35 Denton – March 8-11 2012
Oh man, we’re really excited about 35 Denton! The Blurries will be playing twice this week:
Wednesday, March 7 – @ J & J’s Pizza (8 pm). FREE show. Pre-festing before 35 Denton Fest devours us all. w/ Last Joke, Leatherbag, Bad Design, & On After Dark.
Friday, March 9 – @ Mellow Mushroom (11:30 pm)
DFW.com: 35 Denton music festival seems to have found the right direction
By Preston JonesNow in its fourth year, 35 Denton is maturing into a must-hit destination for serious music fans.
The four-day festival (having finally shed the baffling “conferette” tag) is one of the few — if not the only — North Texas festivals devoted to a finely calibrated mixture of indie stars, next big things, local favorites and a sprinkling of fondly remembered cult heroes from the bookers’ halcyon youth.
35 Denton will fill the clubs, bars, restaurants and public spaces in the college town with more than 150 bands. (Along with two main, outdoor stages, 11 venues are participating in this year’s festival.)
Headlining acts include a rare set from Scottish alt-rockers the Jesus and Mary Chain, en route to this year’s South by Southwest, as well as appearances from Built to Spill, Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls.
Lots of area musicians, including a fistful from Fort Worth, will make the trek up north over the course of 35 Denton. Here are five national and five local bands worth catching when the festival kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Thursday and continues through March 11.
The Blurries (11:30 p.m. March 9 at Mellow Mushroom): One of my favorite local albums of last year, the Blurries’ Paper Cuts proved a fine reintroduction to the criminally underappreciated fellas formerly known as Slider Pines: Andy Lester, Bill Spellman and Joey Shanks. Moving easily from roots-tinged rock to gleaming power-pop, the Blurries are one of the area’s best-kept secrets — but they shouldn’t be.
The Big Takeover Interview
Wherein Joey talks about people walking out of shows, 12 string guitars, our band crush on Old Snack, and Mitch Easter. Thanks to Elizabeth Klisiewicz for posting this!
The Big Takeover: Joey Shanks of The Blurries
I recently was turned on to some great Texas power pop from a review I read in Issue 69. Listening to the sharpened jangle pop of The Blurries was a revelation. It made me feel like a kid again as I remembered some early power pop that blew my lid off. “Little Marie” may be one of the best power pop tunes I’ve heard in decades. The band’s guitarist, Joey Shanks, kindly agreed to an interview, and it is my pleasure to present this Q&A with him…
Show: January 20 2012 @ Double Wide
(Poster designed by Aaron from Old Snack)
Edit: Here’s the Dallas Observer preview of the show:
If there are two North Texas bands who belong on a bill together right now, they are The Blurries and Old Snack, both of which occupy the same piece of real estate in the punk influenced rock genre. Both bands’ music is jangly and fast. But, where Old Snack takes a grittier approach, The Blurries tend to keep their music a little more melodic with an undeniable sense of pop. Either way, this show will rock your face off, without question. So, batten down the hatches, or whatever you need to do to get your head right for this show, it’s going to be good.
Tickets available through Prekindle or at the door.
“Paper Cuts” on more year-end lists
ACL Staff Picks for Top Albums of 2011
Side One:Track One Year-End List
Top 15 Texas Albums of 2011
Dallas often gets a lot of slack for the commercial/plastic appeal of the city, but that doesn’t apply to this excellent album by the Blurries. There’s angular chops and steady drumming that serve as the backdrop for a record designed to provide you with effortless cool and energetic bursts. If you can’t sing along to this album, then I’m sorry to hear about your vocal chords; they must be broken.
Big Takeover Review
From The Big Takeover #69 Fall 2011
