Zlew.net’s October 2008 local live music picks (part 1)

by Zach Lewis of of Zlew.net

I thought I might break my recent tradition of late posts, and actually publish my Dallas area live music picks for a given month, at the beginning of the aforementioned month; however, I may not be able to completely follow through. When I started doing my research for October music around town, I not only found way too many great shows to put in one post, but three of those shows fall on the same night. I'll tell you all about that night now, and in a week or two I'll follow up with part deux, covering the rest of the month.

October 11th, it would seem, is the night all of the planets align in a harmonic orbital pattern, and shine good live music down on Big D. If I was able to be in three places at the same time, you would see me at these three shows. There is a reasonable chance that you might also see me in the Cowboys Cheerleaders' locker room (well, if I could be in four places that is instead of just three….and could you blame me?).

Patrice Pike and Backsliders at Dan’s Silverleaf

First up for the Denton crowd we have Patrice Pike and The Backsliders at Dan’s Silverleaf. How can you not go and see a killer double bill like this one? Patrice is a Texas girl who first made her name on the rock scene from the mid 90’s until 2001 heading up Sister Seven. I saw Patrice play a solo show in 2006, and was amazed by her performance. At that show her style was more acoustic/signer songwriter than rock and roll, and the music was amazing. She is a little microblonde with this huge voice, that is much too large to fit in her tiny body, and will absolutely blow you away. She has as many tattoos as any glam rock front man, and a million dollar smile. What’s not to like?

Shortly after I saw her play she was picked to be on Tommy Lee’s show Rock Star Supernova. She did pretty well on the show, but they seemed to giver her trouble because her music wasn’t “ROCK!” enough in her performances on the show. See the clip below for a performance of one of her original songs, and some “not rock enough” criticism from Tommy and the boys. By the end of the season, she had changed her style up back to her more rocky/Sister Seven sound and moved away from her singer/songwriter flow. I’m not sure what style her show will be in Denton, but it is sure to impress.

Also playing at Dan’s that night is the great local Dallas band, The Backsliders. These guys are also headed up by a talented lady lead singer (Kim Pendleton-Bonner). Their sound is rocky, but not too heavy, which is a little odd to me because they won the Dallas Observer Music Award (D.O.M.A.) this year for hard rock. Maybe I need to re-think my classification. When the band gets going, and Kim is feeling it, her tambourine starts to fly and that slightly raspy and very sultry voice comes into it’s own. The Backsliders put on a great show that is full of energy and fantastic music. This is a band of seasoned musicians who know how to entertain and keep the crowd jamming along with them. If you are in Denton, head just past the square, and pull in to park when you hear the guitar (pronounced Geee-Tarr) jamming.

Kristy Kruger at Opening Bell (Mosaic location)

Dallas, you guys are going to have some decisions to make! First, Opening Bell (Mosaic location) is having their official Grand Opening on the 11th. This new venue rocks and is ideal for fantastic live music. The Southside on Lamar location is one of my favorite spots around town, and the owner, Pascale, has really outdone herself with the Mosaic location in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas. According to their MySpace, Kristy Kruger is playing a full band show for the evening. Kristy Kruger is one of a kind, and has a permanent spot on my house play lists and car music. Kristy has a sound that is unique and amazing. She is a little bit country, a little bit retro, a touch of electronica (dark stranger) with a hint of folk/Americana. She is difficult to describe, but I can assure you her sound is her own and one that you need to hear for yourself. Her stage presence is one of the most entertaining in Dallas and this show is one that you need to make sure you see.

Salim Nourallah and Vanessa Peters at Opening Bell (South Side location)

Speaking of Opening Bell on South Side, they also have a must see double bill that night. Salim’s MySpace doesn’t have it listed, but according to Opening Bell’s page, Salim Nourallah and Vanessa Peters will be playing at the Southside on Lamar location. If you follow Dallas music at all, Salim needs no introduction. He is a local singer/songwriter with a strong following (for good reason), he won the "Best Producer" award for the 2008 D.O.M.A.s, and he has been known to fight devils on the behalf of angels when necessary. His style is a little bit is pop, with a light rock and songwriter feel to it. There is a reason people come out of the woodwork to see this guy, and that is the same reason you should check him out.

I hear you out there. You are saying: “Zach, I need more to close the deal. There is a lot of good live music out there, and I need something else to convince me to see this live music extravaganza you are staying up all night writing about. I require that you sweeten the pot. You need to show me just what you are willing to do to make this deal happen.” Well Sirs and Madams, I have the icing on the cake for you; I have the extra cherry on the sunday. I have a little something extra for you, that might just make it worth your while to head down to Opening Bell. In fact, I have Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream on Mondays as an added incentive to get you out of the lazy boy, and down to the big red building on South Lamar. Corny, yes, but true just the same. Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream on Mondays will be there on the 11th along with Salim. Vanessa doesn’t play Dallas very often because she keeps busy traveling across the pond (read: Europe) to tour places like Amersfoort, Den Haag, and Heerlen. Unless you happen to be hanging out in any of those places anytime soon, you should make sure you see Vanessa play her folk/folk rock music while she is in Dallas.

This concludes part one of my live music pics for October. You have almost two weeks to get your stuff together and figure out which show you are going to go see. I will have part deux posted soon; there are some un-funking-believeable shows in the second half of the month that I have to tell you guys about. In fact, my favorite live show/act will be in Dallas before the month ends. Members only sneak preview.