Comedian Dave Little is the newest edition to the team here at Best of Texas. As one of the funniest guys around, he’ll pop on a couple of times a month to let us know what’s going through that brain of his. Here’s Dave’s first post for us. Enjoy…
I am not interested in politics. I ran for student council in high school because I was under the impression we would have a longer lunch on the days that we met. That was not true. I think I was elected because I could keep a secret and played on the varsity basketball team. Those were my qualifications. My only contribution to the group was in the yearbook photo where I goosed the kid in front of me so he made a face while I looked on innocently. Wayne Newell was his name. I believe he became a dentist. Sorry for what I did, Wayne.
I am interested in politicians who get caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I believe that euphamism covers it all, whether it’s graft or greed or sexual misconduct. In fact, when I read about someone who is dressed down or publicly skewered, I want to buy them a beer. And some potato skins. Loaded. I trust people who make mistakes. I tell my kids that the worst thing you can do is not admit when you are wrong. And that you will never get in trouble for telling the truth. Okay, that’s probably something that will come back to haunt me: “Dad, I told my teacher that she was stupid.”
I am not interested in the things that politicians say to get elected. They hardly ever come true and are so generic that it’s hard to figure out if they were actually responsible for getting it done. How about a platform consisting of “I’m going to do the best I can and if your life isn’t better in the next two to four years I will give back what I was paid and resign from office but it is up to you to list the things that happened to you and why you consider it my fault.” You’re right. Wordy.
I am interested in everything being okay. I do like chaos as long as it is organized and doesn’t surprise me. I consider myself a liberal but my kids believe I’m a dictator and my wife is certain I’m a moderate and they are all correct. I am a social chameleon who speaks up when I shouldn’t and is a wallflower when it would be in my best interest to interact and make friends and be inquisitive. But if I don’t want to be like that, if it makes me uncomfortable, I would be less than genuine and I couldn’t live with myself. I’d be a phony. And that’s why I’m not interested in politics.
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Dave Little is a Dallas-based stand-up comedian, writer, musician and actor. He’s funny for Best of Texas twice a month, but he’s funny all the time on his website www.lovedavelittle.com.
Tired of the red meat are you? What’s that, you say? You’ve never tried meat? Interesting. Perhaps you, like English crooner Morrissey believe that Meat is Murder (Aside from naming one of his albums from his days with the Smiths Meat is Murder, he has famously stormed off of stages mid-set upon simply smelling some form of meat being grilled in the vicinity of his performance).
Well, if you find yourself looking for food that never had a face, then Texas isn’t really that bad of a spot, even with it’s reputation for all things butchered. So, for all of the vegetarian’s and vegans out there, who might be new to the state, or new to the meatless movement, below are a few highlights from some of our major cities in case you find yourself wondering where you can get a killer stack of vegan flapjacks…
DALLAS –
- Spiral Diner & Bakery- Speaking of vegan pancakes. Check out either the Dallas spot or the Ft. Worth location.
- Bliss Raw Cafe and Elixir Bar - Takes the vegan experience to creative, new levels.
- Cosmic Cafe - The grand old dame of the vegetarian dining experience in Dallas.
HOUSTON –
AUSTIN -
- Counter Culture - Food trailer with a conscience.
- Veggie Heaven - A plain-jane spot, lacking any pretense near the campus, it’s seemingly been around forever.
- Conscious Cravings - Another trailer that shows how Austin just gets it. you know what I mean. They just do.
SAN ANTONIO –
For years now, Centro-matic, a band that began in Denton well over a decade ago, has been known as a prolific group that has risen to a rather lofty status in the world of American Indie-rock. Led by Will Johnson, now an Austinite, the band hasn’t yet put out a record that one would consider anything less than stellar.
The band members themselves are highly sought after when it comes to contributing their individual talents to other’s projects, even. Johnson was the touring drummer for the massive Monsters of Folk project, and he also played guitar on Patterson Hood’s (Drive by Truckers) last solo album. Of course, that’s aside from his many producing projects. Drummer and sound engineer extraordinaire Matt Pence has toured with Jason Isbell while multi-instrumentalist Scott Danbom has played with Slobberbone and Sarah Jaffe. See? In-demand!
Their new album, Candidate Waltz, has reawakened many to the greatness of this band and has already began earning more than its fair share of rave reviews and predictions of the album finding its way onto a solid amount of year-end-best-of lists (Hint: There’s no way it’ll avoid landing on this blog’s list of 2011′s Best Texas Albums. Not a chance).
Enough of me blabbing. Since it’s always nice to see fellow Lone Star dwellers win praise from outside of our own borders, I’ll just let you see for yourself, OK?
- PopMatters digs Will Johnson’s prolific nature…
- Paste loves the straight-forward rockness of the album…
- Prefix Magazine is also a fan of the album’s somewhat “un-hip” straight-forward nature…
- Spin Magazine is yet another admirer of Johnson’s ability to create so much, so well, so often…
So, there. Centro-matic might be a band from our state, but it’s clear that their appeal lies beyond the Red River. Still not sure? Check out the tour schedule for the guys. There aren’t many corners of the great 48 they wont be hitting soon, if not later…
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how I really want to hit the Disc Golf course soon. It’s something I haven’t done before and Texas provides many an opportunity to do so. Well, here’s something else I want to do, but haven’t yet. Hit Marfa!
The dry, West Texas town not too far from Big Bend National Park has obviously become quite the trendy locale in the past few years, and from what I can tell, that trendiness is for good reason, really. It’s often referred to as a sort of artist’s retreat of hideaway; a bohemian enclave deep in the heat of our state, away from the typical artistic areas of the Hill Country or even certain parts of the Gulf Coast. In recent years, the town famously provided the backdrop for the Oscar-winning Coen Brothers film, No Country For Old Men.
Something even more than all of that recently caught my eye and really made me understand what I’ve been missing by not having visited Marfa before. Back in April, Mumford & Sons, along with a few other bands condcted a tour where they were carried by train and performed at various, funky spots along the way. Marfa was one of the stops and word of the show that resulted is that it was one heck of an event.
Mumford & Sons about to perform in Marfa
The concert took place at El Cosmico, a spot that seems to only be possible in the arid environs of the west. Run by Liz Lambert, who is responsible for the always in-demand Hotel San jose in Austin, El Cosmico’s website describes itself as “part vintage trailer, yurt and teepee hotel and campground, part creative lab, greenhouse and amphitheatre – a community space that fosters and agitates artistic and intellectual exchange.”
Sounds pretty cool, right?
Look, I’m sure there are tons of cool bars and foodie spots in Marfa, and I’m sure the lights are cool and all, but I think I’d be fine figuring all of that out once I got my teepee all set up, first…you?
Look: I know that we can get very wordy here and get all kinds of crazy with trying to label artists and detail exactly what nice, neat little corner of the musical universe a song or album might fit into. No biggie, really. We all just want to understand music and know what something sounds like before we even here it. You know, if someone tells you that a band reminds them of the Replacements, and you aren’t a fan of that band, then you may want to avoid them if you dont want to make the effort to judge for yourself (hey, we’re all busy, you know?). Maybe a friend tells you that a certain song sounds “like what country music should sound like,” and you despise country music in any form, then again, it’s good to have a general idea of what to expect, thanks to a comparison someone you trust provided.
Well, I don’t know what to tell you about Dead Rider. Their sound is just so…so…perplexing? Maybe? I guess? I know that the Chicago-based band’s new album, Raw Dents is a masterwork of odd angles, off-kilter tempos and general weirdness…which is 100% greatness.
Some call them art-rock, others have called them industrial, some even detect some funk in the mix. OK, fair enough. I get all of that…I think. How about this for a description. When I click on their video for “The Pointed Stick” (below), or listen to Raw Dents, I can’t easily tear myself away from either. So, addictive and enthralling. How’s that for describing their sound without actually describing their sound…HUH???
Thankfully, this weekend, many Texas (and even a few Okies) will get to form their own description of this band that has simply taken my brain hostage in recent weeks. On Friday in Austin Dead rider will take over Emo’s, and then make their way north to infest the Doublewide in Dallas on July 2nd, before hitting Oklahoma. Do not miss this band!
Ok, I told you that in order to introduce you to all of the bands on this year’s ACL Fest bill, I would have to cheat a bit here and there. So, here’s a bit of a cheat as I use this week’s video post to slip in an extra (and non-Texan) preview/intro…
Elbow, from The U.K. are a big friggin’ deal accross the Atlantic, yet they’ve failed to make a simliar splash here in the states, even with their latest album, Build a Rocket, Boys! being perhaps better than the one that nabbed them a Mercury Prize a few years ago, signifying the year’s best British or Irish album. They’ll be in the states this fall, so look for them at ACL!
At the risk of sounding like a bit of a pig, it’s hardly a secret that our fine state is especially fine when it comes to the quality of our Lone Star ladies. By quality, I mean, looks. Really good looks, you know?
Yes, the Miss Texas pagaent has a long, storied history of producing well-rounded queens that typically vie for even larger crowns on a regular basis, but let’s face it: This is one place to go where you get to stare at beautiful women and it’s totally cool.
Thanks to the fine folks at the Miss Texas Organization, you, our very attractive readers, have the chance of catching this year’s coronation for FREE, this Friday, July 1st in Arlington! Yes, we’re giving you yet another reason to grab our prolifically beneficial BestBuzz App for iPhone or Android.
Go here for details, and scan in below, once you have the App ready to go, and good luck!
In our second edition of Rockin’ The Lens, David Heidle hit The Granada Theater in Dallas this past Saturday night for a show that certainly tore it up. Denton’s Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward made great use of their time as opening act for one of their musical heroes, while Slobberbone came out and made sure everyone knew why it is people have been so excited about their return. Don’t take my word for it. Let Dave’s pics do the talking!
Rodney Parker & 50 Peso reward impressed with tunes from the last two offerings, including alst year's EP, the Apology, Part I.
Recently, we’ve chit-chatted about heading for a day of fun on the Guadalupe, a stroll through some museums and even the possibility of slinging a few rounds of disc golf. Here’s another simple, but still great non-the-less idea: Catch a play!
Not that we claim to be experts in the world of theatre, but it seems to us that Texas probably doesn’t get it’s due when it comes to the theatrical offerings it provides it residents and visitors. Below are a few current and upcoming offerings from some of our favorite stages…
- Zach Theatre – Austin: All kinds of great things go down here on a regular basis. A key upcoming attraction however is the buzzed-about, Tony winning Spring Awakening. Starting in September, this rocking production will likely be packed. Of course, there’s plenty going on between now and then, too. Be sure to catch The Book of Grace, a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning Suzan Lori Parks about south Texas family that weaves themse of familial bonds ond geographical bord.
- Dallas Summer Musicals: A tradition for many North Texans, the DSM series is known for bringing in the most stories titles (West Side Story) while mixing in a few fun favorites (Stomp!), and adding some productions that have gained recent notoriety on the Tony stage, even (Monty Python’s Spamalot). In fact, the legendary British comedy style is currently on display now for another few days.
- Alley Theatre – Houston: Ready for a bit of mystery? It’s hard to top Agatha Christie in that regard, now isn’t it? Head to Houston’s long-standing thatre to catch the latest installment in their “Summer Chills” series, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
- Water Tower Theatre – Addison: Now, for a suburban locale (don’t let that fool you into thinking that the quality is any less however), Addison knows how to put on the large, spectacular city events, and that extends to the stages of the Water Tower Theatre’s complex. While they have Little Shop of Horrors on the horizon, do not miss their current offering. Shooting Star is a widely acclaimed two-person production that has amde its way around the country and has been loved at aeach stop. Now, it’s Addison’s turn.
In our never-ending quest (OK, it will end on September 15, actually) to discuss, preview, and introduce you to every act that will play during this year’s Austin City Limits Festival, we are here again to shine a little light on an act that you may or may not be yet familiar with. In fact, in the case of Nick 13, you may be aware of this man’s work without fully realizing it, even.
As the leader of a band named Tiger Army that most seem to deem as “psychobilly,” Nick 13 has specialized in trippy, cosmic shades of country music, especially as a solo artist. Looking every bit the tattooed, greased-up punk, Nick 13′s coolness extends beyond his exterior and into the heart of his tunes. His self-titled solo album was released this month and is simply stellar. Again, it’s safe to use the term cosmic when describing the tone of what is otherwise a prime, stone-cold country disc.
While this new record is good enough to give any artist ideas of making a side project their main gig, word has it that Tiger Army fans have nothing to fear. A native of northern California, Nick 13 has stated numerous times that the band will be back soon enough. Of course, an ACL slot is no small feat. Recent gigs at SXSW and at the Stagecoach Festival (the country little brother to Coachella) have certainly primed his solo act into one that is ready to handle any doubters that may shout for tunes from his other band.
