THURSDAY
Scarface/Shock-G/Mansions on the Moon/Clyde Stubblefield/Jay Clipp/Sober/DJ Lord (The Palladium Ballroom): Any “free” show where you must text some corporate seller of alcohol or cigarettes should give you pause, but the prospect of seeing Scarface in Dallas alone is worth a little commercial ear tagging by the promoter. I once heard a total dirtbag racist from the Midwest say that he felt “On My Block” was “easily the best rap song of all time,” which was an interesting source for this particular opinion. Now as much as I felt arguing every single other point this gentleman had at the club that evening, I let that one slide. If a heartfelt pean to tough neighborhood life could sway such an unsavory individual, who was I to argue?
This is a great and imaginative lineup and you have to hand it to these marketing teams for really scouring the details of a city’s scene to get it this right, even if I don’t know what Shock-G of Digital Underground would do in this setting. I do know what DJ Lord might do however, and since we’re on the subject, here’s a a a free mix by the Public Enemy member.
Yells at Eels (Common Table): Fans of Polish Improvisational Jazz should take note: Polish bassist Wojtek Mazolewski will be joining Yells at Eels tonight, followed by a show at AllGood Cafe on Friday, and an improbable set at Riot Fest later in the weekend.
Spectral Tombs/Akkolyte/Yuggothian (Double Wide): Portland’s Spectral Tombs is a black metal band which is of special interest to local audiences, since it includes John Edwards, late of Resigned To Fate, a now-defunct Dallas metal band who were quite well-liked in their time, specifically during the time the Red Blood Club still existed.
No Babies/Bludded Head/Innards (1919 Hemphill): This is a solidly booked event since it includes strong local acts with the always-great Oakland band, No Babies, who you should spend some time with if you’re perhaps lamenting the demise of AIDS Wolf or the fact that there aren’t too many bands still playing this sort of forceful and ugly music. 1919 provided a thoughtful little note with the event description that’s worth reading, especially since rhetoric of this sort always seems to inflame passions on both sides of the issue:
…I know an all ages space doesn’t really seem important to you now that you can drink. Think about when you weren’t old enough to hang out in bars and had no other place to go. 1919 may have been the only place you could have gone. It still seems to be the only CONSTANT public place to see shows in Fort Worth that are all ages. And only $6.
That should mean something, right?
Remember when you used to give a sh*t? Try that out again. For me anyways.
FRIDAY
Beach House/Dustin Wong (The Palladium Ballroom): Spune Productions is celebrating fifteen years of existence and how better to do so than by hosting one of the flagship bands of the era in which both entities rose to prominence. Spune has booked Beach House at Hailey’s in the past, which is a size of venue that the group has obviously outgrown. More info available here.
Adam Ant/The Justin Kipker Show (The Granada): More info from the print edition here. Note: Show is sold out.
Vats/Maymok/Vulgar Fashion/Animal Forces/Air Darla (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios): It was a nice surprise to see that Animal Forces still exists, and doubly nice that the original duo remains the same. That would be the project responsible for once creating an intimidatingly vast sheet of noise from behind voting booths in a now-defunct gallery called And/Or in Dallas. Some very uncomfortable art-goers, both young and old, were left fleeing the room. It’s a moment I’ve brought up too many times over the years, but it was one of the most meaningful experiences I had in Dallas in the 2000s. I’m grateful to both gallery and group alike for the privilege.
SATURDAY
“Slip Inside This House” (Texas Theatre): If you haven’t had the chance to see the excellent local Byrds cover band called The Nyrds, you can do the next best thing: Hear someone play a Byrds record in a historic setting. Expect other assorted and likely more obscure psychedelia from Fred Holston and Gabe Mendoza.
RiotFest featuring Rise Against/The Descendents/NOFX/Gaslight Anthem/Less than Jake (Gexa Energy Pavilion): This is a tough one. As so often is the case with these large punk festivals, some very worthwhile and worthy act is wedged between far less desirable groups. That’s the case with the Descendents who gave American punk some of its most memorable moments, even if they’re responsible for some of the worst tendencies in the genre from countless acts that followed. But that raises another important question: Are you responsible for all of the terrible music you have influenced? Especially if you make a comeback and you in turn seem influenced by the same music? It’s a debate that can never truly be concluded, but I would still like to see the Descendents, even if it meant having to sit through Less Than Jake. I think.
Abgal/Aelous/Pocket Change/Dharma (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios): Rubber Gloves has two somewhat similar shows in a row this weekend, since Friday and Saturday both see a variety of noise and drone music mixed in with slightly more accessible yet still challenging acts. You know, bands who actually sing or “write lyrics” and other overachievements. Abgal is the recording name of a Texas-based experimental label proprietor named Michael Petty, an artist who also recorded under the name Alalu, and this is an embarrassing moment since I could not track down that label name. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not perfect, so if someone could text that to me, I would greatly appreciate it. I expect to be getting a rudely written message in all caps from an unrecognized Amarillo number any second now. Thanks in advance.
SUNDAY
“Funeral Party” (The Church): Guest DJs from the Beauty Bar Tuesday night weekly, “Funeral Party,” will be in the building, which should improve the musical selections at the Church significantly, if only for an evening. I caught the event this past week, and heard a song that had a group of know-it-alls debating who the artist was. My guess was Book of Love and my rivals in pointless knowledge suggested it was Strawberry Switchblade. I asked the DJ and it turns out I was correct (DJs just love me). Come on, the song was in Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Sometimes the least cool answer is the right one.
Action Bronson/Dustin Cavazos/InternetTrapGod (Club Dada): Out of the two decent rap shows this weekend, this one features far newer acts, which is probably for the best if you’re under 25 and you don’t feel like hearing another tired lecture about “real hip hop.” Who knew that once-radical hip hop fans would turn out to be as oppressive as classic rockers as they got older? Disappointing.
After reading in multiple places that rapper Action Bronson was inspired by the chamber pop act, The Aislers Set, I was convinced it was a joke, but it turns out that it’s probably not. I once saw the Aislers Set play in a Houston high school cafeteria in a pretty rough part of the city, so maybe there’s something to it.
