I learned right here at QuickDFW.com that Knox Street Pub has a crazy-good Wednesday happy hour -- $4 wells, $2 Miller drafts ... and $10 all-you-can-eat buffalo wings! The photo above shows the contents of the last basket I shared with a companion, when my mouth had finally cooled down and I remembered to take a snapshot. We tried, but only managed to down two servings. Ah, well.

Last night, after stops at Gloria's on Greenville for a couple Meltdown margaritas (topped with Grand Marnier, yum) and the Grapevine Bar for frozen Pom Poms and Everclear bellinis, I checked out Absinthe Lounge at the South Side on Lamar. Dark, chill, with a DJ spinning hypnotic dubstep, the bar is a cozy spot to hang out. I could see myself plopping onto a sofa and whiling away a couple hours. The bar actually serves real absinthe, which became legally available in the US in 2007. After my mishmash of cocktails, however, I couldn't stand the real thing and ordered the signature cocktail, the Good 'n' Plenty (right) with the wormwood-free Absente. Well, I thought it was wormwood-free. The liqueur's Web site states that it now contains a full measure of the stuff. Thank goodness I only had a sip of the cocktail -- I had no intention of encountering the Green Fairy! Anyway, read more about Absinthe Lounge in the March 11 issue of Quick.

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Two pieces of yummy news for you. First, Pinkberry has added to their menu two new toppings that are slightly more sinful than the slew of fruits and granola the frozen yogurt chain now offers. Cinnamon streusel is one of them -- I bet it'd be incredible on top of the original-flavor yogurt. Even more decadent-sounding are the new cheesecake bites, which would be fantastic on a swirl of original, or better yet, chocolate. The cheesecake fits right into the Pinkberry family, by being low-fat -- bonus!

The second new tidbit comes from Dunkin Donuts -- starting Monday, and every Monday throughout March, the chain will offer customers a free medium iced or hot coffee. You know, to help you cope with your case of the Mondays. The deal is valid at all participating D-FW stores -- no purchase is necessary (woot!) and it's one cup per customer. If you need more than that to wake up, you may wanna aim for something chocolate-y in the doughnut case!

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Nice performance of "Window Seat." Erykah also sat in throughout the show with her friends the Roots, who serve as the house band. After one intro, host Jimmy Fallon chatted with her informally from his desk, seeming giddy and complimenting her for being "so pretty." I think he's a fan. So is actress Regina King, who relished being treated to the Roots' and Badu's rendition of the 227 theme as she walked out for her interview.

» Continue reading "Watch this: Erykah Badu on 'Fallon' last night"

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If you didn't already check out our interview with Jake Wilganowski, singer for local rock band Bridges & Blinking Lights, here 'tis. At the end of it, we promised a couple of less-than-serious questionnaires from band members, which you'll find below. But before that, let us strongly encourage you to get up to Denton this evening to see B&BL play a CD release show at Dan's Silverleaf. And now, back to the lecture at hand:


JAKE WILGANOWSKI

By day, I am: A television cameraman
By night: I am: thirsty. PBR anyone?
My physical age is: 100, after a show night ...
My emotional age is: 10
Three musicians who've made me who I am today are: Dylan, Young, G (Kenny that is)
After a B&BL show, you can always find me: Shootin' dice in the alley. Don't you owe me money?
My biggest nonmusical passions are: Film, my wife Linsey, Fuel City tacos.
Something about me you wouldn't immediately pick up on is: I'm half Polish but can speak fluent English.
What makes me:
-- Nervous?: Politics
-- Angry?: The blonde lady on 'The View'
-- Laugh?: Sarah Silverman


MARC MONTOYA

By day, I am: Working
By night: I am: Playing
My physical age is: 31
My emotional age is: Always changing
Three musicians who've made me who I am today are: Eric Bachman, John Fahey, Bob Dylan
After a B&BL show, you can always find me: False
My biggest nonmusical passions are: Biodiesel, politics, photographing
Something about me you wouldn't immediately pick up on is: I'm sensitive, and insecure
What makes me:
-- Nervous?: CD Release shows
-- Angry?: Traffic
-- Laugh?: Fox News

MICHAEL LILE
By day, I am: A television sound mixer
By night: I am: A hermit
My physical age is: 27 and a half
My emotional age is: Questionable, sometimes 13, somtimes 72
Three musicians who've made me who I am today are: Harry Nilsson, Nick Drake, Tripping Daisy
After a B&BL show, you can always find me: In my stretch limo
My biggest nonmusical passions are: My stretch limo, my soon-to-be-wife Emily, my career, breakfast tacos
Something about me you wouldn't immediately pick up on is: The hints I'm dropping you to buy me a drink
What makes me:
-- Nervous? Watching TV shows that might show a broken limb
-- Angry? Those fake metal testicles that people hang from the back of their pickup trucks
-- Laugh? Just about anything else


Still waitin' for Chris Considine to weigh in, so stay tuned ...

» Continue reading "Getting to know Bridges & Blinking Lights"

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In a nod to Alice in Wonderland, which opens in theaters tomorrow, here's this week's Quick Listoons by Stacy Austin Sheffield and Cal Slayton. It alternates with the "We've Never Met" comic strip, so watch for it every other week!


Click on the image above to see the larger version.

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Were you captured by our cameras at the QuickDFW.com rebuild party at Lemon Bar this past weekend? Click on the picture to see Quick's Club Cam gallery. And check back next Thursday for a new slideshow.

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By now, you've all probably seen the wreckage in the wake of the huge fire on Lower Greenville yesterday (above). Popular haunts Mick's Bar, Hurricane Grill, Greenville Bar & Grill and Terilli's restaurant were all gutted, not only wiping out four great places to dine, drink and hang out, but also destroying decades of history in the 1930's building. So unfortunate.

It seems like just a couple weeks ago that I was lounging on the Hurricane Grill patio, soaking up the sun and sampling the popular and potent frozen hurricane. Also, it was nice to be able to patio-hop if things got to busy at one spot on any given night. Too, I lament never having eaten at Terilli's, about whose Italian cuisine I'd heard fantastic things. Greenville Avenue lost a hefty piece of its charm and history in one day; but if there's a bright side, it's that perhaps the rebuilding of the location will usher in something as cool and cozy as the former inhabitants.

Meantime, you can lend a helping hand, leave your well wishes and read some updates at a Help Lower Greenville page that's been set up on Facebook (past the sign-in page).

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A soundtrack album that should have been buried in a rabbit hole, Spike Jonez keeps it real and reverent, and MLB gameplay that requires no testing for performance enhancers. Here are your new releases for Tuesday, March 2.

MUSIC

Almost Alice , various artists: Apparently compiled by a Hot Topic employee, the soundtrack for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is a confusing muddle of the good (Robert Smith, Owl City, Franz Ferdinand), the bad (All-American Rejects, Shinedown, Motion City Soundtrack), and the completely awful (3OH!3, Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz, Avril Lavigne).

Hillbilly Bone, Blake Shelton: In the title track, Shelton name drops Conway Twitty in what is sure to become a radio-friendly, pop country NASCAR anthem. Still, something tells me the late, great Harold Lloyd Jenkins would be spinning in his grave for receiving props amid such wannabe honky tonk nonsense. The song implies that "we all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside, no matter where you're from." If that's the case, you'll have to excuse me while I call my health care provider to see if they cover having such unwanted growths surgically removed.

Smoke & Mirrors , Lifehouse: Fans of uninspired, cookie cutter grunt rock have been waiting for this album for nearly three years. The wait is over and it's gotta be great! Why else would the record label have pushed the release date back four different times in as many months?

The Pursuit, Jamie Cullum: Not sure which way to go with this Brit singer-songwriter who specializes in "blue-eyed soul" and "jazz pop." I suppose he gets points for collaborating with Dan the Automator and Pharrell. But there's no denying his laser-guided appeal aimed at the Starbucks-soccer-mom-after-one-too-many-margaritas demographic.

DVD

Where the Wild Things Are: Director Spike Jonze refuses to soften the darker underpinnings of Maurice Sendak's classic children's tale; staying true to its original intent while broadening its scope and scale.

2012: Disaster porn. It's not just a disturbing adult film niche anymore.

Ponyo: Take The Little Mermaid, change the mermaid to a goldfish, add voice talent from the likes of Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, and Cloris Leachman, put Oscar-winning animation director Hayao Miyazaki at the helm, and you have Ponyo. Highly recommended for any parent who has seriously considered selling their children to a Third World sweatshop after one too many viewings of The Backyardigans.

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!: Finally, all the lingering unanswered questions from the first Curious George movie will be answered.

GAMES

MLB '10: The Show (PSP, PlayStation 2, PlayStations 3): Major League Baseball's Spring Training preseason starts today. Coincidence? Now you can get a jump on the action, say, by recreating another season wherein my beloved New York Mets fail to make the playoffs despite having the roster to do so.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360): The original Bad Company was a fun, if not particularly groundbreaking, first-person shooter that had you playing as a member of a wise-cracking four-man combat squad. As any great sequel should Battlefield: BC2 retains all the aspects that made its predecessor enjoyable; namely, a fast-moving action story with a potpourri of weapons at your disposal. Then it ups the ante with pristine graphics and a single-player mode for all you wolf packs of one.

Lips: Party Classics (Xbox 360): All the fun of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, without the pesky plastic peripherals. Lips is essentially Xbox 360's rec room karaoke franchise that usually focuses on contemporary Top 40 hits. This time around they're featuring genre-spanning crowd-pleasers such as the B-52's "Love Shack," "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany, and, well it wouldn't be a party without the Village People's "YMCA."

Posted by Geoff Johnston at 9:30 AM | Permalink Comments (0) | Leave comment

The latest issue of Nightclub and Bar magazine features its annual Top 100 list of the best nighttime hot spots in the country. This year's round-up includes honors for two local lounges.

Wish Ultralounge (above) made the top 100 list of the leading nightclubs in the US. And Addison's romantic Mercy Wine Bar was named a finalist in the best wine bar category. Congrats to Sam & Co. at Wish and to Craig & Co. at Mercy!

To celebrate its honor, Wish is throwing a bash at the club this Saturday at 11 p.m., featuring special guest DJ Politik. AND the Wish crew is even flying to the Nightclub and Bar convention in Vegas on Monday to accept their award. Good times ...

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Denton's NX35 music festival is now less than two weeks away, and you know what that means: time for the annual deluge of "this is the year NX35 beats SXSW" articles. Don't look to me for one, though ... at least, until I see F***ed Up play a free midnight bridge show at NX35. The whole Denton vs. Austin argument is utterly played out and pointless. Trying to equate the two cities makes about as much sense as paying for SXSW. No, Denton isn't Austin. It never will be. Actually, Denton's an entirely different town with a music scene and identity of its own. Imagine that. Just reminds me of bands that associate 'authenticity' with a specific look or sound, when the 'realist' thing they could do is just be themselves. In celebration of Denton being Denton, this week's Dead Beat focuses on two Denton bands playing showcases at NX35.



Final Club
Showcase: Friday March 12 at Hailey's with Woven Bones (Austin), Pure Ecstasy (Austin), and Fergus & Geronimo


New release: Hot Gaze EP


Final Club's members have only been together for a few months, having only played a handful of shows. But the group's recently released debut, Hot Gaze EP, positions the crew near the top of Denton's guitar-rock heap. And apparently, people are already taking notice. The band played to a sold-out house when it opened the Meme Gallery a few weeks ago. The basic formula is currently well-worn territory: Jesus and Mary Chain muddy, lo-fi production, distant, shout-from-the-back-of-the-stage vocals, and bright, reverb-heavy riffs. But where most bands using these elements ride the current beach-vibe, 's**t gaze' trend and tend towards one-dimensional novelty, Final Club have found their own shimmering wave.


The tunes on Hot Gaze are basement-rockers built to sound big anywhere. The mono-quality production lends itself well to Final Club's skillfully layered guitar textures and psychedelic, college-stoner ethos. Songs like "Runaway Bay" exhale the muddled confusion of young adulthood, interspersed with moments of clarity. The guitars are slinky and spry, going for broke with every riff. Especially during the band's enthralling, starry-eyed finales, every note lingers in the air, basking in the smoke as it floats skyward, pausing just long enough to take everything in. But the band also knows restraint, pulling back just as often to reveal a single melody or section. When the tremendous rock-outs hit, admittedly, I have a hard time not screaming, cheering them on.


Local audiophiles Weekly Tape Deck recently posted the EP for free download on its blog, check it out here.

The Timeline Post
Showcase: Thursday March 11, Gutterth Showcase at Andy's: The Timeline Post, History At Our Disposal, Nervous Curtains (Dallas), New Science Projects, The Great Tyrant
New release: Slow Descent (The Timeline Post also plays tonight at Hailey's.)

It's not often a band's press release is worth regurgitating when writing about the band's music. However, this is a special case. Meet the Timeline Post.


Excerpts of press release via Gutterth Records:
"When truth is buried by greed and when trust has been overdrawn, what can be done? The Timeline Post does not have an answer. Instead, the band provides a bookmark in time where future listeners can hopefully look back and see how far they have come."


Now, I'm not here to discuss the finer points of writing press releases (I already spent two years doing that at SMU). However, stating an album essentially has nothing to say, other than standing as a document of current cultural woes, might not be the best marketing strategy. On another note, though -- timely!


If the press release doesn't make much of a case for why you should listen to the Timeline Post, the fault doesn't lie with the band. However, when the band's own album can't hold your attention, well ...


The production is solid. The playing is competent. But everything just feels soulless and stale. The guitars, vocals, the rhythm section -- everything feels bled dry of personality or conviction. Virtually all the songs are in standard 4x4 time, most often coming off like extended jam sessions, almost always heading in the most expected direction and only occasionally veering into adventurous territory. The structures are, for the most part, standard hard rock fare, and easily cascade into clichéd, sing-songy melodies. Much of the record sounds like the Christian '90s alternative and rock of Tooth and Nail Records and similar acts ("Kill The Girl" seems to echo Pedro The Lion's Control).


The band is a decent enough hard rock group. But the weaknesses of Slow Descent have nothing to do with talent, and everything to do with a lack of tact or ambition. Tracks like "Devil's Alamo", "Caldera" and "Wild" have some inspired moments, but overall, the band just sounds bored. Documenting the apocalypse should be much more exciting than this. Unless you're still jamming Anberlin regularly, re-think your Thursday.

Posted by Cole Garner Hill at 5:05 PM | Permalink Comments (0) | Leave comment