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Liner Notes continued: RIP We Shot JR

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Say what you will about telling the truth. Honesty can be a nasty, thankless job. No one likes a wise-ass; good riddance We Shot JR. At least, that's the popular stance right now around town -- if the music blog criticized your band or your reporting.


Since the anonymously penned website announced its impending end, sometime in mid-to late October, much of the resulting local clamor has focused on just what We Shot JR got wrong. It's difficult to disagree with some concerns; no doubt the comments section could be juvenile. But, I can't help dwelling on everything the blog got right. Early, pre-hype-explosion interviews with up-and-coming groups (Grizzly Bear) and obscure oddities from all over, incessant videos of forward-thinking musicians, the most comprehensive list of concerts in town, releasing records by bands like Daniel Francis Doyle -- most other local blogs are still playing catchup.


We Shot JR passionately championed the underground like no one else around. Without those forever-unnamed writers, the history, and even the very existence of D-FW noise, hardcore, punk, and electronic music -- especially the performances and crowds surrounding house-venues like House of Tinnitus -- might have gone unrecorded, or remained a cursory footnote.


Embodying the candidness of a post-concert conversation among friends, writers like site-founder Stonedranger, analyzed local and national artists with the fervor and reasoning of a fan. They sounded like real people. In part, because We Shot JR had a rare luxury; their writers didn't have to answer to corporate bureaucracy or worry about burning bridges with anyone. They wrote about local music like they still had a stake in things, never afraid to say exactly what they thought.


With all of that in mind, I recently caught up with Stonedranger over Google chat. Some of the conversation was featured in this issue's Liner Notes column, but Allotted Space is a demanding mistress. For the the whole interview, including background information on SR, and reflections on the site, local music, and writing, read on my little lambs.



Q: I think the question on everyone's minds [now that the site is ending] is: Who the hell are you?



Stonedranger: Ha well I don't think we're going to just come out and say who we are, but a lot of people seem to know around town. The truth is that I'm no one special ... not a musician or someone that anyone in the music scene would really know if it wasn't for the website.


Q: How did the blog get started? Did you have any previous experience? Can you explain how everything came together?


SR: Well the idea for the blog started one day when I was driving around Dallas, the name popped in my headfirst and then I decided what it could be about... I was working alone for the first several months, and I didn't even tell my closest friends, even after some of them started reading it themselves... I worked briefly with one person and then I met DL [Defensive Listening] through a comment he posted on the blog and asked him to write about it via email, and that's how it all got started... eventually we got a few friends of ours to jump on board and help out. I had never written professionally before that time.


Q: Let's talk about journalism. The blog seemed firm in its stance that what better qualified you guys to write about music was that you weren't professional writers, just passionate, intelligent fans of music. What do you think about the current state of local 'music journalism'?


SR: Well I don't think that being an amateur necessarily makes you any better or any more honest per se, but I do feel like it helps people to identify with you a little more if you're simply just a fan of music going to shows like everyone else. However, aside from having to sell papers or ads, we very quickly ceased to be "just fans." I think because we were doing interviews and getting press access to shows and receiving free CDs and doing most other things that journalists were doing.


Currently, I think the sheer volume of local music coverage means that there is more variety, certainly more than there was when Weshotjr started. The quality of the writing varies quite a bit, though, and I think a lot of good things are still overlooked pretty regularly and a lot of bad things are still propped up due either to lack of information, poor taste or politics.


Q: What are your feelings on negative criticism?


SR: I think it's necessary if you're going to really help promote the good things in a music scene. There are some people around town who feel that the scene should be supported no matter what, but I think that attitude is reason why the scene was so stale here for so long. I really don't enjoy being a [expletive] to people who have worked really hard to make some music or put on a show, but I feel like if people don't know where you stand then they won't trust you, and if they don't trust you then you really can't help build a scene... we never went looking for people to attack or attacked some small band that no one had ever heard of, we just stated our honest opinions about bands when we felt it was relevant to do so.


Q: What do you think the biggest changes in local music have been since you first began the blog?


SR: Well I think there was a time, maybe between 2007 and 2009, when the city was really coming alive and when Denton was thriving... since then it seems that things have calmed down a bit again, like we're between eras. I guess the biggest change is that it no longer feels like Dallas is still stuck in the 90s, and at the very least the city is finally changing along with the times like everywhere else. And I also think the experimental and underground music scenes have grown and come together over the years, and to me this is the most important development


Q: Before starting the blog, what was your involvement like in the DFW music 'scene'?


Stonedranger: Pretty much nothing. I did know a couple people in a couple bands that haven't been around in years, and I went to a few shows here and there, but other than that none at all.


Q: What city were you living in here? Was there a particular genre you identified with over others?


SR: I was living in East Dallas when I started the blog. I'm not sure if there was one genre that I identified with, but I guess I felt like there was a whole world going on in underground music that wasn't be covered by the local media at the time. Maybe they WERE covering it and I just didn't see it, but based on what I read, it seemed like a lot of local music writers still thought it was the 90s, and I had been following underground music in general for a number of years and it just seemed like a lot of the changes that took place in the 00s hadn't impacted the way music was covered here.


Q: Funny, I've lived in East Dallas for 5 years. What do you consider 'underground music'?


SR: ha.... you must have arrived shortly after I did. Uh, well, I'll admit that "underground" is really an inexact term, but I use I suppose to refer to music that doesn't have much commercial appeal, but I also use it to refer to the subculture that sprouted up around the time of punk rock and continued through post punk, hardcore, college rock and 90's indie rock till today, no matter how different it might seem


Q: Have the writers met one another? Was the blog a collective effort, or was there a defined hierarchy?


SR: Yes, all the writers have met, but there was a time when that wasn't true. The blog was mostly a collective effort although myself and DL have the final word on content, etc
we work together on those decisions


Q: Is there anything you wished to accomplish that you were unable to?


SR: I would have liked to have found a way to make the website profitable so that we could pay people for their work and spend more time on it ourselves, but for a variety of reasons that never happened


Q: Was that related to the lack of advertising on the site? Would making the blog profitable have meant compromising integrity?



SR: Yeah we never really found a way to make advertising work for us. I'm not sure that it would necessarily compromise our editorial integrity, and of course we would have tried very hard to make sure it didn't, but it just didn't seem possible to generate enough money from advertising to make it worth cluttering our blog with ads or raising questions about our intentions


Q: It seems like a lot of the other press outlets in town shy away from almost anything that could be construed as negative. Do you have any idea why that is?


SR: You know, I've been trying to figure that out for a long time. Maybe they consider it a waste of space, or maybe they don't want to make enemies so that its easier to do business around town, or maybe they take some philosophical stance against it, I don't know, but I don't think you're doing your job if you aren't being critical when you feel like you should be.


Q: Do you think Weshotjr has left a lasting mark on the DFW 'scene'?


SR: I guess if anything, we demonstrated that if you're willing to put the work into it, you can almost instantly have a voice and make your presence felt within the local scene. I also think we helped force to Dallas people to pay attention to Denton a little more than they were before


Q: Is there anything you think people misunderstood about Weshotjr?


SR: I think a lot of people that disliked us seemed to think that we took ourselves WAY more seriously than we actually did or do, or think that we felt we were more important than we did. We tried to be pretty lighthearted about most things.


Q:How do you think local music writing affects the musicians who are written about?


SR: I think the writing can have very different effects depending on the substance and the source, so it's difficult for me to say. I know that we've written about some artists that have ended up getting a lot of [expletive] for it, seemingly motivated by jealousy, but I think overall, any publicity for a local band is good publicity.



Lunchtime Jam: 'Sweet Emotion' by Aerosmith



The Morning Hangover

Fun stuff to start your day...

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* Would you: rock the off-the-shoulder look (above)? Our fashion contributor, Kinsey Chavez says the trend is in.

* If you're hungry: try a Hypnotic Donut...if you dare.

* Are you going: to the Common Table tonight? Salim Nourallah and Chris Holt are performing live.

* How to: gracefully "unfriend" someone on Facebook.

* WTF: Vuvuzelas banned from European soccer competition. (Damn things need to be banned from existence if you ask us.)



Quick 'Listoon' No. 21

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Stacy Austin Sheffield and Cal Slayton present "Ways to make college-band halftime performances more entertaining."


Click on the image above to see the larger version.



Club Cam: Deux Lounge

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Were you captured by our cameras at Deux Lounge last weekend? Click on the picture to see Quick's Club Cam gallery. And check back next Thursday for a new slideshow.



The Morning Hangover

Fun stuff to start your day...

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* If you're hungry: try Lady Gaga's diet, which includes tofu, hummus and coconut water. Sounds...uh...delish.

* Are you going: to see The Music of Michael Jackson tonight at the Meyerson?

* Would you wear: any of these hot swimsuits? InStyle.com shows us the "Best Celebrity Bikinis of 2010".

* Are you: our Facebook friend yet? Don't you "like" us?

* WTF: Golfer's swing snags rock, sparks fire



Want to save 50 percent on a Brazilian Blowout?

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Have you guys heard about Buywithme.com? It's a groupon-like website, where a deal goes through when a certain number of people sign up. Usually, you can save about 50 percent - or more - on spa services, meals, haircuts, etc. This week, they're offering Brazilian Blowouts for only $129(!), which is typically valued around $300. But you gotta hurry because the deal only lasts this week. Here's what you do: Go to www.buywithme.com/dallas, click "Buy It", sign up and go get your hair did!

For more info on how Buywithme.com works, read this.



Video and download: Zayra, 'V.I.P.'


Check out this highly danceable new single from former Dallas artist Zayra, whom you may remember from her days performing in Deep Ellum or her stint on the reality competition Rock Star: Supernova. Lately she's preparing to release her debut album as a disco artist on Brando Records. Baby Likes to Bang comes out Sept. 20. We'll have a lot more from Zayra before then, but for now, enjoy "V.I.P. (My Father is Mick Jagger)," remixed by Dave Aude (Beyonce, Gaga, everybody). Video above, and download of the extended mix below. See Zayra kick out some of her disco tunes on Thursday in Station 4's Rose Room Theater.
Zayra, "V.I.P."

(left-click to listen or right click and "save as" to download)



Lunchtime Jam: De La Soul's 'Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)'



The Morning Hangover

Fun stuff to start your day...

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* WTF: Football player's hair gets insured for $1 million.

* If you're hungry: don't eat any of this.

* Have you read: this? Hilar.ious.

* Have you heard: about John Lennon's toilet? The late Beatles' porcelain piece sold for a nice chunk of change at an auction.

* Are you going: to Double Wide tonight to see Ishi?



"Scariest New Restaurant Foods" are...scary

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While we're all still in awe/disgusted/salivating over the finalists for the Big Tex Choice Awards - fried beer, fried frozen margaritas, fried caviar, we felt like it was appropriate to share this article. We just stumbled upon the "Scariest New Restaurant Foods," and, if you think Fernie's Fried Club Salad is crazy, check out Denny's new Fried Cheese Melt. Talk about heart-attack on a plate. The dishes featured in this article make the State Fair's menu look like a diet plan from Jenny Craig.



Lunchtime Jam: OMD feat. Aretha, 'Save Me'

franklin_aretha.jpgYou'll have to hear today's jam over at EW's Music Mix blog, but it's worth the click. I've been listening to the forthcoming comeback album from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for a few weeks now, and this is my favorite track. It's a dance gem featuring sampled vocals from the Queen of Soul. Enjoy.



The Morning Hangover

Fun stuff to start your day...

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* Have you heard about: fivetofab.com? Dallas beauty-company president and part-time model, Jamie O'Banion (above) shows us how to go from drab to fab in five mins.

* Have you seen: pics from last night's Emmys? Click here to see who was lookin' hot on the red carpet.

* Are you going: to the Opening Bell tonight? Becky Middleton hosts an event featuring singer-songwriters in the round.

* Have you read: this list of top 10 films you'll want to see this fall?

* WTF: Kangaroo testicle? Chefs in Serbia say, 'Yes!'



Dead Beat: Kill The Client (new song), show of note

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Today Dallas grind-metal veterans Kill The Client released the first song, "As Roaches", from its forthcoming Relapse Records debut, Set For Extinction, out on October 26.


At first listen, the song's harsh dynamics -- especially the head-spinning assault at its center -- are so overbearing and bloodthirsty it's difficult to accurately dissect everything at work. But then, that's probably just my born again grind-virgin-ears. Further plays reveal a rock element -- in the song's intro and outro -- not as prevalent in earlier KTC material. Much of that is thanks to the song's surprising, inventive drum fills and fearless guitars.


The brain-rattling "As Roaches" is an auspicious taste of the LP's impending doom. While I've never been too big on most Grind bands, it's difficult to deny KTC's impressive ambition here. They're in the rare breed of extreme musicians that straddle various subgenres, and don't just repeat themselves their entire careers. The tremendous amount of sonic ground KTC covers and then promptly scorches in less than one and half minutes only seems to underline that fact.

Show of note:
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Saturday August 28: Drug Mountain (last show ever)/ Dust Congress / Daniel Francis Doyle (Austin)/ Drink to Victory


Let's just pretend that I never announced the end of Drug Mountain two months ago. Yeah - that didn't happen. Bands these days ... if you're gonna break up, STICK WITH IT! Of course, I'm not complaining. There have been few groups that have gotten me as excited about local music in 2010 as Fort Worth's soon-to-be-defunct Drug Mountain. If you never got the chance to experience their particular brand of noisy, confrontational, free-jazz infused art punk -- and believe me, seeing DM live is an unforgettable experience -- you owe it to your ears to come; everyone needs to destroy some hair cells now and then.


Apart from this being DM's last show ever, the bill for Saturday's concert is unusually stacked with talent. I've yet to catch Dust Congress or Drink To Victory live yet, but besides both being some of the most intriguing acts in DFW right now, they're also releasing new records -- a 12-inch and 7-inch, respectively -- that night. And with Austin's Daniel Francis Doyle doing the one-man-band thing with his idiosyncratic, arty, math-minded indie rock this is definitely not a night to miss.



Hey, Bartender! Wendy Florence at Hacienda on Henderson

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Quick contributor Candice Crawford of The 33 talks drinks with Wendy Florenceat Hacienda on Henderson.




Sure Shot: Lady rapper Diamond debuts new video

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The rapper Diamond is an artist who's based in Atlanta and partly in D-FW as a member of Dorrough's ("Ice Cream Paint Job") Prime Time Click. The MC, who's prepping her debut full-length CD, has garnered some buzz after dropping well-received mix tapes (two volumes of "Bitch Muzik") and collaborations with Ludacris, Cee Lo, Keri Hilson, fellow Dallas artist Dondria and more.


Diamond's new video for "Lotta Money" (w/ Gucci Mane) will debut as the 'New Joint of the Day' on BET's 106 & Park today. Also look for Diamond to be a part of BET's new documentary "My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth about Women and Hip Hop," that will air on Monday at 9 p.m.


Diamond, aka "Ms. 32 Flavorz," will host Dorrough's "Get Big Bash" album release party with K104's Skip Cheatham on Saturday at Club Pure (2026 Commerce, Dallas).



Lunchtime Jam, and a review of the Green Day show




Deafening pyro explosions. Confetti. T-shirts shot from guns. F bombs galore.

We'd liken Green Day's concert on Thursday night at Superpages.com Center to a 3-hour stay at a demented amusement park. By the end of the night, our senses wanted to crawl to the nearest corner and take cover. That's not to say getting there wasn't fun, especially for the iconic pop-punk band's 10,000 fans who did their best concert yells and sang along at every turn.

More than a musical showcase, the 21st Century Breakdown tour is a fan-centric experience that gives folks in the oversized pit numerous chances to interact directly with the band.

On Thursday night, the never-stopping, never-slowing frontman Billie Joe Armstrong (sporting throwback bleached hair) pulled diehards on stage several times. While playing the early-career tune "2000 Light Years Away," about 50 younger fans were brought on to surround Armstrong, many snagging extreme closeups of him and bassist Mike Dirnt with their cameras.

The luckiest three fans actually performed with Dirnt, drummer Tre Cool and Green Day's three additional touring players, taking lead vocals on the masturbation-themed anthem "Longview." That must have been the thrill of a lifetime, but we have to admit it was slightly disappointing to not hear one of Armstrong's best songs performed by him.

Otherwise, the foul-mouthed-yet-jovial singer didn't part with his mike throughout the 30-plus-song set list, which hit the high points of the band's 22-year-career. The first section of tunes came from the two recent rock-opera discs, '21st Century Breakdown' and 'American Idiot.' Dramatic story songs "St. Jimmy" and "East Jesus Nowhere" showed off Green Day's gradually-acquired sonic range, but tighter, chant-worthy tunes "Know Your Enemy" and "Holiday" proved they've taken their places as signature Green Day classics.

While the newer tunes at the top of the set were embellished by video backdrops, mood lighting, pyrotechnic fireballs and countless ear-splitting cannon-like booms, older hits "Geek Stink Breath," "Hitchin' a Ride" and "When I Come Around" were presented without frills in the second act. The effects (and the aforementioned confetti) came back for the final songs and encores -- including "Minority," "American Idiot," the epic "Jesus of Suburbia," and the obligatory ender "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."

But Good ol' Billie Joe couldn't let the last half of the concert go by without scaring a few parents. During an extended medley of cover songs including the Isley Brothers' "Shout," Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" and the Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," he laid down on the floor, stuck his hand in his pants and pretended to ... well, you know, just before shouting "I'm losing my [expletive] mind!" There's that punk-rock aesthetic.



The Morning Hangover

Fun stuff to start your day...

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* Are you going: to see You Hang Up tonight? You might be able to get Malcom's Frankie Muniz's autograph.


* If you're hungry: here are five things you must eat this week.


* Have you read: Kinsey Chavez's article on hair this week? Our fashion contributor shares tips and tricks on how to beat the heat in style.


* Listen to this: Dallas DJ Mike Townsend sounds off on his tune style.


* WTF: Octomom wants to be on "Dancing with the Stars".



City Flats: New BFFs for our feet

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Have you heard about Gap's new line of shoes called City Flats? They're genius. A friend forwarded us a pic (above) of the adorable leather ballet-slipper flats that come with a drawstring bag. Planning to wear those totally gorgeous-but-hurt-my-feet-so-bad heels this weekend? Just toss these puppies in your purse and pull them out when your feet need some relief. Gap's website says they come in "ballet pink," "lasalle red" and "signal fire," but it looks like (in the pic) they have them in silver and gold, too. Get 'em for $39.50.



Matt Riggle's not just a Green Day superfan


If you picked up this week's Quick or scoured our online offerings, you might've noticed the highly entertaining essay in the Green Day cover package written by a local pop-punk musician named Matt Riggle. I thought you might need to know a little bit more about Riggle and his Arlington band 41 Gorgeous Blocks. Riggle, guitarist and right-hand man Deedle LaCour and company have been quietly cranking out earworm-heavy albums and EPs for more than a decade. The above video from 2002 gives you an idea of the band's style in previous releases -- breakneck, melody-rich Dead Milkmen-worthy tunes that could win over the most finicky genre snobs. But Riggle hinted in a short phone chat that the new album the band's been working on -- its first in three years -- might be a bit more serious in tone than past efforts. Here's what he had to say:


What can you tell us about the new album?

Basically, it's coming out as soon as we get the mixes back. [Laughs.] But realistically, it's looking like it'll be early October. The album's called This Kills Me. Soundwise, it seems like a progression. Over the last couple of albums, we've sort of morphed into what we've become. There's a lot of acoustic guitar on it - upbeat stuff and slower stuff.

What about lyrics? Any new territory?

It's been three years since we did an album. A lot has happened since then - Deedle's had kids, I've gotten a divorce ... We always write about whatever's happened.

How long had it been since you were a single guy?

I'd been married for three years, and we were together for, like, a decade. It's been interesting on that front. But everything's amicable.

Still, it must've given you some new song ideas, being a bachelor again.

I don't know about being single, but being divorced, for sure.

What are your plans for promoting the album?

We're gonna do what we can. I'm out of the loop with the club scene - I probably don't know a single person who's doing booking these days. But I know we'll play locally and some Texas shows.

Anything else notable about the new stuff?

Well, we've always been a part-time band, but at the same time I've taken the band very seriously. It was always the main thing on my plate. But this time, I was a lot more hands-off on the recording side. And Deedle's actually written four songs for it, which is a first. It's strange, but I actually like it better that way.





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