Odds & Ends

Partners in kind: Two months ago, local songwriter Jayson Bales called us up with little more than an idea and a dream--to help local musicians with legal, medical and financial counsel, the kinds of things full-time musicians without insurance can use in droves. After a successful organizational meeting in February, his idea comes to fruition in astonishingly quick fashion: Dallas Music Partners unveils its first forum and counseling session at the Granada Theater on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. The volunteer-driven event will be full of CPAs, physicians and attorneys who will give broad advice in forums, along with one-on-one help after each separate panel has ended. These opportunities don't come often for musicians in Dallas, so don't be a dummy--get out of bed by 11 a.m. on Sunday, drink some coffee, grab your tax forms and get the hell to the Granada.

Interestingly enough, the press releases list "music journalists" among the types of people invited to the event. Who knows? Maybe DMP can hook up the poor folks at And Another Thing with that kidney we've always wanted.

---

Not yet converted: In case you missed it, we aren't huge fans of the new Rhett Miller album (Playlist, March 2). Miller himself didn't miss it--in fact, he wrote us a letter shortly after Noah W. Bailey's review hit the streets. He says he tries to avoid reading reviews, adding, "But if the maitre d' sits you across from a mirror, you're going to make sure you don't have anything in your teeth."

After recognizing Bailey's disapproval of The Believer ("I respect Noah's opinion and his right to said opinion. Hell, I've endured the opinions of more Observer writers than I can remember"), he goes on to...pimp his upcoming tour stop in Dallas this weekend. It's a very kind letter, really, and self-mocking to boot--"Heck, I get sick of myself sometimes, especially during label-orchestrated media blitzes such as the one I'm currently spearheading." But the letter basically says, "You guys reviewed my record. Not the best review. Come see me!"

We were gonna plug the show anyway, Rhett. After all, the second of two shows (both are with his solo band the Believers, not with the Old 97's) at Sons of Hermann Hall on Friday and Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the first club show Miller ever played, "alongside Peter Schmidt's awesome band Three on a Hill and my fellow 97 Murry Hammond's Peyote Cowboys," so the letter wasn't exactly necessary. But it's nice to get a few quotes--and a "no hard feelings" sentiment--in addition. Just warn us when you're about to play "Question" so we can excuse ourselves, please.

---

Another brick in the Wall: We have a boatload to say about the Ridglea Theatre's Wall of Sound Festival next week--so much, in fact, that we've started a daily update at the Dallas Observer's blog, Unfair Park, to preview a few of the 88 bands every day until the fest begins on April 8. And if you haven't gotten a ticket yet, you may as well log onto frontgatetickets.com right now; prerelease tickets are $10 less for two-day passes than at the door.

---

Handstamps: Four out of five doctors agree that you need more jazz in your life. (What, you want names? Fine: Dr. Dre, Dr. J., Dr. Seuss and...er...Dr. Feelgood.) Get your FDA-approved dosage of solid jazz (lots of hard-bop and fusion, not too much smooth crap) at the North Texas Jazz Festival Friday through Sunday at the Hotel InterContinental in Addison. Yellowjackets, Roy Hargrove and the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band headline...The Barley House turns 13 on Friday, which means it only has five years to go before it's as old as most of its newfound SMU clientele. Zing! Catch Barley faves the Drams and Slider Pines headlining that evening... Undeniable Records has its first birthday on Saturday; celebrate that night at the Double Wide...What's with all the anniversaries this week? Final Friday turns six at the Gypsy Tea Room this week, so don't be an April Fool--see PPT (Pikahsso, Picnictyme and Tahiti), Rakoo Nation and plenty more throw down for Dallas hip-hop.