As temperatures slowly decline and tastes of pumpkin pie and cinnamon-sprinkled everything make their way into our minds, let's end the recent string of 100-degree days with a bang. This week offers a great opportunity to check out both up-and-coming acts and well-known artists, as well as a couple of Dallas' most known and loved.
Lyle Lovett starts things off Monday night with his band at the Winspear Opera House, followed later in the week by electropop duo Sylvan Esso, -topic and Erykah Badu, who's heading the Riverfront Jazz Festival.
Lyle Lovett
7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., 214-880-0202 or attpac.org, $60 and up
The night before Lyle Lovett plays Bass Hall in Fort Worth, he'll be at the Winspear with his Large Band. Lovett hasn't produced a new album since 2012, but he released a new greatest hits collection this year. He has built a lasting career by sticking to his country and folk roots and writing songs about love and loss. Lately, he's been playing almost 30 tunes a night, including his best-known songs, such as "Cowboy Man" and his take on "Stand By Your Man." This should be an excellent show; the acoustics in the Winspear are perfect for a sound like Lovett's, which is neither too loud nor too soft. Eric Grubbs
Lord Huron
with The Wild Reeds, 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6501, $57 to $190
Lord Huron hits the sweet spot between country and indie rock — think Fleet Foxes-style melodies and songwriting with Southern-tinged vocals. The LA-based foursome debuted in 2012 with the album Lonesome Dreams, followed by the band's latest release, 2015's Strange Tails. Diamond Victoria
Paul Slavens
10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, Dan's Silverleaf, 103 N. Industrial St., 940-320-2000 or danssilverleaf.com, free
Paul Slavens is a local legend. He was the frontman of the late '80s and early '90s outfit Ten Hands. He’s a renowned radio host at radio station KXT 91.7 FM He also does this kooky little thing at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton every Monday. He takes song title suggestions from people and makes up songs on the spot. It’s like a freestyle. Whatever you do, don’t be the jerk who tries to make him rhyme "orange." H. Drew Blackburn
Sylvan Esso
7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, sold out
Synthpop act Sylvan Esso is a collaboration of vocalist Amelia Meath and electronic musician Nick Sanborn. It's a band that proves a point that, if you're quirky and talented enough, the male/female power duo will see success. Sylvan Esso formed in 2013 and released its first and eponymous album the next year. These days, the band's enjoying the success of this year's album, What Now, which includes the singles "Radio," "Jump Kick Twist" and "Die Young." Diamond Victoria
Residente
with PJ Sin Suela, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., thebombfactory.com, $40
René Pérez Joglar, aka Residente, is a folk hero in his native Puerto Rico. His name skyrocketed after Joglar’s former group, Calle 13, released the controversial track “Querido F.B.I.” Joglar was angered by the death of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, the leader of Puerto Rican revolutionary group Los Macheteros, during an FBI raid. The song condemned the actions of the American government and was quickly followed up by two radio hits, “Se Vale Tó-Tó” and “Atrevete-te-te!” Calle 13, formed in 2004 and comprising Joglar, his step-brother and his half-sister, has won 25 Latin Grammys — more than any artist in history and twice as many as Shakira. Residente’s self-titled album is his first as a solo act, and it's inspired by the results of a DNA test that traced his roots from locations across the world. Residente is a multi-ethnic cacophony that bounces rhythmically from Siberia to England to Spain. Joglar’s style of reggaeton-influenced hip-hop transcends cultural and language barriers. It’s entertaining no matter your background. Nicholas Bostick
-topic
with KoolQuise, JD Beck, Nick Lewis and Ric Jones, 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 214-653-8228, $10
Dallas rapper -topic played a farewell show at Trees in March just before leaving for California. Now, after five months away, fans get to hear what he's been up to — and there's a lot. Since becoming the first musician to receive a grant from Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, -topic's career has hit some bumps, but none that he could be blamed for. In 2016, his keyboardist died in a car accident, and -topic's life's work was stolen from a backpack during a show in Deep Ellum — both of which threw a wrench into the recording and editing of his third album. These days, -topic's career is on the up-and-up, and we're excited to welcome him home, even if just for a night. Diamond Victoria
Brad Paisley
with Dustin Lynch, Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell, 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory, 300 Las Colinas Blvd. W., Irving, 972-810-1499 or livenation.com, $30
Break out the tiny cowboy hats and your best pair of jean shorts because Brad Paisley is bringing the band 'round to Irving for a countrified sendoff of summer. Coming along for the ride is a collection modern country music’s new-guard artists: Dustin Lynch, Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell will support the wisecracking veteran. Paisley is coming off a long-awaited 11th studio album, Love and War, which he hailed as “country’s first visual album.” Love and War takes a page from Queen B’s latest release, Lemonade, by featuring accompanying music videos for every track, as well as some interesting collabs with the likes of Timbaland, John Fogerty and Mick Jagger. At this show, Paisley will also dig deep in his oeuvre and perform alongside the up-and-comers on the bill. Nicholas Bostick
Julieta Venegas
with Mayta, 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6501 or thebombfactory.com, $59-$99
Julieta Venegas can pretty much do it all: She's an adept multi-instrumentalist who capably plays guitar, accordion and keyboard. Her self-penned songs, such as "Ese Camino" and "Andar Conmigo," have catapulted to the top of the Latin alternative and pop charts, earning her rave reviews and a bevy of Latin Grammy Awards and nominations. For a four-year stretch in the mid-aughts, she also ruled the MTV Latin American Video Music Awards. That stretch of unbridled success catapulted her to her superstar status. Her songs resonate not only for their tempos and arrangements, but also because of their depth of emotion and attention to detail. She taps into the rich Mexican literary tradition, using common folk tales and archetypes as the basis for her modern compositions. Jeff Strowe
TWRK & Fight Clvb
9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, Stereo Live, 2711 Storey Lane, stereolivedallas.com or 214-358-6511, $10
The ambitious dance music duo Fight Clvb, comprises SAV and Carly M. Burns, who are known for their jungle terror sound that blends Dutch house, moombahton, steel drums and animal noises into their compositions and remixes. But SAV and Burns might be better known for their small legal battle with Donald Trump. While Trump was running for president in 2016, Fight Clvb released a song featuring the president’s name, and the video showed his face on dancers' bodies. Shortly after the release, Trump's lawyer hit the duo with a cease and desist. Fight Clvb argued that the song was protected as a parody and refused to remove the video. Fight Clvb is a staple on the EDM festival circuit, thanks to its energetic live show featuring Mystereo, the group’s masked hype man, who will surely turn things up at Stereo Live. Mikel Galicia
Riverfront Jazz Festival
Friday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 3, Texas Horse Park, 811 Pemberton Hill Road, tbaalriverfrontjazzfestival.org, $50 and up
The most exciting thing about Dallas’ first Riverfront Jazz Festival is that it’s a wildcard. The event’s website, for example, includes a video unveiling the fest’s lineup with a montage of the artists’ headshots backed by the chintziest smooth jazz you’ve ever heard (Najee’s “Betcha Don’t Know”). Yet the jazz/blues/soul/R&B lineup, which includes local torchbearer Erykah Badu, is filled with enough surprises and serious jazz names to silence any would-be cynics. No one really knows what to expect. Spanning three days and three venues over Labor Day weekend, Riverfront Jazz Fest could be a flop — or it could spark a fresh appreciation of jazz and its many offshoots in a new generation of local listeners. The fest likely will fall somewhere in between, yet seeing how it all unfolds in real time promises to be a thrill. Jonathan Patrick