THURSDAY
Eyes, Wings and Many Other Things/Son Fish/Def Rain (The Crown and Harp): As I mentioned earlier in the month, Dallas label Pour le Corps will be releasing a record by the LA-based artist, Son Fish, later this year. As for Pour le Corps, the hits keep coming: One of their primary acts, Diamond Age, was featured on Billboard last week in a summary of the week’s best dance tracks last Friday.
“Stereo On Strike” (Zubar): Tonight’s lineup is Ill76, along with Convextion and Blixaboy, which is the deepest techno night in Dallas in its current incarnation. Convextion is just as likely to make an appearance in Europe as he is in Dallas, perhaps even more so. His self-titled album that was released on Down Low Records in 2006 shares the honor of being listed as one of the top releases of the last decade by both Fact Mag and Resident Advisor, two of the leading authorities in dance music. That’s hard enough no matter where you’re from, but how many Dallas-ites can make such a claim?
Old 97’s/Salim Nourallah/Rhett Miller (Granada Theater): Let’s see, I believe I saw this listed somewhere else … Oh, yeah, I saw it on television. Earlier this week, our events editor expertly led the ladies at D: The Broadcast through some suggestions on a feature called “D Recommends,” and one of them was this Old 97’s show. Did you know there is a D Recommends app as well? This has helped me win several arguments at bars lately. “Does your publication or website have an app? Does it have a TV channel? No? Then how exactly do you announce your listings? You seem very primitive.”
Wild in the Streets (Texas Theatre): Wild in the Streets will be record-selecting in conjunction with “Six Short Stories,” a highlight of the twain show at Gray Matters Gallery last year. Artist Richard Patterson and Peter Simek are to speak afterward.
“Subsonic Indulgence” (Andy’s): Featuring Left/Right, Usual Suspect, I am Prometheus, and okay, I can’t type any more names after “I am Prometheus.” Gotta draw the line somewhere, guys.
FRIDAY
Pinkish Black/Blackstone Rangers/Depth & Current/Cutter (The Crown and Harp): The overly literal local booking and label imprint, Dallas Distortion Music, is celebrating two years of existence, and in their usual self-deprecating and overly enthusiastic style, they have described those two years as being a time “of relative obscurity and general disinterest.” Cheer up, guys. You have a solid lineup playing your anniversary party, and you have made quite an impression locally from where I’m standing.
Now is it one-hundred percent because they are one of the best local booking and label entities in Dallas proper? Or is it because there are simply so few booking/label ventures from Dallas that aren’t almost completely a joke? It’s probably somewhere in between, but they are a generally well-meaning presence, and though some of their related Facebook posts could lose a few hundred words, I wish them continued success.
Samothrace/Akkolyte/Steel Bearing Hand/Terminator 2 (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio): Terminator 2 are finally back from tour, which means that lead singer David Saylor should be appropriately in a bad mood, as anyone who has had to deal with musicians returning from a tour can attest. Of course, he always kind of seems like he’s in a bad mood, so don’t miss one of the most consistent acts in the area.
ATOP/Fond Phantom/Water Falls/Son Fish (Good Records): This free show starts at 7 pm.
Pink/The Hives (American Airlines Center): The Hives are finally where they deserve to be: Opening for Pink with tickets that cost up to 96 bucks at the AAC. This is the opposite of rock and roll.
Beauxregard/Christopher Blake (Opening Bell): The self-described “chamber pop” group, Beauxregard seem both a little busy and requiring somewhat complicated setup for this quiet coffee shop, but that should not prevent you from going.
Update: Denton’s Fishboy will be selling copies of the new 75-page(!) comic that conceptually relates to his most recent record and tour, Classic Creeps. Each comic comes with downloadable alternate versions of songs from the album, and this marks the first time that Fishboy AKA Eric Michener has dipped his toe into the world of hard copy comics publishing. This all takes place at Recycled Books this evening, and the show begins at 7 pm.
SATURDAY
Future Blondes/Steel Hook Prostheses/God’s Gun/Versus (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios): It’s hard to believe but “Discipline” at Rubber Gloves is celebrating two years of existence this weekend, and they are doing so in dramatic fashion, by enlisting such revered underground acts as Houston’s Future Blondes and God’s Gun, who evolved out of the late, great, and slightly disturbing Austin act, Cry Blood Apache. Live visuals will be provided by the always fabulously analog LZX Industries.
“Red Bull Thre3Style — Regional Finals” (Trees): Besides Z-Trip and A-Trak, the world-famous DJ Jazzy Jeff will also be a judge at this gladiator spectacle/DJ competition. At least I thought he was world famous. Earlier in the week a colleague confessed that she did not know who DJ Jazzy Jeff was, and not even a “Fresh Prince” clue could help ring a bell. And I hated to even bring up that long-passed cultural association. After all, the man has been DJing solo for years, and he’s mischievous enough to thrown in some Nirvana with more traditional tracks. He does not really give an eff, and he has certainly earned that right. The evening’s competition includes New Orleans’ DJ Jive, Kansas City’s Spinstyles, Austin’s Donnie Dee, Houston’s OG Bobby Trill, and of course, DJ A1 from Dallas, TX.
SpaceghostPurrp/The Raider Klan (The Door): There is something inexplicably vital to the work of SpaceghostPurrp; the producer and rapper bridges the once-disparate gap between dreamy, psych sounds and the brashness of contemporary rap. Fittingly, he’s one of the only hip hop acts on 4AD in the label’s history.
“Dallas, Punk! 1976-1982” (Cohn Drennan Contemporary): Aforementioned FrontRow editor Peter Simek mentioned this show already in his “This Week’s Visual Art,” roundup, but I wanted to add that you really should pay attention to the video footage that Mark Ridlen will be showing. I’ve seen some of the artist’s archives on a sleepy weeknight at the Double Wide, and it is truly astounding. You won’t believe how cool Dallas actually was.
SUNDAY
The Black Dotz/Strange Towers/Atomic Tanlines/DJ Gabriel (The Crown and Harp): I don’t know if you know this, ladies and gentlemen, but I have written about a lot of shows over the past seven years. This is what I would call a best-case scenario. It’s free. It features a good Dallas band. It features a good Dallas DJ. It has a couple of great Denton acts, who have always outnumbered great Dallas acts, per capita, for a variety of complicated reasons that I don’t have time to get into right now. Also, this show starts at 5 pm, which is unheard of. A free, early show with all the best that North Texas has to offer. Why go anywhere else?
“Group Therapy” (The Where House): Oh, yeah, this is why you should consider going somewhere else besides Dallas this evening. Pesky Fort Worth, always interrupting the conversation when I think I have my night planned out. This incredibly packed show features fourteen bands and is the release party for the Group Therapy cassette compilation. I can not wholeheartedly endorse all of the bands on that comp, but this seems like a good time and the event is sponsored by some of the most iconic eating and drinking establishments in Fort Worth, including The Usual, The Gold Standard, and The Chat Room Pub. It does not get much better than that around here.
Nicholas Altobelli/Dillon Chevalier/Becky Middleton (Good Records): This free event starts at 1 pm. Please do not discard your empty beer bottles outside of Good Records. They really hate that.
