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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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Big Dans and Mikes
Say what you will about Rolling Stone’s hero-worship, staunchly leftist sympathies, arbitrary lists, and relatively recent descent into fetishizing celebrities a la People magazine, but the 41-year-old publication is vital and also has featured some of the best American journalism ever. The mag hits way more than it misses. Exhibit A: the April 4 edition’s small feature on Dan Hunter (a.k.a. Playradioplay!), the teenage Azle singer-songwriter whose name we’ve been praising for a while now and who has just released his major-label debut, Texas, a mélange of synthy pop, huge hooks, and positivist lyrics. If anyone can remember the last time a not-already-famous 817 artist was recognized in the most vaunted music publication in the world, then, by all means, let me know. (Not counting Ornette Coleman, The Toadies, Townes Van Zandt, and Pantera, or any other obvious choice. Shea Seger, maybe?) For more, pick up a copy of the Stone or visit www.rollingstone.com and follow the link for “Artists to Watch: Seven Acts Who Are Defining Rock, Soul, and Hip-Hop in 2008.” ... For musos and fans (and critics), MySpace is invaluable. The web site is largely responsible for indie-rockers the Arctic Monkeys (remember them?), corporate-indie darlings Tegan and Sara, and a few dozen other bands and performers, including the aforementioned Dan Hunter, whose 10 million plays were what initially caught the attention of his current label, Island Records. One minor — OK, one major — complaint: bands whose backgrounds are in all black. WTF?! They’re impossible to read, and, while I’ve heard the argument that all-black concentrates the viewer’s attention on the music, I don’t see the benefit, especially if, like a lot of local bands, the text can help. Being too cool for school is one thing, spiting yourself is another. ... I’ve been meaning to do this for, like, two years now. And maybe I already have in one form or another, but common courtesy demands that I emphasize the depth of gratitude, amount of beers, and number of big, sweaty hugs I owe “Big” Mike Richardson, the local cover artist to whom no song is unlearnable, even on the spot. To wit: One Tuesday night a couple of months back, I stumbled into The Moon, by the campus of Texas Christian University, where Big Mike used to hold court regularly. There weren’t many people there, so I felt even more comfortable shouting out — rather, slurring out — requests. Any other performer would have ignored me until last call or I passed out, one or the other. Not Big Mike. The guy apparently considers requests, especially semi-obscure ones such as mine on that fateful night, not only as annoyances but as challenges. He probably hadn’t heard Steely Dan’s “Josie” in forever — even classic-rock radio, for whatever ridiculous reason, ignores that Becker/Fagen gem. Nevertheless, Big Mike managed to rock out most of the song. Had he known all of the lyrics, he would have nailed it. Big Mike also plays in 4-Way Street, a Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young tribute band, and in The Partycrashers, a band-for-hire. He has standing gigs at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Sundance Square and Ten martini bar and lounge on Foch Street off West Seventh. Visit www.myspace.com/bigmikerocks.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
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