I want to start by mentioning that undeniable French singer Yelle is playing The Granada tonight, and she released one of the most likable, yet popular records of the late Aughts. The official after-party for the show is at Beauty Bar, where DJ Sober will be hosting his Big Bang Weekly. Special guest is Tyrone Smiley.
SIVAD (Scat Lounge in Fort Worth): Sivad contains such a wide variety of notable local musicians, that this rare appearance should make it worth the drive to Fort Worth for the many that complain about having to do just that.
SIVAD started in 1992 as the project of experimental jazz trumpeter Karl Poetschke, aka Gabriel Wolf. Their sound is based around Poetschke’s running the usually acoustic intstrument through various effects (such as an Echoplex, for those that know) and amplifiers, and combining it with rock rhythms. Though that wasn’t necessarily new even at that time, it’s not exactly the route taken by most horn players that mostly do session work and studio arrangements. Some of you may know of Poetschke from his work in Ghostcar, which brings us to the rest of SIVAD’s lineup. It’s one that features Daniel Huffman (also of Ghostcar and of the well-received Good Records associated act, New Fumes), as well as Quincy Holloway (of Dove Hunter and Sub Oslo), along with Dana Sudborough, Dave Monsch, and Chris Perdue.
According to this Fort Worth Weekly article, the band has been broken up for over ten years, so you may want to jump on this.
Radio Free Amsterdam with Travis Box/Ben White (The Amsterdam)
80’s Night With Yeah Def (Hailey’s): Guest DJ tonight is Blake Ward.
Jerry Fels and The Jerry Fels/St. Evie (Art Six): Remember college rock icon Wally Pleasant? Or as he was often called, Wally Unpleasant? Jerry Fels is so similar that it’s eerie. It’s a very specific sort of hyper-confessional singer songwriter style where the artist makes the entire project a joke, so he doesn’t have to actually stick with the melody or stay in key for longer than a verse. This usually works for about, well, a verse. But then you have the rest of your career to think about. Pile on tons of lyrics that are basically a public emasculation full of dark references to an ex-partner’s new boyfriend, and the joke often goes from bad to creepy.
The Dallas Smoke (Bar Celine): Dallas Mod Club event with DJ Marcos and DJ Jason playing Northern Soul, R&B, 60’s Garage Rock etc.
Kirby Brown/Whiskey Folk Ramblers (Jack Daniels’ Saloon): So DC9 is presenting this new series called “Locals Only,” and given their track record for naming happenings, blogs, and features, this unappealingly titled event comes as no surprise.
Let’s start with DC9 itself, for instance. The first rule of naming anything (especially bands, but really, anything) is to never have a number in the title. Don’t even get me started with “Local Music ‘Mericans.” That’s just painful. It’s just that most people I know specifically want to avoid things that are “locals only.” Maybe it’s the company I keep. Aren’t most Dollar Stores locals only? Show is free.
House Music Thursdays with Blake Ward (PM Lounge): Note: “If you don’t feel like valeting, the Neiman Marcus Parking lot and Public Parking lot both offer $3 parking.”
Discipline “Live Action” featuring //TENSE///Balaclavas/Awen/Dharma (Rubber Gloves): These four live acts will be playing in lieu of the consecutive DJ sets that Discipline usually hosts. Sets will still be played in-between acts however.
One of last year’s reviews for Dharma’s Technology and Truth likened the artist to a “kitten” when compared to other acts on her Copenhagen and Houston based Skrot Up label. Though the article was a positive one, I find that somewhat sexist and also untrue.
Dharma (aka Kevyn Greene) is often the standout act in many lineups in which she has appeared, and she brings an entirely different perspective to the meaning and role of what being a “solo artist” entails. In other words, most bands with members numbering upwards of a half-dozen would have a tough time controlling the feeling and atmosphere in a room as effortlessly. Despite the fact that she’ll be on crutches tonight due to a broken leg, it stands to reason that she’ll be as effectively commanding as ever, obstacle or no.
//TENSE// and Balaclavas both hail from Houston and have both been uniformly excellent as that artistically rich region just continues to produce one great dark, moody act after the other whether the groups are tackling early industrial and EBM or spooked-out post punk, as these two do respectively.
Balaclavas in particular were intimidatingly good at The Pastime Tavern this past January, and the trio managed to work a live tape machine into the hectic mix of synths, guitars, and drums on which they were already having to focus. The surprisingly melodic nature of their material also really seemed to come out much more in a live setting.
No matter the setting or the time (even at 4am), //TENSE// is always a solid live act, and so is pretty much everything else in which member Mariana “Kunst” Saldaña is involved. Here the floor is mostly ceded to front-man Robert Lane, who is as natural in that role as you’re likely to see in modern music.
Dallas’ Awen is a neo-folk group and the only act here that I haven’t seen live, thought I’ve heard good things ever since their performance at The Dead Audio Festival in Houston last year.
Something Fierce/Occult Detective Club/Special Guest/Autistic Nuns (1919 Hemphill):
Image: Still from the “The Chain,” a Tommyboy directed music video by //TENSE//.
