band is hardly a secret. They've been working on new material, posting new tracks on their bandcamp for free. I don't know if these tracks will get the full band treatment eventually, but they certainly take the band in an even darker and heavier direction. But Pale Horse has never shied away from heavy or controversial topics. Now is no exception.
FITTING IN AT EDGEFEST: Of the four bands selected, this one would probably be the most obvious fit at Edgefest. The band's lyrically intimate style is sure to bring comparisons to Edgefest favorite Blue October, although their style comes closer to a modern version of The Band than Blue October. Simply put, this is classic rock for another generation, and I think that will go over very well at Edgefest.

Smile Smile
MY THOUGHTS: I've always liked Smile Smile, but the release of Truth on Tape gave me a new respect for the band. The album is one of the best heartbreak CDs ever to emerge from the area. The topic came naturally to the band, as the music was being written as the duo was going through a very rough and public breakup. One might think that such a breakup might mean the end of the band, but Smile Smile has managed to make their personal problems work for them. Much of the on stage banter even revolves around their past. As for the melodies, mix equal parts heartbreak with pop piano hooks, and that's the Cliff Notes version of what Smile Smile is.
FITTING IN AT EDGEFEST: Like North of Autumn, the band's sound is considerably lighter than the rest of the bands. However, between the band's banter and excellent songs, the band should do fine. Also, the band will likely win brownie points with the Edgefest crowd with their cover of Blink 182's "Dammit", which as far as I'm concerned is light years superior to the original.

Now that you know a little about these bands, that leaves you one thing to do: VOTE! You can vote once per day until the deadline this Sunday at Midnight. I realize that I selected four bands, and at most three could make it thru. Still, let's at least get one of these acts on the Edgefest lineup.