BOT Blog

Mess With Texas 2009
With only a week until SXSW Music is in full force, the people behind FYF Fest and Fun Fun Fun Fest have put together a great group of bands for the fourth annual Mess With Texas Party. Pulling together many of the conferences heavy hitters, MWT4 has also brought about two headliners that currently have no other shows scheduled during the week – Gwar and Man Man. I always look forward to this yearly event, not only because the copious amounts of bands performing, but also because the fact that it is completely free. With a new location closer to all the madness, and a switch to a two day format, MWT4 will also be hosting the likes of Billy Bragg, Man or Astroman?, Frightened Rabbit, YACHT, Grupo Fantasma and several more on Friday, and Andrew WK, Fucked Up, Crystal Antlers, Neon Indian, Holy Fuck and a bunch more on Saturday.

Check out the full line-up after the jump

Last month I had the fine privilege to attend not one, but two performances by That 1 Guy. First was a stellar opening set for Keller Williams when we caught him at The Granada in Dallas, and second was when he made it down to Houston for a show at Rudyard's. I only caught the last few songs of the first set, so I made it a priority to get there for the start of his first performance in my hometown in about a year. As I walked in, he was moments into his opening song, and the craziness was abound. Playing his patented "Magic Pipe," along with special guest appearances from his "Magic Boot" and "Magic Saw," That 1 Guy aka Mike Silverman brought along not only his music, but a full show that included comedic interludes and a host of magic tricks as well. While the audience remained seated throughout the set, they were completely sold by Silverman's antics all night. He is a great performer, and if you've never seen him before, I highly recommend it when he inevitably comes to your town. He is unlike any other act going today, and with his odd instruments and signature style he should be a force on the road and at festivals for some time to come.

Check out my photos from the show after the jump!

Todd Snider performs Friday at Mucky Duck
Monday, March 8
Tha Fucking Transmissions, Brandon West and The Black Hats
Boondocks
9 PM

Tuesday, March 9
Joe Ely
Dosey Doe Coffee House
8 PM

Wednesday, March 10
Robert Ellis & The Boys
Mango's
9 PM

Thursday, March 11
David Gray and Phosphorescent
Verizon Wireless Theater
8 PM

George Thorogood & The Destroyers
House Of Blues
8 PM

Check out the rest of this weeks BOT-Approved shows after the jump.

Want free music? Care about the environment? Headcount, NRDC Action Fund and JamBase have teamed up to form Music For Action, a simple give and take that allows you to walk away with a nice bounty of soundboard recordings from the Bonnaroo Music Festival. All they are asking in return for live tracks from the likes of Phish, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Jack Johnson, Death Cab For Cutie and several more is for you to submit a pre-written e-mail to U.S. Senators urging the passing of the recent climate change bill that has already been pushed through the House of Representatives. It only takes a few minutes, and just might be the ticket to influence your state's Senators to take a closer look at the bill, and hopefully vote for it in the long run. The 17 tracks you get out of this whole deal are quite the treat as well, especially My Morning Jacket's take on The Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" and Wilco's sonically pleasing "Bull Black Nova."

Check out the full track list of the "Best Of Bonnaroo" compilation after the jump.

The winners of the pairs of tickets for tonight's Portugal. The Man, Port O' Brien and The Dig show are Tom So and Doug Page. Congrats guys!

We are excited to be giving away two pairs of tickets to see Portugal. The Man, Port O'Brien and The Dig at Houston's Warehouse Live on Thursday, March 4th. To win, all you have to do is leave a comment that includes both your full name and a way to contact you – an e-mail address or a telephone number in which you can receive text messages. I can't stress this enough: YOU CAN"T WIN UNLESS YOU LEAVE BOTH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION! This looks to be a pretty exciting show, as all three bands are quite good at what they do. I'm still yet to catch Portugal. The Man and The Dig live, but I know Port O'Brien bring it.

If you aren't feeling lucky, or have more people than a pair can sustain, feel free to pick up as many tickets as you need on Warehouse Live's Frontgate ticketing site. At $13.40 a ticket, that's only $4.47 a band. Hell of a deal if you ask me!

Thanks, as always, to The Messina Group, AEG Live and Warehouse Live, as well as all three bands, for allowing us to give away these tickets. Both winners will be announced at 2pm on Thursday, and will be posted to the site. We will also contact the winners via e-mail and/or text shortly thereafter.

Good luck!

About a month ago, Damon Albarn's pet-project-turned-international-phenomenon Gorillaz released the first single from their highly anticipated 3rd LP, Plastic Beach. The track, "Stylo," features the vocal stylings of classic soul singer Bobby Womack, and a understated flow from Mos Def towards the end. I was immediately hooked, and quickly added PB to my list of 2010's must have albums. With less than a week until the full album's release, Gorillaz have posted the official music video for "Stylo" through their official YouTube page. The video finds artist Jamie Hewlett, best know for his imagining of Tank Girl many years back, bringing his characters Noodle, 2D and Murdoc into the real world for a high speed chase through the desert. Obviously on the run, the cartoons speed past a doughnut-induced officer before meeting their match in a 45-toting 327 El Camino driving Bruce Willis. Great song, even better video – check it out on the Gorillaz' official YouTube page.

For those who can't wait a week until they pick up their fresh copies of Plastic Beach, you can head over to NPR right now and stream the album in its entirety. I'm about half way through, and am already in love. Excellent contributions from Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Mos Def and Bobby Womack are only the cherry on top of this masterful piece of work. I can't wait to hear the second half!

Port O'Brien are playing Warehouse Live Thursday
Monday, March 1st
The Black Dahlia Murder, Obscura, Hatesphere, Augury
Wired Live
7:00 PM

Tuesday, March 2nd
Dropkick Murphys, Strung Out, Larry and His Flask
Warehouse Live
8:30 PM

Manchester Orchestra, The Features, O' Brother and Biffy Clyro
House of Blues
8:00 PM

Check out the rest of this week's listings after the jump.

Thanks to the ever-generous folks at the Granada, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see a night of Texas country at Dallas' best venue: Band of Heathens and Bruce Robison this Saturday, February 27th. Austin's Band of Heathens play roots-rock well enough that Ray Wylie Hubbard signed on and produced their first album. Bruce Robison is perhaps the lesser-known of the Robison brothers, unless you happen to follow songwriters - in which case he's on his way to becoming a legend. Check out videos from both artists below, and enter the ticket contest (winner selected randomly on 02/27/10) by commenting with YOUR NAME and CONTACT INFORMATION in the body of the MESSAGE, EITHER AN EMAIL OR PHONE NUMBER! If you don’t give us a way to contact you, YOU CANNOT WIN.

Band of Heathens - Jackson Station

Bruce Robison - Angry all the Time

Thanks as always to the Granada!!! Stay tuned for future giveaways!

Akron/Family, Warpaint and Buxton at Walter's On Washington
Doors at 8pm; Show at 9pm
Tickets are $10 at the door

On the afternoon before his February 5th gig in Dallas, Eggs and I were fortunate enough to spend a telephonic half hour talking to one of our favorite artists – Keller freakin’ Williams. The conversation touched on his upcoming releases (new Keels record AND a kids' album!!), the String Cheese reunion, and his thoughts on Furthur… among MANY other topics of interest to Keller fans like us. It was quite a thrill to say the least, and was made even better due to a helluva performance that night in Dallas. We hope you enjoy the interview, and you should sound off in the comments section to assure Keller that he’ll pull big crowds at future Houston shows. Read on after the jump, and stay tuned for a full review of the show.