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Music

The Weekend’s Concerts (Oct. 25-27): Hex Cult, The Return of “Deep Shade,” and Quintron In Ft. Worth

Fort Worth, perhaps even more so than Houston or Dallas, does get skipped over quite a bit for touring acts. Joseph Justin makes a good point about the city's essential contributions to history, but counters how even how such a culturally sophisticated place could use some variety.
By Chris Mosley |

Before we dive into the weekend’s events, I should mention that Good Records is having a 25% off sale, and that includes everything in the record shop. I’m about to sound a little uptight (surprise), but you’re much better off spending some money on actual things of value which will matter long after this weekend, as opposed to contributing to the projected 6.9 billion dollars on Halloween festivities. That’s actually down from $8 billion in 2012. Wow, we can really dump funds into some trivial BS in this country, huh? Halloween is like Christmas for cosplay nerds.

By the way, if anyone knows at which party I left my priest costume I wear every year, will you please send me a DM? Thanks.

FRIDAY

“Spooky Time Gas Pumps Tribute Punxtraviganza” (1919 Hemphill): In continuing with a yearly tradition, 1919 will have mostly pop punk bands pretending to be other bands. That’s weird, I thought most pop punk bands did that already. So for 2013, the lineup and tributes include The Buzzkills as the Bouncing Souls, Genius Party as The Mr. T Experience, Not Half Guest as Green Day, and “some dudes” as the Replacements, which is fitting.

C Ruby Rhod (TractorBeam Gallery): The Dallas DJ will be performing at this opening featuring new works by painter Morgan Everhart, from 7 pm to 10 pm.

Gag/Modern Pain/Sin Motivo/Mean and Ugly/Common Ignorance (Taqueria Pedritos): Though I was taking a shot at punk earlier, I am a huge fan when it’s done well. I had not heard Common Ignorance before today, which is apparently based in both Denton and Houston. This 44-second track called “The Ripper” was exactly what I needed to hear this afternoon. Thanks for that.

Other Friday Shows—

Ponty Bone/James Hinkle (Fred’s Texas Cafe)

Babylon Breakers/Gelatine/Slackbeat/Otonana Trio/I am Warbird (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios)

Diamond Age/Wirewings/Peopleodeon (The Crown and Harp)

Update: Hawkwind/Familiar Looking Strangers (The Granada)

SATURDAY 

The Moondoggies (Good Records): One of Sub Pop’s more recent signees will be performing a free show at 4 pm on Saturday. The group played a part in the attempted climax of a story I wrote about their label’s anniversary in Seattle over the summer.

Update: The Moondoggies will also be performing at The Foundry later in the evening. DJs Jeff Dawg, and Maurizio Merli will be selecting “psychedelic pre-Halloween” tracks as well.

Surfer Blood/Team Spirit/Andy Boay (Trees): I really wanted to like Surfer Blood. Their name seemed “crazy” and therefore I expected the music to be as well. Instead, the melodic and tepid rock increasingly makes them seem like the Dishwalla of their time, though it’s still popular in Dallas bars, as well as in the surrounding suburbs.

Sally Glass and Kevin Ruben Jacobs (Ware:wolf:haus): This rare musical performance between two known visual art figures will be in conjunction with a retrospective by Michael Wynne. I am expecting to hear some serious compositional work here, as I had not even heard of this before today. These two better not be trolling us.

Not Half Bad/Fogg/Bad Times/True Story/Christian Medrano (1919 Hemphill): Following this performance, Not Half Bad will wake up early (theoretically) the next day, to head out on an insanely long tour that will even see the band braving Grand Forks, North Dakota. As ill-advised as that sounds, I’m still jealous. Best of luck to them.

Quintron & Miss Pussycat/zZz/Dove Hunter/New Fumes/Fungi Girls/Nathan Brown (Lola’s Saloon): Fort Worth’s Joseph Justin independently booked this show, which has one of the more stacked lineups you’ll see this weekend. Quintron and Miss Pussycat have played the area many times over the years, but like many acts, however unintentionally, they often skip Fort Worth. Justin sought to change that, and to make the trip worth it.

Fort Worth, perhaps even more so than Houston or Dallas, does get skipped over quite a bit for touring acts. Justin makes a good point about the city’s essential contributions to history, but counters how even how such a culturally sophisticated place could use some variety. “Fort Worth—the birthplace of Western Swing and Free Jazz—needs a shot of avant psych rock groove just the same. With world eyes, not backyard eyes.”

As much as Justin loves Fort Worth, he’s willing to admit he doesn’t rely on it alone for inspiration. He continued that it wasn’t merely “knowing and respecting where you’re from, but knowing there are other things out there too.”

Justin has lived in Fort Worth all of his life, but started to venture out to the surrounding areas in his teens, attending now legendary places and interacting with now established institutions. “My brother used to take me to shows at Mad Hatters when I was very young. Then I used to drive up to Denton soak up the Karma Cafe, Argo, and the Good/Bad Art Collective.”

Justin hopes the show will demonstrate some of the specific strengths of the region’s music. “This event is a welcome wagon for New Orleans’ Quintron and Miss Pussycat and their tourmates, zZz, with some of the best North Texas has to offer … Dove Hunter, New Fumes, Fungi Girls, and Nathan Brown.” He clarified the way he perceives the artists. “Seasoned veteran lifers in musical exploration and some young bucks as well.”

There will be DJs in between the live acts, Wild in the Streets, and DJ (James) Talambas, who Justin describes as “like minded,” and summarizes the show as “a one-stop crash course if one was going to step out only once this month.”

Joseph is one of the more memorable characters you’ll ever see in any crowd, whether it’s a noise show or a honky tonk. He’s often seen with his trademark cowboy hat in places where that is not exactly in the unspoken dress code, and can be heard enthusiastically heckling the bands, but always with words of encouragement. All high-minded aesthetic choices aside, it’s also easy to see Justin as perhaps the most outgoing man in local music. He gives it away somewhere in describing this weekend’s event: “I feel like I’m putting on some sorta family reunion for people I have and haven’t met.”

Hex Cult/Cutter/Vulgar Fashion/DJ Death Church (The Crown and Harp): As one of the few Halloween-themed shows I’m actually looking forward to, this show promises to push “more progressive art” due to a perceived “general lack of innovation” locally, according to show organizers. That would be two Dallas bands, Cutter and Hex Cult, who certainly stand out when compared to most of the music coming out of Dallas proper. The two have billed this show “Terror Vault,” which will also launch a new endeavor, “in hopes to inspire like-minded and creative humans to explore outside of their familiar circles and experiences.” Sign me up. I am more than ready to get out of my familiar circles.

I’m also told to “Expect a night of cohesive terror synth with sincere intentions.” Now I’m scared. There is nothing more terrifying than sincerity.

Sleigh Bells/Doldrums (Granada Theater): This single show is likely to be the bad costume capital of Dallas this weekend. It’s also sold out.

“Press Play” (Acme Social Club):JT Donaldson hosts this all-vinyl event, and the guest this week is “unsung vinyl hero,” DJ 5-D, who I told you about when he played the Crown and Harp a few weeks ago. I’m told that was a particularly busy night for the C and H, and hopefully this will be as well.

The Corpsicles/D-Mar/DJ F.O.A.D. (Taqueria Pedritos): Aside from the live entertainment, paintings, jewelry, and even a “skull lamp” will be raffled off to raise money for next month’s “No Thanks Fest” in Emory.

“Deep Shade” (Sandaga 813): It’s good to see the “Deep Shade” DJ collective back after a small hiatus. And in related good news, their return will be free to witness, as there is no cover to see half-a-dozen DJs. That includes ill 76, R9, and Timco, in addition to the “Deep Shade” trio: TX Connect, Ackhertz, and Gina G.

“Strange Brew” (Single Wide): Turntable veterans Gabe and Tigerbee will be straddling the obscure and the well-known on this Halloween-themed record selecting night.

Other Saturday Shows—

“Glamorama” (Beauty Bar) 

Nick Gaitan/Umbrella Man (Fred’s Texas Cafe)

Update: Holy Ghost/Midnight Magic/Orthy (Club Dada) 

The Pharcyde/-topic/DJ Sober (Prophet Bar) 

The Stepbrothers/Kevin Gates/Starlito and Don Trip (The Loft) 

SUNDAY

Redsean (Live Hair Group, located at 3609 Greenville Ave): No cover on this event, which runs from 7 pm to midnight.

 

Photo: Hex Cult at Dan’s Silverleaf, 2013. Credit: Andi Harman.

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