oh Comrade

Welcome, Comrade

11:03 AM CDT on Thursday, August 24, 2006


Dallas indie rock band Comrade will release There's Many a Slip Twixt the Cup and the Lip this weekend with a pair of shows in Denton and Dallas. Although the recordings don't sound low budget, singer Jonathan Clark reveals, "The album was recorded at home on a recorder I bought for $300 at a pawn shop."


Comrade is Jonathan Clark, Daniel Hall, Kevin Schultz, Jonny Humble and Benjamin Moore. Self-described as "a blend of Sparklehorse and Paul Simon," the band has been fighting to get the word out on its unique sound by passing out CD-Rs at shows. Here's more from Clark:


Q: Your album title is quite a tongue-twister. Where did you come up with it and what does it mean to you?

A: "There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip" is an old saying that means, more or less, that things change – a lot could happen between now and then. I was sitting in the bathtub – this is true – reading The Brothers Karamazov. A good portion of the record was already recorded, and I was still wondering what to do about the title. So I come across this phrase ... it was perfect for the idea of the EP.


Q: What can someone expect from the show if they haven't seen you before?

A: Expect it to be like a KERA documentary that you have to pay to watch.


Q: Who are your band comrades in the area and who's one to look out for this year?

A: Well, all our favorite bands are about like everyone else's in Dallas. Midlake wins the prize for being good. Bosque Brown is tip-top (and they're letting us steal their guitarist for our next few shows). Tomahawk Molly is an awesome new band that you may not have heard yet. Their drummer is our keyboardist. I should stop here cause then it'll just be a thing where I'm supposed to give shout-outs.


Q: What do you expect this album to do for you?

A: What it has done is help us narrow down the options of what we want to make. That's helped us musically, but just the fact that we have something to show for ourselves puts wind in our sails. A band without a recording is a band that doesn't quite exist yet.

(by Paul Salfen)


DETAILS

Comrade performs twice this weekend:

•Tomorrow night at Hailey's in Denton with Ryan Lindsey (of Starlight Mints) and This Will Destroy You. 9 p.m. $5 for ages 21 and up; $7 for under 21. 122 Mulberry St. 940-323-1160.

•Saturday at the Cavern with Stellamaris, Gazelles, Quiet Company and Here, In Arms. 6 p.m. $6 for ages 21 and up; $8 for under 21. 1914 Greenville Ave. 214-828-1914.

Hear some music at myspace.com/comrade.