Conferettes sound fun and all. That is, until the schedule is released.
That's when neurosis, the likes of which only my poor wife has seen, begins to take over.
Thursday was easy. Friday night proved to not be as smooth. With bands that I had hoped to catch at four different venues--some with matching set-times--it was going to be a war of priorities.
Mainly, I felt pulled between the bills at RGRS and Dan's Silverleaf. Actually, I originally planned to start the night with Starhea
Blame the rain. Blame the cold. Blame a competing Denton house show. Blame the traffic accidents on Interstate 35 that pushed the commute from Dallas to nearly two hours. Blame whatever you want, but, in the early evening hours Friday night, the venues participating in NX35 were noticeably, jarringly empty.
I'm talking 15 people empty.
And while a sparse crowd like that can fly at Banter, The Hydrant or even J&Js Pizza, it looks downright eerie at a club like Hailey's.And that was the
BAND: Possessed by Paul James VENUE: RGRS TIME: 11:00 p.m.
Konrad Wert leans back under the stage lights, seated above a duct-taped stomp box with a wilting bow extended above a fiddle.
"Oh mother, oh mother!" he shouts, hyping the crowd.
Convulsing from the bottom up, he whirs his face side to side and lets out a primal "NEIGH!" He stomps the bass drum and tambourine to life. His alter ego, Paul James, has arrived.
Wert begins referring to himself in the collective--"Thanks for having
BAND: Possesses by Paul JamesVENUE: Rubber Gloves Rehearsal StudiosTIME: 10:45-ish.
Sure, there's another one-man band playing on the Square this weekend. But, entertaining as Billy Roy is, he comes nowhere near the raw energy of Possessed by Paul James' Konrad Wert.
Wert's raw intensity is fascinating--his head shaking and body flailing and convulsing as he belts out his songs with a contorted, often pained expression.
And, while alternatively playing a fiddle, banjo or guitar, ther
Denton was the place to be for live music this weekend, hands down. With the first ever NX35 festival all wrapped up, I wanted to pay it some well-deserved homage with a special edition of Weekend Roundup... Enjoy!
Monotonix at Hailey's, Sunday, Mar. 15This garage rock band played in Denton's NX35 by way of Tel Aviv, Israel. Dissatisfied with the state of music in their home country, Monotonix peaced out of Israel in 2006 and has been kicking ass in the United States and oth
Hey guys, it's a long weekend! Who knew! Fortunately, we've already talked about most of the top shows coming happening around the region either on the blog or in print. Still, there's some others we think you should know about--and, certainly, that you should check out, should you get the chance. First up, as always, the ones you should already know about....Tonight, there's Margot and the Nuclear So and So's stop by Hailey's in Denton with the buzzing Telekinesis and Everything, Now!On
​Well, it's Friday the 13th again, folks. Hope you've planned ahead and set aside 13 bucks for a "13" tattoo at Oliver Peck's Elm Street Tattoo. As for your show-going plans. Well, we've got your collective procrastinating backs. First, the shows we've already hyped.Tonight, for instance, has a ton of 'em: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit sharing a stage with Macon Greyson out at the Longhorn Saloon in Fort Worth; Thao & The Get Down Stay Down playing Lola's Sixth in Fort Worth; The Hidden
