Cory Graves
When You Save A Local Festival, You're Bound To Get Some Shine.
Each week, we take a survey of the local music scene each and try to determine which bands in town are really putting in work and seeing it pay off. Which bands have the most intriguing shows coming up? Which bands are getting the most press around town (at the Observer, at Pegasus News, at D Magazine's FrontRow blog and at various other outlets)? Which bands have accomplished the most notable feats of late? Based off these criteria, three of our music writers submit a list to be weighted and compiled into a master list to be revealed in this here space. We like to think it's fairly revealing.
For a moment there, things were pretty somber up in Denton this week. The Jesus and Mary Chain had just postponed their scheduled Sunday night 35 Denton gig and no replacement band had yet been announced to fill their slot.
Enter Midlake. Or, more appropriately, Grandlake.
Along with their friend and sometime collaborator Jason Lytle, formerly of Grandaddy, who was in town to rehearse and prepare for a gig with Midlake down in Austin at SXSW, the Denton heroes stepped up to fill that void.
Not surprisingly, every outlet in town reported on it. Also unsurprising was the fact that Midlake, ever the well-rehearsed outfit, sounded impeccably tight backing up Lytle on Sunday afternoon in their fill-in capacity.
For the most part, this week's Buzz Rankings very much reflect the goings-on up in Denton last weekend thanks to a glut of local coverage on the festival. The Baptist Generals, performing their first Denton gig in some time at the fest, again placed in the list's top five. Other festival standouts — Peopleodian, Burning Hotels, Legsweeper, Brain Gang Blue and his Brain Gang counterparts, Final Club, Neeks, Air Review, Ynfynyt Scroll and Video among them — also placed on the list thanks to their successful 35 Denton forays.
The rest of the list is consisted largely of bands making waves thanks to shows scheduled for this coming weekend. Mind Spiders, A.Dd+ and Jessie Frye were among the North Texas acts The New York Times shouted out in their South by Southwest preview package, and Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights, Whiskey Folk Ramblers and Hunter Hendrickson placed well because of their scheduled performances at this weekend's upcoming post-St. Patrick's Day parade concert thrown annually by the Observer.
Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller, meanwhile, places because of the announcement of his newest solo record, and Sarah Jaffe, still riding high off of her own similar announcement, places for the same reason.
(Also receiving votes this week: Cozy Hawks, Calhoun, Doom Ghost, AV, Shooknite, Zhora, Jay Fresh, Preteen Zenith, Comrade, The Angelus, Neon Indian, Doug Burr, Baruch The Scribe, New Fumes, Danny Rush and the DD's, Will Johnson, Roy Robertson, Quaker City Night Hawks, Crushed Stars and Dust Congress.)
