Location: Standard and Pours, South Side Lamar.
Well, I decided to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and try out a new music venue last night. While I’ve lived in Dallas my whole life, I must admit that I do not know the south side of downtown well at all. So I decided to make the trip down there to check out Standard and Pours in the basement of the old red brick Sears building. The atmosphere was very nice. S&P is a cozy little coffee shop that serves alcohol and some food. I didn’t notice anyone smoking (Dallas ordinance maybe?), and the shop was very pleasant to be in. There were a few tables and some large couches in front of the small stage area. It was also very well lit (which makes taking pics much more easy!).
I arrived just after eight, and got there just as Jayson Bales and Dave Wilsonstarted their set. It would seem that Jayson just landed a recording contact and had he advance versions of his CD available for purchase. I’ll see if I can get around to writing a review of the CD sometime soon. Jayson and Dave played very well together and had an easy going light rock/acoustic sound. Typical of a small music venue, the artists were able to engage the crowd in an informal and informative fashion. One of the highlights came when Jayson’s young son asked his Dad if he would play “Yes Jesus Loves me”. Dad hesitated, but then obliged and the whole crowd joined in.
They had a friend from the audience join in for a few songs. I didn’t catch the gentleman’s name but he really helped to add to the music. Maybe if Jayson, Dave , or Pascal are reading this, they can post his name in the comments section..
If you like live music, you will probably enjoy Standard and Pours. They have live music almost every night of the week and it looks like there usually isn’t a cover. Some great acts like Salim Nourallah and Kacy Crowley will be playing there very soon. Check the calendars in the links above. Check it out!
S&P’s myspace
Published on
July 5, 2006 in
Reviews.
Patrice’s music being reviewd below is available (here) See below for details.
I was trying to decide which review to write for you guys today: The live Bend Studio recording of Ian Moore, or Patrice Pike. Well, since Patrice Pike is going to be on CBS tonight for Tommy Lee’s new show Rockstar Supernova, the Tommy Lee Project I thought I might as well post her review. Especially since it looks like Patrice’s show from June 2006 might be on sale very soon, and might very well be the most recent recording of her music available. The review below is from a recent (2005) recording curently available from Bend Studio, but if you are interested in the June 2006 recording, please e-mail me at here and I will send out a blast as soon as it is made available (and no, I don’t use or sell any e-mail addresses).
Ally from Bend Studio was nice enough to send me one of Patrice Pike’s recordings from a show at her studio last year along with the Ian Moore recording that I ordered. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I must admit that I was amazed at the recording quality and fidelity of the music. Too often live show recordings sound terrible, but the 2 live CD’s that Ally recorded sounded fantastic. On top of that, I was impressed that Ally recorded the show in it’s entirety, leaving in the discussion with the crowd at her little studio. Instead of chopping out the entire dialog, she left it in and has the collection available on her site as a 2 disc set. If you are interested in Patrice Pike’s music, want to see how she performs in the raw without a recording studio or full band… or just want to hear some fantastic live music and also get a glimpse of her real personality I would highly recommend the 2005 show recorded by Bend Studio (available here) The CD is about half way down the page (Ctrl+F and then type Patrice, and you will find it). I think you will enjoy the music, and would highly reccomend the CD’s to anyone.
Pic’s from Patrice Pikes June show at Bend Studio here
A review of that show is here
Bend Studio
Patrice Pike’s Myspace
Published on
June 29, 2006 in
Reviews.
Last night was a good night. The plans for the night were : go home, go to the gym, go to bed. What actually happened: Berto got a kitchen pass, so we got pickled, puffed on a few cigars, and went to see Superman Returns with Blake and John.
I really want to write this review because I was happily surprised with the movie. All of the reviews I heard on the radio and TV were very negative. All I heard this week was: The movie was terrible, it was too long, and too many religious overtones. I’m not sure what these guys are smoking, but I didn’t find any of that to be the case.
The basic acid test that I use to recommend a movie is this: was it worth my time, and was it worth my money? That is, did it entertain me enough to be worth the green and the time? This movie was worth both to me.
I was happy the way the movie was made, and how it kept true to the classic “SuperMan” style. This movie was the first movie of this type in a long time that I’ve seen that reminded me of watching the original movies/shows when I was a kid. The studio’s didn’t kill it like they have some other classics by taking a great movie or character and make an ultra modern interpretation that becomes removed from the original. This was a Superman sequil that felt just like old movies. For the most part the special effects were pretty good. Some of them tried to go too over the top and looked too animated (like some of the Spider Man scenes). It was long, but kept me engaged. I wouldn’t say that it is a must see film, but it was a good movie by my standards. The people who are freaking about the religious overtones have too much free time on their hands to find things to bitch about. There were 2 lines in the movie that discussed the world needing/wanting/needing a savior. It’s a super hero movie….what is it without someone who saves the world from the bad guy? 
I wanted to get a new all around lens for my camera before we went to the Mexico trop . My goal was to replace the standard lens with something more capable. I wanted a lens that was a good all around lens to keep on the camera the vast majority of the time. I was looking for modest zoom ability coupled with good wide angle shooting. Most of all I wanted a faster lens because I don’t like using a flash when I don’t have to. On top of all of this I didn’t want to spend a grand to achieve this.
After snooping around on the web, I found the Sigma 28mm-135mm f-2.8. So far I absolutely love this lens. It is 2 stops faster than the standard lens (the 77mm filter size helps that out also), and has just the right mix of wide angle and zoom abilities for the majority of my shooting. Even at 135mm, it is as fast as the fastest setting the stock 18-55mm canon lens is (f 3.5). In low light situations, you can really notice the speed difference. I’m able to shoot without a tripod and without a flash in conditions that the standard lens would laugh at and ask me for a 1/5th of a second shutter speed (can you say blllluuuurrrrrr?).
I was surprised at how harsh some of the reviews for this lens were online. The more I read into them, the more it made sense to me though. Most of the guys slamming the lens were comparing it to high end ultrasonic and image stabilized lens. Well, yea, this thing is going to focus more slowly than your $1500 ultrasonic. If you are an architecture photographer shooting a $2000 wide angle to make sure your lines have zero distortion, you won’t like this lens either. My point of reference is from the stock lens, and this thing focuses faster, and takes better pics than the stock lens by a long shot. I don’t notice any barell distortion, but I’m not a structural photographer. If you are a pro photographer comparing this to a pro lens, then you will probably not be happy. If you are like me and want a great all around lens that takes great pics for less than $350 bucks to replace your stock lens, you will love this Sigma
Other reviews with pics from the same lens:
Ian Moore
Dreams Hotel
Patrice Pike
Anju’s Dream Bill
I’m not sure that I’m going to handle this review the same way that I have my previous music reviews. I think I would prefer to give credit to the people who played and quick kudos and thanks for the music. The show Saturday night at Bend Studio was a little bit different because it wasn’t just a show, it was a tribute to a friend of Bend Studio who recently passed. So this show was about more than just the music and I don’t want to detract from that.
If Ally or anyone else would like to elaborate on Anju, please do so in the comments of this post. I was not fortunate enough to know her; all I know is that she was a friend of the studio and a tremendous supporter to the artists. Ally put together a bill of three of her favorite performers to come and play “Anju’s Dream Bill”.
The show opened with Salim Nourallah , followed by Kacy Crowley, and concluded by Billy Harvey. All three performs entertained the crowed as they shared their craft. The audience requested songs, sang along, snapped on queue, and had a fantastic evening listening to the dream bill. Salim made sacrifices of his own just to be there (including the promise of sleep), while Kacy proved that big voices hide in little women, and Billy Harvey kept the crowd smiling with his music and his antics. I enjoyed the night very much, and I think that the show achieved its purpose of celebrating the life of a friend who has passed with music and friends.
Updated: more pics from the show here
Other Bend Studio Reviews
Bend’s Myspace
Biilly Harvey’s Myspace
Salim’s Myspace
Kacy’s Webpage