- Think about how inspirational Jeremy Wariner (above) and other Olympic athletes are while lying sideways on your couch and eating fatty foods. Not that I do that. Regularly.
There were a couple of pretty funny answers cut out of the print version of today's Q&A with Toadies lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis, so I'll go ahead and just give you the entire convo here. I talked to him a day or so before the band took the stage at Lollapalooza (above). Things I found out: Young fans make him feel old and he hates Rage Against the Machine. Read on:
Q: The new album has universally been called a return to form, but what about it feels new for you?
A: Let's see ... That's an interesting question. ... Huh. ... That is an interesting question. [Laughs.]
Q: Well, did you do anything differently when making it?
A: The approach that I took it on was, like you said, a return to form. Rubberneck was real bare-bones, with minimal overdubs. In my opinion, kind of punk rock in its attitude. In the second record, we expanded on the production aspect a bit, and when I got into the Burden Brothers [band], that whole production thing just went crazy. But I decided for this to get back to the original bare-knuckles approach.
Q: Does the word "comeback" amuse you, since you've never really stopped making music?
A: I guess it's inevitable. I've gotten the question a thousand times about what I think about all these bands reuniting. Funny thing is, I've gotten that question since 1992. It's just what bands do. They make music, part ways, get back together.
Q: What is your assessment of the state of rock music now?
A: I think it's still strong. But it's hard to find, unless you want to go online. That's just the way it is. But hopefully radio will turn a corner and figure out how to broaden a bit. I feel like, right now, there's a lot of the same stuff being played. But when you get to satellite or Internet radio, it blows your mind as to how many new things are going on and what we aren't being exposed to.
Q: In regards to the industry, you've done the major-label thing, and now you're with a smaller one. Have there been unexpected advantages to working with Kirtland on this new CD?
A: It's great. It's basically what you'd get with a major as far as getting things done. But on a major they have their in-house guys, and then they end up farming a lot of things out. So why would I give them a share of my record sales when they aren't even doing the work? At an indie, I've ended up working with a lot of people I've known over the years.
Q: What's the live reception to the new material been like so far?
A: I've been blown away. I didn't want to be the band that comes out and plays only new material; nobody wants to see that. People want to hear songs they're familiar with, and I'm cool with that. But on the new ones, people went nuts. I was surprised. Another thing is, I ask during the shows how many people have seen us before and how many are first-timers. And the first-timers far outweigh the diehards.
Q: It's probably a lot of folks who've gotten used to "Possum Kingdom" on the radio long after you guys parted ways the first time.
A: Yeah, and people we meet after shows tell us they started listening to us in middle school, or that their parents turned them on to us. On one hand, that makes me feel real old, but on the other hand [laughs], it's kick-ass!
Before we get into some videos, allow me to direct you to former Ghosthustler frontman Alan Palomo's new solo project, VEGA. On the MySpace page you can stream a new tune, one that's getting love from hotshot music blogs Gorilla Vs. Bear and Discodust. If you liked "Someone Else's Ride," you'll like "All Too Vivid." In fact, why don't we go ahead and start off with a video of one of Ghosthustler's last performances with Alan? Yes, lets:
Here's another live peformance, but this one happened last night at American Airlines Center. Yep, looks like Nine Inch Nails brought the energy and the limitless lighting budget. Sorry I missed it:
After the jump you'll find the second clue for the secret theme of the week. This week's is pretty easy to figger out, but like the Times crossword, I'm starting out easy and moving toward impossible. E-mail or comment with your guesses:
The name of the Toadies' lead singer is Vaden Todd Lewis. You'll see that if you read today's interview with him. Problem is, the cover of Quick reads "Vaden Todd Smith." Apologies go out to Vaden and his many, many fans. We're aware that human hands and eyes are responsible for the mistake, but that won't stop us from lighting a keyboard on fire and hurling it out on to Young Street. Duck!
Speaking of Toadies, you can pick up or download new album No Deliverance today, and make plans to see the local heroes live on Friday at the Palladium. Keep the blog window open, because a little later I'll share with you the unabridged Q&A with Lewis. LEWIS!
Billboard reports that Ozzfest organizers are happy with last week's inaugural one-off version of the fest in Frisco; they say they grossed nearly $3.5 million.
From the story:
Sharon Osbourne says plans are for Ozzfest to return to Dallas again next summer, likely as a two-day festival, and other cities are also being considered. "Ozzfest ain't going anywhere," she says. "We do try and shake things up and experiment. We're not the old donkey that plods on doing the same (thing)."
Popped by Joyce on Saturday night to see how things are going. The downtown champagne lounge has officially been open for two weekends, and apparently word has already gotten out to Those Who Care.
When we showed up at 11 p.m., a small line had already formed.
If you don't have tickets to the Nine Inch Nails concert at American Airlines Center, there are still some available. Any bets on what songs will open and close the set? I got nuthin'.
If y'aint got the funds to cover parking, Ticketmaster fees and the obligatory high-priced-yet-not-cold beer, just head over to Adair's. I doubt you'll be able to convince resident country band The King Bucks to play a cover of "Closer," but hey, you never know.
Who likes to watch videos in the morning? Me too. That's why I'm gonna start playin' you some random stuff every weekday morning from here on out. I'll end every day with a video that's part of a secret theme (because I like secrets, and I like themes). Here we go.
We'll start off this fine mornin' with a new video created for "Sleep Whale," a song by Denton ambient duo Mom. It was put together to coincide with the Japanese release of album Little Brite.
That was Mom. Now let's have something from Dad. I'm talking about my 67-year-old father, who is now a YouTube addict after I introduced him to the site a few days ago. He, like every person who discovers YouTube for the first time, sat for hours on end searching for every song or TV clip that he's ever loved. A big chunk of that searching revolved around Texas country singer-songwriters who buddied up and conquered in the '70s. Of the many clips he showed me, this one of Guy Clark had to be my favorite:
To completely switch gears, after the jump you'll find the first clue for this week's secret theme. I will tell you what the theme is on Friday, but you're welcome to e-mail or comment with your guesses.
Memorable moment: "While playing at the Houe of Blues recently, all of the power went out! I thought we are all just kicking it too hard! I later learned that the power went out for the whole block..."
Dream gig: "World Tour, flipping beats for a dope MC."
Dallas DJs... "Are hella talented. I was sleep on this city before moving here. It has been an awesome experience working with them."
Looks like soulful local rock band Odis hath cracked the top five in the "Sound and the Jury" competition for a slot at the upcoming Austin City Limits Music Festival. The band's gotten more than 3,500 online votes, and it'd be a shame for them to get this far and not go all ... the ... way. So vote if you haven't (whether it's for Odis or any of the other local bands competing). There are a few more rounds after this one, and the higher the ranking, the better the chances for Odis. Here's a video of the band to inspire ya:
Not many new openings get me excited these days (after covering clubs in Dallas for two-and-a-half years, all of them tend to look the same), but today I will tell you: I am eager, borderline anxious, to check out PM, a new lounge that's set to debut at the Joule Hotel this September.
Mr. Dallas told me about it this morning. He went to the bash announcing its arrival last night -- one I was invited to, but skipped for a boot camp class. Sigh. At least my thighs will be kick-ass.
Anyway: PM, a nightlife lounge (the word club is ghetto now), will be designed by local events guru Todd Fiscus. The new spot will be the first product of todd too, Fiscus' restaurant and nightlife development team.
The press materials call it "nightlife like no other," and if what the papers say is true, I have to agree. Here are some of its amenities:
Local rock band Exit 380 is on the cover of today's Quick (read the interview online here).
The band's been doing the hard-rock thing and drawing good crowds in Denton, Fort Worth and Dallas since '99. But good crowds weren't quite enough to keep singer Dustin Blocker and crew interested in their own music. They wanted to try something ... different. So they've put together a concept album, The Life and Death of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Stone, which follows the courtship, marriage and demise of a fictional couple in the 1930s. The CD release show Friday at the Lakewood Theater promises to be on the theatrical side, with the band and several musical friends and family members (above) dressing up and recreating the album in its entirety.
Check out a new song from the album below (Track 3, if you need to know that kind of thing), and if you like what you hear, head to the show Friday (or a scaled-down version of it Saturday at Lola's in Fort Worth).
OK, that headline was a little misleading. I'm not here to tell you any shocking secrets about Denton's brightest country singer-songwriter. I just got a message from Lance Yocom at Spune announcing that Burr's song "Should've Known" will be played during an episode of The Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family next Tuesday. Will it play during a scene in which one of the teenagers "should've known" not to drink, do drugs, or have sex without protection? The odds are good, friends. Hear the song here.
Maybe this is old news, but it was just brought to our attention that ol' Jessica Simpson has signed on to play the State Fair this year. Her country hit "Come on Over" has given her a sorta-kinda musical comeback, so we wouldn't be surprised if she draws a decent crowd.
Click here to find out more about her scheduled show and other lineup highlights such as Demi Lovato (OMG!), Zac Brown Band, Kellie Pickler (isn't one ditz enough?) and Bell Biv DeVoe.
... thanks to the Nightlife blog's new page on the Blog Networks application. You know why I like it? It lets me see some of the readers' pretty faces (and find out whom they're superpoking at any given moment). So, if you're on the 'book, join our little bloggy party. It'll be fun.
P.S. Thanks to the gals over at ShopTalk for the inspiration.
DJ Names: Redsean, Passenger Panda, & Young Adult Fiction
Real Names: Sean, Gian, & Preston
Ages: "The awesome mid-twenties."
Where you've seen them:Disqo Disqo Tuesdays at Fallout Lounge, "and other various random functions of high fashion and sweaty bodies that we get asked to DJ at."
Genre: "Hot & Spacey disco, pumpin electro boogie hop, jackin house party anthems, and other various hazy cosmic jive."
Most requested track: "We do take requests, and laugh as we rip them up and throw them back in your face!"
Memorable DJ Booth Moment: "Considering we've only been in a real DJ booth two and a half times, I'd have to say I enjoy the memory of the coolest hobo of all time dancing madly to our set and freaking all of the regulars out. Pretty intense."
Dream gig: "Paradise Garage circa 1987, duh."
Dallas DJs are... "Great, but I'd really like a donut right now."
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