stay classy dallas.

Shalissa turns 29!

2009-03-26T14:19:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday Shane and Meliss - I think this is the best shot we've seen of Shalissa to date.

Tweedy covers Neil Young

2009-02-26T23:36:00.006-06:00

Here's Tweedy covering Neil Young's When Your On The Losing End. This was recorded at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival in 2006. This song originally appeared on Neil Young's album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which is a Stay Classy fav. Great song, enjoy.
Link via Aquarium Drunkard.

Jeff Tweedy - The Losing End (Neil Young Cover)

Phoenix :: 1901

2009-02-26T09:56:00.004-06:00

Phoenix just released a new single that is available as a free download at their website - wearephoenix.com.
I kinda love this song and love the Flash intro on their website even more. Nice work!
Phoenix is kinda great anyway - their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix will be out in May.

Animal Collective :: My Girls

2009-02-16T19:05:00.003-06:00

This song has been heavy in the rotation for the past couple weeks. The video is all right too.
Animal Colllective will be playing Granada HoB in June, let's go! I love their Brian Wilson-sque harmonies. Merriweather Post Pavillion is the album's name, available now and worth the 10 bucks on itunes.

FLT @ City Tavern, 2-12-09

2009-02-16T01:39:00.006-06:00

Here are some shot from our show at City Tavern last Thursday, photos by Chad Lemons.

Depeche Mode vs Tron

2009-02-11T01:04:00.002-06:00

This is a pretty sweet mashup, thanks to Everett for the link.
So I haven't been keeping this blog up to date recently... I need some new motivation.

Well Blogger, the jerkstore called and they're running out of you!

2008-12-11T10:33:00.007-06:00

Blogger ripped down my Top 20 review last night due to copyright infringement. There will be a new one up soon.

2008-12-02T13:09:00.003-06:00

We've got another show coming up this Thursday, Dec. 4th @ City Tavern. Music starts up @ 9 00 pm. City Tavern is a cool new place downtown on Main. Great place for live music, come on down and have a time with the Turns.

City Tavern
1402 Main St
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 745-1402

Bang Camaro Live @ HOB Garage Friday

2008-11-18T09:24:00.003-06:00

Bang Camaro is rolling through Dallas on Friday, playing at the House of Blues Pontiac Garage at 10:30. I saw these guys last time they rolled into town and it was a blast. If you like to rock, get on out to the House of Blues and check out a truely unique spectacle, Bang Camaro. They are also playing a show in Austin at Emo's on Saturday if any of the Austin readers are interested. I will most certainly be at the Dallas show ready to rock. By the way, Bang Camaro just came out with a new album, Bang Camaro II. Actually it came out today. I haven't heard much besides what is on their myspace page, but sounds like more of the same awesome. You can check it out here, Bang Camaro myspace.

Also you may know their song, Pleasure - which was a track on Rock Band.

Band of Horses cover The New Year

2008-11-17T11:18:00.003-06:00

Here is something to help you ease into the work week. This is the great Band of Horses covering The End's Not Near by The New Year.

Band of Horses - The End's Not Near (TNY cover)

Four Left Turns Live @ Adair's

2008-10-31T17:15:00.004-05:00

The Four Left Turns are back next Thursday night at the legendary Dallas live music establishment, Adairs. We are the only band playing, so we will be doing 3 jam-packed sets. Music starts up 10 o'clock sharp. Gonna be a great show and there's no cover, so get your dancing pants on and come on down!

Adair's Saloon
2624 Commerce St
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 939-9900

2008-10-30T14:20:00.007-05:00

In the spirit of the season, I thought I should post one of my favorite horror films of all time. The original Night of the Living Dead. The undead is definitely my favorite horror theme, and this is the film that set the tone. Directed by George Romero in 1968, Night of the Living Dead was the most graphic, goriest film to date. The film also made way for both the slasher and splatter film sub-genres.
I love the hypothetical situation that a zombie infection presents. What would you do if this happened tomorrow morning? Judging by what I have seen, the best idea is to have a radio close at hand to listen to the emergency broadcast. Hopefully other survivors have barricaded themselves in a base and will be broadcasting their location. If that is not an option, then get your ass down to the mall. If you haven't seen this film, it is definitely worth stopping down for an hour or so and watching it, definitely a cool flick.

2008 State Fair Food Preview

2008-10-08T15:52:00.043-05:00

It's a little late this year, but here you have it: The 2008 State Fair Food Preview. Last year was a pretty monumental one, the advent of the Deep Fried Latte has kinda changed the game for me. It is probably the best food invention that the Sate Fair has seen in years. Hopefully the great folks at the Desperados tent will be doing them again this year, while you are there be sure to grab a chicken fajita, which are also great.This year offers up a nice variety of fried confections, and I will be there this weekend to try them. The game is early this year (11 am) so I will probably try to grab some of these afterwards.
Every year, all the vendors enter their new concoctions in the Big Tex Choice Awards. I think that I could make a pretty good case to be one of the judges. Will try for that one next time.

Here is a recap of some of the entries that sound particularly interesting to me.

Chicken Fried Bacon - Thick-cut pepper bacon dipped in a special batter, then deep fried. The end product has a fried chicken consistency. It is then served with a side of Ranch or Honey Mustard. This one won Best Taste in the competition. When I first heard about this one I thought 1) this is way to simple of a recipe and 2) bacon is already greasy enough. But it seems that everyone has been raving about it, so I am interested. I will give them points for coming out of left field with a simple recipe that the peeps are talking about. I will be trying this one for sure.****
Served at N30 located on Nimitz at MLK

Fernie’s All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Your basic grilled cheese - two pieces of white bread filled with American and Cheddar cheese. Dredged in an egg and milk batter, then coated with panko bread crumbs and deep fried. Served with shoestring potato sticks, a pickle spear some tomato soup dipping sauce (I wonder if they mean warm ketchup?). This one was a Finalist in the competition. Ok, so sans the warm tomato dipping sauce, I am into this one. This is kind of a lay-up though - basically a Monte Cristo without the turkey. Willing to try this one out as well.****
Served in the Dock Restaurant inside the Embarcadero Building.

Fried Banana Split - Oh my this one sounds pretty delicious. A mixture of banana and honey peanut butter is rolled in balls, battered and deep-fried and topped with assorted, delicious fixings, including powdered sugar, caramel and chocolate syrups, chopped peanuts, whipped cream and banana split flavored ice cream bites then fittingly crowned with the traditional cherry. Anything that starts with banana and honey peanut butter rolled into balls is a good start. Fried pastries and ice cream go together nicely. Winner of Most Creative in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition. I am interested in see what this sucker looks like, will be sampling this one as well.***
Served at the Auto Grill inside the Automobile Building.

Texas Fried Jelly Belly Beans - What you've got here is basically Jelly Bellys rolled in funnel cake batter and fried to a crunch. And what an unsatisfying crunch that would be, these sound absolutely terrible. I am not really a big fan of Jelly Beans in the first place, but I am still surprised someone thought these would be good. Can you imagine munching on some deep fried nuggets and as you bite in your mouth fills with warm licorice - disgusting.*
Served at Granny’s Funnel Cake stand C6.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls - Plump, fresh strawberries covered in a thick chocolate shell are dipped in a sweet, waffle batter and deep-fried. Dusted with powdered sugar and served on a stick. This one sounds pretty great, plus I love that they still call it a waffle even though it never touches a waffle iron, oh those crazy State Fair vendors! Maybe they should be called pancake balls? Bravo. Will be trying this one as well. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.****
Served at the Belgian Waffle stand G39 located on the NE corner of the Esplanade.

Fire and Ice - A pineapple ring battered then deep fried, then topped with banana-flavored whipped cream that’s been frozen in liquid nitrogen. The smoking concoction is then drizzled with strawberries and syrup. This one sounds delicious, and I applaud their forward-thinking cooking methods. Bonus points for incorporating science. Will most definitely be seeking this one out after the game and am anticipating a delight that rivals the Deep Fried Latte. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.****
Fire & Ice is served by Abel Gonzales at the family-run stand on Nimitz Drive.

Deep Fried Smores - Marshmallow cream and chocolate chips are sandwiched between two graham crackers, dipped in a feather-light batter and fried to a golden brown. Hmm this one sounds pretty good as well, but I am kinda wanting a nice big piece of Hershey bar in there. Maybe it works better with the chips? Interested to see how this one turns out. Finalist in the Big Tex Choice Awards competition.***
At stand N9 located near the Embarcadero entrance.

Here are a few that failed to impress:

Fried Pop Rocks Fundae Blast - Fried ice cream bomb covered in Hershey’s Syrup and Pop Rocks. The fuse is a Twizzler rolled in Pop Rocks. In the center of this fried ice cream bomb is an atomic fireball. Which is perfect for cracking a molar on as you finish your dessert. Points taken away for using the word "fundae". *
Stand FW-22 located on Fun Way

Fried Snowballs – Snowballs are pretty great - however I think that this dessert would best be served with a scoop of ice-cream, and maybe some strawberry sauce. Would get *** if it is served with ice cream. **
Shirley London and Sons stand M-19 located on The Midway

Apple iPie – A crispy fried apple pie with just a hint of cinnamon, is smothered in vanilla ice cream and topped with an edible iPod “like” mp3 player and whipped cream. It also comes with a pair of working earbuds. Gimme an f-ing break! What pathetic excuse for a State Fair food. First off, there is nothing new or inventive about apple fried pies (you could get one at the snack bar in your middle school) - and dressing it up like an ipod is just insulting to the fair-goer. Oh my, and I just discovered that this is this year's Desperado's booth entry! What a let-down!*
Desperado’s stand N-19 located on Admiral Nimitz Circle.

Here are some Stay Classy Dallas ideas for next year's entries:

Deep Fried Caprese Salad - Fresh buffalo mozzarella balls stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and basil and wrapped with a thin slice of proscuitto. The cheese ball is twice battered in funnel-cake batter then deep fried. It is then served split in halves and served with a garlic aoli.

Deep Fried Buffalo Wing Quesadilla - Chili's boneless buffalo wings are sliced thin, then placed on flour tortilla and covered with monterrey jack cheese and another torilla and seared on the griddle. The Quesadilla is then dredged in funnel-cake batter and deep fried. It is then served on a plate topped with Roquefort cheese crumbles and creamy Ranch dressing.

Thanksgiving Dinner Eggrolls - Start with some cornbread dressing, then add turkey, greenbean casserole, and sweet potatoes. Mix until fully combined. Take a large eggroll wrapper and add your filling, then roll an eggroll that is a bit smaller than a Chipotle burrito. Deep-fry it then garnish with cranberry sauce. Serve with fried pecan pie nuggets.

TV On The Radio :: Halfway Home

2008-10-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

This a new track by the great TV On The Radio called Halfway Home. I just started listening to this album yesterday and this first track is just so good that I can't get past it. The album is called Dear Science, and the small bits that I have heard from the rest of it indicates that the whole thing is consistently better than good. They are playing in Dallas at the House of Blues Garage at the end of the month - October 28th.

TVOTR - Halfway Home

Broken Social Scene :: Pitchfork.tv

2008-10-01T11:17:00.004-05:00

This is quite a treat - Pitchfork just published some videos of Broken Social Scene playing a couple tracks live at Juan's Basement. The sound quality is great and the video is awesome. It is a culled-down version of BSS, which is touring in support of both Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning's new albums. The two tracks they play are "Stars and Sons" (a personal fav) and a "Churches Under the Stairs". Too good - enjoy!

2008-09-26T16:06:00.004-05:00

We went to see Hot Chip last night here in town and it was a killer show. The live show sounds different then their albums, but it really works well. They are playing at ACL this weekend, if you are headed there be sure to check them out. Headed down there myself this evening. Going to see Okkervil at Emo's tomorrow night, tickets are still available I think if anyone wants jump on board.
Here is a clip of one of their live shows - enjoy your weekend!

2008-09-22T09:54:00.009-05:00

It has been a pretty long while since I have posted any original content, so I thought I would bring back the Sampler Series. Once again for those who don't know, this is a selection of cool new songs from bands that are sort of new to the scene. I comb through a bunch of new tracks every week and these are some of the best ones I have come across over the past couple weeks. I haven't checked but I know that most of these albums are available on itunes - so if you like one of the tracks, go get it!

Sparkadia - Animals
The Presets - If I Know You
Arsenal - Estupendo
Music Go Music - Reach Out
Snob Scrilla - Mr. Officer (feat. Del The Funky Homosapien)
Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream

Also, we have ACL coming up this week, which means that a bunch of bands will be rolling through the area. Here are the highlights:

Granada:
Del the Funky Homosapien - Thursday, 9/25
The Black Keys - Friday, 9/26
Sunset Rubdown - Monday,9/29
Cut Copy & The Presets - Tuesday, 9/30

Palladium:
Hot Chip - Thursday, 9/25
fyi - Girl Talk - Tuesday, 10/21

The Loft:
Ra Ra Riot - Thursday, 10/2

Wilco and Fleet Foxes :: I Shall Be Released

2008-09-05T12:26:00.002-05:00

Wilco with special guests Fleet Foxes covering Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released".

Taylor Vieger :: Black Caviar

2008-08-27T23:39:00.002-05:00

I filmed this at Taylor's last gig - great unplugged version of Black Caviar. Joining Taylor on the left playing rhythm and singing back-up is Jason Lewis, and on the right, playing lead is Ryan Young. Taylor's album, Whiplash Ballroom is available on itunes.

Zach Galifianakis - "You Bring Me Joy"

2008-08-27T09:45:00.002-05:00

You guys ever seen this guy? hilarious! He is was part of that Comedians of Comedy doc that HBO did last year.

My Morning Jacket Live @ Palladium - Saturday

2008-08-21T16:48:00.004-05:00

My Morning Jacket is in town on Saturday, kinda the highlight of the weekend. Tickets are still available if anyone is late to the party on this one. Will be interesting to see the new tracks live. I kinda really love the new one Touch Me I'M Gonna Scream Part 1, will be looking for that, as well as the crowd fav Dondante. Also tonight is The Ticket's Fight Night. For those of you who don't know anything about Fight Night, it is a basically an event where fans of the station can duke it out in a real boxing match in an real deal octagon. Interested in checking it out, but it's normally pretty crowded - so I doubt I will be making an appearance. I am kinda interested in the Hardline's main event - The Cougar vs. The Cub.

Four Left Turns Battle It Out Tonight!

2008-08-14T12:43:00.004-05:00

Tonight the Turns are playing the Dieste Battle of the Ad Bands. It is going to be a big party, so everyone come on out and rock out with the Turns! We have a pretty solid set lined up and the whole thing is judged on crowd participation, so we need some numbers! The cover is $15, and with that you get food and a drink ticket, so it's really not too bad. The battle starts at 6 pm and the Turns go on at 8 pm sharp. Our set is short, so if you show up late you may miss it. It is at the Lizard Lounge, which is in Deep Ellum on Swiss.

Battle of the Ad Bands
Thursday August 14th
Show starts at 6, Turns on @ 8
Lizard Lounge - $15

2424 Swiss Ave
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 826-4769

See you guys there.

Taylor Vieger Live! Saturday, Aug. 9th

2008-08-06T16:01:00.002-05:00

The great Taylor Vieger and his merry band of misfits are playing a show at the Crooked Tree Coffee House this Saturday - downbeat @ 9. By the way, Taylor's new album is available on iTunes and it is really fantastic - expect a full blown review soon on Stay Classy. It is basically all we listened to in Puerto Rico. I recommend giving it a listen and making the show on Saturday night - in Uptown!

Gnarls covering Radiohead

2008-08-05T23:26:00.006-05:00

This is all kinds of cool and really great. I saw Gnarls, and they opened with She Blinded Me With Science, which was all kinds of awesome and now they pull this, magnanimous!
And a mighty congrats and best of luck to Sterling and Kris and Phil and Christie.

Weird and Wild Stuff

2008-07-25T13:26:00.001-05:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.