Mexico City-based Molotov has been a witty, controversial and powerful force in the Spanish-language music world (though their lyrics are partly in English) since they formed in 1995. Lyrically, they’re political — calling out the rich and poweful and championing the poor and immigrants — and, on occasion, raunchy, often delving into the topic of sex. And they’re masters of wordplay, to top it all off. Musically, they’re as diverse as a rap-rock band could be; forget what you think you know about bands that blend those two genres. Each of the band members rap and sing, and they’ve done everything from a cover album of  pop, new wave and hip hop songs as well some of the most hard-hitting punk songs you’ve ever heard.

Having been nominated for a Latin Grammy Award four times, Molotov is clearly a success. They’re a success abroad as much as they are in their native Mexico, but they don’t come around to the states too often — an important fact that should not be ignored this week as they make a stop at House of Blues Dallas on Wednesday as part of their Quinceañera tour.

What’s great about this band is they’re incredibly fun, too, besides just being very good at what they do. In 2007, the band announced a fairwell tour, telling their fans they decided to split up. That year, each member began working on solo EPs. It seemed very competitive as they appeared on television calling each other out and asking fans to decide which EP was the best. The following year, they finally came clean that it had all been an elaborate joke. They had never split up and instead had compiled their EPs into an album named Eternamiente  – a play on words which basically means “eternally lying.”

If anything is clear about this band, it’s that you never know what to expect. Very exciting, considering they’re (supposedly) working on a new album due out this year.

Molotov is playing at House of Blues Dallas this Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets are still available at livenation.com. 

As ACL wraps up today, we’re reminded of the now rapidly approaching Fun Fun Fun Fest. In its 6th year, Fun Fun Fun Fest has slowly developed a reputation as the cooler, less expensive, and less crowded alternative to the madness that is Austin City Limits. This year, the festival organizers have taken it to a new level, moving from Waterloo Park to Auditorium Shores, and featuring an expanded lineup.

While tickets are pretty cheap (just $135 for a 3-day pass), Dallas has its own unique opportunity to win some free passes, courtesy of our friends at Granada theater.

On October 1st, Granada will run the Inaugural Fun Fun Fun Fest Scavenger Hunt. Those who participate have the chance at winning a slew of prizes, including 5 FFF P.I.P. passes, 5 standard FFF passes, and tickets to upcoming shows like Battles, The Rapture and Minus the Bear.

To participate, all you gotta do is send the folks at Granada a little info through this registration form. Oh. And you might wanna pick out a few teammates. That too.

Are you going to sign-up? What are your thoughts on fanny packs?

Ah, the Dodos. When last we met, I was, let’s just say… not impressed. Your performance’s energy level matched that of a sloth on a Sunday afternoon after a late, late night at the Black Swan Saloon. The amount of attention you paid to the crowd was roughly equal to the service a vegetarian gets at a steak house.

Yes, we were not impressed.

But your new album! It’s upbeat! It’s actually… quite good! So, we decided to give you another chance. Plus, this time, you were playing at the Loft, a much smaller venue than the South Side Music Hall, where your last performance underwhelmed. Our hopes weren’t high, but we did have them.

The first new thing I noticed – the age group at this show was about 10 years younger than last time. Maybe it’s because you were the headliner, not the opener (for the equally unenthused New Pornographers), but the drinking age wasn’t in sight for at least half the crowd.

And the crowd. They were Dodos superfans. Girls were swooning over lead singer Meric Long, and boys had come prepared with pre-choreographed routines that shook the very floor of the Loft. Don’t believe me? Check the video:

As for the show? I didn’t know you cared! No, really. This time you actually cared, and it showed. The band was positioned right at the front of the stage and each song break saw you actually interacting with the crowd. It brings a tear to my eye to think that this was the band last time that actually made me fear that music could be the cause of a global energy crisis.

Okay, fine, not really. But it was nice to see the Dodos play a great set, complete with a guest appearance by a french horn player, courtesy of “we have light bulbs on our keyboards, that’s cool, right?” opening act the Luyas. The music was groovy, the scene was chill and, above all, the crowd loved it.

And isn’t that what really matters most?

According to our friends over at Pegasus News, the Lakewood Bar and Grill closed last night after a lock-out note was posted on the longtime hangout’s door. A Facebook post confirms the bad news – after 18 years, the LBG is closing down.

For local bands and promoters (or at least for us), this is some sad news. LBG was a great place to check out smaller acts or discover new bands, and knock back a couple of cheap beers while you were at it. We’ll miss LBG, and hope that some other local bars in the area can pick up some of the bands that were previously booked to play.

And, in closing, our favorite LBG memory: when a certain lead singer of a band-not-to-be-named got terribly intoxicated before a performance, and, in the middle of a song, did a spectacular front flip/somersault combination off the stage.

Ah, Lakewood Bar and Grill… may you rest in peace.

Photo Credit

Fort Worth’s own post-punk-turned-80s-pop indie rock band The Burning Hotels have been documenting their process on Vimeo — and adding some other stuff, too, like live concert footage — for 60 days leading up to the release of their self-titled album.

60 Days of Burning Hotels – Day #22 from Burning Hotels on Vimeo.

Well now the day is almost here. The band is playing two CD release shows in advance of the actual release date, Aug. 30. They’re scheduled to play with Hoyotocho and Air Review at Club Dada in Dallas tonight (Aug. 24) and with Browningham and ISHI at Lola’s in Fort Worth on Friday (Aug. 25), where they’ll be selling the new record for $8.

What to expect? If you’re familiar with the band’s pop/post-punk origins, you can forget that. The Burning Hotels — started by Chance Morgan and Matt Moody and which has played with the likes of The Toadies, The Appleseed Cast and The Horrors — has taken on a new pop, 80s synth-infused sound and it works well. But check it out for yourself. Here are the two full songs that have been released by Burning Hotels: “Allison” and “Beard.”

Allison by burninghotels

Beard by burninghotels

Dallas tried to shed what was left of it’s summer skin a few Saturday’s ago at the Death Cab For Cutie concert, but unfortunately, as wonderful as the concert may have been, it’s still pretty damn hot outside. As expected, these Washington natives brought their
“A”-game, and showed thousands of diverse hipsters attending Verizon Theater on August 13th, what indie-rock is all about.

The entire band produced such chill and composed vibes, the type that make you want to trade your pit ticket for a blanket and pillow. Front man, Ben Gibbard was an absolute doll, pausing in between songs to ensure that everyone in the audience was being “respectful to one another.” With a twenty–song set list, the band didn’t let up one bit, –Which much take some serious endurance, considering most of their songs are pretty lengthy. A very extensive LED light-show was also displayed, accompanied by a few very prolonged instrumentals.
During “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” Gibbard sat on a wooden stool with his guitar, baptizing us all in his beautiful acoustics. The song had everyone singing along, holding loved ones, and scrambling for their lighters to wave in the air. –Which Ben also gave his blessing on, pointing out the three men in the crowd who started the trend.

The last played of their four-song encore was “Transatlanticism”, lasting nearly eight minutes long, jam-packed with so much raw emotion that it even brought tears to eyes around me. The whimsical lyric, “I need you so much closer.” was constantly repeated, binding all of our souls with the band’s music, giving listeners all a heartfelt memory to take home with them.
All in all, the performance was so genuine; the romantic, warm, yet nostalgic ambiance that Death Cab produces is unlike any other. –Which is what makes them so special to be begin with.

Another band with great energy, Frightened Rabbit, joined the tour, opening up for these legends. –I was actually surprised at the amount of audience members who were knowledgeable fans of their music? Then again, they are touring with Death Cab.. Hah. –A few of their more popular songs are, “Swim, Until You Can’t See Land.” and “Keep Yourself Warm.”
The three-band-membered Scottish ensemble drew a lot of attention early in the night playing catchy tunes with obscure lyrics sung by a voice that definitely filled the room. Also, the Scotts showed the audience their gratitude after each song by raising their beers, saying things like, “Cheers” and “Thank you so much!”
After a few songs, Frightened Rabbit ended their set with “The Loneliness And The Scream” clapping their hands in unison as a band, reciting the song’s lyric “Whoa-Oh-Whoa”, dropping all of their instruments and exiting the stage. –But of course, they gave us one last “Cheers!” before walking off.
You gotta love a promising band with some good honest manners.

Here’s what I knew about Taking Back Sunday before their show Tuesday night at the House of Blues in Dallas. I knew they’re a pop punk band that rode the “post-hardcore” skirt tail of the early 2000s. I knew they were really popular with high schoolers in 2002 and 2003. And they sort of dropped off the radar for a lot of people after 2006, when they gained mainstream success with their major label debut Louder Now. (Remember “MakeDamnSure”?) And I knew they still have a decent-sized fan base.

Here’s what I didn’t know about TBS before Tuesday night: They’re really good live. That came as a surprise to me, as I don’t think I’ve ever been to a show with similar music before. I assumed it would be rather dull and that I would want to cover my ears the entire time. But as soon as Taking Back Sunday, who are on tour across the U.S. and Europe this summer in support of their latest album that was released last week, took the stage in the nearly-full House of Blues, I knew they would be much more entertaining than I had imagined.

TBS started off the show with “El Paso,” as charismatic frontman Adam Lazzara utilized the spacious stage to walk up and down, bending down and singing to fans, and swinging his microphone up and around his neck and back again. Lazzara, dressed in black from head-to-toe, has a resounding voice, and he was spot-on with his high notes, especially in songs like “MakeDamnSure” and “Ghost Man on Third,” a slower, more melodic track off their 2002 debut album Tell All Your Friends.

I should mention that it was also my first time seeing a show at this particular venue. House of Blues is a small venue in downtown Dallas, with a capacity of just 1,625, that’s mostly standing room only and has limited balcony seating that probably provides a great view. It’s what you would want your local music venue to be. It’s kind of a unique venue: a seemingly handmade print on the walls and kitschy decor gives off an almost gritty vibe, that is if you forget for a moment that it’s a commercial venue. It seems suitable for Taking Back Sunday and their fans — a mostly young, evenly split male/female crowd in their early to mid 20s.

In their 20-song set list, the Long Island natives sounded — and acted — like they had never stopped playing together. They never skipped a beat, and they were as vocal and chatty with each other as Lazzara was with the fans. “What’s next?” Lazzara would often ask. “You don’t know what’s next yet?” guitarist and back-up vocalist John Nolan would reply.

When drummer Mark O’Connell broke his bass drumhead after “Error: Operator,” the seventh song on their set list, Lazzara and guitarist John Nolan stalled the crowd by playing “Your Own Disaster,” a slow tune for which Nolan served as second vocalist and a back-up keyboardist, Nathan Cogen, helped the two improvise.

It still took awhile for the crew to fix the problem, though, and Lazzara, working his dynamic stage presence, made small talk with the crowd. He talked about going to Texas Motor Speedway (“You guys are crazy”) and his time living in Tyler, TX. A few minutes later, the band came back strong with “Timberwolves at New Jersey” to a screaming crowd.

At the end of their set, as TBS closed the night with “Cute Without the E,” an explosion of confetti burst into the air, making it a perfect ending to a stellar performance. The band walked off stage, and only a couple minutes later, when the crowd screamed for an encore, they walked back on and Lazzara explained, “We stopped doing encores a while back, but you guys are too cool.” “Existentialism on Prom Night” and “There Is No ‘I’ in Team” ended the show, and Lazzara left that night letting the crowd know how much he appreciated their excitement. “I lived down here for years, and to come back and have you be incredible, it’s great. Thank you.”

There’s very little we love more than giving tickets to you good people. Okay, fine. We might like beer more. And the Freelance Whales. But RIGHT behind that is giving tickets away.

And so. We are giving away 4 pairs of tickets to this Friday’s Guitar Wolf, Cheap Time and Missile Event show at the Loft! Need more info on the bands? Well, Guitar Wolf can be described as – classic punk, garage punk, noise rock… look people. It’s loud. It’s fun. And it’s going to be a kickass show. Plus, local dudes Missile Event are opening.

Example A:

HOW TO ENTER.

Yes, the most important part. Yessir, we’re making you WORK for these tickets.

STEP UNO. Like BIJLM AND The Loft on Facebook (as if you don’t already)
STEP TWO. Post on The Loft’s Wall that But I Just Like Music sent you. Because we’re stalkers, make sure you tag us in the post. To do that, just type @But… and if you like us, voila!
STEP THREE. Jam out.

Go forth and Facebook!

I learned something new at The Granada’s Ugly Christmas Sweater Party on a recent Sunday:  Apparently, after spending all these years thinking groups like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and The Clash really pioneered a movement away from excess, and rescued the name of Rock and Roll from the clutches of posers and easy-listeners ruining the genre song by song, I was shown the light. Brace yourselves, because this is big:

The punk-rock genre got its start during The Great Depression. And I had NO IDEA.

I know what you’re thinking: “Ummmm.. no it didn’t”, but the confidence, the irreverence, the authority with which Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays their music makes me believe that they would readily rewrite history to include it. And with songs like Clap Your Hands bringing the crowd to our dancing feet, I don’t think anyone would notice.

Yes, I’ll admit it: I was dancing. But hey, the whole place was dancing. Were we good at it? Nah, probably not. But hey, anyone standing still enough to judge us possesses an opinion that doesn’t really matter anyway, right? It was fun, plain and simple, and thats why we all went in the first place. The Big Damn Band seemed to be having a good time as well, with Reverend Peyton even taking time to educate the room on how incredible his guitar playing is. “I play the bass line with my thumb while I play the guitar parts with my fingers.” His wife, “Washboard Breezy” had an even more impressive outing, as she made an archaic appliance function as an advanced percussive instrument.

I’ll be honest with you, I probably won’t be picking up their album The Wages anytime soon; It’s just not my thing. But if you’re a fan of The Dropkick Murphies, or ever had a strange-but-potent hankering to watch O’ Brother Where Art Thou on mute while listening to Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band might be worth your time. Musical preference aside though, dancing with perfect strangers while wearing perfectly hideous cardigans? Who in their right mind would pass that up?!

Christmas has long been a time for family and friends to gather together and enjoy each other’s company. Whether its your Dad’s terrible childhood stories, your Uncle’s terrible jokes, or your Grandma’s inability to buy you toys from anywhere but the swapmeet, it is a time and place where strengths and weaknesses, talents and quirks are free to be, safe from anything but the constant ridicule of those who love you. This is how Dallas Family Band’s Christmas at Murray Street Coffee Shop felt to me. No titles, no celebrities, no one more important than any other. Maybe that’s why this feels much more like an entry into my journal than it does a show review.

Sunday, December 19th, 2010:

Just got back from a fantastic Christmas party. There was a plethora of homemade carnitas, tortillas, beans (both vegetarian and.. carnivorous..?), pasta, rice, salad, and of course desserts of all kinds. As soon as I walked in, I was handed a songbook and a delicious spiced cider. Everything was already in full swing considering I didn’t arrive till almost 6pm, a full hour after the party started. Still, it felt like they had waited for me to get there.

It was easy to jump right in and sing along with the room. Even musicians were arriving at all times, adding to the ever-growing group leading us. Everyone was welcomed. At most parties, everyone spends so much energy trying to be something they’re not, that who they are gets lost, but I genuinely can’t remember a time that I’ve enjoyed MYSELF more. This night truly felt like a family get-together. Another perfect example of why I love Dallas, and even more The Dallas Family Band. Can’t wait for the next sing-a-long.