Earplug Weekly, 7/11/24 Edition
Happy Thursday evening, folks.
It’s time for another installment of Earplug Weekly, the only weekly music newsletter made exclusively for the people who celebrate Fourth of July by shooting off Elastic Firecrackers.
Here are some shows you’ll dig this week:
7/12/24 - The Baseball Project – Tannahill’s: If you’re unaware, The Baseball Project is a jangle-rock supergroup comprised of Steve Wynn from Dream Syndicate, Scott McCaughey from Young Fresh Fellows, Linda Pitmon from Filthy Friends, and a couple of guys named Peter Buck and Mike Mills from a somewhat lesser-known Georgia band. Their songs (five LPs worth!) are exclusively about professional baseball, its big personalities, and its lore-rich history. In other words, this will be an excellent show for people who love nodding along in silent affirmation to one-sided “conversations” with dudes rattling off the timeline of shared personnel among the core four Paisley Underground bands or explaining how Wally Pipp’s ill-timed headache changed the course of Yankees’ history. “Ah, that’s so cool,” and “Wow, I never knew that,” you’ll say over and over again for three hours straight.
7/13/24 - Pedro the Lion/Flock of Dimes – Tulips: Unlike their Baseball Project brethren, the dudes at this show are going to be a lot less chatty and maybe even a little guarded about their areas of expertise. Fortunately, unless you’re interested in hearing new techniques for making pour-over coffee, you’re not really missing out on much by not talking to them.
7/13/24 - Juan Wauters/Cosmic Frownies/Claire Morales – Andy’s Bar: I’m a sucker for outsider music---even when I know it’s somewhat contrived. But when you go and combine some idiosyncratic music with a video that looks like it was written, directed and self-funded by John Cassavetes in 1983, you’ve got me sold, brother.
7/14/24 - GZA/Inspectah Deck – Trees: As you may have read in the latest installment of Shaolin University’s alumni magazine, Wu-Tang: Forever, this is the second time in as many weeks that notable Wu-lumni have come to town. And this time there are two of them! Maybe there’s a college fair?
7/14/24 - Dust Congress/Baptist Generals – Rubber Gloves: A Dust Congress and Baptist Generals double bill at Rubber Gloves? Unless the PriceMaster is also making an appearance, this is as about as Denton as you can get.
And here’s what I added to the big list this week:
The Baseball Project (7/12); Juan Wauters/Cosmic Frownies/Claire Morales (7/13); Dust Congress/Baptist Generals (7/14); Joshua Ray Walker (7/20); Missy Elliott/Ciara/Busta Rhymes (7/21); Ottoman Turks (8/24); Xiu Xiu (10/2); Baba Kuboya and Band: FELAbration (10/4); Sarah Jaffe/Frankie Leonie (10/19); Air (10/29); Old 97s/Fastball (11/8); Dwight Yoakam (11/21);
CHECK OUT THE ATTACHED .PDF FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF SHOWS I THINK YOU’LL LIKE (I promise, it’s virus free).
You can catch me at:
Tripping Daisy (6/29); Broken Gold/FIT/Solly (6/29); Redd Kross (8/8); An Evening Inside The Room w/Greg Sestero (8/24); Squeeze (8/28); Amen Dunes (9/10); La Lom (9/18); Los Lobos (9/20); Marc Maron (10/4); The Lemon Twigs (10/24); Guided by Voices (10/26); The Jesus Lizard (10/31).
Tell me where you’ve been, where you’re going:
Drop me a line or two and tell me about some good shows you’ve seen recently or are planning to see. I’m very suggestible.
If you’re new to this newsletter:
I started this newsletter (er, Substack) because I’ve been frustrated with the haphazard way I’ve been getting (and missing) concert announcements in the post-newsprint age.
I took matters into my own hands and culled the various sources to compile a list of events I’m interested in, or think my friends might be interested in, with the hope that we all start going to more shows (and hopefully a few together).
Please let me know if you think I missed anything.
If you have any friends who you think might want to be added to the list, just press the “Share Earplug Weekly” button below. The rest is up to them and their maker.
Your rock ‘n roll detective,
Matt