Dancing About Architecture
Ring Out the Young, Ring in the "New"
By Ken Lieck, Fri., Dec. 19, 1997
stage for confusion by including a song not found on Manifesto, but rather from Garza's April-due full album on the Great Expectations soundtrack they're currently flogging.) Flick doesn't miss a buzzword in his review, including phrases like "must-have," "urgent," "hip," "clever," "irresistible," and even the ever-popular "retro-pop glee," climaxing with the I-was-here-first summation of, "Be
among the first to discover this important new artist." Look, Flick, stay off my turf.
I named Dah-Veed and his old band the Love Beads years ago. All credit goes to me, do ya hear? Meeeee!!!! (Unless the record tanks, of course). Hey, Dah, best of luck with the new disc. Here's hoping your national backlash doesn't start before the damn album even comes out! (Maybe I'll even come to your Liberty Lunch gig this Saturday.)
In a Word: Yow!
The announcement that The Jesus Lizard is coming to Emo's in January immediately prompted the query, "Does that mean the lawsuit spawned by the group's last local appearance has been settled?" Apparently not. "I'm still being sued by whoever they hit in the head," sighs Liberty Lunch's Mark Pratz, as he wonders if perhaps Capitol Records settled on the suit against the band. The incident, you may recall, involved a can of beer thrown from the stage, the woman's face with which it made contact, her really pissed-off boyfriend, and a fleeing David Yow. Singer Yow's antics are well-known to clubowners around the globe, and at least one entire city has banned the group from appearing. Dave Vecelli at the band's booking agency, Billions Corp., explains that the suit is indeed still active, but that the reason the band passed over the Lunch for Emo's was because they're between albums, and the agency's plans calls for the band to "play smaller clubs" while they can. Vecelli adds that both the Lizard's next Capitol album and their court date are scheduled for April.
Groundhog Day
After sending' over an advance of the Gourds' forthcoming album, Stadium Blitzer, the band's manager Mike Stewart confirmed that the release date is scheduled for next year's Groundhog Day, February 2, "which I consider to be an auspicious thing," he adds. That month, with new drummer Keith Langford (currently still with the Damnations -- at least until they're finished doing some recording in January), the band takes to the road for a month of dates with the Old 97s. Asked why the band wasn't releasing the album around South by Southwest like every other band in the Western Hemisphere, Stewart replied, "I think it's ridiculous to release things then. If we could've we would've released it now, around Christmas." Instead, we've found the perfect gift for the Gourds fan on your Christmas list: a Gourd Hat from the popular Archie McFee Catalog. "Consider this a challenge of your creative talents," the McFee people offer, "Paint, carve, dye or drill your gourd; attach some bangles or baubles [like Susanna Hoffs maybe?] or go minimalist and wear it plain." Any way you do it, I wouldn't be surprised if you wore this to the next Beeblefest and were invited to step in for free. The fellow pictured certainly seems to have stepped in something!
Mixed Notes
There'll be a Bill Hicks birthday celebration on Larry Monroe's show (KUT, 90.5 FM) at about 10:30pm tonight (Thursday, following Toni Price's Keith Richards tribute). Meanwhile, certain local forces are said to be talking to HBO about financing the long-talked-of movie about the late, great Hicks. More on that as it develops, but for now, you can check out http://www.eden.com/sacredcow for some sound bites that even the most devoted Hicks fans probably haven't heard...
The days of live music at the B-Side room at the Bitter End are coming to a, er, sour conclusion. After January 1, the End's management says that the B-Side will return to what it was intended for from the beginning: a post-dinner lounging area. Actually, it won't be either for awhile, as the room will be undergoing renovations first...
Take note that Seymour Stein's Sire Records, which has deals with both Watermelon and Antone's Records, has now picked up Seattle's famed indie label, Sub Pop. If you remember those split singles from awhile back of Mudhoney/Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Supersuckers/Rev. Horton Heat performing each other's songs, you can imagine the floodgates opening now for a spate of new combinations, like Don Walser yodeling his way through Nirvana's "Lithium." The only question is, on a 81/2 Souvenirs/Combustible Edison split 7-inch, how will you know which side you're listening to? And speaking of the Souvenirs, check out this month's GQ for an 8-page fashion spread on the local act in their fanciest fineries. You can observe their fashion sense (unless, like me, you find that phrase to be an oxymoron) up close at their Christmas party at La Zona Rosa this Saturday. If you have two left feet get there early (9pm) for pre-show dance lessons...
In other magazine-related news, an article on Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun and his business tactics in the new Vanity Fair opens with Island Records' (now former) boss Chris Blackwell invoking Kacy Crowley as the perfect example of the "one that got away" to Ertegun...
The next batch of Trance Syndicate/Emperor Jones releases have hit the Chron office. You can expect Paul Newman's Frames Per Second and ...
nd You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead are set to hit stores on January 20, while Bedhead's Transaction de Novo and Paris 25's palindromic To Rococo Rot are due on February 10...
Lisa Mednick was spotted back in town recently, but that's not much of a surprise, since she's currently in Juliana Hatfield's band, and Hatfield played Stubb's last week. In fact, that's not really particularly interesting at all. Now, on the other hand, if she's been seen sneaking out of a trailer with Lyle Lovett...
If Caryl P. Weiss ain't nautical enough for ya, keep an eye popped out for the new album of pirate songs from a fellow who calls himself The Captain. 'Twould appear he's formerly of the Shitty Beatles and Potatoes, and as such was the first to perform the "Clampett Rap," beating Weird Al Yankovic and Roseanne and John Goodman by seven leagues or so. A Man Overboard features the talents of a number of Texans, including Little Jack Melody of the Junior Shoulders league and Davy Jones (aptly chosen for this project) of Big Foot Chester...
Dallas' long-quiet Course of Empire (not to be confused with the rowdy Empire of Shit) have a new album, Telepathic Last Words, due in January on TVT Records, the home of Vallejo...
The Gary Delz Power Trio is having a release party for Unknown Territories this Saturday at the Jamin' House Cafe out in Marble Falls...
The Friends of Sixth Street are having a benefit for Brown Santa at the Iron Cactus this Sunday from 8pm-midnight. Bring a new, unopened toy for admission...
Alejandro Escovedo recently flew to New York to play a party celebrating Big Apple deejay Vin Scelsa's 50th birthday and 30th year on radio, with the artist list kept a secret so as to surprise Scelsa. The fete ran two nights at the Bottom Line and performers included They Might Be Giants, Jill Sobule, Southside Johnny, Mark Eitzel, Jimmy Webb, Lou Reed, Little Steven, Graham Parker, Freedy Johnston, Marshall Crenshaw, Al Kooper, Jules Shear and Suzzy Roche, the Bongos, and Willy Nile. Additionally, taped greetings were run from artists who couldn't attend personally including Randy Newman, Loudon Wainwright III, Suzanne Vega, Anne Rice, John Prine, Aimee Mann, John Cale, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. And yes, this item was included this week specifically to cause trouble for those of you who only read the bold print in this column. Now get back to work -- your break ended five minutes ago!
-- Contributors: Raoul Hernandez, Andy Langer, Margaret Moser
