To celebrate the occasion and also drive home the point that the museum isn’t just for squares, Mellow Mushroom dropped by and sold pizza, Budweiser kindly provided the free beer, and two bands played – The Tah-Dah’s and a stripped-down version of Calhoun. What the Dallas-based The Tah-Dah’s were doing there is anyone’s guess, especially considering the wealth of talent in the 817 and probably within walking distance of the museum.
Calhoun, however: excellent choice. During full-on sets, frontman and primary songwriter Tim Locke doesn’t get the chance to be chatty. He usually stays as moody and focused as most of his country-disco-rock material. That he cut loose a little at the museum was nice to see. The 50 or so folks in attendance ate him up, and they also seemed to like the band, filled out awesomely by upright bassist and UNT jazz alumnus Byron Gordon. Following The Tah-Dah’s extraordinarily loud and bombastic indie pop-punk, Calhoun probably sounded like the music of the spheres. You can catch the band this weekend at our Music Awards showcase, along with 23 other Fort Worth/Tarrant County-based groups – nominees all – on Sunday in Sundance Square. The event is free, and while I don’t know if either Batman or Harry Potter will show, you can bet there’ll be a lot of goblets. Calhoun takes the stage at 9 p.m. at the Pour House (209 W. 5th St.; 817-335-2577).
… Funny, but later on at The Moon, loud actually made sense. The band was High School Assembly, and if there’s one local outfit whose studio work doesn’t do ’em justice, it’s HSA. Not that their eponymous e.p. is bad by any stretch, but live just seems to be a better vehicle for the band’s aggressive poppy-indie rock. Don’t even bother asking whether the dozen free Buds I had at the museum earlier in the night had anything to do with my listening skills. I’m a pro, people.
… Though you can catch The Theater Fire at our Music Awards showcase (at 7 p.m. at 8.0, 111 3rd St.; 817-336-0880), you probably won’t be able to catch The Theater Fire and PPT anywhere for the rest of eternity, except for on Friday at Sons of Hermann Hall (3414 Elm St., Dallas). Featuring Dallas-based rappers Pikhasso and Picnic along with last year’s Music Awards winner for best Rap/R&B, Fort Worthian Tahiti, PPT is better known as that band that won the Dallas Mavericks’ fight song competition with “We’re Rowdy, Loud, and Proud.” (There should be but isn’t anything in the anthem that says, “We’re rowdy, loud, and proud – and friggin tired of watching the Heat make a joke outta the Mavs’ ‘defense’!”) The Theater Fire and PPT are joining forces in support of Kinky Friedman’s gubernatorial run. The two bands may be accompanied by a “special guest.” The Kinkster himself? For more info, call the hall at 214-747-4422. Why the hell not?
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
