The 10 Best Concerts of the Week: the xx, Homegrown Festival, Junior Brown and More

This week, Dallas welcomes back one of its most popular bands after a nearly two-decade absence. Tripping Daisy, which formed in 1990, revisits its old stomping grounds at a pre-Homegrown Festival show at Dada Thursday night. They'll also be headlining the festival, which takes place Saturday and also includes Mutemath, Cure for Paranoia, White Denim and more. Also on the bill for Dallas music fans this week are England's the xx at South Side Ballroom, country guitarist and singer Junior Brown at Granada Theater and many more.


The xx
8 p.m. Monday, May 8, South Side Ballroom, 1135 S. Lamar St., 800-745-3000 or livenation.com, $77-$281

Since bursting onto the scene in 2009, English minimalists the xx have catapulted even further up the indie rock chain. This summer will find them near the top of the bill for many of the big-ticket festivals, such as Bonnaroo and Glastonbury, where their dreamy pop soundscapes will inspire sing-alongs and air guitar noodling in equal measure. In between their fest stops, the band is crisscrossing the globe on an ambitious tour supporting their third and latest album, I See You, which is a bit more cheerful than their past recordings. Despite their festival ubiquity, a theater environment like South Side Ballroom is a more appropriate venue to appreciate their melodic dirges and low-end hum. It's also fitting that this show falls on a Monday, as an xx concert is more attuned to the slow burn of the work week than a frenzied Friday night. Jeff Strowe


Tim Kasher
with Allison Weiss, Nathan Hussey (of All Get Out), 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St., 214-887-6510 or double-wide.com, $15

It's safe to say that as long as Tim Kasher is living, he'll be making music. The frontman of Cursive and the Good Life continues to create music even when he's on his own and unsure of which direction to take. His third solo album, No Resolution, released this past March, relies on stringed instruments just like his past releases, but somehow it sounds completely different. His emotive vocals pair perfectly with the album's instrumental suites. Diamond Victoria


An Evening with David Crosby and Friends
8 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $80-$635

David Crosby is a legend. As a member of the Byrds and CSNY, Crosby and his push-broom mustache were in the vanguard of the late-'60s long hair revolution, celebrating such cultural milestones as getting eight miles high and almost (but not quite, man) cutting his hair. In later years, he distinguished himself as sobriety partner for Lionel Hutz and biological father of Melissa Etheridge's offspring. Jeff Gage


Tripping Daisy
9 p.m. Thursday, May 11, Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $50

Ahead of their headlining gig for Homegrown Fest, Dallas darlings Tripping Daisy announced they will have an "exclusive, VIP, warm-up sneak peak" Thursday at Club Dada. It will be one of only six shows to make up the band's unexpected mini-tour this year, and a great opportunity to catch Tripping Daisy — who haven't played a show in almost two decades — in a more intimate setting than a large festival. DV


Quiet Company
with Criminal Birds and Caterpillars, 9 p.m. Friday, May 12, Three Links, 2704 Elm St. or threelinksdeepellum.com, $12

Taylor Muse played a large role in the early days of the indie music scene in East Texas. In fact, he lent a hand in several bands, including Uncle Andrew, Neckpunch, the Lonely Hearts and Eisley, but found his greatest and most successful project to be Quiet Company. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Quiet Company was once just a moniker for Muse; a way for him to really dig deeper into songwriting. It eventually accumulated more members and in 2015, the band released its fifth full-length album, Transgressor, much to the delight of fans. The band's early songwriting was lumped into the Christian rock scene, but these days their departure from religion has garnered them a slightly broader fan base and critical acclaim. DV


Emily King
8:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $20-$70

New York City-born musician Emily King sings with a silky, jazz-inflected tone befitting of her hometown. Incorporating a wide range of genres from R&B to pop and even snippets of indie-rock, her output remains centered around her amazing vocal dynamics, which shine brightly regardless of the type of song she tackles. Still riding a heat wave of momentum from her 2015 release, The Switch, King's Friday night appearance at Trees will be an acoustic affair, a setup that should impeccably showcase her voice and song craft. Both her recent signing to the ATO Records roster and her supporting roles with acts as large and diverse as Maroon 5, Alicia Keys and Alabama Shakes indicate that the music world is fast catching on. You'd be wise to jump on board, as well. Jeff Strowe


Homegrown Fest
Noon Saturday, May 13, Main Street Garden Park, 1902 Main St., homegrownfest.com, $50 and up

This is the eighth year for the Texas-based music and arts festival Homegrown Fest. This year’s lineup includes standouts like Lower Dens, White Denim, Cure for Paranoia and MUTEMATH. But what makes this year’s installment especially exciting is the reunion of legendary Dallas act Tripping Daisy — no other band defined the hip bohemia of the ‘90s quite like them. Twelve bands, art exhibits and tons of other arty what-have-yous and rich eats all promise to make Homegrown Fest another memorable local festival. Framed by the towering jewels of the downtown Dallas skyline, and bathed in waves of vivid, brain-frying light, Homegrown attendees will be gifted a glimpse at our city’s thriving arts and music communities. Jonathan Patrick


Junior Brown
with the Hazardous Dukes, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $20-$39 

Junior Brown was a man ahead of his time, brandishing an instrument more wild than his own voice is deep and rich. He made a name for himself in Austin in the ‘90s, where he traveled from Cottonwood, Arizona, with his outlaw-tinged country and his double necked guitar and lap steel (a “guit-steel”). His unusual voice and instrumentation have found success on TV — a few years ago he was featured on AMC’s Better Call Saul — and now with a new tour and an 11th album in the works, tentatively titled Deep in the Heart of Me, this American iconoclast is prepared to become more widely known. Tracks like “Hang up and Drive,” “My Wife Thinks You’re Dead” and “Broke Down South of Dallas” are worth the price of admission on their own. Nicholas Bostick


Damien Escobar
7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com, $30-$65

Damien Escobar breathes fresh air into the worlds of classical, jazz and hip-hop music. The violinist and Julliard graduate was once one half of the duo Nuttin' But Stringz with his brother, Tourier, but these days finds his success through freestyle performances, original pieces and covers of popular hits. DV


Rascal Flatts
8 p.m. Saturday, May 13, WinStar Casino, 777 Casino Ave. or winstarworldcasino.com, $75-$250

Say what you will about Rascal Flatts, but they have pretty much dominated the pop country scene for the last decade. Formed in 1999, the trio have released more than 25 singles, of which 13 have reached number one on Billboard Hot Country Songs and/or Country Airplay. Rascal Flatt's upcoming and 10th studio album, Back To Us,  is set to release May 19. DV