Memorable music interviews: 2007

by Erin Rice

So we need a music top ten list. Why is that? Because it's the end of the year, that's what we do. Despite the wealth of happenings, CD releases, concerts, and the like in DFW in 2007, who are we to tell you which albums were the best or which show defined the year? The PegNews music top ten list will not focus on those things, but rather on what we do know. What we know are interviews, because, well, we were there. This top ten list will look back at some of the more memorable interviews of 2007 with artists who took the time to speak, type, and jam with us. Without further ado, the list:

10. Martha Burks

• Martha met us before one of her weekly gigs at the Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. We chatted about her then upcoming, debut solo album, Finally and the significance of all her hard work paying off... finally. After the interview we grabbed some video of her set, which you can watch by clicking the link above.

9. Hendrick

• Josh Hendrick and his band of talented twenty-somethings frequent various venues around town, appealing to a large span of people in the area. They've made the rounds, from covering Radiohead at Club Dada to getting life out of an otherwise lackluster crowd at the North by Southwest music festival. At the time of the interview, Hendrick were recording their follow-up to We Share the Sky, both of which Josh talked about. With some slight changes to their lineup in 2007, Hendrick is still going strong booking tons of well attended shows, a rarity for many Dallas bands.

8. Metro Muzik, Studio81X and Renegade Radio, Buzz Oven, BocaTinta

• Part of the Dallas music charm are the various types of supporters out there. Metro Muzik, despite ups and downs and management change-ups, sincerely cares about local rap and hip-hop. They do everything from offering music industry workshops, to hosting open mic nights, to supporting youth urban initiatives. Chris Nite and Renegade Radio are purveyors of the local metal scene and host various shows around town, as well as give much needed attention to up and coming bands, not to mention some of our area heavy-hitters. Buzz Oven gets the youth involved, using a grassroots framework of teenagers and young adults to expose many of the area's newbie rock bands. Working on the theory that most people just aren't aware of local music, they use free compilation CDs and free burritos to make you aware, while elevating unknown talent to success they might not be able to achieve on their own. Finally, Amanda Newman at BocaTinta gave us all a scare when Listening To: was discontinued at Club Dada, but now that she books the shows, we can rest assured that the walls will still shake with locally produced guitar licks several nights a week.

7. Darth Vato

• Is ska dead? Possibly, but "white-boy, reggae punk" is still kicking (people in the face) via Fort Worth's Darth Vato. An hilarious collective of differing personalities, Darth Vato can be counted on for an entertaining interview over beers at the Moon Bar. Said interview ranges from discussions of their beloved, but now defunct, touring van, the Grampus, to various stories from the road, to, well, any random thing that came to mind.

6. Travis Mitchell Band

• We'll be the first to admit that our country music coverage this year could have been better, and it's our goal in 2008 to bring you more boot-scootin' news. However, in 2007 we did manage to score an interview with Travis Mitchell of the Travis Mitchell Band. Young, liberal, and barefooted, he doesn't strike you as a typical country musician, but that's what makes his performance memorable. Taking cues from various genres, he puts it all together in a show that hits all parts of the country spectrum. He also happens to be one of the hardest working local country musicians out there, booking a multitude of shows all over the South.

5. Boogieman

• Word to the wise, ask Boogieman about birthday cake and champagne and you might find your conversation creep well into the early morning hours. A constant in rap/hip-hop since the mid-90's, Boogieman has a perspective on the local scene that few else a part of it can. He's not only a rapper but the head honcho behind Two-Three Media Group. His big single this year was "Ridin' Candy Paint" which got asses shaking at a frighteningly high rate in clubs through DFW.

4. Sarah Jaffe

• It's really no wonder why the media is gaga over Sarah Jaffe. A regular at joints like Dada and the Granada Theater, this youngin' (21 at the time of the interview) sings with a voice that expertly expresses experience and pain. In the past few months she's graced the stage with a myriad of Dallas' greats and makes new fans every time. If you listen to the interview, you may begin to understand why success is only a given for Jaffe.

3. The bands who called Dallas home, if only for a night

• Sure, they may not be from here, but they drop by so often you might swear otherwise. Huge summer concerts, and some random tours here and there, brought a number of well-known bands to Dallas. With the exception of a few stand-ups (Pennywise = coolest band to ever be stood-up by... Necro = biggest douche bag with a God complex to ever be stood-up by) we managed some cool interviews. Chronologically speaking, the Sounds of the Underground tour brought along Every Time I Die, Shadows Fall, Chimaira, and the big space monsters themselves, GWAR. At Warped Tour we caught up with Killswitch Engage, Funeral for a Friend, and Street Drum Corps. Then there was the single question we managed to eek out in a phone conference with Linkin Park and the interview with Brandon Schiepatti of Bleed Through before he opened for Marilyn Manson and Slayer. Let's not forget Chad Gray of HellYeah's exposition on politics.

2. Chris Holt

• A 50 gazillion time Dallas Observer musician of the year and member of every other band in town doesn't leave Chris Holt a lot of free time. So this interview was conducted via email and still wound up being one of the most memorable of the year. With a dedication to everything music, Holt offered valuable commentary on a variety of issues from poor attendance for some of DFW's most talented artists, to scenicide, to views of his own music.

1. Fair to Midland

• While I'm certainly biased, being a diehard fan of FTM, this interview perhaps tops the list because of its timeliness. At the time of the interview the band was releasing their full-length, big-label-backed album, Fables From a Mayfly... to a sold-out crowd at the Curtain Club. Admitting that the release meant success or complete failure for the longtime group, they were more frightened than excited to be playing this show. Fast forward six months and they've been touring non-stop, even closing on their first national headlining tour, with radio play all over the United States and abroad. Not too shabby for a little band from Sulphur Springs, TX.

Were they the biggest, most successful bands/artists of the year? Not necessarily, but they were special to us (nostalgic tear). Until next year...