Blackstone Rangers

A Q&A with Blackstone Rngrs’ Derek Kutzer
Dallas, TX-based shoegazer rock band Blackstone Rangers — you’ll also find them as Blackstone Rngrs — originally formed about four years ago featuring Ruth Ellen Smith (vocals, synths, drum machine) and Derek Kutzer. After a year spent writing material and then rehearsing, the band recruited Daniel Bornhorst to play drums, essentially fleshing out the band’s sound for their first EP, which coincidentally received quite a bit of regional attention — thanks in part to a sound that manages to mesh 80s and 90s shoegazer rock with ambient (and perhaps minimalist) electronica.

Their forthcoming EP, Descendant which is slated for a February 25th release through Saint Marie Records, a label that specifically focuses on dreampop, shoegaze, indie pop, mellow-fi, electronica and others, and in fact, it furthers cements the band’s reputation in North Texas’ renowned shoegaze/psych rock scene — a scene that includes the Black Angels, the Octopus Project and several others. But it may also put the band on the national map as their sound manages to be incredibly cinematic — and manages to be somewhat reminiscent of Siouxsie and the Banshees and of Sigur Ros. In other words, it’s gorgeous, yet stormy and dramatic. And in some way it’s quickly become one of my favorite albums at the start of this year.

I recently spoke to Blackstone Rngrs’ Derek Kutzer about the forthcoming album, Descendant, the Dallas, TX music scene, Kutzer’s cinematic influences on the band’s sound, and much more. - Joy Of Violent Movement

Blackstone Rngrs are set to deliver their six track EP ‘Descendant’ on February 25 through Saint Marie Records (pre-order). Influenced by classic 4AD-era noise and dream pop, the Texas trio layer their melodies into a swirling, ambient mix of guitars and synthesizers. ‘Judas Tree’ is our first listen, it’s a dynamic slow burner that builds around Ruth’s vocals. Blackstone Rngrs released their much loved debut EP ‘ Into The Sea‘ in 2012, following it up with a an extensive tour with stops at NXNE and SXSW. Judging by ‘Descendant’, it’s going to be a very busy year for them! - Sounds Better With Reverb

Best New Act

Blackstone Rangers

Derek Kutzer, Ruth Smith and Dan Bornhorst of Blackstone Rangers released the Salim Nourallah-produced Into the Sea, their synth-pop debut from Dallas Distortion Music, via cassette, and that's just plain cool. Kelly Dearmore - Dallas Observer

Derek Kutzer of Blackstone Rangers (Dallas)
On indie labels:

"I think there are plenty of independent labels that are still functioning under the old ethical parameters of what it means to be indie. They have a direct love of the music they put out and forge personal relationships with the bands they sign. Captured Tracks and Slumberland seem to be good examples of this, as is our label, Saint Marie Records."

"We deal directly with the owner of our label in all matters. He is a huge fan of our music, and is in the industry as much out of a desire for good, honest art as he is a desire to make a profit. It seems that the indie labels that Cults mentioned exist on a larger plane than what we have dealt with. We feel that in our case, the relationship between label and band is solid and meaningful. Cults has probably seen a world that we have not seen, so I’m not doubting their experience. We just haven’t shared it."

On selling out:

"Ultimately, I think the perception of a band 'selling-out' is largely in the mind of music fans and consumers, and it actually says more about those fans and consumers than it does about the band itself. This is not to say that a band can never make a stupid, greedy decision. They do it all the time. But, in the end, a band knows what it needs and what it wants more than a fan."

"As musicians, we’d all love to quit our day jobs, and make money doing what we love. If an artist 'sells out,' per say, it’s more likely that they have always wanted to get to that level than it is that they pulled a fast one on everybody. Fans should be a little more careful not to hold artists up on such a high pedestal. We are humans, too, with human needs, and human wants. And we live in a capitalist, consumerist world where music competes in a fierce market place, and it doesn’t always benefit the basic needs of the musician. We are all trying to get ahead and climb to that next step. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But I do think that ethics should be involved. If you go around railing against air pollution and environmental destruction, while you license your music to be used in a gas guzzling SUV commercial or to an oil company known to pollute the ocean or something, there’s really a lot wrong about that. But, still, it’s likely that that band has always been wishy-washy about what they really stand for. I would have no problem licensing my music out to promote something that I could stand by, but I’d draw a line. In the case of Beastie Boys, they chose to never license their music for commercial purposes. I respect that. But, as a financially poor musician, I could use a little break."

On goals and success:

"Honestly, we’d just like to do music as a profession; to not have to have a day job to support our artistic endeavors. We hope that one day soon, we’ll be able to live off of our craft.

We find success in little things: a fan coming up after a show saying how amazing the experience was for him or her, selling a T-shirt to a glowing kid, being asked by a band we really like to play a show with them, and things like that. We don’t think about playing stadiums or anything grand. We take it one step at a time. One show at a time. One record at a time. One good review at a time. And so on. We’d just like to make a living off of our music." - WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

The best type of albums -- and the ones that typically have the longest shelf lives -- are the ones that take the listener on some sort of journey, the ones that play out more like a complete listening experience as opposed to a random collection of tracks. Over the typical course of a standard 80-minute collection of a dozen or so tracks, there's definitely plenty of room to accomplish this.

On the other hand, it is pretty rare to get that same experience from a five-track, 20-minute EP.

On Into The Sea, the debut EP from Blackstone Rangers, the band employs a heady track-ordering that manages to give the listener a much-desired experience. The effort begins with nothing but hand claps and an a capella female vocal loop repeatedly reciting the album's title on "Mutiny at Toho Bay" before picking up some steam as a decidedly electro number. From there, "Hollyglen" and "Pigeon" begin incorporating more live instruments, tons of reverb and the occasional male vocal lead as well.

Oh, and there's lots of distortion. It's all over Into the Sea, helping to make the recorded versions of these tunes as noisy as the band's live shows.

Says keyboardist/vocalist Ruth Smith of this piercing direction: "This is our first real recording effort. I don't think it was an attempt to sound 'noisy' or anything. But we sure do like distortion!"

The EP's penultimate track, "Sheen Machine," is a fitting climax for the album as the band breaks into full on dance-punk mode, turning in the loudest, poppiest and most polished of the record's five tracks. Hooky female vocals, nasty guitars and Costello-like synth lines combine into a force that could just as easily soundtrack a dance party as a bare-knuckles basement brawl.

It all leads perfectly into the somewhat subdued "I Won't Tell." The longest song on the EP, it continues to build as elements from each of the previous songs are incorporated into the most balanced combo of electronic and live elements from any song on the album.

Fittingly, the last sounds one hears are the heavily distorted residual echoes of ringing effects pedals.

You can stream the EP in its entirety at the end of this post. Attendees at their June 8 release show at Bryan Street Tavern can pick up copies of the EP on limited edition blue cassettes.

"We still wanted something physical -- a piece of art -- so people could touch it, own it and put it on a shelf," says guitarist Derek Kutzer. "We were fortunate enough to have Evan Henry and Matt Vickers of Dallas Distortion Music put out the EP on cassette, which, of course, includes a digital download."

Adds Smith: "We knew right away that we didn't want CDs. None of us can even remember the last CD we bought." - Central Track

When Ruth Smith and Derek Kutzer began making music together as Blackstone Rangers in 2011, they didn’t know what kind to make. Today, the now-trio — with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Daniel Bornhorst — still, proudly, doesn’t know.
“We haven’t honed in on our sound, and I don’t think that we should, honestly,” Smith said. “I’m fine not having a certain genre. I like so much music, I don’t want to sound like anything, anyway.”

And they don’t. The Dallas threepiece has its influences, but there’s only the essence of Cocteau Twins or some abstraction of Bob Dylan to be found in the mishmash of The Jesus and Mary Chain shoegaze ballads, chilly Chromatics ditties and jangly Sleater- Kinney anthems, all shot out of an ’80s synth-glitter cannon.

If there’s anything tying it all together, it’s volume (see: loud). But that proved to be problematic at the group’s debut gig.

“It was a fucking disaster. It was so bad,” Smith said. “We play really loud music, and the place we played wasn’t really equipped for us. We messed up their messed-up speakers even more.”

Blackstone Rangers since have become a DFW favorite, being named Dallas Observer’s Best New Act of 2012 on the heels of their debut EP, Into the Sea, which was released digitally and via cassette tape last summer.

“The whole thing is totally us: the recording, the artwork, everything. We wanted our hands to be on every piece of it,” Smith said. “It was a really good first EP. It was broad, but appropriately so.”

Blackstone Rangers are on the cusp of expanding well beyond their Southern comfort zone, however. Thursday’s gig at Opolis caps a Midwestern tour that soon will be followed by an East Coast run. Between dates, the group will be polishing off another set of recorded material — maybe an EP, maybe a full-length — due mid-summer, using the nights playing to strangers as an opportunity to refine and improve the new songs.

We haven’t honed in on our sound, and I don’t think that we should.

—Ruth Smith

“I really like playing in front of completely new people, especially people I’ve never met before. I like getting a fair judge of our music,” Smith said. “You can make true criticisms of yourself and figure out what worked and what didn’t. I like getting an honest opinion on the music so you can figure out what to do better.” - Oklahoma Gazette

Blackstone Rangers, 'Into the Sea'

I'll be honest: I can't stop listening to these five songs. At first glance, there's nothing especially remarkable about them, but upon repeated passes, it becomes clear this Dallas trio is onto something. Ruth Smith, Derek Kutzer and recent addition Dan Bornhorst wrote and recorded these tracks themselves (given a professional spit-polish by Salim Nourallah and Carl Saff), and released them with help from popular blog Dallas Distortion Music. Yet all that outside help falls away when considering haunting cuts like Mutiny at Toho Bay or the irresistible Hollyglen -- this is a singular effort from a band I pray is just getting warmed up. (blackstonerangers.bandcamp.com) - Dfw.com

Last summer, with the release of its debut Into The Sea EP, Dallas' Blackstone Rangers immediately became an integral part of the North Texas music conversation. That five-song short-player, we said at the time, added a "much-desired" element of distorted electro-pop to the area's sonic landscape. That's for sure: In the end, Blackstone's debut ended up as our fourth-favorite North Texas album of 2012.

This coming November, you can expect the band to start building on its impressive early rep: That's when the band's planning to release its next project, tentatively being called Descendant.

Is it an EP? Is it an LP? Something else?

"It's six songs and 31 minutes long," says guitarist Derek Kutzer. "We're not sure what it is. We're just sort of releasing it."

Still, the band is doing so with a little more care this time around. Whereas Into The Sea mainly found the band recording tracks onto a laptop, Kutzer and his bandmates Ruth Ellen Smith (lead vox, synthesizers) and Daniel Bornhorst (drums) recorded this new output at Bornhorst's home studio in Oak Cliff -- a spot the band has affectionately been calling "The White Lodge."

"It was awesome," Kutzer says of the process. "We already want to go back and start another album."

With good reason: "Frozen Echo," the first single released from Blackstone Rangers' sophomore effort, retains the same distortion and undulating feel that so made Into The Sea a treat, but it also boasts a fuller aesthetic -- thanks in no small part to the recording studio, but also due to Smith's repetitive, cooing vocals, which run throughout the track.

Says Kutzer of the song, for which he and his bandmates are currently self-producing a new music video: "It definitely represents the mood of the rest of the album. The new songs aren't all lyric-less, though."

Even if they were, though, that'd no big thing: "Frozen Echo" is a gorgeous song, one that rather easily grasps listeners into its groove.

Many thanks, then to Blackstone Rangers for offering the cut up to Central Track readers as an exclusive, free download on our site. Grab it off the Soundcloud embed below, then make plans to catch this ever-enticing local outfit at the Index Festival in Deep Ellum next month. - Central Track

Pretty much the big local music story of the week was the Dallas Observer’s announcement of this year's music awards nominees. And deservedly so: As it is every year among local musicians, venue staffs and other industry types, the announcement managed to cause its usual stir.

Also, just like every year prior, social media went wild this week with different contingents complaining that certain genres (blues, metal, reggae) were underrepresented on this year's ballot, while others (country, alt-country, Americana) were potentially over-represented. It's a fair argument, to be sure, and we definitely feel for the Observer's staff this time every year. All that bitching can take a toll.

That being said, no singular nomination managed to evoke the level of carping, confusion and controversy as Blackstone Rangers' nod in the Best Americana category. Minutes after the nominations came out Blackstone's Ruth Smith quickly took to Facebook to argue her band's position as starkly anti-Americana.

Soon after, members of bands like Zhora, Quaker City Night Hawks, Nervous Curtains and several others expressed a similar sense of bewilderment at the nomination. In turn, the Observer expressed via Twitter that Americana was "where [Blackstone Rangers] made sense to [its] panel" and that they, "…reserve the right to apply multiple words to the sounds [Blackstone Rangers] make."

In the end, though, Blackstone's repeated requests to be removed from the ballot entirely were eventually granted, and, as of this writing, the band's name is wholly absent from the ballot.

And, while it looks like Blackstone Rangers won't be winning any DOMAs this year, all the commotion did help the "distoro-pop" outfit land the No. 1 spot in our weekly Buzz Rankings.

To that end, a large contingent of this week's buzzing bands were also nominated for DOMAs this year.

Among the rest of the bands on the list are Baptist Generals, who not only served as the openers for this week's Daniel Johnston show at the Kessler, but as Johnston's backing band as well. Astronautalis, meanwhile, not only played main support at this week's Why? show along with fellow list-maker -topic, but was also announced as being added as one of the headliners for the upcoming inaugural Oaktopia Fest in Denton.

Meanwhile, Mind Spiders got some love from Spin, The Polyphonic Spree announced that it'll be throwing the first of what will be an annual Halloween party at Lakewood Theater in the coming weeks, Party Static opened for Peelander-Z at Three Links, and DJ Sober will be helping us throw the second edition of our monthly Pop That! party at It'll Do Clubtomorrow night.

(Also receiving votes this week: Girls Rock Dallas, TEAM, Yung Nation, Dark Rooms, Calhoun, Bad Sports, War Party, Zhora, Booty Fade, Ynfynyt Scroll, Unlikely Candidates, Madison King, Dustin Cavazos, Rocket Arm, Dave Little, Nervous Curtains, Pat Green, Mr. Kitty, Eisley, Brain Gang, Daniel Markham, Internet Trap God, Lord Byron, Cliffs of Insanity, Son of Stan, Air Review, Nicolas Altobelli, A.Dd+, RTB2, Atomic Tanlines, Solomon, Deep Throat.) - Central Track

Pretty much the big local music story of the week was the Dallas Observer’s announcement of this year's music awards nominees. And deservedly so: As it is every year among local musicians, venue staffs and other industry types, the announcement managed to cause its usual stir.

Also, just like every year prior, social media went wild this week with different contingents complaining that certain genres (blues, metal, reggae) were underrepresented on this year's ballot, while others (country, alt-country, Americana) were potentially over-represented. It's a fair argument, to be sure, and we definitely feel for the Observer's staff this time every year. All that bitching can take a toll.

That being said, no singular nomination managed to evoke the level of carping, confusion and controversy as Blackstone Rangers' nod in the Best Americana category. Minutes after the nominations came out Blackstone's Ruth Smith quickly took to Facebook to argue her band's position as starkly anti-Americana.

Soon after, members of bands like Zhora, Quaker City Night Hawks, Nervous Curtains and several others expressed a similar sense of bewilderment at the nomination. In turn, the Observer expressed via Twitter that Americana was "where [Blackstone Rangers] made sense to [its] panel" and that they, "…reserve the right to apply multiple words to the sounds [Blackstone Rangers] make."

In the end, though, Blackstone's repeated requests to be removed from the ballot entirely were eventually granted, and, as of this writing, the band's name is wholly absent from the ballot.

And, while it looks like Blackstone Rangers won't be winning any DOMAs this year, all the commotion did help the "distoro-pop" outfit land the No. 1 spot in our weekly Buzz Rankings.

To that end, a large contingent of this week's buzzing bands were also nominated for DOMAs this year.

Among the rest of the bands on the list are Baptist Generals, who not only served as the openers for this week's Daniel Johnston show at the Kessler, but as Johnston's backing band as well. Astronautalis, meanwhile, not only played main support at this week's Why? show along with fellow list-maker -topic, but was also announced as being added as one of the headliners for the upcoming inaugural Oaktopia Fest in Denton.

Meanwhile, Mind Spiders got some love from Spin, The Polyphonic Spree announced that it'll be throwing the first of what will be an annual Halloween party at Lakewood Theater in the coming weeks, Party Static opened for Peelander-Z at Three Links, and DJ Sober will be helping us throw the second edition of our monthly Pop That! party at It'll Do Clubtomorrow night.

(Also receiving votes this week: Girls Rock Dallas, TEAM, Yung Nation, Dark Rooms, Calhoun, Bad Sports, War Party, Zhora, Booty Fade, Ynfynyt Scroll, Unlikely Candidates, Madison King, Dustin Cavazos, Rocket Arm, Dave Little, Nervous Curtains, Pat Green, Mr. Kitty, Eisley, Brain Gang, Daniel Markham, Internet Trap God, Lord Byron, Cliffs of Insanity, Son of Stan, Air Review, Nicolas Altobelli, A.Dd+, RTB2, Atomic Tanlines, Solomon, Deep Throat.) - Central Track

Pretty much the big local music story of the week was the Dallas Observer’s announcement of this year's music awards nominees. And deservedly so: As it is every year among local musicians, venue staffs and other industry types, the announcement managed to cause its usual stir.

Also, just like every year prior, social media went wild this week with different contingents complaining that certain genres (blues, metal, reggae) were underrepresented on this year's ballot, while others (country, alt-country, Americana) were potentially over-represented. It's a fair argument, to be sure, and we definitely feel for the Observer's staff this time every year. All that bitching can take a toll.

That being said, no singular nomination managed to evoke the level of carping, confusion and controversy as Blackstone Rangers' nod in the Best Americana category. Minutes after the nominations came out Blackstone's Ruth Smith quickly took to Facebook to argue her band's position as starkly anti-Americana.

Soon after, members of bands like Zhora, Quaker City Night Hawks, Nervous Curtains and several others expressed a similar sense of bewilderment at the nomination. In turn, the Observer expressed via Twitter that Americana was "where [Blackstone Rangers] made sense to [its] panel" and that they, "…reserve the right to apply multiple words to the sounds [Blackstone Rangers] make."

In the end, though, Blackstone's repeated requests to be removed from the ballot entirely were eventually granted, and, as of this writing, the band's name is wholly absent from the ballot.

And, while it looks like Blackstone Rangers won't be winning any DOMAs this year, all the commotion did help the "distoro-pop" outfit land the No. 1 spot in our weekly Buzz Rankings.

To that end, a large contingent of this week's buzzing bands were also nominated for DOMAs this year.

Among the rest of the bands on the list are Baptist Generals, who not only served as the openers for this week's Daniel Johnston show at the Kessler, but as Johnston's backing band as well. Astronautalis, meanwhile, not only played main support at this week's Why? show along with fellow list-maker -topic, but was also announced as being added as one of the headliners for the upcoming inaugural Oaktopia Fest in Denton.

Meanwhile, Mind Spiders got some love from Spin, The Polyphonic Spree announced that it'll be throwing the first of what will be an annual Halloween party at Lakewood Theater in the coming weeks, Party Static opened for Peelander-Z at Three Links, and DJ Sober will be helping us throw the second edition of our monthly Pop That! party at It'll Do Clubtomorrow night.

(Also receiving votes this week: Girls Rock Dallas, TEAM, Yung Nation, Dark Rooms, Calhoun, Bad Sports, War Party, Zhora, Booty Fade, Ynfynyt Scroll, Unlikely Candidates, Madison King, Dustin Cavazos, Rocket Arm, Dave Little, Nervous Curtains, Pat Green, Mr. Kitty, Eisley, Brain Gang, Daniel Markham, Internet Trap God, Lord Byron, Cliffs of Insanity, Son of Stan, Air Review, Nicolas Altobelli, A.Dd+, RTB2, Atomic Tanlines, Solomon, Deep Throat.) - Central Track

Pretty much the big local music story of the week was the Dallas Observer’s announcement of this year's music awards nominees. And deservedly so: As it is every year among local musicians, venue staffs and other industry types, the announcement managed to cause its usual stir.

Also, just like every year prior, social media went wild this week with different contingents complaining that certain genres (blues, metal, reggae) were underrepresented on this year's ballot, while others (country, alt-country, Americana) were potentially over-represented. It's a fair argument, to be sure, and we definitely feel for the Observer's staff this time every year. All that bitching can take a toll.

That being said, no singular nomination managed to evoke the level of carping, confusion and controversy as Blackstone Rangers' nod in the Best Americana category. Minutes after the nominations came out Blackstone's Ruth Smith quickly took to Facebook to argue her band's position as starkly anti-Americana.

Soon after, members of bands like Zhora, Quaker City Night Hawks, Nervous Curtains and several others expressed a similar sense of bewilderment at the nomination. In turn, the Observer expressed via Twitter that Americana was "where [Blackstone Rangers] made sense to [its] panel" and that they, "…reserve the right to apply multiple words to the sounds [Blackstone Rangers] make."

In the end, though, Blackstone's repeated requests to be removed from the ballot entirely were eventually granted, and, as of this writing, the band's name is wholly absent from the ballot.

And, while it looks like Blackstone Rangers won't be winning any DOMAs this year, all the commotion did help the "distoro-pop" outfit land the No. 1 spot in our weekly Buzz Rankings.

To that end, a large contingent of this week's buzzing bands were also nominated for DOMAs this year.

Among the rest of the bands on the list are Baptist Generals, who not only served as the openers for this week's Daniel Johnston show at the Kessler, but as Johnston's backing band as well. Astronautalis, meanwhile, not only played main support at this week's Why? show along with fellow list-maker -topic, but was also announced as being added as one of the headliners for the upcoming inaugural Oaktopia Fest in Denton.

Meanwhile, Mind Spiders got some love from Spin, The Polyphonic Spree announced that it'll be throwing the first of what will be an annual Halloween party at Lakewood Theater in the coming weeks, Party Static opened for Peelander-Z at Three Links, and DJ Sober will be helping us throw the second edition of our monthly Pop That! party at It'll Do Clubtomorrow night.

(Also receiving votes this week: Girls Rock Dallas, TEAM, Yung Nation, Dark Rooms, Calhoun, Bad Sports, War Party, Zhora, Booty Fade, Ynfynyt Scroll, Unlikely Candidates, Madison King, Dustin Cavazos, Rocket Arm, Dave Little, Nervous Curtains, Pat Green, Mr. Kitty, Eisley, Brain Gang, Daniel Markham, Internet Trap God, Lord Byron, Cliffs of Insanity, Son of Stan, Air Review, Nicolas Altobelli, A.Dd+, RTB2, Atomic Tanlines, Solomon, Deep Throat.) - Central Track

Last summer, with the release of its debut Into The Sea EP, Dallas' Blackstone Rangers immediately became an integral part of the North Texas music conversation. That five-song short-player, we said at the time, added a "much-desired" element of distorted electro-pop to the area's sonic landscape. That's for sure: In the end, Blackstone's debut ended up as our fourth-favorite North Texas album of 2012.

This coming November, you can expect the band to start building on its impressive early rep: That's when the band's planning to release its next project, tentatively being called Descendant.

Is it an EP? Is it an LP? Something else?

"It's six songs and 31 minutes long," says guitarist Derek Kutzer. "We're not sure what it is. We're just sort of releasing it."

Still, the band is doing so with a little more care this time around. Whereas Into The Sea mainly found the band recording tracks onto a laptop, Kutzer and his bandmates Ruth Ellen Smith (lead vox, synthesizers) and Daniel Bornhorst (drums) recorded this new output at Bornhorst's home studio in Oak Cliff -- a spot the band has affectionately been calling "The White Lodge."

"It was awesome," Kutzer says of the process. "We already want to go back and start another album."

With good reason: "Frozen Echo," the first single released from Blackstone Rangers' sophomore effort, retains the same distortion and undulating feel that so made Into The Sea a treat, but it also boasts a fuller aesthetic -- thanks in no small part to the recording studio, but also due to Smith's repetitive, cooing vocals, which run throughout the track.

Says Kutzer of the song, for which he and his bandmates are currently self-producing a new music video: "It definitely represents the mood of the rest of the album. The new songs aren't all lyric-less, though."

Even if they were, though, that'd no big thing: "Frozen Echo" is a gorgeous song, one that rather easily grasps listeners into its groove.

Many thanks, then to Blackstone Rangers for offering the cut up to Central Track readers as an exclusive, free download on our site. Grab it off the Soundcloud embed below, then make plans to catch this ever-enticing local outfit at the Index Festival in Deep Ellum next month.
- Central Track

Artist: Blackstone Rangers
Album: Into The Sea
Label: Dallas Distortion Music
Release Date: June 8, 2012

EP’s are a difficult art form to master. Even when done well, they can come across as a collection of tracks intended to demonstrate the scope and breadth of a band, seeming more like a sampler intended to whet the appetite in anticipation of the eventual LP. Their brevity rarely allows for the complexity and internal logic that a good album tends to possess. That said, Blackstone Rangers has managed to offer up an EP that is both complex and compelling.

The self-proclaimed “distorto-pop” trio from Dallas has a distinct sound which, while reminiscent at times of notable acts like Interpol and Le Tigre, never gives the impression of blatant imitation. The opening track, a densely-layered soundscape punctuated by the simple refrain “Into the Sea”—the title of the EP—sets the tone for the ambient noise and resonating guitars of later number like “Hollyglen” and “I Won’t Tell.” The upbeat “Sheen Machine” indicates that Blackstone Rangers is a band that refuses to be pigeon-holed into any single category and can, as the lyrics advertise, induce listeners to get out on the dance floor just as much as lose themselves in the reverb-drenched guitars and dream-like synth riffs that pervade Into The Sea.

In their own words, Blackstone Rangers claim that they seek to pay homage to the experimentation of late-70's and early-80's while “approaching the dawn of something new.” After listening to Into The Sea numerous times, however, one is tempted to ask whether the band has achieved its goal of creating a fresh and original sound… something we have not, in fact, heard before? This is never any easy feat for a band, especially one showcasing its recording debut. Into The Sea hints at the promise of a band that will, no doubt, find the unique sound it craves through its ability to blend varied influences and sculpt haunting sounds capable of drawing in listeners.

_______
Similar artists: Interpol, Phantogram, Nerves Junior - Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie

When Ruth Smith and Derek Kutzer began making music together as Blackstone Rangers in 2011, they didn’t know what kind to make. Today, the now-trio — with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Daniel Bornhorst — still, proudly, doesn’t know.
“We haven’t honed in on our sound, and I don’t think that we should, honestly,” Smith said. “I’m fine not having a certain genre. I like so much music, I don’t want to sound like anything, anyway.”

And they don’t. The Dallas three-piece has its influences, but there’s only the essence of Cocteau Twins or some abstraction of Bob Dylan to be found in the mishmash of The Jesus and Mary Chain shoegaze ballads, chilly Chromatics ditties and jangly Sleater-Kinney anthems, all shot out of an ’80s synth-glitter cannon.

If there’s anything tying it all together, it’s volume (see: loud). But that proved to be problematic at the group’s debut gig.

“It was a fucking disaster. It was so bad,” Smith said. “We play really loud music, and the place we played wasn’t really equipped for us. We messed up their messed-up speakers even more.”

Blackstone Rangers since have become a DFW favorite, being named Dallas Observer’s Best New Act of 2012 on the heels of their debut EP, Into the Sea, which was released digitally and via cassette tape last summer.

“The whole thing is totally us: the recording, the artwork, everything. We wanted our hands to be on every piece of it,” Smith said. “It was a really good first EP. It was broad, but appropriately so.”

Blackstone Rangers are on the cusp of expanding well beyond their Southern comfort zone, however. Thursday’s gig at Opolis caps a Midwestern tour that soon will be followed by an East Coast run.

Between dates, the group will be polishing off another set of recorded material — maybe an EP, maybe a full-length — due mid-summer, using the nights playing to strangers as an opportunity to refine and improve the new songs.

“I really like playing in front of completely new people, especially people I’ve never met before. I like getting a fair judge of our music,” Smith said. “You can make true criticisms of yourself and figure out what worked and what didn’t. I like getting an honest opinion on the music so you can figure out what to do better.” - The Oklahoma Gazette

And if you checked out the site in late October you would have seen a killer playlist from newfound trio Blackstone Rangers, who was up next on the agenda for a can’t-miss show.

Club Dada was as packed as ever for this set (maybe it never really diminished at all throughout the night), and it was instantly apparent why – Blackstone Rangers were there to keep the ball rolling as the night turned to morning with their feisty, distorted, synth-pop style.
The trio kept the good vibes flowing and not a single foot was left planted on the floor, not even from the group members themselves. And DOMA rocked on as crowd numbers grew with the night. Tonight’s award ceremony at the House of Blues is sure to be a gargantuan hit, if it’s anything like the spirit of the showcase (and coming from the folks at the Dallas Observer, I think that’s a safe bet).?
- GoodBAMMsho

Blackstone Rangers
blackstonerangers.tumblr.com

If you’re not familiar with the Blackstone Rangers, then it’s just a matter of time before you will be. This distorto-pop group has received a lot of buzz since winning the award for the best new act at the 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards and releasing its debut EP, “Into the Sea” this past summer to rave reviews. It’s also been invited to perform official showcases at Austin’s 2013 SXSW music festival. The way the band transforms sound into a fusion of energetic rhythms and melodies comes from the desire to create music with an edge. “ I want music that makes me act out … it’s cleansing,” says guitarist and vocalist, Derek Kutzer, who along with vocalist Ruth Smith on the keyboards and drummer Dan Bornhorst, make up this talented trio. The Blackstone Rangers wants to blow people away with its music, and considering its huge following and the many accolades it’s garnered in just a year’s time, it’s evident it’s accomplishing its goal. - CBS-DFW

Blackstone Rangers
blackstonerangers.tumblr.com

If you’re not familiar with the Blackstone Rangers, then it’s just a matter of time before you will be. This distorto-pop group has received a lot of buzz since winning the award for the best new act at the 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards and releasing its debut EP, “Into the Sea” this past summer to rave reviews. It’s also been invited to perform official showcases at Austin’s 2013 SXSW music festival. The way the band transforms sound into a fusion of energetic rhythms and melodies comes from the desire to create music with an edge. “ I want music that makes me act out … it’s cleansing,” says guitarist and vocalist, Derek Kutzer, who along with vocalist Ruth Smith on the keyboards and drummer Dan Bornhorst, make up this talented trio. The Blackstone Rangers wants to blow people away with its music, and considering its huge following and the many accolades it’s garnered in just a year’s time, it’s evident it’s accomplishing its goal. - CBS-DFW

Best Group Act
A.Dd+
Best Song
"Wait For Us," Mind Spiders

Best Solo Act
Sarah Jaffe

Best Album
Sarah Jaffe, The Body Wins

Best New Act
Blackstone Rangers

Best Blues Act
Jason Elmore

Best Country Act
Somebody's Darling

Best Americana/Roots Act
The O's

Best Electronic Act
Cutter

Best Experimental Act
New Fumes

Best Punk Act
Mind Spiders

Best Hardcore Act
Power Trip
Best Metal Act
Pinkish Black

Best Rock Act
The Breakfast Machine

Best Pop Act
Burning Hotels

Best Folk Act
Hares on the Mountain

Best Funk/R&B Act
The Cannabinoids

Best Rap/Hip-Hop Act
A.Dd+

Best Jazz Act
Yells At Eels

Best DJ
Sober

Best Mixtape
Leon the Professional, B(EAST)

Best Latin Act
Mariachi Los Unicos de Greiner

Best None of the Above
My Wooden Leg

Best Male Vocalist
Daniel Hart

Best Female Vocalist
Sarah Jaffe

Best Instrumentalist
Petra Kelly, Hares on the Mountain

Best Cover Band
The Gorehounds

Best Label
Good Recordings

Best Producer
Salim Nourallah

Best Venue
The Granada Theater

Best Talent Buyer
Parade of Flesh

Best Record Store
Good Records

Best Radio Show
The Paul Slavens Show, KKXT-FM 91.7

Best Festival
35 Denton

Best New Venue
The Foundry

Best Video
Sarah Jaffe, "Glorified High"

Best Poster Artist/Screenprinter
Magnificent Beard - Dallas Observer

In a year when Kickstarter efforts have ballooned from humble requests to egocentric slaps in the face, the recording, funding and distribution of albums has taken on a different hue, as the chasm between what you can do "yourself" and what labels are offering gets wider and deeper. A few of the artists on this list made Kickstarter work for them, and it will be interesting to see what other options spring up in 2013. Below, some albums DC9 At Night writers enjoyed this year.
Things of Earth
Old Millennium Pictures
Things of Earth, as of this writing, still has not played a live show. Regardless, this five-song freebie EP is a nice introduction to their post-hardcore. All five songs are instrumental (some feature soundbites from Network and Ronald Reagan), but they don't sound like Isis, Explosions in the Sky or Godspeed You! Black Emperor castoffs. If you miss what made Hum, Far, No Knife and Pelican great, check out this jam. -- Eric Grubbs

More local best-ofs:
- Five local rappers to watch in 2013
- The 10 best local country songs of 2012
- Ten of the best concerts of 2012

Snow Tha Product
Good Nights & Bad Mornings
On the strength of a devoted YouTube and Twitter following, and 2011 mixtape Unorthodox, Snow Tha Product landed a deal with Atlantic Records this year. Her label debut, Good Nights & Bad Mornings, was just released, and it features no guest verses, no skits, just Snow rapping like a beast, from night to morning. Look for big things in 2013. -- Audra Schroeder
Blackstone Rangers
Into the Sea
Dallas Distortion Music released this five-song debut, and Salim Nourallah mixed it. Sort of appropriate, actually, as the trio found ways to balance their love of '90s distortion and reverb with pop structure. -- Audra Schroeder



Smokin' Joe Kubek
Let That Right Hand Go
Featuring a gaggle of impressive side players, Smokin' Joe Kubek's Let That Right Hand Go is the best local blues album released this year. The guy has been a North Texas legend for nearly half a century, much of that with other half Bnois King, and Right Hand may well be his most seminal effort. Songs such as "It Ain't No Use" and "Black Snake Crawlin' On the Floor" channel everyone from Lightnin' Hopkins to ZZ Top, and Kubek's vocals and guitar skills have rarely sounded as powerful and focused. -- Darryl Smyers
Pinkish Black
Pinkish Black
A recent in-studio tweet from recording engineer Matthew Barnhart hinted at what Pinkish Black's next album might sound like, though that description could also apply to their full-length debut. Since the May release, the Fort Worth synth/drum duo has signed to Century Media and toured the country, and there have been a few comments as to how "metal" Jon Teague and Daron Beck's music is. Perhaps open your mind to what metal can be -- in PB's case, aggression and grief are tempered with Beck's symphonic restraint, as Teague circles and waits for the moment to strike. Not all metal has to scream in your face. Sometimes it's better when it breathes down your neck. -- Audra Schroeder

John Singer Sergeant
John Singer Sergeant
The "collaborative" album can be difficult to pull off, especially when it feels more like a vanity project than a collaboration. This year, John Dufilho employed a different approach, and took a backseat to the artists he invited to his debut as John Singer Sergeant. Sir Earl Toon, Sarah Jaffe, Ben Kweller, Marcus Striplin and more all guest on vocals, and while not every song works, the concept signals some bigger thinking about what collaborations can be. -- Audra Schroeder

Vanessa Peters
The Burn The Truth The Lies
Speaking of John Dufilho, he guests on drums on Vanessa Peters' latest album. The Burn The Truth The Lies pinpoints what a great storyteller Peters is, her lyrics never too flashy or heady, just observational and emotionally weighted, the poetry that drives the narrative of the album. -- Audra Schroeder

Mind Spiders
Meltdown
Do we call Meltdown punk? Lo-fi? Garage rock? Meltdown's 11 tracks drive home the band's elusive nature, as ex-Marked Man Mark Ryan leads his group on a wild adventure that sees them jumping from sound to sound. There wasn't a better record from a North Texas artist this year, and you could expand that statement to whole state if you wanted to. If anyone tries to challenge you, just play "Skull-Eyed" for them. -- Jaime-Paul Falcon



Leon the Professional
(B)east
Certainly, plenty of Dallas rappers are putting their own spin on overtly Southern influences, taking aesthetic cues from hip-hop schools of thought cultivated largely in Atlanta and Houston. Dallas' Leon the Professional trades that for something far more East Coast. He's spent 2012 carving a successful niche for himself, his (B)east winning the 2012 DOMA for Best Mixtape. "But are you a different animal and the same beast?" we're asked in one of the interludes. Keep an eye out for the next evolution, made all the more interesting comin - Dallas Observer

Last week, we here at Central Track finally got around to compiling our master list of
the best albums of 2012. Just as we promised in that post, we've also been hard at work compiling a weighted list of our favorite local efforts as well.

What we've realized in the process is that, in the same way our national list served as a good reminder of all the great releases sprinkled throughout the course of the year, our local counterpart serves as rather solid testimony that 2012 was quite a strong one for DFW bands.

The fact that our top three selections all received a hefty amount of national attention is just more empirical evidence of that fact.

Elsewhere, the list contains bands who this year received Daytrotter love (Somebody's Darling), debuted extremely promising sounds (Skeleton Coast, The Colurs, Team Tomb) or found themselves at the top of their game (RTB2, Analog Rebellion).

See our full list below, along with selected quotes from our coverage throughout the year where applicable.

20. Leon the Professional
B(east)
"Throughout (B)EAST, Leon's lyrical delivery flashes more confidence than any newcomer to the game has much right to put on display." (2/23/12)

19. Ynfynyt Scroll
Let Me See It EP
"Make no mistake, Diaz is not your typical electronic music producer. Ask him and he'll admit that he prefers the perspective gained from being a little bit on the outside and looking in. But, for all his troubles and seapunk obsessions, his music remains fairly accessible, in large part due to its inherent groove. And, yes, that's a good thing." (2/21/12)

18. Vanessa Peters
The Burn the Truth the Lies

17. Oil Boom
Gold Yeller
"The self-depreciating lyrical components that helped even the most derivative moments of Black Waxy seem charming remain fully intact this time around. For example, on 'One Time Used-To-Be,' Taylor playfully bemoans: 'Anywhere I go all the tongue-tied girls make fun of me / Anywhere I go I'm better known as a one-time used-to-be.'" (7/6/12)

16. John Singer Sergeant
John Singer Sergeant
"John Dufilho's an accomplished man, having risen to prominence in his own Deathray Davies and I Love Math outfits before joining the Apples in Stereo. His wide-ranging chops are on full display here, too. But you won't hear him singing. Instead, you'll hear folks Rhett Miller, Ben Kweller, Sarah Jaffe and others elevating this album to another level." (6/14/12)

15. Sore Losers
We Are Sore Losers

14. Spookeasy
Faux Show
When Spookeasy realized that their songs sounded like Spoon's, they hardly ran from that fact. Instead, they did the opposite, enlisting Spoon multi-instrumentalist Eric Harvey to produce their tracks. Even though Harvey had never produced another band prior, the results worked wonders, showing off Spookeasy as a Spoon-influenced outfit, sure, but one that can stand capably on they own, as well." (6/14/12)

13. Cozy Hawks
No Blues
"Cozy Hawk's power-pop debut is insanely melodic and catchy -- and gritty in all of the right places to boot. Consider it proof that frontman Adam Bertholdi's earlier project, Gazelles, was less the sum of its parts and more the product of his impressive songwriting chops." (6/14/12)

12. Team Tomb
Team Tomb
"As hinted by the handful of tracks that had been floating around online, the stamp of Caleb Ian Campbell (formerly of the Polycorns) remains heavily imprinted on the self-titled full-length. Elegant guitar licks carry the tracks, which ride the delicate wave of being poppy-yet-subdued." (8/7/12)

11. Somebody's Darling
Jank City Shakedown
"'Put your cold hands in my warm jacket, leave everything else up to me,' Amber Farris instructs in the opening refrains of "Cold Hands." It's a fitting sentiment to kick off the Dallas band's latest release. And, to be sure, the long-time-coming Jank City Shakedown finds her alt-country outfit Somebody's Darling in the driver's seat, fully in control, with Farris' wonderfully raw vocals firmly gripping the steering wheel." (10/3/12)

10. Will Johnson
Scorpion
"Without the benefit of hindsight, it is sometimes hard to appreciate just how great some artists are. Denton's Will Johnson might not be as flashy a name as, say, Usher, but time will reveal how his work in Funland, Centromatic, South San Gabriel, Monsters of Folk, New Multitudes, Overseas and separately as a solo artist make him one of the most respected artists of his generation." (3/19/12)

9. Skeleton Coast
Skeleton Coast
"Standout track 'Young' finds a middle ground between the trippy prog-rock found on The Dark Side of the Moon and the neo-psychedlia of contemporary Pink Floyd devotees The Flaming Lips, while broaching an optimistic, cocksure territory rarely approached by either of those touchstones. Simultaneously experimental, engaging and approachable, Skeleton Coast have hit upon a sound that's fit for both dancing and mellowing out -- depending on one's mood." (11/7/12)

8. War - Central Track

First up is Blackstone Rangers. When you first hear them live, you don’t expect their sound to hit you like a hurricane. Formed in 2011, the synth filled rock trio released their album on cassette tape in early 2012. It sold out quickly and BSR hasn’t stopped to breathe since, playing shows all across Texas. When pressed to describe their sound, Post Punk, Noise Pop and Synth Rock have all been used but it’s hard to find the right adjectives to describe something this new and big.

“We just want to be loud and blow people away,” says lead singer Ruth Smith. This is precisely how you feel when you watch Blackstone Rangers command the stage and rock the crowd, shocked, blown away, and that even though you aren’t sure what’s happening, you don’t want it to end. - Art Conspiracy

There are a few cultural movements in North Texas that could be considered burgeoning scenes. The craft beer uprising has rightfully grabbed headlines, while the Design District and Bishop Arts District have recently given the Dallas culinary world new faces and flavors.

Certain new and established record labels in North Texas deserve attention for the same reasons as the aforementioned culturally enriched pastimes. The people running these five local labels have met commercial demand and, in some cases, created their own.

Successful labels appeal to a customer base that understands locally produced records can meet a level of quality that has been lost by major labels residing on either coast.

Kirtland comes closest to major-label status in the area, thanks to a trusty roster of nationally known names, such as Bob Schneider and the Toadies.
These local record labels have absolutely enhanced the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene:

Dallas Distortion Music
Notable act: Blackstone Rangers
The newest of the labels on this list (established in early 2011), Dallas Distortion Music employs a range of functions in order to promote the music that, in Matthew Vickers' and Evan Henry’s estimation, needs to be heard by more people, more often.

Releasing cassette tapes instead of CDs, while adding blogging and concert promotion, makes for a musical pursuit of nirvana more than it does a winning business model. The multifunctional nature of DDM, which focuses primarily on indie, punk and hardcore offerings, is something that many DIY-style labels use as a way to create an identity within the marketplace so local music fans can connect with them closely.

Kirtland Records
Notable acts: Sarah Jaffe, The Toadies, Bob Schneider
This is the label that comes closest to major-label status in the area, thanks to a trusty roster of nationally known names. Although the Toadies comeback record of 2012 (the solid Play.Rock.Music.) might not have set the rock world on fire, Sarah Jaffe’s follow-up to her phenomenal debut full-length, The Body Wins, certainly seems to be a victory.

Irresistible Dallas pop-duo Smile Smile also calls Kirtland home, making this a label that wants to create big, national names from locally beloved acts. 2013 looks to be promising, as new signees Alpha Rev from Austin will bring another album of their infectious, ambient rock.

Idol Records
Notable acts: Calhoun, The O’s, Here Holy Spain
If Gutterth Productions has given people a taste of the Denton scene, then the long-standing Idol Records, run by Erv Karwelis, acts as a practical Dallas Rock Hall of Fame. This is thanks to many of the Deep Ellum-grown greats on the label’s current and past rosters. (Idol has some choice gems from the early days of Centro-matic and the Old 97’s.)

Long-standing Idol Records acts as a practical Dallas Rock Hall of Fame, thanks to many of the Deep Ellum-grown greats on the label’s current and past rosters.
2011 was a fast and fantastic year for Idol. Sparkling debuts from Darstar and Gaston Light and stellar records from established stars such as Calhoun and The O’s made last year as great for local music lovers as it was for the label itself.

Although 2012 has been relatively quiet, 2013 promises to make up for lost time with the release of albums by new acts comprising beloved Dallas vets (These Machines Are Winning, featuring members of [Daryl] and Black Tie Dynasty) and possible comeback efforts by other beloved local players.

Handmade Birds
Notable acts: Pinkish Black
Of the five record labels on this list, this one stretches sonic and geographical boundaries the most. In fact, the Rich Loren-led label offers up a wider array of products than the others as well.

Along with vinyl and a cassette tape series, a couple of books are also available from the label's website, including the highly regarded Transcendental Black Metal, written by Liturgy frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix.

Focusing on experimental metal and bands that know how to make noise that isn’t noisy, Handmade Birds is the label that caters best to those purists who need their music available in a physical form, rather than in digital bits and pieces.

Gutterth Productions
Notable acts: Shiny Around the Edges, New Science Projects, Bad Design
Founded by Michael Briggs and Brent Fishman, Gutterth has basically been the curator of the hard-to-define Denton sound since 2006. Using music-packed podcasts and compilations that serve as a Best-of-North Texas soundtrack, Gutterth has been a dependable friend of the Dallas area indie-music fan.

How friendly? Their compilations have been free, and anyone can go to the site and stream any of their albums without purchasing. - Culture Map Dallas

On my way to meet with Blackstone Rangers, I was rear ended stopping at a yellow light. The driver said, “You’re car looks so fast, I was sure you would go.” Of her surprise, all I got was a good shaking. The tension of the seatbelt was just harsh enough for me to remember why I put it on in the first place. Beyond body damage, I was simply slowed down a bit while we sorted out the paperwork. The rest of the way to the Dallas’ Bishop Manor I thought about that deceptive urge for surprise I feel in my aesthetic pursuits. It can be concussive even inconvenient, but walking away from a fender bender presents an inimitable sense of survival that I would have otherwise not felt.
Sitting in their space, moments after meeting them, the surreal charm of the Rangers exposed itself and inflated the earlier surprise into something altogether mythical. Ruth Smith, the feminine side of the Rangers founding duo, turns in presentation mode, “This is my new lamp. I just love lamps.” The lamp was a model of a stoplight and I am still laughing about it the next day. A former DJ who grew “tired of playing other people’s songs,” her compositional abilities certainly benefited from all those spinning records.
Smith’s partner in the Blackstone arts is Derek Kutzer, each of them writing songs for the EP Into the Sea released earlier this year. Sitting behind a purple drum kit, Kutzer explains, “We’ve got a Lennon-McCartney approach to writing, she’s got her songs and I’ve got mine.” From there the band is modular, most often adding a drummer to punch up the well-arranged rhythms. The music stirs with a refreshing energy and tons of ear dope. Strands of a mechanized Morricone stream in against a caustic surf tone; like the resurfacing of old pop ghosts, Blackstone Rangers’ sound transports the listener to a strange landscape. As a Star Trek planet might show surreal arrangements of ordinary things –orange sky with green water—this music courses with the same curious transformation. The surreality is intensified through a filter of glitchy by-products, held firm by a wandering pop essence.
Whether crawling along at a narcotic pace, or driving oscillating pulsations into the brain, the sounds froth at times with critters of electronic deviation. There are catchy pop mechanisms screamed against a field of new. Smith and Kutzer write their songs apart and bring them together to fill out the sonic landscape. Listening to the exuberant “Sheen Machine,” it is easy to hear the enjoyment the two have of effects and the transformation of sound. That transformation, either in the unexpected melodic presence or in the density and grandeur of the texture, allows Blackstone Rangers to draw listeners beyond themselves. This is more clearly started by Ruth Smith, “We just want to be loud and blow people away.”
You could call the Rangers’ “Noise Pop,” or as Audra Schroeder at The Observer describes them, “Distorto Pop,” but either way they will bear with them unexpected sonic energy. Blackstone Rangers play are part of an absurd bill tonight (10/11) at The Grotto with Pinkish Black, Purple and The Boxing Lesson. A little psych mixed with some noise, shake it together with a taste of heavy and top with a sprinkle of garage. This might be an all-nighter.


Tags: Blackstone Rangers
- Fort Live: 817 Daily

“Success for Dallas’ Blackstone Rangers didn’t come quickly, or conventionally. The band begun as a duo almost two years ago by Ruth Smith and Derek Kutzer. They spent the first year or so writing and practicing, and occasionally playing a local show. It was only 6 months ago they decided it was time to recruit a drummer, record an EP, and make a real run as a band. “We had been playing a bit for almost a year but didn’t really take it seriously until the EP came out,” Smith says. “It takes time, because only when you’ve spent the time recording and you have something to share can you really do some networking.” With drummer Daniel Bornhorst on board, Blackstone Rangers have been playing continuously in recent months, taking advantage of those networking opportunities that having a recorded product provides. Of course, it helps when that recorded product is a natural conversation starter in and of itself. “We thought about pressing our own vinyl, but looking at the price for that was overwhelming,” Kutzer says. Then, local Dallas label Dallas Distortion Music approached the band about releasing their EP on cassette, and the band agreed. For the past few years, physical media like vinyl and cassettes have seen a resurgence of popularity. For many, vinyl provides higher audio quality and a tangible experience that digital files can’t replicate. Cassettes provide a certain novelty for a band’s merchandise, as well as a much more attractive price point. “Everyone at the shows can afford them, and we can profit off of them,” Smith says. And, while their music is available digitally on iTunes, Spotify, and their own Bandcamp page, it’s always a benefit to have something tangible for fans to take away. In fact, they’ve already sold out of their first run of cassettes. “You’d be surprised how many people tell us they still have tape players in their cars and can listen to it all the time,” laughs Smith. Be Sociable, Share! inShare This entry was posted in Featured Band/Artist, Music and tagged Blackstone Rangers, Dallas, Dallas Music by La Mode Dallas. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment Post navigation? Previous post in category ”

Read more about Dallas’ Blackstone Rangers | La Mode Dallas on:
http://lamodedallas.com/music/dallas-blackstone-rangers/?utm_source=INK&utm_medium=copy&utm_campaign=share& - La Mode

As with vinyl culture, cassettes never really went away, they just served certain micro-scenes a bit more efficiently. Nationally, cassette culture has been on an upswing for a few years, as CDs become increasingly inconvenient/obsolete, and the analog heads respond to the digital glut. Tapes used to be Morse code within certain scenes, a secret message you could hold in your hand, the artwork and music personalized to the listener. That tactile experience is what many still seek out -- there was always something exciting about opening a new cassette and smelling it -- but now that culture is being helped along by the Internet.
Locally, Dallas Distortion Music, Pour Le Corps and Lo-Life Recordings have all made cassettes their main medium, either out of practicality, cost efficiency or the desire for aesthetic cohesion. DJ Sober even has a Tumblr devoted exclusively to cassettes he finds.

Dallas Distortion Music has been talking with California punk cassette label Burger Records about collaborating, recently released San Antonio band the Rich Hands on cassette, sold out the first run of red Blackstone Rangers Into the Sea cassettes, and plan on releasing albums from Zhora and Cutter in the future. I asked DDM's Matt Vickers why they've chosen tape.

"Dallas Distortion Music has been releasing cassettes not only for the low cost, efficiency in production and transparency between the manufacturer and those wanting to put out a release," he says. "But many of the labels we listen to, and the means by which they made their products affordable while maintaining a genuine sense of artistry, provide a tangible product with an air of nostalgia, personality, and a do-it-yourself mentality.

"Cassette culture is pretty prevalent with the labels in which we draw our inspiration. There's the intimacy of making mixtapes, compilations or limited runs of certain releases, and the sense of releasing something we can give our friends, while knowing full well many of these releases have a hard time moving units."

For Pour Le Corps, practicality and nostalgia come into play as well, but their releases are more bound to an aesthetic. Co-owners Marjorie Owens and Sean French do all the artwork themselves, so the covers have a common theme and style. They've also paired up with an out- of-state label, L.A.'s Complicated Dance Steps, to help with distribution, and are looking to release tapes from CHUDS, Diamond Age and Ethereal & the Queer Show. Says Owens:

"Sean and I gravitated towards tapes because you could do limited releases of 100 to 200 for a reasonable cost. We found this company that kept up with technology for tape duplication, so they sound great, too. As soon as we got our first batch of Eyes, Wings and Many Other Things cassette tapes, we got in [singer] Colin Arnold's car, which has a tape player, and drove around giving it our first listen. Knowing not everyone has a tape player or wants to get one, we also give free digital downloads with the purchase, but personally, we like people to be able to have something physical they can put their hands on and look at as well."


Tags: Dallas Distortion Music, Lo-Life Recordings, Pour le Corps
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- Dallas Observer DC9 Blog

The best type of albums -- and the ones that typically have the longest shelf lives -- are the ones that take the listener on some sort of journey, the ones that play out more like a complete listening experience as opposed to a random colle.....
To read the entire review visit Central Track
- Indie Texas

The Phoenix summer heat had so fried my brain that I forgot Texas includes Austin.

In my defense, Texas is a large place, and it’s easy to lose stuff there.

My realignment with reality was helped immensely by the discovery of a Texas indie music blog, helpfully called Indie Texas (site). I’m going to be lazy and cover “the first three bands I thought were kind of interesting,” a feat that did not require clicking to go back to older posts.

My other discovery was the Homesick Texan site (she has a cookbook, too). I was rather taken by the creamy chipotle shrimp with mushrooms and wild rice (recipe), so that’s the agenda for dinner. To accompany the early stages of boiling the grain, let’s check out darkwave band The Blackstone Rangers (Bandcamp).

“Mutiny at Toho Bay” was my choice for two reasons. First, the repetitious “into the sea” goes well with the shrimp. Second, the other-worldly rhythm — it has a beat and you can meditate to it! — is appropriate to the process of preparing the wild rice.

Wild rice is slow. My wild rice is still the Lundberg Black Japonica (last seen in Minnesota with chicken and Jamestown Story), which must first be boiled into submission (two cups of water to one cup of rice) and then left to simmer for some unspecified period that’s less than the 50 minutes stated on the package.

When the rice is content with its lot in life, drizzle a little olive oil into a pan and fill it with sliced mushrooms. These are pre-fab sliced mushrooms from Capitalist Running Dog Safeway because they were marked way down. Pre-fab sliced mushrooms are not fab. Pre-fab mushrooms are dry and rubbery. Honestly, for rice dishes, I’m not sure canned mushrooms would be so horrible an idea.

I’m ridiculously taken with the echo-chamber lead vocals, also with the wood-block-like percussion. Also: twinkly boodly-boop 1980s synths! Get further into the album, and it’s like the entire pre-grunge alt-rock scene of 1990 hurled into the blender and set to frappé — in a fun way, where one misses big hair and fishnets, while wondering what was so great about flannel after all. - My Emu is Emo

Twenty-ish minutes. As I push play on “Mutiny at Toho Bay (Into the Sea),” the first track on the Blackstone Rangers’ debut EP for the three-thousandth time, that is what hits me. In around twenty minutes spread over five tracks, this Dallas trio manages to construct a full sculpture of pulsing and distorting sound. Through masterful use of synth, reverb and plenty of live drums and distortion guitar, Blackstone Rangers provide beautiful motion that flows track-to-track while very clearly switching up tempos, vocal styling and even the full approach of each song.

It would not surprise me in the slightest if “Sheen Machine,” the song most people have gravitated toward on this EP, wasn’t being used as the intro music for something on the HUB or Cartoon Network in the next two years. It’s crisp, it’s bright, and, most importantly, catchy as all hell.

My fave, however, has to be “I Won’t Tell.” In its simplicity, “I Won’t Tell” really showcases everything this band has to offer while also invoking flavors of Joy Division and the Cocteau Twins.

If this is just the EP, imagine what the album is going to be like.

–Justin Bowers
- Feed Me With Your Kiss

One of Dallas' buzziest new bands, noise-pop trio Blackstone Rangers (original members Ruth Smith and Derek Kutzer along with recent addition Dan Bornhorst) will celebrate the release of its debut EP, Into the Sea, at 9 p.m. Sunday at Lola's Saloon in Fort Worth. The four-song effort, recorded by the band but mixed by Salim Nourallah and mastered by Carl Saff, is an accomplished debut, brimming with promise and littered with dynamic, ear-catching moments. ( Hollyglen's glittering riff won't leave me alone.) Released by the tireless fellas behind the popular blog Dallas Distortion Music, Into the Sea is a terrific sampling of exciting new sounds. Blackstone Rangers will be joined at Lola's by Spook Easy and Fort Worth's Skeleton Coast. Tickets are $5 for over-21s, $9 for under-21s.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/06/14/4032562/blackstone-rangers-to-play-ep.html?storylink=addthis#storylink=cpy - Fort Worth Star Telegram

In preview of the release party for debut EP Into the Sea, tonight at Bryan Street Tavern, we asked local trio Blackstone Rangers to give us a few of their favorite summer songs. Not necessarily songs about summer, but ones that they associate with the season.

Derek Kutzer, guitar

Weezer," Surf Wax America"
Reminds me so much of summer in middle school, staying home, doing absolutely nothing. And how much I resented my parents for bringing me up so removed from the ocean. Damn them!

The Beach Boys, "Sloop John B"
Because it's from the summeriest band ever.

Crocodiles, "Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)"
I foresee this song being a huge part of this whole god-forsaken summer.

Ruth Smith, keys

The Ventures, "Calcutta"
Every song from this band is a summer song, but this one especially makes me happy in my head.

Starfucker, "Myke Ptyson"
Hand claps, accordion, school's out, grab a blanket, and let's drive as far as we can -- sleep outside!

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya (CSS Remix), "Fuck Friend"
Summertime in Texas, ladies wear little to nothing. Lots of one-night stands after a drunken night of sweating on the dance floor.

Dan Bornhorst, drums

M83, "Claudia Lewis"
Their show at Granada signaled the beginning of the summer, for me.

Paul Simon, "Graceland"
This is the album's 25th anniversary, and it's a perfect road trip song.

My Bloody Valentine, "Loomer"
Sounds like waves reaching a shore. - Dallas Observer

Blackstone Rangers, "Into the Sea"
This quartet's been busy recording their new EP, which drops in a couple weeks.This track sounds very different than the full-court distortion I witnessed back at the beginning of this year at 2826 Arnetic. Dig it. - Dallas Observer

The best type of albums -- and the ones that typically have the longest shelf lives -- are the ones that take the listener on some sort of journey, the ones that play out more like a complete listening experience as opposed to a random collection of tracks. Over the typical course of a standard 80-minute collection of a dozen or so tracks, there's definitely plenty of room to accomplish this.

On the other hand, it is pretty rare to get that same experience from a five-track, 20-minute EP.

On Into The Sea, the debut EP from Blackstone Rangers, the band employs a heady track-ordering that manages to give the listener a much-desired experience. The effort begins with nothing but hand claps and an a capella female vocal loop repeatedly reciting the album's title on "Mutiny at Toho Bay" before picking up some steam as a decidedly electro number. From there, "Hollyglen" and "Pigeon" begin incorporating more live instruments, tons of reverb and the occasional male vocal lead as well.

Oh, and there's lots of distortion. It's all over Into the Sea, helping to make the recorded versions of these tunes as noisy as the band's live shows.

Says keyboardist/vocalist Ruth Smith of this piercing direction: "This is our first real recording effort. I don't think it was an attempt to sound 'noisy' or anything. But we sure do like distortion!"

The EP's penultimate track, "Sheen Machine," is a fitting climax for the album as the band breaks into full on dance-punk mode, turning in the loudest, poppiest and most polished of the record's five tracks. Hooky female vocals, nasty guitars and Costello-like synth lines combine into a force that could just as easily soundtrack a dance party as a bare-knuckles basement brawl.

It all leads perfectly into the somewhat subdued "I Won't Tell." The longest song on the EP, it continues to build as elements from each of the previous songs are incorporated into the most balanced combo of electronic and live elements from any song on the album.

Fittingly, the last sounds one hears are the heavily distorted residual echoes of ringing effects pedals.

You can stream the EP in its entirety at the end of this post. Attendees at their June 8 release show at Bryan Street Tavern can pick up copies of the EP on limited edition blue cassettes.
"We still wanted something physical -- a piece of art -- so people could touch it, own it and put it on a shelf," says guitarist Derek Kutzer. "We were fortunate enough to have Evan Henry and Matt Vickers of Dallas Distortion Music put out the EP on cassette, which, of course, includes a digital download."

Adds Smith: "We knew right away that we didn't want CDs. None of us can even remember the last CD we bought." - Central Track

"...[T]heir mix of thick, psychedelic guitars and electronic beats was... appealing..."

"Sheen Machine" was the night's standout and their [BSR] cover of The Breeders' "Cannonball" sounded pretty great, but it was also the first time they'd done it...I bet the second and third times will be really great...I excitedly await their upcoming EP. They're on to something."
--Audra Schroeder, Music Editor Dallas Observer
- Dallas Observer

"...sounds a bit like the Vaselines filtered through the moodier '80s pop of those C86 bands of yore..." - Dallas Observer

"...solid and sonically adventurous..." - D Magazine

"...solid and sonically adventurous..." - D Magazine

"We found some nice little sonic surprises--enough to confirm our interest. The duo, we've found, pleasurably splits the difference between bubblegum-like electro-pop and darker, oddball electro-pop. It's an alluring mix, for sure."

"The band crams various sonic elements into their sound.
But suffice it to say that it's an interesting blend--and one well worth hearing." - Dallas Observer

"We found some nice little sonic surprises--enough to confirm our interest. The duo, we've found, pleasurably splits the difference between bubblegum-like electro-pop and darker, oddball electro-pop. It's an alluring mix, for sure."

"The band crams various sonic elements into their sound.
But suffice it to say that it's an interesting blend--and one well worth hearing." - Dallas Observer