Filed under: Blog, Events, Music, Random, Texas/Red Dirt, blah blah blah, live gigs
BBQ at Salt Lick…$20 a person
Hanging out with Reckless Kelly on their bus and seeing them play @ Gruene Hall…Free (thanks to their PR folks)
Doing them both in one day and getting pictures of it…PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!
Well, thanks to my showing up 42 minutes early for my flight this morning instead of 45 minutes early, my day’s travel course took a sharp and depressing turn. I am spending several hours in the DIA (Denver Intl Airport) until I make my connecting flight to friggin’ Dickinson, ND for business. Luckily, there are some good beer joints here at the DIA. Below is how I am choosing to spend the time, check back regularly until 8pm:
1:43pm New Belgium Hub: Sunshine Wheat Beer - Crisp, almost to the point where it seems to snap when it hits my tongue. The bright, floral, grassy notes hit my nose, and then screams to me, “Don’t put a lemon in me!!”. A great way to kick-off my DIA Beer Crawl….
1:55pm Interesting Side Note: This specific pub claims to be the first location inside of the DIA to be totally wind-powered. I find it odd that the air-conditioning sucks….
2:02pm New Belgium Hub: 1554 Enlightened Black Ale- The description for this beer boasts of a dry, chocolaty finish. I see that. It also boasts that it has a surprising brightness to it I see that also. The description for the burger I ordered claimed it was “delicious”. 2 out of 3 aint too shabby, I guess…
215pm - Interesting Side Note: Sadness about flight situation + Good Beer x 1 corporate credit card = A good day at work!
3:55pm Rock Bottom Brewery - Red Rocks Red: This is the second beer that has included “orange” hints or notes in the description. At first sip, it sems a tad too hoppy, but the brightness the hoppiness provides is refreshing. The finish isnt as clean as the crisp first sip would suggest, but a good beer regardless…..and big too. The beers are all served in what must be 97 oz. schooners….
This may be it, I am now getting more bummed with each beer that I am still currently afew hours away from take-off….I think I’ll hit the Ben & Jerrys….bye bye….
Filed under: blah blah blah
I typically stay away from posting various newsy tid-bits, cuz they aren’t very juicy or fun. Sadly, this is a tid-bit that is very note-worthy and sad for Texas music fans throughout DFW. It seems as though Justin Frazell, host of The Front Porch on 99.5 the Wolf, is no longer with the station. I have written a couple of times about Justin. I went to the charity gig he put on last year for the March of Dimes, as well as visited in-studio with him just a month or two ago. He is not only one of the foremost cheerleaders for independent Texas bands, but a hell of a nice guy that will make you spit-out your chew laughing.
As of now, he is set to host this years edition of the Pickin’ for Preemies at Billy Bob’s. This concert has become a who’s who of the Texas “Red Dirt” scene, and this year is no exception. Bleu Edmondson, Jason Boland, Cory Morrow, Roger Creager, Corb Lund and Wade Bowen perform along some “unannounced names” (in years past, Cody Canada, Stoney Larue and Randy Rogers have performed also as unannounced guests due to contractual concerns with a concert the night before they were performing).
I tried to tune in to the show tonight on-line and got hit with a big ol’ trashy dose of reality when friggin’ Montgomery gentry was on the air instead of Justin and the bands that he has helped champion over these last many years. Justin, I already miss ya!!!
Filed under: Bands on the Run, Blog, Music, Random, blah blah blah, out of state jams
Add this post to the “I’m probably not telling many of you anything new” bin, but this blog isn’t so much about breaking artists as it is simply to tell you about exciting artists that I just wanna talk about (or “type” about, as it were). I have been rockin’ a whole bunch of new music and it can be hard to keep up with blogging about each one sometimes. These 3 discs have really stuck out in the recent past to me:
- Ike Reilly - Poison the Hit Parade: After the first couple of listens, I couldn’t tell you what genre this CD would fit into, which I love. a little funk, soul, country, pop and sharp writing make this an eclectic album that demands multiple listens. Key Tracks: “New Assasination Blues”, “Hip-Hop Thighs”, & “Duty Free”.
- Band of Heathens - Band of Heathens: Group of Austin musicians that turned a side gig into a full-time, soulful act. Chip from Amber Waves has a great peice on this disc. With it’s mix of Country, Blues, and Rock, this album helps define the better aspects of what people refer to when they say “Texas Country“. Key Tracks: “Jackson Station”, “Heart on My Sleeve”
- Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim: This artist has been called “Neo-folk“, “Prog-folk“, and a ton of other odd, non-sensical attempts at calling him some sort of ”folk”. The opening track, “Spinning Compass” reminds me of a song that would play during the opening credits of a Wes Anderson movie. Much of the disc has a throw-back vibe to it, as Slim seems to channel the vocals and reckless abandon of Van Morrison, with a tad bit of Harold & Maude era Cat Stevens thrown in. While many of the songs deal with love, none of them handle the well-worn subject in a typical way. “The Honeymoon” makes no bones about it when Slim sings of needing to be made “into a man“. Key Tracks: “Rebel Side of Heaven”, “Colette”, “Diamonds & Gold”
Filed under: blah blah blah
The Brothers want to know why I haven’t picked up The Second Gleam yet….
I am a horrible Avett Brothers fan. Their new EP, The Second Gleam has been out for 24 hours and I have yet to go out and get it. There are a few items around the interweb discussing the new release, so please feel free to go HERE and to HERE to read more about it…..
