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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Checking In
The Burning Hotels are going to pop in a couple of months. Mark my words. First, the Fort Worth quartet is making a cameo in an upcoming tweener flick, Bandslam, starring High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens, Aly & AJ’s Aly Michalka, and Friends’ Lisa Kudrow. Second, based on a rough copy of the Hoteliers’ new as-yet unnamed album that materialized on my desk recently, the band hasn’t lost its signature sound: angular and bright with a lot of crisp beats, clangy and quickly plucked riffs, and vocalismo that alternates between co-frontmen Chance Morgan’s grainy plaintiveness and Matt Mooty’s Brit-pop-inflected disposition. But the instrumentation is super-tight, almost synthetic. The possible hit is “Austin’s Birthday,” a short, melancholy toe-tapper with a mournful refrain (“Yeah-ah-ahhh / Yeah-ah-ahhh / I’m sorry, girls / She stole my heart”). There’s also a chorus that hinges on a sudden, slight, minor-key shift (“When you told me we were in love, you totally lied / I asked you for my shit back, it didn’t even make you cry”). In between is a lot of New Wave flair. As Morgan sings, “Tell somebody / That you’re in love / Tonight.” Words of wisdom. You’ll likely hear “Stuck in the Middle” and probably some other new Hotels tunes on Saturday at the Longhorn Saloon (121 W. Exchange Ave., in the Stockyards, 817-386-5962), where the band will be playing with Starlight Mints, The Crash That Took Me, and Dove Hunter. Check out www.myspace.com/dovehuntermusiccom for a new track, “Funeral Fashion,” a mostly instrumental piano-and-acoustic dirge spackled with a skipping, semi-martial beat and a moaning, lonesome harmonica in the background. Top shelf. Visit www.myspace.com/theburninghotels. … Former Hurt Street frontman and roots-music singer-songwriter Luke Wade is recording a new album at Fort Worth’s Blue Smoke Studios, co-produced by Wade, Nick Choate, Scott Lee, and The Campaign’s Blaine Crews. On tap to contribute are Texas Music chanteuse Maren Morris (vocals), the Funkytown Workmeisters (horns), Justin Pate (organ), and a rhythm guitar player from a platinum recording artist (still in the works). … Look at The Grotto. Gettin’ all scenester-y and stuff. Ever since local singer-songwriter Cody Admire took over (“Gotta Grotto,” Last Call, March 11, 2009), the place at 517 University Dr. next to Sardine’s Ristorante Italiano has found a groove, drawing a crowd that probably breaks down equally into hippies, hipsters, and blue collars. On Saturday and Sunday, the good guys from Merkin are putting on SDR&R, a festival of sorts: 16 bands for $5. On both days, the music gets going at 2 p.m., and there’ll be food for sale from Tommy’s Hamburgers. Bands established and new are slated to play, including roots-music singer-songwriter Carey Wolff, prog-rockers Alan and Automorrow, prog-metalists Addnerim, rock ’n’ rollers Proud Warrior, and the hard-rocking festival organizers. Visit www.myspace.com/thebluegrottobar.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
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