Christmas in Carolina

IMG_2676crbwf
Originally uploaded by nffcnnr

i traveled to see family in South Carolina over Christmas. Woo hoo! More pics at the Flickr page.

The Whigs at The Loft in Dallas, TX on 12/02/09

The Whigs played their hearts out at The Loft on a chilly Texas December Wednesday night, making the stage, the floor and their fans bounce all over the joint. They once again proved why they are My Favorite Band in the Whole World, jamming songs from their two LP's, Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip and Mission Control. They also busted out a few fresh ones from their highly anticipated upcoming record, In The Dark. If those new tracks and their high-energy rock shows are any indication, Parker Gispert, Julian Dorio and Tim Deaux are poised for world domination in 2010. Do yourself a favor and check 'em out live to see what the funk i'm talkin' about.







More pics at the flickr page here.

The Whigs are offering two (2) free tunes ("Hundred/Million" & "In The Dark") from their upcoming album at this spot right here, so go and get 'em.

http://www.myspace.com/thewhigs
http://www.thewhigs.com/
http://www.theloftdallas.com

The Whigs at the Loft in May, 2008

The Features at The Loft in Dallas, TX 12/02/09

i've been a huge fan of The Features since i heard the first pounding notes from of their stellar LP, Exhibit A back in 2004. So when i saw that they were coming to the Loft to play with The Whigs, i knew i had to be there to see them live for the very first time. My expectations where high, as their knack for making hook-heavy pop song perfection takes a back seat to no one. Well, they met and exceeded all expectations that night as they charged through their set, playing songs from Exhibit A, the Contrast EP, their 2008 album, Some Kind of Salvation, and even "Thursday," one of my favorites that they first recorded in 2000. Hopefully, it won't be another five years before i get to see them again. Come back soon, boys!





See more pics at my flickr page here.

And get their latest record, Some Kind of Salvation, and other Features goodies right here.















http://www.myspace.com/thefeatures
http://thefeatures.ning.com
http://www.theloftdallas.com

Neko Case @ Granada Theater in Dallas, TX on 11/23/09

Red-headed siren songstress Neko Case captivated the capacity crowd at the Granada Theater on a gorgeous November evening. She's been on tour in support of her stellar 2009 record, "Middle Cyclone," which makes an excellent holiday gift for that difficult person on your list. Just tell them that Amazon.com has declared this the top album of the year, and it includes 31 minutes of crickets chirping, so shut up and like it.





More pics at my flickr page here.

http://www.nekocase.com/
http://www.myspace.com/nekocase
http://www.granadatheater.com/

Good show, Neko.

Fate Lions @ The Grotto in Ft. Worth on 11/20/09

Fate Lions blew the doors open at the Grotto on this night. And look! Brand-new member Drew rocked the keys in his live debut. Nice job.




More pics at my flickr page here.

i am unable to express adequately how much you need to get their 2009 record,"Good Enough For You."














Fate Lions links:
http://fatelions.bandcamp.com/
http://fatelions.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fatelions
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Fate+Lions
http://www.last.fm/music/Fate+Lions
http://www.soundcloud.com/fatelions
http://www.twitter.com/fatelions
http://www.virb.com/fatelions

Roman Candle at The Loft in Dallas, TX on 11/19/09

Roman Candle made their first stop ever in Dallas when they rocked The Loft on Thursday, November 19.


More pics at the Flickr here.

Skip Matheny and company have been on the road most of this year in support of their stunning LP "Oh Tall Tree in the Ear," and had driven to Texas after seeing Bruce Springsteen in Nashville the night previous. Even if they were a road-weary bunch at the tail end of a long tour, they certainly didn't show it as they playfully and masterfully performed most of the songs from Tall Tree and "One Hundred Thousand Miles" from one of the three EP's they released over the last year. Roman Candle will play a couple more shows, then it's time to give the tour van the rest of the year off and see how many "best of 2009" lists Tall Tree ends up on. i know it will find a cozy spot near the top of The NeffList this year.

http://www.romancandlemusic.com/
Roman Candle on Facebook
Live Seesion on American Songwriter

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Longhorn Saloon, Ft. Worth 11/13/09

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit brought their soulful, southern tunes to The Longhorn Saloon in Ft. Worth on 11/13/09. It's funny how songs about heartbreak and loneliness can make a room full of people so freakin' happy. If that isn't a sign of a great songwriter, i don't know what is.


More pics at the Flickr here.

Here they are performing "Grown":


Earlier that day, Isbell and company performed at the studios of the newly launched KXT 91.7. Check it out here.

jasonisbell.com
myspace.com/longhornsaloonstockyards

Lucero at Longhorn Saloon in Ft. Worth, TX 11/07/09

"It's good to be in the South!" Lucero lead man Ben Nichols related to the rowdy Longhorn Saloon crowd. "It's November, and I'm sweating my ass off!" Everyone up front was sweating too as they sang, clapped, swayed and bounced along to the 100+ minute set on that night in the Stockyards. "We may be 500 miles from Memphis, but damn, if you all don't make it feel like home," he said later. The hoots, hell yeahs and devil horns that followed from the Fort Worth faithful drew one of Ben's patented glisten-eyed grins that riled us up even more.

Lucero's latest LP, and major-label debut 1372 Overton Park was released just a month ago, and Ben admitted on stage that he was struggling to get through some of the new tracks. "I'm still learinin' these new ones," he said after what sounded to me like a flawless performance of 1372's opener, "Smoke." It didn't seem to bother Lucero's enthusiastic followers, as they clamored to the front to shout the lyrics they have already committed to memory, "I'm not beautiful, I'm not beautiful" (See the vid below) . Lucero declares that they are Nobody's Darlings, but on that Saturday night, they were more than beautiful, they were perfect.

More pics here at the flickr.

And here's the vid for "Smoke":


1372 Overton Park is available at the usual outlets, or at Lucero's online store. Get it now so you can put it on your "Best of 2009" list.













Related links:
http://luceromusic.com/site/index.php
http://www.myspace.com/lucero
http://www.myspace.com/longhornsaloonstockyards
http://www.spune.com/spune/Intro.html

Ready The Jet at the Double Wide in Dallas, TX 11/04/09

Whew! L.A.'s own Ready The Jet blasted the denizens of Dallas with a rockin' set at the Double Wide. i'm still trying to catch my breath and will continue to look for the remnants of my face, which they blew off with rock. i'll keep you posted on the condition of my mug as soon as i find it. Holy craps. Here's some pics. There's more here at the flickr.

Ready the Jet's 2007 album, New Record Highs is available for purchase at CD Baby. Here is what the cover looks like:

See how they cleverly put the name of their band, Ready The Jet and the title of the LP, New Record Highs right on the cover so it's easily identifiable? That is marketing genius, right there.

The band, Ready The Jet, claims no responsibility for the damage you may incur while rocking to their album, New Record Highs.

Ready The Jet on MySpace
Double Wide Bar

Islands / Jemina Pearl at Rubber Gloves in Denton, TX on 10/28/09

Two incredible bands, one magical night.
Islands:

More Islands pics at my flickr spot here.

Jemina Pearl:

More Jemina Pearl pics here.

Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio
Islands on MySpace
Jemina Pearl's blog

The Black Heart Procession at Hailey's in Denton 10/24/09

The Black Heart Procession 102409 (12crbwf)
Originally uploaded by nffcnnr

Pall Jenkins brought his Black Heart Procession to Hailey's in Denton to mesmerize us with his brooding tales of sorrow and deceit. As a long-time fan, there was no way i was going to miss this, and i was not disappointed as their massive musical talent was unfurled before me. i just thought he would dress nicer. More pics at the flickr, of course.

Here's the vid i shot for "Tropics of Love":

The Black Heart Procession's new record, Six is out! Go get it.
http://www.myspace.com/theblackheartprocession

http://www.haileysclub.com/

The Mumlers at Hailey's in Denton on 10/24/09

The Mumlers 102409 (33crbwf)
Originally uploaded by nffcnnr

San Jose's The Mumlers are touring on the heels of the release of their album Don't Throw Me Away. They stopped by Hailey's, opening for fellow Californians The Black Heart Procession where they won over some new fans with songs from that record and 2007's Thickets & Stitches. i was hoping for a longer set, but i think they did play all of the dozen or so instruments they had scattered up on the stage, so i did get my money's worth in the end. :o] There's a few more pics at my flickr here.

Here's a vid i shot of "Coffin Factory":


And here's a vid of them performing a new song, the title of which i do not know, but it's cool.


http://www.haileysclub.com
http://www.myspace.com/themumlers

Built To Spill, Dinosaur Jr, Lou Barlow - Granada Theater, Dallas, TX 10/22/09

Built To Spill pics at my flickr page here.

"Carry The Zero" vid from that night:


Dinosaur Jr pics here.
Note the Vintage Vinyl sticker on his rack. Sweet.


Lou Barlow pics here.



The Granada Theater continues to bring the best rock to Dallas.

The Decemberists at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO 10/07/09

The Decemberists 100709 (254bw)
Originally uploaded by nffcnnr

Took a road trip to my old hometown of Columbia, MO and caught The Decemberists at a packed Blue Note. They played their 2009 record, The Hazards of Love straight through brilliantly then came back on stage for some favorites from their previous couple of records. It was very deece. There's a couple more pics on my flickr page here.

Here's a coupla vids i shot for your enjoyment...

"O, Valencia"


"The Crane Wife 1"

Fate Lions @ Lola's Stockyards 09/25/09

Fate Lions (97f)
Originally uploaded by nffcnnr

Fate Lions!!
More pics at the flickr spot here.











Vids:
"Astronaut"


"Seen It All"


More vids from this night...
"The Queen Himself"
"Shining Places"
"Starsign"
"The Girls Are Alright"
"Outlaw"
"Hard Swallow"

All of these tunes, and five others can be found on their 2009 record "Good Enough For You" which is my favorite jam of the summer. These Fort Worth fellas bust out the smart, punchy, head bobbin', hand clappin' power pop that will have you clicking the "repeat" button.













Fate Lions links:
http://fatelions.bandcamp.com/
http://fatelions.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fatelions
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Fate+Lions
http://www.last.fm/music/Fate+Lions
http://www.soundcloud.com/fatelions
http://www.twitter.com/fatelions
http://www.virb.com/fatelions