Playlist

Two big metal tours in town this weekend

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0600

... That is, if you consider Thursday part of the weekend. CrueFest (I don't feel like looking up the html code to put the umlaut-dot-things above the u, sorry) hits Thursday evening and the Mayhem Festival with Slipknot and Disturbed starts Friday afternoon, both at Superpages.com Center. Are you going to either one? Let us know.

(Photo by Jason Janik / Special to DMN: Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson)

Nas takes over No. 1 spot

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:04:48 -0600

Nas' untitled album just took over the top spot on Billboard's Top 200. It seems as if the controversy over the album's original n-word title didn't hurt. (Or could it be that everyone already has Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III? Just wondering ...) God's Son sits atop the charts after selling 187,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, for his fifth No. 1.

Don't count Weezy out, though. He's still selling over 100,000 per week ... if you remember, Tha Carter III sold a million in the first week of release. And he's held the top spot for three non-consecutive weeks. Guess hip-hop isn't so dead after all ...

Nas, supported by Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica and DJ Green Lantern, will appear at Dallas' House of Blues on The Jones Experiece Tour on Aug. 26.

Patty Larkin sings Warren Zevon

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:03:26 -0600

Ah, what I'd give for a cold day. How I would love to be on the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage, feeling the 50-degree breeze hit me in the face. But since I'm not there, I will turn up the air conditioning in my house in Plano and put on a movie. So, my choice is Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, circa 1998. Near the end, I hear someone singing the old Warren Zevon-Jackson Browne song "Tenderness On the Block." Perfect choice for the finale of that movie, but whose voice is that? It sounds so familiar ... it turns out to be Patty Larkin, whom I reviewed just a few weeks ago at Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse. Wow. Patty Larkin doing a song that was co-written by Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne (and which appears on Mr. Zevon's best album, Excitable Boy). It turns out the song appears only in the movie, not even on the soundtrack album. And not on any Patty Larkin album. And you can bet it will be a cold day in Plano in July before it's released again on any album. Enjoy it while you can. Makes me wonder how many terrific single cuts end up with a similar fate.

Photo: Patty Larkin in concert

Three remastered early '80s U2 discs are out

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:01:54 -0600

Single-disc rereleases and deluxe editions of U2's first three albums — War, Boy and October — just came out (read Thor's review of them here). Are you U2 fan enough to go buy them? Tell us which of the three albums is the best, or at least your favorite U2 album overall.

Jessica Simpson sings for Tony Romo, gets all weepy

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:13:21 -0600

This Jessica Simpson/Tony Romo bit was in today's paper, but it didn't publish to the Web site overnight, for some reason. But lucky you, I've got it right here. You can thank me in one-pound bags of high-tone coffee and free gas cards.

In this episode of Bimbo and the Romo, we have Jessica Simpson taking the stage Saturday for the first time in three years and getting emotional about it. She then dedicates a song she wrote called "You're My Sunday" to "this guy here" who "throws a football" and is "really good at it."

Nashville Star: Arlington's Melissa Lawson performs locally Wednesday

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:39:37 -0600

Arlington's Melissa Lawson, who keeps proving her artistic mettle on Nashville Star, comes home for a benefit concert Wednesday evening at Arlington High School Auditorium, 818 W. Park Row. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Seating is first come, first served. The gig is a fundraiser for State Farm's "High School Dropout Prevention" program. It will surely be filmed for inclusion in the next Nashville Star episode. For more information, click here.

Photo: Melissa Lawson (Courtesy of nbc.com).

New CD reviews: Tell us what you think

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:00:38 -0600

It's New Music Tuesday again, and Mario says that Candlebox has made a robust return with Into the Sun. What do you think? Check here for that CD review and others by Eliza Carthy and Sugarland, along with a report on how the album of controversial French first lady Carla Bruni is doing. Then come back and give us your insight.

Nashville Star: Original song night spells the end for Ashlee Hewitt

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:03:12 -0600

Ashlee Hewitt, the fresh-faced blond with the serviceable voice that once seemed destined to win Nashville Star, was eliminated tonight. She had the fewest viewer votes. Surprising, yes, especially when Coffey is the weakest artistic link on the show right now. Guess his weepy rendition of the Tim McGraw-Faith Hill duet "It's Your Love" last week struck a chord with America. Anyway, it was original song night and the judges raved about Arlington's Melissa Lawson. Ditto Gabe Garcia, from Lytle, Texas. Shawn Mayer survived, too, and got good notices. She did a power ballad called "I'm Not Looking Back." Next week: four finalists turn into three, one of which will be crowned the sixth winner of Nashville Star. The finale should be Aug. 4.

Photo: Ashlee Hewitt (Courtesy of nbc.com).

We were there: Maze at Nokia Theatre

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:03:43 -0600

True to one of Maze's signature songs, there were nothing but "happy feelings everywhere" after the group performed at Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie on Saturday night.

Frankie Beverly, in his customary all-white attire and matching ball cap, was met with a standing ovation from a crowd that never seemed to sit down. The strong-voiced frontman welcomed the audience participation as the crowd became his backing choir, singing along loudly without any provocation. Somewhere, audience members are probably still dancing, wondering why that song is stuck in their heads.

The concert was being taped for a live DVD/CD, which lended an air of anticipation to the proceedings.

(Photo by RANDY ELI GROTHE/Staff Photographer)

Jonas Brothers family moving to Tarrant County?

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:00:02 -0600

Our Metro department got a tip that the Jonas Brothers family is moving to Westlake. Check out the story and documents here. We'll be on top of the details as they come.

The prospect of tween girls' favorite boy band becoming North Texas residents — exciting or annoying? Or are you simply indifferent, as long as it's not your street getting clogged with a bunch of drive-by swooning? Tell us what you think.

• More Jonas Brothers on the blog

(AP photo: Joe, Nick and Kevin)

Tejano Music National Convention comes to Dallas Aug. 15-17

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:05:02 -0600

Yes, Tejano fans, as I reported here earlier this year, the Tejano Music Convention kicks off at the Dallas Convention Center Aug. 15 and runs through Aug. 17. There will be seminars, dance lessons, a fanfare and expo, classes teaching saxophone, accordion and trumpet, and of course concert performances from Jay Perez, Shelly Lares, the Hometown Boys, Ruben Ramos, Michael Salgado, Elida Reyna, Sunny Sauceda, Jaime y los Chamacos and many others. Check out www.tejanoticket.com for all the info you could possibly need.

Photo: Jay Perez at the Tejano Music Convention press conference last February (G.J. McCarthy/DMN).

Martina McBride, Jack Ingram concert: Did you go?

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:00:53 -0600

Normally if we're going to have have a corresponding "How was the show?" blog post that goes with a concert review, we put a note in the newspaper version that routes people here. This isn't one of those. But something tells me it's gonna be good, so I'm curious — did you go? If you did, how was it? Find Mario's review of the concert here.

Producer, deadbeat dad Scott Storch strapped for cash

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:15:00 -0600

I'll be honest. Behind the scenes details don't interest me much. So I'd never heard of this Scott Storch character (former pianist for The Roots and producer of several pop and hip-hop hits, for those of you who didn't know, either) until embarrassing revelations about his bling-to-broke situation got plastered all over the Web recently. Check out the story, a few videos of his hits and other info here.

(AP photo: Storch with Paris Hilton in 2006)

Nas tickets go on sale today

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:08:05 -0600

Tickets for "The Jones Experience," with Nas and special guests (can I get an amen?) Talib Kweli at the House of Blues, went on sale today at 10 a.m. The show is scheduled for Aug. 26, and tickets are $35 to $75. Also scheduled to perform are DJ Green Lantern and Jay Electronica.

DJ Green Lantern and Nas released a mixtape preceding Nas' new, untitled project. You know, the one with that word that caused a bit of an uproar. Need some incentive besides the invective used to originally title the album? Downloads are us.

(Peter Kramer/AP Photo)

Dave Marsh's questionable praise for Alejandro Escovedo

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:00:00 -0600

Dave Marsh is one of rock's all-time best (and feistiest) critics. But at age 58, he's still got a thing or two to learn about journalistic ethics.
The noted Springsteen biographer and Creem co-founder recently published a lengthy story in the Austin Chronicle praising rocker Alejandro Escovedo. Problem is, Escovedo's new manager is Marsh's wife, Barbara Carr.
True, Escovedo deserves any glowing press he gets, especially in his hometown. And Marsh does admit in the story he's married to Carr, but claims her work "has nothing to do with me."
Possibly. But if Mr. Escovedo wasn't Carr's new client, what are the chances a big-time writer like Mr. Marsh would deign to write an epic story about him in an Austin weekly?