Today the Dallas Morning News ran an article today in their arts section concerning the screening of the film, When Dallas Rocked. The documentary plays twice this week on KERA—Tuesday at 7:30 pm, and Saturday at 10:30 pm. The article reflects on the lush history of the city as a musical destination during the mid 70’s, when major national acts such as the Sex Pistols and Billy Joel played now-defunct venues, or being home to legends like the Vaughan Brothers out of Oak Cliff. I’m excited to see the documentary, but more importantly for the spirit of the closing line of Robert Wilonsky’s article,which resonates with me. It’s spoken by When Dallas Rocked director Kirby Warnock:
“I do not want people thinking that the good old days are gone. There’s a lot of promise here today.”
This line struck me, and I found myself wishing the writer would have included some references to how the local music landscape compares today, if only to illuminate the director’s claim that the future starts now. While venues such as Mother Blues, Gertie’s, and the glorious Bronco Bowl provided glimpses of desired legitimacy of the city’s booking power, today the future lies in our neighborhoods. DIY institutions are the backbone of the circuit, providing performance spaces and experimental safe-zones for musicians to stretch their brains and test their limits. For example, there is Lower Greenville’s Two Bronze Doors; the dusted-off backstage of Oak Cliff’s Texas Theatre for the “Behind the Screen” series; and the roving Vice Palace in West Dallas. These are just a few of the venues providing a genre-free environment that is essential to draw relevant attention to the burgeoning scene at the national level.
So catch the documentary this week; I will too. But don’t stop there, continue your curiosity and explore one of the multiple unconventional venues Dallas has to offer. Here are a a few shows for the evening:
CBN | Satanic Abortion | Orgullo Primitivo| Filth | Corporate Park (Rubber Gloves): This is a nasty lineup, and it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s a noisy, heavy bill consisting of intensely distorted drum beats and various takes on industrial music. Satantic Abortion’s name makes me laugh a little but their unsettling music is not so funny. If you’re in Denton there’s no excuse to miss this one.
Tonight’s weeklies include the admirable DJ Mr. Rid at Record Lounge, as well as the regular standby—“Outward Bound Mixtape Sessions” at Crown and Harp. Tonight’s lineup includes Bronwen Kyle, Pyre Ashes, and the willfully askew instrumental act, Errors of Metabolism.
