Cory Graves
The Dallas Observer Takes Over Deep Ellum, Fort Worth Gets The Indie Makeover It Needs.
Tonight, the Dallas Observer will be hosting their 24th annual local music awards ceremony at the House of Blues.
Over the weekend, however, the local alt-weekly took over eight stages in Deep Ellum as part of their awards showcase concert. While 60 local bands and hundreds of their fans were breathing life into Deep Ellum as part of those proceedings, Stefan and Aaron Gonzalez of Best Jazz Act nominee Yells At Eels and Gregg Prickett of Best Punk Act nominee The Black Dotz hosted a show of their own at nearby Bryan Street Tavern in support of their newest EP from their collaborative Unconscious Collective project for Tofu Carnage Records. The seven-track album from the self-proclaimed ritualistic improv trio serves as a sort of preview from their upcoming double LP.
As far as other in-the-works albums are concerned, Fort Worth-based labels Lo-Life Recordings and Dreamy Soundz are working on a compilation cassette they hope to release in time for their upcoming holiday party. While some of the tracks on the comp will be previously-recorded material, a large portion of it will be new works recorded either in the living room of Dreamy Soundz' Jennifer Rux or at Fort Worth's semi-DIY space the Where House this past weekend. Among the bands included on the Britt Robisheaux-produced cassette are Doom Ghost, War Party, Mailman, Sealion, Spyder Friends SpiderFriends, Siberian Traps, Toy Gun, Great Belugas, Year of the Bear, Bitch Bricks, The Longshots and UBoat.
Maybe Fort Worthians do realize the glut of garage rock and DIY talent out in those parts, after all.
Other parts of that city's music landscape are expanding, too. Fort Worth has seen a huge growth in new bars and venues over the past two years. At the end of the month, Whiskey Girl Saloon (no affiliation with Toby Keith, sorry) will become the latest newcomer on that front. The 5,200-square-foot room will host live music five nights a week and will join The Basement Bar as the second venue in the Stockyards that plans to host shows from country and indie bands alike. The opening weekend at Whiskey Girl (November 30 and December 1) will feature free shows from area bands Walker & The Texas Dangers, Bob Wayne, Jackson Taylor & The Sinners, Calhoun, We The Sealions, Convoy & The Cattlemen, The Neckties and Sally Majestic.
Maybe this meansFort Worth will finally be getting that “indie facelift” they've clearly needed so badly for so long!
Speaking of other nearby cities, Denton got an interesting mention in a recent Pitchfork article: A piece on experimental musician William Basinski touches on Baskinski's time in the Little D and the reputation the of the University of North Texas on the late '70s drug front. In the article, Basinki says, “I was in music school in the late '70s, at the University of North Texas, a big jazz school. The program was a place where professional musicians would go to have fun and play music and do drugs and not worry about touring. Denton, Texas, was raining acid and pot — they had really good, clean acid, purple microdots, orange sunshine, and so on. I never did tons of drugs, but they really helped me open up my thinking, let go, and relax. I don't really do any drugs anymore. I occasionally smoke pot, but it usually makes me paranoid. I like beer now.”
Staying in Denton, that city's newest house venue, Macaroni Island, will be hosting the release show for Denton luminaries Shiny Around the Edges' new album The Night is a Disco this Friday night. Though the house has been hosting shows from both touring and local acts since September, no one has yet shown up to a show at the venue baring cookies, despite house resident and Gutterth Records founder Michael Briggs' persistent appeals. Expect that to change with Shiny's arrival. Them fools are welcoming as all get out.
Cover image via Bitch Bricks' Facebook page. Got a tip for White Noise? Email us!
