Not much going on today. Big surprise.

1. Laptop Deathmatch (Double Wide)

You know the setup of this electronic competition. The best aspect of it is that it's different everytime.

2. Wild in the Streets (Hailey's) (Free!)

Wild in the Streets is like the Pebbles box set blasting through the club's PA with a healthy dose of French Ye-Ye stuff to top it off. Which is much better than what usually blasts out of club speakers .

3. The Sword | Those Peabodys | Hogpig (Rubber Gloves)

I personally can only take metal or hard rock without a trace of indie kid irony. But if it doesn't bother you, then by all means attend this show.

1. Sarah Reddington | Chris Garver | New Science Projects (Hailey's)

This show almost seems to be a prepackaged event of local critical darlings. All three acts have received praise for their songwriting ability. New Science Projects is the most unique act out of these three for their weird tendency to interrupt the song proceedings with weird distorted beat experiments.

2. Birth To Burial | Fire Don't Care (Metrognome Collective)

Birth To Burial are a local rarity since they do attempt to write structured and catchy songs but they do so with the obtuse and cerebral rhythmic exercises of overlooked 1980's SST Records era bands. That's probably one of the highest compliments I can pay a band, especially a local one. Fire Don't Care are from Arkansas and it's a real damn shame I couldn't get their Myspace page to work because with influences like USA IS A MONSTER and Mission of Burma, they're probably interesting at the very least.

3. Happy Sucky | Angry Businessmen | Plastic Assassins (1919 Hemphill)

If Treewave's electronic songs are too much for you, then skip out on Happy Sucky. Their backing tracks sound completely over the top and ridiculous and I think we could use more of that around here. I've had my fill of people in nice jeans and blazers trying to prove to me that they're the missing link in the great time line of rock and song history while they all write similar sounding songs about similar sounding relationships they've had with similar sounding girls. Give me a break. I really like what I've heard from Angry Businessmen. They play surf riffs on bass and drums and then vocalize over them...angrily. I'm assuming about that last part but I have a pretty good guess. Plastic Assassins have been written about here before and I want to catch them live to understand what they're going for. I'd really like to catch this show period.

4. Voot Cha Index (All Good Cafe)

An unlikely venue for this young band of sixties worshippers. I hear their live show is much more lively than their recordings would have you believe.

Even though it's Friday we're going to be brief today-

1. Diplo (Hailey's)

Diplo is a DJ/Producer who has worked with M.I.A. and has a penchant for mixing everything from Pop Rap to Retro Electro to Indie Rock. He is often compared to DJ Shadow. This is going to be #1 since it comes highly recommended by Stonedranger.

2. Pimp C (Blue) (!)

In keeping with this non-rock theme I'd like to suggest going to see Pimp C if you can't make it out to Denton. I'm pretty sure this is the first time WSJR has told you to go to Club Blue but it should be worth it. He started UGK in the 80's and was one of the first people to put Southern Rap on the map before the term "Dirty South" was even used. He is an undisputed rap legend.

3. Mugzu (Darkside Lounge)

Now we'll make a 180 by telling you to go see Mugzu. Mugzu hails from Denton, play improbably heavy music and are one of the area's longest running metal acts. Plus, they do it with zero cheese factor and that's a real rarity for this area's metal scene.

4. Documentary: Go Halliburton Go (1919 Hemphill, Ft.Worth)

This has been described as a "mockumentary" about Halliburton, Dick Cheney etc. 1919 has a history of showing good political/activist films so this should be worth checking out if you're in Ft. Worth. Show starts at six o'clock so hurry. 1919 suggests a five dollar donation at the door but they never turn anyone away. Can you say that about your favorite club?

The more I think about, the more I realize that despite only having seen them live twice, and only having heard a limited amount of their material, Tree Wave could easily be my favorite band from Dallas proper. Or to put it another way, there isn't any other band in Dallas that I'd be more excited about seeing live. Their recorded material sounds like absolutely nothing else being made around here, and their live shows are exciting and interesting in a way that most local bands really don't even touch. I wanted to ask Paul Slocum more about his band, and the process he goes through when writing songs. So I did. Some of the questions and answers run over from one to the next, but thats what happens when you do email interviews:

Could you give us a little background about the band, when it started, your goals, etc?

I guess we started about 3 years ago. The guy I was playing music with moved to Austin. We did a lot of sampling mixed with homemade 8bit stuff and traditional instruments, and after he moved I decided to try recording some of my own stuff using just 8bit instruments. I got my girlfriend to sing on it and it turned out great. A year after that we started playing shows. I don't know what's next. Right now I'm making videos and music using simple web design mechanisms (animated GIFs, audio loops, etc) and more conceptual stuff like a deep house song for symphonic band and choir.

I've found myself in discussions with people about the process that you guys engage in when writing and recording songs, only to realize that I don't in fact know very much about your process. I kind of have an idea of what the Commodore 64 is, but I know very little about it. Could you explain in as much detail as you're willing how you go about writing and recording songs with the equipment you use

The core of it is the OPL3 chip, which is a sound chip made by Yamaha and used on early DOS sound cards. It's similar to what was used in the Sega Genesis and produces that crunchy "Sega metal" sound. I run it through a BOSS Heavy Metal Pedal to fatten it up, and start off with some drums. I usually try playing some Commodore 64 on top of that (which basically sounds like a fat analog synth). And then add more OPL3 to get noisy guitar-like sounds.The Atari and printer come last because they're hardest to program. They're usually rhythmic accents. Sometimes I use long printer drones to fill out the "guitar" sound. Vocals go in somewhere midway through.When the song's done I program video for the live shows on the Atari 2600. All our video is Atari 2600.

What about the song you play live in which the notes are played in response to movements in a video game? How did you come up with that? Is it easy to screw up the piece live if you die or make a wrong move?

I originally did that as a video installation, and later realized I could perform it live. I thought it was interesting how playing a video game is mechanically and mentally similar to playing an instrument. The original Dodge 'Em game (like Pac-Man with cars) just has a droning engine sound, but I modified it so that each lane you drive in plays a different chord. So if you figure out patterns to win the game and play those patterns consistently, it becomes a chord progression. I programmed 3 loops on the OPL3 which accompany these chord patterns. If I mess up, it really just shortens the song a bit so it's no big deal. I just fade out the background loops early.

Some of the comment posters on this site seem to look down on the way that you go about producing music, and many seem to have inferred that it is "cheating" in a sense, or that the equipment you use to create your sounds makes it "too easy to sound cool." How might you respond to something like that? And should the process of making music even matter when the finished product is discussed?

I'd tell those posters to "suck it". I wanted the record to stand on its own, and many reviewers have agreed that it does. The unusual process is important to me, because it gets me out of creative ruts. Nobody really needs to know that to enjoy the music though. But the process is more important to understanding some of our stuff beyond the music. The Dodge 'Em piece is really a performance and video piece, and has a lot more to it than just the music. And the performance, videos, and process address the nature of technology and obsolescence.

I noticed that visuals are a big part of your live shows, and in many ways are almost the centerpiece on stage, while you are often standing off to the side of a screen. How important are visuals to your band, and do you think that visuals and other considerations outside of the music itself should be considered when someone is trying to understand your band's art and presentation?

For our live show, I think the video is pretty important. Some videos more than others, but in general I think it adds a lot. For Dodge 'Em and the Combat hack, the video illustrates the process to some extent.

Speaking of visual art, will you tell us a bit about your gallery, where it is, what you want to do with it, what kind of work you show in it?

It's called And/Or Gallery, and you can read more about it at www.andorgallery.com. We show a lot of different stuff, but we have more video and new media than any other place here. It's somewhere mid way between an artist-run space and a commercial gallery.

It seems like your band has recieved more press attention outside of Dallas than it has locally. How does that feel? What does that say about Dallas in your mind?

We've received a fair amount of press in Dallas considering how many shows we've played and the one CD we've put out. The Dallas music scene has problems, but it's not that bad. The main problem with Dallas is scarcity of decent radio.

What are some other bands that you like/ identify with in the area?

I like Midlake, Mission Giant, and whatever John Freeman is up to.

If Dallas is like a fake L.A., then Austin and Denton must be... A loaf of bread.

I'm filling in for Stonedranger on some daily duties around here for maybe the next week or so. Please send me show info etc. to defensivelistening@yahoo.com. Thanks.

1. Mix Tapes and Baby Fights | Man Factory | Mathstorm and more (Rubber Gloves)
Man Factory and Mathstorm are the two bands playing tonight. Both bands are very poppy and their performances will sandwich the standup/sketch comedy that Frank Hejl (of the late "Frequency Down" radio show) will be hosting. Mr. Hejl has described this event as an "alternative variety show" in an attempt to meld music and comedy in a rock club setting. I hope this idea works out. At this point, I'd rather sit through a lousy comedian than a lousy band. I'd like to add that I once saw Mathstorm perform and they had a bunch of props and I couldn't believe that they were old enough to no longer have to attend middle school. Their fans were really young too, so the club was full of oversized props and teenagers and I forgot where I was and almost had a panic attack. They did have a lot of enthusiasm, though.

2. Zoo: The Visual Menagerie (Cavern)

Zoo is at the Cavern tonight and I would really like to catch this since I imagine it as a mix between random YouTube finds and a Chunklet Lost and Found DVD.

3. DJ G (Hailey's)
Whenever I've been to this there are always a bunch of hardcore punks and metal heads looking embarrassed to be there. That's just testament to the enduring popularity of this weekly event.

Wanz Dover | Emil Rapstine | My Education at The Cavern

1. Wanz is listed as just himself tonight so I don't know if he'll be playing the kind of blippy electronic stuff he does with Wild Bull. Maybe he'll recite the anonymous 100 comment post from Monday in it's entirety over a laptop beat. That would be pretty interesting, actually. Also performing is a now beardless Emil Rapstine of The Angelus. He's doing a solo acoustic set featuring some brand new Angelus songs. And finally there's My Education who describe themselves as a "purely instrumental outfit" from Austin. They have some stringed instruments mixed in with the traditional rock setup and don't just buildup the entire time the way a lot of one trick pony instrumental groups do. They tour constantly so they should have their dynamic mood pieces down.

2. The Party with DJ Nature at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios

I can honestly say the only DJ who's ever made me dance in my life on a regular basis is DJ Nature. Sure, it was a long time ago during his first stint as the main Wednesday night DJ at RGRS, but that's saying a lot considering my fear of dancing. He's probably one of the most intelligent musicologists from DFW and I have utmost respect for him. I don't even know what he'll be playing tonight but I'll fully endorse the diversity, breadth and depth of his selections before the needle even drops.

3. Clock Hands Strangle | Carey Wolff | Glovebox at Metrognome Collective

Tonight at the Metrognome it's Clock Hands Strangle who play mild chiming guitar rock with an emphasis on song writing. Local acts Carey Wolff and Glove Box have the same emphasis but are more roots oriented. A good show if you're into songwriting at one of the only venues North Texans can be proud of.

Whenever your parents sell the house you grew up in, or someone puts a freeway through your old neighborhood, a knee jerk reaction is to bolt and find somewhere to create your own home - a new and improved location and identity that breaks from the past and looks to the future. A fresh start both mentally and physically. But when that doesn't work, we often return to our old haunts and scrounge around for anything that will make us feel like it isn't all gone. Midlake's latest record kind of sounds like that. The songs are about home; finding it, keeping it and leaving it. The lyrics reference marriage, jobs and living in cabins, yet the album's protagonist often seems to want nothing more than to be alone. We all go back and forth at certain points between wanting to be on our own and wallowing in memories of the past, and I think everyone can relate to that on some level- at least those who complain about Dallas all the time and then never leave. We're all looking for something, or hanging on to what we've found.

"The Trials of Van Occupanther" is soft, warm, and immediately comforting. The chord progressions reference Fleetwood Mac in case you didn't know (pre-Tusk post-Rumors), and the nice wet piano sound that's present on most of the songs is, to me, like hearing oxygen. The arrangements are simple and pretty, adding flute and viola effectively and resurrecting bits and pieces of Janis Ian here or Joni Mitchell's "Court & Spark" there. And if you squint past the Thom Yorkyness of the vocals, you can indeed see Neil Young. And although one can become tied down with all these blatant comparisons and resemblances, I'm still glad that Midlake sounds the way they do. There's room for it right now. The big glammy garage 80s rehash was killin' me, and it's a comfort to know that somebody else out there also likes Bread, Wings, Steely Dan, and Steven Stills' solo stuff. I personally have been waiting forever for this to happen.

But with this ease and familiarity comes a pang of loneliness. I realized a few songs in that I was enjoying this record so much because it reminded me of all those other things; places, people and songs from the past that I already cherish. Like staring at someone else's family photo albums, I recognized the faded colors of the old photography, the fashion and the facial hair - even though I've never seen them before. And I like the photographs because by looking at them, I'm simply recalling my own history in some way. It's not that I don't like Midlake's album – I really do – but I think I like it as much as I do because I appreciate and understand what they are attempting: to cling to past sounds and experiences, in hopes of finding themselves somewhere in there. And I think they're doing it beautifully.

Sorry this is coming so late, but Defensive Listening was going to give me a hand by publishing his own list today... and there was a mix up. Luckily for you, the metroplex isn't exactly jumpin with stuff to do tonight, so my lateness probably won't affect your coolness. Maybe DL will post his list in a bit, but for now, I'll make a quick one:

1. New Science Projects @ Dada. New Science Projects are a band that I don't know that much about, but am really curious to see live. Their (or maybe it is his) mixture of strange noise blips, electro beats and old American folk is certainly an interesting one, and the songs we've heard also manage to stay completely accessible and catchy without being obvious. Give it a listen.

2. Lost Generation (The Cavern Upstairs)
Wanz didn't tell us what he has planned tonight, but I'm sure it will be something good. I can't say it enough: If you're looking to hear a good mixture of electro and experimental tunes, there is no better DJ night in the metroplex to do so.

3. Southerly | Sarah Reddington | Silas Worley (Metrognome Collective)
For the pop kids and the folk kids, and the Sarah Reddington kids... Metrognome hosts this Kill Rock Stars showcase. I'm not sure if Southerly is my thing, but it could be depending on my mood. I like what Silas Worley is doing quite a bit (sort of a Paul Simon thing, in a good way), and we've become more and more impressed with Sarah Reddington, so this could be a good show to check out.

Theres nothing to do, and its too damn hot to go anywhere anyway.

1. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
2. Feist - Open Season
3. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
4. TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (import)
5. Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory - Tree Colored See
6. Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
7. Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
8. Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat
9. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
10. Hot Chip - The Warning
11. Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
12. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
13. Golden Smog - Another Fine Day
14. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
15. Danielson - Ships
16. Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
17. James Figurine - Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake
18. Astronautalis - The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters
19. The Theater Fire - Everybody Has a Dark Side
20. The Black Angels - Passover

That new TV on the Radio is really good, isn't it? I loved their first EP, but I thought the first full length was pretty weak for the most part. This one is worlds better, and I would suggest giving it a chance, even if you didn't like their first record.

Taking the day off today, although I will remind you that Castanets are playing an excellent bill at Rubber Gloves tonight with locals Sarah Reddington and Shiny Around the Edges. See you tomorrow.

1. Lost Generation Concert 2 (Doublewide $5)
The line up:

830-9 Ashburne Glen
915-945 Record Hop
10-1030 Jack With One Eye
1045-1130 The Falkon
1145-1230 The Stange Boys
1245-130 Pleasant Grove

Another excellent installment in this weekend's Lost Generation concert series... not sure who is DJing at the bar tonight, but knowing Wanz, I bet it will be someone good. We like pretty much every band on this list, again, and you should go, again, unless you've decided to go see:

Midlake @ Hailey's. This place will probably be crowded as shit tonight, so I hope they've got the a.c. going. This is CD release weekend for what could (and most likely will be) the most commercially successful rock release from north Texas this year (unless Flickerstick or Drowning Pool puts out another record), so all of you detached observers will enjoy it. And I know that you could reasonably argue that Midlake isn't really doing anything new on Van Occupanther or however you spell it, because they aren't. But if you're into American pop rock, you will hear how well these guys are doing what they do by the time the first chorus on the first song hits, and you won't really care too much about rock history after that.

We're especially looking forward to the Falkon and Pleasant Grove tonight.

So there are quite a few things going on this weekend that are worthy of a little attention. Therefore, we're going to break the Weekender up, and do one post for tonight (this one) and one for the rest of the weekend early tomorrow morning, mkay?

1. Lost Generation Concert Series (Double Wide $5)
Although he's not playing this show (except as a DJ), Wanz Dover has put together one of the largest and most impressive local line ups that we've seen in a quite a while for this two evening event. I guess its sort of like a mini festival, except it doesn't have any of the features that can make festivals suck: it doesn't start too early, doesn't last too long, and is in a decent bar with a good stage and mostly great sound. Its also spread out over two days, which is good. Tonight will SURELY be the rare Friday night at Doublewide: it will actually be a lot of fun. And even if you don't like every band playing, you can check out Djs Cee Pee, G, and Wild Bull (Wawnz) spinning at the bar all night. We're into just about every artist that is performing tonight, so we don't think we'll need very many breaks. Tonight's line up:

830-9 The Friendz (special secret band, so we haven't heard them. We're going to roll the dice and see what we get, based on the word around town.)

915-945 Dutch Treats

10-1030 Silk Stocking (you know we're down with Silk Stocking)

1045-1130 Kidko (one of the best of the Laptop Death Match crew, if not THE best. His music is fractured and somewhat upbeat, but a bit dark and often quite pretty. Some might call it IDM, but I would just call it really good.)

1145- 1230 Unconscious Collective (These guys don't have a Myspace page or website to my knowledge, so you're just going to have to believe that they put on a ridiculously great live show. We've had the pleasure of seeing their noisy free jazz performed live a couple of time, and were blown away on all accounts. And if the words "free" and "jazz" scare you, don't let them: even people not normally into that sort of thing should really dig what these guys do, because they sure don't sound random or improvised, and we haven't seen a single toaster anywhere near them so far.)

1245-130 Jetscreamer (should be a great end to a great show. We're liking this band more and more every time we hear them.)

2. 3/5 of the iDi* Amin gang will be playing as Zanzibar Snails @ Counter Culture Vintage at Mockingbird Station tonight. I'm going to go ahead and guess that they are the first noise band to ever set foot in Mockingbird Station. And just think, if you go and don't like them, you can stop by the Gap or pick up a Killers CD or whatever at Virgin after! iDi member Nevada Hill will have art on display as well, and you'll be able to pick up their excellent new CD too. Its from 7-10, and the band starts at 830.

3. Starlight Mints | Colourmusic (Hailey's $8) Probably don't need to tell you about Starlight Mints, and Colourmusic sounds really good. Have also heard great things about their live show via some trusted sources, so this should really be a show worth seeing.

4. Voot Cha Index | Teenage Symphony | Hardinsweaty and the Ready to Go | Chris Garver (Rubber Gloves $5)
Another good Denton show. We've never been sure about Hardin Sweaty because of their Myspace songs (and lets be honest, their name), but we always hear good things about their live shows, etc, so they might be worth checking out... we'll give it a shot. The other performers are all certainly worth it.

Oh and Flashlight Party will be spinning a house party in Ft. Worth tonight at 2115 6th Ave. Its BYOB, and you can rsvp or get more info here.

Gotta post this by 5, so see ya.

A touring show that I'm looking forward to quite a bit (and one that hasn't really received much local coverage) is Castanets at Rubber Gloves on Sunday. I caught a captivating and rather intense Castanets performance at SXSW a couple of years ago, and I've been looking forward to seeing Ray Raposa play again ever since. In between travels by plane and two busses yesterday, Ray was kind enough to answer some quick questions for us. He has also commented on his enjoyment of the We Shot J.R. Comment Section Beard Wars. I wonder which side he's on?

So are you currently touring in support of your last record, or is there new material being released soon?

It's a kind of tour for First Light's Freeze. Follow up tour. Extra innings. We've got a super limited split 7" with Wooden Wand on our table this time. Split 10" with Dirty Projectors is set for fall release. Tracking the new record in Sep/Dec. Playing some of those song on this trip, as well as some from Matthew Phosphorescent Houck and I's new band.

I've read that you like to do a lot of improv when you play live. What is the motivation behind that? Boredom? Challenging yourself? Do you feel that the recorded material should stand on its own, and that you should attempt change things up in a live setting in order to create something of a new piece of music?

Trying to keep it fresh enough that we all don't quit tours halfway through. Trying not to cover ourselves. I think that records are very much their own final piece. Shows are where the songs get to breathe. Driven out to the country with the top down.

A lot of your music is obviously quite dark and minimal in sound. It seems that you feel quiet atmospherics and space can be a very effective element in a song, and you seem to utilize both quite well in your songwriting. Why do you suppose that space and low level noise can have such an impact on listeners? Or does it?

The sounds and instruments used for a song or album are the ones that I feel suit the song or album best. I have no concept of their impact on others.

I read somewhere that you were working on a piece of fiction writing. Could you tell us a bit about the work, and if its been or will be released?

Lost in the great unpaid storage space seizure of '06.

Do you find any similarities between writing songs and writing stories?

On occasion. They stem I think from similar impeti. Very different in execution.

I've also read that you are involved in an experimental avant jazz project. Could you tell us a bit about that, and other kinds of music that you make, or are interested in making?

Little things here and there. The jazz thing might've been a record that came out on Eclipse a few years back called Womb. A lot of the Cathedral players are on that. I've doing a lot less improvisation lately. Thinking about hip-hop a lot. Dub. Red from Peter and the Wolf and I are both looking deep into those Ethiopiques records as wells. Matthew Houck (Phosphorescent) and I have a band in mind with the song titles all in place. First track's called "Blow Me Down Easy". Four part harmony.

Your songs seem to have a very intense emotional element in them. Do you think that listeners can truly discover much about you as a person through listening to your songs? Do you even want them to?

They won't and they won't by design.

Finally, ever been to Texas or the Dallas/Denton area? Any good stories to share?

Been there plenty. It's always awesome. I lived in Mckinney for a few months when I was seventeen. Making almost daily drives with the girl to pick up wine in a county that wasn't dry. Shows at Hailey's and in Dallas proper have always been great. I can't count the number of good people in these parts. Truly.

Sorry, work issues, etc. have forced me to post a short but sweet list today. Weekender will be better tomorrow. And I've been having more problems with Myspace today that I don't feel like dealing with, so sorry if you haven't been getting bulletins or messages from me today (if you were expecting one.)

Warmermilks | You Are the Universe | Violent Squid: This is a FREE byob house show in Denton, and there is talk of a keg being in the area as well. Will be a fun show I'm sure. The house is located at 628 Lakey St. in Denton. HERE is the map. Starts at 9pm. Warmermilks are a great fucking band, and you know we're into URTU and VS, so you won't want to miss this. And its free, crybaby.

And DJ G will be throwing down at Hailey's tonight as usual with 80's house/electronica.

And moody post-rockers From Monument to Masses will be @ Rubber Gloves tonight.