Scott Miller & The Commonwealth Sept 29, 2006 All Good Cafe, Dallas

Scott Miller and the Commonwealth came and rocked out The All Good Cafe in Dallas, TX on September 29, 2006 and i was there.

He played songs like these:
Across The Line [link is dead]
Only Everything [link is dead]
Raised By The Graves [link is dead]

It looked like this:

And then...

...we took goofy photo booth pics.

Scott Miller's official page
Scott Miller's albums
Scott Miller's Y! Group

Album of the Week

From 1989. This artist was in the news lately gettin' busted in LA. Enjoy.

Flaming Lips, September 16, 2006 Arlington, TX

Album of the Week

Disciples of Agriculture: self titled 1995 album
Vintage twang rock from back in the day. Enjoy.

Pic of the Week: Another one of my hot rods

My 1940 Ford, parked in front of the house the other evening.

Pic of the week

Album of the week

from denton, tx
Centro-matic
enjoy

Video of the week

Wolf Parade: Modern World from their kick-assed 2005 album, Apologies to the Queen Mary on Sub Pop. Here's their space. Enjoy.

Here are more videos from some Awesomeometer-recommended Sub Pop bands like Rogue Wave, the Shins, Hot Hot Heat, Iron & Wine, the Album Leaf on the You Tube. Spend some time watching cool videos, but don't forget to feed your kids.

Album of the week (link updated)

Read about it here

Get it here.

Worlds collide as the singer from one of my favorite bands of all times (check the tattoo) teams up with my favorite canadian band and plays some kick-assed old-timey tunes.

Sweet.

pic of the week

Looking west over the SMU campus from work. Click on image for enlarged version.

Strangers With Candy

Saw Strangers With Candy, and it was pretty sweet. My favorite part was when Jerri Blank said and did funny stuff.
Here are some awesomeometer exclusive still shots:




Also looked at Match Point and The Machinist from the Netflix. Both films kept me guessing during, and kept me thinking long after i went to bed. This blogger highly reommends them.
Speaking of recommendations, may i urge you to discover some kick-assed albums at the following locations: California Harmony and Cal's Country Corner. i have been diligently downloading and happily listening to some classic stuff all weekend. Your cool uncle's record collection is at California Harmony and Cal's Country Corner. Enjoy!

Some photos from the last coupla months

Deathray Davies, Starlight Mints, Okkervil River

The Wall of Sound Festival April 9, 2006 in Ft. Worth, TX:
Susan and i checked out the final night of the festival at the Ridglea Theater. The Deathray Davies were rockin' out when we got there. It had been a few years since i saw them and they were as energetic and tight as i remember.
They ripped through their songs with with the ease and beer-soaked confidence of the best veteran rockers around. They were supremely entertaining, and they made me feel sorry i wasn't more familiar with their catalog. Remind me to listen to these guys more often.
Next up were the Starlight Mints. No, not the after-dinner gut settler, the sublimely catchy pop enemble from Oklahoma. After a brief sound check, they dazzled us with their sweet sounds and mesmerizing visuals.
i had seen them in a much smaller venue a coupla years ago, but the projected video was obscured by the band members crowded on a tiny stage, depriving the audience of their full set. This time, the Ridglea Theatre provided the proper aesthetic environment for full enjoyment, but it was the venue people who cut them short. Despite their protests, and the urging of us audience members, they had to stop cuz it was getting late...
..And the headliner had yet to play. Okkervil River, creators of my favorite chill album of 2005 capped off the festival with a superb set of "Folk-Punk Rock" songs they are famous for. i love it when a band is so freakin' good that their live set sounds just like the album. i know many people feel the opposite way - they want to hear more spontenaiety from their favorite artists - but i appreciate the precision and practice it requires to get it "just right." And Will Sheff and company got it exactly right song after song. Truly amazing.
Unfortunately for the dummies who left after the Starlight Mint set, Okkervil River wound up playing for only about 40 people. i guess everyone was tired from the long weekend of shows and went home. But Okkervil River is the kind of band who plays balls-out for however many people care enough to bend an ear. They were as appreciative of us as we were of them. They put everything into their set, then came back on stage and treated us with a couple more songs, and by the time the feedback of the final note rang throughout the nearly empty theatre, they slumped off the stage exhausted and soaked in satisfying sweat.
Can't wait to see them again.

Rhett Miller and the Believers 040106 Dallas, TX

i checked out the Rhett Miller and the Believers show Saturday night at Sons of Hermann Hall on Elm Street in Dallas. Having just moved to Dallas, i was pumped to see RMiller perform in his hometown. Also, i had never heard of - let alone been to - the Sons of Hermann Hall and was very impressed with the venue. The intimate concert area was upstairs (no smoking, no wheelchair access) and they had a small bar downstairs if you wanted a smoke break during the show, or just hang out down there without paying admission. The sound was good, and the atmosphere was friendly. A good time was had by all. There were the standard annoyances that seem to accompany all live shows, however: The oblivious, shoeless hippie chick dancing all up in your personal space; the drunk girl who inevitably falls over; tall people; drunk people stepping on your girlfriend's feet.
Rhett and the Believers played pert near two hours worth of songs from Rhett's two solo albums, plus about a half dozen Old 97's favorites mixed up in there. The Believers were tight, Rhett was loose and everyone invlolved had a killler time.