A few days before next month's SXSW Festival here in Austin, there's another festival going on a few hours up the road in nearby Denton. Set to take place on March 11th-14th , the NX35 Music Conferette boasts an impressive lineup with the likes of Midlake , Neon Indian , Pattern Is Movement , Pomegranates , The Black Angels , Via Audio , The Flaming Lips , and many others. Single night all-venue tickets are only $20, with the all-access tickets going for $65. Purchase [...]
Eric Edward Fishboy, Texas native and Fishboy frontman, took a few minutes away from his busy schedule of writing quirky, knee-slapping numbers to remember one of his favorite underrated bands from the Lone Star State. The defunct band I've chosen to write about is a legendary Denton indie rock outfit that never seems to get enough credit: Little Grizzly . Realized as a full band in the late '90s and breaking up in mid 2004 at the release show for their final [...]
As many of you are well aware, Denton, TX 2nd Annual NX35 Music Conferette is fast approaching. March 11th-14th to be precise. It is a time of complete wonder and beauty and wonderfully beautiful music all around you. If you missed it last year… well, just don't make that mistake again this year. Many agree that it might just be the best damn thing that has ever happened to this sleepy little town and, really, the general region of north Texas all together. Many more bands have submitted from the previous year, and many have [...]
Going to rock shows 7 days a week has exposed me to a ton of bands in a short period of time, oddly enough, most of which has turned out to be mid-grade ska. But every once in awhile I can still be pleasantly shocked. One such case was in Tucson, AZ where I walked into a room of friends gathered around what might just be my new favorite band. Before I even got too near to the happening the first thing I could hear were 5 voices being raised in jubilant abandon over all acoustic instrumentation a la Mount [...]
Whether or not you're a fan of Denton's Fishboy, the one thing you can't argue is that the guy puts on one hell of an entertaining live show. Be it by use of props, backdrops, or joke-telling robots, Fishboy and his mates go that extra mile to ensure that each time you see them will be a completely new experience. It's only fitting that his musical exploits have shown this same willingness to try new things as well. After 2007's Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lone Star State with the Power of Rock and Roll, [...]
"Fish Sticks" has been stuck in my head for days. It reminds me, not ironically, of being in high school and listening to Fishboy on the Grapevine lake. Buy the album from Greyday Records . The Heligoats: Fish Sticks More songs on the band's Myspace .
Let me tell you a story. In 2007 some notable things happened. I attended the annual music festival SXSW (the image above is of myself and The Lovely Sparrows' Shawn Jones, taken by Abandoned Love Records/Virgin Of The Birds' Jon Rooney), I grew a mustache, and I met a beautiful girl named Andi. She was waiting for her uncle (Eno of Spoon) at the Capitol Hill Block Party. We hit it off and ditched the after-party to get a sprite (her) and coffee (me) at Denny's in Ballard (sadly no longer there) at 1:30am. I [...]
HHBTM has a new website, go there for contest and give away news...now on to the rest. HHBTM has also signed a few new bands starting with the Superions, Tunabunny, Titans of Filth, and Sourpatch. We'll be releasing a Superions 12″ in late fall. If you didn't know the Superions features Fred Schneider of the B-52's and the single will feature 3 Superions tracks and a few remixes. Titans of Filth are currently recording their debut long player which will be vinyl and download only with an early 2010 release date. Sourpatch are currently working on the artwork [...]
I had set aside a number of singles clubs for one of the distros that carry HHBTM stuff to offer them to mom & pop shops. I set aside 15 clubs too many so when I said I was out I guess I was wrong. I have 15 full singles clubs ready to ship. So if you haven't subscribed yet this is your last chance before having to track them down on ebay. Also for everyone who subscribed already the clubs have all shipped out at this point. I have received 11 clubs back with bad addresses, so I'll get [...]
FRIDAY Blixaboy /Anthony Stanford/ Personal Victories / H...N (Fallout Lounge): Wanz Dover is hosting a new bi-weekly "variety show"-themed event at the Fallout Lounge, that will include a mix of DJs and bands, with Dover (Blixaboy) himself closing out the night. Acts this week include DJ Anthony Stanford, as well as the open-ended wash of twin guitar duo H...N. Finally, Personal Victories work as conveyors and collaborators [...]
We usually leave "it list" type postings for other more self-important folk to blog about, but there is so damn much going on this weekend we felt compelled. TONIGHT For you Denton folks, the best bet in our humble opinion looks to be our friends (and Mount Righteous alumni) DISCO:HATE , who are having their CD release show tonight at Rubber Gloves. Doors open at 9, and cost is $6. County Lines and New Science Projects open. Definitely has the makings of one of those interesting [...]
As you may know Denton, Texas' Fishboy very dear to me. Their twee rock opera Albatross: How We Failed To Save The Lone Star State With The Power Of Rock And Roll was an epic smile maker... [go to the website to read the rest of the article, download mp3s and more]
FRIDAY De La Soul / Rhythm Roots All Stars / Kenan Bell (House of Blues): You know what I think of as late-period De La Soul? 2000's "Oooh (Featuring Redman)" off of their "Art Official Intelligence" record. That was already ten years ago, and it's hard to believe they have been doing this for twenty years. As is often the case with hip hop acts that have been doing it as long as they have, their quirkiness makes them one of those groups who probably have more of a secure [...]
I have no idea if this is a photo from a Fishboy show or what, but you have to admit the look on Eric's face is pretty awesome. Apologies for not using a press photo, but I've gotten enough mileage out of the one they have to warrant this. Fishboy! I'll admit that I was vaguely [...]
Grrr... is the third studio album from Harvard-grad pop group Bishop Allen. Unlike their grandiose last album, The Broken String , the band simplifies their sound on this disc. The straightforward, cute instrumentation provides a perfect background for Justin Rice's straightforward, cute vocals. The album opens with 'Dimmer', a quirky, childish tune. Rice's wavery voice on this track starts out a bit annoying, but as he gets to the chorus, the warbling makes way for a more pleasing melody. Thankfully, this is really the only time throughout the album where Rice's voice [...]
![Eux Autres: Cold City [Album Review]](http://cache.elbo.ws/posts/1823255_lg.jpg)
Cold City finds the Larimer siblings that make up Eux Autres maturing as musicians and songwriters. Where Hell Is Eux Autres included many viable tracks, the recordings were stiff. Still, despite the slightly lower production value, many of those older songs remain true favorites; and Cold City packs in several new favorites as well. Included in this mix are "Molly" and "When I'm Up". The first has catchy hooks in the chorus and includes a heavy reverb in vocals. The latter sees [...]
There has been so much controversy this week about whether or not we should care about the deaths of famous artists. So, today we're going down the list, to see who would care if any and all of the artists playing this weekend died. SR descriptions are in italics, since he wasn't in on this. Ready?- FRIDAY Big Fiction / Legsweeper / Gun Gun / MuhammadALi (Bike House) The grieving in this case would be people into straight-ahead, big-riffing, "rock [...]
Denton's Fishboy is a super fun act for a number of reasons: For one, there are the songs like "Half Time at the Proper Name Spelling Bee," which toe the line between the cutesy and the smartly funny ... Continue reading "Fishboy Preps New Release, Nom, Which, Actually, Kinda Is and Kinda Isn't A Fishboy Release At All?" >
Wow, slow week. If we missed anything, let us know. SHOWS OF NOTE THIS WEEK TUE: Jenny Lewis/Heartless Bastards (Granada) THU: Starlight Mints/Evangelicals/ Matthew and the Arrogant Sea (Granada) THU: John Vanderslice/The Tallest Man On Earth (House of Blues-- Pontiac Garage) FRI: Big Fiction/Legsweeper/Gun Gun/Muhammed Ali (Bike House) SAT: Waxeater/Daniel Francis Doyle/A Smile Full of Ale/The Sneeze (1919 Hemphill) SAT: Cryptacize/Fishboy/Shiny Around [...]
FRIDAY DJ Select (Murray Street Coffee): Special "King Yellowman" set from 5-9. Peter Murphy (Lakewood Theater) : The Bauhaus Singles Collection (Volume 1) is undeniable; a nasty, solid slab of extremely dark and desperate punk rock. The rest of their catalog is a murky, gothy swamp after that. I think I should give it another chance, and I'm partly saying [...]
New Releases V2.9
Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Review)
TOUR: The Tallest Man On Earth Announces U.S. Dates
[mp3] Joanna Newsom - "Kingfisher"
