Flash Mob soundchecks before opening the January edition of Twist Dallas.

When I walked into the Lakewood Bar & Grill last night, Twist organizer SuZanne Kimbrell quickly told me that I.L.E. had backed out due to “unforeseen circumstances” and that Junye lost her longtime guitarist just that night. Kimbrell was a little twisted herself, but optimistic about her last minute filler Hannah Lenart. Unforeseen circumstances could mean a lot of things, but seriously, I.L.E., you’re gonna back out the DAY of the show? Especially when you write on your site “we are still waiting for our community to get behind us 100%.” Kinda think that goes both ways.
Alt-punk Denton band Flash Mob opened the show with some decent raucous rock. The two guys (straight), two girls (not) band is still finding its sound, but pulled off similarities to old school Green Day. Despite heading into pop punk territory of Blink 182 and +44, they were on. Loved the guys talking up gay Pride and “don’t ask, don’t tell” even though the singer himself doesn’t want to join the military. Ironic.
TWEET NOTES: Flash Mob opens #TwistDallas w Green Day like energy. #lgbtmusic. Hmmm Liking Flash Mob but kinda delving into +44 territory at #TwistDallas. #lgbtmusic
Read more after the jump.

Junye switched the mood and created a vibe with her smooth R&B.  She was a trooper, despite losing her accompanying guitarist, and pulled off a shorter set with some backing tracks but started with an impromptu bluesy duet with Kimbrell. Although she really just got up and sang, Junye was kind of adorable with her smile and good spirit.
TWEET NOTES: Junye doing a shorter set but killin’ it right now at #TwistDallas. #lgbtmusic
Hannah Lenart was the surprise of the evening. Flash Mob recommended her to Kimbrell and she blindly signed her on . After Lenart’s set of covers and originals, the audience was pretty convinced of Lenart’s skills despite having only playing open mike nights mostly. Covering hip-hop, Alanis and throwing in her own stuff, Lenart touched on a lot of nerves with a slam dunk and even got a big kiss after singing a birthday tune to a woman in the audience. There was something  exciting and even arriving about her set. I hope to see and hear more from her stat.
TWEET NOTES: 19 y.o. Hannah L covering Cee Lo at #TwistDallas. #guesswhichsong #lgbtmusic. This was Hannah L.’s first show! Amazing. #TwistDallas #lgbtdallas. @MandrakeAM JW Richard She did the damn thing! RT @GetRichinDallas This was Hannah L.’s first show! Amazing. #TwistDallas #lgbtdallas
Audacious is known in the local spoken word scene and her inclusion added some texture to the show. She spilled about three pieces which grabbed some of the audience’s attention, but others in the back and at the bar kept talking which distracted because music wasn’t covering up the chatter. Still, she busted it out and received appreciative applause of snaps. Props to Kimbrell for having the foresight to see that spoken word wouldn’t kill the mood of the night, it added to it.
TWEET NOTES: Audacious dropping some spoken word at #TwistDallas but crowd keep chatting. Frustrating. #lgbtmusic. “Any queens in the audience?” – Audacious at #TwistDallas.
Static Mind ended the show with similar Flash Mob rock but totally their own style. The all-girl, but not sure if all-lesbian, band churned out rockers with flair and in both English and Spanish language lyrics. It’s easy to compare their sound to counterparts Girl in a Coma, but that’s not a bad thing for SM. They had a fun stage presence mixed with  strong control over their instruments and even evoked a rowdy dance scene (see Tweet notes). Lead singer Claudia works a sweet sex appeal, but I could never understand what she was singing. Her lyrics seemed to slur and only words here and there were clear. But the crowd ate them up and as the closers of the show (I.L.E. was set to finish off the night), they bookended it nicely with the opening energetic set.
TWEET NOTES: Liking Static Mind’s tunes but haven’t understood one lyric at #TwistDallas. #ohwell #lgbtmusic. Omg. #lgbt slamdancing has busted out at #TwistDallas at Lakewood B&G during Static Mind’s set
This wasn’t only Lenart’s first show, it was also the first for artist Laney Green. Kimbrell adds visual arts as an element to the night and Green’s canvasses were garnering as much attention as some of the bands. Kimbrell also tweaked the show from the first one in November. With a shorter roster, later start time and earlier finish time, the show ended right about midnight which was perfect for a Wednesday. Last time, I rolled out of the LBG at 1:30 a.m. No, ma’am!
The next Twist Dallas GLBT is scheduled for Mar. 16. Here’s a video of last night acts taken with my basic Flip camera. Sorry about the lack of HD and wished the lighting was better in LBG, but you’ll get some idea of each at least.

UPDATE: Well, shut my mouth. Figuring Static Mind just slid into the closing spot, I stayed for a handful of songs and left for the night. As it turns out, Jay Bean filled in and closed out the show with an astounding 40-minute. She played the first Twist show and clearly was stepping up to help Kimbrell out. Thanks to Leslie S. for bringing me up to speed. Totally red-faced.