Theme Park Experience

March 23rd: Album Bought at a Show Into It. Over It, Intersections ( pic ) Bought this directly from Evan Weiss at Trees when his band opened for Saves the Day. March 24th: Hand-Numbered Record Braid, Frame & Canvas ( pic ) Not necessarily hand-numbered, but for Record Store Day 2013, this came with a "420/1000" UPC. I don't know if every copy had the same UPC or not. March 25th: A Picture Disc Robert Goulet, Hollywood Mon Amour ( pic ) I don't own any picture discs, so I thought it would be funny to post a pic of an early Robert Goulet album. Goulet is Goulet, part serious, part over-the-top. March 26th: A Re-press Phil Spector's Christmas Album ( pic ) Definitely not an original, given the very '80s design for a sleeve. The music is still ace. March 27th: Album Given As a Gift  Tom Waits, Nighthawks at the Diner ( pic ) My old housemate Matt gave me this as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. Features some wonderful tunes, l...

I've played the drums for twenty years, and I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I have only had three proper drum lessons. My first sit-down-and-listen lesson was four years ago, when I participated in Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp. The teacher? Sandy Gennaro, the same drummer who was featured on the first instructional tape I ever received. (Sandy signed my tape afterwards.) The other two lessons were from Robert Anderson, a local drummer I have long respected during his time in the Deathray Davies and currently with Nervous Curtains.  As I'm preparing for my next lesson, with none other than Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Billy Rymer, I take into account why I want to improve as a drummer now, twenty years after I started playing on a kit.  Like a lot of things in life, if you want to make yourself happy (and stay happy), you try to improve your strengths and assess your weaknesses. With drumming, it never, ever hurts to go back ...

I don't remember how I heard about A Fat Wreck , but I remember when I met with Shaun Colón last year. We had talked over e-mail a few days before the Dallas premiere of Filmage , the excellent documentary on the Descendents/All. We talked after the screening about what he hoped to do with his film, which was originally planned to be a short film. Now with plans to make A Fat Wreck into a much-longer film, he created an Indiegogo campaign to raise money to, essentially, finish the film. The goal was $7,500 in 36 days. Turns out, all of that money was raised in 24 hours. I talked with Shaun yesterday afternoon, transcribed the conversation later in the evening, and the interview was posted this morning. I'm proud of Shaun and what he's done so far. This kind of story is what keeps me writing for the Observer . Writing about people who live in the DFW area, doing things that people often mistakenly think you can only do in larger, hipper cities. Make your town be proud,...

March 16th: A Splatter-Colored Vinyl The Appleseed Cast, Middle States ( pic )  Upon closer inspection, I actually have a few splatter-colored vinyls. This is one I have never spun. I bought it directly from the band at a show in Denton last year. Got out the MP3 code and rocked out to it that way. Sure is a pretty color vinyl, though. March 17th: A Green-Colored Vinyl Title Fight, Floral Green ( pic ) In honor of St. Patrick's Day, it's green vinyl! I don't hesitate to call this a classic. While their influences are pretty obvious (No Knife, Seaweed, Lifetime), these guys are going in the right direction.  March 18th: A Local Band Innards, I've Lost Everything ( pic ) This is a Denton-based four-piece. They play really short songs with a lot of screaming. For some reason, they're considered "Dad-core." I have no clue as to what the hell that means. March 19th: An Album That Makes You Dance The Sylvers, Something Special ( ...

March 9th: An Album on Classic Black Vinyl Laura Nyro and LaBelle, Gonna Take a Miracle ( pic ) An album of R&B and soul covers, but delivered in such an incredible way. I found this for a few dollars at Half Price Books. I finally got to hear more of the album (I had only heard the title track, which is worth the price of the record on its own) and am continued to be amazed by it. "Jimmy Mack" is especially great. March 10th: A 10-inch Environmental Youth Crunch/Pink Razors split ( pic )  A record I barely remember listening to from my days as a reviewer for Punk Planet . Every month I'd get a stack of records to review for each issue. Some records were memorable, but so many were not. If I recall correctly, this is trashy pop-punk.  March 11th: Any Record John Barry, Great Movie Sounds of . . . ( pic ) John Barry's music really grabbed me when I heard the main theme from Midnight Cowboy on a radio station I did traffic for. After I w...

I had so much fun with February Record a Day, and I was happy to see there is a March Record a Day. This series might continue for the rest of the year, and I'll keep doing this until I run out of records to show. March 1st: An Artist That Begins With the Letter M The Moody Blues, Days of Future Past ( pic )  One of the earliest additions to my library when I started collecting vinyl a couple of years ago. Just a great collection of string-tinged tunes, including "Nights in White Satin." March 2nd: An Album from a Foreign Artist Paul Young, The Secret of Association ( pic )  Aside from an album of German polka songs (done by various artists), I don't have many options with what constitutes a "foreign" artist. Since Paul Young is not from America, I figured this counts. I bought this for "Every Time You Go Away" and I was surprised to hear the LP version. Certain key elements from the single version are not there, especi...

While I was at the Comedy House on Wednesday, I received an e-mail from the Observer 's temporary editor. Asking if anyone would be interested in writing about Girls Rock Dallas, a non-profit, volunteer-run group that puts instruments in the hands of girls and lets them form a band, I jumped at the chance. Yesterday afternoon, I talked with its founder, Rachel Michaud, and quickly transcribed our interview. Since GRD is looking for a new venue (and they're running out of time), I put this together as fast as I could. You can find my interview here .

February 24th: Least Favorite Record Warren Franklin, Your Heart Belongs to the Midwest ( pic )  I bought this at a house show last year directly from Warren. Warren played an excellent electric set with the current line-up of Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate). Yet when I listened to this record, which is all acoustic, I wasn't very pleased. His voice is a little too rough and shaky for my tastes. (I'm more of a Davey von Bohlen guy than a Tim Kinsella guy.) I'm more than happy to help and support musicians, but this record is not one I go to for repeat plays.  February 25th: Record on Classic Black Vinyl Rival Schools, United By Fate ( pic ) Received this a gift from my friend Nick. I'm a monumental fan of Rival Schools. I've seen them every time they've come to town (which, so far, is only twice). This is, without question, my favorite band that Walter Schreifels has been a part of. Since this is an original pressing, it's on ...