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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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T-Bone and Ocasek
It’s probably not enough to say that some strange-but-cool vibes are now permeating The Scene, so HearSay’ll just say that some wacky-good things are a-happening. It all started last Friday at Collin Herring’s Aardvark show. Moments after Herring’s great set ended, your columnist was approached by the Dylanesque singer-songwriter and told that the daughter of T-Bone Burnett was backstage and was hankering for a copy of Herring’s forthcoming full-length debut. “T-Bone Burnett?!?” HearSay exclaimed. “Yeah,” Herring said. “The O Brother guy.” (Among other c.d.’s, like those by the Counting Crows and Elvis Costello, the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? is something Burnett produced. Yeah, he’s a pretty big deal.)
HearSay left the club, stunned but happy for Herring, and when HearSay told a friend about the Herring’s close encounter, your columnist learned that one-time Fort Worthian Burnett had expressed interest in another local band, Brasco. “The O Brother guy?” HearSay asked its friend. “Yeah,” HearSay’s chum replied. “That’s him.”
But Burnett’s not the only hotshot producer snooping around Cowtown. Word is that Ric Ocasek, former frontman of The Cars and wizard behind Weezer’s 1994 and 2001 eponymously titled discs, dialed up the guys from Flickerstick last week. Ocasek and Flick? That’s, like, a match made in MTV-land.
The thing that really has HearSay all warm and fuzzy is that maybe rich people with connections to the mainstream music industry are finally starting to notice the outstanding rock talent in this town. It’s been forever since one of our local boys has been properly exploited by a pawn of the major-label oligarchy. So let’s get busy.
Have Some F**kin’ Pie
Since Nov. 25, Memories 96.7-FM has been playing nothing but gloriously sappy Christmas songs, non-stop. Now, don’t confuse HearSay with one of those snobbier-than-thou rock critics who, between pontificating on the virtues of contemporary jazz and deconstructing political rap, would not stoop so low as to be entertained by primarily Christian songs that all of us have heard 10 million times before. HearSay digs Christmas music, and that’s that. Nothing is a warm croissant around the heart like Nat King Cole’s version of “O Holy Night” or Andy “Mr. Christmas” Williams’ iteration of a classic like “Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season” or Brenda Lee’s take on “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” (We’re sure she’s singing “... have some pumpkin pie,” but we think the lyric sounds an awful lot like “... have some fuckin’ pie.” Brenda!) The playlist has its dogs: Johnny “Caroling All the Way to the Bank” Mathis — his voice on most of his Christmas tunes is too mechanical, and his delivery on these songs is perfunctory at best; anything by the corny-ass Carpenters; and basically anything after 1980 — except Hall & Oates’ rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” (which HearSay doesn’t think is getting any airplay on Memories, but ... just in case).
You can reach HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
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