Sep 01 2010

Save KTRU

Category: H-Town Rock,Life As I See It,Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 12:00

I’ve been reluctant to comment on the impending sale of KTRU by Rice University (Rice) to the University of Houston (UH), mostly because I would simply be regurgitating the information of others. But this is the internet, and linking your friends’ stories to yours is the name of the game, so here are my two cents (currently undervalued due to inflation).

I’ve listened to KTRU, I like KTRU, the band I’m in has performed on KTRU, and I have hordes of friends who are either current or past DJ’s at KTRU. Hell, I was talking to one of the main DJ’s about stepping into a gig of my own there in Fall 2010. In a city where the radio waves are overwhelmingly dominated by Clear Channel stations that all play the same 30 songs in their respective genres, KTRU is a welcome breath of fresh air for indie, underground music in general and Houston music in particular.

The short version of this sordid tale is as follows: Houston woke up a couple of Mondays ago to find that Rice was selling KTRU (its transmitter, license, call sign, etc) to UH. There are two primary quibbles with this scenario: the dirty deed was done without ever speaking to current KTRU employees, current Rice students, or Rice alumni; and UH already has its own radio station, KUHF. UH was going to turn KUHF (whose current programming is split between piped-in NPR stuff and piped-in classical music; i.e. very limited in-house DJ needs) into a 24-hour NPR channel, while converting KTRU to KUHC and making it a 24-hour classical music channel.

Does Rice have the right to sell what it owns? Sure it does, but administration has been really shady during this entire process. Do I like classical music? Sure I do, but Houston has already seen two different attempts to build a 24-hour classical music station fail miserably in the past few decades.

So, tonight, after a couple of weeks of protests both online and offline, and a Save KTRU concert at The Mink, KTRU station management is going to attempt to have a Question-and-Answer session with the principal antagonists – Rice President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, VP of Public Affairs Linda Thrane, and VP of Administration Kevin Kirby.

So, in case you’d like to attend the chat, here’s a rundown of the key pieces and prime bits of analysis on the subject from around the Houston interwebs. Inform yourself properly.

May 05 2010

Dryvetyme Onlyne Goes On Hiatus

Category: Life As I See It — dryvetyme @ 07:00

As I alluded to back in January, 2010 has been and will continue to be the most important year in my life ever. Not only have things been moving along swiftly with the planning of my July 2010 wedding to the most amazing and beautiful woman in the world, but I’ve also begun working on securing my alternative teaching certification so that I can re-enter the fantastically challenging, but rewarding world of education.

Thus, when I sat down to examine everything happening (including my ongoing participation in Prairie Cadets), I decided that it was time for me to put this blog on hiatus for several months. This will be the first time since August 2006, when I vainly attempted to start writing record reviews, that I’ve given myself any sort of break with maintaining an active web presence with this site. And I’m OK with that. I need this time away, as I have lots of things going on in life that are a bit more important than talking about the latest and greatest music with any sort of regularity.

I’m not shuttering the windows or anything like that – at least not yet. I still hope to emerge on occasion for the infrequent review or so when I feel like it. My plan is to make my way back to writing about music sometime in this autumn, when the Wedding Day hubbub has subsided and I’ve settled into a rhythm as a teacher. Until then, I welcome you to follow my micro-fiction series, If This Parking Lot Could Speak – a new story will go up most every Tuesday morning until the end of 2010.

It’s been a great ride, but it’s time for me to rest for a spell. Thanks to everyone who has written a guest review, commented, read a review, and given me any sort of constructive criticism on my path to being a decent writer. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done here with Dryvetyme Onlyne, and I couldn’t have done it without you.

Peace.

Jan 04 2010

Welcome to 2010!

Category: H-Town Rock,Life As I See It,Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 07:00

Personally, I felt that 2009 was a great year for music. As my Top Ten Albums of 2009 list can attest, there are some amazing bands out there making outstanding music across a wide gamut of styles, trends, and genres. And with anticipated releases slated from Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, and other premium artists, 2010 looks to build upon the successes of the last year.

Here at Dryvetyme Onlyne, I’m more than a bit excited to see all that this new year and new decade are going to bring. First of all, I got engaged to the most amazing and beautiful woman in the world over the holiday hiatus, and we’re planning to get married this July (as in, 7 months from now). So, that little development is more than enough reason for me to be pumped up about 2010.

Also, as some of my friends in real life are aware, I’ve spent good chunks of 2009 as one half of a indie-ish folk/pop duo called Prairie Cadets. With any luck, Marc and I will be releasing the Celebrity EP in Spring 2010 and either an official full-length or series of interlocking EPs/7″s in Fall 2010. I just figured that, in classic Rob Fleming/Gordon fashion, if I’m going to critique the music of others, it would behoove me to also create a bit of music on my own.

In regards to where I see this site growing and developing over the next 12 months, I want to first look back at my “Welcome To 2009!” post. Admittedly, I never got off dead-center regarding the development of any of those supposed think-pieces on music culture, much less any posts or essays about anything besides music (or pop culture). Instead, I spent most of my writing energy seeking out freelance paid music writing work; so when you couple that with my new drive to write short stories (or fiction in general) once again, I’m rather pleased with how things actually transpired.

Furthermore, I did happen upon three great regular guest contributors to the site: Michael Dallas Miller, Jen Broadwell, and Robert Saucedo. I met MDM a few years back when we both wrote more actively for Burnside Writers Collective, and I value his energy and go-getting mentality. I found Jen through the magic of Twitter (don’t laugh), and was happy to bring on the words of this music-loving Houston, TX resident. In regards to the illustrious Mr. Saucedo, I was introduced to him by our mutual friend, Marc Brubaker, and I’ve been enamored with his ability to find the beauty in even the crappiest of B/C/D-level movies. With any luck, I hope to find 1-2 more writers to round out my little “roster” in hopes that we all will be able to pursue our mutual love of writing.

Thus, in terms of what I would like to see happen for 2010, I want to reiterate that my goal for this site is to provide a haven for quality music writing and for those people who like to interact with such writing. I’m going to keep chasing after my dreams, and hopefully, some people might actually pay attention to what’s happening here. Moreover, I’d like to find a small coterie of advertisers and/or investors so that I can actually pay my guest contributors something, much less vainly attempt to finance all of my personal unpaid work on this website. That being said, it’s not about the money – it’s about sharing my love for music and the written word with people who share those same affections.

As always, feel free to download any songs that I provide here, comment on the reviews, talk to each other in the comment sections, and generally behave like respectable adults with halfway decent manners (all while discussing what we love about music). On to 2010 – this year is going to be great!

Dec 18 2009

The Top Ten Albums of 2009

Category: H-Town Rock,Life As I See It,Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 09:00

That’s right folks – we’ve worn our way to the end of 2009, so it’s time for me to post my thoughts on the music I’ve really loved over the course of the last twelve months.

In case you are interested in learning how this list has evolved all year long, check out both the 1/3 Edition and 2/3 Edition.

Programming Notes:

  1. I have placed the entries in alphabetical order, eschewing the need to place any subjective number/place value ranking upon these records (Example: AC Newman would be found under “N,” not “A.”).
  2. With each entry, I have provided a link to artist’s website (with preference for an actual site over a MySpace page) along with any review I may have written and/or coverage provided.
  3. While many of the records on this list have been reviewed on this site, they have also probably received even greater attention elsewhere in the blogosphere (not to mention in the failing medium of the music magazine). Let me know your thoughts in the comments if you feel I’ve missed anyone or anything.

The Top Ten Albums of 2009
The Antlers - HospiceThe Antlers – Hospice

Dan Deacon - BromstDan Deacon – Bromst

Dirty Projectors - Bitte OrcaDirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

Fever RayFever Ray – Fever Ray

Ghost Mountain - Siamese SailboatsGhost Mountain – Siamese Sailboats

Mastodon - Crack The SkyeMastodon – Crack The Skye

The Mountain Goats - TLOTWTCThe Mountain Goats – The Life Of The World To Come

AC Newman - Get GuiltyA.C. Newman – Get Guilty

TPOBPAHThe Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

Papercuts - YCHWYWPapercuts – You Can Have What You Want

Furthermore, this will be the last post for this calendar year. I shall return to you, reviews a’blazing on Monday, January 4th, 2010. Whether you’re celebrating a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Blessed Kwanzaa, I hope that everyone has a great holiday season that lasts all the way through a Happy New Year!

Dec 18 2009

Honorable Mentions of 2009

Category: H-Town Rock,Life As I See It,Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 08:00

Next up, I’d like to present a bunch of albums that I really enjoyed, but weren’t quite good enough to crack The Top Ten. But before we discuss my selections, it’s time for a bit of critical reflection upon the year.

As many of you might note, there are a few records in this list that have received an inordinate amount of hype and attention this year, namely Merriweather Post Pavilion and Veckatimest. Personally, I did enjoy these records, but I feel they pale in comparison to earlier, much greater work from these bands. Yet, there is much good on these records (the two/three lead singles/cuts from each are outstanding), and the national discourse on the state of the music industry/culture was injected with new life because of them.

Moreover, I am of the opinion that Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear received so much adulation outside of typical tastemaking indie rock circles because traditional music outlets finally decided to pay attention to such bands. With so many old-school publications dying, shrinking, and/or going solely online, they had to find new ways to generate interest in their work. Thus, great, inordinately disproportionate attention was paid to recent work from these (and other) indie rock stalwarts – it was as if Feels and Yellow House had never existed in the minds of the major music magazines.

So, it’s understandable that there was a precipitous amount of backlash against these albums and the bands that created them. Some critics were quick to excise and excoriate this music simply because it was being talked about in every possible circle. It’s the familiar philosophy of, “If the majors are talking about it, then it’s not indie anymore, and it’s certainly not cool anymore.” I get that. I understand the impulse to do that, and I’ve certainly fallen prey to it myself. I would just rather acknowledge that these are good records (but not great) that are dealing with, in the course of one year, several years of the hype and accolades that these acts do deserve.

All of that being said, 2009 was an outstanding year for music! Let’s get into it!
Continue reading “Honorable Mentions of 2009″

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