When it comes to concerts in North Texas this week the biggest single event of the week may not be in Dallas, but rather in Denton. The Thin Line Film Fest has a wonderful music bill that includes Devin the Dude, Joe Ely, Blue, the Misfit and local expats Seryn. But of course there are plenty of great shows in Dallas, as well. Maroon 5 is doing the American Airlines Center, Trash Talk's at Club Dada and the Coathangers are at Trees. And, well, there's a ton more too.
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Maroon 5 With Magic! and Rozzi Crane 8 p.m. Monday, February 16, at American Airlines Center, 2550 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or americanairlinescenter.com, $29.50 - $125.00 Listening to "Moves Like Jagger" is quite possibly the same exact thing as moving a dagger in and out of your ear. If you disagree, definitely go see this band at the American Airlines Center. However, Maroon 5's released at least one fantastic album, their debut, Songs About Jane. You're in luck, pals, because virtually every song was a single and they're sure to play those songs because you know them. Adam Levine and co are probably one of the biggest rock bands on the planet Earth, so undoubtedly, this will be an experience well worth the money - even if you wind up in the hospital afterwards. HDB
Trash Talk With Ratking, Lee Bannon 8 p.m. Tuesday, February 17, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $13 Trash Talk live is something else. It is the narrative that has been interconnected with the band's meteoric rise to stardom. Everywhere they've played, chaos and pandemonium have followed them. (Remember that video fo the guy pissing in his own mouth at one of their shows? Yeah, that's what we mean.) That's the way they like it though. It is the reason why they've been asked to play with groups ranging from Odd Future and Lil B to Power Trip and Suicidal Tendencies. The band isn't limited by their sound. They are driven quite simply by a cult of personality. Vocalist Lee Spielman, despite literally destroying his body in the name of the band over the years, still hasn't lost a step. Best of all, the band also hasn't lost their greatest asset: unpredictability. Nobody knows what will happen at a Trash Talk show. They've played off the back of a U-Haul. They caused a riot on Red River at SXSW. Spielman has jumped off every high base imaginable. You're really just along for the ride. James Khubiar
RC and the Gritz 9 p.m., Wednesday, February 18, at The Prophet Bar, 2548 Elm St., 214-742-3667, $10 Every week, RC & the Gritz hit the Prophet Bar for a jazz-tinged jam session that daps, pounds and nods to hip-hop, R&B and funk. The band makes it look oh-so effortless and easy every time out, just as a bunch of true pros like these guys should do. It's no wonder they're so great, though, because they're Erykah Badu's band and you know she would only accept the very best. Also on the docket: the hottest R&B open mic night in all of Dallas. HDB
Thin Line Film Fest With Seryn, Devin The Dude, Blue, the Misfit, Joe Ely, February 18-22, Campus Theatre, 214 W. Hickory St., Denton, TX, 940-382-1915, $10-$75 What was once a niche documentary film festival has added music into the mix. And you know what, Thin Line as what might be the best line up out of all the festivals in North Texas. The bill is diverse and has some heavy hitters with an avalanche of talent. Seryn is also heading back from good ole Nashville to play a show here. HDB
The Coathangers With Cutter and Nothing, 7 p.m. Thursday, February 19, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, Free with RSVP This irreverent quartet of jokester girls is certainly committed to their schtick. The name, of course, is a play on back-alley abortions and each member has adopted it in place of their own surname. Their aesthetic and attitude is wholly punk, with tracks like the succinctly titled "Shut the Fuck Up" on an album called Suck My Shirt. The Coathangers' sound is aggressive but still pretty silly and weird, meaning that this band's live show is the weirdest, goofiest and all around best time you'll have all week. Thursday night's show at Trees will likely be a fun crowd, if a little younger than you're used to, helped no doubt by Red Bull's presence reducing the price to $0 (with RSVP, of course). Take your vitamins; you're going to need energy to keep up with the Coathangers. Amy McCarthy
Asleep at the Wheel 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, February, 20, at The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $20-$32 You would think the members of Asleep at the Wheel wake up every morning, light a candle and kneel at the alter of Bob Willis, because without the band's numerous tributes to the Godfather of Western Swing there's no way in hell the group is playing a double header where they can charge $20 a ticket. I mean, more power to the group for finding an avenue to continue to make music, and nothing is more respectable than continuing to share the music of one of the most important musicians in American history. But even the band has admitted that at times it feels like they're cashing in on the legend's work. That's neither here nor there, though. What matters is that you can catch some really great country western music at one of Dallas' best music venues not once but twice this Friday. So if you want to prove your Texan bona fides, you'll get your boots on and get yourself and your dance partner to Oak Cliff. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Taking Back Sunday With Letlive and the Menzingers, 6 p.m. Saturday, February 21, at South Side Ballroom,1135 S. Lamar, 214-421-2021 or southsideballroomdallas.com, $38.33 Here's a fact to make you feel old: Remember the "emo revival" of the early 2000s? Yeah, that was 15 years ago. One of the most important bands of that period was Taking Back Sunday. Beginning with their seminal debut album Tell All Your Friends, the Long Island band's released hits like "You're So Last Summer" and "Cute Without the E" to cause fans and peers alike to gravitate toward them. Their second release Where You Want To Be overcame personnel changes to further fortify the band's position as the leaders of the genre. Hell, the tour to promote the album featured Fall Out Boy as openers. Their next album Louder Now was their mainstream breakthrough, with single "Makedamnsure" garnering widespread airplay and even led to the band appearing on the hit show Degrassi. Now, in their 15th year as a band, Taking Back Sunday comes to Dallas hot on the heels of their latest album, Happiness Is. JK
Derrick Carter With DJ Red Eye, 10 p.m. Saturday, February 21, at It'll Do Club, 4322 Elm St., $15 Derrick Carter just might be the most recognizable living ambassador to the legendary Chicago house music scene. That's saying something coming the music scene that has been the inspiration for modern club music as we know it today. As a DJ, label owner and producer, Carter has not only had his fingers on the pulse of house music but has often setting the tempo himself. Carter also has deep roots in Dallas stretching back to the infamous Hazy Daze parties of the '90s, where he was a regular guest sometimes showing up unannounced to blow the roof off of makeshift parties. His last visit to Dallas was a special set of funk, soul, disco and boogie for Too Fresh Productions' Fresh 45s night at Crown & Harp that gave us a rare peak at Carter's roots. This time around we get the full-blown Carter house music experience. His reputation as a top-notch turntable mixologist will be in full effect for what is likely be a packed venue. Wanz Dover
Jamaican Queens With iill, Def Rain, 9 p.m., Friday, February 20, at Crown & Harp, 1914 Greenville Avenue, 214-828-1914, $8 Indie pop's getting a little interesting. Generally indie pop is a genre as sweet as a bag of Halloween candy. Jamaican Queens, however, add a bit of grit. The trio of Ryan Clancy, Adam Pressley and Ryan Spencer from Detroit combine a grandiose rap-inspired production heavy in bass, 808s and snappy snare with melodies that are most commonly found in an indie rock band. Oh, a touch of electronica. (Did you get all that?) The whole genre-bending extravaganza is sure to make a petulant Beck from 1996 super proud. (No word on what Kanye would think, though.) HDB
Power Trip With S.H.I.T., Vulgar Display, Slimy Member, 7 p.m., Sunday, February 22, at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, 411 East Sycamore Street, Denton, TX, 940-387-7781, $10 Power Trip is a quintet from our very own city, that lovely, world-class gem we call Dallas. This band plays a mix of punk and metal, referred to by those in the know as crossover thrash. It's a ferocious mix of aggressive, fast temps and drumming that fires like a Gatling gun. The guitar licks sound like something is literally being shredded, and we don't just mean a fret board. Power Trip's garnered attention from the likes of Pitchfork for their skillful grasp on this militant style. They're also pretty renowned for their live shows, so enter the pit and get ready for the fists to be thrown. HDB
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