The Rock Philosopher's Beer Alley Noise Market is hitting Denton, TX the weekend of April 13 and 14 at Beer Alley, right in the middle of the action of The Bearded Monk and Denton County Brewing Company.

What the hell is a Noise Market you ask?

NOISE + Art Vendors = Noise Market.

"Noise Market"
The name "Noise Market" comes from a biannual event in Bangkok, Thailand in which artisans of all kinds descend on the grounds of Museum Siam in an old part of the Thai capital city. Many of the artisans of Noise Market are musical performers and they perform their set often next to thei merchandise table. The sound engineering team move the makeshift PA system to wherever the next band is playing. It's all DIY and no alcohol is allowed on site (some people found ways around this).

My Noise Market has taken a bit of a departure from Noise Market in Bangkok run by  Wannarit Pongprayoon of Panda Records. But the spirit is there. I was at the first Noise Markets in Bangkok and they are legend.  The distinguishing factor for this event is the inclusion of a production crew to document the Noise with video, photos and audio. And beer!   

Whose gonna be there?

Aside from a bunch of unsigned yet terrific Denton rock bands including Wee-Beasties (certain to be my Mom's favorite) there are several visiting bands scheduled including Modular Sun and Naga Brujo from Austin, The Boleys from Florence TX, King Country from Waco and Bogan Villa out of San Marcos.

Who wants to bring the noise? 

Are you an artist looking to sell goods at Noise Market? Contact Wails Worety.

Are you a sponsor looking to get involved in some way? Contact me.

Are you booked to perform? Bands, you are encouraged to bring merchandise to sell. This can mean T-shirts, buttons, stickers, CDs, vinyls or if you have simply no resources you might try selling your soul, a photo with you, or a date. Just keep it clean.

Bands Confirmed for Noise Market:
Hen and the Cocks
Mr Breakfast
Space Trash
The Exhale
The Infamists
King Country
The Boleys - Florence, TX
Bogan Villa - San Marcos, TX
Modular Sun - Austin
The Altitude
Maestro Maya
Naga Brujo - Austin
The Roymores
The Wee-Beasties
Rock N Roll Cannibals
The Delzells
Millennial Falcon
(and more)

We've got a kick ass production crew including Randy Lincoln as your sound guy, Ellie Alonzo running the photo team, John Rosales out of Austin doing video. Not to mention the T-shirt design by Katie Montgomery. You'll be able to buy a T-shirt in the color of your choosing from PINT Services the weekend of the fest. 

Stay tuned here for profiles on musical performers at Noise Market 

​Dave Crimaldi
Rock Philosopher

Note hashtags
#noisemarketdtx
#rockphilosopher

The event page is here.   

More to come! Looking for sofa to rent out in December. Have camera, will travel. 

"What these songs represent most to me is a coming of age and a changing of times. All of them were written over the span of about a year and were recorded in the span of about 3-4 months. If you're reading this, I hope you can relate or at least appreciate the sentiments in some of these songs. If not, this could get a little awkward...."  

While going through a Loose Bolts interview, I had to remind myself the artist doesn't just live to spout off ideas in an email but to create images in the imagination, stir feelings in the soul, and ultimately connect with others. 

Discontent is 2015 EP release by a young 20 something out of the Florida panhandle by the name of Ian Gomez. There's four songs different in style but sharing the theme of dissociation the artist has spoken candidly about in communications: 

• Discontent - punk rock candy with a folk wrapper.  
• Numb - a 6 plus minute meandering descent into spiritual isolation 
• Liability - punk, power pop with a grooving shuffle. Somewhat anthemic.
• Adolescent - melancholic ruminations in a minor ke
• 
  

"Dissociation is a recurring theme. Grit with my past, dealing with betrayal, and the unpredictability of life and people. Self-betrayal, misunderstood intentions. Always trying to be the hero but coming to terms with who I truly am."

​It's an impressive debut by a multi instrumentalist who first made his mark as a death metal drummer before people knew he could pen songs, play guitar and sing. 

The songs are eerily familiar yet I can't figure out if it's because I have listened to them enough they remind me of feelings in a dream or something else. Structurally, they can be all over the place without discernible patterns yet don't feel "indulgent."   

There's at least 2 different vocal styles evident here: one crooning. melancholic, introspective and the other angsty, defiant, maybe aggressively upbeat. In other words it is our teenage selves reflected back at us in melody and verse.    

Who is this music for? Or more specifically who are the ideal fans of Loose Bolts? You're deep and introspective which is to say you might have an inkling for starry nights, poetry, existential philosophy and long road trips .  As this is admittedly a coming-of-age project by a guy now 3 years the wiser and more experienced we're expecting new work to expand on the canvas of human suffering and find still more hope to rise out of slumber in the morning. 

All the music was written and performed by Ian Gomez with David W. Montgomery credited for recording, mixing and engineering.

- DC 
eawkward...

By Dave Crimaldi
​Denton TX
Last month I attended the album release of King Country here in Denton and noticed the Mas Music Records T-shirt worn by Greg Latham. Some investigating revealed the trio of psychedelic weirdos from Waco were in some unholy alliance with the aforementioned label based in Austin. I wondered what kind of psychosis is required to start a music label in this day and age? What exactly does a label do in the digital age? I was intrigued and found myself scanning the MMR website and recalling the good old days when consuming music involved action like walking down to the music store in the northern New Jersey town where I grew up, considering the album covers (tape cassette actually), making a purchase and walking home perhaps listening to the new music on my portable tape player through clumsy earphones. There was that anticipation that a kid might have on Christmas morning. You remove the cellophane, unfold the inner sleeve, note the photos, credits, thank yous, art work and pop that sucker into the listening device. This Twisted Sister tape better not suck (It did but only in retrospect!) There was an entire ritual to music including the reports you'd give your friends come Monday. Mixtapes were shared - what a concept having friends that would make mixtapes for you? Where else could GG Allin's "Bite It You Scum" exist alongside The Smiths' "This Charming Man"?

​As the digital age gave us more of everything, faster, smaller, more convenient, more efficient, I contend we lost a bit if our humanity and sense of a true music community. Music is about community not pressing buttons on a smartphone. So let us slow things down a bit, remember the good old days and what made it so good. There were interactions between real people in the real world. In order to have a recording of my band Aural Fixation, we had to hire a guy for $100 to come over my house where we practiced, record everything to tape with his dumpy gear and two microphones, work his magic (or not) and present to us 100 tape cassettes we'd sell for $2-$3 a piece at shows, mailing to friends after receiving a check or cash in the mail. I even got a royalty check for $2 from radio airplay. Aural Fixation was a commercial failure selling perhaps only 30-40 units, the rest of them ended up in a landfill I am afraid. There would be no career for us in music although the vocalist Mike Hogan did work his way up to the position of Digital Director of Vanity Fair and once required my counsel for an interview with Lars Ulrich. To my credit despite being a terrible band member, documenting and discovering new music and the people that make it happen has become a personal obsession late in life.... and now let's get to the interview.

Michele Mas Martin of Mas Music Records grew up in the Bay area, moved to Austin and is now a part of a collective of musicians, promoters, venues sticking to a Do-It-Together organizational model. Read on. 
                     
​Q1. Can you introduce yourself? Are you an Austin native? How and when did you get involved in music?   
My name is Michele Mas Martin and I own Mas Music Records.  While I am not an Austin native, I definitely feel like Austin is where I’m meant to be. I’d been visiting annually for Levitation Festival since 2012, threatening to relocate at the end of each festival.  Recently, I finally found myself in the position to do so, so I packed up my records, clothes and mountain bike in my little German car and drove to Austin, Texas. I’ve never looked back.

I grew up in the Bay Area in the late 1980’s, at the height of the second “British Invasion” when the clubs were filled with the sounds of everything from the The Smiths to New Order to Jesus & Mary Chain and beyond. CDs were just becoming popular but I used to save all my lunch money to buy vinyl. Imagine six goths piling into one car and heading to Tower or Rainbow Records and sending international money orders off to foreign lands, hoping they arrived someday.  My friends and I spent hours hanging around listening to our precious vinyl acquisitions. There’s something special about vinyl; the liner notes, the artwork, the manufacturing of taking plastic and pressing it into something that plays music when the needle drops. It’s truly an art form. ​

Q2. As a record label in the digital age, what, if any, is the business model? Since you have founded Mas Music Records, what have you learned? What has been most challenging/ rewarding?     

With MMR, I’ve tried to evolve the DIY philosophy into a DIT *Do It Together* model. Friends and oftentimes members of the bands on the label contribute their skills and/or time at what I call “mate’s rates”.   It sort of balances out all the funding the label puts in to manufacture the product and brings a higher level of commitment to being part of the label. We are more of a community than a corporation.

In regards to the challenges of running a label...where do I start?  It’s all challenging, really, but once you get the final product in your hand and it sounds great….it’s all worth it. A few things we’ve experienced along the way so far include finding more women to work with and building a good team, quickly, of the right people who have the time & the talent to contribute. We are both a new record label and new to the industry as well so absorbing all the newfound knowledge and determining how to allocate the small amount of resources we have is particularly challenging. Then, to top it all off, the digital age is the bain of my existence.  Between all of the high level PR and media connections which aren’t available to small or new labels, it’s a tough market to figure out and break into. But, despite it all, one thing I’ve quickly realised is that there is no standard way of doing things...so we are trying to figure out what works for Mas Music Records.

Q3. What kind of bands can fans find on Mas Music Records? Who’s on your roster and why them?   

​AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN. I try to keep everything local and the music all some extension or iteration of psychedelia.  I believe our current roster is a good sampling of the wide variety of talent and versatility within the Austin Psych scene. We’re growing at a steady pace, just like the name states, MAS (More) MUSIC. Here’s a look at this year’s releases:

• Peyote Coyote - This was our first release in the form of a 7”.  Peyote Coyote had recently relocated to Austin from Florida and I dug everything about them from the very first time I saw them. They have a female drummer (Cari Gee) who I found very easy to get along, work and collaborate with.  The band also had a great selection of material already ready to go so we were able to push out the first release rather quickly.
• The Sun Machine  - These kids have been some of my closest friends from my earliest days in Austin. They are a staple of the community and owners of Austin’s top DIY venue The Electric Church.  I partnered with the venue and the mobile recording studio to pool our resources and release a record.
• Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band  - Nolan is one of the most talented dudes in town. His versatility as a musician, endless creativity and incredible technical skills coupled with access to excellent tools for recording is a dream come true for a label.  After nearly 30 bands, Nolan has built this “Super Nightmare” band and MMR put 60 minutes of brilliance in the form of a tape release. ​

Q4. Do you have your own set of mentors for running a label?  

I do have quite a few mentors and I’ve been fortunate to build some great relationships with other small Texas labels. My friend Mike Nesbitt at Little Cloud Records in Portland, Oregon was my first inspiration for starting the label here. Then I met Corey Savage from Houston’s Wallflower Records one night at Hotel Vegas and he helped me organize the paperwork to make it official.  I’ve also been lucky to meet some great audio engineers and other audio nerds who don’t mind sharing their knowledge and answering my endless stream of questions. I’m also a huge fan of Christian Blands’ label Reverberation Appreciation Society; to make records that look and sound as great as his releases do… that’s the dream.

Since our inception on Jan 1st, 2018, we’ve just been trying different things and seeing what gets results that make us feel good about what we hope to accomplish, all the while BUILDING COMMUNITY.

Q5. What influences your decision to work with a band?   

Of course, I have to like the bands music but I also want to like the band as individuals, as well.  I’m basically hoping to build a “family business” where bands aren’t just a name on a roster. Ideally, the bands have some technical expertise built in, meaning they have knowledge about recording  / mixing / mastering / PR / web design & are willing to contribute those skills to help build the label they are on. I’m a hard arse about only putting out high-quality recordings; making records is pretty easy but making records that sound good isn’t so easy.  I also look for bands who are able to and want to tour. We are spoiled for band options in Texas, especially Austin, so it’s important to cast a wide network net. I have friends who run psych festivals in around the world. The ultimate dream would be to get a MMR band on tour in Europe or Australia.  

Q6.  What would you advise anyone starting their own label?  
Like my wise old father always told me, “Patience and Fortitude”.

Q7. What does Mas Music have coming up?   

Some exciting releases and a few shows we are hosting.  

We’ve just completed a few projects including a 60 min tape for Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, a CD release for King Country, and we’ve got a 7” heading into production for The Sun Machine.   I’m very proud of this Sun Machine release. It was recorded at the Electric Church on the 24 track NEVE console that sits in the box truck parked out the back of the venue. Post mixing, we had Matt Schweinberg from Annabelle Chairlegs mix it to analog tape, then mastered for vinyl in Chicago by James Scott of Populist Recordings. It took some time, but it feels like we are getting our process down and it sounds great!!

We have a partnered showcase coming up in Galveston with Wallflower Records and Wakethezine. We’re also working on a quarterly shared showcase with our pals at Dreamy LIfe Records from DFW and gearing up for another SXSW showcase with multiple small record labels (aka the Texas Vinyl Mafia) in 2019.

Thanks Michele!

https://www.masmusicrecords.org/

If you are attending Saturnalia Fest, King Country, Nolan Potter's Nightmare Band and Sun Machine are all playing. See flyer below. And you still have time to catch Nolan Potter's Nightmare Band tape release at Barracuda on the 17th with Andy Grant and another of my favorite North Texas bands Acid Carousel.  

Want to support the blog and live independent music community? Buy a T-shirt here. 

Stay tuned for reviews, profiles, interviews, scene reports including Ben Edwards of Plastic Section and Flying Guillotine out of Melbourne, Australia, Loose Bolts out of the Florida panhandle, and Spencer Wharton out of Denton.

Need a photographer in Denton or Austin? I shoot music. Instagram @rock.philosopher. Contact for rates: bloozarumba@gmail.com

Interviewer: Dave Crimaldi
Photos: George Dellinger 

Back in September, Pink Fuzz out of Colorado slammed through Denton like a tropical storm and lay waste to a small vanguard of rock n roll devotees gathered indoors at Backyard On Bell. John Demitro the band's guitarist and co-vocalist took some time out of his non-stop touring schedule to pen some responses to questions I sent old school via email. (If you're new to Pink Fuzz, read the review and listen to the music first here.)    

​Q1. OK so you’re the guitarist and vocalist of Pink Fuzz with your sister LuLu on bass and vocals. I’ve done some investigating and know you also play with another sibling in Velveteers as the drummer (or co-drummer). At what age did you and your siblings start playing musical instruments? I hear in interview you all played piano. Can you describe your musical background and education? Did your parents give you all guitars upon birth and put you in a room with their vinyl collection and a hi-fi?

Haha something like that. We all started playing piano round 3/4 years old. Piano wasn’t our favorite but stuck with it and realized how important it was later. I picked up the drums when I was about 7. Bass when I was 13 and then eventually guitar. Our parents played lots of classic rock, funk, disco, and classical music as we were growing up so all those had a big influence on what we are all into. 


Q2. Is music a viable career at this point with digital sales, merch, licensing? Is the band looking to stay independent and therefore in control of everything?

There are definitely pros and cons to being independent. Thus far we have been mostly independent and in complete control of everything. We’ve done some really cool things that I’m really happy with. We’ve been touring since 2013 and do it a ton. It’s cool to see results from that. We are very lucky to have some of our music placed through publishing on some big TV shows: HBO’s Shameless, MTV’s Ridiculousness, and several others. We definitely like being independent but it is a lot of work especially touring and playing as much as we do. 

Q3. Is Denver happening for young bands like yourself?

Yes and no. Denver has some cool bands and a decent music scene. No one really tours out of Denver that much or ever leaves their scene which is kind of disappointing. Doesn’t really breed the best scene or music when everyone hangs out and plays at the same 2 places. We prefer to tour and play outside of Denver more. We have found we have had more success doing that with our music. I don’t really consider Denver our home base or our “scene”. 

Q4. Any plans or hopes for international tours? I know Velveteers has shows in UK coming up. What about Pink Fuzz?

Yup! I’m actually sitting in the U.K. doing the interview right now haha. Pink Fuzz has plans to tour internationally in the next year and a half. 

Q5. Would you say it’s fairly accurate you are either playing music or thinking about music or something related every waking hour?

Yes I’d say so. I’m constantly thinking, working on, or playing music. It’s a pretty intricate part of my life. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Q6. Do you prefer writing and recording music over live performance? Or is the live show where the biggest high is? You look like you’re having fun live! 

They are two different highs. But I love both equally. Writing something and developing it with your band is a really cool thing and then when you finally get to hear what was in your head come together through speakers it’s one of my favorite things in the world. That’s what you’re chasing for as an artist. Then playing it live is an extension of that energy because your playing in front of an audience and it’s super loud, sweaty, and crazy. We are having a blast playing live and need a lot of energy to play our music. It’s a blast touring and playing in front of new crowds and crowds of repeat customers. 

Q7. Do you feel that there’s a career ladder for bands doing their own music? I guess the question is how do you measure success and how important is “success” to the band?

I think as long as you are moved or feel something from you’re music and really believe in it everything else will follow suite. People seem to gravitate to people who really believe in what they are doing. It’s really cool to see people come out to shows on tour who have seen us there previously. Something resonated with them at the last show. The most important thing for me is writing good music that makes me feel something. And it’s a never ending chase for that. If all of those things are working I’d call that a success. And it’s really gratifying when you feel like you’ve captured that. 

Q8. What is your attitude about band marketing and promotion? Just make music, put it out there, and tour?

Yeah I mean that’s really the only way to do it at this point. Our main goal is record good songwriting and put it out and tour it. It’s a lot easier to sell your music if you have a really crazy energetic live show that people can see and experience and you have a really good record you believe in to sell. The more touring and live shows you do the better. 

Q9. One thing you might tell young musicians inquiring about a career?

It’s a lot of hard work but it’s worth it. You get to travel and see different countries, experience different cultures and meet so many cool people along the way who can influence you to think and write differently. You just have to keep at it and write music that makes you happy and feel something. 

 Q10. Take any 10 albums to an island!

1. The Beatles “Revolver”
2. Led Zeppelin “Led Zeppelin II”
3. Queens of Stone Age “Songs for the dead”
4. BRMC “Howl”
5. Motörhead “Bomber”
6. The Stooges “Raw Power” 
7. Earth, Wind, & Fire “That’s the way of the world” 
8. Black Sabbath “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”
9. “The Desert Sessions”
10. Any Jerry Reed or Johnny Cash/Outlaw country 

Thanks John! If you're a fan of rock music, check out Pink Fuzz. (And don't forget The Velveteers!) 

​Special thanks to George Dellinger aka Instagram @squareindenton for the photos. 

While you are here reading want to thank you for keeping the flame of rock n roll burning. Should you require guaranteed access to rock n roll heaven, purchasing an official Rock Philosopher T-shirt will definitely get you through the gilded gates. Your ticket to paradise awaits. Click here. 

by Dave Crimaldi​
Denton, TX

​It was a cold night in January at Backyard on Bell when I first met King Country from Waco. To a small audience who braved the cold, they performed a blistering set that called to mind the likes of Thee Oh Sees, King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard - psychedelia-tinged doom garage rock on speed with a nod to Hawkwind tossed in. That night the band played as a 4-piece with Greg Latham on guitar and vocals, James Blake Davenport on bass and vocals, Nate Price on drums and Dylan Gulledge on guitar and keyboards. In the months to come the band would become a 3-piece losing Gulledge, release an album through newly founded Austin label Mas Music Records and plan a virgin tour of the region. Last Friday, the trio of 20 somethings kicked off the tour at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton to a small audience of devoted friends along with support from The Boleys (Florence, TX) and Mother Tongues (Denton). Despite a small turnout the spirits were high and as always the band of mild-mannered Waco lads delivered a performance that pummeld the senses and made middle-aged men weep with joy. 

 While I have seen the band four times now over the course of a year, it has taken that long to really get to know them. Their on stage persona is that of a pack of lions - friendly lions mind you but lions nonetheless. The frontman Greg Latham's face is often hidden either by a flop of hair, a cap, or sunglasses. If he walked down the street, I might not recognize him. Still the wiry guitarist moves with the hypnotic energy of a young Thee Oh Sees mastermind, John Dwyer... the way the vintage Global guitar is cradled like a baby high up on the sternum. Lyrics emanate from the PA system but they seem secondary to the feeling one gets when the melodies are drowned under the twangy guitar and raging rhythm section. Mr. Latham may be the quietest of characters but underneath the reserved, soft-spoken demeanor is a goddamn witchdoctor or something. What is going on under the mop of hair is still a mystery to me but if the music is an indication, there is mad brilliance.   

Moving right along to the rhythm section: the drummer, Nate Price. Like most drummers inspired by Animal of the Muppets, Nate can string together three word sentences like, "Drum, drum, drum!" and "Crash, crash, crash!" He's also talked about reupholstering his blue Vistalite with human hides kinda like a zebra pattern. Of course, none of this is true but I would not put the guy to the test. While he is a gentle giant, he is quite lethal with the drumsticks. Just imagine a mass of hair flying around frantically as limbs execute a serious battering of the drum skins (I swear they looked at me once and begged for help). Nate is the sweet neighborhood kid the old folks will one day say, "We lost his soul to rock n roll!" In all seriousness, we've spent more time talking about drums and T-shirt printers, I hardly know anything else, but maybe that's the point. Look out for his 3 different drum sets when doing local shows in Texas. I think I've only seen two at this point.        

,If you looked up Big Bad Ass Bassist you might find the name James Davenport. It is hard to imagine that much of my youth was spent wondering what exactly it was that bass players did. Listening to Motley Crue did not help my bass guitar understanding. In King Country, Nate brings the the boom and the shake and the bass brings the thunder buzz and fuzz. Throughout every song there's a devilishly heavy groove with all the fury of a 70s space rock band blessed by the whiskey stinking breath of Lemmy Kilmister. The rhythms are trance-inducing. James, himself, is the cheeky, most talkative person of the band as well as the youngest at just 20 years old. A self-described introvert, the bassist creates the King Country artwork which draws influences from comics, horror and acid-packed psychedelica. And The Cowboy Krunchie is one bitching bassist.     

The boys have completed an album which was engineered and mixed by Joe Tacke of Mean Motor Scooter. (You might have noticed the Bandcamp widget above - if you have not yet pressed play now's a good idea.) The mark of an album for me as a showgoer is Does it live up to the live show? The verdict: The eponymously titled debut album is an accurate representation of the live sound and ethos of King Country. For every fan of contagious, headbanging, bone-tingling, sweaty, messy, dirty, Texas psych rock, this is a must have album, the track titles I am still learning. This is the kind of music you quit your job over and just hit the road with the band. In lieu of a Colonel Kurtz kind of madness where one sells the house, the kids and never goes home, buy the record and turn it up to 11.  

- DC

There's an interview with King Country as well as their record label Mas Music Records looming soon.

Catch the band out on tour right now!

​Thanks for reading this blog! It was founded in Bangkok, Thailand in 2013 as a place to review the underground music scene in my local community of friends. While the blog is mostly about whatever rolls into Denton, TX where I currently reside, I still keep a foot in the door of the Thai music scene and am trying to create a thread of unity between the two communities thousands of miles apart. That means if you were looking to book an Asia tour, I could offer some counsel and contacts. Check out old blog posts in the right hand sidebar. 

Do you need  photographer? I love shooting live shows in Denton. Drop me a line at bloozarumba@gmail.com and check out my Instagram photos @rock.philosopher.

And finally if you would like to contribute to me financially I  would love that so that I might continue to eat and keep this thing going. My PayPal is bloozarumba@gmail.com 

​Thanks. I'm Dave, the rock philosopher.

Words by Dave Crimaldi
​Photos by George Dellinger, Dave Crimaldi

While the art of music journalism seems to be hanging off a cliff as writers turn to more lucrative PR jobs, the genre of rock music is thankfully NOT dead. If there is any proof of it, the Friday night show at Backyard on Bell here in Denton is fire-breathing proof. There were spectacular performances via Denton bands Hen and the Cocks, Fun Button and Classic Action. And holy smoke, the Denver band! The band Pink Fuzz from Denver, Colorado sucked the air from the room and whisked me and possibly many other off to rock and roll heaven. 

The second the band hit the stage, the room got 1000 degrees warmers as a groove as filthy as Satan’s rectal cavity filled the air. Steam appeared to be rising off of music photographer George Dellinger's camera as he could not press the shutter button fast enough to capture the sheer essence of a young band transcending their youth with a most precise 70s infused rock music. Every note was the right one as if handed down from some rock and roll savior. If you like Queens of the Stone Age and Jack White you will love this band. The dual vocalists blended together in a deliciously intoxicating way and those harmonies got the floor weak in the knees.

It should be noted the show was moved indoors due to the rain. The outdoor big stage is fine but the intimacy created within a small rectangular room with audience vying for position to get close to the band is priceless.   

Besides the Pink Fuzz interview, we've got an interview with Nick Perri of The Underground Thieves due hopefully soon. The Underground Thieves recently finished a tour supporting Black Stone Cherry and The Thieves are opening for Slash in Philadelphia this October 10. Nick Perri has played guitar for Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, Matt Sorum of Guns 'N Roses, Shinedown, and many others so this is wicked exciting. 

Also look out for profiles of Denton songwriter Spencer Wharton and Pensacola, Florida whiz kid LOOSE BOLTS.  

The Denton music community recently lost one of its beloved buskers, Julian Patrick Quinn of Waxahatchie, TX. Julian was a fixture on Denton Square standing in front of McNeill's Appliance playing his banjo and bantering with passersby. I met him back in September of 2017 during a 2 week visit to Denton and when I returned in November I was surprised he could even remember my name.

To me Julian was a posterboy for Denton weirdness and I have had the idea for some time he should be a character in a film or something. He'd jump on his skateboard and cruise down the block with his banjo. Always had a wet cigarette for you to drag on... the last time I saw him he gave me a sip of his wine and I gave him a dollar. 

In his passing I discovered his album on Bandcamp, a collection of sappy love songs so infectious they've been buzzing in me head all week. It's called Lovers Telepathy and is the kind of music that could easily be the soundtrack for an entire summer: that summer when you graduated high school, met a girl at the beach, considered moving with her to California or just saving the cash and going to Europe for a year or lifetime. The music now seems tragically optimistic and hopeful about the nature of existence but I am OK with that as long as there is a place where summer nights truly are forever.

I have been wondering why I think about Julian so much: I didn't know him well. He was a crazy kid in front of an appliance store old enough to be my son if I had any of my own. In his youthful  exuberance I recognized something lost in myself or something I simply had to cultivate from nothing. There was a time when I enjoyed life so much the molecules of bliss just bubbled out of my skull. 

That he died so young is a reminder we're all heading out one day sooner or later. Until then we've got the lastlove songs of Julian, Lovers Telepathy for our endless summer nights.

Here's a link to Julian's music here.
Read more here about his life.  
​
    

Recently, I noticed a photo of mine being used by a bar in Berlin to promote the show of a Bangkok band. There was no attribute and it bothered me. There was no way of contacting the bar privately except Instagram message. I sent a message to them and have not heard anything. I don't expect to either. I have said my peace. It was most likely an honest mistake and I'm sure the photo was used in haste by a venue which caters to underground rock music. I choose to focus on the positive and be proud of the fact my photo of the legendary Stylish Nonse of Bangkok, Thailand is making its way to Europe. Pok and June of Stylish Nonsense are heroes and it's really an honor to know them and call them friends.  

That said, thank you to all the bands, promoters, venues that have paid me for photos before or after they have been taken. I am very grateful to the community of talented artists and for their constant support and encouragement. Sometimes just hearing "thank you" makes my day. When I am compensated for the work I do, it makes a tremendous difference in my quality of life and allows me to do more. There are things i simply have to do and I can't help it sometimes even when I know my time could be spent elsewhere focusing on larger financial rewards. (Lately I am focusing on creative fiction writing.) 

As always if you need a photographer, you know how to find me. Rates negotiable for artists always. The rock philosopher is here to serve you. Read about Stone Free 4 where said photo was taken right here. 

   

Stay tuned for upcoming content including an interview with Nick from The Underground Thieves - they are opening for Slash in Philly!
Should have a scene report from Portland, Oregon from Barry Todd.
Review of ST 37 at Backyard on Bell any day now. 
I can talk your ear off about the fiction I am developing at moment, how I need financing, etc. 

It’s the last band of the night on a warm June evening. Two long haired guys, a drummer and guitarist, set their gear up on the stage at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton, a north Texas city often described as a mini Austin or what Austin used to be. I’ve been here several months checking out the local music scene centered mostly on Denton Square and adjacent streets. Every kind of music can be heard in the small city (the little d) a stone’s throw from Dallas and Fort Worth. Still, numerous venues have closed their doors in years as the laid back college town experiences gentrification, a sour note for the sleepy arts community composed of many students and alumni of the city’s two universities, University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University.

It’s a typical night in Denton hanging out at Dan’s where Slobberbone’s Brent Best runs sound and Houston transplant Craig Welch of Brutal Juice runs the door. I have become as common as a bar stool here and the neon longhorn behind the bar has become the most notable feature in my Denton photos. There’s three bands on the bill: Sama Dams from Portland, Dezorah from McAllen,Texas and The Last Great American Rock Band.

A cheap domestic pint is my drink unless it’s hot in which case it’s beer and whisky, sometimes a White Russian. I should go home but a sense of duty keeps me. I order another. By the time TLGARB take stage it seems more fitting to close the bar and start mopping. Watching the band set up, I am fooled into thinking this must be a classic rock 2-piece like Tom Petty, Allman Brother or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Stay 5 minutes, snap a few shots and sneak out the door. The musicians are not hurried nor do they seem overly concerned the room feels empty. Something catches my eye: there’s a crash cymbal with a massive chunk missing from its body. Quickly note absence of bass player. Did you leave the bassist in trunk of car and forget him? Brent adjusts their levels. Drummer has gadgetry set up on chair.  

What kind of band names themselves The Last Great American Rock Band? The lights dim as the ice in my whisky melts into oblivion. The room dissolves in droning hypnotic rhythm. No band introduction. The stage is lit by a few bluish lights giving guitarist Scotty Warren an angelic halo of hair light while drummer Brandon Young is shrouded in near darkness. Flickers of colored light appear from the assorted electronic geekery present but the players on stage are quite still. The drum rolls are fast and plentiful providing an endless cycle of  waves for the guitars to surf on with a degree of disconsonant agility. Slowly the mind takes flight or slips down a rabbit hole of kaleidoscopic radiance... a series of cascading dreams unfolding....

*********************************************************************  

A few weeks later and I am standing in the practice room of Brandon and Scotty. Music gear covers every inch. They have agreed to do a podcast and I’ve shown up with cameras, Zoom recorder and cables without knowing what to expect or what to ask. I have gleaned little to nothing from their Facebook profile and I suspect that everything they really need to say happens when they are creating sound with their respective instruments.  You’ve read about musicians who picked up the guitar and then could not put it down and I would not be surprised if Mr. Warren woke up playing his guitar and would never think to stop playing. Brandon and Arlington, Texas native is the more talkative of the pair. Fresh off a tour with Claire Morales, he learned you really could make a living as a touring band if you hustle. When I had met them just a few weeks earlier the idea of touring for months seemed an unlikely event but now, something has changed in the pair of musos.       

They work through songs they admit are challenging and push their abilities. Rarely do I see a post rock instrumental band honing craft before me. It’s like finding unicorns prancing in the yard - it just doesn’t happen and all the things you wanted demystified suddenly come to light. Like everyone else, they will resort to ordinary language to explain parts the other may have forgotten; they have definite opinions on Star Wars v. Star Trek. Post rock doesn’t mean they don’t have a Led Zeppelin influence somewhere. They are not unaware the confusion and prejudices the name inspires... Yes, this is musicians in their natural habitat and they are definitely The Last Great American Rock Band.

We’ve got a podcast coming out soon featuring The Last Great American Rock Band. 

​DC

PS - got a minute? Sign my guestbook. Click here.  

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