True Widow, the East Dallas band that’s been out touring the country lately, describes their sound as “stonegaze”. “Stone gaze came about as a combination of shoegaze and stoner rock to sum it up,” says lead singer/bassist Nikki Cage. Shoegaze is a subgenre of alternative rock that involves noisy guitars and distorted sounds. Stoner rock is more like heavy metal or psychedelic rock. The band includes Cage, drummer Slim Starks and vocalist/guitarist Dan Phillips.
This “stonegaze” band came about as a project for Phillips after he moved back to Dallas from Boston a few years ago. He had an urge to start a band, so he asked Starks to be his drummer. It was just a matter of time until they found Cage. “We met up at a karaoke place. Slim was a mutual friend of mine and Dan’s,” Cage says. Phillips chose the name, “True Widow,” which most people assume refers to a deadly spider. But it actually refers to a widow who never remarries, evoking the notion of longing and loneliness that stirs up within her. Their self-titled album debuted in November 2008, and since then they have been touring as much as possible.
“The best part about touring is the awesome people we meet and the bands we get to listen to,” Cage says. True Widow also books gigs in Dallas as much as possible. Some of their favorite places to perform in town are the Granada and the Doublewide. They are currently on tour and rest assured they will stop in Dallas. They have a show Aug. 2 at the Doublewide.
