Carrying On

We are not the only ones who miss the late, great Robot Monster Weekend ("Geek Out," September 4). If we were, well, we wouldn't be surprised. The group wasn't really around long enough--and didn't play in front of enough people--for that to happen. But that doesn't matter to some: "They were the band I wanted to be," says Roy Ivy, singer-guitarist for the Tah-Dahs, "and I miss them terribly." So there.

Of course, Ivy had more of a history with Robot Monster Weekend than most people did. His band shared the bill with RMW seemingly every time it had a show, and when the group broke up in March, singer-guitarist Aaron Thedford even joined the Tah-Dahs for a bit. "But he was the only one with a real job, so he didn't have much time for us," Ivy says.

Thedford was in the group long enough to play on its newly completed album, Le Fun. Which, by all indications, is truth in advertising: The Tah-Dahs are probably the most fun band in town now that there is no pesky Robot Monster Weekend to compete with. See for yourself when the group performs September 11 at Double Wide, with Regal Dime and Heaven is a Hotel, or September 26, when it opens for Jonathan Richman, who might as well be a patron saint for bands like these. Or you can head to www.tahdahs.com, where a pair of MP3s, "Temporary" and "Alcoholic," are yours for the taking. And you should. You know, take them. Christ, guess we have to spell everything out for you people.

A few footnotes to the above item:

1) Thedford and bassist Carl Schembri are putting together a post-RMW group, which will more than likely be pretty kick-ace. You can quote us on that. Not sure when you can expect said band to make its first appearance, but consider us there.

2) Until recently, Ivy was one of the many, many members of the Polyphonic Spree. Not that you'd necessarily remember him from that band since, as we just pointed out, there were quite a few people onstage along with him. Also, until recently, the Polyphonic Spree was part of the 679 Recordings roster in the U.K. Not so much anymore. They've been dropped. Not saying that's good or bad. Just saying.

3) "Alcoholic," one of the Tah-Dahs MP3s we mentioned, also appears on Supercuts, a 16-track compilation released not too long ago by StarTime International, the hip NYC label that has also put out records by such hipster-approved acts as Northern State, the Walkmen, Brendan Benson (Jack White's buddy) and French Kicks. Our limited powers of deduction would lead us to believe that there is a possibility that Le Fun might also emerge on StarTime. But we've been wrong about plenty of things before. Say, the smoking ban. Who would've thought? At least we didn't pick the Houston Texans in the office "suicide" pool. Sorry, we're rambling.

4) Charlie Papathanasiou, the Tah-Dahs' affable, burly bassist, was once our neighbor. True story. And it's a funny one, though it's far too involved to relate here. Let's just say it involved a guy who was deported. Seriously. Ask us about it sometime. OK, maybe not ha-ha funny, but you know, it's worth a listen. Maybe.

5) James Porter, the Tah-Dahs' affable, less burly drummer, also writes and records on his own under the name Drawn by Jaymz. It's apparently quite good, and we have no reason to dispute that claim.

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Little Grizzly has a new EP out, a five-song affair that features two songs (live favorite "Forever and Now" and "Open Wound") from the group's forthcoming album, When It Comes an End, I Will Stand Alone. But wait, that's not all: The disc also comes with two previously unreleased songs ("All My Life" and "Elaine") and a four-track version of "Mockingbird Classes," the "hit" from 2001's I'd Be Lying If I Said I Wasn't Scared. (Well, it got quite a bit of play on The Adventure Club, so that sorta counts.) If you want a copy, and you should, it's only available at Recycled Books in Denton and at live shows. Since Little Grizzly's next show is September 19 at Dan's Silverleaf, with Capital Affair and the Chop-Sakis, you're coming to Denton either way. Deal with it.