…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, The Secret Machines, UmeGranada TheaterSeptember 29, 2009Better than: reminiscing about the old days and listening to “Another Morning Stoner” all alone in my bedroom, huddled up in a ball, crying. Actually, most things are better than that… There was a…
Busdriver, Abstract RudeThe CavernSeptember, 25, 2009 Better than: listening to the Micro Machines Man recite spoken word poetry. Long-hailed as one of the world’s premier epicenters of culture and diversity, Los Angeles brought some of its artistic variety to the Cavern this past Friday night. The staccato stage scientist Busdriver…
Asobi Seksu, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, This Old HouseHailey’s Club, DentonSeptember 27, 2009Better than: poetry you can understand. Brooklyn-based and Japanese-inspired indie rock group Asobi Seksu played a few songs for a more-than-silent crowd of sophisticated couples and flannel-wearing men at Hailey’s on Sunday night. But the quiet atmosphere…
The Horrors, Crocodiles, The Burning HotelsGranada TheaterSeptember 25, 2009Better than: the last time The Horrors played the Granada. If fans of The Horrors’ more theatrical, debut album, Strange House, came out of The Granada before the band strutted back on stage to perform its 15-minute encore, those fans might’ve left…
Psychedelic Furs, The Happy MondaysHouse of BluesSeptember 25, 2009Better than: attending the Taylor Swift show at AAC–even though rumor was Kanye was going to show up and take Swift’s microphone away, again… In front of a surprisingly large crowd, two icons of ’80s and ’90s alternative rock flexed their elderly…
Montonix, Harlem, The Uptown BumsRubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, DentonSeptember 24, 2009 Better than: imagining Yanni and Kenny G conceiving children. (Thanks to Michael Briggs of Gutterth Productions for passing along the above taping of the ENTIRE Monotonix set from last night. Check it out. Thanks, Michael!) Plus, check out photos…
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Depreciation Guild, Cymbals Eat GuitarsLola’s Sixth, Fort WorthSeptember 24, 2009Better than: coming to the realization that I am not pure at heart–not in the slightest. With an additional guitarist added for its touring lineup, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart shyly…
Pink, The Ting TingsAmerican Airlines CenterSeptember 24, 2009 Better than: Lions, tigers, and cotton candy under the big top. Rachel Parker For more pictures from last night’s show, check out the slideshow.The Ting Tings got things started promptly last night, as a sprightly Kate White bounded onto the stage for…
Ra Ra Riot, Maps & Atlases, Princeton Granada TheaterSeptember 23, 2009 Better than: Staying at home and pretending the Rangers playoff hopes are in fact still alive. Ra Ra Riot Showing up on time for things is not something that Dallas crowds are especially known for. (A good example of this: Look…
Vanilla IceTreesSeptember 19, 2009Better than: Cool As Ice, the movie. (It was called that right? Right.) Well, he sure took his time in getting out on stage. In fact, it wasn’t until almost 1 a.m. when, mercifully, Vanilla Ice finally showed his face to the too-large-to-be-believed crowd at Trees on…
Motorhead, Reverend Horton HeatPalladium BallroomSeptember 19, 2009Better than: playing poker with friends, just waiting on an ace of spades. Not to harp on the obvious here, but for a 63-year-old man, that Lemmy fella sure can rock.And, for well over an hour on Saturday night, the crowd at the Palladium…
Lydia, PlayRadioPlay!Rubber Gloves Rehearsal StudiosSeptember 17, 2009Better than: Staying home to watch the season premiere of The Office. Despite recently sharing his troubles with his PlayRadioPlay! persona, frontman Daniel Hunter seemed to quite comfortable dancing across the small stage at Rubber Gloves last night under his longtime moniker, playing crowd…
The Mars VoltaPalladium BallroomSeptember 16, 2009Better than: Watching The Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time on cable. There was no opener at the Palladium last night. And, at the onset, there appeared no need. El Paso’s The Mars Volta launched into its set before an adoring, crowded room…
Alan Palomo of Neon Indian.Neon Indian, Kashioboy, Vulgar FashionRubber Gloves Rehearsal StudiosSeptember 9, 2009 Better than: the hype? Keep reading. So, the big question: Did Neon Indian live up to all the hype? Or, maybe better yet: Could Neon Indian live up to all the hype? Well, from the perspective of…
The Dandy WarholsGranada TheaterSeptember 8, 2009 Better than: the recession, for one. If the lights behind The Dandy Warhols on stage weren’t alone enough of a reminder that the slick psych-rock outfit came prepared to offer its fans a show worth the price of admission, frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor soon made…
September to RememberOak Point Amphitheater, PlanoSeptember 6, 2009Better than: a September to Forget?A 15-band lineup, including PlayRadioPlay!, The Secret Handshake and Drop Dead, Gorgeous brought a crowd of mostly (at least 90 percent) 12- to 18-year-olds wearing skinny jeans and V-neck T-shirts to the Oak Point Amphitheater on Sunday.But it…
Fight NightThe Schoolhouse, DentonSeptember 5, 2009Better than: shooting bourbon in an actual schoolhouse. Nestled away from the venues of Denton’s idyllic Square and Fry Street’s controversy, the Schoolhouse is a deceptively ordinary one-story yellow and white residence. But Saturday, at around 3 p.m., as a slew of musicians rolled or…
Elvis CostelloNokia Theatre, Grand PrairieSeptember 2, 2009 Better than: just about anything else on my plate on a Wednesday evening Pretty close to 8:15, the lights inside the Nokia Theatre went down and onto the stage strode legendary singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, along with his current collaboration of sidemen, the unit…
Fruit Bats, Death VesselThe LoftSeptember 1, 2009 Better than: Staying at home watching the Rangers sweep a double-header from the Blue Jays. With temperatures hanging blissfully in the upper 70s, the deck of The Loft was certainly a nice place to spend a Tuesday evening. The view was amazing,…
Dia de Los ToadiesRough Creek Ranch, Glen RoseAugust 29, 2009Better than: planting your ass at a sports bar in the asphalt jungle. Rough Creek Ranch is a scenic patch of olive Texas prarie centered around a modest swimmin’ hole. To the north, a shallow creek babbles in. To the South?…
Leon RussellGranada TheaterAugust 23, 2009Better than: Hearing a medley of classic Leon Russell songs sung in an Asian karaoke bar, but not much better… During the 1960s and ’70s, Leon Russell was the consummate sidekick and bandleader–and he was even solo star in his own right. Hanging with the Stones,…
Old 97’s, Telegraph CanyonBass Hall, Fort WorthAugust 21, 2009Better than: a night at the opera. Make no mistake: The crowd came to Bass Hall–some dressed in their operahouse best, others in more dive bar attire–for the Old 97’s. And though they’d sure get the Old 97’s–to the tune of a…
