#legsweeper

[legsweeper-blog]

Main Stage 1

Dos Equis presents The Most Interesting Stage in the World!

The Jesus and Mary Chain: 8:00p - 9:00p

Dum Dum Girls: 6:00p - 6:45p

Thee Oh Sees: 4:15p - 4:45p

Dinosaur Feathers: 2:45p - 3:15p

Main Stage 2

Built to Spill: 7:00p - 7:45p

The Raincoats: 5:00p - 5:45p

LEGSWEEPER: 3:30p - 4:00p

AFTER AFTER PARTY AT DAYS INN. HIT US UP.

[legsweeper-blog]

This our BUN B cover of My Block. Go see us at 35 Denton festival this year. Check out the video.

[35denton]

My Block by Bun B, covered by Dallas's own Legsweeper

We went hard for this one, y'all.

[themusicenthusiast]

July 20, 2010 - DOMA's: And The Awards Go To...

Like I said this was the first year I could attend anything having to do with DOMA's, so why not make a thing out of all of it. And since the awards show tonight was free, it made it hard to pass up. Making it even harder was the killer talent playing. Some even doing live mash-ups. I won't cover who won what awards in this, mainly cause I don't remember & I don't want to look them up, but also because I was disappointed in most of the winners. Hell, I was disappointed with most of the nominees too. So here we go.

At the back of the Granada Theatre, in the semi-circular partition, they had a "stage" set up called "The Pit". The first band of the night played here and it was Leg Sweeper. I'd seen them back in February and they were not good at all, but in five months they've improved. Still not the best, neither their guitarist/singer or drummer/singer have the best voices, but they're alright. And I did get pretty into the music as it was catchy. After they finished the attention was turned towards the main stage to a smaller stage set-up in front of it, as some awards were handed out. Then came the first live mash-up.

It was some country music, brought by Somebody's Darling and The O's. Somebody's Darling got things started doing one of their songs and upon finishing The O's took over, treating the crowd to one of their originals. "We're gonna play some songs together now, arn't we?" Somebody's Darling's singer asked as one of the members of the O's replied "Yeah, I think we are." They performed two more songs, one by each of them, but they collaborated on them, which made them pretty interesting. I'd seen both of them at the Homegrown Fest a few months ago, but I liked them even more this time. It was a great way to really get the night going.

As they finished everyone did a 180 so they were facing "The Pit", and the next band playing there, Spooky Folk. Unfortunately they had some serious technical issues during their set and the vocals were totally inaudible. It sucked since I was really looking forward to their little set, which was only three short songs, and they finished it with "Bible Belt". I can say though I legitimately like their music too, since that was the only thing you could hear. It was enjoyable, especially the violin.

The next mash-up was Dust Congress and Shiny Around the Edges. They were HORRIBLE! I've heard some decent praise about both of these Denton bands, but after seeing this I'm at a loss as to why anyone would or could say anything positive about them. None of the music seemed to go together and it was more like each member was doing their own thing. On one of the screens to the side of the stage they had a live Twitter feed of people who tagged the Observer in their post, and both of these bands got bashed on it during their time on stage. My personal favorite, "This band isn't even worth the price of admission." Pretty bad since this was free to attend. It seemed to drag on for an eternity (or two) until they finally ended.

Back in "The Pit" Descender was ready to roll. Sadly, the same technical issues befell them as the band before. You couldn't hear a lick of what Casey was singing, which is pretty bad since I know all these songs and was still thinking "What is he saying?". Making it even worse was they only got to do two songs, quite sad since they were one of the most talented bands to play this stage. Hell, they were one of the most talented bands in the building. They opened with "What Was Missing" and closed with their album's title track, "Army of Elephants". With the exception of the vocals (or the lack of them) it was a pretty good Descender show, at least the glimpses I caught when the people in front of me would move somewhat out of the way. During the instrumental breakdown of "AofE" Casey did an impressive little backbend. Something I've never seen him attempt at past shows, but it was pretty cool.

Next on the main stage RTB2 played one of their songs. And when they finished The BAcksliders took over. I'd never heard of them, but they sounded good. Their frontwomen had Joan Jett-esqe voice which went well with their semi 80's sounding rock. After that they combined their talents to become, as the people posting on Twitter dubbed them, The RTBAcksliders. As they played one more song by each of them. It surprised me on the RTB2 tune that the bass and extra guitar didn't really add anything to it. Sure, the extra instruments were noticeable, but it wasn't any better than when they perform it as their normal two-piece. And that's meant as a huge compliment. Their set was fantastic, maybe the best mash-up of the night.

The punk outfit, Bad Sports, rocked "The Pit" next. Punk music is a hit and miss genre for me. Some, like Spector 45 (who won the award for best punk band) I really like, but these guys, I just didn't really feel it. Their music seemed a little fast paced, but other than that they weren't that bad to listen too.

Next next mash-up was by Smile Smile and Air Review. This was what I'd been waiting all night to see, them being two of my fave acts, plus the idea of the mainly acoustic act, Smile Smile, coupled with the rock band, Air Review, intrigued me. Smile Smile started it with "Truth On Tape", while the guys of Air Review stood at the ready. No sooner had they finished Air Review really livened things up with "Chasing Corporate", which seemed to get everyone in the Granada really going. They went on with another one of their songs, the seldom heard "Can't See the Sun". It started out like a normal Air Review performance, but at the second verse Smile Smile's, Jencey, took over as the lead vocalist. And after that they co-sang the rest. It was a great, special, performance of beautiful song. They finished with Smile Smile's "Tempo Bledso", in which everyone but the drummer took part in singing the chorus, "...Woo hoo hoo...", in which they all harmonized and it sounded incredible!

The final act in "The Pit" was The Whiskey Folk Ramblers. I'd heard their name before, and based on that they sounded like they were a country band. But that wasn't the case... at least not entirely. They were a little country, a little rock, and a bit experimental. I really liked the use of the accordion, which I typically only think of that being used in polka music, and actually they had a bit of that going on too. It was just an incredible interesting and neat sound, and there singer's voice was awesome. The only thing that disappointed me was they had no merch for sale, cause I'd love to get their albums.

The final act(s) were Mount Righteous and some hip-hop act. I knew this would be interesting, but the curtain opened to the rappers doing their thing and each member of Mount Righteous playing their instruments, it was just way too much going on, so I left.

Going to the DOMA's was an all great and fun experience, and as supportive as I am of the local scene, attending these events made me feel like I'm more of a part of it. The showcase by helping Deep Ellum in its revitalization. And the awards ceremony in actually seeing these bands (regardless if I like them or not) get something to recognize the fruits of their labor over the past year. I'm already looking forward to the 23rd Annual Dallas Observer Music Awards.

[themusicenthusiast]

October 24, 2010: The Doublewides 7th Anniversary Party

Dallas's most redneck venue, the Doublewide, was celebrating seven years of business. And, quite appropriately, Dallas County was under a tornado watch for the evening. Sure the actually tornados were a ways away, in East Texas, but still, it was very fitting.

The night was chalked full of rock, boasting a total of seven bands. (I guess one for each year they've been around?). And kicking it off on a little stage they'd set up on the outside patio was the duo, Legsweeper. I can't really say a whole lot of any of the bands that played out here, cause due to the crowd it was hard to see. Plus I was talking with the drummer for Descender, Duncan, during these guys set. They're pretty good though, based on the other time I saw them. They do look pretty nerdy and don't fit the typical idea of a musician and their music isn't anything to write home about, but it is good.

RTB2 was next to rock the patio. Like I said, it was near impossible to see, and I really hated that for their set, since they (or specifically Ryan Becker) puts forth so much energy. They did several songs I'm sorta familiar with, plus some that I assume are new since the last time I'd seen them, cause I didn't remember ever hearing them. Oh, and they didn't disappoint on the energy either. During one of their tunes where Ryan usually runs back and forth across the stage, he instead ran out into the audience slinging his guitar around, which caused people in the immediate area to have to move for him. It was a great little set, just wish I'd had a better view.

The Country duo, The O's, closed out the bands on the patio. And it was also at this time I figured out all the 2-piece bands were playing out here. (Guess I'm slow to catch on. Ha ha.) While their stuff isn't to my personal liking of music, I really enjoyed them at the Homegrown Fest earlier in the year. However, I wasn't as impressed tonight & I don't know why. I'm looking forward to seeing them again at the end of this coming week though, & hopefully redeem this performance a bit.

No sooner had they finished up out there, it was time for the music to move indoors to the usual music venue. The Whiskey Folk Ramblers had started, thankfully just opening with an instrumental piece, which was a good way to hook any potential listeners who'd never heard of them before. I however had, and in their three song set during the Dallas Observer's Music Awards they had amazed me. And I was glad to finally have a chance to see them again, as well as eager to see what a longer set from them was like. And well, it was nothing short of spectacular. I really have no idea how to classify this bands sound. In short it could be Americana/Country, but it's a much bigger blend of genres than that. Due mainly to the large (and even odd) assortment of instruments. While their singer plays an acoustic guitar, they also have an electric guitar, another member who plays an upright bass, a trumpet player, of course a drummer, and the other member switches between an accordion, harmonica, and banjo. And all of that makes for a obviously unique and surprisingly great sound. It's no wonder why they've won awards for "Best New Band" from the Observer as well as best alternative country act. I'm super psyched to see them again at the end of the week, and hopefully pick up their CD!

Finally, it was time for the best of the seven acts to perform, Descender. After an incredibly quick set change (it only took at most 15 minutes from the time the WFR finished before Descender was ready to go), they opened with "Gunpowder Drums". I was a bit bummed about the short sets for all the acts, but mostly this one, seeing as they have so many great songs, but they had put together an excellent mix of current and new material. They whisked through the rest of the set, consisting of "What Was Missing", a newer one they've been playing for most of the year ("Dark Water" I'm fairly certain is it's name.) and then their newest song that was debuted a couple of weeks ago. The latter of those sounded much better than at their show at the Kessler. It had more of a polished sound, and I think it will now join several others as being one of my favorite Descender songs. They did take a short pause, while Casey dedicated their final song to the Doublewide. "...It was here when there was a scene. It was here when there wasn't a scene. And now there's a scene again." He stated, before adding another reason he loves the Doublewide. "They've always been consistent of two things. Strong drinks. And great live music. So here's to the Doublewide." he said. And before they continued with their last number, Casey went back to the scene, first calling it a community, before saying, "Or a big block party." Yeah, I agree with the block party one. I was a little puzzled as to what they'd end the show with, cause they obviously didn't have time for "Little Power" and I was leaning more towards "Armor" to round out the set. Then they began "Army of Elephants", which I somehow hadn't even noticed was absent from the set thus far. It made for a really great closer, and making the song even better was the revamped riffs that I think Casey (or perhaps Jeff) added to the beginning of the song, before the lyrics start. It sounded like it was still basically the same riff, just changed up a little and it made the song sound even better. Oh, and here's some further proof of how awesome Descender is, as both Clark Vogeler and Doni Blair could be seen in attendance at this show. The same Clark Vogeler and Doni Blair who play guitar and bass, respectively, for the legendary Toadies. Now come on, those guys wouldn't come out to see just any old band.

There were still a couple acts after Descender, Sir Silky and finally an Elvis impersonator, but I didn't stay for them. From what I listened to on the Internet Sir Silky wasn't all that good, and the Elvis impersonator, well I don't even care for Elvis's music, so I didn't really care to see a copy cat doing the songs.