The Lucky Thirteen: 1/31/11

As I'm sure most of you, this past week I recorded my first show for deepellumradio, the first of what I hope to be many to come. With that, however, brings a question: what should become of the Lucky Thirteen? Should I just repeat the same songs here? Is it redundant to have a playlist and a radio show? I have not yet come up with answers for those questions. I guess you could say I'm at a creative crossroads of sorts with the Lucky Thirteen. So I've decided to do what many musicians do when they're needing to put out an album but not sure what to do: release a best of retrospective type deal. I've selected thirteen tracks that, for whatever reason, have been significant musical points in past playlists. I don't know if this is goodbye to the Lucky Thirteen, but it seems a good time for reflection.
And whether or not the Lucky Thirteen continues, I encourage artists to send their mp3's to ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com for either these playlists or the radio show.

1. "Big Scar", Blackheart Society
   April 20, 2008 was the date of the first Ghost of Blind Lemon playlist. I used the last.fm playlist widget. At that time, there was no flexibility with ordering songs on the playlist. All tracks were done in alphabetical order by artist. As a result, this made the Blackheart Society song the first track on the first playlist here.


2. "Supernatural", Rahim Quazi
   The playlist has gone through many different formats and platforms: last.fm, MySpace, Hypster, and finally Grooveshark. I feel pretty safe in saying that this track has been used in each one of the formats, and just might have been featured on more playlists than any other song. "Supernatural" is a guaranteed mood picker-upper, and one of the most infectious tracks in recent local music memory.


3. "Red in the Morning", Menkena
   I've been featuring this song on playlists since it was a demo on their MySpace page. It's finally seen a proper release this year, and all I can say is that it's about time.


4. "Jack Never Crashes", The Deathray Davies
   I got into a bit of a rut last year, not even doing many Lucky Thirteens for a lengthy period. I finally revived the playlist with a theme very special to me: the early years of the 2000's. Although many people view that period the beginning of the decline of Deep Ellum, that was also when I became a true local music fan. Groups like Chomsky, Sugarbomb, OHNO, [DARYL], and of course The Deathray Davies created my obsession with local music. Sometimes getting in touch with your past really can help you move into the future.


5. "Everything Dies", Nicholas Altobelli
   I've always been a big supporter of Mr. Altobelli, and I could have chosen many other tracks of his. What makes this one special, however, is the fact that he let me debut this track on my blog. He didn't debut it on Dallas Observer, The Local Edge with Mark, or with anyone else. This was the first time I'd ever gotten a chance to debut a song on the blog. As a result, this song will always be special to me.


6. "You're No Good", Pale Horse
   This song fared rather well last year, considering that it made it to #1 on my year end countdown. Not too shabby, right?


7. "Virtue and Vice", The Virgin Wolves
   As you know, one of my favorite things as a blogger is to discover new talent. This past June, I urged new and up and coming acts to email me their mp3's for a special Lucky Thirteen consisting only of acts new to me. This particular track became a big favorite of mine during last year, and it works really well when played as loud as possible. I also feel compelled to give props to Anna Thomas, who was featured on that same playlist, and was almost included on this Lucky Thirteen.


8. "Tryin' to Have a Good Time", The O's
   The O's have definitely made it on several playlists. My first inclination was to feature "You've Got Your Heart", which came in at #2 on the 2009 year end countdown. I opted for this track instead. Some of that was because I wanted to spotlight their newer material. More than that, it's also because a GOBL fan was so excited over the inclusion of this song that she took a picture of the Grooveshark player and posted it as a Facebook profile pic. That alone is reason enough for it to make this "best of" edition.


9. "Paper Girl", Katie Carroll
   The first time this song was included on a Lucky Thirteen, there was a slight misspelling of the title. Somehow the word "girl" was spelled as "bag". But just as a rose by any other name smells as swell, this song with any other title sounds just as sweet. Call it "Paper Girl", call it "Paper Bag", or just call it a good song. And that it is.


10. "Just Wanna Try", Luna Matto
    I was already playing the living daylights out of this track back in the MySpace playlist days. When Luna finally sent me the new mp3s of what was to become Happy Isn't Real, I said on my Facebook account that receiving the tracks was like Christmas day for me.


11. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
    This track not only was my favorite song of 2009, it's made my top 10 favorite songs of all time list. I don't mean a top 10 local tracks list; I mean top 10 songs ever. I can't explain the effect that this song has on me, but I can say that this song strikes a chord within me in a way that few songs do. If you haven't ever listened to the song before, please, do so now.


12. "sEVEN", Ducado VeGA
    Earlier, I referred to this playlist as sort of a "greatest hits". Like many greatest hits compilations, I decided to slip in a brand new song. I want to save my comments for the next radio show, so I'll simply say that I feel Ducado VeGA will be a major player in the local music scene this year.


13. "Me Quedo en Blanco", Lauren Adelle with Colin Boyd
    One of the big tricks on compilation albums is to feature one brand new song. Another trick, more often found in box sets, is to include an older never released song. Although this track charted on my top 40 podcast from last year, it never made it onto a single playlist. I always meant for her to be included, but for whatever reason, something always got in the way. Until today, that is.

The Lucky Thirteen: 12/27/10

I must say that even though 2010 has not ended yet, it appears that 2011 is going to be a killer year for local music. Below I have shared just a few tracks from albums to be released next year that are among my most eagerly anticipated releases.

But first, let's talk about memories, like the corners of my mind. Misty water-colored memories of the way they were. No, there are not going to be any Streisand tunes on the playlist. I will, however, take a few moments to reflect on a few bands that called it quits in 2010.

So here's the deal: the first six tracks on the Lucky Thirteen are by bands that broke up this year, and the last seven give an opportunity to happily look forward to the metroplex's musical future.

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. "Infatuations Never Last", The Slack
   It appears that The Slack doesn't last either. The band made no fanfare, fading out quietly with their final show being an opening gig for Cas Haley. Fortunately, lead singer Chris Holt has continued releasing solo CDs. In fact, A Cosmic Joke is easily one of my favorite CDs of the year.


2. "Evil on the Highway", Dove Hunter
   Quincy Holloway is easily one of my favorite drummers in the metroplex. Now that Dove Hunter is gone, I'm wondering what project he'll take on next. If anyone knows, feel free to pass that info my way.


3. "Need a Release", the cut*off
   After about eight years together, the cut*off played their final show this past May. The band not only featured surprisingly sharp lyrics set to a Pixies meet Neil Young backdrop, but the members are some of the coolest, nicest musicians around.


4. "Undercover", Bridges and Blinking Lights
   It seems that the trend this year was for bands to quietly break up without an official farewell show. Personally, I prefer having the farewell show, but that's just me. Here's another band that opted to skip the farewell show.


5. "Fine Line", Macon Greyson
   The band has never announced the breakup, but I have it on good word that Macon Greyson are no more. Here's a track from their Uneasy CD. In case you were wondering, yes, Cindy Chaffin's blog is named after this song.


6. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
   In my countdown of favorite local songs of last year, "Echo and the Pass" took the number one slot. So what does the band do for an encore? Nothing apparently, as the band broke up. There was supposed to be a farewell show, but the band didn't even make it to the farewell show. What a shame.


7. "Knife Fight", Calhoun
   Enough looking back now, let's get our first taste of 2011. Calhoun's Heavy Sugar should be released early this year, and this will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth for catchy pop tunes.


8. "We Will All Be Changed", Seryn
   I finally experienced my first Seryn show recently. There has been a lot of hype surrounding the band, and after seeing them, I can tell you that should believe the hype. I don't even know where to begin in describing how amazing the band is. I do know this: you'll start seeing my face at several of their shows in 2011.


9. "Save Your Breath", Camille Cortinas
   Almost five years after Camille's first full length with Fishing for Comets, here "solo" CD should come out this year. Of course, I thought she'd have an album in 2010, but according to her, it will be released in 2011.


10. "We'll Go Walkin'", The O's
    Many local CDs will be released next year, and of course everything is available for download. I even feel safe in saying there will be a healthy number of local vinyl releases in 2011. But how many bands will be able to claim release in all of the previously mentioned formats PLUS 8-track? Only The O's.


11. "Barn Burner", The Roomsounds
    I'm not sure when in 2011 the band will release a CD, but I'm fairly certain it will happen. Also, keep your eyes on the lookout for a cool show featuring The Roomsounds. Soon. Very soon.


12. "Coffee at Midnight", The Red 100's
    The Red 100's have just started to make their mark on the local music scene. I feel safe in saying that this will be an even bigger year for The Red 100's.


13. "Shivonne", Menkena
    January 28th. Kessler Theater. CD release for With You I'll Travel. Kessler Theater. Also featuring Luna Matto and Daniel Folmer. Be there. No excuses.

Local Edge Playlist: 12/19/10

For those expecting to see Days 5 and 6 of Christmas over the weekend, sorry. Things got hectic and well, no gifts this weekend. I hope Santa doesn't hold it against me and leave a lump of coal in my stocking. In the meantime, Mark put on his 2nd annual "It's a Local Edge Christmas, Charlie Brown" episode. Forewarning #1: there will be a notable amount of overlap between his selections and tomorrow's Lucky 13. Forewarning #2: Mark said he played centro-matic's "Fuselage", which I didn't catch. In all fairness, I don't recall him mentioning the BTD song that I know he played. Oh, and for the cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", he gave credit to Junuis Recording, but I did not hear him specify an artist. I think it may be the Dallas Family Band, but don't hold me to that. Anyways, here is what I believe to be the playlist. I promise to give a full refund of the price of this blog entry if I'm wrong.

"What I Always Wanted", Chris Holt
"Santa Baby", Smile Smile
"Jesus Christ", RTB2
"Christmas Swag", LehtMoJoe
"Up on the Housetop", The Rocketboys
"Christmas Time Is Here", Chomsky
"Merry Ex-Mas", GalleryCat
"It's Christmas time", PPT
"Last Christmas", Hendrick
"Angels We Have Heard on High", Quiet Company
"Christmas Time", Black Tie Dynasty
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)", The Polyphonic Spree

The Lucky Thirteen: 3/28/10 - 4/3/10

Here's my standard disclaimer which I've forgotten the past two weeks (fortunately no lawsuits have come my way): 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.

So I have one question for you, my readers? Are you ready to rock? I can't hear you, I said, are you ready to RAWK?!?!?

Sorry to disappoint you then, because I've decided to go a more mellow route with this week's playlist. The rock will resume next week, but for now enjoy this more subdued yet lovely playlist.

1. "D Street", Luna Matto
   Here's another of the tracks that I received from Luna Matto, and I've always enjoyed the sparse arrangement of this song. I'm sure she'll be performing it Saturday night at City Tavern, along with Darktown Strutters and Binary Sunrise.


2. "The Sticking Place", Most
   Art festival season is upon us, and this weekend will be the Deep Ellum Arts Festival, and there are several bands worth checking out. While I still haven't seen Most's live set, I'm convinced that their set (Saturday, 5:00 pm at the Main Stage) will be quite captivating.


3. "Three", The Timeline Post
   I suppose it's kinda cheesy to place this song as number three on the list. What can I say? I'm not feeling all that original today. Sue me.
   
4. "...And Again", Hendrick
   Hendrick was originally scheduled to perform at the Arts Festival, but they're no longer on the lineup. That leaves only one show on their agenda this week, and that would be the Thursday night show at Trees. You know the show I'm talking about. This is the show that determines which band opens Edgefest. There is no online voting for the last round, so the only way to make certain your favorite band makes it to Edgefest is to attend Thursday night. I don't know the order of the lineup, but Bridges & Blinking Lights, Ishi, Andrew Tinker, and Criminal Shift round out the top five.


5. "The Moon", Elkhart
   How could I do a mellow playlist without adding an Elkhart song? Their CD, The Moon, is nothing less than a classic in terms of dreamy ethereal alt-country pop. It's also a rare CD that never compels me to press the skip button, and that's a true rarity in this day and age.


6. "Somebody Else", Smile Smile
   Here's yet another good track from Truth on Tape. They'll be performing Wednesday at City Tavern as part of the Home Sessions series. If you're not familiar with the Home Sessions series, the way it works is that artists perform stripped down, and then many of the tracks will later be available to stream or even download for free. Pretty cool, isn't it?


7. "The Regulator", Nicholas Altobelli
   Mr. Altobelli will be performing next Sunday at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival, and I'm sure he'll be playing several songs from his next album, which shares its name with the posted song.


8. "Red in the Morning", Menkena
   Yo Jimmy, when we gonna meet up so you can give me the new CD? Okay, so my Brooklyn accent doesn't even come close to that of Mr. Menkena. Still, Jimmy's promised me a mastered copy of the new CD, and I'm seriously ready to listen to it.


9. "Acts of Man", Midlake
   This is an obvious choice for this mellow thirteen.


10. "Fly", GaydenLee
    I received the duo's CD, Songs for Thursday, this past week and I must say that there is a definite charm to the six songs. There's something in the songs that reminds me of the Once soundtrack, not so much because of their writing style but in spirit. When I first saw that film, I was struck by the simple sincerity of the performances and the obvious love the two felt for the music. I sense a certain amount of that admittedly intangible quality with GaydenLee. If this has you curious, check them out next Sunday at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. They play at 3:00 at the ArtLoveMagic Artist Alley.


11. "Rivers into Rum", Carter Albrecht
    I think this is the first time I've posted a track from Mr. Albrecht's solo album on a playlist. Admittedly, I couldn't do that with the MySpace playlists, but I should have addressed this problem much sooner. Still, better late than never, and this song fits in to the playlist perfectly.


12. "Together", The O's
    I'm sure than John Pedigo and Taylor Young are just having a blast over in Europe, but I'll be glad when they return and do some shows closer to Paris, Texas than Paris, France.


13. "After All Is Done", Iris Leu
    This is one of my favorites from Hushaboo that I've only seen Ms. Leu perform one time, and that was at the CD release show. I doubt she'll change that trend this Saturday when she performs at the Kessler Theater. For the record, if you haven't been there yet, change that... like, now.

The Lucky Thirteen 2/14/10 - 2/20/10

Alas, we have come to that time of year, Valentine's Day. For some, it's a day of joyous celebration filled with love. To others, it's a conspiracy of a holiday created by Hallmark and chocolate companies that depresses the lonely ones. To reflect those mixed opinions of the holiday, I have created a playlist showing both the happier and the sadder aspects of that thing we call love.

Oh, and of course, I can't start a playlist without the standard 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.



Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

1. "Get Used to Disappointment", Sara Radle
   Two years ago, I declared this track to be the best song about heartbreak to ever emerge from the metroplex. There's another song on this list that is now rivaling Ms. Radle's tune for the number one spot, but there's no denying the power of this story of a woman afraid of falling in love. And based on the ending of the song, those fears are well based. Any mixed tape of heartbreak songs is incomplete without this track.


2. "Every Time I Get Close to You", Eleven Hundred Springs
   It's quite a stark contrast from "Get Used to Disappointment" to this track, a honky-tonk celebration of love. This is as certain to put a smile on your face as the previous track was likely to have you feeling down.


3. "Beg You to Stay", Smile Smile
   It's hard to discuss the band's new CD, Truth on Tape, without going into the personal lives of Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme. Listening to the songs make you feel like you're eavesdropping into personal conversations between the former husband and wife. The tension between the two onstage is often very visible, yet musically the band is as solid as ever. This particular tune is a perfect blend of sweet pop melodies combined with Mr. Hamilton's earnest plea.


4. "Salome", Old 97's
   I suppose I could do a Valentine's Day playlist of songs without any Old 97's. But really, what would be the fun in that? The band's success is due to their energetic delivery of their tales of heartbreak that are always authentic without ever being maudlin.


5. "Romance Tried to Kill Me", Cocky Americans
   Have you checked out the video for the song? If not, do so now!


6. "I Still Wait", The O's
   The opening line of this tune, "I broke my heart in Arizona waiting on a train/I stood alone for several hours but you never came" is so perfect that it almost seems archetypal of country music. And when the duo hits the chorus, well, it's pretty darn awesome.


7. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
   If any song could dethrone Ms. Radle's track for best heartbreak song, this would be the one. Although the story is not as clearly laid out as it was by Sara, the vocal performance by Josh Hendrick is so powerful that I believe that the emotions are communicated far beyond what mere words can do. Also, more props to guitarist Hans Grubein, who is quite possibly the most underappreciated guitarist in the metroplex. Oh, and I'll bet they'll play this song Friday at House of Blues. Tickets are as cheap as $20 for a group of four (in advance).


8. "Breaking up the Love Scene", Summer Ames
   I finally received her latest EP, Complicated Daydream, which was recently reviewed in the Dallas Observer by Alan Ayo. I agree with his statements that she is indeed "above average" in her vocal talent. I also think that she has yet to reach her full potential. Still, I never felt that the CD had the "customary coffeehouse sound", and in fact, in many tunes, she defiantly breaks that mold. Anyways, I figured this song fit in quite nicely on the playlist, as it's sweet sounding enough to appeal to the hopeless romantics, yet there's a definite feeling of frustration coming from the lyrics, which the cynics will enjoy.


9. "It's Over", Danny Balis
   This song, unlike the previous, falls exclusively into the heartbreak category. I cannot think of another person in the metroplex with a voice suited better for country than Mr. Balis, and I love the steel guitars on this track. If you like your beer laced with tears, this track will do the trick.


10. "Posterchild for Tragedy", Sugarbomb
    Back in the day, few bands had as energetic of a performance as Sugarbomb, with each show feeling like the perfect party. Yet strangely enough, the band never wrote a better song than this tale of a man who loses his lover - permanently. If only the band stayed together longer, it would have been interesting to see if the band would have explored this more introspective side.


11. "Sun Rain Love", Rahim Quazi
    I wanted to place Mr. Quazi's "Coffeebreak" in last year's V-day playlist, but the song was not on his MySpace playlist (an example of why I prefer Hypster). Anyways, he suggested this track as a less depressing alternative, and I figured I'd use it this year. Next year, however, it's back to the downer of "Coffeebreak". You've been forewarned.


12. "Lies", Fishing for Comets
    "Got lost on the drive home/It's useless I suppose to hold on to something that's not there." I don't think Ms. Cortinas has written a finer line than that.


13. "The Ocean", Sara Donaldson
    There have been two times in my life where the sheer beauty of a vocal performance leaves me speechless and choked up. The first was when I heard Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" the first time, and the second was when I heard this song. The story she tells is equally beautiful and, as risk of sounding corny, it's quite touching. By the way, I usually don't post MySpace links for the singers, but Ms. Donaldson has been sneaking underneath the radar for WAY too long. Listen to more of her stuff, or better yet, buy her newest album, Leaving Winter, on iTunes. ("The Ocean" is off her first CD, ...The Beginning, which isn't on iTunes yet.

Playlist: 1/10/10 - 1/16/10

If any artists that are on this playlist do not wish to be on the playlist, please email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and I will gladly remove the song. If, on the other hand, you'd like to be featured on the playlist but I don't have any songs by your band, feel free to email me at the same email and perhaps I'll add you on a future playlist.

Now, onto this week's playlist:

1. "For Keeps", Iris Leu
   I've searched the names of several local artists on Hypster, and frankly the current selection is underwhelming. Number of songs by The O's? Zero. Number of Chomsky songs? None. How many Midlake songs? Only one. Number of Iris Leu songs? Four. Obviously I'm not the only fan of Ms. Leu's who uses Hypster.


2. "Acts of Man", Midlake
   Oh, scratch my previous comment about the number of Midlake songs. I've placed this track off their upcoming CD, The Courage of Others, on the site now. You're welcome.


3. "Pipe Dream", The Slack
   I am officially declaring The Deep End as the first important release of 2010, and Holt and company are starting off the year on the right foot. Don't forget, the CD release show is on the 22nd of this month at Sons of Hermann Hall.


4. "All Because You're Mine", Air Review
   Their song "Chasing Corporate" ranked number six on my year end countdown, and that's definitely their most immediately accessible track. "All Because You're Mine" is one of the those songs that takes its sweet time to worm its way into your head. Once it's there, it is there and setting up permanent residence. I would probably say that after repeated listens to Landmarks, this is truly their finest track.


5. "View from the Track", Dust Congress
   The fine folks at Gutterth have created two compilations of tracks that can be downloaded for free on their website. I've been particularly enjoying this track from Compilation: One.


6. "The Spilling Blood Child", RTB2
   Have you heard about the In*And*Out Tour of 2010? Okay, so "tour" might be too strong of a word. RTB2, new GOBL fave Luna Matto, and PVC Street Gang will be playing at The Cavern this Friday, and taking the show north on 35 when they play Hailey's the next day. Make a point of attending at least one of the shows.


7. "Flat Black", True Widow
   True Widow will play at Sons of Hermann Hall with the pAper chAse and The Boom Boom Box, and I predict they will steal the show.


8. "Say Hello", Tim Miller
   According to Opening Bell Coffee's website, Tim Miller & Friends will be performing there this Saturday. As to who those friends are, I have no clue, though I'd love it if one of those friends was Sara Donaldson. I've seen the two perform together, and it's one of those situations where the sum of their performance is greater than the parts of either solo. Oh, and Jayson Bales & The Charmers open the show. For the record, it seems as if Opening Bell has a LOT of good shows booked in the upcoming weeks.
   
9. "Paperweight Eyes", Sorta
   While Hypster's selection of local artists is currently limited, I intend to change that. The beauty is that it at least allows me to expand their selection, something that is not available thru MySpace. This is particularly frustrating when a band you love has a very limited selection of tracks available. This is the case with Sorta, where their first two albums are unavailable for playlists. Here's one of my favorites off their first full length, Laugh out Loud.


10. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
    Once again, my congratulations go out to Hendrick, who came in at number one on my year end countdown. It has been a mission of mine to convince people to listen to this track, and I can only hope it impacts my readers the way it did me. Thank you, Hendrick, for creating this masterpiece.

MySpace Playlist: 12/13/09

Ghost of Blind Lemon's MySpace Playlist (12/13/09) on MySpace Music - Play Playlist Songs & Download Tracks

1. "Section 1 (Have A Day/Celebratory)", The Polyphonic Spree
   Granted, I have missed the last few Polyphonic Spree Christmas shows. Still, it doesn't feel right that there isn't one this year. I placed this song on the playlist in hopes of it satisfying my craving to see them live. It isn't helping. If anything, I'm missing them more now.


2. "Merry Christmas Now", Rahim Quazi
   Thanks to Mr. Quazi for uploading this holiday song. Next week's episode will (hopefully) all be songs of the season, or at least songs that somehow relate to the season. Please, start uploading your tracks now, because at this rate, I'm not going to have enough tracks to use unless I start borrowing from the LeAnn Rimes Christmas CD. Please, don't make me do that.


3. "Mermaid of Virginia", The Naptime Shake
   This song still sounds to me like a county version of early Belle & Sebastian (particularly their song "Mayfly"). This may seem an usual comparison for the band, yet I mean that as a compliment.


4. "This Crazy Life", Eleven Hundred Springs
   Sometimes it's easy for me to get behind on events, so thanks to DC9 at Night for letting me know about this new Eleven Hundred Springs track.


5. "Change Gon' Come", Dem Southernfolkz
   This Saturday marks the 4th Annual Orphanage Christmas Benefit at Double-Wide. It's sponsored by 1310 The Ticket as usual, and the musical lineup is quite strong. Dove Hunter will headline, and other performers include Dem Southernfollkz (included in the playlist), The Orbans, Sparklepussy Barbie, and DJ Slim. All proceeds go toward the Gladney Center for Adoption.


6. "City Lights", Hendrick
   This past Saturday, Hendrick opened up for Oso Closo for their annual Christmas show at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. The two will perform together this Thursday at Granada Theater, but this time it is Hendrick that takes the top billing. Here's a track off the album other than "Echo and the Pass", which I hope my readers are not tired of. Heaven knows that I am incapable of tiring of that song.


7. "Girl from the City", The King Bucks
   The band refers to themselves as the "hardest working band in the business", and heaven knows these guys keep busy. They'll perform Saturday Thursday night at Hank's in McKinney. What, only the one show this week? Slackers. (NOTE: Thanks to my friend Michelle who corrected me on the date, and is now being offered the position of official GOBL proofreader)


8. "Sandman", Bonedome
   About a month ago, I met Allan Hayslip at Double-Wide. We chatted for awhile, and then he gave me a copy of his band's CD, Thinktankubator. I asked him to describe the sound of this project, and he told me he had heard several different comparisons, and he wasn't sure which ones were accurate. He mentioned comparison to Bowie, and the comparison seems fair for his vocals, but not so much in the melodies. I can't pinpoint the exact influences, but I will say that it strikes me as sounding like early 90's, pre Nirvana alternative. George Gimarc would've put this band on a Tales From the Edge CD in a heartbeat.


9. "Stay With Me", Sarah Jaffe
   When I discovered Ms. Jaffe was playing this Friday at J&J's Pizza, I went to her MySpace to find a track to place on the playlist. Apparently I have not been visiting her site often enough, as there were many new songs available, including the track I chose. I'm predicting this is a track from her upcoming Kirtland Records release, Suburban Nature. I'll be anxiously awaiting that release next year.


10. "Gimme Back My Fleetwood Mac", The Tah-Dah's
    Bands just don't stay broken up the way they used to. In the past couple of years, there have been too many reunions to count. Some have stayed together (Toadies, Deathray Davies), while others have only done a few shows (Chomsky, Macavity, Brutal Juice, The Tomorrowpeople). Now, The Tah-Dah's are reuniting. I'm not sure if this is a one time deal or something more permanent, although their MySpace consists almost totally of new songs. Perhaps there will be a new CD released soon. I don't have any answers to that question, but you can ask them Saturday when they play at Bryan Street Tavern with Happy Bullets and Drawn By Jaymz.

MySpace Playlist: 11/8/09

1. "Patricia Lynn", The Crash That Took Me
   Last night's TCTTM CD release show bordered on being a true force of nature. My props go out to Sons of Hermann Hall and whoever was doing sound that night, because every instrument could be heard by the audience member crystal clear. More importantly, super enormous props to Dylan Silvers and the rest of the band for putting on one of the most rocking shows I've seen all year; every member of the band is a first rate musician. If you haven't picked up Chlorine Colored Eyes, run, don't walk, to your nearest quality CD store and buy it; this is Mr. Silver's best work to date. I could rave on and on, but I'll shut up for now.


2. "I Can't Make You Happy", Ronnie Fauss
   I'm not sure I've heard a song with a bare bones minimal melody work so effectively. The verses consist of one note repeated over and over, and what should be repetitive and annoying is instead haunting and memorable (in a good way). This overly simple melody also serves another purpose even more important: it draws the attention of the listener to the emotionally frank (and well written) lyrics. Bonus points to Mr. Fauss for referencing my favorite Bob Dylan song.


3. "Saturday", Baboon
   I really wanted to add "Lush Life" to the playlist instead. Oh, the limits of MySpace. This is still a great song, and if your computer speakers aren't cranked up to full blast, then it's too quiet.


4. "Come Hell", Matthew Bridgman
   The first time I saw Mr. Bridgman perform, my car has just broken down over by Bill's Records, and my mind was only half on the performance. I saw him play this Thursday at The Pearl Cup, and was amazed by how good his performance was. The songs on his MySpace, like this one, only give the slightest indication of the level of talent he possesses.


5. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
   Speaking of Mr. Bridgman, he was once a member of this band. He talked about how he thinks lead singer Josh Hendrick is a fabulous songwriter. All of the songs off of Exhale are indeed great songs, expect for this track, which there are no words in the English language to appropriately describe how amazing and beautiful this song is. Please, please, PLEASE listen to this song. I can't imagine anyone being able to listen to this song and not just falling in love with it.


6. "Have You Ever Been Down?", THe BAcksliders
   Friday the 13th is your lucky day. With THe BAcksliders and Spector 45 performing at Double-Wide, how can it not be a good day?


7. "Change Gon' Come", Dem Southernfolkz
   Of course, for those who feel that Friday the 13th is bad luck, Friday's show at Trees could be used as evidence. No, I don't say that because the show is a bad show, quite to the contrary. Dem Southernfolkz will celebrate their EP release (which you can download for free here), and Dove Hunter, Mo Brown, and They Were Stars will round out this great lineup. Why is this bad luck? You can't be at Double-Wide and Trees at the same time.


8. "I'm on Fire", The Farstar
   The band's first full length CD, produced by Salim Nourallah, will be released next year. In the meantime, enjoy this catchy tune from their recently released Strange Kids EP.


9. "Maureen's House", The Marfalites
   Another band working with Mr. Nourallah is The Marfalites. Catch them Saturday night at City Tavern as they open for Grant Jones and the Pistol Grip Lassos.


10. "Meteor Shower", Rhett Miller
    I normally don't add Rhett Miller's solo material to playlists since he's been based out of LA for almost a decade now. Still, the man was born in Dallas, and I'm really looking forward to Saturday's Granada Theater show, which will be a benefit for Cystic Fibrosis. Salim Nourallah, The O's, and Shibboleth will also perform. Get your tickets now, because you don't want to miss out on this one. Short on money and can't afford tickets? Keep your eye on the blog this week; I just might be able to help you out...