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Ramones
tribute proves American punk still lives
A
French girl for a rainy day; home music festival delights delight
This week marks the opening of the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music and film festivals in Austin. Crowded, expensive and unbelievably trendy, attending this schmoozefest of publicity types, writers as well as musical has-beens, wannabes and a few genuinely good acts is done at your own risk. Here’s a music showcase of several new CDs that can be checked out in the convenience of your own venue. The music is pop-ish, sometimes dance-y and very relaxed. In left coast jazz speak, this would be a very cool set. Francoise Hardy “The Vogue Years” Early ’60s Parisian pop music was a delightful place to be, and Hardy is probably the most memorable, along with Serge Gainsbourg. With her gorgeous pure pop voice, the fashion model sang her own modern compositions to minimal orchestral accompaniment. Closer to late ’50s and early ’60s pop than the madness that followed, these mostly quiet, short dulcet songs are stylish, felt and “yeh yeh.” Laika “Lost in Space” This English duo’s trip hop-ish electronica features snazzy drumming in unusual time signatures, rhythmic bass, smoothly flowing keyboards and the occasional electronic quirk. Over which, Margaret Fiedler sings assuredly and cool with a just a touch of ache. The band’s fourth album (a 2 CD set) collects music from their first three CDs along with B-sides and Peel sessions. Their smart, catchy music unites disparate pop, jazz and electronica elements in mid-tempo tunes of remarkable energy and intelligence. Dancing to it might be a challenge, but it’s perfect for cocktail-hour listening. Boards of Canada “Music Has the Right to Children” The Scottish duo’s first CD blends an eclectic bundling of found noises and ambient aural textures, punctuated with sampled spoken voices and a palette of treated percussives. Too cerebrally quiet and warm for proper dance, these rhythmic semi-minimalist soundscapes are the product of having broken apart and reconfigured left field ’90s dance as well as the electronic pastoral music of the ’80s. A 70-plus minute treat for serious listeners of drum’n bass and ambient music. Sondre Lerche “Faces Down” Actually appearing at SXSW this year, Norway’s remarkable 20-year-old Sondre Lerche sings like a relaxed mid-to-late ’60s David Bowie and has an easy musical sense developed from sensibly absorbing the last 40 years of better popular music. Simply strummed acoustic guitars and sweeping orchestrations provide the basis for Lerche’s relaxed songs about love and life. With a little more of “today” in them than the classic pop songs of Burt Bacharach (maybe the best ever), this is a darn catchy CD. I suspect, like all really good songwriters, he will be around for a while.
‘Austin
City Limits’ star to play two venues in Wichita Falls area
Texas music has it newcomers, old standbys, greats and the Kings. The Kings are the singer-songwriters crossing over musical borders without forgetting their roots. Rusty Wier is an undisputed King. Wier was part of the “outlaw” era of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker and Steven Fromholz. These legends threw away the formulas that Nashville thought music should sound like. They were the first to think country music should combine rock, blues, Cajun, Tejano, gospel music and much more. Wier was born in Corpus Christi, but calls Austin home. He began performing professionally at 13. He has since shared a stage with the likes of the Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Pure Prairie League, Gatemouth Brown, BW Stevenson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lynard Skynard and the Allman Brothers. Rusty has even had George Strait opening shows for him. It’s not just what he has accomplished or whom he has played with, Wier is still writing new music, putting out new CDs, and playing awesome shows. Rusty is still a formidable force in the music industry today. A Rusty Wier show is more than a night of good music. It’s a perfect event with an expert musician and entertainer at the helm. He leads you through an evening that promises moments of jubilant dancing and singing along with quiet times of personal reckoning. If you think his name sounds familiar, or he looks like someone you might have seen before, perhaps it’s from one of his three appearances on “Austin City Limits.” You may have caught him in Dallas, Houston, Austin or anywhere in the world for that matter. Wier is the consummate performer in the black gambler’s hat and boots. His tall, lanky frame and one-of-a kind entertainment can be found this weekend at two venues in the Wichita Falls area. Thursday he will be at the Iron Horse Pub in downtown Wichita Falls at 8th Street and Indiana. Saturday he will be in Archer City at the Late Week Lazy Boy Supper Club with Brent Mitchell and Bleu Edmonson. The Royal Theater in Archer City host the Supper Club and you can learn more about that project at http://www.royaltheater.org. Always check with venues as artist, times and covers may change without notice. For more information on Wier, go to http://www.rustywier.com.
Four
days of Irish fun in the Falls St. Patrick’s Day is coming and instead of one day, the merriment will last for four starting Friday at the Kemp Center for the Arts through Monday at the Iron Horse Pub. There is much lore involved in the tales of St. Patrick but in reality he never raised the dead or rid Ireland of snakes. The shamrock is a more bona fide Irish tale in that Patrick used the three-leafed symbol to explain the Trinity. He used the three leaves joined to represent how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit exist as separate yet joined elements. The “Wearin’ of the Green” is an American custom; in fact the color green is not really that popular in Ireland. In fact green is considered an unlucky color. Also the color green is connected to the old green flag and a time when Ireland was not free. Since the holiday started in Ireland as a religious one, in the beginning there were no parades and green beer. Since it was considered a holy day the pubs were not open for business. The celebration, however, has grown more from the somber event to a happy one for the Irish all over the world. With four days to celebrate you will find that suddenly everyone has a bit of Irish in them, green is the color of the day, and thousands will be sporting shamrocks. So here’s a couple of a toasts for you--thirst is a shameless disease so here’s to a shameful cure. Or a good standard – may you be across Heaven’s threshold before the old boy knows you’re dead.
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