If you're looking for something to do other than the State Fair, you've come to the right place. (If you're looking for some deep-fried food stuffed inside some other deep-fried food, then yes, the State Fair is your ticket.) As always, DC9 has a few music suggestions to get you through the week. Katy Perry's double-booked at American Airlines Center, Sup Pop garage rocker King Tuff is stopping by Club Dada, blue-eyed soul crooner Allen Stone's headlining the Granada Theater's 10-year anniversary show, and burgeoning rock star Benjamin Booker is sure to light Three Links on fire with his axe.
King Tuff With Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 29, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $12 This is one hell of a combo, with lots of awesome packed into a single show -- especially for only $12. Both acts are touring on incredible 2014 albums that more than live up to the high expectations set by previous releases. Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires' second album, Dereconstructed, is modern Southern rock at its finest, complete with sleazy riffs and astute lyrics about the South. This is one of those bands that you see and decide to catch every single time they are in town; you get the feeling they would rather lose a limb than play a bad show. King Tuff's third album, Black Moon Spell, was just released on September 23 and is currently streaming at NPR.org. The Vermonter otherwise known as Kyle Thomas has somehow managed to top his classic eponymous Sub Pop debut by sharpening the production and taking his infectious melodies through genres from at least four different decades; his take on '70s glam rock is especially easy on the ears. King Tuff is one of the most charismatic performers touring and his shows are never anything less than a great time. Jeremy Hallock
Allen Stone With Bad Rabbits and Jared & The Mill, 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 30, at at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $24-$39 Like most soul singers, Allen Stone began in the church (the son of a preacher man), singing for the Lord. Amen. Over time, he got introduced to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers. Again, like most soul singers, it would only be a matter of time before he'd go the secular route. Stone made a name for himself catching the eye of American readers through the New York Times and viewers on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" a few years ago. He did it by going the independent, self-released route, too, with his albums Last To Speak and Allen Stone. His major-label debut is set to be releases through Capitol Records some time this year, which is sure to spread his sultry voice and blue-eyed soul at an even more rapid pace than it did once before. H. Drew Blackburn
Kacey Musgraves With John and Jacob, 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 1, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $37 Country music is typically a boys-only club. Kacey Musgraves attempted, and succeeded, to break that rule when she released her debut album in 2013. Same Trailer Different Park's contents rage from marijuana to girl-on-girl kissing to casual sex. She's Willie Nelson-meets-Alison Krauss with her laid-back attitude and simple performance style. For those not familiar with Musgraves' most recent work, there's still a chance you're a fan of her for writing Miranda Lambert's award-winning "Mama's Broken Heart" or singing on Texas country artist Josh Abbott's "Oh, Tonight." She just finished her leg as opening act on Katy Perry's tour, and now she's headed home to Texas to play a much smaller venue at Granada Theater. The intimate setting will serve Musgraves well as she can just sit, sing and strum her guitar. Paige Skinner
Katy Perry With Tegan & Sara, 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, October 2 to 3 at the American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or americanairlinescenter.com, $29.50-$154.25 One of the biggest pop stars in the world takes over the American Airlines Center for two nights this week to celebrate her divorce from an English comedian, and her collaboration with an ex-member of the Three 6 Mafia. Really, Katy Perry is living the American Dream. Think about it. She started as a folk singer, went Christian, then stole Zooey Deschanel's hairstyle and sang about kissing girls. She somehow did not end up a one-hit wonder, worked with Snoop Dogg, won all the MTV Awards you could get, married that one funny dude, divorced him and now is sort of an icon for her feminist leanings. Home girl owned the Madonna playbook. Bravo Katy; we're looking forward to the shows. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Shonen Knife With Skating Polly and Party Static, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 2, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $12 After 33 years and 19 albums, Japan's female pop-punk trio, Shonen Knife, are still globetrotting and sounding better than ever. Their latest release, Overdrive, strays a bit from their usual punk sound in favor of '70s hard rock. But it's a fun record just the same, with songs about shopping, fortune cookies, robots, cats and green tea. You can always expect a good time and a tight set from this internationally revered band. The rest of this bill is particularly strong, too. Local favorites Party Static just keep getting bigger and better. Surely they will set the perfect tone for the evening, put a smile on everyone's face and quite possibly turn Dada into a dance floor. And for anyone who appreciates '70s punk or 90s alt-rock, Skating Polly are not to be missed. These two teenage stepsisters from Oklahoma City put on a jaw-dropping live show and are a legitimate up-and-coming band. If you don't believe me, just ask X vocalist Exene Cervenka, who produced their second album, or Beat Happening fron tman Calvin Johnson, who worked with them on their third. JH Benjamin Booker With Doug Burr, 8 p.m., Friday, October 3 at Three Links, 2704 Elm St. Dallas, TX, http://www.threelinksdeepellum.com/, $10-$13 Keep your eyes peeled for Benjamin Booker; he's a unique force. He's Hendrix in a dusty, grimy, dirty garage in New Orleans playing the guitar with such command that the Gods rise from their graves with each frenzied strum of his guitar. He's full of the youthful energy that once embodied rock n roll, as opposed to the dainty middle class music and psudo-artsy bullshit we hear so often today. If you have the fever for something raw, this is a must see. HDB
16Bars.xxx, Dj Sober With Young Wave, Datahowler, FLCON FCKER, and DRNRDX 8 p.m., Friday, October 3, at 406 S. Haskell St., http://www.16bars.xxx/, $3-$5 16Bars.xxx is a house party created by K104-FM's digital content coordinator, Rico Slice. In the past, the event has showcased the wide swath of talent North Texas' rap scene has to offer. This go around, the DJs get the spotlight with live sets from Dj Sober, Young Wave, Datahowler, FLCON FCKER, and DRNRDX. And there's gonna be some visual art, food, and beer as well. Sounds like a hell of a party. HDB
Zac Brown Band With Ryan Kindler, 7 p.m., Friday, October 3, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or gexaenergypavilion.net, $30-$330 In a radio interview last year, Zac Brown really hurt Luke Bryan's feelings by calling "That's My Kind of Night" the worst song he's ever heard. Brown was probably just being honest, and of course it is the worst song many people have ever heard, but you have to wonder if he was also being cagey: by publicly hating on the bro-iest of bro-country anthems, he managed to dodge the insatiable maw of public dismay. It's not as if Brown isn't singing about beer; in fact, "Toes," the PBR-and-Jager-branded single off his 2008 debut, name checks drinking almost as hard as the "1-800-Bartend" commercial. It's a pleasantly dopey song that sounds like he was trying to rewrite "Margaritaville" but with an even lazier plot. In fact, Jimmy Buffett even guested on a verse of Brown's 2011 single "Knee Deep." So you'd think people would sneer at Brown the way they do at Florida Georgia Line, but it also turns out he writes plenty of folkier, traditional country songs. Even a song like "Chicken Fried," which sings the praises of Friday night redneck mainstays like beer and correctly fitting jeans is more like the spiritual successor to Mel McDaniel's "Louisiana Saturday Night" than some Jason Aldean bro-down. Then again, who cares, really? The Zac Brown Band is also huge, which is why they're playing Gexa on October 3. Steve Steward
Poliça With Web of Sunsets and Orenda Fink, 7 p.m., Friday, October 3, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., treesdallas.com, $15-$18 The sprawling, tongue-in-cheek Gayngs crew (they set all their songs to 69 b.p.m.) out of Minnesota consisted of some of the upper Midwest's most exciting acts in recent musical history. From Bon Iver, to Har Mar Superstar, to Dessa and P.O.S. of the Doomtree collective, Gayngs was a serious party with some serious talent. Out of that cradle of creativity was born another project, Poliça, featuring several members of Gayngs including singer Channy Leaneagh and producer Ryan Olson. This moody synth-pop group with dual drummers is a forbear to current acts like Sylvan Esso, its material being both utterly danceable and undeniably dark at the same time. In its smoky, auto-tuned haze, Poliça makes for one hell of a party comedown. JPF
Ty Dolla $ign With Lil Bibby, 7 p.m. Saturday, October 4, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $20 The landscape of R&B has changed a great deal over the past few years. The usual run-of-the-mill silliness and subtleties have evaporated. Mainstream R&B is as brash and confident as it wants to be. You see, unlike any generation to precede it, millennials grew up on rap music. Generation X did as well, but it wasn't during a time when Eminem and 50 Cent were constantly shown on a mass media cultural staple like Total Request Live. Somewhere during its lifespan, rap became a part of our collective American consciousness, so much so that R&B singers basically have the same panache as rappers. Exhibit A: Ty Dolla $ign. From his name to his provocative lyrics, he has the attitude of your favorite contemporary emcee. He's got an insane knack for melodies as well. "Or Nah," "My Cabana" and "Paranoid" are examples of Ty Dolla $ign at his absolute best. HDB
Lecrae With Andy Mineo and DJ Promote, 8 p.m. Saturday, October 4, at Verizon Theatre,1001 Performance Place Grand Prairie, TX, 972-854-5111 or http://www.verizontheatre.com, $20-$96 Jumbo shrimp. Living dead. Christian hip hop. These are all oxymorons. The former two are just things that happen to be the opposite of one another, antonyms. But, Christian hip hop, that's a true curve ball. Hip hop is generally a secular genre of music (a thoroughly seculrar one, at that). Yes, for years rappers have made songs about religion, but they're usually placed at the very end of an album full of musings about unsavory activities. And yes, there's been plenty of Christian hip hop throughout the years, but let's face it: it's more or less always terrible. However, University of North Texas alum Lecrae has done the unthinkable: His album Anomaly earned the top spot on the Billboard 100, selling roughly 88,000 copies in its first week. Also, the album is actually pretty good. Look at God. HDB
Snowmine With Nightbox, 8 p.m., Sunday, October 5 at Three Links, 2704 Elm St. Dallas, TX, http://www.threelinksdeepellum.com/, $10-$12 If you want to get something done, sometimes it's best to build it yourself. That's want the Brooklyn-based band Snowmine did when they readied the release of their album, Dialects. Since they weren't interested in the prospects of signing to a record label, they just up and made their own called Mystery Buildings. You have to admire their initiative here. Dialects is full of shimmering vocals and a bright production. Listening to Snowmine is taking a happy pill -- if it came in the form of an indie rock band, that is. HDB
