The 10 song titles are scrawled on a piece of notebook paper, stuck on with Scotch tape. Ah, the crude and messy beauty that is rock ’n’ roll. Fans of the cut*off know this punk-rawk outfit is all about the music, not the packaging. The opening song’s first line is, “It’s a beautiful life we live / Mine’s a sea of shit, and I’m swimming in it.” The four band members grew up in the Fort Worth area, where independence, inventiveness, and in-your-face bravado are typically shunned by the Stetson-wearing masses but inspire the cool crowds to hang out at places such as The Wreck Room, Black Dog Tavern, and The Moon. But rock bands can’t survive on little Cowtown clubs alone, and the cut*off — Kyle, Jayson, Jake, and Chad — have been honing their chops during tours of the Midwest and West Coast. Don’t fret — it’s doubtful these boys will ever get so tight that they lose the grunge-garage growl that makes them so fun to hear. Though they cite their influences as the Pixies, Violent Femmes, and Toadies, they still sound reminiscent of Nirvana to us — but who the fuck wants to complain about that?
Sun w/ Carbon Leaf at Gypsy Tea Room, 2548 Elm St., Dallas. 214-74-GYPSY
