Stella Rose DVD-release party
July 23, Lola's Saloon Sixth
2736 W. Sixth St., Fort Worth
Davestock
July 24, The Wherehouse
2510 Hemphill St., Fort Worth
It was a hard choice to make: Davestock at The Wherehouse, or the Stella Rose DVD-release party at Lola's.
When I saw that I could do both (Davestock was a two-day event), I knew there would not be much on my weekend schedule other than rock -- and what more could you want in life?
So Saturday night found me sitting at a table at Lola's, watching the Red 100's blow the roof of the joint. If you haven't caught a Red 100's show, it's like a punk/blues/psychedelic rock assault. The band consists of Raul Mercado (guitar and vocals), Kyle Scheumack (drums and vocals) and Robbie D. Love (bass). Their music, even their "slow" songs, has buckets of energy, and their live shows display a trademark stage insanity. On Saturday night, I don't think they stopped moving the whole set.
They did their usual originals (which I have been listening to in my CD player all week), and a version of Johnny B. Goode that turned the place on its ear. The set ended the only way it could: with the guitars thrown about the stage (Love walked across his). Only a band like the Phuss could follow that.
The Phuss is one of my favorite high-energy rock bands in the region, but unfortunately, drummer Trey Alfaro was stuck in Oklahoma -- there was an illness in the family, then his car broke down, so he couldn't make it back. We wish him and his family the best, and hope he makes it back to civilization soon. But the show must go on, and frontman Joshua Fleming, put together a last-minute acoustic set. Nothing Earth-shattering here, but Fleming proved himself a pro and a talented solo performer. And I can't wait to see this band together on stage again.
Of course, this was the Stella Rose DVD release, and that's who we were all there to see. The set started off a bit slow, and the band was plagued by sound issues for the first few songs. But frontman Stephen Beatty was far more focused than I had ever seen him. The performance wasn't as wild as Stella Rose's previous shows -- there was no bloody guitar, and Beatty wasn't knocking stuff over. But his musicianship was first-rate. Bassist McKenna Madget was flawless (as usual), and Matt Mabe showed us how he earned that Best Drummer award from Fort Worth Weekly.
By the end of the set, sound guru Dre Edmonson had the house PA beaten back into submission and Stella Rose was smashing through it all just as fast, and as hard as it ever has.
As if Saturday night wasn't enough, Sunday found me at The Wherehouse for Davestock, a two-day concert in honor of local musician Dave Osborn, who passed away last year at age 21. The Wherehouse has come a long way in the past year or so since it opened. It's a nonbar venue, an old commercial building that has been turned into a place for live music. It still has that party-in-an-abandoned-building vibe, but more rooms are opened up, and it seems like there is always a different corner of the room to go and chill when you're looking for a change of atmosphere.
I couldn't make all the bands, but Skeleton Coast, Hoyotoho and the Hanna Barbarians closed the night out in spectacular fashion. There was a DJ in the outdoor patio area, and an eclectic assortment of people scattered throughout just having a great time, despite the heat. Proceeds from the event will go to Fort Worth's School of Rock, a music school for under-18s. I didn't know Dave well, but I'm sure he would be proud.
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