Whiskey, women and wheels–the bands at Friday night’s rockabilly show owe a serious creative debt to that glorious trifecta. (Then again, what band doesn’t?) Whether it was Rocket DeVille’s Clutch DeVille bragging about his hopped-up ’32 Ford or Slick 57’s John Pedigo crying for “Alcohol and Aspirin,” these were bands…
Compilation CDs are like mix tapes. Some have themes; others are just the greatest hits of what one person can get his hands on. The first song should catch the listener’s attention. The last should leave the audience wanting more. But each song must stand on its own, a perfect,…
A few years ago, Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford shocked the public by coming out of the closet. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise–Halford had long been roaring onstage on a motorcycle, looking like the biker guy in the Village People or one of the leather-clad macho men…
Jonathan Richman’s done a pretty bad job in recent years of exploiting the renown he earned for his performance in 1998’s Cameron Diaz blockbuster There’s Something About Mary (and by “renown” I mean viewers wondering, “Who the hell’s that creepy curly-haired guy playing guitar?”). Consider the singing-songwriting milquetoasts who have…
8.0: This bar-meets-lounge-meets-concert stage provides great nights on the tree-shaded patio. As one of the only music venues in Fort Worth that mixes local music outdoors with a great indoor bar, it’s home to cool weekend nights in the heart of Sundance Square. 111 E Third St, Fort Worth, 817-336-0880…
Disco never died in continental Europe. Especially Italy, where from 1983 to 1988, mustachioed DJs and producers churned out some of the strangest dance records on earth, dubbed the deceptively nondescript Italo-disco. The fact that you haven’t been dancing to it since you turned 21 is almost criminal. Locally based…
So the Eagle has crashed. Clear Channel, which owns the station, confirmed months of rumors by canning the staff at 97.1 KEGL on May 17. It was like any good corporate firing: swift, efficient and rather painful. The next day, as angry listeners clogged phone lines and fired employees popped…
!!! (pronounced chk chk chk) opens their latest album, Louden Up Now, with a disco drumbeat, warbly guitars, cowbell and a bass line robbed from “The Humpty Dance.” It’s enough to offend anybody tired of the recent funk-rock revival led by Liars and The Rapture, but luckily, the goofy intro…
We used to be a British colony. We threw ’em out, they got over it and more than two centuries later, Tony Blair stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Dubya, bragging about the two countries’ “special relationship.” The U.S. and the U.K. have had a long and productive cultural conversation. Nowhere is this…
When Okkervil River songwriter Will Sheff read in Austin’s daily rag that only the worst bands write songs with their own names in them (i.e., Bad Company’s “Bad Company,” Backstreet Boys’ “Backstreet’s Back”), it was practically a dare. Soon after, Sheff penned “Okkervil River Song,” a ballad of violence and…
Tenderhearted indie pop’s certainly not without its share of bright-eyed wunderkinder; investigate vintage work by youngsters Ben Lee, Ash and Kleenex Girl Wonder for sharp melodies voiced through rapidly deepening voices. Dallas has produced a few high-profile prodigies in Eisley and Ben Kweller, who’ve both won national acclaim for recent…
Forget Los Lonely Boys. San Angelo’s much-ballyhooed blues trio doesn’t have half the blood and fire of Del Castillo, whose tireless live performances and incendiary rock en Español helped the Austin six-piece win “Band of the Year” honors at the 2002-2003 Austin Chronicle Music Awards, a rather shocking coup for…
Whether we’re talking about the funky-fresh breakin’, gold-chain hip-hop fans of the 1980s or the glowstick, lollipopped PLUR set, music has always been as much about the community and culture surrounding it as it has the scales and octaves within it. Adapting to the times and new technology, the Web…
It’s a Tuesday night at the Mix Studio in Grand Prairie, and the eight people in attendance aren’t saying a word. Everyone’s just nodding in unison to another hypnotic beat hooked up by S1, the producer for The Strange Fruit Project. No need for idle chatter when you’re vibing to…
Three years ago, Chomsky was on the cover of this paper. The story, written by Zac Crain, was an optimistic slice of rock-music reportage, full of colorful anecdotes, witty asides and one basic point: Chomsky was about to be big. Then September 11 happened. Then life happened. Then, strangely, little…
The Graham Colton Band is ready for its close-up. Just listen to “Don’t Give Up on Me,” the opener for their debut album, Drive, slick as a waterslide with its sing-along chorus and digitally tweaked vocals. It’s like it was born on MTV2. Actually, the band’s origins are much closer…
Every copy of Let’s Get to Second should come in a Land O’ Lakes box; Chomsky’s national debut practically drips with butter. Vocal doubling reaches levels that would make Elliott Smith roll in his grave, and the beefy mix sometimes drowns out lead guitar and synthesizer parts. Those changes may…
Wayne Hancock isn’t one of those alt-country stars to whom roots-music fans turn for the red-blooded emotion so many tin-eared grouches insist is missing from Nashville-produced radio fodder. On A-Town Blues, Hancock’s most recent studio album, Wayne “The Train” Hancock sings, “I’m sorry, darlin’, that I hurt you so/I don’t…
When the Legendary Shack*Shakers took the stage at 2003’s South by Southwest, I stood in the front row wondering why everybody had just taken a giant step back. Ten seconds into the set, I figured it out: These guys are some sadistic sonsabitches. Lead singer “Colonel” J.D. Wilkes squawked and…
Indie rockers, by definition, don’t age well. Sure, it’s cute to collect ‘zines and Elephant 6 singles for a while, but somewhere during the third decade of a life, you gotta hang up the All Stars. So what’s the problem with Beulah’s latest record, Yoko? The San Francisco band ruffled…
Check out the reviews from the recent Coachella Festival in California (and ticket sales while you’re at it). Look at what’s being downloaded on iTunes. Turn on MTV and MTV2. Listen to the radio. What’s going on is not as sudden and shocking as when Nirvana smelled teen spirit more…
We’ve got an open slot with Lionel available for you tomorrow at 4:20,” said the sweet, accommodating voice on the other end of the line. “Would you be interested?” Lionel Richie? Hell yes. And no irony there, you friggin’ wiseacres: It’s high time closeted Richie fans began to publicly praise…
