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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Fort Worth’s Dynasty
Black Tie Dynasty is a nostalgia act, though everyone in the band and the management team would chafe at that description; “nostalgia” has over the years somehow become a pejorative, and bands like BTD that conjure up the past in all of its achy glory are considered charlatans, as if they’re incapable of original thought or, worse, are just exploiting music lovers’ memories of yesteryear’s sounds for profit. To HearSay, nostalgia is not a dirty word. Unlike a “museum act,” a band that, say, re-paints Jean Michel-Basquiat’s “Self-Portrait” (1986) to the line, a “nostalgia act” uses Basquiat’s paintbrushes to create something new, something wholly original; much in the way that Black Tie Dynasty appropriates The Cure’s sunny disaffectedness, Joy Division’s soot-covered innocence, and Depeche Mode’s bravery in the face of heartache.
This Stays Between Us, Black Tie Dynasty’s forthcoming six-song e.p., clearly harks back to the mascara-covered early 1980s, when Second Wavers such as the aforementioned plus Echo and the Bunnymen, Ultravox, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark were propping up the music of New Wave’s originators (Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno) with accessible lyrics, electro-sizzle, and catchy melodic buoyancy. There are a lot of cheesy synth twinkles, bright guitars, soft drums, and strong, handsome vocals, and everything is given that perfect Second Wave vibe by the suggestion of a clangy, down-tuned Rickenbacker six-string.
In a culture obsessed with retro stylings, Black Tie Dynasty couldn’t be more apropos. Good guy Erv Karwelis, of the band’s label, Idol Records, says response to This Stays Between Us has thus far been “strong.” “It was featured on The Edge’s ‘Adventure Club’ show,” Karwelis writes in an e-mail. “And The Ticket played a part of each song on their mid-day show last week.” Karwelis also says that iTunes has picked the single “Crime Scene” to be part of an iTunes promotional campaign at South By Southwest. The band is also preparing to embark on a West Coast tour.
Before they head out, you can catch ’em both here and in Dallas. They’ll be in the Fort, Friday, Feb. 25, at the Moon (2911 W. Berry St., FW; 817-926-9600). For more information, surf to www.idolrecords.com or www.blacktiedynasty.com.
Stoned Again?
You remember Bloodrock? Neither do I, but they were apparently pretty hot shit back in the day, recording eight albums for Capitol Records between 1969 and 1974, including Bloodrock II, the full-length that yielded the Top-40 hit “D.O.A.” and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The band also toured with Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, and a bunch of other megastars. Anyway, the Bloodrockers are reuniting for a show on Saturday, March 12, at Ridglea Theater (6028 Camp Bowie Blvd., FW; 817-738-9500). This is a one-show only deal. For ticket info, call Front Gate Tickets at 512-389-0315 or visit www.frontgatetickets.com.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
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