It might seem strange to call folk-rockers Cartright one of the best bands in North Texas—after all, they moved to Austin more than a year ago—but that’s exactly what the former Denton residents have been in recent months, playing North Texas shows every few weeks (or 10 times more often…
If you’ve ever sipped martinis while listening to Mötley Crüe, then the art of Michael Godard is probably right up your alley. Looking something like a long-lost sibling of illusionist Criss Angel and ill-advised Garth Brooks alter ego Chris Gaines, Godard is mostly known for his cheesy, cartoonish depictions of…
With a title like The Appeal, one would think that the Undermain Theatre’s new production would be some kind of courtroom drama. Perhaps a stage adaptation of a classic episode of Law & Order. Or possibly a musical version of The Practice complete with a tap-dancing Dylan McDermott. You’d be…
Being an avid collector of sweet rock show posters, I’ve always been fascinated by screenprinting. Unfortunately I have neither the skill or the sense of color to ever attempt screenprinting something on my own. Ditto for lithographs, woodcuts, mezzotints, engraving and pretty much anything else besides pencils, pens and crayons…
Wilco has been my favorite band since I was about 15, so needless to say I bought Jeff Tweedy’s solo DVD the week it came out, like a proper fanboy. Therefore you probably won’t catch me watching Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest 9 p.m. Wednesday at the AllGood…
Based on the uncharacteristically lively Woke on a Whaleheart, the latest album by Bill Callahan (aka Smog), it seems dating fellow Drag City artist Joanna Newsom has worked out exceedingly well for the enigmatic singer-songwriter. The union has also succeeded splendidly for fans, as the album easily ranks among Callahan’s…
Sure, it’s amazing that the O’Jays have been spreading Philly soul to the masses for nearly 50 years now, but what’s even more amazing is that they’ve kept it up in the home stretch of the past 13 years, after a certain other O.J. publicly soiled their good name. Thankfully…
With the hopes and dreams of an entire city riding on their shoulders and the playoffs just around the corner, Mavs stars Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry must really feel the pressure mounting right about now. Luckily for all of us, they’ll have a chance to blow off…
While recording his debut record, Chicagoan David Vandervelde spent two years holed up as an apprentice at Pieholden Studio, the Chicago recording space owned by former Wilco axeman Jay Bennett. Under Bennett’s tutelage, Vandervelde produced and played nearly every instrument on the resulting album, The Moonstation House Band, a catchy…
If you’re a regular reader of this section you’ve surely seen us sing the praises of Denton’s Current Leaves before. Unfortunately, last year’s Pastense is still essentially a limited CD-R release, a near criminal offense considering it might be the best platter of psychedelic country served up since the demise…
Unless you’ve lived in the same abode your entire life, one can’t help but sympathize with Alexander, protagonist of Alexander Who’s Not, Not, Not, Not, Not Going to Move. After all, moving is a giant pain in the ass. First you have to pack (“When did we get so much…
Do you ever feel as though the rhythms of your daily life are inexplicably linked to the moon and the tides? Is there a dreamcatcher hanging from the rear-view mirror of your Volkswagen/Volvo/Prius? Have you ever bought a Putamayo world music sampler from the rack at Whole Foods? Are you…
Despite being timelessly cool, Rube Goldberg machines can be a giant pain in the ass. Anyone who’s ever played Mouse Trap can attest to this, I’m sure—I never got all those damn pieces working together, and once you lost one or two of them the game was about as useless…
With all the controversy over Anna Nicole Smith and her will recently, it’s interesting that the Kimbell Art Museum would host a screening of The Will of the Shogun. I mean, an art museum is a pretty hoity-toity place to have your will read, shogun or not. How exactly would…
You could hear it all along 6th Street, Red River and South Congress: the dull roar of a couple thousand bands; bass and drums cranked to the max by sound guys who didn’t care anymore; block-long lines to see some British buzz band no one will remember in three years;…
The Monterey Pop Festival was the first major fest of the rock era, organized in part by John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas and featuring performances by the Association, the Byrds, the Who, Simon and Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Moby Grape, Canned Heat, Ravi…
A person can get a lot accomplished in five years. You can earn a college degree, for instance. Or spend your life’s savings on a emu farm and run it into the ground—whatever works. The possibilities are endless, really. The Last Five Years, a musical now playing at the Flower…
As Las Vegas grows more commercialized, the schmaltz of old Vegas is being pushed out for the big bucks of arena headliners. So what’s a lounge singer, or excuse me, “interpreter of standards,” supposed to do when his stage gets mowed down to make room for Celine Dion or Elton…
The word “Lincolnesque” gets thrown around a lot by people who really have no idea what they’re talking about. Take for instance Rick Santorum, who recently referred to President Bush’s handling of the Iraq War as “Lincolnesque,” a ridiculous notion if there ever was one. Lincoln ended slavery and saved…
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Aaron Lewis and Staind, and thank god for that. Unfortunately the shaved and sour Lewis is currently on an acoustic solo tour, spewing his angsty seventh-grade poetry in “intimate” corporate theater settings across the country. In preparation for his Friday show at the…
With the widespread prevalence of Photoshop and other image-manipulation programs, anyone can create a photomontage these days. Once upon a time this wasn’t the case: Berlin dada artists were the first to experiment with photomontage during World War I, blending several images together by hand to make compelling visual (and…
Many of you probably know the story of Matthew Shepard, the young gay man severely beaten and fatally wounded by two thugs near Laramie, Wyoming, in the fall of 1998. Often described as a hate crime, the notorious murder prompted nationwide debate on hate crimes legislation, with then President Clinton…
