News
Billy Joel is taking some time away from his improbable residency at Madison Square Garden to play a show in Dallas in January. He’ll be at the AAC on January 22. Joel is a controversial figure, as far as piano pop is concerned. There are at least two prominent think-pieces in the New York Times and the New Yorker either mentioning or featuring Joel respectively, that don’t paint the Long Island musician in a very flattering light, but both are worth a read. Interestingly, they book-end the time he has spent not making music.
Now would be a good time to mention that Billy Joel played in a completely bonkers prog rock band that actually went pretty hard for their era. He actually considered it “heavy metal.” They were called Atilla. He played distorted organ. Look it up.
The press release uses the good ol’ “Big Things Happen Here” line. Careful. Personally, I’m a Joel apologist. I can’t wait.
Reviews and Recommendations
Hurry up and listen to some of this Bedhead box set on NPR music before they take the links down. I heard some of this on vinyl at a friend’s house a couple of weekends ago, and all of it is worth revisiting. Although it saddens me when singles and EPs are compiled to save room, it’s really wonderful that it’s all there and easily accessible. You can buy the whole thing by going here. They’re arguably the greatest Dallas band, so you should at least own a sticker or something. I saw them in high school just before they broke up and I feel very lucky for that. They played “Disorder.”
While I’m thinking about it, do yourself a favor and listen to Ynfynyt Scroll’s extremely out-there version of ILoveMakonnen’s “Club Goin Up on a Tuesday” over on SoundCloud. Yes, the DJ lives in New York and not Dallas anymore, but a few seconds into this track and you’ll realize how lucky we were to have him when we did. His former Track Meet associates will be playing a highly recommended set with Austin’s Ben Aqua tomorrow night at Crown and Harp, as part of their “Angelfire” series.
Tonight’s Concerts
Macros Prado will join Gabriel Mendoza and Wanz Dover at Off the Record in Deep Ellum for a 45-themed event. From what I can tell, no single genre will be dominating the proceedings.
Halloween may be two weeks gone, but they’re playing the 1926 film Faust at Rubber Gloves in Denton this evening. There will also be some accompanying “mood” music.
The “Fresh Rhymes” local hip hop showcase will bee held at Crown and Harp tonight, which features a newly remodeled floor that I can’t wait to see. The lineup is as follows:
10:45pm – Scar, The Monsterr
11:00pm – B.Know
11:15pm – Blaze Won
11:30pm – Grand National
11:45pm – 2 Piece Malone
12:00am – Tha League
12:15am – Goal Mindz
12:35am – Rizzo
12:50am – Lyric
DJ Tums will handle the backing tracks.
