Well, it's the weekend once again. We here at DC9 hope you powered through the week and that you're looking for some relief. We want you to go to some bars and have a few drinks. We want you to pregame beforehand. (That's just being fiscally responsible.) But most importantly, we want you to check out some shows in North Texas. There's a festival in Denton, a few free things around Dallas and, fittingly, Conor Oberst on Sunday, meaning all of his followers can have a truly spiritual experience.
Limp Bizkit With Machine Gun Kelly and BLVCK Ceiling, 6:00 p.m. September 19, South Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St. Dallas, TX, 214-421-2021, $51.54 Do you dream of the '90s -- a time that naturally permeates itself into the early aughts? What a different time: The weird hairdos, oversized clothing, and, err, the music. Boy bands spread like wildfire, and there was this thing called nu metal, which is like if metal, grunge and rap formed to make one genre unto itself. The most marquee and perhaps recognizable name in nu metal is Rage Against The Machine with their strong political ideals. Next is Limp Bizkit, a band that at its core is a ball of aggression. They're responsible for such revered classics like Three Dollar Bill, Y'all and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water , an album that sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Their next album, Stampede of the Disco Elephants is set to release on Cash Money Records (seriously) sometime this year. This is the perfect concert for anybody with an innate desire to break stuff while wearing Hurley T-shirts. H. Drew Blackburn
Tears For Fears 8:00 p.m. Saturday, September 20, at Winstar Casino, 777 Casino Ave, Thackerville, OK 73459, 1-800-622-6317, http://winstarworldcasino.com, $45-$75 Tears For Fears' debut album The Hurting is an undisputed classic. There's a palpable level of honesty that is alive and well on the record. The title is a perfect precursor to the emotional hurt, pain and general somberness that exudes from every nook and cranny of the record. Tears For Fears has proven themselves to be the father to all music put in the box of "emo" and nobody's really done it better since. From Taking Back Sunday to Kanye West to Yung Lean, Tears For Fears' legacy lives on and will always live on through the acts that follow. That's truly a happy ending everyone can learn to love. HDB
DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist 9 p.m., Friday, September 19, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $40-45 In 1996, an album fully introduced the world to a world-class DJ and master of sampling, DJ Shadow. You make recognize the cover: Two men digging through records in a store, trying to strike gold, which is exactly what DJ Shadow did with his debut, Endtroducing..... The correct usage of an ellipses is not DJ Shadow's strong point, but flipping samples as so deftly showcased throughout his career is. He and frequent collaborator and former member of the backpacking hip-hop group Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist, have embarked on a tour and are coming through to Dallas. This here is a crash course in the art of beatmaking; the Sistine Chapel for your ears. HDB
Oaktopia With Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, XXYYXX, Immortal Technique and more, Friday and Saturday, September 19 and 20, Denton, Tx, oaktopiafest.com Oaktopia is a grassroots music festival founded and cobbled together by two twentysomething Denton enthusiasts. Since its inception, Oaktopia has been the subject of buzz and excitement in Denton. Oaktopia's second year will be beefed up a bit: Two days instead of one, more music, more arts, beer olympics and other random activities that the youths are sure to love. But, we're here for the music right? Check out headliners Aesop Rock W/ Rob Sonic, XXYYXX, Immortal Technique, Baths and Neon Indian as well as a smattering of the best and brightest bands in North Texas. HDB
Seryn Saturday, September 20, The Levitt Pavilion Founders Plaza, Arlington, TX 817-543-4301, FREE Denton has more than a few bands to be very proud of. There's the Baptist Generals, Brave Combo, Midlake and if you're into nationwide appeal and a wide following, Norah Jones, Bowling For Soup and Don Henley. Those are a few storied acts that have bustled through Denton's vibrant square playing a show here and there. Currently, Seryn is Denton's must-see band. They're known for their lush harmonies and full lush musical arrangements, even garnering the attention of Paste magazine, being named one of the best live acts of SXSW. HDB Shelley Carrol Quartet 10:00 p.m. Saturday, September 19, at The Twilite Lounge, 2640 Elm St., http://thetwilitelounge.com, FREE Our friendly neighbor to the south, Houston, has brought us a few great things, like Beyoncé, Beyoncé and Beyoncé. And the Texas rap sound as well. On a much smaller scale than the biggest pop star we've got and a masterful invention of a sound, there's Shelley Carrol, a brilliant jazz saxophonist who studied at the University of North Texas and was once a member of the exclusive One O'Clock Jazz Band. Check his quartet out for free at the Twilite Lounge for some great tunes and a laid back setting. HDB
Analog Rebellion with The Chloes 9:00 p.m., Friday, September 19, The Foundry, 2303 Pittman St., 214-749-1112 or http://cs-tf.com/about, FREE One of the most prolific acts in the history of North Texas is Daniel Hunter aka Analog Rebellion and formerly known as PlayRadioPlay. He was signed to a major label when he was still in high school and has eight projects on iTunes while still in his early '20s. What have you done with your life? Analog Rebellion's music is what he describes as "stadium lo-fi." This is loud, a bit raw, uptempo and experimental. Catch him for free at The Foundry with the Chloes. HDB
Sebadoh With Calmative, 8 p.m. Saturday, September 20, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinksdeepellum.com, $14-$17 Hard to believe it, but Sebadoh is almost 30 years old. Yes, these pioneers of lo-fi indie rock from Massachusetts started all the way back in 1986 when Lou Barlow (before he had even left Dinosaur Jr.) co-founded the group with Eric Gaffney. Jason Loewenstein joined in 1989 and these three distinctive songwriters are often referred to as the classic Sebadoh lineup, releasing two bona-fide classic albums, Bubble and Scrape and Sebadoh III, before Gaffney left the band four years later. Barlow and Loewenstein continued with three more albums before going on hiatus in 1999, touring sporadically for 14 years before returning with Sebadoh's 2013 album, Defend Yourself. They are touring very extensively for the rest of the year with Bob D'Amico of the Fiery Furnaces and Circle of Buzzards on drums, but there's no telling when you will get another chance to see them. Jeremy Hallock
The Soul Rebels With Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) and Fat Tony, 8 p.m. Saturday, September 20, at Granada Theater, 524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $21-$35 Often people wonder if there's anything new you can do with music. Have we done all that there is? No. Never. And one way to spark up a fresh sound is to fuse some together that have largely been put on the back burner, like the New Orleans based band, The Soul Rebels. Their music incorporates things you've heard time and time again like funk, big band jazz, hip-hop, blues and soul. All of this shit together, sugar, spice and everything nice, creates something that sounds as fresh as ripe produce. Also on this bill are Prodigy from Mobb Deep and Houston's rising rap star Fat Tony. HDB
Conor Oberst with Jonathan Wilson, 8 p.m., Sunday, September 21, at Annette Strauss Square, 1800 Leonard St., attpac.or or 214-880-0202, $30 If you're under the age of 35, there's about a 70 percent chance you once had sex to a Conor Oberst song. The prolific Omaha native has had roughly 30 different projects, including Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk, Commander Venus, Desapercidos, Park Ave., the Magentas and the Faint. (Whew!) Oberst writes music for the emotionally fragile who might have the gall to describe themselves as intellectuals because of their love of literate folk-rock. These types loved the hell out of the movie Garden State and wore suit coats paired with chucks and t-shirts before it became okay to do so. To them Oberst can do no wrong, which is good for Oberst seeing how he's lost the fastball he had back in 2005 when he released I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. The acclaim is still there, but many would prefer if he dropped the folk, plugged in and put out a new Desapercidos album. Sometimes you gotta rock, and Oberst better do it before he ages himself out of the opportunity. Jaime-Paul Falcon
