Scene, heard While we’re straightening out things, in last week’s Street Beat (“Run, don’t walk,” July 20), while writing about Flickerstick’s inclusion on a new VH1 series, Bands on the Run, we forgot to mention one of the band’s members, Rex Ewing. If you remember, Ewing also did time in…
Heroes & Villains: Music Inspired by The Powerpuff Girls Various Artists (Rhino Records) Thanks to Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls, and Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale, Heroes & Villains is less a soundtrack than another episode of The Cartoon Network’s hit series. The disc begins with the…
It’s rare when the opening band of a three-band bill draws the biggest crowd. Of course, usually the opener isn’t the new group from two (Tim DeLaughter and Mark Pirro) of the founding members of Tripping Daisy. Well, three, as it turned out, since Bryan Wakeland was back manning the…
A day that will live in infamy? Nah It wasn’t planned that way–not, at least, as far as we can tell–but on July 29, pretty much the entire spectrum of Dallas-Denton-Fort Worth bands will be on display in some form. Obviously, it’s not all of the groups in the D-D-FW…
I can see Clearview now Occasionally, when we pat someone on the back, we hit a little harder (and maybe closer to home) than we intend. For example, when we gave Uzigato drummer Joey Salerno credit for the improving slate of touring acts stopping by Club Clearview (the recent Murder…
Opening bands grumbled because the drummer’s kit had to be set up hours before his group’s set, and whoever was in charge of doing it complained too, because it had to be perfect. Every night, every tour; no exceptions, no excuses. And since perfection is difficult to achieve in the…
Contrary to popular belief, there are still a handful of jazz musicians with recording contracts who enjoy taking chances. But most of the acts that fit this description, including Other Dimensions in Music, Test, and the Matt Wilson Quartet, are indie-imprint signees forced to toil in relative obscurity–and those few…
“Beethoven is my hero,” Jeremy Enigk, Sunny Day Real Estate’s frontman, says. “I mean, writing a song on his deathbed–that’s beautiful to me.” He pauses, reflecting on what’s placed him on one end of the phone and me on the other. “And that’s kind of why I do it: For…
With shows such as the almost-hypnotic Behind the Music, VH1 has solidified its reputation as the music channel that’s actually about, you know, music. About is the key word in that sentence, because if you’ve seen more than a dozen videos a day on any music channel, you’re most likely…
Natalie Maines’ second marriage Natalie Maines and Adrian Pasdar (June 23, Las Vegas) I’ll admit being a little surprised when I heard the news that Dixie Chicks singer-“guitarist” Natalie Maines married actor Adrian Pasdar in Las Vegas on June 23, taking advantage of the situation when the group’s tour stopped…
Future Bible Heroes I’m Lonely (And I Love It) (Merge Records) Like The Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes is just another alias for songwriter Stephin Merritt and whomever he happens to be collaborating with at the moment. In the case of Future Bible Heroes,…
Patti Smith When baby boomers hear the name Patti Smith, most of them will no doubt recall the late Gilda Radner’s classic impression, which included a lot of unconsciousness interrupted by a few stumbles around the stage in a strung-out, junked-up, alcoholic stupor. To the average young music fan, the…
Brian Wilson Living in Los Angeles came with its share of misery, and, of course, not a few pleasures, the best of which render an intolerable city livable when the mood and music are just right. Every once in a while, the city of magic lives up to its reputation,…
Jeez, not this again Everyone who’s finally ready to open a bar that’s been repeatedly delayed by just about every government entity imaginable take one step forward. Not so fast, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. That’s right, Rubber Gloves’ long-rumored bar, tentatively scheduled to open in July, has been kicked in…
Free for y’all Attempting to prove that its technology is indeed here to stay, controversial Napster recently enlisted Limp Bizkit and Cypress Hill to help spread the word via a free-of-charge, Napster-sponsored tour. The tour was originally scheduled to hit the Bronco Bowl on July 22 and 23, but has…
Scene, heard In what has to be one of the stranger anniversaries in recent memory, Sock Monkey will celebrate two years in the gallery bidness with a noon-to-2 a.m. shindig. What’s the big deal? It’s the last event ever at the gallery’s Exposition Park location. No word on where it’s…
Forget about all the other summer tours making their way across the country in convoys of plush buses and overloaded trailers. The real show of the summer is hitting the road in vans a few thousand miles past serviceable, stopping at clubs instead of amphitheaters. In an attempt to use…
Ninety miles or so east of San Francisco, the jarring sight of twin smokestacks erupts from the Northern California scenery, interrupting the placid backdrop of vineyards, blue sky, and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The imposing concrete pillars are remnants of the now-defunct nuclear power plant in Rancho Seco, a man-made…
For years, Russell Simmons has been the King Midas of the hip-hop world: Everything he touches turns to gold…or platinum. While this phenomenon is obviously most lucrative for Simmons himself, his extraordinary talents as a businessman (and, frankly, an architect of culture) have helped elevate an entire community to a…
The news came via e-mail late Friday, just before most people were leaving the office to begin the weekend: Leaning House Records, after five years in existence and twice that many releases, was going out of business. Even though it was the news that people friendly with the label’s owners,…
Slobberbone Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today (New West Records) The best thing about being a fan from way back is experiencing the delight of listening to a young band become better than you ever imagined. It’s easy, after all, to fall in love at first sound; there’s…
41 Gorgeous Blocks An Emotional Young Person Just Like Yourself (Rogue Elephant) A couple of years ago, Matt Riggle, singer-guitarist for 41 Gorgeous Blocks, seemed to drop out of sight, going from fronting The Fitz at all-ages shows at the Orbit Room to a behind-the-scenes gig recording other bands. While…
