my brah's new site

my brah's new website, The Drugs Are Working is now up and running. It has great live audio recordings from dentron/dullass area from 2002 - 2006; But he is back at it again, so he will soon have a section for 2008 - current.

500 live sets archived!!!

THE SWORD show on Friday, was the 500th live set I have recorded audio or video for since 2002. Thank God for ear plugs and batteries.

Here is one more video from LOLA'S on Friday... (scroll below for two others)
"Maiden, Mother & Crone" (from _GODS of the EARTH_)

Van Halen setlist.

From American Airlines Center 01/26/2008
01. You Really Got Me (from Van Halen, 1978)
02. I'm the One (from Van Halen, 1978)
03. Runnin' With the Devil (from Van Halen, 1978)
04. Romeo Delight (from Women and Children First, 1980)
(Happy Birthday to Eddie, led by Diamond Dave)
05. Somebody Get Me a Doctor (from Van Halen II, 1979)
06. Beautiful Girls (from Van Halen II, 1979)
07. Dance the Night Away (from Van Halen II, 1979)
08. Atomic Punk (from Van Halen, 1978)
09. Everybody Wants Some (from Women and Children First, 1980)
10. So This Is Love? (from Fair Warning, 1981)
11. Mean Street (from Fair Warning, 1981)
12. Pretty Woman (from Diver Down, 1982)
13. Drum Solo
14. Unchained (from Fair Warning, 1981)
15. I'll Wait (from 1984, 1984)
16. And the Cradle Will Rock (from Women and Children First, 1980)
17. Hot for Teacher (from 1984, 1984)
18. Little Dreamer (from Van Halen, 1978)
19. Little Guitars (from Diver Down, 1982)
20. Jamie's Cryin' (from Van Halen, 1978)
21. Ice Cream Man (from Van Halen, 1978)
22. Panama (from 1984, 1984)
23. Guitar Solo (incl. "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption")
24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (from Van Halen, 1978)
---Encore--
25. 1984 (from 1984, 1984)
26. Jump (from 1984, 1984)

Whip your SWORD out...

...since they did on Friday's at the new LOLA's in Fort Worth. It's run by all the same great people who ran the Wreck Room. Here are two new songs, the first is off the upcoming_Gods of the Earth_ (Kemado Records).

"LORDS"


EXCLUSIVE/UNRELEASED TRACK: "The Frost Giant's Daughter"

from Wikipedia:
"The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is, arguably, the earliest chronological story by Robert E. Howard in terms of Conan's life. The brief tale is set somewhere in frozen Nordheim, geographically situated north of Conan's homeland, Cimmeria. Conan is depicted by Howard as a youthful Cimmerian mercenary traveling among the golden-haired Aesir in a war party.
Shortly before the story begins, a hand-to-hand battle has occurred on an icy plain. Eighty men ("four score") have perished in bloody combat, and Conan alone survives the battlefield where Wulfhere's Aesir "reavers" fought the Vanir "wolves" of Bragi, a Vanir chieftain. Thus, the story opens.
Following this fierce battle against the red-haired Vanir, Conan the Cimmerian, lying exhausted on the corpse-strewn battlefield, is visited by a beautiful, condescending and semi-nude woman identifying herself as "Atali." Upon her bodice, she wears a transparent veil: a wisp of gossamer that was not spun by human distaff. The mere sight of her strange nakedness kindles Conan's lust and, when she repeatedly taunts him, he madly chases her for miles across the snows with the intent of raping her.
Mocking him with each step, Atali leads Conan into an ambush. Undaunted by the snare, Conan slays her two hulking brothers, the Frost-Giants, and then captures her in his arms, only to have her call upon her father, Ymir, to save her. Before Conan is able to ravage her, Atali disappears in a stroke of lightning that seemingly transforms the landscape and renders Conan unconscious.
Later, when his Aesir comrades arrive, Conan believes he must have dreamed the bizarre encounter until he finds he is still grasping the translucent veil that served as the sole garment of the Frost-Giant's daughter.
The utilization of poetic descriptions throughout this tale is quite strong, and on par with Howard's "Queen of the Black Coast." However, the narrative is often criticized by Howard scholars for not having the more detailed plotting of his superior Conan stories such as "The Black Stranger." Largely, this is because Howard was aiming for a mythological feel, something to which the story is eminently suited.

A New Lady in Town?

LOLA's in Fort Worth is taking over 6th Street Live, which is down the road from the old Wreck Room. Spune had THE SWORD play there last night. Fully-packed house and well run show.

Here is video of the openers:
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING (from Austin) playing "Crash the System" and "Brandy of the Damned". The later is off their awesome Nighthunter EP


RECORD HOP (from Dentron) playing "Dog Napper"

BACK UP!!

This site and email are working again. I am in awe of how much time on the phone was wasted trying to resolve the issues over the past 3 days.

Two videos from the . . .

. . . Granada Theater last night.

MGMT were the reason we went and we were not disappointed. I would rather see them in a smaller venue. The mics were hot for a few of the songs, and the lead singer's voice was slightly hoarse. Also, they did not play "Youth" and "The Kids", which are strong tracks off Oracular Spectacular (Red Ink/Columbia). "The Handshake":



We were not impressed with the constantly over-rated and hyped-up YEASAYER, so we left after 2 or 3 songs. Also, I didn't realize there would be hippies dancing. Where was the peyote and dream catchers?

Subject #21: Me, Myself and I

Justin Moyer of Antelope (Dischord) has a music blog called ICELAND: Dispatches from a D.C. Musician in Exile via the Washington City Paper.

Back in December, when they played our X-Mas party at City Tavern, he filmed me for three minutes for a video portrait. Throughout their tour, he filmed 22 people; I ended up being number 21. WATCH/READ For once I was in front of the camera and it is truly obvious how uncomfortable I was being on the spot. Being quite for the entire duration was the hardest part. I recall someone interrupting us on the first take. They filmed people from all over the country and it is definitely worth your time to go through these 22 portraits. All I can say is "thank you" to Justin for allowing me to be a part of it.

a REAL Laptop Deathmatch?

Earlier this evening there was another Laptop Deathmatch, this time at Sloppyworld. While eating with friends next door at Meridian Room, a stimulating discussion was proposed by me: “What if they had a REAL Laptop Deathmatch?” Just like giving up your car in a 1950s drag race, the loser would have to sacrifice his laptop, either, to the winner, or for destruction, I couldn’t decide which was the cruelest outcome. Just imagine how ruthless these options would be.

Actually, I tried to convince a friend that's what was really occurring tonight.

The Locust: setlist & video

Setlist for The Locust at The Door 01/18/08:

AOTKPTA
We Have Reached an Official Verdict
Solar Panal Asses
Wet Dream War Machine
23 Lubed Up Schizophrenic
Hot Tubs Full of Brand New Fuel
One Manometer Away from . . .
Recyclable Body Fluids
Live from the Russian Compound
The Unwilling . . .
X Mas Pig
Book of Dot
Safety Second
Tower of Mammal
Kill Roger Hedgecock
Cattle Mutilation

here is a clip of Kill Roger Hedgecock & Cattle Mutilation (I think)

the locust TONIGHT!!

I just found out san diego's THE LOCUST (31g) are opening for Poison the Weak at the lame-ass Door at 7:30 tonight. FYI, the Door is now at the Gypsy Ballroom.

Not sure how i didn't know about this. Hopefully I can film some of their set.

OXES video - - per request

Nat from OXES emailed me requesting that I put up their version of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" (from 2001: A Space Odyssey) from their SXSW showcase in 2005. Watch this before it gets removed from youtube.

More from the vault

Since I have no shows booked till Feb., I have been combing through my old recordings every weekend.

From Room 710 in Austin 01/03/04. GIBBY HAYNES & HIS PROBLEM "Letter/Redneck Sex"

Anyone know what happened to this side project of the Butthole Surfers?

From Gypsy Ballroom 01/25/06. High on Fire "Silver Back"

Grounds for Divorce

by BIG BUSINESS has been on constant play en mi casa over the past few weeks; primarily because of the clever lyrics. Here is a live version from the Granada last year.



I heard he dabbled into witchcraft, I heard occult
Oh, they’re pretty much the same
I guess he was adopted, or raised by wolves
That’s ridiculous to say

I heard he pulled over, cursed the town
Had the touch, so nothing grew
I heard that too, it's true

That tonight

I heard he spoke in tongues, not crazy
I heard he was a refugee
I heard he was a monster, a scary ghost
Oh you know there’s no such thing

I heard he pulled over, cursed the town
Had the touch, so nothing grew
I heard that too, it's true

That tonight

We're left with some stories and notes
But this is the part that will hurt
And nobody learned
And now nothing grows here

Always a child, remarkable men
Then one day he’d had it, and blew off his head
He filled up his lungs, and he pulled in his hair
And he curled up his lips and he fell
You'll never know how sorry you'll be

I heard he dabbled into witchcraft, I heard occult
Oh, they’re pretty much the same
I guess he was adopted, or raised by wolves
That’s ridiculous to say

I heard he pulled over, cursed the town
Had the touch, so nothing grew
I heard that too, it's true

That tonight

We're left with some stories and notes
But this is the part that will hurt
And nobody learned
And now nothing grows

Always a child, remarkable men
Then one day he’d had it, and blew off his head
He filled up his lungs and he pulled in his hair
And he curled up his lips and he fell
You'll never know how sorry you'll be

(?)
You swear they were dead
(?)
Your harvest will crumble
Your fields will now follow for years
And nothing will grow

People will speak of it once in a while
His mansion would
(?)
And nothing will grow

Video for Gary and Richard

PARTS & LABOR performing "Voltage" at Pastime Tavern last July. Last tour w. drummer Christopher Weingarten.

One more, actually two

Man Man performing "White Rice, Brown Heart" at the Cavern in Dallas on Nov. 21st, 2005.


and here is the re-uploaded 2nd half of the Mirror/Dash set.

Videos from the vault

While cleaning up my office this morning, I found a few gems:

In honor of their final(ly), upcoming tour, MINISTRY performing "Breathe" as part of the encore at Deep Ellum Live in Dallas, April 12th, 2003.


Baltimore's LUNGFISH(Dischord) were one of the first "emo-punk" bands, many years prior to the genre becoming completely saturated by lame bands and overuse of the label "emo" by music critics. This show was in the basement of the First Unitarian Church in Philly, July 5th, 2003.


MIRROR/DASH is a noise side-project featuring the aging husband and wife duo, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, of Sonic Youth. This was filmed in Philly at a gallery warehouse space, Jan. 21st, 2005.
(part two remove due to errors, will upload again soon)

New Year's Eve was spent . . .

. . . filming a show; imagine that. Natalie and I went to visit Attractive $ Popular in Hot Springs; who played a wild house party in Little Rock on NYE. We also celebrated Blake's faux-impromptu birthday that evening.

"Eagle Scream" & a new track "Brown Recluse"

(yes, I take a spill around the 2:45 mark)