Mikel Galicia
The Toadies Announce A New Album And Their Tenth Fest, Pantera Releases An Emoji Line, And Dead Flowers Is Getting Its Own Beer.
How’s this for a total mind fuck? At some point next year — presuming they don’t go through another unforeseen breakup like they did back in 2001, anyway — the The Toadies‘ post-reunion phase, which kicked off in 2006, will have last just as long as the band’s initial run from 1989 to 2001 did.
Crazy, right?
Well, just as crazy is the realization that, when comparing the band’s four LP releases since 2008 to its two beforehand, the band’s been twice productive in its 2.0 edition than it was in its first. And that comparison is only about to further skew, too.
Earlier this week, the band announced that it will release, via Dallas’ own Kirtland Records, its seventh album. Called The Lower Side of Uptown, the disc is being promoted as a “return to form” according to frontman Vaden Todd Lewis, who promises a pile of riffs that are loud and heavy on the new disc. Couple with that news is the announcement of a cross-country promotional tour that’ll kick off at Denton’s Rockin Rodeo on September 6.
Just 10 days later on September 16, the band will then host its whopping tenth annual Dia De Los Toadies festival, which will this year return to its initial home at Possum Kingdom Lake, which is, of course, a fitting home for anything having to do with this band. No other bands have yet to be announced on the bill, but that information is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Two shows in North Texas in 10 days is a lot of love from the Toadies to its area fans, ain’t it? It’s more love anyway, than St. Vincent is showing anyway. Last week, she announced her new “Fear The Future” tour — her first in two years — but, alas, it won’t be coming anywhere near Dallas. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks. But, hey, the takeaway here is that there’s Annie Clark music activity after a bit of a down period, and that can only be seen as a good thing.
Upset about that news? Maybe you can tweet out an emoji of someone getting punched in the face via Pantera’s brand new emoji pack. It’s available on iOS now, with an Android update coming in September. The emoji feature members of the band and its logos, plus art of people getting punched to the face and Dimebag Darrell’s legendary razorback guitar, among other things.
Staying on the healing side of music, Art & Seek and KXT debuted last night a collaborative mini-documentary about the Musicians on Call program that brings in national and local talent to the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas to perform for patients. Says KERA‘s Anne Bothwell about the inspiration behind the short film: “It’s part of a national effort to channel the healing power of song.”
Speaking of healing power, Post Malone seems to be handling his recent Twitter beef with aplomb. Over the weekend, he stirred headlines and Twitter commentary this past Sunday when he showed up to the BET Awards wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin vest as an homage to the Attitude Era WWE star who the rapper-singer says was the motivation for one his recent songs. In real music news, though, he also performed his platinum single “Congratulations” during his first trip to the award show alongside with Quavo from Migos as that Dallas sports-loving Atlanta trio performed a medley of songs during the broadcast. Watch that performance here.
Another act that’s returning to what it does best is the Denton ex-pats in Eli Young Band. Following the release of his band’s new Fingerprints LP last month, frontman Mike Eli talked to Rolling Stone about the country band getting back to its roots: “It was important to us with this new album that we really wanted to go into the studio and make an album that felt 100 percent like Eli Young Band,” the singer told the publication. After moving to Nashville and featuring pop aesthetics on some of their recent releases, the band heard the cries of “sell-out!” and decided to make a record for its fans.
Another former North Texan with some new music up his sleeve is the former Dallas resident Luis Dubuc, who moved to Los Angeles and now records as Mystery Skulls. He has a new album on the way titled One of Us that’s due out Aug. 4. It’s his second album with Warner Bros. and it’s a tapestry of soul, house, disco and R&B — all filtered through a Big Brother-esque concept. Says Dubuc in a press release announcing the new album: “It’s a commentary on the fact that we as a world have allowed there to be a camera on the front and a camera on the back, and a mic here and a mic there and everywhere. It’s dystopian.” Check out new song “Losing My Mind” below.
Another act that’s got some stokes in the fire — always, really — is The Outfit, TX, which just announced plans for another one of its running “Brand New Money House Party” concepts. The latest event from the adored area rap trio is set to go down this Friday, June 30, at The Dirty 30. If you RSVP right here, right now, you can get in for free. And if you’ve been to any of the group’s most recent gatherings, you know that it’s something you’ll want to attend. If not, well, you’ve only been missing one of best hip-hop parties going this summer, so no big deal.
Another party coming up quick? On Friday, July 14, BrainDead Brewery and Dead Flowers will celebrate a new collaboration between the brewpub and the band on a brand new a saison beer that’s flavored with with chamomile and honey. At the release party, the band will perform live, beer will flow from the bar’s taps and the first 300 people in the spot will receive a free download of the band’s “For Healing” single. Head here for more information.
Finally this week, we’ll leave you with the latest video from the country-punks in Vandoliers. The clip, which just premiered on Rolling Stone Country, is for the band’s “Endless Summer” song, and it stars the same kiddo who is featured on the cover of the band’s new The Native LP. His name is Oliver Morgan, and he’s maybe not as fresh a face as he appears, having been spotted out at local shows for years due to the fact that he’s the younger brother of Vegan Shark‘s Ian Morgan and the son of Whiskey Folk Ramblers‘ Jack Russell. Another person you’ll spot in the video is, full disclosure, Vandoliers member and Central Track’s own Cory Graves, the former steward of this here column. He’s the key-playing, horn-blowing one wearing the trilby. Anyway, give the clip a watch below.
Toadies cover photo by Allan Hayslip. Got a tip for White Noise? Email us!