Bone Awl | Ashdautas | Volhan | Lychgate | Ashes (House Of Tinnitus) Novato, California's Bone Awl, a group that has received tons of praise from black metal purists and casual observers alike, is stopping at House Of Tinnitus tonight on their first ever tour, and I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard about the choice of "venue." I knew something was up when my boss's daughter, who listens exclusively to black metal, excitedly told me that Bone Awl was playing "some weird place in Denton I've never heard of." This should work out well for H.O.T., not to mention the bands and the audience, and I'm curious as to whether there will be a good part of the crowd that's previously never been to a show there.
After numerous analog-only releases on the group's very own Klaxon Records, the mystery surrounding the band has cultivated a lot of interest for an underground American black metal outfit that's never toured, even landing them a show review in Time Out New York after a recent set in Manhattan. More importantly than that of course, is the group's sound, an intense take on the genre that is embedded with a brutal simplicity that makes the music itself very similar to 80's American hardcore, though the aesthetic (as well as the screaming) is certainly different. Two other Klaxon acts, Volhan and Ashdautas, will also perform. The bill is harshly rounded out by two non-metal, noise-oriented acts, Lychgate and Ashes. Oh, and please donate accordingly.
Peter Hook DJ Set (Lizard Lounge) What does one of the most influential bassists of all time spin when he goes on a DJ tour? I'm not sure exactly, and I've definitely heard mixed first-hand accounts, but let's hope it's not any of the mostly jokey tracks featured on Hooky's Myspace page.
July 2 also happens to be the First Thursday of the month, so all the galleries on Dragon Street are staying open until 8:00 PM. Somehow they equate that with "late". I guess it is if you're old enough to afford artwork...
Darlene Wall & Cuban Collective Pan American Projects "Pan American presents work by native Texan Darlene Wall, as well as a collective exhibition of contemporary Cuban artists Gustavo Acosta, Agustin Bejarano, Kcho, Jorge Lopez Pardo, and Diego Torres."
Michael O'Brien: The Face of Texas Don Schol: Vietnam Remembrances Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery "In a bold decision to show work other than photography, PDNB is exhibiting longtime UNT faculty member Don Schol's recent woodblock suite titled Vietnam Remembrances."
Not a lot going on today, but we've just added a Not New Music Tuesday post below this one, so there's that. More to come....
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Screening (House of Dang) I know I saw this movie when it came out, but other than the sequence that made up the "Smooth Criminal" video, I'm having a hard time recalling exactly what it consists of. What? You want me to research it on the world wide web? Fine-- you can check out the first part of the movie here, where the filmmakers apparently compare Jackson to both Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. And JFK. Or maybe those are just the themes to "Man in the Mirror," since all the aforementioned figures wanted to make the world a better place, took a look at themselves and made that change. You can also watch this part here, which I like a lot better (especially the video for "Human Nature," which has become one of my favorite MJ songs over the past week). Anyway, this will be a lot of fun to watch at House of Dang, and it starts at 8pm if you're interested. Its' free of course, and BYOB.
I'd been planning to do a Blue Cheer record for the past few weeks; this fucking heat always makes me think of 'Summertime Blues.' After seeing the Monday Morning Rock video this week I'm guessing the weather has the same effect on Stonedranger, but they say that great minds think alike.
Blue Cheer was uncharacteristically heavy for a late 60s San Francisco band, often drawing inevitable comparisons to other 'power trios' (I HATE that term) like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. While I'm all down for groups not sounding like the Dead or Jefferson fucking Airplane, I really wish they didn't have a color in the name of the band. I know everyone was on acid or whatever, but was all that 'everything's colorful' shit really necessary? Did hippies really not understand why people hated them?
Both Outsideinside and their debut, 1968's Vincebus Eruptum, are fabulous records and there is rarely a month that goes by that I don't listen to one or both of them. I am unfamiliar with their later records that were released after the departure of guitarist Leigh Stephens, but I can say that I'm not a huge fan of his replacement Randy Holden's mega rare 1969 album Population II.
I just got done watching the Scott Walker documentary 30th Century Man and found it quite fascinating despite the fact that I honestly haven't dug too deeply into the guy's catalogue thus far in my life. I think I might be tempted to explore it quite a bit more, however, after learning more about Walker's ideas and approach to recording, even though I can't say that I've always been particularly moved by every piece of music that I've ever heard from him. Anyway, shows tonight:
Patrick Wolf | Living Things | Jaguar Love | Plastiscines (Granada) Patrick Wolf is one of those musicians who is initially intriguing to me because of the level of anger he seems to inspire in the kind of people that are full of "opinions" about music but are usually totally wrong about everything. This isn't to say that the guy isn't pretentious, of course, or that everything he does is great by any stretch, but his musical ambition, and particularly his attempts at reaching grandiose heights at almost every moment throughout his recordings, are certainly interesting in their own way, and much of his material often works very well despite the inherent difficulty, at least on paper, with combining elements of classical western music and literature with electro-pop and folk. And because Wolf always seems to reach so high with everything that he does, even his failures are somewhat appealing in that wonderful train wreck sort of way, as his over the top persona becomes campy and cartoonish, providing entertainment, whether purposefully or not, even in his worst moments. I saw someone in one of the comments sections comparing him unfavorably to David Bowie, but come on-- since when is "not as good as David Bowie" an adequate reason to dislike a musician? If big egos, high drama and an almost fascist admiration for classics are a turn off for you, then by all means skip out on this show. But within the confines of our current "indie" "subculture" that seems to value comfort over innovation and pastiche over purpose, its at least a little bit refreshing to encounter a musician as over the top as Wolf, whether he succeeds in his efforts or not. If Grizzly Bear can get away with posting Youtube videos about how to make veggie omelettes or whatever the fuck they do, then surely we can avoid getting angry with Patrick Wolf for cross dressing and singing about mythology with just a touch of mystery, can't we?
Before we get started, you should check out this developing story about a disturbing incident that occurred in Fort Worth over the weekend. Unbelievable.
Cool Out (The Cavern) We've been told that tonight will be an MJ tribute, with lesser heard material from the performer's early days and not the "usual three songs everyone's been hearing all weekend." Should be a good time.
The Extraordinaires | Tiger Shark Death Brigade | Kijoto | Touching Tongues (Rubber Gloves) Why didn't anyone tell me that Street Hassle changed their name? Possibly inspired by their own Myspace URL, they're now called Touching Tongues, though it sounds like they are no different sonically. Definitely some questionable names on the bill tonight period, especially in the case of Tiger Shark Death Brigade. The group has some pretty standard distorted punk riffs, but it's eventually largely improved upon by a very spirited vocal performance. Kijoto plays the kind of Deep Elm Records, super-serious, start/stop emo-rock you hear less and less of as the decade fades out. If you had told me back in 2000 that it was going to end like this, I would have never believed you.
Our friends at The Granada have very generously given us 5 pairs of tickets for tomorrow night's Patrick Wolf show. The first five people to email weshotjrtix@yahoo.com with their full name in the body and "Patrick Wolf" as the subject get them. Thanks.
