Cory Graves
Son of Stan Joins Odd Future, Kirk Franklin Remains The Coolest Man in Gospel and Index Fest Is Off.
On Valentine's Day, Kanye West gifted the world the first version of his The Life of Pablo album — a living, breathing, still-in-progress LP that featured some local contributions.
Then, few days ago on Easter, a revamped version of TLOP's opening “Ultralight Beam” track was released as “Ultralight Prayer.” Like the earlier version, the new version prominently features Dallas' Kirk Franklin preaching the gospel over a powerful choir of voices. The differences here are the fact that all beats and rhymes are removed and Franklin's patter is extended. In true Kanye fashion, we aren't yet certain whether this version is meant to replace the previous one or to supplement it in some way.
Regardless, it's worth a listen.
Meanwhile, Franklin further proved himself the coolest man in gospel last week when he hit the Milly Rock during his show in D.C. — and it was better than yours, I might add. For some reason — maybe because some people still consider it a sin to cut footloose? — a clip of the dance posted to his official Instagram account went viral, and spawned all kinds of articles discussing the reaction. But I won't expand on the dialogue, because NBD, honestly.
Another rapper who released an album this week is Domo Genesis, and just like Kanye, he did so with the help of a local boy. For the OFWGKTA emcee's album release show at The Lyric Theatre in Los Angeles, Son of Stan served as the drummer in the live backing band. Here's a clip I found on the ol' YouTubes of them doing the album's single, “Dapper.”
That live band thing is a good idea, I think. Maybe it'll catch on? Or maybe it already has? On April 8, at Three Links, anyway, Bobby Sessions will be performing “unplugged” with the help of backing band R.C. & The Gritz. Pretty cool, I'd say.
That's going to be a busy day in Deep Ellum, fo sho. A couple streets over, Kaela Sinclair will play Dallas for the first time as a member of M83. It's good timing, too, considering that's the same day the band's new album comes out. Too bad that show is sold out…
Another hot new album dropping on that very same day is the new one from Parquet Courts, Human Performance. That crew will return home to promote the new release at the Granada Theater on April 28. Tickets to that one, I hear, are still available. On the subject, here's a recent clip of the band discussing and performing cuts from the upcoming record in the new KEXP live studio.
Moving on, Reverend Horton Heat lived up to its name last week when its tour bus caught fire on the highway. The blaze, firefighters say, looks like it was started in the bus' generator compartment. Fortunately, there was a good outcome, as no people or gear was hurt, the bus was a rental and a replacement ride was acquired in time for the band to make its sold-out gig at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California, that night. If nothing else, they ended up with a pretty great tale to tell if we can ever pin them down for our Bandwagon feature.
Also looking on the bright side is Riverboat Gamblers' death-defying frontman Mike Wiebe, who injured himself during the band's recent SXSW gig. As you can see in the video below, Wiebe made the mistake of turning his back and going in for a trust fall at the precise moment he had instructed everyone in the bar to take a shot. His ensuing spill resulted in a collapsed lung. During his several-day hospital stay, a friend set up a Go Fund Me campaign for the laid-up rocker, which managed to raise over $14,500 in five days. GFFG!
Speaking of SXSW: That's where Green River Ordinance shot its latest music video (sort of). During the annual Luck Reunion — a non-related gathering Willie Nelson holds during SXSW week in nearby Spicewood, Texas — the boys shot a special music video for its song “Simple.” The cool thing about it is the fact that it employs some magical Facebook technology that allows you to click and grab the video and make the camera look in any direction you damn well please. Aim it right, and you can see Dallas' Photo Wagon over their shoulders, too. Try it!
Another new clip comes from Neon Indian, who was also down at SXSW, playing at Vans' 50th anniversary party. The “Techno Clique” video finds Alan Palomo DJing at a retirement home where a bunch of elderly folks are eating meat and tripping balls. It was produced by Super Deluxe and directed by TV Carnage, with some additional special effects by Smearballs, if that's stuff that you care about.
Also, Ryan Hamilton goes all Banksy in his new “Medicine” clip. Here's that one.
Not video related is this news: Gavin “TX Connect” Guthrie is launching a Texas label next month called Texas Recordings Underground. He says he plans on putting out anything related to “house, techno, acid, electro to ambient, funk, industrial, synth pop, etc,” as long as the artist is Texas-based and their music is good. The label's first release is a five-track, various artists sampler, which you can hear below.
In festival news, the long-thought-to-be-cancelled Index Fest officially stuck a fork in its 2016 plans, finally issuing a statement on its website last week.
And, lastly, Paris Pershun of the long-thought-to-be-broken-up A.Dd+ did a video interview where he gave reason for the group's split. The tl;dw version? He was loyal to a motherfucker who wasn't loyal to him. (His words, not ours.)
Index Fest cover photo by Karlo X. Ramos. Got a tip for White Noise? Email us!
