I'm not going to ignore the obvious. Everyone in town has compared The McKenzies to another little band that also recently released an EP. Sure, line-up wise there are glaring similarities but where that other band were lovingly fed the worms of tweeness by the indie rock mama bird, The McKenzies are at most the evil twins booted from the nest left to subsist on cigarette butts and half empty bottles of MD 20/20.
The McKenzies are rooted in far more punk territory than their de facto doppelgangers. They delve into the darker subjects of rejection and heartache yet emerge as shiny and happy as the bubbles from their live show bubble machine. Lead-off track "Shall We Booty Dance" is a condemnation you can dance to...in hell. "Run Run Run" is definitely the hit, with the awesomely catchy chorus and up and down beat that will have you once again, shaking that ass. And just as you're worked into a frenzy (by The McKenzies! ...oops) it brings you gently to the ground with a grinding outro.
"This Lonely Heart" is a beautiful down tempo number full of longing and desperation. It serves as the perfect "couple's skate" interlude for a rollicking dance party of an EP. Strains of girl-group majesty are reconfigured in a manner reminiscent of a more technically skilled (and less lo-fi) Vivian Girls. They pick the pace back up with the out-and-out Rondelles-esque "My Baby Doesn't Understand". The McKenzies knack for indie pop with an edge is most apparent on this track bringing to mind times of dancing and drinking to the punky poppy indie dance bands that used to grace the stages of places like The Oven way back in the day. Album closer "The Devil Loves Us" is a great send off track, all breakdown and drum cadence one minute and sweet harmonies gently nudging you towards that repeat button to relive the magic all over again.
These songs would fit seamlessly on a mix tape consisting of The Crabs, Wolf Colonel, Cub, Heavenly, and any more of those hard hitting, danceable indie pop bands of times, regrettably, passed.
I should also add that this was recorded at Pigeon Eater and is perhaps the best sounding thing I've heard from them yet, I hope they find a new home soon!!! Also, this was released in part by the gang over at IndieHouston, and is a testament to how quickly some kids with a passion for local music can turn a scene around.
There was a lot going on both in live music and my personal life this weekend and I tried to cram it all in. In between birthdays, going-away get togethers, and band practices I managed to make it out for a while to the Charity Water event on Thursday and the McKenzies CD release on Saturday.
Thursday night'sTwestival took place at Caroline Collective and I made it just in time to catch Wayside Drive. Now, I've seen this band's name floating around for the past couple of years and in context it conjured ideas of a nu-emo/pop-punk, sound the types of which you would hear at joints like JavaJazz. Wow. Was I ever wrong. Wayside Drive make no bones about their affections for bands like Radiohead and The Cure (covering both in this night's set!) and have no problems of making the most of their line-up's abilities. Between the computer driven affects, the instrument switching (bass to cello!) and vocal swapping there is a whole heap of goodness to be found in this proudly alternative band. Fans of the aforementioned bands and any other darkly humored British acts would be quite pleased checking out Wayside Drive.
Friday night I managed to check in on the McKenzies show at Walter's. Though I figured I would arrive mid-first act, the show hadn't started yet so I just made the rounds talking to different folks finding out how the previous night's shows had gone. After a bit Joe Mathlete took the stage for a solo set. I've gotta say, as awesome as The Mathletes are, there is just something about seeing Joe on his own. While always evident are his love for TMBG and Magnetic Fields (he covered "Yeah! Oh Yeah!, performing both vocals himself), Joe's solo performances strip away the spectacle and leave you with his heart beating in your hands, at your mercy, and fortunate for us all, Joe is not a hard guy to love. Our hopes and heartaches rise and fall with his tongue-in-cheek confessions.
Before I had to rush off to meet my soon-to-be ex-Houstonian friends, I caught part of Built By Snow's set. WOW. They kicked it off with a DEAD-ON cover of "Girl U Want", which immediately made me regret having friends that would dare move away from this city and oblige me to leave and spend time with them. I stayed a bit longer to really take it in and longed to be caried away in their synth-heavy indie-pop done right. It's so very rare that a band where everyone but the drummer is playing both guitar and keyboards will sound like anything more than regurgitated Rentals cast-offs. But Built By Snow have a solid foundation of highly competant songwriting that allows for them to fill in the instrumentation any way the like. They could have been playing spoons and jugs and the songs would have been just as formidable. I cannot wait to see them again at the Merge Music Fest.
I'm still kicking myself for having collapsed after a busy Sunday and missing the show over at Diverseworks, but I do have my McKenzies EP, and I'll tell you about that tomorrow!
Unfortunately, I didn't get to get out as much as I would have liked this past weekend and as much as I would like to tell you how much fun the show we played on Friday was I don't want to fall into a pit of self-aggrandizing boorishness. Suffice it to say that Your Kisses Cause Crashes are a great little upstart band from Austin and they've been reaching out to Houston bands to build a larger network of musicians and create awareness for both respective scenes, The Western Civilization keep the 2k9 momentum going with yet another show-end stage rush orgy of singing, dancing and audience participation. Oh and The Pons? MAGIC. Go right now and hear for yourself. GREAT!
Anyhow, here I am again, giving you a heads up on this weeks activities and I'm gonna try out a new format for this...
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2009
Well, it seems like another local music causality of the past year has been the Wednesday night rock show. It seems that a void has been left by the end of those ever-present mid-week He Said She Said events, and someone needs to step up and fill them. I appreciate your weekend efforts, but we're not working for the weekend around here. We're livin' it up full time...or at least we'd like to. So yeah, unless you're a regular at the Mucky Duck heading out to see Patrice Pike or you're a regular at the Continental stoked on the reoccurring Whiskey Boat gig or you're a kid out in the North Side and you're gonna wash the dishes everynight so you can check out Vanna, Belle Epoque, As Fire Burns Black, Zemira, and As Blood Dries at JavaJazz on a school night, your live entertainment option seems to be the Bootown Benefit at Rudz. Ok, so there are zero details out there on this and as much as I love a good benefit, I regret that all I can tell you is that Bootown is a theater group and they are having a benefit. Which I've just told you twice. (If anyone has details on this, by all means post them in the comments so people will know more!)
Oooooh and here's a highly, highly, highly recommended late edition to the Wednesday night events: Cedar Boy Bailey, Framework, and the Ride Home tonight at Notsuoh.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2009
Thursday packs a more considerable punch with a whole buttload of goings-on. We've got two benefits happening. The first is the Human Party Virus 09 Fundraiser at Rudz with Giant Princess (I will not rest until everyone in this town is singing their praises...or better yet their songs at their shows...), David Israel, and Jay from Woozyhelmet. Jay intends on having his solo CD available at the show and wants to give it to you for free, so that's a kind gesture worth $6 and your time on a Thursday evening. And I believe the proceeds go to a showcase at SXSW.
Across the 'Trose at the Caroline Collective we've got the Twestival benefitting Charity Water, an organization devoted to bringing clean drinking water to communities in need. Affilitated with Twitter and taking place in over 175 cities all over the world, the Twestival not only features performances by Red Eye Carl and the Pirates, Wayside Drive, the Snake Charmers and Blue Funk, but boasts appearances by Houston FlashMob and Sexy Attack. And if that's not enough St.Arnold's is counted among the sponsors. St. Arnold's is a local organization devoted to bringing delicious beers to people supporting good causes.
And here's where things get really rough. Not only are there two benefit shows going on Thursday, but then there's is an amazing road show over at Walter's. The Annuals, Jessica Lea Mayfield and What Laura Says (did they drop the "Thinks and Feels"?). Ugh, that's a real solid line-up. What do you do!?
I also feel compelled to mention that Le Freak is playing at House of Blues. C'est Chic.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2009
Friday is a tough call too! First off we've got a crazy good show at The Mink with Balls Deep, Muhammed Ali (FUCKING INCREDIBLE), O Pioneers!!!, Gnaugahyde, sIngs (BLOWING YOUR MIND), Fight Pretty, Limb, DJ Psychedelic Sex Panther (HELLS OF HITS), and Mr. Jacob Calle. I'm sure there will be shenanigans, but I do not call shenanigans.
As AMAZING as that show is, I'v gotta say my pick for Friday is the Tax the Wolf, Ellypseas, Ghormeh Sabzi, Desmond Zavala show over at Notsuoh. I had the pleasure of being right up in a Ghormeh Sabzi performance a couple of weeks ago and I fell for it hard. Like I said, Daniel Johnston without the creepfactor. Tax the Wolf, Ellypseas Desmond Zavala also seem pretty great from their tunes up on Myspace and I'm really looking forward to catching them in action. This is gonna be a great way to spend a Friday night.
For the Rustmouth Chafings fans there's the H-Town Blues Festival at Reliant Arena. And then ArtStorm is killing it with Voluptuous Tusk, A Thousand Cranes, and Organ Failure. Over at Rudyard's you've got Amplified Heat with Forever Changes and Ripe. It's literally a choose your own adventure kind of night.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2009
Hopefully, your Valentine is into rocking out as much as you are because there's a lot to choose from. By-and-large I urge you to go to Walter's for The McKenzies CD release. These guys are fantastic and really know how to bring the audience into their performance and make sure everyone just has the best time. They're joined by The Tontons, The Mathletes and Built By Snow and you will have a wonderful time. Promise.
There are a bunch of other good shows going on. Last Concert Cafe welcomes Heartless Bastards, a sweet little garage rock band enjoying a lot of attention from blogs all over the country. Austin's The Boxing Lesson jams it with The Calm Blue Sea at Rudyard's. For those of you with tougher ears head over to the T.M.M.C. Clubhouse (2305 Lyons) for Dropdead, Hatred Surge, PLF, Rusted Shut, Dissent, Battle Rifle and the soon to be legendary N.I.B.I.R.U. (featuring ex-Insect Warriour Neil Dossy). The Usual welcomes home the 50 Cent-spurnned Cornbread at My Bloody Bunny Camp also featuring Fat Tony, You(Genious), Dee Rail, iPod Ammo, and Young Squaddy. And of course there's the My Bloody Valentine Gothic Beauty Pageant at Numbers. Goth on brothers and sisters. And finally, if you're just looking for something to do in the afternoon, you've got Love Fest at Cactus featuring The Mighty Orq and The Duo and that starts at 1pm. PHEW!
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2009
On Sunday things simmer down a bit but you've still gotta choose between the crazy avant-garde-experimental-art-anti-rock showcase of Maggie Nicols, Fred Frith, and Susan Alcorn at DiverseWorks. This is some "like whoa" business going on and advise the serious folks not to miss this. It's literally "too cool for school". Maybe you're not up to the challenge, that's totally cool, that is some advanced level music going on there. You still have options. You can thake the physical challenge at Walter's with Gigan, Necrotic Void, Diminished and Dismembered or you can (and I can't believe I'm suggesting a show at this venue) head out to Scout Bar for American Fangs and The Last Place You Look, who both dropped new albums last week.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2009
Closing out the rock round-up week is Hank the Third at the Meridian and another one of those crazy Alvin Bowling Center shows featuring Then Something Happened, Linda Ln, Sunrise & Ammunition and Litost.
"Cats love to steal my shit, I call 'em turd burglars."
Born April 2nd, 1985 was Dee Rail, a Houston based Hip Hop artist with a heart of (black) gold (more along the lines of the Texas tea variety than Care Bear-esque). He is a man passionate about good times, good wine, good music, and good pine. On his records he sings of introspective insights, pain & pleasure, night time escapades, and smashing the shit out of any rapper he deems to be lacking in the talent department. A member of Devin the Dude's Coughee Brothaz crew, Dee Rail assembles all-American stoner wit, boyish charm and lung wrenching inner city blues into a Martini-like shaken not stirred collage of rap-croons.
When did your interest in music begin?
Ever since a nigga first heard some music I gravitated toward it. Been making songs ever since I figured out what I was doing. When I was 11, I made my first personal mix tape called "Yo Mama." It was a mix of my favorite songs from the nightly top 5 at 9:00pm on 97.9 The Boxx and 104.1, plus snippets from various sounds I liked. Had some Rocky Horror Picture Show and Twilight Zone samples thrown in there too with me announcing over everything on the tape.
What motivates your creations?
Big blunts, bad bitches brew (the Miles Davis album and secreting vaginas), as well as beautiful bangin' beats. Man, really... the idea that one day all this work will be worth my efforts motivates me more than anything. Knowing that possibly Hip Hop fans years down the line will continue to jam the Dee Rail is all I need.
What artists would you cite as your main influences?
My biggest influences are Sublime, Al Green, Nas, Devin the Dude, Outkast, BlackStar (Mos Def & Talib Kweli), and Donell Jones.
Tell me about your fall/winter 2008 tour with Devin the Dude & The Coughee Brothaz. What experiences left the biggest mark on you? How did you first connect with Devin and his group?
The parts I can actually remember were unforgettable. Rockin' Emo's outside stage was a lifetime achievement. It has always been a dream for me to perform to a full house there and we definitely did the damn thing. Devin first introduced me to the Brothaz. I met him at a Big Daddy Kane concert in Feb. 2007 at Warehouse Live. I called him a week after I did my first NY show in April, and we linked up at the Coughee Pot [Devin the Dude's recording studio]. We got together and went through a gang of each other's songs and familiarized ourselves with one another's music.
Outside of the Coughee Brothaz, do you have any affiliations and alliances?
I fucks with Tha Coughee Brothaz, Fat Tony and iLL Faded. Shout out to Tony, Coache Johnson, and Domino!
What are your ultimate goals for 2009?
I want to be recognized as the artist that I am. I plan to make a bigger dent in the local scene and perform on choice occasions including the My Bloody Bunny Camp valentine's day party this February 14th. Right now I'm completing the W-Tour ‘09, which is something I would prefer to talk about in person with whomever is interested.
