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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Ladyheat @ Rudyard's


Went out last night to see an old friend play in his band before they depart H-town for LA. Started out at Maria Selma's for some Mexican fare, and had the ceviche (very yummy) and duck flautas, which were basically glorified taquitos, but the mole' sauce was good, and I normally can't stand mole'.

Rudyard's was not completely crowded, but close to it, and they seriously need to do something about their parking situation (unfortunately that applies to MANY places in town as well). It's a total dive, as many good places in town are. The bar was open downstairs with a good crowd on the patio (ah, the weather here in April - you can't beat it!). The bands were playing upstairs, and there was a $12 cover - a bit high I thought, but as it turns out there were three bands instead of two. The first band either did not announce themselves very loudly, or I simply did not catch it, and they weren't advertised to be there so I'm at a loss for identifying them. They had a very eclectic range, with some of the faster songs bordering on a punk sound. When they slowed it down it was somewhat reminicent of '80s Prince and The Cure. They had a very interesting set, to say the least.

Ladyheat took the stage and woke the crowd up. Blake on lead vocals has the punk swagger down perfectly, and didn't miss a beat between hanging from the rafters, writhing on the floor, grinding with the ladies, and playing jump rope with his mic cable. The punk influence on their sound is apparent, but with a modern, more melodic spin much like Jet. They do not disappoint a live crowd, nor do they skimp on audience participation. There is a fantastic energy to their show, and by the end of the first song they had the whole room on their feet.

Because I'm old like that, and because it was a freaking Tuesday night, I didn't stay for all of the Mike Watt set. His influence on the Chili Peppers is widely known, and he had the crowd jumping as I made my way out. I love a night full of good music and good food.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Billy Bob Thornton is a Jerk


For someone who has made an enviable career in the movie business to suddenly jump into music and then pretend to have been a musician all along, this guy takes the cake. There is a fantastic tradition of actors (Keanu Reeves, Jenny Lewis, Russell Crowe, Kevin Bacon, Jared Leto... the list goes on and on) who transition into music and vice versa (Willie Nelson, Jessica Simpson, Dwight Yoakum, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, etc.). Typically the majority of these individuals don't put up a lot of fuss if their "other" profession is named, since it usually attracts more fans to the other genre. Some act odd about it, hence the most recent debacle of Joaquin Phoenix and his "rap" career, but I've never seen anyone treat an interviewer like this guy did. His acting credentials are mentioned ever so briefly, and then all the questions that follow are music-related. Thornton answers none of them. When it finally becomes obvious the reason he is being so difficult is because his acting was mentioned, the VERY patient interviewer asks if he should not have mentioned it at all, to which Thornton rudely replies yes. He then compares himself twice to Tom Petty, who has a LONG career of music (and who, by the way also ventured into acting - but I don't recall Tom Petty ever being upset at being referred to as a musician rather than an actor). He then makes sure to tell the guy he has recorded five albums. I haven't heard of any of them, have you? I'll tell you what I have heard of - Sling Blade, Armageddon, Monster's Ball, Bad Santa, and the host of other films Thornton has been a part of. To pretend as if that is not what he's known for is to basically thumb his nose at all his fans of his previous work. He may not be a well-known musician, but he certainly has the prima donna attitude of a spoiled Hollywood actor. What a prick.

Link to Thornton Interview on CNN.com

UPDATE 4/13/09: Billy Bob cancels tour. Karma much?

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Eminem Hiatus Over?


New Eminem vid surfaced recently, and it looks as though he spent most of his down time watching reality TV and reading entertainment gossip. The video is funny, and naturally will piss off a few people, but I'm wondering if this new sound is "nerd rap". Watch and decide for yourself.

Link to original story on Jezebel

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Blackberry Goodness

I never tire of finding new crap to load on my BB, and it's even more fun when the crap is free. I recently got on Twitter, which may or may not be a bad thing, but I'm all about the newest techno trends, so for now I'm just going to go with it. Anyway, it's absolutely necessary to have a good phone application when dealing with real-time updates, so I checked around online for the most appropriate app. I've been using Twitterberry, and it is working great for me so far. I'm sure there are more involved applications, but since I'm just starting out I only need the basics. Another great little thing I found (from a fellow Twitterer) was the Blackberry App World. This is also a free download which has direct links to several great app downloads. It's the gift that keeps on giving. I heart you, BB.