[DARYL] will celebrate the release of its debut EP, Communication: Duration, on May 19 at Club Clearview, sandwiched between Chomsky and Red Animal War. The band recorded the disc in February with The Paper Chase's John Congleton at the controls, and if it's anything like the four-song demo disc that's been making the rounds, it will be a must-have. The group -- singer-guitarist-keyboard player Dylan Silvers, bassist Jeff Parker, guitarist Dave Wilson, drummer Spammie, and new keyboard player Chad Ferman -- will support the EP (scheduled for release on Kansas City-based Urinine Records) with a short tour through the Midwest in June. The disc is a bit of milestone for Silvers, who's been trying to get a CD in stores since he was playing in The Fitz. Unfortunately, both that band and his next group, Post From Vermont, broke up before it could happen. So maybe he should find some wood and knock on it, just in case. By the way, if you want to see and hear Red Animal War (who also have a new EP, Give Me My Pipe Dreams, on the way) before [DARYL]'s CD release show, the band plays at Trees on May 13 with Doosu, Gunfighter, and The Paper Chase...
If the recent release of its fourth album, All the Falsest Hearts Can Try, hasn't sated everyone's hunger for new Centro-matic product, fear not; the group will release another album, tentatively titled South San Gabriel, on Idol Records in the fall. Around the same time, Quality Park Records will issue a split EP featuring Centro-matic and Vermont, the outfit that features The Promise Ring's Davey Von Bohlen and Dan Didier. And we wouldn't be surprised if another recording project or three surfaces some time between now and then. It's hard not to get the feeling that Will Johnson would put out a new Centro-matic album every month if he thought he could get away with it. Not that we would mind, of course...
Though no band will actually open for The Cure during its May 25 show at Starplex Amphitheatre, Captain Audio will come close. Meaning: They'll be playing before Robert Smith and company take the stage, and their performance will take place in the same general vicinity. Actually, Captain Audio's gig happens at Starplex's Plaza Stage, located near the entrance to the reserved seating area of the venue. Donna Pearce, formerly of the Gypsy Tea Room, is booking local bands on the stage, which is a good chance for exposure to a wider audience. Look for the Plaza Stage shows to continue during Starplex's busier summer season...
For those interested, there is still one more chance to appear (sort of) on Baboon's forthcoming live album, due later this year on Last Beat Records. The group is in the process of firming up a June date at Rick's Place in Denton, the third show the band will record for the disc. After the June gig, the band will begin sorting through the songs on tape, choosing the best ones for inclusion on the album. On a related note, Baboon bassist Mark Hughes joins the Dallas Observer staff on a part-time basis in the next few weeks as our new music listings editor. You'll know Hughes is officially part of the team once you notice a sharp increase in the appearance of Baboon in the listings...
Almost every local band worth mentioning -- at least the ones that aren't on the road -- will be performing on May 27. Most of them will be appearing at Trees for The Adventure Club's sixth anniversary concert, a lineup including Hagfish, Chomsky, The Adventures of Jet, Centro-matic, Legendary Crystal Chandelier, [DARYL], Captain Audio, Pleasant Grove, The Deathray Davies, Slobberbone, Corn Mo, Clutch Cargo, and Alan Randolph Reed. But The Toadies will also be playing that night at Fort Worth's Ridglea Theater. We don't really have any more details apart from that, though we're sure at least another band or two will be tapped to open the show...
Speaking of radio stations acting as promoters, Merge Radio (93.3 FM) began its new Thursday-night concert series at the Hard Rock Cafe on May 4 with a gig featuring Chomsky, Hi-Fi Drowning, and Brasco. The concerts, hosted by Chip Adams, will ostensibly spotlight a handful of local acts each week. Of course, Brasco will probably be making a return appearance before anyone else; Adams is, after all, the group's manager. Or maybe his bosses at the Merge realized it was a conflict of interest and made him give up his duties. Seeing how Brasco has appeared on Adams' show Local Access (on Sunday nights) more often than most commercials and was picked to kick off the Hard Rock series, we doubt it. Of course, if we had a radio show, we'd probably do the same thing. Wait, we do. OK, Internet radio -- where we host Scene Heard Radio (www.dallasobserver.com) with Robert Wilonsky every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. -- doesn't count. But it might if someone actually listened...
Valve releases its first full-length, A Perfect Day For Stars, with a show on May 13 at Curtain Club, featuring Lewis, Crave, and Fixture. The disc is a split release between Ffroe Records and One Ton Records, though One Ton only recently became involved, thanks to the impending major-label debut by Ffroe's biggest band, Bowling For Soup. As singer-guitarist Casey Diiorio explains on the group's Web site (www.valverocks.com), "About a week ago [Ffroe Records'] Jeff Roe and the band realized we would need more help. There was just too much to get done and not enough time for Jeff and the band to do it. Jeff is very busy since Bowling For Soup got signed. So we talked to Aden Holt and Tony Edwards, who have been into the band for a long time, to help with promoting the CD -- taking care of posters, press, and other stuff like that. It's been working out really well, and it leaves the band more time to write and play music, which is what we all wanted." Man, that's all anyone wants. Well, except for Pat Green's manager, who apparently wants any preview or review of his questionably talented client that is not 100-percent favorable to disappear. Our suggestion: Find a country singer that isn't a ridiculous, beer-swilling, jingoistic stereotype. That's all we can offer...
To expand on an item we mentioned in last week's Street Beat, guitarist Will Kapinos is also leaving The Falcon Project, joining bassist Pete Gannon on the way out of the group. Kapinos' last show with the band happens May 19 at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios with The Riverboat Gamblers and Pointy Shoe Factory, though he and Gannon will both appear on the group's new album, Lights, Kharma, Action, which will be released on Idol Records in June. With the recent departures, The Falcon Project's frontman Wanz Dover is essentially looking for a brand new band. Any bass and keyboard players or electronic musicians that are interested should contact Dover at [email protected]. On a related note, anyone who plays spoons, wax paper and comb, or kazoo should contact us at [email protected]. It isn't any fun playing washtub bass by yourself...
Fittingly, when Rusty Baker's documentary on the star-crossed Von Erich wrestling dynasty screened at the recent USA Film Festival, Jon "Corn Mo" Cunningham was on hand to start the proceedings with his song "Shine On, Golden Warrior." Cunningham performed the song, a tribute to Kevin Von Erich (the only living member of the Von Erich clan), live at the AMC Glen Lakes theater, and it goes without saying that it was one of the highlights of this year's festival. Not that that's a difficult honor to achieve. Baker, by the way, has progressed a great deal from the last time we saw him sitting in the same row as us at a preview screening of The Empire Strikes Back special edition a few years back. If we remember correctly, Baker chastised the theater employee introducing the film with this mix of Star Wars jargon and playground chutzpah: "Your mother's a tauntaun!" Uh, maybe you had to be there. Or maybe we're just really, really dorky. You make the call.
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