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The
130+ bands that gathered down in Deep Ellum this past
weekend for the North Texas New Music Festival have
the desire to be great. The music showcases on Friday
and Saturday gave them that opportunity, and with
reps from thirteen major labels in attendance, band
members knew that stakes were high. They also knew
that to make an impression, they would have to some
crazy performing. Letters begging for support went
out to all the fans, and loyal armies of Dallas-music
supporters showed up in force to clog the streets
of downtown Dallas, TX.
On
Friday night I arrived around 10pm (I had to go see
Harry Potter) in time to hear 40% at the Curtain Club.
Coach Rohloff’s vocals were incredible the night
I first heard him sing, but it seems that the rest
of the band is catching up. Now they’re putting
together very strong performances. I may as well have
stayed for the rest of ASCAP showcase
at the Curtain Club, but I tried going to see a few
other bands. Ultimately the greatness of the Curtain
Club (as the best venue in Dallas) won out. Other
bands of note: I saw Huver at the Galaxy Club,
but the sound was so bad that I left mid-show, so
I hopped down a few doors to the Liquid Lounge to
see Fivecat and had a much better time. The female
lead singer really brings that group together. At
the fifteen-minute break between sets I wandered down
to the Red Blood Club hoping for some punk rawk action
with Slowride. It wasn’t as cool as I’d
hoped, but I got a chance to sit down, which was nice.
The fact that I was sitting down at a punk show is
probably a good hint that crowd and band energy was
low.
I showed up at the Curtain Club again around 11:45
or so, just in time to catch the last half of Sugar
Bomb’s set. I’d forgotten how much fun they
are live. The place was packed, upstairs and down.
I managed to squeeze through the crowd as people shifted
on their way out to different venues so that I was
front and center when the Zack Maloy Band went on.
That was a rockin’ good time. Then it was ‘headliner’
time, and the Curtain Club filled to the brim with
throngs of people there to support Dollybraid. Amazing.
Amazing. Amazing. This alterna-rock band is so talented
and so full of Rock Star spirit that I just get blown
away at every show I go to. I’ve never met a
person who doesn’t like this band, or even someone
who only ‘kinda’ likes this band. Strong
vocals, music, stage presence, and attitude are a
winning combination. Go. See. This. Band. Ask for
autographs, because they WILL be famous. They want
it that badly.
Saturday
I was less-familiar with the bands, so I had the opportunity
to wander in and out of many of the venues and check
out quite a few gigs. Lee Harvey Osmond opened up
the Curtain Club on the second night, which was surprising,
because they didn’t sound like most of the other
opening bands. They had a solid performance, but musically
it was pretty simple, and even guitar solos didn’t
stretch far from that. Grunge-ish, Hole-like-rockers,
I saw Viva la Maxitone at Club Clearview, but I wasn’t
impressed enough to stick around past one or two songs.
Instead,
I hopped over to the Liquid Lounge and I’m glad
I did. The Real Heroes were onstage. First of all,
A+ for guys beyond the 18-24 year old band-boy range
who still maintain that desire to play music and become
something that they’ve all dreamed of for years.
Secondly, Rock Most On! I had a great time at this
show. With a sound like guys who have been rockin’
since the ‘80s, they channel Bowie, Mick Jagger,
The Pretenders, and other familiar bands that you
just can’t place. The lead guitarist was fab
and his electric solos totally energized the crowd.
Following
their set, I went over to Trees in order to see Fair
to Midland. I stumbled across these guys a few months
ago on mp3.com and since then I’ve wanted to
catch a live performance. I’m glad I did, but
I wish I’d come out with a better experience.
Someone needs to tell that guy to stand up. The frontman
spent the majority of the show, singing to his knees,
which was distracting at best. They also tout themselves
as “tribal hardcore” but both of those aspects
are lost in a live performance. I’m not sure
how I’d classify these guys in a genre,
other than broad-basing metal (or perhaps spastic
little boys with too-short pants), but they’re
not hardcore. Not all the time, anyway. They’re
reminiscent of pre-sellout Incubus. The lead singer
has a voice that comes across as chant-like in many
of their songs, which is cool on the recordings, but
he gets lost under the music while live. Also, the
effects that they utilize with some of their songs
aren’t mixed nearly as well live as they are
when recorded, and hence, lose some of the “effect”.
Finally, at 10:25 the hardcore arrived in the form
of the guitarist on the last song, easily their best.
To
me, there’s something so fantastic about watching
a young musician struggle and still maintain the optimistic
outlook that one-day he or she will be a Rock Star.
I’ve been supporting garage bands since I was
12, when neighborhood guys like Doug Bentley had bands
with names like No Potential. They jammed
in garages, empty fields, their father’s warehouse,
or anywhere where they could fit a few kids and some
gear. I’ve since moved down to Dallas and heard
that No Potential broke up just a few
years ago, but I’m sure they’re still pursuing
other projects, because you can’t kill that Rock
Star spirit. Rock Most On, guys!
-J.Faulkner, dallasmusic.com
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