Concert review: Dirty Little Mouth at Dan’s Silverleaf (October 9)

by J.B. Hawkins

I had the privilege of attending the My Denton Music party at Dan's Silverleaf last night. The kick ass line-up and free "fooders" provided by Hot Box Pizza, seemed like the right social endeavor for me to wander to on a Friday night.

Regretfully, I walked in to Dan's just as Denton's own Backside Pick was leaving the stage. Good thing I had David Abrams (lead guitarist for Dirty Little Mouth) give me a brief synopsis of the set. He started by telling me Backside Pick "funked it up like they always do," and I expect nothing less from that outfit. If you don't believe us, just check out Backside Pick's seasoned credentials (i.e they won Best Funk/R&B Act at the 2009 Dallas Observer Music Awards).

The most enjoyable thing about the supporting act, Bastard Sons of Skoalfield, is their propensity to provide the appropriate instrumental aesthetic for dancing while still allowing you to converse with your friends comfortably. Their set grooved for a good hour while I was able to visit with people I hadn't seen in a while, and indulge in "good times" and some "cold ones." The set delightfully ended with Rocky Ottley and Candace Washburn (of Backside Pick) taking the stage to lend Bastard Sons some vocals on their cover of Rick James' "Give it to Me Baby." To be quite honest, the whole place felt it.

Up next was Dallas' Dirty Little Mouth showcasing their brand of funky space rock that leaves you with an earful (and maybe a mouthful too). As I chomped on my free pizza, DLM launched me into a (pre)post-apocalyptic reverie with their rendition of the Terminator 2: Judgement Day theme to open their set. Sue me if the sci-fi nerd in me has to comment on vintage, Governator awesomeness, but that's just how I roll.

After being awakened from my T1000 nightmare, DLM kicked it up a notch with two of their newer songs, "Burn" and "Red Sash" only to take us back in time to the '80s with a cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell." They also played, "Sexy Just Like Me," "Wake Up," "Electric Life," and "Undress Me" from their debut EP, A Mouthful. The band, while breaking in a new drummer, stayed solid despite some minute sound issues. One being the need of the people to hear more of Justin Haber's funkalicious bass in order to give them some pelvic zeal; and two being the low level of Seth Falkner's lead-vocals. Despite these small details however, David Abrams shred his guitar in a sonic bid to warrant his very own guitar tech. If I wasn't already a wealthy music journalist, I might volunteer myself, but let's get back to the set itself.

If DLM's time travel theme wasn't realized enough with Terminator 2 and Billy Idol, they must have decided it would be solidified as soon as they broke into their rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Royal Orleans." Few people can pull off a Robert Plant vocal aesthetic, but Falkner held his own and did the grooving feel of the song justice as the rest of the band nailed the rhythm changes and instrumental tones of their classic rock predecessors.

With just about all of the delicious pizza gone by the end of the show and the band tearing down, I reveled in the satisfaction at yet another successful My Denton Music event. The line-up was diverse and continually entertaining, and all of this at a classic Denton staple venue. Me and my friends left with an air of giddiness due to the tunes, and a mouthful of greasy goodness courtesy of Hot Box Pizza.

J.B. Hawkins is a pop culture analyst based in Denton.