Archive - May 5, 2010

Thanks to the ever-generous management at the Granada, we are thrilled to be giving away a pair of tickets to see one of the best bands from the Northwest - Minus the Bear. They are playing Dallas’ best live venue next Saturday, May 15th. Don't miss your chance to check out one of indie rock's finest prog-influenced bands that employs incredibly affecting and personal lyrics. Check out one of their better tunes below, and enter the ticket contest (winners selected randomly on Thursday, May 13th) by leaving a comment with YOUR NAME and CONTACT INFORMATION (EITHER AN EMAIL OR PHONE NUMBER) in THE BODY OF THE COMMENT. If you don’t give us a way to contact you, YOU CANNOT WIN. And if you don’t want to risk getting shut out, head over to the Granada website to pick up tickets to the show. Red wine with every meal...

In my goal to see 365 different bands this year, I find myself stretching past my usual fare, and trying to discover as many new acts as I can by just going and seeing them live. Because of this, I'm over a third of the way to my goal and well ahead of schedule. Also because of this, I've had the privilege to discover so many great bands that I had yet to hear before they were on a stage in front of me. One of the biggest surprises this year was by a band that I had heard of for quite a while, but never had the opportunity to give a listen. Scottish indie-pop group Camera Obscura made their way to the studio at Warehouse Live, and quickly made a true fan out of me. It takes a lot for me to really get into the pop-ier sides of indie-rock, but certain bands just stick out above the rest of the pack. This was one of those bands. Fronted by Tracyanne Campbell, the sextet followed her every vocal change with a tightness and professionalism you only see out of the best of bands. If I was more familiar with their catalog, I'd fill you in on which songs sounded better than others, but for me the night wasn't about the most receptive tunes, or the ones that found chatter amongst the crowd (which was not present that evening due to a rare, appreciative Houston audience), it was more about the wholeness of the band and the quality of the music that was being presented. While my love for pop is still developing over time, Camera Obscura gave me a serious push in a positive direction towards true appreciation of the genre.

Opening group, Agent Ribbons, also deserve special mention, as they were a very good compliment to the headliner. Hailing from Austin, this trio of ladies played a softer version of the genre of music made popular by the likes of Amanda Palmer and The Dresden Dolls. They were very clean pop, but added quite the klezmer touch to just about everything they did. Very fun, and rather addictive.

I had fun shooting this show, as I do with pretty much every other one, so check out my photo galleries of both bands after the jump.