Midas Touch Tuesdays (Beauty Bar): With two consecutive nights featuring the respective genres, Beauty Bar just might become the new funk and soul capital of North Texas, if this new weekly by DJ Trademarx is any indication. Trademarx promises a “new feel” to a “classic sound.” Purists, beware.
Wax Nostalgic presents “Video Juice” (Fallout Lounge): There has been something of a void in regard to obscure music video events of late. Luckily, “Video Juice” should help fill that void, though I wonder if there is a separate screen other than the muted television that many of us watch in utter wooziness on a rough Friday at Fallout. Sounds like a winner either way.
Bädr Vogu/O(A)UST/Releaser/GUISÖ (Phoenix Project): In the tradition of so many extreme records, it’s been some time since I’ve actually come across a heavy act that effectively utilizes one of those classic smart aleck/rebellious/tough guy lines sampled from a film to use as an intro to one of their songs. Oakland’s Badr Vogu is that act, a sludge band that lists other riff scholars such as Neurosis, Grief and Bolt Thrower as influences. The music may be deliberate, but the group never takes too long to make its point — a definite danger when diving head-first into this molasses-like aesthetic. They also use comic sans as the main font on their webpage, a sure sign of completely not giving an eff.
Dolly Parton (Verizon Theatre): “I Don’t Want To Throw Rice” may not be her most famous track, but it could very well be the one that has aged best. Particularly potent is the line, “What I want to throw will surely black her eyes.” And they give Cash all the credit for being an early inspiration to violent lyricists everywhere.
Bill Callahan/Neal Morgan (The Loft): The price is definitely right for this show — still under twenty bucks. Callahan’s reputation as a weathered old song-horse could very well see the musician ending up in revered territory not usually reserved for people who once made noisy tapes and wrote for zines. In other words, he could certainly get away with charging more.
Callahan is taking the thinner to his sound so liberally that his next album might be a cappella. It’s a feat to keep things interesting with such a minimal approach, but he somehow manages. Please take the time to listen to the streaming song-sample from Callahan’s new reocord, entitled Apocalypse on Drag City’s artist page if you haven’t done so already. I find these clipped streams to be sort of ridiculous, since editing a snippet so harshly can almost be comedic. Give a listen to the “America” clip and you might believe it’s just Callahan muttering those words over a groove for over five minutes. The unedited version is just as hilarious. Genius.
Tuesday Night Trash Presents Ghoulies 3 (Texas Theatre): Whoa, these are getting worse and worse. As long as they promise to not ever show the Garbage Pail Kids movie, I will continue to support them.
