Streaming still seems to be a thing, thankfully. I don’t know about you, but I’m digging this newfangled-but-really-old way of seeing concerts. Not to take away from the irreplaceable feeling of standing in front of a stage with dozens of other humanoids, maybe swaying back and forth a little, maybe nodding your head in time with the riffage and beats from the people with instruments nearby, I’m all for any experiential music outlet that A.) lets me share live, quality, professional rocking and rolling with my hip-hop-and-“The Final Countdown”-loving 8-year-old and B.) forces performers to go on at a decent, god-fearing hour. No little thanks to a DUI that I spent five hours and $53.50 earning at a local watering hole one random Tuesday night a few years ago, I stopped staying up past 10pm, oh, around eight years ago. That 6am alarm every morning Monday through Friday comes around awfully early, especially when you’re a dad who looks back fondly on his days of livin’ la vida loca instead of cursing them like a normal person would. (Hungover parenting is the worst.) So far, I’ve turned my boy on to Brandin Lea and Sam Anderson, who have both performed at MASS separately, and at 7pm on Monday (4/20), I’m going to introduce the little fella to Big Mike Richardson via Facebook.com/bigmikemusic. The human jukebox will perform the music of The Eagles, following up on his previous sets devoted to Pink Floyd and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Please leave your Eagles hateration at the door. Big Mike has made it clear that he’s not having any of it. Respect his authoritah!
There also are a few new weekly residencies I just learned about because I’m drowning in sorrow, second-grade homework, and Bud Light. Zeppelin-esque rockers Dead Vinyl are holding down Thursdays at 11pm via Facebook.com/deadvinyltx, and on Fridays, Joseph Patrick Neville goes live at 6pm via Couchbound Sessions. Anderson is still going strong every Friday at 8pm and Wayne Floyd every Wednesday at 8pm, both via Facebook.com/MASSFW, and Keegan McInroe gets after it every day at 3pm, Mondays at 7pm, and Thursdays at 1pm via Facebook.com/keeganmcinroemusic. All streaming shows are free, but you should probably put something in those virtual tip jars. I wish I could give some, but since being furloughed, it’s been the final countdown on my savings.
Tale of the Tape
Two Fort Worth heavyweights recently released vidjahs for new tunes. One is a megastar with nearly 23.9K subscribers on YouTube and 28.6K followers on Twitter. The other is Leon Bridges.
The video for Go Yayo’s new track “Top Flow” is as patently ridiculous as you can probably imagine: lots of tough-looking young men, lots of handguns pointing at the camera, lots of drinking (or “dranking”?) from Styrofoam cups, lots of smoking blunts (probably), lots of what I assume are gang signs, and lots of barely intelligible rapping from Yayo that lacks any sort of aforementioned “flow.” The vid’s also been viewed more than 600,000 times since going live on March 11. The best part is trying to watch the expletive-laden commercial for bad life choices while living la vida lockdown in a tiny house with an 8-year-old. “Why’s he so angry, Dad?” “Well, the angry guy’s son didn’t do his homework when politely asked, that’s why.”
Bridges’ release is a lot less stentorian but no less macho. “Inside Friend,” which features John Mayer (yes, that John Mayer) and was co-written by the North Texas duo Medicine Man Revival, is a pretty simple slow jam in the spirit of Quiet Storm playlists going back to the 1980s. There is mention of yoga pants. Someone is encouraged to slide across a kitchen floor. (Zat you, Jon Bonnell?) There is a hot lixxx guitar solo. It is a song.
The video isn’t really a video in the MTV sense. It’s just audio of the track over a placeholder image of Leon and John a la an old-school concert poster. “Inside Friend” has been viewed more than 167,000 times since going live last week. Leon has 351K YouTube subscribers. Put that in your blunt and smoke it, Yayo.
Billy Bob’s Benefit Concert
Along with Cavender’s, the world’s largest honkytonk is putting on a concert this weekend for a good cause. You’re Still Farming & We’re Still Singing promises an all-star cast of Lone Star State pickers and a-grinners whose names are being announced every day, one at a time, via @billybobstexas. Taking place at 7pm on Saturday, the free/donation-based event will benefit the Texas FFA Foundation, the statewide chapter of the national agricultural nonprofit. Farming/Singing will be Billy Bob’s second benefit show. The first, in honor of the club’s 39th year, was on April 1. Visit Facebook.com/BillyBobsTexas. –– Anthony Mariani
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
