Do you guys like house parties? Do you like house shows? Are you down with DIY? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you'll probably be totally down with this year's Dallas Observer Music Awards. You know the Dallas Observer, right? Under the direction of music editor Pete Freedman, the local "indie weekly" has really become involved in supporting and nurturing the local DIY/house party circuit in recent months, and we're happy that they've had the guts to really dig deep and expose some of the unsung heroes of local music. And we know they aren't doing it because they're trying to milk the aesthetic for cool points, either, ok? They really "get" what's going on in the local underground right now, and they want to show their strong allegiance to the scene with a HOUSE PARTY THEME for this year's Observer Awards. I guess that's pretty good news for the local music community, isn't it?

But let me guess, Mr. or Mrs. Elitist, you're skeptical, right? I bet you're wondering, for example, whether this sudden embrace is a tad hypocritical considering that the Observer's music editor feels like his voice is just too large and important to cover house shows without the Police getting wind of them and shutting them down, right? And hmmm, I bet you're also dying to know why the Observer would want to get involved in the house show circuit when their editor wrote the following scornful comment in response to this discussion about why they won't cover house shows:

But, to respond: We're not gonna cover a band that pretty much exclusively plays this scene. We won't preview a gig and let our 100,000+ (at least) weekly readers know about an illegal house show just because that's the only chance they'll have to see a certain band.

Doing so is unfair to everyone: to the band, to the house venue's owners, to our readers, to the people who aren't friends with the party-throwers, to the musicians who aren't friends with the party throwers and won't get booked, etc. I could go on. Plus, how many people can actually attend these shows? Only so many.

Point is, if a house/DIY venue is doing something really cool and WANTS our support, we'll consider it. But we're not gonna go out of our way and pander to show with an attendance of a couple dozen people. Doesn't make sense on any level. At least, not to me. Or to our thousands of readers who, a) aren't at this show, and b) almost certainly aren't invited.

Well don't worry about it, bro, because although the Observer will be embracing the look and feel of "house parties" at their awards ceremony this year, they won't really be stooping low enough to actually host any kind of real house show or DIY event themselves, ok? You see, tomorrow night the paper will be hosting a party that is literally at a house in Dallas (which we won't name in the spirit of fairness), but instead of actually having some sort of substantive event there, they'll be using the house as a backdrop for a photo op-- the Observer gang has invited all of the Observer Awards nominees to come over so that they can "snap candid and posed party shots" (quotes from the invitation) of local bands at a "house party" that isn't really a party but rather a photo shoot for a corporate owned newspaper. I guess you could kind of call it, well, a fake house party. But as negative as this label might sound at first, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it-- this way, their photographers can get pics of everyone 'fuckin chillin' at a kewl house partie without having to worry about its "illegality" or a pathetically small audience of "a dozen" showing up or even about booking bands or creating something that anyone other than a PR agent will truly give a shit about. It's the best of all worlds, really, and its refreshing to see that the Observer has finally decided to take a short break from posts about St. Vincent and Erykah Badu in order to embrace the thriving house show culture that they seemed to so adamantly oppose up until quite recently. The local underground has been waiting to become "legitimate" in the eyes of the dallas music critic community for some time, and this might be the first important step towards finally making that dream a reality.

New Science Projects | Ryan Thomas Becker | The Heartstring Stranglers | Joey Kendall | Kids of Cons (The Hydrant)

Cool Out (the Cavern)

Bad Ass Jazz (Amsterdam)
I wish they would change the name of this thing because it's a fun, quality jazz night that often features some great performers and I'd really like to be able to take it more seriously.

Paul Slavens (Dan's Silverleaf)

fuck your rant broham

fuck you 424. more rants please. this was awesome.

Hahahahahahaha you're such a sleazy little bitch. Pete is by far the best editor we've had in 10+ years and instead of admitting that a competent editor at DO is a good thing for the Dallas community you just throw little bitch tantrums. Don't be mad because the entirety of your existence is to serve as a farm league for blogs that actually matter.

i like this story. also pete freedman reminds me of charlie brown, I'm gonna buy him one of those yellow shirts from Spencer's gifts at the Grapevine Mills Mall. also the link on my name isn't totally accurate. and i think you should post with your real name. also thanks for promoting and spreading good news to the world, while giving all the half ass local musicians a place to let out their aggression. 8===o

so you think that being better than a bunch of equally horrible editors (save for maybe Sam M. and Sarah H.) is doing a good job? If this blog is a farm league, what does that make the observer, a place where the usual strategy is to be as reactionary as possible against all of the so-called "blogs that actually matter," as well as this one, and then eventually cave to their collective influence? this doesn't read like a tantrum to me, but a funny jab at the self-appointed biggest player in town trying in vain to have "street cred." What a fucking joke. Stick to what you're good at, which is either covering garbage or...nothing.

see ya there joey. fake houze partiez for eva. wait, are you one of the half ass local musicians? i don't get it.

Will be going pantless to fake house party with no bands.

i'll be outta town all week.. if any of yall need me!

DO VS WESHOTJR

I'd be interested to see someone provide even one example of how the do blog "actually matters"

it matters because more people read it then they read wshotjr?

(snort) bwaa haa ha ha! Everyone so serious and funny at the same time...

people read the DO blog? news to me...

also, Sarah H was a joke. come on.

*jacking off motion with hand*

The Observer has reached a new level of "twat". This is your dad showing up to a noise show at Rubber Gloves wearing a silkscreened blazer and pierced nipples. And the worst part is, I'm gonna be up all night sewing a penis onto my vagina just so I can walk up to Pete Freedman and tell him to "Suck my lousy dick".

sarah h. also writes for slate and the new york times, good luck with any of the current do music staff joining those ranks

pathetic. almost as pathetic as jesse hughey writing about himself winning a corn dog eating contest while frat brahs cheer him on.

hey 6:52 who are you?

kiss my gotdamn ass you fucking corndog eaters

wait, if this blog is a farm league for other blogs, doesn't that mean a lot of shit is here first?

they call it a farm league so they can feel better about it out performing their big bad ass blog that only 2 or 3 people religiously read.

pussy flap'n

didnt sarah h have a column in salon about her tits?

yes she did.

why didnt they show trueblood this week? fucking bullshit.

well, hey you're one more than 2 or 3, huh? weird how everyone says only 2 or 3 people read this shit. seems to be no problem whenever there are a shitload of people at most events they are a part of

i think they were saying 2 or 3 people read the observer

oh, reading comprehension disconnect

BRUN.And DO's been slipping since Zac Crain.

i hate it when my dad shows up for noise shows at rubber gloves.

no one cares about the dallas observer or weshotjr! now you pussies can hold hands and weep for your relevance together.

Nurse Jackie > Trueblood

sponsored by Hooters lol

Just thought I would clarify that lol was because I am watching Return to Green Acres which takes place in Hooterville and features Eva Gabore's hooters. It's actually pretty sad that Hooter's is sponsoring an event meant to compete with the elite D.I.Y of d/DFW. If they were good businessmen/reporters, wouldn't they choose sponsors that actually APPEAL to the demographic they are attempting to assimilate into? Would have it been that hard to get an American Apparel or a Starbucks, you know companies that would at least lend some credibility to their event. Show me an abstract improvisational noise artist that would choose a complimentary buffalo wing over a complimentary latte. You smell more shit when you are covered in honey or whatever.

I like house shows, and I'm glad Dallas is getting some support. I will say that the DO has been gracious to the handsome kitten and will work with us listing DIY shows if we ask. I think Pete's comments have a tone that taken out of context can make him look like a dick. But I think his point to some degree is valid. Most house shows are invite only and while publicity is nice is also causes some unwanted attention for the owner of the DIY space. I know trying to have a valid argument about this on the comments is stupid. But one last thing what to say is I think it's very valid for weshotjr.com to question the DO on this topic. And in cause someone mistakes this for an actual comment-- I'll get back to sucking and telling everyone to suck my dick.

as someone who has house shows somewhat regularly, i can say i am 100% glad the observer doesn't write about them. i hardly enjoy having shows anymore cause im so nervous about getting the cops called, who as of late have taken to arresting residents. although i will say that the house show theme is kind of lame and having a fake photo shoot for one is even lamer.

hey, jason from 'giggleparty": you're an even bigger shitstain that pete. don't give me your opinion like it fucking matters. YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT. you're a phony that nobody gives a fuck about. so shove it.

chad must be gay, butt thats perfectly okaaa

my music scene has come to this? a fucking fake house party? I shot JFK. I deserve better.

chad loves the laydays

'Most house shows are invite only'.

two things:sam m. always sucked. and "i shot JFK" best comment so far in 2009

Jason from giggle party makes sense and posts like an adult. A pearl among swine.

Ah, and StonedRanger is on the Observer Music Awards ballot this year for "Best Music Advocate". Can we assume he won't be attending?

i like how the DO assumes that every show they write about will be flush with every single reader they have. "dude i was at the flickerstick reunion and there were 10,000 dallas observer readers there!"

jason, pete's tone in context makes him sound like a dick. he missed class when his professors were discussing what tone is. look back at one his first articles about melodica and tell me he doesn't come off like some arrogant frat boy know-it-all.

Who gives an F. Everybody stfu & stop complaining. Go make some music, write a review, listen to someting worth while. You make me sick. You don't like the observer, OK. Great! Stop talking about it. It is just a stupid rivalry that only does one thing. It takes the focus away from the real important things like the artists, musicians, and the followers. If you stopped pissing on each others shoes maybe you could actually do something more worth while. Who gives an F about Peter, stonedranger, or DL for that matter. They do their job and thats it. We are grown up boys so stop acting like high school cheerleaders. You both fulfill important needs for the community and you both play different roles. Job done.

8:25 is a fat dumb baby.

MICHAEL JACKSON DIED.

"Legit" blogs don't anonymously hype their or their girlfriends band.You've also been reading too much hipsterrunoff and that's also "embarrassing".

samhain suck my big fat baby dick

9:29 you are supposed to put the quotes outside of the period. is there any way these guys have bands or girlfriends? i sure hope not.

9:29 are you still waiting for your "record deal?" Don't worry it's cumming.

i just can't believe no one has commented on the photo they used. sim city?!? how apropriate (the simulated house party of the DO, and dallas as a whole) a picture is, indeed, worth 1,000 words.

I think it's funny that anyone would accuse any blog in this town of being somehow more corrupt than the completely comfortable and never changing relationship that the observer writers have had with the local "establishment" for years. Whether it be dating musicians, becoming best friends with them, cutting deals with venues (including the one regarding this very event!) etc. I don't want to make it personal,I think that's low, but if you really want to get into specifics we can do that.

come see me, Abe Vigoda at the Cavern tomorrow. Not the great, decrepit actor, but the band. Talbot Tagora and Sydney Confirm and Cosmic Cocks

michael jackson died?

4:59 you can email me any time if you have any questions!

joey, I just want to tell you...sniffle... how brave you are for using your real name. You are an inspiration to all of us...cowards....SOBBBB!

lameeeeee

i knew pete was dumb and a bastard but i didn't know he would be this much of a phony or a hypocrite. i'm actually amazed.

I'm hosting a simulated giggle party at the giGGlesnort hOtel. Nobody is invited.

Let me first say that I'm not a Pete fan/supporter, nor the Observer as a whole, but in their defense, the point of having a "house party" theme for the awards this year has nothing to do with piggy backing off the success of the DIY scene. It's purely because it's the awards 21st anniversary. Get it? 21st birthday , party, etc.

yeah, we get it.if you want to see a real joke, copy/paste the url in the name box. i guess lyndsay still remembers getting her feelings hurt on here, so she's taking it out on all of us with this piece of shit article. pete is above petty scene politics, huh? that's hilarious. nobody has divided this stupid fucking city more. i hate people I used to like. at least she got the frat boy evidence in there.

no actually that doesn't make any sense. if anything, you go out to a bar when you turn 21

haha... pretty obvious that Pete freedman is an ignorant frat boy douche. now we have the proof. i bet his favorite bands are u2 and radiohead.

8:25 is right on

wanna be startin somethin

I like how she links to a JONANA WIDNER article attacking we shot jr and even attacks zac crain. wow, what a little lapdog.

To OC. Thanks. I'll enjoy being a phony and someone that "Doesn't know shit". Now I understand what my problem is I just don't get it. It makes me glad that there is someone like you out there. I mean dude, you seriously fucking get it. Kudos.

@6:48 a.m.: Thx!@SR: Nice column, but I'd like to elaborate on what others have hinted at, in terms of the Observer's distance from DIY/house events. Pete's "we don't want to get a place shut down" treatise was a rookie mistake at the time, and perhaps a year later, he's tempered by enough experience to see that the Observer's hype won't necessarily draw more than 9 people to a given show. Still, nobody wants to get a cool venue/scene shut down, and if even one mention from the Observer catches a fire marshal's eye, well, fuck. I respect that perspective--it's why I waited until Dallas pirate station Meat Radio had turned its antenna off before writing it up in print, for example. What bothers me here, though, is that just because Pete fronts a corporate entity--sponsored by liquor, smokes, official venues and so on--doesn't mean covering "fringe" scenes (tejano, hip-hop, DJ/mix, DIY) should be neutered or scared away by the "sponsored by" tag. So why are they? Pete had a real shot with suburb-rock, a long-overdue niche article angle that Jonanna Widner lazily ignored before him. But his June feature on the trend came off like something in a business magazine, because it's obvious he dislikes the music in question and wouldn't put his cajones on the table to be an honest writer about it. Guess what? Zac Crain hated Pantera and wrote about them during his tenure--with teeth, conviction and respect all at once. Is the corporate culture of VVM so brutal these days that Pete is stuck in a box, awaiting the day he can finally loose his frenzied feelings? Or is Pete unwilling to get himself caught up in uncomfortable spaces, other than the controlled anxiety of reloading a WeShotJR comments thread again and again between blog posts at work? The typical complaint is that a mainstream outlet covers "the same five bands" over and over, but a far worse fate is to force people to read about all 5,000 of them with no personal conviction attached.

if it's their 21st birthday why wouldn't they go to a BAR? if it were their 18th, i could understand a house party... but when you're 21, you can go to a BAR. so that whole "it's a 21st birthday party" could have been done at a bar.... thus negating the whole concept of "duh, it's a 21st birthday party.. they aren't apeing DIY success"

Are invite only house shows a common thing? I know that some of the old guard in Denton has done that in the past for Robert Gomez, Baptist Generals and Sarah Jaffe shows, but other than those I really haven't heard of invite only stuff happening that often.

Well are any of the house shows you guys post invite only? If so I would hope that you let the readers know before they show up at the door. If not then you guys post a lot of DIY house shows that are free for all.

To my knowledge, all the house shows we post are free for anyone to come unless otherwise noted, and I hardly remember any that were invite only.

you know, this is going back a bit, but people who host "guest-list only" house shows need to be shot in the face. you're fucking worthless and do nothing for a music scene, this city, or music in general. you might as well put on the cd and have a big old circle jerk.and, speaking of giggleparty...

ive never heard of it. but there are some that aren't advertised untill the day before, and are somewhat designated to a smaller audience. i don't think you should "shoot someone in the face" for that, though. sometimes the owners of the space don't want to get ticketed for overpromoting and tipping off police/city officials of some sort. it's not the sort of thing where if you don't have the golden ticket, you don't get in... if you make it to the front door, you get in. they just can't use every media outlet in town to tell the world about a house show that can only handle 50 people tops

Oh, come on. plenty have divided any/every dfw scene much more than PF. Undue credit there, buddy. Don't get all whiny and dramatic. I actually liked the article and don't care for said frat-boy.

i think the larger point is being missed here and it's that pete was initially against the DIY house show crowd by saying they were nothing but exclusive elitists who just did shit for their friend's bands. When he realized it would be more politically viable to reverse his thinking on this, he did so. at some point he also made the excuse that he can't talk about this stuff because he'll destroy it. To my knowledge, the observer shedding light on any of these types of events has neither helped nor hurt. it's just the fact that pete always tries to take some ignorantly hostile stand until he's sure it will work out in his best interests. you can tell by the way he'll attack any band that gets attention that he didn't mention first, the way he attacked wanz for melodica but then praised chris flemmons for doing almost the same exact thing, changing his views repeatedly on house shows etc. Sam m. is right about lack of conviction. he doesn't really stand for anything and when he does it is often immature and misguided.

oh, and I mention the "excuse" about being cursed with unlimited power to shed light on house shows, because it was so unbelievably self-important.

Why is a white dude with a light blue pastel collared shirt allowed to write about the music scene in Dallas and get paid for it?

sam and jason get out of here with your reasonable logic. out.

the house show crowd doesn't read the observer, anyway, and that's a bigger crowd than the DO anticipated. they've lost a lot of face with the people who matter, i.e. "the music-makers..the dreamers of the dream."...this does not include the coke-heads and sycophants who've taken over exposition avenue and it's tiny radius. giggleparty, handsome kitten, all of this stupid shit with dj shows and dance parties thrown to "see and be seen".. you are the perfect demographic for a needless paper slaughter. you've created your own shallow scene, and this is not the music scene that i refer to when i make a defense. in fact, you stand for everything in this evil city that sucks.

hey, giggleparty, isn't your coke-fueled photoshoot with dustin hollywood due about now? you're a fucking twink.

that nbc.com article and photo could have been in the onion.

Come back, Sam M. This town needs an enema.

Me cago en sus muertos!

geezus this town sucks

pete's mind has changed from completely opposing DIY to using the image for a fake house party photo opp.. wow. and i honestly don't think anything has changed his mind other than the realization that house venues are where the 'buzz' is. trust me. buzz breaking is lame. no one gives a shit who got there first. we just want someone who lives and dies for it and if you did you would be a smarter man.

yeah.... all we want is someone who LIVES AND DIES for it!! FUCK YEAH!.... why did that quote make me feel like i was watching the movie Point Break. "he's NOT coming back". on another note, i like my musicians to "FEEEEL it", and my politicians to "keep it real"

well samuel, thanks, once again, for pointing out why you were a douche back then, and continue to forever be a douche...p.s. how are cindy and amanda these days. oh yeah...

i think their point was that pete doesn't actually CARE, he's only trying to cover his ass. and for your information, smartass, i LIKE my comments melodramatic.

its pretty easy to spot the DO posters on here. They are the ones with the stick up their ass.

Anonymous and Anonymous, I'm a pretty easy going guy. I like to support other musicians. I go to lots of local shows. I enjoy having shows at my house. So how someplace in there did I become an asshole and why in the hell are you guys attacking me?I guess what is sad to me is this notion that The Handsome Kitten or Giggle Party is some how connected to a scene of "cokehead"dance parties and this fake "see and be seen" scene. Honestly, The Handsome Kitten is a new DIY venue. We've had two shows with moderate success. Both show let out prior to 2 AM. We checked IDS at the door and marked kids as underage so that we wouldn't run into any underage drinking issues. We let bands come into our house and play for music fans in a positive and fun space. I can't speak for the other "exposition" DIY spaces but please anonymous commentators don't ties us to scenes that we are not part of.If you want to be negative call us sellouts. Everyone in Giggle Party makes a living by having a real job and is educated at fancy universities. We are not tortured artist. We just want to play music. We support and believe in the bands in the Dallas/Denton scene. We support the DIY scene. We don't make money and often we give what little money we do make to touring bands. So please tell me how any of you can justify attacking me on such idiotic claims. I like Pete, he's not done anything bad to me. I know his comments are lame. It's easy to attack him. I think WeshotJR.com raised an interesting and valid point. But mostly to anonymous douche bags I say, post your real name, you fucking lame assholes. Please come up to me after a show and tell me how I'm a "hollywood" fucker. Explain to why I'm such an asshole. Because from this side of things you guys look petty. The scene here sucks because bands who get any attention get thrown under the bus. The scene here sucks because people spend all their time fighting on a blog instead of going to shows. The scene here sucks not because of Pete but because people love to complain and not do any hardwork. Whatever success my "lame" band and "coke filled" DIY space has gotten hasn't been because Giggle Party or The Handsome Kitten are "hooked up" or is involved in some fake scene. It's because we are willing to run shows that make money for bands. It's because we are willing to support local shows. It's because we are nice people. You get further by being nice. Everyone in my band is nice. Which is allot more than I can say for most of the people who comment on this blog.BTW- The Annex House was very nice to let all the bands come over and hang out. Damaged Good$ was especially great. I know I'm just going to get some rude comment--but that's okay. To anyone reading this blog who thinks I'm right,thanks.

jason wrote a book yall

jason: i received approx 3-4 email promptings from you, soliciting my vote for giggle party, in the DO music award category for best new whatever. honest question: why do bands do this? its fucking lame. i will always vote according to merit, not because of web chest-beating or campy electioneering.

my band was nominated and we didn't do that. we don't care if people don't like us.

and no, we're not giggle party...

i think you're right jason but i would not waste my time on here with valid points; the truth hurts people

and again sam m. proves his idiocy. i'm sure the fire marshall reads the music section of the DO

giggleparty, don't sweat these people. Just do what you do.

g'wan and brush your shoulders off..

really, it's this simple: the observer probably sees we shot jr's photos and is striving for the same thing. only it's fake; no bands, no real party, just a photo shoot to make them look hip and give the appearance of the dallas scene being fun and cool.

how do you replicate a house party at a venue anyway? bring in a bunch of pissed-on furniture, a case of modelo, and sloan?

why was the party fake?

no modelo or sloan, duh

Pete Freedman: would you like my support?Me: uh, no thanks.

Check this out...-DaftKid

We were hesitant to do the photo, but we have our reasons and don't regret it one bit. We had a blast. It was just as real of a show/party as we've ever had. Now, please, talk shit to me/us. Pretty easy to figure out were I live, so stop on by, drink some beer, and talk shit to me.

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