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.

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)

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

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

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

LISTEN: “Caulfield” – Runaway Dorothy

LISTEN: “Hard Way Home” – Runaway Dorothy

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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

LISTEN: “Conscience Killer” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

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It’s not all that unusual for me to delve into areas of the musical landscape that aren’t nestled snuggly between the boundaries of country/folk/americana…ok, a little unusual, but not unheard of. That said, I do believe this is my first ever Hip-Hop post on this here Knob. The fact is, I have enjoyed a good bit of rap over the years; albums by The Roots, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I., among others, all have a place in my collection. An upcoming release that I found out about the other day while surfing the interwebs will certainly have a place along side the albums I mentioned previously.

In April we’ll see the release of Distant Relatives, the new collaborative effort from Damian Marley (of Jamrock fame) and Nasir Jones, better known to most of us as Nas. Both of these artists have a reputation for innovation and the couple of tracks I have heard show that neither sacrifices their own unique brand in the attempt to create a cohesive sound. Listen for yourself…

LISTEN: Damian Marley & Nasir Jones – “As We Enter”

Distant Relatives – Trailer

Distant Relatives | MySpace Music Videos

I really really liked Austin Collins last album, Roses Are Black. In fact, I babbled so much about it, I embarrassed myself a tad (back then I didn’t have much need for paragraphs or proper punctuation, it seems), but hey, I really connected with that record, what can I say? Thankfully, Chip reviewed the new record, Wrong Control over at Twangville and not me this time around. The new disc is also fantastic and seems to rock out a bit more than Roses, which is just fine by me.

I wanted to follow a similar path that I traveled with Drew Kennedy’s latest disc. These two Texas troubadours are buddies, so it only seems fitting that I allow Austin the same opportunity that I so graciously allowed Drew (kidding, they’re both better writers than me obviously, so they’re slummin’). Here is what Austin has to say about two of his favorite tracks from the new disc, out this week.

LISTEN: “Care” – Austin Collins (From the new album, Wrong Control)

Austin Says: I call this song the script to my neurotic head-movie. Care is a snapshot of my steady brain battle. Constant distraction and confusion; bait and switch tactics. Sometimes I really can’t seem to land a thought that will stick. I work myself up and pace – mentally and physically. It really bothers me.

LISTEN: “Island” – Austin Collins (From the new album, Wrong Control)

Austin says: I hate it when relationships come with strings. I also hate when someone gets his or her jollies off of creating co-dependence. It’s like the new gateway drug, the new spiritual addiction to a spiritually numb culture that is constantly looking for guidance. This song came from watching people I love fall prey to other people I love in this way. It’s like a declaration of personal freedom, I guess. John Donne said, “No man is an island” and I thought to myself, “Shut up, John Donne”

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Sorry, hate to be one of those bloggers who wont stop going on and on about the bands that will be playing at SXSW this year. I have historically ignored other blogs for the entire month of March, due to my sorrow over not going to SXSW in years past but not this year, hope you dont mind too much. In fact, I’ll let you peek behind the curtain a bit; it’s kind of nice to blog about some bands that I just simply like, versus trying to keep up with new releases and items that have some sort of time-sensitive issues to handle. Thanks for indulging me.

San Francisco’s Sonny & The Sunsets (Myspace / Official) will be playing all kinds of showcases and parties when they trek down to Austin. This track from Sonny Smith’s catalog (below) can be heard on a new compilation, In A Cloud SF, from Secret Seven, even though he does have 4 or 5 albums out (some are out of print at this time). This track has a distinctive Cali-retro vibe that would be suited for any surf-intensive Beach party.

LISTEN: Sonny & The Sunsets – “Heart of Sadness”

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Well, my B-day is coming up this weekend, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to catch a show at The Granada Theater in Dallas. What makes this event even more special than the commemorating of my birth – which seems less special with each passing year, let’s face it – is that none other than The Band of Heathens will be rocking the joint.

Of course, they aren’t the only ones that will be singing “Happy Birthday” to me that evening. Bruce Robison and The Trishas, the female super-group that has been building their own buzz since last year’s Americana Conference, will be joining in the fun as well. You want to come along for the fun (don’t worry, you wont have to hang out with me and act like you give a crap about my age)? Be one of the first 2 people to email me at kelly@thegobblersknob.com with Happy Band of Heathens in the subject line and you and a friend will be all hooked up, courtesy of The Granada Theater. Sorry, all gone, now…

It’s almost springtime in Texas, and that means one thing for may music lovers; SXSW is fast approaching. Thankfully, I’ll be making the trip this year and have been busy doing my homework on what bands I’ll be chasing around all week (Joe Pug, Kasey Anderson, Roadside Graves and Lissie, watch out, you’ll be seeing a whole lot of me).

A group that will likely find it’s way onto that list of stalk-worthy acts for that most magical of weeks is Freelance Whales (Official /Myspace). The Queens based fivesome dish out some rather infectious indie gold. With a bit of whimsy, their blend of off-the-wall instrumentation (is that a glockenspiel and a xylophone?) and harmonies really bring home the bacon and fry it in the pan. I’m really looking forward to the release of their upcoming album, Weathervanes, on March 16th, the day before the music kicks-off in Austin. Word has it they’ll be all over Austin for performances of various sorts during SXSW, so make sure to catch them if you’ll be down Texas-way come March.

LISTEN: Freelance Whales – “Generator 2nd Floor”