I’d heard of The Hills but had never seen it until I found myself in front of the TV not too long ago, totally enraptured by the comings and goings of several semi-attractive young people whom I thought represented the next evolution in the theatrical arts: So natural were the “actors”‘s movements and patterns of speech I really thought I was watching a reality TV show. Well – hahaha! – I was!
But I didn’t realize it ’til later, when the credits started to roll. Then I lost interest. Long story short: I can see why The Hills is popular. You’ve got those semi-attractive people, the bright lights and big-city vibe of Hollywood, a whole lotta drama, and the gritty realism of, uh, non-actors trying to act like they, um, don’t want to be acting. I also can see why a particular song by a particular local band was chosen to backdrop a particular scene in a Hills episode that aired just a couple of days ago.
“Cemetery Street” by The Bright (formerly Superstring) can be heard in scene 4 of episode 16, right before Audrina goes to try to straighten things out with Lauren about Justin Douche-Bobby. (You know that Lauren and mondo-dirtbag Justin totally did it. They both doth protest too much. Plus, at the Audrina-Lauren summit, Lauren says emphatically, “Justin disgusts me.” She doesn’t say she’s not attracted to him. Just that he disgusts her. Two different things.) “Cemetery Street” is a ballad about a volatile relationship and sounds very early-’80s British-rock-y: lots of heavy drums, light acoustic guitar, light piano accents, watery guitar rhythms, and a wall of sound for a chorus. The song is on the band’s recently released debut album In Lucid Dreams, recorded at Bass Propulsion Laboratories, the Dallas studio where some of Fort Worth’s best albums in recent memory were recorded (John Price’s Little Pieces of a Little Piece of Something Small, Calhoun’s eponymous debut, Collin Herring’s Avoiding the Circus). On Friday, The Bright plays Sue Ellen’s (3903 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas, 214-559-0707). For more info on the band, visit www.myspace.com/thebrightband. For more on The Hills, just ask the nearest female under 30. … Heavy-Americana singer-songwriter Cadillac Fraf was seriously injured in a scooter accident a couple of months ago and is still in the hospital.
Like most musicians, Fraf (né Chad Percy) didn’t have health insurance, and he and his family are facing mountainous hospital bills, which is why another benefit for him is on the way. On Sunday at Lola’s Saloon (2736 W. 6th St., FW, 817-877-0666), several local bands, including the Rivercrest Yacht Club, Blackland River Devils, Darrin Kobetich, and Stoogeaphilia, plus local magician and Yalie architect Ash Adams, will perform. On www.caringbridge.org/visit/fraf, a web site that allows friends and family members to remain connected during a loved one’s recovery, Fraf’s mom writes that he is “keeping his eyes open for longer periods of time, still resisting/pushing back with his hands and feet, moving his head back and forth, yawning and stretching his shoulders and arms. Still not focusing or tracking with his eyes.” Visit Fraf’s Caring Bridge site to make a donation or leave an inspirational message.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
