Good Friday: Seemingly Endless SXSW Backwash, The Sex Pistols Experience, Dale Watson, As Tall as Lions, Or The Whale, Billy Joe Shaver, These Arms Are Snakes, Randy Travis, Asobi Seksu, Great Lakes Myth Society and The Pink Spiders

With what looks to be the entire Observer music staff getting wasted on vacation tirelessly covering the SXSW Music Conference, it looks as if recommending a few of this weekend’s metroplex shows falls to this weary critic. Well, in this week’s print edition, Pete, Jesse and others did a hell of…

Inner Frequency

If there is a good side to the term “corporate rock,” local quartet Inner Frequency may have claims to such a region. Singer Cara Young and the rest of the band look marvelous; the hair is perfectly disheveled as each member does his/her best to look seriously contemplative. Yep, Inner…

Gig Alert: Wintersleep, Stardeath & White Drawfs at The Loft Tonight

Stardeath & White Drawfs is a single entity, an experimental rock band from Norman, Oklahoma. And, led by singer Dennis Coyne (nephew of Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips) Stardeath serves as this evening’s headliner. But the real attraction (at least for me) is Wintersleep.Hailing from Nova Scotia,…

Bonus MP3: Bravo Max – “Losing Her”

Bravo Max is a very recent entry on the Dallas music scene. Consisting of Johnny Beauford, Daniel Beauford, Steve Vanderheide and Ben Gastright, the quartet is just now getting out of the rehearsal space and hitting the area clubs.Bassist (and former CD Source employee) Ben Gastright was nice enough to…

Bonus MP3: EpiTas – “Wider Skies”

EpiTas is a relatively new local quartet that quietly released its debut, self-titled full-length last summer. And “quietly” is the operative term there–EpiTas’ music is pretty mellow stuff. Which is kinda weird, actually, since the band’s name supposedly comes from the Greek phrase “I tan I epi tas” which means…

Bonus MP3: Keegan McInroe — “The Yank”

Keegan McInroe is the leader of local southern rock outfit Catfish Whiskey. But he’s also a budding solo artist: McInroe’s debut solo effort, Mozelle, hits the streets this week. Here’s a quick preview of said album in the form of “The Yank.”Bonus MP3: Very Dylanesque if you ask me; and…

Bonus MP3: Trebuchet — “Black Beard”

The Denton music scene certainly has its share of indie rock darlings, but not many would expect a prog metal band like Trebuchet to hail from the northern reaches of the Metroplex. Yet hail this quintet does–and best of all, they’re actually pretty good. And, this Friday at Hailey’s, Trebuchet–named…

Gig Alert: Richard Thompson Tonight at Lakewood Theater

Most of the time with guitar players, you either get the shredder or the songwriter. Either the guy (or gal) dances up the fretboard with little care for melody or he constructs perfect pop creations that are rarely technically dazzling. With Richard Thompson, you get both.The legendary British singer/songwriter/guitarist plays…

Gig Alert: The Creepshow at Club Dada

Of all the genres and subgenres of music, I never expected that psychobilly–the frighteningly fitful combination of punk and rockabilly–would have such a protracted shelf life. But, somehow, a seemingly endless supply of disaffected youth continue to worship at the dual alters of horror movies and hardcore punk.Ontario’s The Creepshow…

Last Night: Lucinda Williams at the House of Blues

Lucinda WilliamsHouse of BluesFebruary 19, 2009 Better than: sitting on my couch trying to (badly) play Lucinda Williams’ “Drunken Angel” because it has easy chords (as opposed to “Crescent City” which has harder ones). Word was that folks at the House of Blues were fairly blue–ticket sales for Lucinda Williams’…

Gig(s) Alert: Great Roots Rock–At Several Area Spots–Tonight

Those looking for a way to start the weekend early–especially those with a proclivity for Americana–can do so at a variety of local establishments tonight.Aside from the much-heralded Lucinda Williams kicking up her heels at the House of Blues this evening, you can also catch Austinite Jason Allen at Poor…

Lucinda Williams Keeps Things Sweet

At first, it’s the slow and lazy Louisiana drawl that sets the mood. Then, it’s the way country legend Lucinda Williams earnestly asks you about your family—y’know, the one she’s never met. Talking with Lucinda Williams is like talking with your older sister, except Time magazine never named your older…

Gig Alert: Jesse Harris Tonight at The Loft

Due to the inclement weather last night, I was one of the many people who didn’t get to catch Devotchka at the House of Blues. So, yeah, I’m suffering a bit from post-NPR-favorite-withdrawal disorder, a complicated ailment characterized by a lack of sufficiently arty and critically acclaimed music.To rectify this…