0.1) In reference to last week’s list, I made a huge, lazy error, and I my sincerest apologies go to local multi-instrumentalist Ben Hance, who is a huge creative force behind Programme, band whose membership also includes Nathan Brown and Landon Cabarubio. I completely neglected to mention his name when promoting the band’s show; which is the kind of thing that would make me livid if I were in his shoes. Sorry, Ben. Can’t wait to see your new band with Nathan and Landon!
0.2) BTW, since we’re talking about people getting left out of stories about their bands, I didn’t get to say much about Movie the Band keyboardist Kylie Probst, because she didn’t make it to the interview. Her part in the Movie the Band story: she studied music at Texas Wesleyan University where she met future husband and bandmate Mac Probst. Both teach elementary school and have been writing and performing with each other for years.
1) Apparently, the Conor Oberst show at the Kessler Theater in Dallas has not yet sold out. Remember when he said mean things about Texas when he played in Fort Worth during the Dubya Administration? That was at the Ridglea Theater! Anyway, here’s the link if this is what you want to do with your Friday night. Pearl Charles is the opener; according to Pitchfork, if you like Lana Del Rey, you’ll enjoy her music. The taste-making advertisement channel said her self-titled debut EP is “bursting with blues-rock and blissed-out psychedelia.” I didn’t get to listen to it (thanks Obama shitty internet service), but it is on Burger Records, which probably tells you plenty about what the Pitchfork reviewer was talking about. This is a video Conor Oberst on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts; file under “Of course it is”:
2) Saturday is Arts Goggle. Besides goggling at area artists’ creations at Near Southside businesses, there are bands playing up and down the block. The Chat Room is bringing back the outdoor parking lot stage; since you’re reading this list on the internet anyway, check out these lineups here, here, and here; there are something like 50 bands playing, and like Gallery Night, they are somewhat scattered – you can see plenty of your local faves at places like the Boiled Owl, the Chat, and SiNaCa Studios, but don’t forget that Rahr & Sons has music too (including one of my favorite Dallas bands from when I was in my early 20s, the Deathray Davies). Wanna read about Arts Goggle from last year? Take a look at this old Last Call. Moral of that particular story: park before you get drunk, and make sure it’s not in a tow-zone. What were you up to a decade ago? Perhaps you were watching this Deathray Davies video:
3) Are you into the local singer-songwriters scene? Did that reading that phrase make your teeth hurt, like if your mom pronounced Metallica as if it were spelled Metal-licka? That’s kind of how it felt writing it, because most of the shows I see and the music I listen to are of the group effort, electrically amplified variety, and I am about as ignorant of this stuff as I am of local hip hop. Nevertheless, for those who follow the career arcs and music output of people like Guthrie Kennard and Joe Savage with greater scrutiny than I do, Bath Tub Gin’s (2500 E. 4th Street, across the street from Martin House Brewing Co.) is hosting the sixth-year anniversary party of The Songwriter Series, featuring the aforementioned troubadours, plus Brandon “Broke String” Burnett, host Rob Redwine, Rebecca Jozwiak, and over 20 more. The pickin’ and sangin’ starts at 7pm.
4) As much fun as Arts Goggle is, I regret that attending it (or bartending while it occurs) means I won’t be able to see Scanners at the Texas Theater in Dallas. David Cronenberg’s 1981 cult classic about rival telekinetics is iconic and incredible, and the behind-screen-performances following the film include George Quartz, Slackbeat, Shiny Around The Edges, and Avery Boner and The Blonde Dicks. Evan Henry of Dallas Distortion Music will provide ostensibly trippy visuals during the bands’ sets, and DJ Cold Cuts will be spinning in between. Here’s the trailer for Scanners. The exploding head scene is what watching “Norf Norf Mom” talk how her preferred radio station plays the Newsboys makes me feel like.
5) The Grotto has a Sunday night bill starring Un Chien, the full-band project of recently-moved-to-Austin songwriter Stephen Beatty; what I’ve always thought after hearing Un Chien play is that it is heavily influenced by ’90s alt-rock, Brit Pop, and the Black Angels. A rock band from Arizona called Bear Ghost is in the middle. Their Facebook page asserts that they provide “slick, slimy grooves,” which is a little cringe-inducing because it sounds like copy pulled from the Beaver Hunt section of a tattered copy of Hustler, but if that makes you not want to see them, show up early to watch folk rockers Phantom Sensation. Their songs are about revenge and murder, and those themes are generally rated TV-14. Bear Ghost has a “behind the scenes” type of video series about their most recent album Blasterpiece. I guess jump in that particular wormhole here:
