Friday, October 10, 2008

Dallas Voice weekend music preview

By Daniel A. Kusner of Dallas Voice , Brent Paxton of Dallas Voice

MERRITT BADGE: Stephin, anti-fashion icon.

There’s no mistaking a Stephin Merritt song. The queer tunesmith’s dry take on love, obsession and adoration is seldom imitated and never topped.

The prolific songwriter frequently teams up with The Gothic Archies, Future Bible Heroes or The 6ths, or lending his dour musicianship for the “Lemony Snicket” audio book. But he’s most famously known for his work with The Magnetic Fields. And from piano-and-cello ballads to Asian-influenced showtunes, Merritt’s lyrical flair has proven able to cut through just about any filter.

Almost as if to test this notion, the Magnetic Fields’ eighth album, “Distortion” delivers a whole lot of what its title promises. Droning feedback and copious echoes fill out a standard rock band lineup of drums, bass and guitar. Songs are unpretentiously arranged and performed with little adornment aside from the wail of the amps.

But for the Magnetic Fields tour, which stops at Dallas’ Majestic Theatre on Monday, Merritt tests his instrumental mettle yet again. The “Distortion” tour will go unplugged — that means completely ignoring the sound of the record for the live show. So don’t expect the sonic wall of fuzz.

Merritt’s formula for doing everything backwards seems to be working just fine. The elusive rock star is quickly becoming a fashion icon. The French fashion label Bluedy’s just released a Merritt-inspired line of pointy footwear called “Stephin:” four styles of slim-toed desert boot riffs in leather and nubuck.

— Daniel A. Kusner

Jen Foster

If you dig Kelly Clarkson’s angry bitterness, you’ll want to check out lesbian singer-songwriter Jen Foster.

With her powerful lungs and sharp six-string chops, Foster (no relation to Jodie) is frequently compared to Melissa Etheridge. But Foster’s got a sound all her own: Flexing the muscles of her lower register, she sounds like a dude — a dude who masterfully belts it out.

Then there are her lyrics: Foster is a no-frills wordsmith. Check out the angsty vibe from her single “Closer to Nowhere:” “Now, you go to work, and you work all day. / You smoke and bitch on your coffee break.” In 2001, Foster won an award for her pop skills in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

On Friday, Foster gives Big D a taste of her upcoming CD, “Thirty-Nine.” The gig is organized by Rockin for Rescue, a sapphic philanthropy group that loves fresh girl-on-girl music as much as it loves Dallas’ furry animals that need to be rescued before they’re euthanized in shelters. Foster’s gig will be held at an alternative venue in the Dallas Design District.

— Brent Paxton

Salon Nights on the Levee, 1727 Levee St. Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $15. BYOB. Myspace.com/rockinforrescue

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• Arts > Popular Music > Alternative / Indie
• Arts > Popular Music > Folk
• Arts > Popular Music > Pop