Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock - NYE in Marfa

Padre's in Marfa has West Texas' best New Years Eve show this year, as far as I can tell. Padre's is a relatively new venue in the region, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a great stopover for some of the best musical talent in the country. This NYE show is no exception, bringing native West Texans, and 2/3 of the Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock (Yes, Butch finally has a Web site) to the Padre's stage. Opening the show is the fantastic Colin Gilmore, a long-time favorite of mine and an excellent performer and songwriter in his own right.

While the show itself is a bit of an early one, with a 7 p.m. start time, the musical lineup is so strong that I'd go see these performers at 7 a.m. if I had to. Check out Padre's Web site for more details. Advanced tickets available.

SXSW preview - All the Lubbock money can buy

Last year, SXSW featured an all Lubbock-connected musicians official showcase, but that didn't happen this year, so I decided to try and put together a list of all the shows I could find with Lubbock folks, you know, just trying to support music in my old hometown. Let me know if I've missed anyone or listed anything incorrectly.

First, the only Lubbock-centric showcase I know of:

Lubbock/Natrix Natrix Showcase at Bouldin Creek Coffeeshop in South Austin.
1501 South 1st Street & Elizabeth, FREE!!!

Friday--March 19th and Saturday--March 20th.
Start/End times both days 5pm-11pm

The lineups so far:
(Lubbock)
Veva. (Saturday)
Nadia. (Saturday)
Kitten Glitter. (Friday)
Warm Arm. (Saturday)
The Dry Heeves. (Friday)
Coquelicot (Friday)

(Austin/Natrix Natrix Records)
David Israel. (Friday)
John Rose (Friday)
Johnny Corndawg (Friday)
and special guests . . . Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! (Saturday)

And now, for all the bands from Lubbock or from Lubbock at one time. I pieced this list together from myspaces and Showlist, so I don't stand by any of the times as being exact. You should always check on showtimes, etc., last minute on the band's Web site. Bands, please email me with corrections/updates, or if I missed your shows altogether.

One Wolf
Fri., 3/19. shake some action! at karibu. 11:00 am
Fri., 3/19. ramble creek day party at showlush's backyard (1704 Kinney) 1:10-1:40pm.

Thrift Store Cowboys
Thurs., 3/18 - Sin City Social Club Party, St. Vincent de Paul, 7 p.m.
Sat., 3/20 - Official SXSW showcase, The Ale House, 9 p.m.

The Numerators
Tue., 3/16 - Todd P presents Texas bands and friends, Cheer Up Charlie's, 8 p.m.
Thur., 3/18 - Shake Some Action, Karibu, 12 p.m.
Fri., 3/19 - AyeAyeAye Showcase, House of Guys, 9:15 p.m.
Fri., 3/19 - Lamar Pedestrian Bridge, 10 p.m.
Sat., 3/20 - DFD Curated Day show, 5:30 p.m.
Sat., 3/20 - Pie Guys Pizza Party, 8 p.m.

Amanda Shires
Thur., 3/18 - Pigeon Posse Opal Devine's, 11:45 a.m.
Thur., 3/18 - TG&S Lounge 3CM Presents Not SXSW, 3:30 p.m.
Fri., 3/19 - Opal Devine’s Penn Field 3CM Presents Not SXSW, 4 p.m.

La Panza
Fri., 3/19 - Shake Some Action, 1:20 p.m.
Fri., 3/19 - Dikes of Holland House Party, 200 Alta Vista Ave., 7 p.m.
Fri., 3/19 - Lamar Pedestrian Bridge

Kitten Glitter
Fri., 3/19 - Lamar Pedestrian Bridge
Fri., 3/19 - Lubbock/Natrix Natrix Showcase at Bouldin Creek Coffeeshop

Colin Gilmore
Tue., 3/16 - ZonePerfect’s live.create.lounge, 8 p.m.
Thur., 3/18 - Valhalla (formerly Room 710), 9 p.m.
Fri., 3/19 - Official SXSW showcase, Beauty Bar, 9 p.m.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Fri., 3/19 - Official SXSW showcase, Beauty Bar/Palm Door, 9 p.m.

Jeremy Nail and the Incidents
Tue., 3/16 - Chuggin Monkey, 9 p.m.
Thur., 3/18 - Gypsy Sun, 4:30 p.m.

Favorite Albums of the Decade from Our Favorite Artists

(Design credit Julie Cope)

In the face of all of the "best of decade" lists, we...well, we did some too. However, we reached out to a substantial number of indie artists that we are fans of and asked them what albums made the most lasting impression on them over the course of the past decade, in hopes that we would turn up some records that you won't find on the typical lists. We left the format open and welcomed multiple lists from each band. We are extremely grateful to all who participated. Below is the response. As an added bonus to you, the reader, feel free to post your own list in the comments section.

Greg Vanderpool - Monahans

"Even though this has been the decade of iTunes and shuffle playlists, I still love the album format. When a record locks into a mood from beginning to end yet still has enough contrast from song-to song to keep things interesting, it's a beautiful thing. I also love consecutive albums that complement each other so much so that they become a sort of saga (the same way Godfather I & II could be considered one film). It's hard to deny the body of work that Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Spoon and Wilco created over the past 10 years, alone. Aside from those, these are some of the ones that stick out in my mind..."

Chris Whitley - Soft & Dangerous Shores
Califone - Roomsound
Crooked Fingers - Crooked Fingers & Bring On The Snakes
Centro-Matic - South San Gabriel Songs/Music

The Court & Spark - Bless You

Bexar Bexar - Tropism & Haralambos

Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues
The Damnations - Where It Lands

Rob Lowe - Piano & Guitars; Balmorhea

"I am surprised at my list. I think most of the music that I really love and respect happened before 2000. It's hard for me to have a lot of perspective on music since 2000. I guess these records are the ones that I find the most affective, the ones I want to listen to all the time. They don't particularly represent the records that I think are the most innovative or even the most interesting (although most of them are both), but these are definitely the ones that I am closest to. And I guess that is what I like most in a record, something mysterious that just makes you keep listening over and over and over."

In alphabetical order:
The American Analog Set - Know by Heart

Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)

Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks

Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Rachel's - Systems/Layers
Sigur Ros - ( )
Smog - A River Aint too Much to Love
Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highways

Tiny Vipers - Life on Earth
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Winston Chapman - Drums; Bosque Brown

Strokes - Is This It? (2001)

Bill Calahan - Woke on a Whaleheart (2007)
Dr. Dog - We All Belong (2007)

Mara Miller - Bosque Brown

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master and Everyone

The Shivers - Charades
Beach House - Beach House
the Knife - Deep Cuts
Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator)

Jeremy Buller - Guitar, Keyboards, Miscellaneous, Vocals; Bosque Brown

John Vanderslice - Time Travel Is Lonely- Not his first solo album but, to me, the one with which he found his voice - settled into a style of writing, production, and engineering that all continue to influence me a great deal. His adaptation of Robert Lowell's 'The Old Flame' is perhaps my favorite of JV's recordings.

Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther- Though Midlake has had several markedly different-sounding records prior (and all of them very good), this one is another 'settling' album - they really found their sound here. A few critics thought the first three tracks left the album too front-loaded; they're idiots. Tracks 5-7 ('Young Bride', 'Branches', and 'In This Camp') make up my favorite three-songs-in-a-row of any album, ever. Magical moments include the vocal delivery of the second verse of 'Roscoe' ('now it's filled with hundreds and hundreds of chemicals that mostly surround-you-you-wish-to-flee-but-it's-not-like-you-so-listen-to-me-listen-to-me...'), the bowed strings and shakers that creep in at 1:27 in 'Head Home' (and Paul's most excellent guitar solo, and the dueling-guitars freakout slow-fade that closes the song), the lone snare hit that punctuates the second verse of 'Young Bride,' the way the words 'I wanted to maaarrrrryyy Babette' soar over the crashing guitars and drums of 'In This Camp'... etc. etc. etc... there are so many more...

Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me? - It's hard for me to pick from Damien's albums. He's had so many albums full of fantastic songs... the first two songs of his I ever heard, though, were 'Matinee' and 'Window' from this album. 'Amateur Night' showcases the less-is-more dark-narrative writing that he's so freaking good at, and 'Tether' is one of those songs that is identifiable to the point of scaring me. 'Tether' is one of the reasons the repeat-one button exists.

David Wingo - Ola Podrida

"I was asked to provide 5-10 of my favorite albums of the last decade but I ended up with 12, and I couldn't see fit to take any of these albums off the list. Depending on my mood I could say that any one of these amazing records is my favorite of the decade...there are many, many albums that came out over the last 10 years that I love a great deal but these are the ones that I feel like have truly become a part of me and that I imagine will always fully engage and astound me, no matter how many times I've listened to them. I don't really know how to properly talk about any of them; I'm too close to the music at this point, and I think that's the hallmark of any great music...words can't even begin to do it justice."

In no particular order:
The Clientele - Suburban Light

Songs Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
Sigur Ros - ( )
The New Year - Newness Ends
The Radar Bros - And the Surrounding Mountains

Bibio - Fi

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
The National - Boxer
Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
Radiohead - In Rainbows
M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent


Daniel Markham - One Wolf

Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf...i was initially excited about Dave Grohl's return to the drums, but the songs and fuzzed out guitars really did it for me. i still listen to this on a weekly basis on cassette.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cold Roses...i always hear people talk about how hit or miss this album is, but for me it was just perfect. it just sounds so classic to me.

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots...i love anything weird, and this is definitely that. it will always remind me of driving through thick fog on the California coast. i love how scientific wayne coyne's lyrics are, too.

Beck - Sea Change...when i got this i couldn't stop listening to it. it's just so mellow and trippy. it's by far my favorite beck album.

R.E.M. - Accelerate...r.e.m. is my favorite band of all time. this is such a great "return to form" for them after a few more experimental albums. it's very energetic and also very short. i absolutely love this album! it has everything i love about this band on one disc. for sure!

Collin Herring

Sun Kil Moon - April

Richard Buckner - Impasse
Centro-matic - Distance and Clime
Hem - Rabbit Songs
The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
Kathleen Edwards - Failer
Beck - Sea Change
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
Lucinda Williams - Essence

Colin Gilmore

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore (2003)

Billy Joe Shaver - Freedom's Child (2002)
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning (2006)
Flatlanders - Wheels of Fortune (2004)
Brandi Carlisle - Brandi Carlisle (2005)
Robert Plant and Allison Krauss - Raising Sand (2007)

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

"Not in this order necessarily. These are some of the albums that I think have kept music to a high standard during this decade. I hope they're just a taste of what's to come."

Brooks Kendall - Bass; Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Jay-Z - The Black Album
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights
The Game - The Documentary
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind
Macon Greyson - Uneasy
Radiohead - Kid A
Doug Martsch - Now You Know

Andy Martinez

Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash

The Court and Spark - Hearts
Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream
Twilight Singers - She Loves You
Magnolia Electric Company - What Comes After The Blues
Strays Don't Sleep - Strays Don't Sleep
Daniel Lanois - Shine
Matthew Ryan - Vs. The Silver State
Nick Cave - Dig, Lazurus, Dig!!!

Doug Burr

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master & Everyone

Seth Woods - Sad Accordions, Whiskey Priest, Booher & the Turkeyz, Zookeeper, Alex Dupree & the Trapdoor Band

"how about... top 61? okay, i got a little carried away. i'm sorry! i just couldn't leave all these great records off my list! so instead, i tried to sort them as conveniently and non-arbitrarily as i could. the categories are fairly self-explanitory, except maybe the "spiritual documents" one. these are the records that, for me, go beyond the mere classification of "record" and dip into a realm of creation that "records" such as Astral Weeks exist in - more than just timeless recordings or timeless songs, there is something greater than the art of the musicians being captured here...
also, there are just some records that i can't separate from others in my experience of them. for instance, in thinking about the radiohead records that came out during this decade, i don't have a favorite. they are all my favorite. this decade of radiohead was my favorite radiohead record! i keep expecting them to let me down at some point, but so far, they haven't. so those four records count as one to me. as opposed to the arcade fire, who do have two very good records, but their second record is hands down my favorite of the two. therefore, only neon bible is listed.
look, just be grateful that i didn't include my favorite records that came out in PAST decades but weren't discovered by me until THIS decade!"

BEST OF AUSTIN

Zykos - S/T

Fivehead - Guests of the Nation

Meryll - You've Got Cousins / Happened / Rimziate

Shearwater - Palo Santo / Winged Life

Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band - S/T / Las Meridanzas

Frank Smith - Big Strike in Silver City

American Analog Set - Promise of Love

Milton Mapes - The Blacklight Trap

The Gloria Record - Start Here

The Miracle Chair - #4 The Digital Frontier

BIG TIMERS

Pete Yorn - Music for the Morning After

Brian Eno and David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs (Bootleg Series vol. 8)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus

Radiohead - Kid A / Amnesiac / Hail to the Thief / In Rainbows

Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Coldplay - Parachutes

David Gray - A New Day at Midnight / White Ladder

Randy Newman - The Randy Newman Songbook vol. 1

INDIE BIG TIMERS

Broken Social Scene - S/T / Bee Hives

Wilco - A Ghost is Born / Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

The Postal Service - Give Up

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Okkervil River - Down the River of Golden Dreams / Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See

Joanna Newsom - Ys

The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed

THE UNDERDOGS

The Standard - August / Wire Post to Wire / Albatross

Sam Amidon - All is Well

Ho-Hum - Near and Dear

Don Chaffer and Waterdeep - Whole 'nother Deal

Nat Baldwin - Most Valuable Player

The Lord Dog Bird - S/T

The Wrens - The Meadowlands

Vigilantes of Love - Audible Sigh

Creeper Lagoon - Remember the Future

David Garza - A Strange Mess of Flowers / Overdub

THE CLASSY FOLKS

Daniel Lanois - Shine / Here is What is

Gillian Welch - Soul Journey

Crooked Fingers - S/T / Bring on the Snakes / Red Devil Dawn / Dignity and Shame

Calexico - Feast of Wire

John Vanderslice - Cellar Door

Jim White - No Such Place

Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain / Redemption's Son
Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway / Tiny Cities
Over the Rhine - Ohio
Nina Nastasia - Dogs

ROCKING INDIE

Guided by Voices - Universal Truths and Cycles

AC Newman - The Slow WonderWolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Damien Jurado - I Break Chairs
Pedro the Lion - Winners Never Quit / The Only Reason I Feel Secure / Control / Achille's Heel
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Nada Surf - Let Go
Richard Buckner - Dents and Shells / Meadows

SPIRITUAL DOCUMENTS
Akron/Family - S/T
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator)
smog - A River Ain't Too Much to Love
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle


Western Ghost House

Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
M. Ward - Transistor Radio
Desaparecidos - Read Muisc/Speak Spanish
Beach House - Devotion
The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We Are Gone?
Deer Tick - War Elephant
Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
The Shivers - Charades
Darkest Hour - Undoing Ruin
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica


Derek - Writer, CFO, Windfarm

The Paper Hearts - Plans for the Past
Lucero - That Much Further West
Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me?
Willy Mason - EP
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Silver Jews - Bright Flight
Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
Kathleen Edwards - Failer
Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator)
Will Johnson - Vultures Await
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not...
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master & Everyone
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Damien Rice - o
Hayes Carll - Flowers & Liquor

Jeff - Writer, Procrastinator, Windfarm

If I was to have to pick the albums that I would say had the greatest impact on me over the past decade, this is a pretty comprehensive list. Some of these albums I might leave off if I wanted to appear super cool or hip, but here's as honest a list as I can put together.

Lucero - Tennessee
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
Nels Andrews - Sunday Shoes
Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Cipher
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Eleven Hundred Springs - A Straighter Line
Richard Buckner - Meadow

And while I didn't include any particular album from them, I want to note a few artists that I consider to have produced the strongest body of work over the decade.

The Avett Brothers (it was too hard to pick one album)
Doug Burr (both solo and with the Lonelies)
Ryan Adams (solo & with the Cardinals)
DeVotchKa (hardly a single bad song over four LPs)
Will Johnson (solo, Centro-matic, South San Gabriel, etc. etc. etc.)

SXSW 2009 - Lubbock music showcase

(Picture courtesy of these guys)

Wednesday night, March 18th, Momo's will host an official SXSW showcase featuring bands with Lubbock connections.

The current line-up is as follows:

8 PM - Cary Swinney, Richard Bowden, Michael O'Conner
9 PM - Thrift Store Cowboys
10 PM - Texas Belairs with Ponty Bone and John X Reed
11 PM - Colin Gilmore
12 PM - Joe Ely and Joel Guzman with Special Guests

Follow the link here to get more details. Check out Colin's and TSC's band pages as well, as each has a free download. It looks as though Colin's song is a new one that he has not yet released.

Brought to you by Sandstorm Picnic.

The sad news is that since this is an official showcase, it's not easily accessible without a badge, which costs around $15,000,000. We'll find out for sure if there is any admittance to non-badge holders, as the policies vary by venue, but otherwise, we'll try and keep you apprised of any free shows these folks are playing.

3 More Hard-to-Find Albums You'll Wish You Had Someday

Colin Gilmore - 4 of No Kind

This first EP from Austin singer/rocker/songwriter/son-of-a-flatlander Colin Gilmore is an incredible collection of 4 songs that probably best reflect Gilmore's west Texas roots. Colin has recently made this album available on itunes, so it's not super rare, but I don't know that the hard copies are still being produced. I may be wrong on that, but I haven't seen any site selling new copies of the CD for some time. Whether he meant for them to or not, "Sunset" and "Winds of Heaven" sound like they were written by Jimmie Dale's son - trust me, you'll think the same when you hear them. Probably not that rare really, but for Colin and/or even Flatlanders fans, this EP is an essential.

Availability: A few used hard copies left on Amazon, and otherwise, widely available for download.

No River City - This is Our North Dakota

This first album from the (apparently) now defunct No River City is yet another casualty of the downfall of Miles of Music. That is, MoM has been the place to buy NRC's CD's for some time, and was additionally a strong champion of the band's music. Thus, given that No River City seems to be generally done as a band, their CD's are likely to become increasingly hard to find. I think a number of the guys from the band still play live shows together, but at least from the last announcement I heard, I think NRC is no longer in existence. That said, their two CD's are full of amazing songs, great vocals, and harmonies that fit the music perfectly. This first release is a great listen all the way through. I guess it falls in the vein of what you would call straight up alt country. I don't mean that in a bad way, by any means, but it's just a great collection of songs that don't need any fancy business to cover up various weaknesses that bands are wont to cover up with novelty sounds and the like. The entire album is a great listen, but "Corrinne" and "Last Thing I Remember" are a great place to start. You can download Corrinne here, and I've also found that various other blogs seem to have other songs of theirs for download if you look hard enough. Honestly, I don't know if there is an actual way to buy the music from them anymore so that they actually get the money for it, given that MoM was, as best I can tell, their exclusive seller (and who knows when the last time they got money from Miles of Music was). None of their stuff is available as itunes or amazon DL's either. My hope is that this album and their second album Wolves and Fishes, will not be the last we hear from the folks from NRC, whether it is under that name or another, as they have shown a great consistency for putting out great songs, and deserve wider listenership than they have.

Availability: Moderate - a few used copies up on Amazon, but haven't seen many others.

Rhett Miller - Mythologies

I'm just kidding about this one really. You are unlikely to find it anywhere except ebay, and even I cannot advocate anyone spending the kind of money this album goes for, no matter how big of a fan you are. This pre-Old 97s release from Rhett is more a novelty than anything. The songs are pretty good, but probably not worth paying $15 a song for. Only 1,000 copies were made, and apparently they are all signed and numbered, at least from Rhett Miller folklore that I've heard. Given how rough the economy has been, I think more than one of these may pop up on ebay, but you'll probably pay $150 or more for it if you really decide you want it. This is one on the list of albums that people like me dream of finding in a used CD store for $3.99, but the odds are heavily stacked against it now, given that most used sellers check their stuff on ebay now. Good luck, but this one has been essentially unavailable since shortly after Rhett became a 97.

Availability if you don't want to pay $200 for it: 1 in a million chance of finding it somewhere other than ebay.

In other news regarding hard-to-find music:

• The Avett Brothers have recently re-released their early Country Was album for download on itunes.
  
• I have been on a diligent search for an mp3 copy of the version of the Old 97s song "The Other Shoe" with Waylon Jennings singing the vocals. Apparently this recording dates back to 1997, in their days on Elektra, and was available for a short while on the Hit By a Train site as a real audio file (your grandkids will ask you about why anyone used real audio someday). Apparently the Waylon estate has not agreed to release this song yet, but from what I hear the band still hopes to make it an official release some day. Write your congressman about this one, because it will be more than worth it, 10 years plus after the fact, when it finally sees the light of day.