Some pretty solid pickings on this Thursday evening, thanks to three music shows and an art show from some of the area's finest rockers.
Will Johnson and Matt Pence at Meme Gallery in Denton
Centro-matic's Will Johnson and Matt Pence may be known for being core members of perhaps the area's finest rock outfit, Centro-matic, but they're also artists of a different, more visual sort, and tonight, at the Meme Gallery attached to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton, the two will put their work on display. Johnson's work is especially interesting, often focusing on historical moments in Major League Baseball. Should be a nice way to see some of your favorite musicians in a different light.
Hugh Cromwell and Binary Sunrise at the Double Wide
Although the legendary British punk band The Stranglers are still a
functioning unit, original guitarist and vocalist Hugh Cromwell is still
considered by many to be that band's standard bearer. Along with
Jean-Jacques Brel, Cromwell led The Stranglers from 1974 until 1990 -- easily the band's most fertile period. Since exiting the group, Cromwell has
continued making intriguing music that draws on a host of influences and
inspirations. Hoover Dam, Cromwell's most recent studio album, showed
that the guy had lost none of the ragged charm he displayed back in The
Strangler's heyday.
Here in Arms, Greg Schroeder and Madison King at Dada
Dallas' Greg Schroeder may not be the headliner on this particular
evening, but the guy is certainly worth getting to the venue early for.
Elements of Steve Earle and Ryan Adams are easy to hear in the songs of
Schroeder as the guy bares his soul on just about every verse.
Schroeder's EP Songs for a Bluebird is a nice slice of poignant
Americana just waiting to be checked out; same goes for his new full-length, which we'll have a review of in an upcoming print issue. The chipper rock of Here
in Arms should sound especially warm after Schroeder's weary tales set a
decidedly blue mood.
Southern Culture on the Skids and Boys Named Sue at Sons of Hermann Hall
Incredibly, North Carolina's Southern Culture on the Skids has been
around for nearly three decades. In that time, this eclectic foursome
has released a dozen albums, been on nearly as many labels and dabbled
in almost as many genres. The band's stylistic range is only superseded
by a top notch sense of humor. Such songs as "69 El Camino," "Fried
Chicken and Gasoline" and "Dirt Track Date" display the wacky
sensibilities of a white-trash teenager from Mesquite. What higher
recommendation can there be? Dallas' own purveyors of hayseed wisdom,
Boys Name Sue, open what should be a hoot of a hoedown.
