Welcome, Derringer!

I met Jeremy Owens on New Years Eve 2004. He is good friends with Pilotdrift, and had made the trip from Nashville to see them at Good Records' instore and then later at Trees. His voice is on my recording of their interview that night backstage, as they prepared for the show. He's an amazing guy, a study in contrasts, and a heart bigger than his frame. He says he has a "golden retriever personality"; truer words were never spoken. He has done A&R for a small label, written for Revelant Magazine, and he also writes a wonderful New Music newsletter which he sends to friends. I think he needs to have a wider audience. I met Mute Math and Athlete because of his insistance. I would know about many more up and coming bands if I had the patience (of a saint) as he does to comb through the hundreds of MySpace pages as he does, but I don't, so I let his newsletter keep me informed. Now you can, as well.

Welcome Derringer!

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A BIG HELLO! to all of my music loving/music industry readers,
Please grab a cup of something warm... hot tea, coffee, etc... and cuddle into some exciting new music.... this is a bit long due to lots of news, but it's all rewarding...I promise....

First off, I just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who read this!! You read about and check out the artists I pass your way, and respond with constant enthusiasm and encouragement to keep trucking on because you appreciate the passion and quality that I strive to send your way every time. This is TRULY PASSION at its rawest state... do you know how many mornings I go into work drained from staying up at night to keep up with all the influx of band requests on MySpace, to listen to all the upcoming samples I can find on current bands with new albums? It's all in order to be at the forefront with the hottest news and the hottest bands. The idea is that I siphon thru all the crap and give you only THE BEST so you don't have to... I get NO PAY for this... it's how serious I am about it. I wouldn't have it ANY OTHER WAY! Of course, sometimes I rely on other music sources as well... great sites like Pitchfork whom I don't always agree with, but I do always think are on top of the hottest news and such....and do a damn fine job with the setup of their site...you will find a link to a marching band covering Radiohead below and it's all thanks to Pitchfork...

It's been almost three years now since I took a risk with some email addresses I came across in the music industry in Nashville and did a STUPID, STUPID thing of sending out *cough* some very informal music newsletters (i.e. Spam, although it wasn't computer generated, it was sent out by me personally and still is) as a test to see if I would get tons of hate mail saying, "I hate getting this stuff, stop it, please" or if in fact, I would get positive feedback...well, the latter happened... and those first few were based around that little UK band that could named ATHLETE ... and now look at those terrific, talented guys... on the brink of album number three in the new year (I've got good word from two prominent sources that I'm gonna freak over the new stuff....how dare they tease me in such ways...I fidget daily with anticipation for the pre-release). My readership grows by the day and it just thrills me to continue this journey. As always, if any of you ever get tired of getting this, please DO NOT hesitate to tell me to remove you... I will do so ASAP... on the other hand, if you LOVE getting this, then please pass it on to friends and help these deserving artists get their music out there.....okay enough of that... let's get on to the news... as I said before, you might want to grab a cup of coffee cause there is alot to catch up on and I'll try to make these brief...

This week's SPOTLIGHT album to potentially spend your money on... (and oh my god, it's a major label release *GASP*)
BRAND NEW - THE DEVIL AND GOD ARE RAGING INSIDE ME I've yet to hear the whole thing because MySpace player is crapping out on me a ton, but what few songs I've made it thru are ABSOLUTELY STRIKING! This is the soundtrack to my life in many ways... it is a masterpiece that seemingly pins down into one album the struggles of an individual who grew up in a background of religion and church and such and growing out of following what you were always told and striking out to find and establish what the "truth" really is.... the rock is MASSIVE... the delivery is not conventional or contrived...it's personal and universal all at once... this is the album that will take BRAND NEW to a stunning new level!!!!!!

This week's CHRISTMAS album to beat ALL Christmas albums:
Okay, yeah, you are thinking Sufjan... but it's not. Whereas, I have my copy of Sufjan's Christmas album on its way to my mailbox and hopeto enjoy it... the album I'm REALLY looking forward to wearing out this holiday season is OVER THE RHINE'S second holiday offering...this time it is ALL original tunes and strikingly so... it is very simple yet still wondrous.... Karin stands head and shoulders over many female artists to rank as my favorite EVER... she is so versatile and so in tune with the emotion of each song she delivers... she becomes the character, she becomes the lyric... and Linford is a hero of mine both in poetry and in songwriter...SNOW ANGELS is the new album and you should definitely PRE-ORDER it here today...
Now on to more music bullets.... Derringer stands with his gun at the ready... aim... FIRE!

1) AIR (arguably my favorite band in the world) is releasing a NEWALBUM in the NEW YEAR! Can 2007 get any better? (Athlete, Air, and dammit, Travis, please get that new one to us soon as well) It is produced by Nigel "I gravel at your feet" Godrich. It features some Japanese instrument dabbling and more... It launches sometime early in2007 and they will tour US in May (I WILL finally see them live for the first time even if I have to pay out the wazoo...haha)

2) Johnny Lloyd Rollins - *he's posted new songs!*The first artist signed to my Derringer Record label... wait no, the artist that WOULD be my first signee IF I owned a record label is poised to make a huge splash by 2007. Meetings are happening with majors, and majors are showing serious interest. I predict a massive bidding war and the one who lands the deal with him WILL NOT BE SORRY! Mark my words. His album is getting NOTHING BUT GLOWING and FLAWLESS reviews from the gradual influx of music websites and magazines. Still no release date for LET'S BE POOR TOGETHER but you can guarantee when it does hit... it's gonna break some records... it's AMAZING...Johnny has just been featured singing a ditty on a hilarious new commercial for COMCAST... check it out here...

3) Derek James - Speaking of commercials... Derek James and I have been getting many emails in response to a bit that was running on the Travel Channel...it featured his song Smoky Light and had his name and song listed in corner of commercial...thus leading to an influx of emails saying "I remember you writing about Derek way back when...I saw him on a commercial tonight...Loved his song!!" Derek is working on putting together a new EP with some massive hit potential... many of the song she has been performing to tremendous response at live shows and he needs to get on cd due to hot demand... "Like A Woman" is a destined hit and I can already see it landing on a female targeted commercial or two in the future as well... Additionally, Derek has been really encouraging about some of my own music ideas lately and is showing an interest in working together on some things which I truly look forward to. His commercial is here...

4) Some AMAZING new videos are currently out that DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION...namely BOMBS by Faithless. It is a song of huge emotional impact with lyrical fire that torches the soul and comforts it all at once. It is alternately inspiring and convicting. The video enhances the impact with contrasting images that are creatively woven together and it is an experience that will pin you to your chair... it is best viewed at this link but if your computer does not handle that one...then you can always rely on the YouTube link... Both song and video have landed on my ongoing BEST OF 2007 LIST on my own MySpace page Additionally, THE FORMAT have given us a unique and very low budget gem of a video for the glorious tune, DOG PROBLEMS go here ...

5) Radiohead covered by University of Arizona marching band! This was featured on Pitchfork Media and this is AWESOME!!!!

6) New artists worth keeping your hawk eyes on...
a) Meiko - The girl can sing... amazing vocal... if she can keep pumping out songs as loveable as PIANO SONG and the others...she's gonna do REAL well...
b) Walter Meego - THANK YOU INSOUND for my new addiction and what is currently ranking as my favorite tune of the year... I am listening to this as Hot Chip likes to say "over and over".... I am eager to buy an album and see them live... this group makes the wonderful Hot Chip sound weak.... hahaha... and HC is NOT weak at all, but Walter Meego brings the catchiness and infectiousness in waves...I became an immediate fan!
c) Sparrow House (aka keyboardist from VOXTROT) I am pleased to announce that the keyboardist from VOXTROT has delivered a gorgeous debut EP under the moniker, Sparrow House. It isa quiet gentle work but with plenty of melodic intrigue and lyrical grabbing to keep the listener interested. (And if you haven't heard the new Voxtrot EP then you should and DEFINATELY listen to the spectacular track, SWAY...it is my new favorite autumn song)
d) EDDYFINK I sent out an email previously about these stunning rockers that are just getting warmed up for the major leagues. If you haven't listened to them yet, please do so...I'm convinced that between the amazing musicianship and the masterful wordplay along with the arc and range of vocal inside the sexy lead singer, Andy Pisanu, this band isTHE next big UK phenomenon. If I were to label them, I'd have to officiate a new genre.. "Corkscrew Rock"... you'll never expect the places they take you...
e) FELL CITY GIRL New UK band worth watching... I'm especially keen on their song, February Snow... though the other tunes on their MySpace fail to equal that stunner of a tune, I think they are capable of more grandeur...

7) Existing artists/bands that I've finally arrived at on my musical map (and shamefully, WAY too late)
a) THE BOXER REBELLION I'm tuned into this band thanks to Andy of Eddyfink... WHY IS THIS BAND STILL STRUGGLING? they should be massive... check out tunes like WATERMELLON and WORLD WITHOUT END... and you'll understand why...
b) Ron Sexsmith and Martha Wainwright.... shame on me for waiting so long to dive into these AMAZING artists... thanks again to Andy for pushing me into their pools of perfection... I was walking the streets of New York with rivers coming out my eyes due to Sexsmith's "God Loves Everyone" and "Gold In Them Hills"....
and FINALLY... If you have stuck with me and gotten this far... THANK YOU!!!
My best friend/buddy, Stukenberg, has been busy working on a some material for what will be his debut album... He moved to be back around his family and girlfriend in Wisconsin about the time that I moved to New York and I miss him like crazy... but his move, like mine, has proven fruitful and successful as he is working at a small upstart label there in his area and the label is SUPER EXCITED to help him with his debut...He has posted two new demos which are striking in their potential..."Senses" and especially "Don't Mind" which gushes out of the gate with the spunk of an early firestorming Billy Joel... yes, they still need a little polish but Stuk assures that these are only demos and they are enough to get me excited.... hope you enjoy!

I want to give a shout out to INSOUND... they are an online store where I've begun buying all my cds ... they offer reasonable prices and much like my favorite indie store in Nashville, Grimeys...they are GREAT about offering EXTRA goodies with purchases that you wouldn't get at major retail outlets.... plus they send outMP3's every week from the hottest up and comers in indie music...thus how I heard my latest obsession WALTER MEEGO... so if you want to make shopping easier... go to their page... and NO, this NOT a plugging of them because they want me to... I am not getting any kickback or anything... it's a personal recommendation that I feel compelled to let the world in on...

Be sure and vote for the PLUG Indie Awards here... and in the blank at the end where it asks who is criminally missing from the nominations...I'm trying to stir up a revolution and get people to put THE FORMAT... they are a deserving band who have kicked back from getting dropped from the MAJORS and produced an AMAZING album that should be recognized and awarded by the Indie community... it is the only Indie album in my running BEST OF 2007 LIST that is missing from the nominations....
For all the latest personal blogging updates and indie artists I find worth shouting about... always visit my MySpace page... you are ALWAYS welcome to the state of Derringer and it's visiting station... found here.... , but if you are a reader of this, then thou shalt NOT FEAR because you will ALWAYS get the same quality updates here too... and maybe more....

As a bonus for being a reader, I want to forward all of you something special that came into my email inbox via the masterful music blogger and online radio guy, GORILLA VS BEAR...the back story is in the email... READ IT... it's very interesting and then listen to the song... you will love it... I PROMISE....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

hugs from the state of DERRINGER,
Jer

Chicken-Fried Doug Burr

When I first moved to Texas from granola-crunchy California, I was convinced that all the "native" food was the same color of brown and covered in sauce. Gravy, BBQ, White... no matter, whatever it was, if it wasn't sliced, diced and fried into oblivion, it wasn't Texan. I've since developed a taste for grease. This isn't a good thing, but yum. Anywhoo, All Good Cafe's version is really good, though warning!: if you're a vegan, don't click the link. You'll find it ghastly, graphicly chicken-fried. Now that you're hankering for that batter, head on over tomorrow and line your tummy before a night of Shiner. To coat it, ya know.

The wonderful, brilliant Doug Burr performs
with Crushed Stars
and solo Sarah Jaffe of Tomahawk Molly.

All Good Cafe
2934 Main Street, Deep Ellum.
8:00pm.
All ages. Cover $5.
Chicken-Fried Steak $10.99

Honey, I'm gonna miss ya like terrible

go read.

={

Lousy Robot ready for TV

Lousy Robot is a fav band of mine, and a bunch of really good guys. They're from New Mexico and they come through Dallas often. I met them ages ago at the Doublewide. Next time they are here, I want them to play with the Deathray Davies. Goes well together, ya know?



Follow the link and click the green "Put it on TV" button to vote for their video "Mile Low Club."

And the winner is...

There are really great CDs and names on here... but I'd just like to point out TWO of these to you. TWO from dDFW. TWO of your neighbors. Out of the whole world, we get TWO. Congrats!!

49th GRAMMY Entry List
Best Alternative Music Album, Vocal or Instrumental.

1. APOLLO SUNSHINE Apollo Sunshine
2. PEREGRINE The Appleseed Cast
3. WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT Arctic Monkeys
4. BANG BANG ROCK & ROLL Art Brut
5. DOWN IN ALBION Babyshambles
6. EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME Band Of Horses
7. BE YOUR OWN PET Be Your Own Pet
8. THE LIFE PURSUIT Belle And Sebastian
9. BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT Brightblack Morning Light
10. DERDANG DERDANG Archie Bronson Outfit
11. YOU IN REVERSE Built To Spill
12. THIS CURSED HOUSE Canada
13. OF WHALES AND WOE Les Claypool
14. AVATAR Comets On Fire
15. CANSEI DE SER SEXY CSS
16. THE RUNNERS FOUR Deerhoof
17. DESTROYER'S RUBIES Destroyer
18. WATERLOO TO ANYWHERE Dirty Pretty Things
19. THE OUTSIDER DJ Shadow
20. YES, VIRGINIA... The Dresden Dolls
21. JOHN DUFILHO John Dufilho
22. THE BACK ROOM Editors
23. ELECTROPOLIS Electropolis
24. AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS The Flaming Lips
25. TWO THOUSAND French Kicks
26. NEWS AND TRIBUTES The Futureheads
27. HEARTS AND UNICORNS Giant Drag
28. ST. ELSEWHERE Gnarls Barkley
29. JUST LIKE THE FAMBLY CAT Grandaddy
30. THE EXCHANGE SESSION VOL. 2 Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid
31. EMPIRE Kasabian
32. TING Seth Kauffman
33. ...UNTIL WE FELT RED Kaki King
34. PENTAGON Mat Maneri
35. AMPUTECHTURE The Mars Volta
36. AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES Mew
37. SO CLOSE TO BEAUTIFUL Open Door
38. FROM A COMPOUND EYE Robert Pollard
39. PIECES OF THE PEOPLE WE LOVE The Rapture
40. RED MONROE Red Monroe
41. DESCENDED LIKE VULTURES Rogue Wave
42. DIGITS Neil Rolnick
43. THE UNIFIED POUNDING THEORY Savage Aural Hotbed
44. THE LOON Tapes 'n Tapes
45. SUN OF WATER, SEA OF LIGHT Third Border
46. RETURN TO COOKIE MOUNTAIN TV On The Radio
47. SHOW YOUR BONES Yeah Yeah Yeahs
48. THE ERASER Thom Yorke

© NARAS 2006

JB & CA @ Bend photos

Jayson Bales and Carter Albrecht gave a wonderful performance at Bend. You can buy the CD of the show from Bend, and I highly recommend it. $20 and you'll get unreleased tracks from both musicians and some wry humor. Buy photos from me on my website. gracias.

HO!HO!HO!

ugh. It's just past Halloween. It's not even Thanksgiving yet. There should be a law against playing Christmas carols in stores before November 27th. Let's focus on being thankful first. Then we can polish up the chimneys.

But some things just can't wait. And this is one of them! Spread a little holiday cheer because, along with buying my Halloween eggnog (I kid you not), I've also signed up to do the "Rockstar Photography" (Mr. Yocom's phrase, not mine, though I protested very, very little) for A Spune Christmas.

Red Monroe! Record Hop! Baboon! Pleasant Grove! and some other bands that ought to be OK. heh. Starlight Mints. dude. He booked Starlight Mints. I'm so there.

so, Merry Xmas, and to all a good Dec 9th. Don't miss it.

Show to go ... Jayson Bales and Carter Albrecht at Bend Studio 11/10

Jayson Bales (see review below) and Carter Albrecht will play tomorrow at Bend Studio. If reading that doesn't make your toes tingle, then you haven't spent much time at the Barley House. Barley is the hangout of a certain set of talented Dallas musicians. On any given night, you can go and hear Travis Hopper, JD Whittenburg, Sorta, Olopso, Jayson, Brent Best... it's the center of the roots/Americana scene. Plus Barley serves cider. I love a bar with Woodchuck. Hanging at Barley tends to be relaxed, really relaxed, as Richard, the owner, is high school buddies with a bunch of the musicians who play his bar. The sets there can get sloppy fun, so sloppy fun that even non-musicians have been known to end up singing on stage. (Not often, but it happens.)


But I digress, this isn't about Barley, it's about Bend and tomorrow's show. Jayson Bales and Carter Albrecht are staples of the scene. Carter is arguably (I'd argue it) the "best" musician in Dallas. He sings, plays keys, guitar, etc etc in what, a bazillion great bands? He's toured with Charlie Sexton. When the Edie Brickell's New Bohemians needed a member, they chose Carter. I missed Sparrows, the band Albrecht fronted, and I've heard great things. But usually in local shows Carter allows Trey Johnson or Chris Holt or Ms. Brickell center stage. On Friday at Bend, we're in for a treat: Carter Albrecht, up front. That's gonna be brilliant.

Ally David's epiphany to use her yoga studio as music venue is also brilliant. It's a music experience like none other in Dallas. It's a small space, with room for only 75 or so listeners. Shhh! No speaking; be quiet to hear legendary musicians such as Bob Schneider and Ian Moore, literally at their (bare) feet. Bring your own wine, stretch out on a serape, kick back, lose yourself in the music and personality of the artist. Wow.

Jayson and Carter will either put on a polished performance or crack under the pressure of the undivided attention. Either way, it'll be wonderful.


Bend Studio
Jayson Bales and Carter Albrecht
doors 7:30pm $10
BYOB & corking fee $3
don't be late and wear your good socks

Jayson Bales, Cruel and Unusual

Jayson Bales is both a songwriter and a storyteller. Born, bred, and to the bone in Texas, he tells in music of his life, his state, and his country. His songs are fast fictions in which tales and truths are intertwined in melodic roots music. Introspective and retrospective on Cruel and Unusual, thirty-three year old Bales takes stock of his life, his family's influence, and America in 2006 and asks hard questions.

Storm clouds brewing up ahead. Maybe it's the clouds, or lack of rest, but I don't know why I'm so damned depressed.

What Bales hasn't yet survived after a quarterlife crisis is heading straight for midlife crisis. A family man, a common man, Bales has bought wholly into the ideal of the American man. He takes a stand, he questions, and he searches his soul in three minute pop songs, as Woody Guthrie did, less than a generation ago. On "Half Right" Bales gives his due to the man willing to take a position.

"Some thought he fought a useless fight, but at least he took a stand,
that's gotta make him half right.
... the worst thing is not to stand for anything at all
... the truth may make you bleed but at least it'd be nice to know
... though you may not like what you find
... take a stand, you're gonna be half right."

Bales is willing to take that position, yet questions his own conviction.

"Everyday the colors turn grey. The black and white of my youth died just yesterday. You ask what I believe; I tell you I'm not sure."

Bales is both the beating heart of Texas - old school and family-centered, love God, love your fellow man, love your country - and the new mind of America. The tenets that have shaped his life are obvious. Though cynical about the present, he lives with the greater hope of God and heaven.

More new life for Deep Ellum

"There is a new wind blowing down the historic alleys of Deep Ellum. It whispers lightly in every new drum beat and distant vocal behind closed doors. It takes its pride in its name as it rolls off everyone's tongue. It whispers ... Copasectic Ballyhoo."

The press kit of a music movement in the old Last Beat Studio building waxes poetic, but behind the silver doors on Commerce Street is something as exciting as its prose is overblown. The gutted recording studio has new life inside. ProTools is once again running in the sound stage, the old production rooms are being converted into offices, design studios, and a bedroom. A bedroom? Copasectic Ballyhoo and co-founder Mat Timmons both live in the rooms that once recorded the Burden Brothers, Pinkston, and Vibrolux. He's planted grass on the tiny urban patio out back to remind him of the green of Arkansas, his birthplace. Timmons, unassuming, tall, and just a bit grunge, slouches casually through the facility, showing off what the rooms will be, soon. "Right now, it's an all-volunteer effort," he explains, opening the door to the bare graphics room. "It was set up a couple of weeks ago. We did have a designer, but he left," he says without animousity. Clearly, the future of Deep Ellum is not yet installed.

"The Movement" of Copasectic Ballyhoo is a collective of musicians and artists pioneering the newest genre-breaking music and art media, by their own definition. Their "kingdom of minds" promotes music the masses would never know existed. "We chose artists who have a unique sound or thought that can truely impact the world. I mean, you could teach me to be a guitar master of one song, but I couldn't expand beyond that," says Timmons. "These are artists that never play the same song twice; true musicians." Copasectic records extraordinary fusions unlikely to be fostered on any corporate label. So far, one project has been completed. The New Sounds of Deep Ellum, nicknamed S.O.D.E, is a compilation of exciting artists on the Dallas scene, and one reunited group, Jones. Jones had drifted apart, with members living in New York and LA.. They returned to Texas and began to work in the old Last Beat rehersal rooms. Two of their jazz songs are on S.O.D.E.. Saxmanran, inventor of the Rake, is on the compilation; Blunt Force Crew raps over a bluesy, lazy nearly alt-country melody; White Lotus Society brings on the experimental dance mixes. Juxtaposition and jumbling of musical styles in the rule, even within songs. Culture- and genre-blending experiences are Copasectic's grail.

The business of Copasectic Ballyhoo is a record label (the paperwork is in progress) along the lines of Virgin or Capital Records. Bands on the Copasectic roster can walk in with music and walk out with a fully produced, ready-to-market CD. Recording, graphics, photography, and video are done in-house. While the physical space isn't ready - isolation booth doors are still on order, couches and wet bars are just plans, the reception area needs serious drywall work and a desk - Timmons and his associates are laying a foundation. He and his friends, and his friends of friends, have set out to revive Deep Ellum and bring good music to the masses. "That calls my taste into question, doesn't it?" he jokes. Copasetic began with 150 core members; college friends of Timmons and co-founders Selvin deLeon and Chad Bruce. "We gave everyone five tickets to give out, then we gave those people five tickets, and so on and so on," laughs Timmons,"until we had a Christmas tree of associations. When we reached 600 members, we stopped. Now, we only invite in people who have been refered to us, and we've only grown by about 150 additional members since January."

Copasectic Ballyhoo isn't trying for exclusively by keeping close tabs on its membership list, but rather to gather like minds together. Its melting pot of cultures, races, and genres feels unique in Dallas. Its focus on positivity and inclusivity is refreshing and comes directly from the trauma of Timmon's own life. Sophomore year in college, his parents divorced, his health failed badly, and his true love cheated on him. Timmons' whole life collapsed. Standing on the ledge of his third-floor dorm room's window, aiming for his own car's roof below, he remembered his mother waking him with a song and smiled. It was enough to keep him alive. "One smile saved me, and my entire life's purpose is to produce genuine smiles because they have the power to change the world." Timmons, with his friends, wants to get Dallas smiling. Copasectic Ballyhoo is how he's gonna do that.

"We want to take the grassroots and plant them really solid," says Timmons. Not that there haven't been a couple of booking mistakes. For one of the earlier rooftop events, Timmons brought in Glass Intrepid to play. As soon as they went on stage, he realized his error. His friends made it clear that a mainstream, corporate band wasn't the right direction for Copasectic. Now he searches for artists with drive, those who work to fuel their creativity. "No trust fund babies are here," he says. To be welcomed into the collective, bands tryout on Thursday night rooftop parties, not only to showcase their music, but also to see if they fit into the family. The Artbar's rooftop is a perfect location, and the music flows out over Deep Ellum and draws in walk-up traffic. "Our first winter we lost the rooftop - it was too cold - then we were allowed to take over the stage at Clearview, but only after midnight. We finally opened the doors of the Blind Lemon. We were down to about twenty or thirty people, but the Movement survived." Copasectic hopes to not only pioneer genre-bending music, but to breathe new life into Deep Ellum by bringing back culture-loving crowds. Worried that crime will seep back into the district with the upcoming end of the recent police saturation, Timmons thinks "the crowds will be either be herds of cows or lions. Give me cows."

Timmons envisions spreading the smiles past Dallas, to Austin and Houston. He wants to take the music on the road for college tours in the sping and fall. And he wants univeristies to pay for it. "Imagine the students receiving free tickets; the good feelings, the smiles. We would come on campus, a cultural experience, sponsored by the college." If his dream sounds a bit Sixties-inspired, Timmons thinks that's fine. "Copasectic Ballyhoo is something so beautiful and non-conforming that it takes over your mind and soul."

Photos and a PodQast

The past two weeks I have been working on a special set of photos. I set up my "studio" (I kicked the cars out of the garage) and my portable, loveable background, and invited some friends over. They primped (not so much) and posed (a whole lot) and generally either sweated or froze, but we all enjoyed the fun. And some really great photos came out of the experience. Red Monroe has already used theirs for a Quick PodQast, on which you can *cringe* hear me gushing and trying to act like I'm not just sitting in the British Rose chatting up my friends. Cindy Chaffin got me out of the woodwork to do this interview with her. We've only been planning it for a year. I'm glad that RM's nomination for a Grammy nomination finally got us in front of a mic.

Honeybuggy

And while we're YouTubing, here's a really lovely song, again by friends of friends.

I'm so lucky. =)

It's a shame Honeybug are now back in Scotland, which explains the very appropriate KT Tunstall song.

Andy Zipf; earnestwhile singersongwriter plays Absinthe tonight

I met Andy Zipf a couple of months back as a friend of a friend while he was touring out to LA to record his new CD. He played Highlands Cafe and gave a brilliant show. Tonight he's at Absinthe Lounge. It's Tuesday night in Dallas. Carlin has Dada booked, White Rock Coffee has open mic, Standard and Pours has open mic, so... I'm drawing a blank as to other venues that have reasonable Tuesday nights. Or anything on Tuesday night.

Here's a YouTube of him playing. I hate this YouTube. It's crappy. He sounds nothing like this. OK, he might sound a little like this. But much, much better. Yup, he's that kind of singer/songwriter. Earnest, means his songs, serious.

At Highlands he played a good hour of not-quite-Christian, but you could hear the influences acoustic songs, then he broke into blues (I don't mean blues-y folk songs. I mean Blues) and he blew away the audience and beat his guitar into submission. I sat open-mouthed. And then he played something else from his album and the brilliant interlude was over. I was like, "where did THAT come from?" He should do more of that, and less of this YouTube stuff. But both are worth your time on a Tuesday evening. Absinthe Lounge 9pm in Southside Lamar. You should come.

I'll be there after I finish up a press gang-up on Red Monroe at their super-secret practice bar tonight.

The Hourly Radio & Rolling Stone

It's about time that Rolling Stone found the best Brit-pop band that's not British.
Check the issue with Jack Nicholson on the cover;
Editors' Top 5 picks.

damned right.

How to write a record review

1. Don't become friends with the band.
It sucks to write about your friends. Especially if you thought Album One was brilliant, and Album Two, well, so isn't. And you will be accused of gladhanding your friends' work, implying that you have no objectivity. Yeah, well, you don't. And so what?

2. Write for the people who might buy the album.
Oh! Controversy! Why would you write a review of something you didn't like (and would never buy) unless your editor assigned it to you? Kill your ego and your tendency to pontificate. The world has changed. Amazon, TexasGigs, the band websites, myspaces, and downloading mean that listeners can easily weed out what they don't want to hear. Say something to those who will want to listen.

3. Allow your reader to form their own opinion.
You'd think this would be elementary.

4. Write a story.
Spin a tale, tell the reader who you are, what you think, why. Spin another tale about who the band is, what they think, why. Do it in 400 words or less.

5. The worst press is no press.
Hate it? Kill it. Say nothing. It's mightily effective. Of course, the temptation to ream is enticing. But that's all about you and not about them. You do get that, don't you? Leave it to those who have refined the artform and made a forum for it. You don't have the chops anyway.

Lousy Robot, Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else

Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else

produced by John Dufilho, engineered by Salim Nourallah at Pleasantry Lane Studios in Dallas, TX.


Opening with a volley of Jet-like guitar and "yeahs!" and lapsing into the post-punk that defines the band, Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else is more, better Lousy Robot . A year of work under their belts, plus a renewed relationship with engineer Salim Nourallah and producer John Dufilho (Deathray Davies) have created another fun, danceable album. Having a bad day? Not quite happy with life? Pop in this CD, and adjust your groove. "Slower" is the dirge of the album until it slips quietly into a trancelike, swaying melody. Jack Moffitt adds moody, psychedelic keys to the pop. Jim Phillip’s concise and quirky lyrics take ordinary anxieties and make them universal and trifling. Channeling the Ramonesand early Beatles influences, Lousy Robot builds a sound that is both evocative and fresh. Contributions by Dallas heavy-hitters Johnny Lloyd Rollins, Cory Watson, (Black Tie Dynasty), John Lefler (Dashboard Confessional), and both Nourallah and Dufilho highlight the potential of this Albuquerque band. Not since The Shins left the Land of Enchantment has an unsigned quartet inspired collaboration of this caliber. Lousy Robot’s sophomore album is lusher than The Strange and True Story of Your Life and just as fun. Help me count the ways that I say, “Yeah!”

Song highlights: “Mr. Falls Apart,” “Help Me Count the Ways I Say ‘Yeah!’,” “A Way of Overstating.”

The Lord Henry, Zoo Palace

produced in part by Stuart Sikes, Bass Propulsion Labs, Dallas TX

Zoo Palace, the sophomore album of The Lord Henry, is in advance release and the show will be on October 21st here in Dallas. Sexy, sultry bad boys, TLH swagger, NYC style, up from Austin. Think Strokes, Louis XIV, and Brendan Benson.

Clinton Piper solos into the audience, titilating the prep school pretties of the front row. On his knees, close enough to touch, Piper's the alluring, pouty rock star. The songwriter of the band of brothers, Billy Potts, Grant Piper, and the latest addition, Josh from SanFran, Clinton's the lead and the emotion. Fast and furious on his guitar, he's ripped through his own fingers, blood spattering the strings, rather than slow down and grab a new pick. "Fire on 42nd Street" is the de riguer love song to New York, and "So So So" is remade from Voila.

Voila, the first EP, was a purposely analog and constrained album, meant to be performed live by just Piper on guitar and Potts drumming and singing backup. Zoo Palace though, is more expansive; The Lord Henry as a full, gorgeous band. Stuart Sikes (oh christ, just google him, his catalog is impressive) had a hand in about half the songs. The Lord Henry is frenzied guitars, over-the-top drumming, keys that fill your ears, and pure energy and sweat. They are the insane afterparty, but at the end of Zoo Palace, they slow down to quiet chilling. "Jilina," a beautful, raw Beatles-esque songlette, and "Loss of Love Says Hi" is Piper at his most vulnerable; the player taking stock. Potts even gets dreamy on "Loss of Love Says Hi" (love the title; beautiful and sad, like the song) with an edge of Sigur Ros-inspired drumming. Play these two on a hungover Sunday morning and they're brilliant, just skip past the first nine rockers until after the Bloody Marys have settled.

ArtCon 2006

Art Conspiracy Dec 1&2 2006. Greatness. More later.

update: I'm participating. The art will be created on 11/30, and the show will be on 12/1.

The blog begins

Etheriousity begins as my personal blog about the people whom I know. It's a showcase for who they are and what we all are doing here. There is no meaning or "meta" here, it's more a random collection of souls bumping into each other, trying to do the least amount of damage possible. Even that poetic sentence is not mine.

I have friends who are brilliant, friends who are quite outspoken, and friends who are beautiful. My mother and I often have discussions about the meaning and connotation of the word "friend"; she believes it should only be used for life-long pals. I, however, come from a more transient era, and will extend it to mean "people with whom I wish to remain or become life-long pals." If you are of my mothers' ilk, please think "acquaintance" whenever I write "friend" - it would make her much more comfortable with us both.

Etheriousity is a made-up word, but it should be real. It adequately describes our transience. We move through each other's "realities" (another borrowed word), and peripherally impact thought and action in unexpected ways. I live as I wish, a rare priviledge, but choose to live as an example. Not only is that quite arrogant, but it also implies a spiritualism I generally don't achieve.

I am a photographer, occassionally a writer (though I haven't done enough of that lately), and was once a scientist. Yeah, I'm not gonna link that. You'll have to take my word for it. I love my local music scene, so this blog is mostly about the music and arts in Texas. Or rather, indie rock and photography in Dallas. I barely know any html, so if you are more technically savvy, please give me a snippet to learn how to do things. I learn quite well in snippets. I'm quite opposed to manuals. This is an interactive blog. If you want it to do other things, you'll need to teach me. I learn quickly.

Posts prior to 09.08.2006 are republished from various sources such as DallasMusicGuide.com and Venues Magazine, and have been written by me. All photos are mine, unless otherwise credited.

Please comment. Otherwise, I'd have spent my time writing a book, instead of speaking into the ether. And, welcome. I hope we meet in the concrete outside one day.

photo by Hal Samples... voted "Best Soul Glow" by the Dallas Observer 2006. You can see why.

Blogs and summer in Deep Ellum

Music in Dallas is as fickle as the weather. Or rather, should I say the online music press is? Just over two years ago, I wrote my first show review for DallasMusicGuide.com, and back then, Paul Salfen's site was about the best game in town. Torr Leonard brought me on as a writer. Then he left and formed his own blog, still one of the best from this city for everything Britpop-related. Cindy and I met each other at the rock shows we were both covering, and she blogged the interviews I wrote for DMG, which was incredibly cool of her. DMG was the site to read for local music news for about the next year, but then Paul sold a majority interest in the site to Rhapsody and the local content, well, kinda went away. By then though, Cindy and I had done a few interviews together at White Rock Coffee, and she had asked me to keep doing stuff with her. Garrison Reid began beating me out of interviews with national bands, which was cool, because his www.IndieInterviews.com is excellent. Out of the local podcast woodwork came dconstruction.org and upped the ante, challenging Cindy and I to gush over our fav musicians just a little less. Sadly, dconstruction has been awfully quiet as of late. When Cindy and I met Mike Orren of Pegasus News, he had a fantastic plan for TexasGigs: merge with his news site and be the end-all of local music sites. But Cindy's now here, at the Fine Line Live, and with a new partner, Amanda Newman. I hope to help them out a little. Amanda & Kim

That was really just a superlong preamble to saying that last Saturday at Club Dada was too much fun. Amanda has a great ear for bands and pulled together a solid line-up of four bands I hadn't yet seen live, and one that rawks! Olospo jams no matter what venue they play. The Jones thing, with Jeff Jones, Eric Neal, and Chris Holt ... brilliant! JJ and the Rogues, Handclaps and Harmonies, Eton Lake Tonic, and Sunday Drive? Never before had I even heard of them, but you can be sure I will keep up on them now. Great stuff.

Sunday Drive began in the bright light of a summer 7pm, and I even took off during their set just to walk around Deep Ellum in the daylight a bit. The band is just jazzy enough to be cool, yet energetic enough not to be boring.

I finally met the elusive (for me anyway) JD Whittenberg and had a pleasant time talking with him and John Solis (of Millicent Friendly and drummer for Johnny Lloyd Rollins) about playing across the pond in the UK. OK, John and JD talked about playing in England; I listened. JD's old band Trainwreck, with Greg Fontanillas and Bruce Johnson (now of Jayson Bales and The Revival), Rob Stave (Boys Named Sue), plus others will get together for a reunion show this Thursday at Dada. Don't miss this one-off show.

The lovely Camille Cortinas stopped by to lend support to friend Eric Neal of The Jones Thing and also Olospo. Chris Holt just happens to be in both of those bands as well. Surprise, surprise.

Handclaps and Harmonies wins as my fav band for the night. Not only were there seven of them in ice cream man white pants and shoes, but their music is also wonderfully fun. I bopped their to '60s-inspired sweet pop.

I must get over to Fort Worth more often (or ever), especially if bands such as JJ and the Rogues are hiding over there. Good music does exist on that side of the Trinity! Plus any band with a Julian Casablancas look-alike is alright by me.

I believe I caught the ghost of Dada on this photo, and he was dancing along as well. Check out behind the guy on the far left. It's freaking me out just a bit.

and last, a gratuitous photo of the lovely door person Kim, 'cause she's just so darn pretty and nice.