Staying very busy with this weekends NX35 festival coverage. Very excited to catch Midlake, The Flaming Lips and Joe Pug tonight. Here are a couple of my reviews from Thursday night’s Carrie Rodriguez and RTB2 shows. My reviews for Sleep Whale and Ola Podrida from last night will be up soon, also…

A couple of bands I got to see but didn’t formally review, even though I really enjoyed them were Austin’s Lonesome Heroes (Official /Myspace) and Denton’s Spooky Folk (Myspace). Do yourself a favor and check them out.

Lonesome Heroes “Don’t Play to Lose” Music Video from Daniel Stolzman on Vimeo.

Tags: NX35

In honor of the opening of the excellent NX35 Conferette in Denton, we have a band that will be sharing a showcase stage with none other than Carrie Rodriguez. Interesting pairing, since her light as a feather sound will provide quite the contrast with RTB2’s anvil-like stomping of the showcase stage. I’ll be on hand this year, covering the festival for The Dallas Observer, as I also did last year.

For those of you who like your blues electric, forceful and more than a tad face-melting, you gotta get all up on Denton, TX’s RTB2 (Myspace). Consisting of Ryan Thomas Becker on lead vocals and guitar along with Grady Don Sandlin on drums, this electro-blues duo has been pounding a serious pulse in the North Texas region for a few years now. They have a new, live EP coming out entitled, In People.

This was recorded at last year’s NX35 set, which I was at, by the way. I was impressed by their energy and also by Becker’s commanding stage presence. Be sure to catch them at this year’s NX35 festival if you can, but not if you prefer to keep your face from melting off.

LISTEN: RTB2 – “When Hammer Hits Stone” (from their live EP, In People)

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LISTEN: RTB2 – “Wire to the Walls” (From their live EP, In People)

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RTB2 – “When Hammer Hits Stone” Super 8mm from Andy LaViolette on Vimeo.

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Traveling a path that has led him from his native Virginia, to NYC and Los Angeles, singer/songwriter Sharif (Myspace / Official) has honed his skills as an emotive performer that sheds all inhibitions with the vulnerable and excellent slice of pop, Kisses & Lies.

The artist known as Sharif, tip-toes a fine line between saccharine and jubilant. That said, most of the 14 songs mercifully fall into the category of the latter on this, his third studio album. Gems such as twangy album opener “Far From You”, and the equally twangy duet with heart-throb hero Rhett Miller, “Dark Side of the Dawn”, are great examples of tunes that would fall comfortably onto a Zach Braff movie soundtrack. Most of the album’s tracks lay on a bed of acoustic arrangements, augmented with sweet harmonies and an even sweeter pedal steel that gives the songs an alt-country warmth that glows.

Lyrically sticking to various forms of love, Sharif doesn’t mind ripping his heart right from his sleeve entirely and simply offering it to the listener, as is. The lack of pretense that flows through the entire record results in an engagingly organic experience.

LISTEN: “Dark Side of the Dawn” – Sharif

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Tags: Rhett Miller, Sharif

I am very thankful to get a great amount of music sent to me. I’m even more thankful when the stuff that’s been sent to me is really good and disntinguishes itself from the other newly-arrived items I had been listening to. I recently opened an item from my in-box and found myself hitting repeat on the tracks that the email included. That email was from North Carolina’s Runaway Dorothy (Official / Myspace) and I was listening to their full-length debut, The Arc.

Fronted by David Parnell, Runaway Dorothy showcases a classic alt-country vibe that plain and simple, scratches me where I itch (various ointments and creams have yet to work as well a this album has…too much info?). The production is sparse and the melodies are mournful. The Arc flows with an ease that is laid-back yet completely engaging.

LISTEN: “Takes Alot of Love” – Runaway Dorothy

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LISTEN: “Caulfield” – Runaway Dorothy

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LISTEN: “Hard Way Home” – Runaway Dorothy

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Tags: Runaway Dorothy

The new record from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Official / Myspace), Beat The Devil’s Tatoo, is out this week. It is absolutely killer. You dig filthy, guitar-slingin’ combos of bluesy, riff-heavy rock? Well, good. You’ll dig the crap out of this new album. BRMC has been doing their thing for years now and this pedal to the metal album is proof-positive that slowing doesn isnt an option for this club. The title track (listen to it below) will help you hear what I mean. While also on the album, the approproately titled, “Sweet Feeling” showcases an acoustic side to the guys with a sweet harmonica that is more folky than it is dirty delta, but all in all, BRMC delivers what they have been cranking out to a maximum effect.

Be sure to catch these guys when they swing through the Lone Star State soon:

LISTEN: “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

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LISTEN: “Conscience Killer” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

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Tags: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club