So, it’s October 6. Last day in the State of Texas to register to vote for next month’s presidential election. Hope you remembered. If not, you’re a pretty detestable American. That, and you probably won’t appreciate the above video at all. It’s called “Obamarama,” and it comes from a collective…
BallerStatus.com, which bills itself as an urban lifestyle network, just posted a lengthy Q&A feature on producer, MC, Strange Fruit Project member, Cannabinoid member and all-around hip-hop man about town Symbolyc One , talking to the Waco native about his work with Erykah Badu, his collaborations with Speech of Arrested…
So the duck says to the sailor, “What are ya doin’ this weekend, buddy?” The sailor sighs. “Gosh, I don’t know. Pete’s blog says I already missed the good shows of the week, being out at sea and all. What’s a sailor supposed to do if all the good stuff…
Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, Dove Hunter Granada Theater October 4, 2008 Better than: Sitting around my house, listening to records by legendary loons like Daniel Johnston and Nick Drake instead of seeing a real kook live. Roky walked with a zombie last night. (Dylan Hollingsworth) Although it’s almost a…
For all you Beatles enthusiasts out there, or anyone looking for a new way to drop a few grand today, Dallas’ own Heritage Auctions is holding a live auction in their showroom on Maple Avenue, with some rare records, ticket stubs, sketches and other items from the band. Even if…
Let’s call a spade a spade here, folks and admit that there have been better weekends of shows than this one. Hell, four of the would-be best shows of the weekend took place last night (Jonathan Richman, The Whigs/The Kooks, Ra Ra Riot/The Morning Benders/Walter Meego, and Mom/Voices & Organs/Florene)!…
(Meredith Hebenstreit) Let’s just go ahead and put it out there. With the exception of meeting peeps at live shows, few other places have consistently given me fodder for this column than Myspace Music. It’s like going to Wal-Mart, for me; I’ve got my mind set on what I’ve come…
Jonathan Richman Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios October 2, 2008 Better than: Catching a more stoic artist pretend to be unaffected by the crowd. No strap. No pick. No problem. (Pete Freedman) Imagine, for a moment, that you’re not in Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. The concrete floors and walls and overall…
We gave it the requisite thee days PLUS one (a hard and fast rule in this business), but we’re ready this afternoon to unveil two new slide shows showing ACL at its seediest, hairiest, and knee-high sock-iest: Hipsterwatch: Our top shots of that zany crowd at Zilker Park last weekend,…
…and, OK, I’ll say it: The game kinda sucks. I don’t really understand why sometimes I get a perfect score and sometimes I get a “No Good!” when it seems like I’m scratching the decks at just the right time. The press release announcing the game doesn’t really give me…
This week we’ve got another great poster from John Iskander’s booking company, Parade of Flesh. Von Dada’s design, which shapes band names and dates into skulls, is so good that Parade is using it for three separate shows at The Lounge on Elm Street: Bible of the Devil on October…
This Sunday, Superpages.com Center will host something called the Music Builds Tour, which aims to benefit local affiliates of Habitat for Humanity. Now, that’s a worthy cause and all, helping low income folks build their own homes, but one has to ask if it is worth suffering through acts as…
Smile, guys! You should be sorta pleased about this. (Mike Fuentes) PopMatters.com, the same people responsible for the exhaustive Salim Nourallah we linked to, um, back in April (for those of you scoring at home), bring us a much more concise take on Sorta’s upcoming self-titled fifth disc today, focusing…
Astronautalis’ “The Trouble Hunters” paints a vivid picture of The Battle of Trenton. You’ll find my glowing review of Astronautalis’ new album, Pomegranate, in today’s issue. One of the songs I mention is “The Trouble Hunters,” which puts the listener in George Washington’s camp as he and his men prepare…
I’m not gonna say the “Quit Your Day Job” interview Stereogum posted with Midlake’s Eric Pulido today necessarily treads through any undiscovered territory–it doesn’t–but it is still a nicely packaged piece that allows fans and readers a quick entree into Pulido’s two non-band entities: Cappulido (his fair-trade, home delivery coffee…
If you haven’t yet seen it, let me please point you toward what is probably the greatest piece of music journalism ever produced by the Dallas Morning News. Here’s the gist of it: Three members of the Van, Texas, high school twirl team have been suspended from performing at the…
Jonathan Richman’s musical importance is generally understated, despite his having released nearly two dozen records over the past three decades. While he has been heralded as something like the godfather of offbeat singer-songwriting, it’s easy for his reported eccentricities (such as his Luddite refusal to be interviewed by anyone associated…
Before enemies climbs the steps onto Hailey’s stage, Ryan Gillbert struts around the club clutching his guitar looking like a young, Don’t Look Back-era Bob Dylan, while frontman Joshua Sinai puffs on a Djarum clove cigarette and chats with his mohawk-sporting girlfriend. Sometimes, before a band plays a single note,…
Like his 2006 album The Mighty Ocean and Nine Dark Theaters, Astronautalis’ latest is a collection of stories about growing up, rebelling and dealing with adult responsibilities. But this time the central character isn’t Andy Bothwell, the guy behind the microphone and the Astronautalis name—it’s America. Bothwell extensively researched U.S…
Although the Radio crew’s talent is well-established, the band’s music has always raised user-friendliness questions: Sure, 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain was excellent, but did anyone other than rock critics listen to it? Dear Science tackles this conundrum head on, upping the accessibility quotient without smacking of sellout desperation. “Crying,”…
Brass Knuckles is Nelly’s Thriller. No kidding. It’s not perfect, but neither was MJ’s magnum opus; it jumped styles and wasn’t particularly cohesive. Likewise, Knuckles skips haphazardly from Dirty South jams to G-funk throwbacks to would-be empowerment anthems. It’s more of a collection of singles than an actual album—but what…
Just because the mainstream took notice when Kimya Dawson dominated Billboard charts with the Juno soundtrack doesn’t mean she’s left K Records for a major. Rather, with Alphabutt she’s aiming for a crossover of a different kind: The goofy den mother of antifolk has crafted a children’s album, in part…
