1) Self-promotion alert: my band, Oil Boom, is playing at Lola’s Trailer Park on Friday night, with Carey Wolff & the Morning After opening. It’s Oil Boom’s first appearance on the Trailer Park stage (which sort of makes us sound like new strippers), so of course I’m stoked about that. But Carey Wolff and his band are the real treat here; he’s an O.G. Wreck Room dude whose sense of sarcasm is only matched by his ear for melody. He’s a songwriter’s songwriter, and long ago, when I bartended at the long-gone Moon Bar, Wolff’s solo gigs were shifts I genuinely looked forward to working. Carey Wolff & the Morning After start at 7:30, so get there early. If you stick around, pay the extra cover for the Saloon and catch Midwestern rawkers Heavy Glow with local rawkers Dixon Speed, and Jefferson Colby opening the show. Also, if the weather outside is weather, then they’re moving the show indoors to the Saloon. Here’s an episode of Rick and Morty:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw00R0hIF2M
2) Team to beat show of the week alert: Quaker City Nighthawks’ album release party at Lola’s on Saturday. The southern-rock quartet’s new LP is already making waves thanks to the promotional muscle the band has acquired from their recently inked deals with Lightning Rod Records and William Morris Endeavor, and good thing, because the album deserves it. Bolstered by the greasy, stoneriffic haze of Jordan Richardson’s mix, El Astronauta’s songs are still solidly within QCNH’s trademark Texacana-blues wheelhouse, but it’s clear the band has tracked in some heavy, cosmic sludge on their boots, too. “Liberty Bell” should probably find its way onto whatever playlist you make for getting sunburned near or on a body of water, especially if the body of water is Burger’s Lake.
As for the show itself, the band is actually playing twice, once at the Trailer Park with Jake Paleschic opening at 7 (QCNH plays from 8:30-10), and then again at the Saloon. War Party opens that show, so expect the vibe to loud and D-R-U-N-K. Tickets are $10 pre-sale, $15 at the door, and a $25 VIP ticket gets you guaranteed entrance to both shows, plus a CD copy of El Astronauta. Here’s a link for pre-sale.
And speaking of War Party, they put out a new video. It features shirtless Chris Waldon, if that does anything for you:
3) The other Team to Beat show this week is Charley Crockett’s CD release at the Granada on Saturday night. For all the shit I talk about Leon Bridges’ style acolytes, I’ll give Crockett credit for delivering with his music. He’s really good at what he does. It’s not really my thing, but his previous album, A Stolen Jewel sounds like you should have heard it on every episode of Treme. Blues, New Orleans jazz, R&B, vintage, Stetsons, polyester high pants, songs about rivers, Cajun, creole, etc. – people eat that stuff up like it’s etouffee from the best restaurant in the Quarter (as featured on a Travel Channel show, probably hosted by Anthony Bourdain). If you’re into that stuff, this show is as good a lineup as you could hope for; besides Crockett, there’s the Texas Gentlemen backing a parade of DFW songwriters: Larry G(ee), Wesley Geiger, Kirk Thurmond, Paul Cauthen, K Phillips, and Kenny Uptain. Vincent Neil Emerson and the Old Souls start the night off; doors open at 7pm. This Charley Crockett song reminds me of a G. Love and Special Sauce tune, and I’d be lying if I said I’d never had fun at a G. Love show. So maybe I’m not as adverse to this shit as I’d like you to believe:
4) Man, you really have to make a choice on shows this Saturday. Beside the previous two listings, Daniel Markham’s album release is on Saturday night at Three Links, with Classic Cult and Siberian Traps in the 11 and 10 spots, respectively. I’m still not completely sold on Classic Cult, but I’m coming around. I saw them many months ago toward the beginning of their initial hype cycle; I figure I’d probably dig them more now. It wasn’t that disliked them the first time, it’s that for all the press and photos and what-not surrounding their debut that led me to believe my mind was going to be blown, they just didn’t hold a candle to Nashville’s Thelma and the Sleaze, the band headlining the Classic Cult show I attended. Admittedly, that band is hard to hold a candle to anyway; I can’t really think of a local band that matches them for pure, legit, lifestyle rock ’n roll. Thelma and the Sleaze were the real-life version of the image Classic Cult appeared to want to create, and while I thought they were decent, Thelma and the Sleaze pretty much obliterated them. But in spite of that, my impression was that if you stripped away all the hyperventilated press material, CC were an enjoyable rock band with some tight hooks and harmonies; I imagine they’ve only gotten better in the interim, meaning that they’ll make a great counterpoint to Markham, who I’ve crowed about on a few occasions as being one of my favorite songwriters around. As for Siberian Traps, I’m genuinely stoked for their new full-length to drop in a couple weeks. I wish I weren’t busy doing other things Saturday, because otherwise I would definitely go to this show. Here’s my favorite Daniel Markham tune:
5) Weirdo lo-fi pop act Love Cop is headlining a free show (but you’re free to donate cash for the bands, hint hint) at the Boiled Owl Tavern on Saturday, with opening sets courtesy garage rockers Funeral Gold, spacey electro duo Starbass Laboratories, and “prairie goth” performers Sleeping Figures. Owl shows are always a fun party; if you’re skipping the inevitable elbow-to-elbow crowd at the QCNH show, this is a great alternative. There’s some weed smoking in this Love Cop video, and if that makes you wanna rip bowls instead of doing work at your job, you should skip it. “JETSON! GET BACK TO WORK!”
