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Why Do I Have to Keep Going To Austin For Music Festivals?

This weekend, I went to Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. It was the third time this year I’ve gone to Austin for a music festival, following South By Southwest in March and the ACL Festival last month. The other two occasions were primarily work-related; this one, I went to for fun fun fun (sorry). Mainly because — while the other two tend to focus on the here and now and ticket sales — Fun Fun Fun has more in common with shindigs like the All Tomorrow’s Parties events. It feels more curated than target-marketed. Obviously, of course, it’s not exactly like it’s being run by a non-profit. But I think you get my meaning.

So why do I have to go to Austin to get that?

(Before you answer, I will stipulate that Denton’s NX35 does solid work — and has Steve Albini coming next year as its keynote speaker. But it’s not necessarily what I’m talking about. And don’t say, “We do have that! It’s in Richardson at Wildflower Festival.” Unless you’re trying to make me laugh, in which case, thank you.)

KXT Debuts With Good Tunes, Soporific DJ

Getting ready for work and school this morning in the Rogers household, we listened to the new public radio station in town, KXT (which plays “music to the core”). Here’s what they played in the 7 o’clock hour, when I was listening:

SANTANA She’s Not There MONSTERS OF FOLK Whole Lotta Losin’ INGRID MICHAELSON Maybe UB40 Kingston Town PINBACK Fortress TELEGRAPH CANYON Shake Your Fist VAN MORRISON It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue LANGHORNE SLIM Say Yes THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT Does This Mean You’re Moving On? ELVIS COSTELLO Clowntime Is Over LITTLE BLACK DRESS Robin RHETT MILLER I Need To Know Where I Stand IMOGEN HEAP Swoon MANU DIBANGO Soul Makossa HAPPY BULLETS The Vice and Virtue Ministry

I had to cut and paste the playlist from their site because I could not have identified a single one of those songs. That’s a good thing. But I do have one minor complaint. I’m a fan of Gini Mascorro’s. I think she’s got a great voice. But it’s not a morning voice. Mascorro sounds like cigarettes and fine scotch to me, not orange juice and bagels. I want to hear her maybe around 10 o’clock in the evening. Maybe it’s just me.

Stephen Hough Gets a Cool Cabbie in Dallas

The pianist Stephen Hough was in town to perform with the DSO. On his blog for the Telegraph, he mentioned over the weekend an interesting cab ride from DFW Airport. In the future, presumably, one in five cabbies will be a former journalist.

Jaap van Zweden Saves the Lives of Two Men Having Lunch

Today, I was fortunate enough to have lunch with the good professor Willard Spiegelman and maestro Jaap van Zweden at Dali, in One Arts. About that I will say this: Jaap is probably my coolest new friend. All my other friends will surely understand that I won’t have much time for them in the coming months, as Jaap and I grow even closer. He told me he’s been going to Cowboys and Mavericks games. I will, no doubt, soon be invited to join him courtside. My family will dine with his at the Ritz, where he keeps a condo. We might going skiiing together this winter.

The highlight of the lunch, though, was when a brisk breeze swirled through the courtyard at One Arts, toppling two large shade umbrellas. One fell on empty tables. The other, which was shading our table, fell onto a two-top across the aisle from us, smashing a glass full of red wine, and threatening the lives of the two gentlemen there seated. They surely would have been decapitated if not for the quick thinking of my good friend Jaap, who lunged backward in his chair and, with his baton hand, managed to steady the sickle-like umbrella before it could do further damage. Bravo!

(Did I mention that I was over-served?)

Rhett Miller Ticket Giveaway!

The handsome Rhett Miller performs November 14 at the Granada Theater. Doors at 7:30. The show is part of the CF Concert Series, which raises money to fight cystic fibrosis. I’ve got four tickets to give away (at $28 each, that’s a prize package worth almost $112) to the two people who make the best case that they are HUGE Rhett Miller fans. (To be clear: two people will win four tickets; I’m giving away eight tickets. Two times four is about eight.) I don’t care how you make your case. Post a picture. Tell a story. Whatever.

Comments are open. Contest ends at noon on November 12.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; Or, When I Saw AC/DC Acquire Some Professional Female Companionship

AC/DC brings its Black Ice tour to the American Airlines Center on Monday night. (Tickets presumably still available.) Given that, I thought it was a good time to share my one and only story of backstage debauchery — or, at least, the only one I witnessed firsthand. See you on the other side.

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Steve Martin Benefits Central Dallas Ministries

Last night I was at the benefit concert for Central Dallas Ministries at the Meyerson Symphony Center, featuring Steve Martin and bluegrass band the Steep Canyon Rangers. It was fantastic. I bought the tickets without realizing it was a fundraiser–I’m just a big fan of Steve Martin, even when he’s playing banjo–but I left impressed by the story that Central Dallas Ministries told about the surge in demand for their help this year. They said they’ve already had to distribute twice as much food so far in 2009 than they did in the entirety of 2008.

The fundraising goal for the night was $50,000. Steve Martin joked that Central Dallas Ministries could claim to have raised more money this year than in any year in its history, had it not been for paying his appearance fee. Anyway, the show was peppered with nice bits of comedy between the songs, which were themselves great fun. Martin is a master entertainer, and he makes it look effortless. But anyone who’s read his memoir of his early days can attest to the fact that he’s a perfect example of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule.

One bone to pick with WFAA’s Gary Cogill, who introduced Martin at the start of the show. In running down a portion of his filmography, you mention the execrable Three Amigos, but not what’s probably his best movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles?

WSJ Does a Double Whammy on AT&T PAC

D Magazine contributor Willard Spiegelman sure gets around. Today, he can be found in the Journal, where he critiques the architecture and setting of new performing arts center. While Willard looks at the outside, Journal opera critic Hollie Waleson focuses on what’s happening inside.

One nice benefit of having the nation’s major critics in town for the PAC opening is that Dallas opera music director Graeme Jenkins and his orchestra are finally getting the due they deserve after toiling for years in the sound-eating Music Hall. From Waleson’s review:

The most exciting musical experience came from the orchestra, expertly led by Mr. Jenkins. It filled the hall with a rich, full-bodied sound, whipped up the furious opening storm and projected melting, pianissimo tenderness in “Già nella notte.” The glittering antiphonal trumpets that heralded the arrival of the Venetian ambassador in Act III rang out brilliantly, and the plaintive woodwind opening passages of Act IV breathed out into the hall with warmth, definition and character.

New York Times on the Winspear and Otello

Anthony Tommasini adds his opinion this morning to our own Willard Spiegelman’s about the new opera house and its first production. On the Winspear:

Several bigger, more significant American companies are going to envy the Dallas Opera its new home.

On Otello:

At times, especially in Act I, the performance of the orchestra and chorus was insecure and shaky. Jitters on this momentous opening might have been a factor. Also, the set that dominates this production, an intriguing, starkly modern staging by the British director Tim Albery that is filled with militaristic imagery, may have made it harder for the performers to follow the conductor and hear the orchestra.

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Philip Glass and Dracula at the Winspear

“It’s not actually repetitive. That’s an illusion,” composer Philip Glass said in response to a question about whether playing his music on a keyboard causes his hands to suffer from repetitive stress syndrome.

Glass’ music generally leaves me cold. In fact, I find if I listen to it too intently the repetition can get maddening. But to have it played live in accompaniment to the 1931 film Dracula, as it was last night at the Winspear Opera House, was tremendous fun. Together the music and the movie (which only a generous critic would call “good”) were more than the sum of their parts. Glass explained during a post-performance Q&A that it was the film’s star, Bela Lugosi–or more precisely the tragic arc of Lugosi’s life–that drew him to want to write a new score for it.

It was my first time inside the performance hall at the Winspear, and it lived up to the hype. My wife only had one small complaint. The air vents beneath our seats were pumping cold air out with such enthusiasm that her legs felt like icicles by the end of the show. She was looking to let the management know afterward, and I had to argue with her to convince her not to force some poor usher to touch her cold ankles.

Bob Dylan Covers Denton’s Brave Combo

Bob Dylan released a Christmas album yesterday. It includes a cover of an arrangement of “Must Be Santa” by Denton music icons Brave Combo. You can hear their version by clicking on the title on this page. They didn’t write the song, but they improved it.

This takes me back to the middle of the ’90s, jumping up and down in a crowd of people on the floor of Rick’s, on Fry Street. Before it caught fire, or was set on fire. I can’t remember which.

I’m Sorry: I Can’t Leave That DMN U2 Review Alone

I mentioned it in Leading Off this morning, but since I was there and (more or less) saw what Mario Tarradell saw, I’m going to have to dig in a little deeper. You’ll find me after the jump, still trying to drown out the voice of the guy behind me who 1) never stopped singing and 2) couldn’t find the right key with a GPS and a Mapsco.

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DMN Music Critic Mario Tarradell Continues to Have His Finger on the Pulse

Two notes before I begin. First, someone fairly close to the situation asked if I was going to continue my vendetta against Dallas Morning News music critic Mario Tarradell. The answer: YES, capped because I can’t curse here. Second, I know he didn’t write this headline, but “U2 to perform songs from several of its CDs at Cowboys Stadium concert” certainly has a “From the Desk of Mario Tarradell” feel to it.

I mean, come on, here is the first sentence of his U2 column: “That U2 concert sure is the huge music event of 2009, to say the least.” Guh. I’m not done.

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How I Helped Destroy a Beautiful Park; Or, An ACL Festival Trip Report

I wasn’t planning on going to this year’s ACL Festival. In fact, I’ve never gone. Apart from SXSW, I’m not a big festival guy. But, as has happened on occasion, Caryn Ganz from RollingStone.com convinced me cover it for her. (I owe her for this, so I have a hard time saying no.) And so, the “not a big festival guy” will end up attending three music festivals in the same city — I’m set for Fun Fun Fun Fest in November — in just over six months. You can find my coverage here, here, and here. After the jump, a couple of photos (not of bands — you can find plenty of others that would be better than faraway iPhone shots), and some bits and pieces that didn’t make it in.

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GameStop Wants Your Bad Beatles Songs

Grapevine-based GameStop is sponsoring a contest asking for song lyrics of 100 words or less that incorporate at least 10 Beatles’ song titles. The prize is two tickets to see Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. Here goes:

All You Need is Love/ And I Love Her/ Any Time at All/ Baby It’s You

Because/ I’ve Got a Feeling/ I’ve Just Seen a Face/ You Know What to Do

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Local Music Blog We Shot JR to Become National Music Blog We Shot JR

That’s the plan, anyway. If you’re a regular visitor to the site, and I am, you may have noticed a distinct lack of founder Stoned Ranger. He explains his absence here (spoiler: he moved, to a location which, appropriately for someone generally only known by the handle Stoned Ranger, is unnamed for now), as well as rather vaguely laying out the future of the site — which I have adroitly encapsulated in the headline above. In short, soon-ish, We Shot JR will not only cover Dallas/Denton/Fort Worth, but a handful of other cities, too. Based on the list he gave me — but isn’t willing to share just yet — We Shot JR will be even more must-read. More TK.

Party Over the Trinity on Friday

This Friday evening, the Trinity Trust Foundation is throwing what it’s calling a “bridge fair” on the Continental Bridge to celebrate the progress being made on the Marget Hunt Hill Bridge (full release after the jump). Santiago Calatrava will be in attendance. The band Boys Named Sue will play, and the foundation promises other “delectable delights.” Tickets cost $150, a price point established, I believe, to keep Jim Schutze from attending. D Magazine is a media sponsor, so I’ll be there. Look for me wherever the delectable delights are located.

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Nina Kotova to Play Hard for Felonious Hubby?

As has been noted, the comely cellist Nina Kotova will perform with the DSO Thursday through Sunday. She’ll premiere a work she commissioned called Cello Concerto, by Dallas native Christopher Theofanidis. All well and fine. But just as big a draw (in certain circles) will be her husband, if he chooses to attend, and there’s no reason to suspect he won’t, given recent descriptions of his action-packed social calendar. We’re talking about admitted felon Barrett Wissman, of course. I know a couple people in town who wouldn’t mind bumping into Wissman during intermission — real hard. Oh, like maybe Clark Hunt?

A Close Encounter With Jaap van Zweden, Ctd.

I, too, went to the symphony last night. Glenn, you neglected to mention the performance itself, which was fantastic. I am proof that you don’t need to know anything about classical music to be amazed and entertained by a performance. From Scott Cantrell’s review:

Not from the Berlin Philharmonic, not from the Chicago Symphony will you hear a more electrifying Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony than that delivered Thursday night by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra’s sheer virtuosity in the finale was breathtaking …

Literally, it was breathtaking. The first full, loud crash — I’m sure there’s a more elegant word — during the finale made me gasp. I was moved to tears by the time the final notes were played, and seeing the musicians turn to each other with wide smiles as they accepted applause, as if they’d surprised themselves with their performance, was so cool to see.

Pre-intermission (during the first half?) things didn’t go as well. Cantrell also wrote: “Alas, Barber’s Violin Concerto got a grotesque performance from violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg [who is not part of the home team]. Rocking back and forth, fidgeting, flailing and grimacing, Salerno-Sonnenberg immediately set about defacing musical lines with arbitrary jerks, bulges and exaggerated slowings. … I felt dirty for having witnessed the dismantling of a beautiful piece.” Again, I know nothing about classical music, but even I could tell that Salerno-Sonnenberg was a freak show.

Let’s end on a high note, though, shall we? One of my favorite moments from last night came before the first note was played. Van Zweden took the podium, and the audience erupted in applause, just thrilled that the new season was set to begin. Concertmaster Emanuel Borok stood when it was appropriate to acknowledge the audience’s warm reception — but he was the only musician to stand. At which point he half-turned to his fellow musicians and with a wry smile motioned for them to stand up. Like: “Come on, guys. This is for you. Yes, they like you!” A small thing. But it was charming.

A Close Encounter with Jaap van Zweden

Funny thing about preconceptions. Take mine, for instance, about Jaap van Zweden, the acclaimed music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and perhaps the most sought-after U.S. conductor these days. After reading about his larger-than-life prowess with a baton–and seeing all those banners emblazoned with his mug around town–I figured him for a hulking, towering presence, the biggest guy in the room. So what a surprise to see before last night’s concert at the Meyerson that Jaap (pronounced like yap) is diminutive in physical stature, maybe 5-feet-6 tops. But he’s a giant in charm and tact, especially dealing with a nosy reporter. Isn’t it a grind commuting between here and Europe, where he’s also chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmoic in Antwerp, Belgium? “Going back and forth is not so bad, but it’s the cities in between–like London–that can be tiring,” he answered. And, what’s it like being “the” musical conductor of the moment? “I’m flattered and honored,” Jaap replied. “And it inspires me to do better.” No surprise that the guy who makes beautiful music makes beautiful words, too.

The DMN’s Mario Tarradell on the Beatles’ Remastered Catalog

Dallas Morning News music critic Mario Tarradell checks in with his take on the newly issued and virtually inescapable remastered version of the Beatles’ catalog. Unlike past instances where I’ve taken Mario to task, there isn’t a line or section that stands out. It’s actually not too bad, and adroitly covers most of the bases (how it sounds, where it’s at, how much it costs, etc.). But — and you knew that was coming — it lacks any real critical authority, because of too many qualifiers.

For instance:

Even the casual Beatles fan would recognize the importance of the band’s initial four albums remastered and in stereo, which is arguably a huge improvement over the original mono versions.

And:

Revolver, considered by many fans to be the Beatles’ finest album, also jumps out of the speakers.

I read those two passages and I wonder: Is the stereo version a huge improvement or not? Do you, Mario, consider Revolver to be the Beatles’ finest album? I don’t think there is necessarily a right or wrong answer to those questions, because it is an opinion. I just would like to see an actual opinion there without any sort of C.Y.A. tactics.

Mosley Disses Plano Upbringing, Ctd.

Christopher Mosley, who apparently has band-commitment issues, now looks to be campaigning for a job running Plano’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. He writes:

As far as Plano, I have an actual interest in its history.  People get put off by the fact that I have books about Plano, “Plano Texas: The Early Years,” “Plano: An Historic Walking Tour,” etc. when they come over.  So I don’t like to just randomly take shots at the town without at least understanding the evolution behind the place and its inhabitants.

Indeed, part of the interview I quoted from is quite the history lesson: (more…)

Nouns Group’s Mosley Disses Plano Upbringing

Some blog called “Swan Fungus” has done an interview with Christopher Mosley of the formerly of the band Nouns Group, and formerly part of Early Lines. He’s from Plano, and seems less than enamored of his hometown:

Plano is not very conducive to being young, or playing music, or hanging out, and especially not to all three of those things together.

And after a discussion about Plano’s sordid history with heroin and steroids:

I think that suffocating conservatism, unspeakable tragedy, and an oppressed adolescence all amongst a serene backdrop is quite the character builder.  I do not however, recommend that sort of formative experience to anyone, and I probably won’t live here for much longer.

UPDATE:  Mosley wrote in to say that he’s no longer with Nouns Group either. He’s now with Marriage Material.

Texas Thrillerz! Perform “Thriller” Dance at Oak Cliff’s El Ranchito

Randy Eli Grothe, who shot the below video, was kind enough to hook me up with a link to a group of artists, architects, and copywriters — better known as Texas Thrillerz! — performing the “Thriller” dance at an MJ tribute night at El Ranchito in Oak Cliff. Enjoy.

When Ross Perot Questioned I.M. Pei

Dallas’ much-praised Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center turns 20 years old next month, and one of the people behind its success is EDS founder Ross Perot, who ponied up $10 million to build the place. During an event at NorthPark Center last night to announce a Sept. 12 gala marking the Meyerson anniversary, the diminutive billionaire recalled an early exchange he had with I.M. Pei, the symphony hall’s world-renowned architect. Perot noticed that some of the center’s ceiling tiles were cut at different angles, and he asked Pei why. The architect replied it was because he wanted the ceiling tiles to match the floor tiles exactly. “Who would ever notice that?” Perot asked. Replied Pei: “I will!” To which Perot said: “Well, you are I.M. Pei–and I am ‘I Will Pay.’ “