Speaking of the 2000 Dallas Observer Music Awards, there is still plenty of time to get your vote in, either via the ballot that appears in this issue or the Observer Web site. Awards will be presented on April 18 at the Gypsy Tea Room at a fiesta hosted by The Ticket's Gordon Keith. The Old 97's, The Adventures of Jet, Chomsky, [DARYL], and others will perform. Admission is free, but you must have a ticket. Head to our Web site for further information...
You can also pick up tickets to the awards show on March 31 at Don Carter's All-Star Lanes. Members of all bands performing at the awards show will be getting their bowl on as part of the first annual Adventure Club/Dallas Observer Bowl Dat Azz Up Fiesta/Fiasco. Festivities begin at 7 p.m. Be there and be square...
Though most Baboon shows are anything but ordinary, the group's appearance on March 31 at Curtain Club will be different for other reasons. The Curtain Club gig is the first in a series of recordings for a live album that will be released later this year on Last Beat Records. The live disc looks to be more than a one-off for the label, as Tami Thomsen reports that Last Beat hopes to issue a studio album by the band as well. To which we say, "Huzzah!"...
While card-carrying member of his fan club guitarist Clark Vogeler wasn't around when it happened, Elliott Smith added piano to a track on The Toadies' new album, which will be coming out, well, let's just say eventually. Smith's services come courtesy of his longtime producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, who are also helming the Toadies disc. No word on which song Smith appears on, but we're sure it's quite brilliant. Smith, by the way, will be coming to Trees sometime in the next few months...
Slowride is pretty busy these days, compilation-wise. The band will have tracks on four forthcoming various-artists discs, including the latest installment of Deep Elm Records' Emo Diaries series, as well as albums issued by Chicago's Fallen Star Records, Arlington's Laser Trax Records, and the long-promised Idol Records Christmas compilation. Look for all four records in the next few months, though if our guess is correct, we'd expect the Idol shindig to hit stores closer to Christmas. It's just a feeling...
Good Records has a full slate of in-store performances planned for this weekend, starting off with an appearance by Centro-matic, Stumptone, and The Baptist Generals on Friday. Centro-matic kicks things off at 3 p.m., and all three bands will also play later that night at the Gypsy Tea Room. Good Records will also, apparently, be the only record store in town carrying Will Johnson and company's latest All the Falsest Hearts Can Try, at least until its national release in early May. And on Saturday, Captain Audio will be on hand for what's being billed as an "at-store" performance. Not sure exactly what that entails, but our best bet is on the band playing on the roof of the Good Records building on Good Latimer. Then again, it's April Fool's Day, so who knows what will happen. If nothing else, it should be interesting. Speaking of Good Records, Tripping Daisy's latest and last album hits stores, and probably Good first, on April 18...
Although communications seem to have broken down between our two camps, we've come across the lineup for this year's edition of Fry Street Fair, which supposedly was chosen by fan requests. Here's the rundown: performing on the main stage will be Pops Carter and the Funkmonsters, the Deathray Davies, .357 Lover, Chomsky, Pinkston, Slow Roosevelt, The Adventures of Jet, Bowling for Soup, and Baboon; on the Delta stage, it's Spoonfed Tribe, Dixie Witch, Kid Chaos, Falcon Project, Budapest One, International Sparkdome, Clutch Cargo, 420 Blues, Vibrolux, and Doosu; and at Rick's Place, it will be the Porn Cobb Combo, Mugzu, Red Animal War, The Paperchase, [DARYL], El Gato, Valve, Gropius, and Jibe. Fry Street Fair happens on April 15 in Denton. Hmmm, wonder what's happening on Mulberry Street around that same time...
Meanwhile, also in Denton, the New Blood Festival takes place this weekend at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, featuring performances by Illtrancedental Soundlab, RF Programme, and The Wild Bull Orchestra on Friday, Lift to Experience, Pleasant Grove, The Falcon Project, and Pablo Saint Chaos on Saturday, and Jet Screamer, Pointy Shoe Factory, and Amphora on Sunday. With the Gypsy Tea Room show, it's too many Denton bands on one weekend. We probably need to look into the legality of the situation...
In case you missed it, and we're sure at least some of you did, The Tomorrowpeople played their last show on March 25 at Club Clearview. We won't say we're exactly surprised by the news, because we've been expecting it since the band parted ways with Geffen Records more than a year ago. That said, we are sorry to see them go, and more than likely, you'll see some members of the band show up elsewhere. As for bassist and occasional contributor Trey Scholz, now that he's free from his night job, expect to see his name in the Dallas Observer on a semi-regular basis. Of course, he'll be writing stories, not serving as the subject for them...
Look for a new record from Shabazz 3 to hit stores in the near future. DJ Bobby Dee says that the Crystal Clear Sound-distributed disc will come out in May, at a hefty 22 tracks. Guess that shoots down the rumors of Shabazz 3's major-label record contract. It's too bad, but then again, we wouldn't want the nice fellas in Shabazz getting screwed over...
Finally, as always, check out Scene Heard Radio, Zac Crain and Robert Wilonsky's weekly two-hour sprint through the newest, rarest, and best music around, which happens every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. Be a part of the, um, fun by calling (214) 748-0163, or talk it up in the chat room. It's fun for the whole family, or at least, the ones you don't talk to much anymore for obvious reasons.
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