Cory Graves
This Week, Erykah Badu Was The Bomb Dot Com.
Each week, we take a survey of the local music scene and try to determine which acts 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? Which bands have accomplished the most notable feats of late? Based off these criteria, our music writers submit a list to be weighted and compiled into a master list revealed each week in this here space. We like to think it's fairly revealing. Check out our previous Buzz Rankings here.
For several days last weekend, Erykah Badu's Bomb Factory performance was about all anybody in town could talk about.
Not only was that two-and-a-half-hour-plus headlining performance gushed about by every newspaper, blogger, website and Dallas-based human that still has a Facebook account, it also spawned approximately 19,000 declarations that “Deep Ellum is back,” and even a thinkpiece or two on the state of the neighborhood.
It's a lot to come from one show, but duly so. It was, after all, the first show in the new-look Bomb Factory, Deep Ellum's now largest and potentially most important venue. And not only did the hometown hero fill the place to the gills, but eager folks outside the venue lined up in a queue that wrapped all the way around the block.
In all, it made for a pretty stylish way to lock down the top spot in our weekly, local music power rankings for the eighth time, which Ms. Badu did this week. That total, by the way, matches A.Dd+'s Buzz Rankings victories and trails only Sarah Jaffe's unprecedented 12 wins.
Coincidentally, Ms. Jaffe shared that opening-night Bomb Factory bill with Erykah Badu, technically making her the first performer to ever play the new space. Meanwhile, the rest of the venue's local opening weekend performers — Toadies, Baboon and Brutal Juice — did well for themselves in this week's rankings as well.
None of these artists, however, holds a candle to Vanilla Ice, who D Magazine declared the “greatest Dallas artist of all time.” It's a huge honor, to be sure, considering all the greats — Steve Miller, the Vaughan Brothers, the aforementioned Badu or all the blues legends such as Blind Lemon Jefferson — who've hailed from these parts. To be fair, D's arts blogger is still pretty new. We're sure he'll learn Dallas' rich music history in due time.
Also of note this week, there was Valise, which became just the second local act to sell out Three Links with pre-sale tickets alone for its album release show last weekend. House Harkonnen, meanwhile, will try to repeat the feat with its own EP release at the venue this weekend. And while Doug Burr's album release at Good Records this coming Friday is technically free, he'll surely move plenty copies of his new long-player thanks to glowing reviews from outlets all over town.
Elsewhere: Kelly Clarkson returned to the American Idol set; Chomsky will play a reunion show this weekend: and Buffalo Black released a new single from his upcoming EP.
(Also receiving votes this week: White Arms of Athena, Sealion, Plain Jane Francis & Tony Q, Paul Slavens, Bee Feral, Quaker City Night Hawks, Cush, Calhoun, Goodnight Ned, Rat Rios, Pageantry, The Pyramids, The Demigs, Things of Earth, Lily Taylor, Colly T, Pleasant Grove, iill, Mothership, Brave Combo, Moth Face, Bummer Vacation, Nite, Nervous Curtains, The Hope Trust, Kaela Sinclair, Lou Charle$, Black Dotz and Jetta in the Ghost Tree.)
