We told you a few weeks ago to save the date, May 31, for the second edition of FrontRow Live, and more than a few of you have been emailing and calling, asking when you get your hands on tickets. Well, good news. You can now purchase tickets for just $15 by following that link to eventbrite. But you better act fast.
What do you get when you by a ticket to FrontRow Live, presented by Chevy? Well, for one you get free drinks by Grey Goose Cherry Noir and Bud Light Platinum. You get to browse the exhibitions at the Dallas Contemporary, including work by Erwin Wurm and Zoe Crosher. You will get to chow down at a handful of food trucks. Plus, we’ll have some additional surprises; you’ll just have to show up to find out what’s in store (here’s a hint: remember our theater performance from last year)?
Oh, and come to think of it, you’ll also get to see live performances from Portland-based dance pop outfit STRFKR; the Paris-based, soul/funk/ethno-crossover DJ, Onra; and Austin’s DJ Ben Aqua.
We’ll have more to tell you about the event as we dollop and decorate. For now, get your tickets before we sell out. Here’s that link again. And here’s Christopher Mosley on the headliners:
STRFKR
The band name may be extremely potent (STRFKR is an abbreviation of Starf*cker), but don’t let that fool you. There’s nothing actually offensive about STRFKR’s music, but that’s a good thing. The Portland group has a knack for indulgently danceable pop that should be the envy of many similar bands wishing they could write even one song as memorable as the many that litter STRFKR’s multiple EPs, singles, and albums. And if the moniker alone doesn’t obviously indicate a group willing to do anything to get your attention, they turn in a straight-faced version of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” And it’s great. The last time they played in Dallas, the show sold out. So I went to Austin the next night, and they sold that out too. Just so you know…
OnraOnra
Hailing from Paris, France, Onra (akaArnaud Bernard) won over DJs, dance fans, hip hop purists, and ethnomusicologists alike when he released Chinoseries, five years ago. The album inventively took snippets of the Vietnamese records he bought on a trip to the country, and rhythmically reinterpreted them with beats inspired by the work of the late J Dilla, to whom Onra is sometimes compared. Onra, however, has an unlimited palette, having also dabbled in soul, Bollywood, and 1980s synth sounds. He released a followup to Chinoseries, entitled Chinoseries Pt 2, late last year, and his globe-spanning fan-base was perfectly content with more of the same. Onra has recently performed as far away as Auckland, New Zealand, so we are certainly glad to have him in Dallas.
Ben Aqua
DJ, photographer, label-owner, and new media artist are just a selection of the many hats worn by Austin’s Ben Aqua. As the only Texas headlining act performing at FrontRow live, he has performed at local spots such as Fallout Lounge, The Swiss House, Rubber Gloves, and most recently, the infamous 35 Denton after-party that the locals are still gossiping about. Aqua improvises his live sets, which include a selection of classic styles and micro-genres such as “dream rap,” vogue house, and “juke,” and which the artist admits “is usually sped up way faster than it probably should be.” You have to love that honesty. Ben Aqua’s presence in both music and the visual arts has been simultaneously on the rise and he is a true Texas original.
Now here’s what you need to do: save the date. Tickets will be a very affordable $15, and they will come with free beverages thanks to our liquor and beer sponsors. We’ll have ticketing details and additional programming info as it comes. For now, we’ll just plan on seeing you there.
