Baby, if you're lookin' for the real thing, check out Ashford and Simpson. Married songwriters Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson created some of the grooviest love tunes of the 1970s for the likes of Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned") as well as duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Your Precious Love," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By"). Ashford and Simpson also recorded eight LPs in the 1970s, three of which went gold, thanks to singles like "Send It," "Don't Cost You Nothing," "It Seems to Hang On," "Love Don't Make It Right," "So So Satisfied" and "Mainline." In other words, Ashford and Simpson tickets are a potentially low-risk, high-return investment in the Get Some Fund. Unless you needed that spelled out to figure out, in which case an emergency groovy love-jam tutorial is probably in order. Ashford and Simpson are the featured act at Saturday's 19th annual, black-tie African American Museum Gala at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Freeway, at 9:30 p.m. Call 214-565-9026, ext. 302 for tickets. --Cheryl Smith
5/9
Art Rock
Hey, kids! If you can't get your parents to drop you off in Deep Ellum for a local rock show, then tell them you want to go to the Dallas Museum of Art to check out Come Forward: Emerging Music in Texas. It sounds like a new exhibit, but it's really a free concert featuring one of Dallas' best bands, the Deathray Davies, along with 41 Gorgeous Blocks, Cordelane and Panda, any one of which could also be the city's next great rock stars. The concert coincides with the museum's current Come Forward: Emerging Art in Texas exhibit, which showcases 11 artists from around the state with young careers. Arrive early to check out the art and then think of the concert as the soundtrack to the exhibit. The whole shindig will be hosted by Josh Venable, from The Adventure Club program on The Edge 102.1 FM, who has been proving that Dallas rock bands are truly an artistic force in their own right on his Sunday-night radio show. What parents wouldn't want to drop their kids off for a culture lesson and a rock-and-roll education? The "exhibit" is Friday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 1717 N. Harwood St. Call 214-922-1826. --Jay Webb
5/10
Beautiful World
Obey and de-evolve with Forbidden
Run for the hills, there's a giant homefront invasion a-comin'! Wait, before you grab the canned goods and head for the homemade bunker, remember: A Paul Revere isn't likely dropped in our Night & Day section. Still, it's no lie...the Giant Hometown Invasion coming to the Forbidden Gallery this Saturday deserves your attention, as it's a showcase of the artwork of Mark Mothersbaugh and Shepard Fairey. Related only by general societal outlook, Mothersbaugh and Fairey aren't a dynamic devolutionist duo, but their ideas go together like the revolving bone/spaceship segue in 2001. Mothersbaugh has name recognition because of his time with the seminal new-wave band Devo, and his postcard-style pieces reflect the notion of merging creation with commerce. Mixing premade graphics together with anything from found objects to good old-fashioned paint, Mothersbaugh's artwork is as slippery and fractured as his music, and he simply describes it as "one man's view on culture." More or less, that's enough. His name's not so famous, but that's not to say the work of Shepard Fairey isn't instantly recognizable. Take a drive through any urban area and you'll inevitably see stickers with the Orwellian "OBEY" logo glaring from an assortment of fixtures. No, it's not the work of those stealthy Gideons; it's the proliferation of Fairey's art that dissects and explodes imagery absorption. No icon is off limits to Fairey, yet the artist is more interested in philosophy than politics...which favors genuine thought over political agenda. Word up. The show runs through June 14; just don't be the one who wears a "Whip It" T-shirt. Please. If you go forward, I'll go backward, and we can meet at the Forbidden Gallery, 3603 Parry Ave. Call 214-887-5939. --Matt Hursh
5/10
Get Blown
You broke that vase you were going to give your sister as a wedding present? Fret no more, friend. The Vetro Glassblowing Studio will be holding its annual Spring Blowout on May 10, allowing you to buy unique glass pieces at special prices and even try your hand at creating a little knickknack while you're at it. So what if the female nude you're trying to mold ends up looking like a paperweight? She'll love it. 334 S. Barton St., Grapevine. Call 817-251-1668. --Leah Gerchario
5/14
Wine Not?
Did you know that there are bottles of wine priced above $100 that haven't even been blessed by the pope or aged exclusively in Cher's basement? Yeah, well, there are. It seems ridiculous, but inflation doesn't discriminate, right? Luckily, Liberty Noodles is offering it's Half-Off Wine Night every Wednesday beginning at 5 p.m., giving you the chance to look like a hot shot without ever having to follow through. Liberty Noodles, 5600 W. Lovers Lane. Call 214-350-1133 for reservations. --Leah Gerchario
