Saturday, November 10th, 2012 – DOMA XXIV: The Showcase

It was that time of year again. Time for the Dallas Observer Music Awards, and with that comes the DOMA showcase.

Five different venues were participating this year, some of which boasted some outdoor stages, bringing it to a grand total of eight stages that sixty bands would rock over the course of eight plus hours.

And I figured, “Hey, why not get the most bang for my ten dollar ticket and get there as early as possible!”

The set times were staggered, with some acts at some venues beginning right on the hour, while at others they started twenty or even forty-minutes after the hour, which ensured you could maximize the experience. And I had sifted through all the acts and times and compiled a list of fifteen bands I could at least see some of.

My schedule called for me to begin the night/late evening at Club Dada, so after I arrived in Dallas at about 5:50, I headed towards the venue.

Sarah Sellers was performing there, and until this event, I had never even heard of her. She was however a constant on season 10 of American Idol (though I’m uncertain how far she got), so that should count for something. At least that was my thinking in deciding to see her performance.

Her set was comprised of both originals and a few covers, none of which I knew, though that didn’t matter. Because the 20 or so minutes that I caught, it was her powerhouse voice that was the most captivating thing. Yeah, it was readily clear how she got on American Idol. It was very forceful, sounding like a blend of numerous genres, such as Soul, Blues and R&B. She and her band (the two guitarists I recognized as Josh Goode and Daran DeShazo) played some songs, some of which fit into those previously mentioned genres, while others were a little more Pop and Rock sounding. And possibly the best moment was when all the instrumentalists, sans the keyboard player, took a backseat for a slower song, where her voice really soared.

Honestly, while I enjoyed it, I didn’t like enough to “become a true fan” by buying her music. That’s not to say she doesn’t boast a great deal of talent, though, and I wouldn’t mind seeing another show at some point in time.

Now, she doesn’t have any music for sale (that I can find), but you can enjoy plenty of her music either on YOUTUBE (where she is a bit of a sensation) or REVERBNATION. Also, check out the latter for future show dates.

Once they finished, I stepped out on to the patio at Club Dada, where The Rich Girls were already going. They are a Hall and Oates tribute band, and nothing against the music, but I’ve just never cared for it too much. Still, out of all the other acts playing the various stages at this time, these guys seemed to have the most potential in my opinion.

In the end, they didn’t do much for me, though. They were a rather large ensemble, having six members in all, two of whom were keyboard players. The main turn off for me was their singers voice, which sounded off on everything I heard. It didn’t seem too strong to begin with, either. They were entertaining, though, and the comedy they used in between songs managed to get some laughs from some of the crowd.

Once they ended, I ventured back inside where the next act was supposed to be starting shortly. It turned out though, that he was already playing.

The guy was Clint Niosi, a Fort Worth based musician who, somehow, I had never heard of until this.

He was at the tail end of one song, and next did a song from his latest record, “For Pleasure and Spite”, called “Little Heart”. I was instantly enthralled. It was quickly clear his the lyrics were the main focal point of his songs, and the simplicity of the music, which was just an acoustic guitar (at least for now), made sure you truly did focus on what he was singing. At least that’s how it worked for me. Most of the people who were in Club Dada, though, seemed to care less and were talking amongst themselves, making it hard to fully enjoy the performance. It was after that song he welcomed a fellow musician up on the stage, Claire Hecko, who added a violin to the mix for most of their remaining 30-minute set. The now duo did the song, “Shark In Your Water”, which, like several in the set, had a very ominous undertone to it. Aiding that quality was the fact that the first few lines, such as, “I was a shark in your water. You were drinking like a fish. You offered me a bite…”, were spoken rather than sung. It made it quite eerie, and even a bit frightening sounding. “New Light” came next, and afterwards, Clint announced the next song was titled “White Elephant”. After a lengthy instrumental intro, that, for a moment, had me wondering if the song even had any words to it, Clint began to speak them. I’ve always thought music needs to be song, but the way he does it in speaking adds such depth to it all. He achieves a slightly gruff, melancholy sound by speaking, packed with emotion. Granted, that emotion is more sadness than anything, but it’s still a strong feeling. They next did “The Sum of Parts”, which found Claire aiding Clint with some backing vocals, proving that not only is she a great talent on the violin, but also has a nice set of pipes on her. With “While I’ve Got You on the Line”, they finally did something that had more of an upbeat sound to it, albeit not much of one. Upon finishing it, Claire left, while Clint remarked they had done pretty good on time, and concluded his show with “We’ll Meet Again”, the final track from his 2008 album. It was an appropriate end to the show, but when he finished it, he was informed he had a little time left. “Does anyone want to hear another song?” he asked. Again, most people seemed like they could have cared less (I’ll get to that in a minute), but myself and a girl who was enjoying the music answered his question with a “Yeah.” “That’s good enough for me.” He responded, and proceeded to do one final song. If it was one of his, it’s not on any album. However, after searching online, I somewhat think it was a cover of the song, “True Lies” by the band Esqarial. At least after finding the lyrics to that song they seem to match up with what I remember he sang. Either way, I found it to be the best song of the set, and I’m glad he had time to do it.

Getting to the crowd, they were pretty loud in relation to this acoustic act, and it was visible that it upset Clint. “I’m sorry I’m not a louder act for you all…” he sarcastically told everyone, while he glared at the people gathered around the bar. It was an annoyance, even for me just trying to enjoy their music, so I can definitely understand his frustration.

That leads me to say this: Give the artist the respect that they deserve. If this had been some loud rock band, this would not have been nearly as big an issue, but it wasn’t. So really people, if there’s an act performing and you’re not enjoying what they are doing and want to talk with friends, then leave. Go out to the patio area (which I realize was also hosting bands this night) or go out front of the venue and chat. It’s not fair to the singer, who is trying to do their job, nor is it fair to people (even if there are only five or less of them) that are loving the music. It’s common courtesy and simple respect. I mean, how would you like it if someone showed up to your place of employment and started disrupting you when you were trying to get something done?

Well, getting something done is exactly what every musician is trying to do when they’re on a stage. Sure, it might not be their full-time job, and is most cases, they aren’t even making money doing it, but it’s a job nonetheless.

I don’t mean to sound like an a-hole by saying that, so I hope it doesn’t come across that way, but people really need to think before they start loudly talking to one another, or at the very least watch how loud they are being. Also, Clint deserves some serious props for not losing his cool during the show, because you could tell he wanted to go off on the patrons.

Anyway, while that did subtract from the show slightly, it was still an amazing performance. Clint Niosi is a great singer, but a phenomenal songwriter. The music was awe-inspiring and lyrically, is some of the best I’ve ever heard. Which makes me wonder, how am I just now hearing of this guy?!

He has two albums available, and you can purchase them in either ITUNES or BANDCAMP. You can also see him on December 17th at The Grotto in Fort Worth.

As soon as he finished that last song, I headed out the door and walked a few building over to LaGrange.

The Arlington Pop/Rock band, The Breakfast Machine, was playing there, and was scheduled to start anytime now. Keyword, scheduled.

They ran into some technical difficulties, and Brandon Reynolds couldn’t hear his bass, and it took them about ten minutes, give or take, to finally get everything in working order. You wouldn’t think something like that would impact their set time, seeing as it wasn’t the bands fault, but it did.

As soon as everything was in order, they took off, and got going with a pretty killer, Pop infused song. They kept the pace going with “Cloudy with a Chance of the Mondays”, though the song has some more dreamy sounding parts, especially when it comes to the guitar lines from Ryan Sobczak and Chris Mansfield. That song is the opening track from their “A Pitch to the Wind” EP, and they followed it up with the song that comes next on the album, “Meanwhile in the Cherry Fields”. During those first few songs, vocalist, Meghann Moore, took a little time in between to tell the decent sized crowd who they were and how to vote for them for Best Rock Acts in the Dallas Observer Music Awards. Though, from the next song out, they stepped into overdrive and did a rapid succession of songs, one right after the other. Drummer, Zach Mayo, informed the audience that their next song was a new one. “…It will be on the next record, just as soon as we record it…” he said, before they started it. As it drew to the end, Zach then rounded it into their next tune, “Jumble Jet”. Towards the end, Brandon sang a few lines of it, before getting to what I find to be the best part of the song, and that is the duet he and Meghann do. Her voice is impeccable, and there’s no doubt he is a good singer, too, and when combined, their voices sound rather heavenly. They raced through a few more newer songs, three to be precise, before asking how much time they had left. “You can do one more.” The sound guy informed them. They were shocked by that, and you could see Meghann mouth, “WHAT?!” I assume they had to cut a few songs, because it looked like they had a short band meeting as to how they should end their 32-minute long set, and settled on another newer one.

It did suck, both for them and their fans. In some ways I understand, because with an event of this magnitude, you have to strictly adhere to the allotted time slots. But it also doesn’t seem fair to me that their late start counted against them. Oh, well. Not much that could be done.

As for the show, it was alright. My main complaint was it was very hard to hear Meghanns’ voice, which is hardly the fault of the bands. But that aside, I thought they were really good this night. Despite the technical issues, and the smaller stage they had to work with, they still put on an energetic performance. And the way Brandon rocked out, you never would have known he had been having trouble hearing his bass.

The band has an EP, “A Pitch to the Wind”, available for FREE download on their BANDCAMP PAGE. And to keep up-to-date on their future concerts, then keeps tabs on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

When they were done, I returned to Club Dada, where Home by Hovercraft was finishing up their performance. I had hoped to catch a little more of them, but knew my chance of that was pretty slim.

This unique band, which features the use of a tuba, as well a step dancer, was finishing one song when I walked in, and afterwards started one of their newer songs, “Modernized”. I had seen them once before a few months before, and didn’t think I remembered much of their music, but once that song got underway, I realized it had left more of an impression on me than I thought. It’s pretty catchy, in a weird, offbeat sort of way. Their newest single, “Rocket”, came next, as Shawn Magill began playing the keyboard, while she and singer, Seth Magill, harmonized for the first line, and periodically throughout the tune. “If I die in the summer I want to be buried. If I die in the winter, I want to be burned. If I die in your arms I want to be put inside a rocket and shot up to the sun…”, they sang. It’s a lovely song, in a way that is completely its own. To end things, they did a song from the musical they’ve helped write, and were joined by some of the actors that will be a part of the musical. So, what’s the story of this musical you ask? Well, it’s about Marie Antoniette and the first time machine. Seth told everyone that general plot, then added something like, “So if you’ve wondered why we’re kind of weird. It’s because were also theater people, and theater people are kind of weird…”. There’s nothing wrong with being weird, though. Especially when it makes you stand out as much as Home By Hovercraft does.

They have an EP, “Seams”, that you can buy from their BANDCAMP PAGE. You can also listen to Rocket on there, which will be included on their full-length album, “Are We Chameleons?, due to be released sometime next year and it will feature songs from their musical. By the way, it runs through December 15th and will be in Dallas, so visit their FACEBOOK PAGE for more info on that.

It was back to LaGrange after that, where Jessie Frye was the next scheduled act, and was practically ready to play when I got back into the venue.

I was a bit surprised that it was only her and guitarist, Jordan Martin, since usually she does a full-band with her, though I didn’t think on too much. The duo opened the short, 25-minute long set with “Powerlines”. Out of the very few new tunes I’ve heard at previous live shows, this one has been one of my favorites, and this scaled back version sounded even better. The piano was hauntingly beautiful, while the guitar notes were rather soft and greatly complimented the piano. New songs were the main focus, though there were a couple of older songs thrown in, like “Red Angel White Devil” and my personal favorite, “Sleeping Tornadoes”, which has almost more of a classical sound when done in this format. Before that latter song, Jessie addressed why the other band members were missing, saying it just worked out that they were out of town this particular weekend. Really, that was fine with me, because it’s not too often you get to see her perform in this setting. As they finished that song, Jordan unplugged his guitar and left the stage, but after finding out they still had plenty of time remaining, he returned and they did a new tune. When it was over, he was done for the night, and watched from the side of the stage while Jessie did a solo version of the final song.

It was a great, albeit short set. Still, in watching it, there’s no denying that she’s one of the most talented female vocalists in the D/FW area (a category which she was nominated in for this year’s DOMA).

You can find her first two EPs, “The Delve” and “Fireworks Child” in either ITUNES or BANDCAMP. It’s also worth noting that on the Bandcamp site, you can get a free download of the latter EP. The band is also working on recording their debut LP, which will come out sometime in 2013. Because of that, shows have been pretty sparse lately, but just keep an eye on their websites to know when she and her band will be performing.

I was really getting my exercise this night, especially between LaGrange and Club Dada, which was where I returned to at this point.

Already performing was Ronnie Fauss, who is an exceptional Americana/Country singer. I had only seen him twice before this, with the last time being a little over a year ago, and during that time a lot has happened for Mr. Fauss. He has signed with Normaltown Records (which is a division of New West Records, which some pretty notable acts on their roster.) He’s released a full-length record on that label, and instead of just being a solo singer, he now has a full-band that adds to the depth of the music.

There hometown shows had been very few since the release of that record, and I had been unable to make the one they had done, so I pretty excited to catch this one.

I had missed some of their show, but from looking at their setlist, I think it was only one song, while they were in the midst of their second tune. During that half a song I first caught, it was already noticeable that the pedal steel guitar, drums, bass and electric guitar improved the music exponentially, and I got the feeling this would be one of the best acts I saw this night.

A lot of what they did was songs from the new record, though some older ones were mixed in here and there, such as the first full song I heard, “Tia Maria”. It was slightly different from what I recalled, and was a little faster paced, though it still told the same story that makes it get the listeners interest. …This next one is called A Pretty Nice Night for Houston…” Ronnie told the audience, leading them into a song from “I Am the Man You Know I’m Not”. The song is laced with some sweet riffs on the pedal steel guitar, which is the quintessential instrument for any true Country band, well, that and the acoustic guitar, which Ronnie played for just about every song. The following number was possible the best of their set, and Ronnie set it up by saying they “get into trouble” when they play it anywhere outside of Texas, and that they even upset some people with it a recent show in Colorado. The song is about how Texas is better than any other state, “…Like we needed another one of those songs…” he said laughing, then added, “But I wrote one…” It’s called “Answers You Already Know”, and is a slower song with some deep lyrics (actually, that “deep lyrics” part is a trait that all of his music has.) “…Dreams they ain’t nothing but wishes that have not yet turned in to lies…” he crooned on the first verse, which is filled with other similar ponderings.  And then there’s the line that probably upset their Colorado audience, “…And the stars shine brighter in Texas, then they do up in Colorado…”. Following it was the lead track and single from the album, “The Night Before the War”, which Ronnie mentioned had been getting some airplay on KXT 91.7 in Dallas. They started to wind things down with “Good Enough”, while rounding out the 28-minutes that I caught was another favorite of mine that had gotten a new spin put on it, “To Ease My Mind”. It’s a strong song to finish on, and also offers a more fitting end to the show then most other band’s closing songs do.

Like the singer/songwriter I saw here early this night, Ronnie is a true genius when it comes to penning songs, and not only does he write great ones, he writes ones that tell actual stories. And that is a true gift, and one that a lot of musicians seems to be lacking these days. He also has quite a distinctive voice that is unlike any other singer I’ve heard before, and it fits perfectly with the Alternative/Country style of music he plays.

Then you have his band, which is a team of great musicians that really help bring these songs to life. They put on a good stage show to boot, and Ronnie built a nice rapport with the crowd, too.

All of that is reasons to go check out a live show, such as his next full-band performance, right here at Club Dada on December 15th. The next night he’ll be doing a solo gig at the Kessler Theater, also in Dallas.

As for his records, you can find “I Am the Man You Know I’m Not” on iTunes, or probably on the website of any big name retailer (Amazon.com, Best Buy, etc.) There’s also another record on iTunes, “The Sun is Shining Somewhere, But Somewhere Isn’t Here”, which compiles many of the songs from his first three EPs he released over the years. Be sure to check both out and buy ‘em if you like it.

I also want to add that I am impressed and surprised that Ronnie remembered me. I think it has been about a year and a half or so since I saw him at Lochrann’s Pub in Frisco (a restaurant/venue that is now closed), yet after their set, when my dad and I approached him to tell him we liked the show, he looked at me, “I’ve met you before.” I know musicians meet a lot of fans, especially in the long of a timeframe. So I think it’s cool he did remember it, and “vividly” at that. I remember it rather well, too, and he’s really a nice guy to talk to.

Guess where I went to after his set? Yes, LaGrange.

By this point, the women working the door remembered me and no longer asked to check my ID. Awesome.

Bad Design was on stage here, and they are a semi-Punk band from Denton.

I’ve heard a lot about them over the last year or more, and decided to check them out for a bit to see what they were like. Honestly, I was none to impressed. They were brash and raw, which isn’t a bad thing, but their singers voice wasn’t all that great in my opinion. I caught a few songs, and that was enough for me.

On a side note, this was the last time I was ever at LaGrange (at least in its current incarnation). Sadly, the venue closed during the following week. It’s always bad to lose a venue, especially when it’s one that was as cool as this place. It was a smaller club, and offered more of an intimate connection between the fans and bands that played there. It will be missed, but maybe, hopefully, someone will buy the space and re-open it. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for that.

Trees was the next destination, where Mystery Skulls was scheduled to play. Unfortunately, either the schedule changed without me knowing it, or Trees got ahead/behind schedule, because a completely different act was just starting when I walked in, and since he was a Hip-Hop artist, I could have cared less for his music.

I’m still unsure what the deal was, and upset that I missed Mystery Skulls. While the Electronic band is from Dallas, they have been absent from the North Texas scene since the end of May, and have been doing shows in California and such. I’m also not sure when they will do another Dallas area gig, but I guess I’m just going to have to wait for it, even if it is another five and a half months.

Suddenly, I found myself with a large chunk of empty space on what had been a thoroughly planned out schedule. And with no other bands playing anywhere that appealed to me, it just made sense to go to the patio back at Club Dada and wait for The Blurries to start.

This gave me about a half hour long break of sitting in a chair, which did my legs some serious good. Otherwise, I’m not sure I could have made it standing for eight plus hours.

The quintet opened up their 36-minute long set with one of the singles from their “Paper Cuts” album, “Pretty Knife”. One thing about this band is that they tear through their songs, and soon after finishing it launched right into their next one, the fast paced,  “Your Love”. The song is filled with some intense guitar shredding and nice vocal harmonies to boot, making it one of the best songs in their live performance. After the title track from their record, “Paper Cuts”, the bands singer stated that their next one was a cover song. I couldn’t hear him to well as he dropped the name of the band who originally did the song, though I think it was The Hollies. While I believe the song was “So Lonely”. If that is the right song, it was a great choice for the band, as they have an older Rock sound like that, though there’s a lot of Indie Rock flare added to The Blurries material. They got back to their own stuff with the shorter, percussion driven, “Jumping Up And Down On The Ice”, and followed it with “Sunlight”, which has one of the catchiest guitar chord progressions I’ve ever heard. The song will probably even act like a ray of sunlight and brighten you up a little, as it just has a cherry mood to it. Another upbeat song is “My Love Is A Fuse That Burns So Slowly”, which I believe was one of a couple of songs that required their singer to switch his typical, six-string guitar for a twelve-string one. They continued on with “For The Night”, and then did another fan favorite, “Little Marie”, before ending with “Pulling Teeth”.

My words on their set might be light, but that’s because they stick mainly to playing their music, and their music speaks for itself.

It’s undeniable great, and to help set it apart further from most other bands is the falsetto voice their singer possess. It has a real unique sound to it, I guarantee unlike any other voice you’ve heard before, and it fits well with the music.

As of right now, the bands next gig will be on December 14th at The Doublewide in Dallas. And be sure to check out the “Paper Cuts” record in either ITUNES or BANDCAMP.

Trees was the next destination, and I hoped the band I wanted to see would be playing this time around.

They were, in fact, they were already at least a song into the performance. Oh, “they” is the best Punk/Rock trio in the state of Texas, The Phuss…

Review By Jordan

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