(Stupid calendar.) We observe national and religious days off when we damn well please. Christmas in October? No problem. Memorial Day in April? Go for it. Thus, celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday instead of the traditional last Thursday of November wasn’t no big thang. The move even allowed me to partake in my favorite pastime – going out and playing catch-up to friends of mine who’ve been partying, like, all day. (I can order two shots and two beers at the same time and not feel guilty. “Hey,” I tell the barkeep, pre-empting his disgust at my apparent alcoholism. “I’m just tryin’ to catch up.”) After watching Horses/Oliver Future dude Jordan Richardson play for what felt like days at the Moon, I tripped down the block to the Aardvark to catch the remains of Collin Herring’s fiery set. I’m glad I did, ’cause I probably won’t see the alt-country rocker again for a few weeks. He’s in Nashville recording his follow-up to last year’s much-lauded sophomore full-length, The Other Side of Kindness. The new, as-of-yet-unnamed c.d. will be produced by former Uncle Tupelo and Wilco drummer Ken Coomer and will feature guitarist Audley Freed of the Black Crowes (yes, those Black Crowes). A release date is expected shortly.
… You may remember a couple of weeks ago that MTV visited the Torch in search of attractive young people to audition for open spots on a new reality show or shows. The funny part is that the single carrot that was dangled in front of potential subjects in local print advertisements was the phrase “Wanna be on tv?” Never mind that you’ll be asked to swim with sharks or demoralized in unimaginable ways. You’ll be on tv! You’ll be better than all of your non-televised friends! You’ll matter. I was once again reminded of the boob tube’s incredibly powerful gravitational force when I saw the heading of a recent e-mail bulletin from Green River Ordinance that read, “Want to be on NATIONAL television???!!!!” Here’s the good news (other than the fact that GRO’s new full-length, The Beauty of Letting Go, is jaw-droppingly awesome): “NATIONAL television,” in this case, means the HD Network’s True Music program, a televised concert series that, according to the HD web site, features “the most exciting up-and-coming bands.” Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, Three Doors Down, and Hank Williams III are some of the marquee acts that have appeared in previous episodes. Not bad company. The GRO show that HD will be recording happens Sat. at the Curtain Club (2800 Main St, Dallas; 214-742-2336). And if you make an ass out of yourself, it’s not some MTV producer’s fault. (Another Fort Worth-based band, Spoonfed Tribe, stars in a Dec. 8 airing.)
… Last week’s column contained some misleading info about High School Assembly. Former Tablet and OH-no frontman Steven Holt is not in the newly formed indie-pop-punk band. He merely has talked with Taylor Craig Mills – High School Assembly bassist, solo singer-songwriter, and former Voigt co-leader – about working with him. HearSay regrets the error.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
