EXECUTIONS PUT ON HOLD IN PRE-EMPTIVE RESPONSE TO HAPPY HOUR BENEFIT

People who travel overseas know that one of the more cheek-rouging parts of being an American is explaining to citizens of the more chill nations of the world why we do some of the things we do: how we gonna be so rich and some people still don't got health coverage? why we wanna pretend we aren't going to war for oil when oil is the only reason one should go to war? why do we wear Crocs? But among the most oopsie-doopsie is the death penalty, which, even though intelligent people disagree about it, still puts us on the same red rover team as quite a few of the more unpleasant regimes around the world. And let's face it, government doesn't exactly bat a thousand, so when people's lives are on the line, we should proceed with caution.

Granted, the only worse way to die than being killed by the state is being murdered using one of the methods those on death row chose, but so far the death rate is 100% globally, and so judgment will come - might as well let those bastards get the booga-booga in jail for forty years before they go.

While we're still a ways away from getting all 21st century on this tip, executions in Texas are on temporary hold and the Supreme Court moves to consider a Kentucky case about the legality of the particularly lethal cocktail that we inject. BUT THAT DON'T MEAN THERE AIN'T SOME PARTYING TO DO!

Local civil war reenactor Dan the Bother has put together an anti-death penalty happy hour show at the Proletariat tonight with a line up to die for (that was so bad). Program, The Dimes and Wicked Poseur are all on the bill, and you'll be done and ready right in time for karaoke. Jolted!

REVIEW: WICKED POSEUR - WICKED POSEUR 7" EP

It is a time long since the collapse. It crept slow, but persistent, as the white spotted workhorse spider who tends to her webs during the break in the storms; unwelcome certainly, but on the whole not acting from any ill intent – only the nature of things. An economy built on credit; a credit built on dollars used to buy hydrocarbons for cars and for plastic toys made across the oceans both. A dollar worth less and less, slipping further and further away from the last outcrop its fear-sweating hands can hold to. The dollars go out and more and more they do not come back. Petrol stops trading in these dollars, favoring a more industrial currency, and the sandstone breaks. And to the bottom, now suddenly, the hegemon and his hubris fall.

Collapsed. Poor. Giant roads still stretch from manifest to destiny, but few can afford the gasoline to conquer them. The smokestacks in the far west (it has been a long time since it was known as the Far East) continue unabated. The white bears of the north sink their last claws into solid. Greenland shudders, and throws off her ice cape. The seas rise. The Atlantic Current, engine of industry for Empires Dutch and English before us, stalls as irreparably as any rusted Detroit factory. Weather changes. England under ice. Famine, and fear of strangers and borders that now flee opposite.

But we imagine that, in a time of rags, there will still be those who clutch to the gold C and her mirrored self, caught together in an artifact of status more precious with antiquity. Not quietly will haute go into the night. Unlike what King or Costner might posit, there will be some un-content with campfire ho-downs to the screetch of acoustic folk of the future/past alone. No. Some will preserve. Some will find ways to keep the records spinning. Generated; hand-cranked, solar powered. They will not/cannot let go of the era of excess they themselves have no knowledge of beyond the landfills. What disc for this jockey? What ballad of what was for this dance?

May we suggest Wicked Poseur?

This four song EP, out on the Enduring Self Label, has been like a measurable, pleasurable magic gall stone. We felt it in our collective sides each day, but refused to pass it. For the long stretched months since Arthur Bates first put it in our hands, the longest period of our not putting it on has been measured in days (not weeks). We listened to it to review. We listened to it to enjoy. We played it for others to dance to. We had it on headphone while we read Kevin Phillips and Jared Diamond; finally.

But like a scientist, we could never find resolution to our consideration. After drafts where we bemoaned the death of the sex stained fun of the electro era, and examinations into the psychology of the soloist as creator, we realized what it was we were listening to. Wicked Poseur is winking at us. He is maximizing the excesses of his age into a package that we can enjoy; one our suffering descendants will long for. Beats and basses and synth lines from circuit boards that will no longer work. Adroit musing about sex and drugs (and drawing) and consumerism. It is utterly ridiculous, just as it is to release a recording on a disc made of petroleum in the era of MP3. It is also completely fun, as mind sticky as it is deadpan and as musical as it is mocking. It cuts brisk and vibrant synthetic paths to the inner ear, with the same suite of geometric brightness the cover art inspires in the cortex. It knows you’re over Mrs. Kitten and the Hacker, and it doesn’t give a petrol buck. Recommended.

Wicked Poseur is available from Enduring Self's MySpace Page, but won't be releasing his full length next year - instead, it is due out of Feow, the label that Arthur Bates himself has a hand in. If the new tracks posted on WP's MySpace are any indication, its going to take us a helluva lot longer to review that one. Stoked.

WEEKEND WRAP-UP: FALLING ON OUR ASS EDITION

You may have heard, but we were a little busy this weekend. So much so that we let a number of things not get done. The fruit-fly population in our office kitchen is beyond epic, to say the least. But, back from a trip to Austin and with the planning and preping and decorating and stage managing and pure rockuledge of some festival or another behind us, we are stoked to be back on the job. Here's the dirt on this past weekend.

• The Feel Good Hits of the Summer Fest was a great time. A big thanks to all the bands, especially Paris Falls, who was kind enough to bring their lighting rig when some problems popped up with The Proletariat's array. The Western Civilization and The Watermarks both moved their cribbage piece up a notch in the category of ACES Local Indie Pop Band You Have Never See Live Which have a Definitive Article in Their Name (we should stop and point out here that Coach Springer, owner of more enviable records and listening taste than we will ever have and consulting muse to the Skyline Network seemed pretty stoked on The Watermarks' set). We could go on and on about all the performances - like whats up Kimonos, way to shred the heck out of a Zeppelin tune?! - but how about that decorating?!
  

• A big thanks again to all the bands, the Proletariat, Gilbert, Dunnock, the hard working folks behind the bar, and the door and in the sound-booth and all the people that showed up. With as much of a success as it was, very unlikely that this will be a one-off. Also, while we didn't see too many flash-bulbs throughout the evening, we did see a few - if you took some pictures, post links in the comments section.

• Speaking of Paris Falls, their first CD, the succinctly titled Volume One, was finally available at the show on Saturday. We picked up a copy and are looking forward to bringing our review of it to you soon.

• Speaking of the Kimonos, their next release is in the mastering stage and we are hopeful to have a sneak peak for you soon.
  

• Speaking of record reviews we are looking forward to bringing you soon, we've been blaring Wicked Poseur's 7" ep around the office for the last week, though sadly we were unable to come up with the words to describe it in time to share with you before his show with Dan Deacon at the Mink last night. We also were so flubterghasted from Saturday that not one of our correspondents actually made it to the show. Had we wrote about it in advance, we would have told you that, Mr Deacon, in an inspired moment, was the source behind the name for Jana Hunter's dance troupe, Bony Poner.
  

• Speaking of Jana Hunter, she left Sunday morning for the next stretch of her tour. Pitchfork has the dates as well as the deets on some other stuff she has going on. For this stretch of the tour she is joined by Ray of the Castanets as well as a photographer whose name we are completely drawing a blank on and cannot locate the napkin we used for notes.
  

• Speaking of people who practice in Jana's living room, we learned that Bring Back the Guns have been notified that they are up for a Houston Press Music Award; ditto for the Fatal Flying Guilloteens (we had previously reported that Something Fierce is also on the ballot).

• Speaking of things we are unable to connect to other things, we ran into Bianca of Heist at Hand over the weekend. She's moved back into town after a series of escapades we'd eventually like to get a summary of, and HAH is gearing up for some shows once again. Welcome back kid.

DUMB QUESTIONS/SMART ANSWERS: WICKED POSEUR

Every now and then (Thursdays), we subject someone in a band that reps the real to some pretty dumb questions and post their responses. This week, we sent off our set of music journalism 101 prompts to Arthur Bates of Wicked Poseur. Mom, Dad, Grandma - Please do not read this article.

What's your favorite record lately?
Lately I love the downtown underground sounds of Jana [Hunter]'s new record and the unreleased Deer Tick record. Both amazingly rad and out of this world. I drive to work everyday...I drive my wife to work everyday...we share one car. In the car there is a cassette deck. I've had this original Pavement Slanted and Enchanted tape in there for the past three months. I love it. It takes me back like 12 years ago to when I was jamming that shit and smoking weed driving around in high school. Total TIME-WARP.

Is there a Houston band who you've been digging lately?
Fuck NO. Houston bands died when Dethro Skull broke up. Everything now, including myself, are pathetic imitations of what could be. I think too many of these "half-fags" need to get kicked right in the balls by their moms, girlfriends, boyfriends...and take a look at where they're at. I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I'll be fucked if some of these dicks don't get their lights punched out soon.

What websites do you frequent?
Feowrecords.com, Enduringself.com,....,...whoops, I dropped something! Youtube, myspace, pornotube, tomgreen.com, viceland, I can spend all day looking up art/music sites and checking out all their links, it's fucking addictive.

What's your secret Houston place?
I've lived in Houston for almost my whole life and I think all the "secret" places have been bulldozed for condos. My pal Ronnie Talons fucked a girl doggy-style on the top of the old rice silos in high school and now there's some kind of crappy condos there. He said it was awesome to be fucking a girl and looking out over all of Houston and seeing the Houston SKYLINE!!! Now nobody can do that....those things were like 14 stories high. What a shame. My house is the only secret place I know now, cause I live in Meyerland and nobody wants to drive out here.

What's the best thing you have spent money on in the last year?
Rent/utilities/food/beer.

What is the best thing you got for free in the last year?
I'm gonna free your balls from your nutsack you fucker! What, you don't like poor people? Am I a charity-case to you?

Is there a touring act you are looking forward to seeing?
YES. Mickey Avalon, April 14th , I think. Everyone I know hates on Mickey, but fuck that....I think he fucked my wife in Austin and he has strippers dance on stage for his shows, the songs are just great, ROLL THE DICE!!!!

What is never far from your side?
a potent mixture of cocaine and heroin with a beer chaser.

What does Wicked Poseur have going on right now?
Man, I'm working on my keyboard-chops like OVERTIME! I got my hair cut and we're gonna be doing shows around Houston. Then is June we're flying to LA to play this little weekend-tour thang, up to Santa Barbara, then to SF. We plan to wreck that shit with my posse from ENDURING SELF.

Catch Wicked Poseur with The Show is the Rainbow Friday Night at The Mink's backroom. Also on hand will be DJs Ceeplus Bad Knives, Bad Motor Scooter and Dunnock. See, I told you not to read this.

PHOTOS: JANA HUNTER CD RELEASE PARTY

YUSS! We love a good party, especially when it is for the release of one of our favorite new CDs (do you have a copy yet? Well, its available already on iTunes if that’s yr style)(P.S. That’s our style – We like when the Panda Bear says “coolness is having courage / courage to do what’s right”.)(P.P.S. No more asides in this paragraph, we promise). Though we couldn’t be there due to our mad SoCal assignment, Skyline Contributor and TOP ACES photog Elissa “Settle Down” Brown was there to capture all the action. The complete set should be up on her Flickr soon, but here are some highlights in the meantime:


Arthur Bates (Wicked Poseur) serves as the evening’s MC


Tyler from Balaclavas brings the pain!


YO! It’s the Jana Hunter Folk Explosion


Who is that masked man?! It must be JRACULA


MORE MASKED TRICKERY!


OH SNAP! Bates halts Jracula mid-set to conduct a chugging contest….


…and is rewarded with a wedgie from John Hunter (Inoculist, Dethro Skull).

Like we said, this is just a taste, be sure to check out the entire set to reveal such secrets as which member of Bright Men of Learning was recruited mid-set to play some guitar (Hint – the same one that Jana brought in for the set-closing Isley Brothers cover at Noise and Smoke). Thanks again Elissa!

IN PROGRESS: JANA HUNTER/DEER TICK DUETS

What highlight to pick from an evening with Jana Hunter and Deer Tick sharing a few tracks from their in-progress duets album: Was it instances of affected Texas accents? Was it the Black Velvets, a mix of champagne and Guinness that Mr. Tick (whose driver’s license gives him the nickname “John McCauley”) introduced us to as the favored drink of Roaring ‘20s NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker? Was it an open-doored pickup truck piloted by Will Adams roaring down the street with John Hunter on the roof of the cab? Was it the pizza? Or was it the on-tape dialogue between Jana and Deer that contains the retort “Duet albums are Corny”

We’ll save the context on that last one for another day (i.e. MP3 coming soon).

But yes, its true, like Nat & Natalie, Sinatra & Bono and Huey & Gweneth before them, Jana Hunter and Deer Tick are in the middle of recording not just one, but an entire album’s worth of duets. The track list includes ‘Stranded in Your Love’, ‘Islands in the Stream’ plus a healthy assortment of country and soul miscellania that shall remain cloaked in mystery for the moment.

Wherever did from such mischief spring? Sayeth Jana: “One impetus was definitely john's wicked crooner style. And I was [messed] up on a tour that was way monotonous, oppressively so. The idea could have easily been something more ridiculous and even worse than a duets record.” Well, it may be ridiculous, but it sure sounded aces.

Even the unfinished, unmixed arrangements that we got a taste of showed that Deer Tick is, in fact, a wicked crooner, and that the fever between her cat and his scratch will be worth the wait. And wait you shall, as Hunter doesn’t expect the album to be out until late this year at the earliest as she and recent local beard-club president Will Adams work on the arrangements (John has returned to his native Providence – come back soon).

Fear not, Jana’s second full length, There’s No Home, comes out on Gnomonsong April 2nd. And you don’t even have to wait that long – the album’s release party is hosted by Wicked Poseur’s Arthur Bates at the Proletariat March 31st . That evening, Jracula, Jana’s band with Aaron Bartz, Jay Crossley (woozyhelmet) and Toto Miranda (woozyhelmet/The Octopus Project) will ascend from their coffin crypt to suck out our blood alongside stage-sharers Balaclavas. Corny.

Oh yeah, SXSW INFO HERE.

Stream: Jana Hunter - various
Stream: Deer Tick - various

AXIOM AND ALLIES: Noise & Smoke Changes Venue

The Saturday lineup for March's Noise and Smoke Festival has changed venues and, sadly, changed lineups. The second day of favs will now take place at the Axiom, a venue that organizer Liz Molina is right in pointing out will be far less likely to suffer the slings and arrows of an HPD visit. In announcing the move, N&S broke the news that God's Temple of Family Deliverance won't be able to play due to the state of drummer Chris Ryan's foot (this is the only time we have ever wished he just played lute or dulcimer or something without a kick drum) - get better buddy.

In related Noise and Smoke news, true to their word, though both Joey and Liz are both in the C-Ya Later former Houstonian camp, they're putting together other shows. Recently announced is a bill featuring Clipd Beaks, Church of the Snake and local troublemakers Balaclavas and Wicked Poseur - March 24th @ Notsuoh.

GOSSIP: DOM TO DO SOUND AT THE PROLETARIAT

BRING THE NOISE: Domokos, who, like Prince, Cher and Oprah, does not have a last name, has been signed on by The Proletariat to be their sound engineer for their Wednesday night Commune Music series. As A Pink Cloud and with stints in current and past groups like Rusted Shut, Helios Creed/Chrome and Swarm of Angels, the new man wearing the old cans has shown a propensity for the rough, the ready, the unreduced and the loud – no clue how or if this will translate into his live engineering or why anyone thought citizen journalism was a good idea. Dom, who had no comment for this story because we did not ask him, will have his first go of it at tonight’s Valentine’s Day Massacre show, featuring The Medicine Show, Dizzy Pilot and Lions plus a live date auction hosted by Arthur Bates. Congratz Dom.

Update: Add to the bill SouthernBellugosi (who was formerly known as Erin Dance) and Down From the Clouds. There will still be an auction, but only an evening with a bachelorette is for sale - sorry ladies. $8 or $6 for people with mustaches (seriously).