This weekend we're doing our Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase and you should definitely do that. Otherwise there are a slew of great things to catch. Ryan Adams plays at SMU, which makes tons of sense. Caspa does the dubstep at Trees. Blackalicious does it for real hip-hop at the Granada Theater. Aaron Carter chronicles (lies) about how he beat Shaq in a pick up basketball game at the House of Blues. And last but not least, New Jack Swing legends hit the 'burbs at the Verizon Theatre.
See also: The 2014 Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase Guide Ringo Deathstarr Weren't Just a Shoegaze Band at Rubber Gloves, They Were Deafening
Caspa 7 p.m., Friday, December 5, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $12-$15 What is the the dubstep? The dubstep is warbling noises that sound like a drunk washing machine. The dubstep is the sound of mating Transformers. The dubstep is Tyrannosaurus Rex playing laser tag in space. The dubstep is a flip phone Nokia on acid. The dubstep is T-100 in a neon thong. The dubstep is Caspa. Caspa is coming to Trees. Enough said. H. Drew Blackburn
The Roomsounds With Belle Adair, and Walker Lukens & The Sidearms, at 8 p.m., Club Dada, Friday, December 5, 9 p.m., at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 214-653-8228, $5-$8 With roots finely tied to Southern blues rock, Dallas' The Roomsounds are all at once an ode to the past and the South itself. Upbeat guitar riffs and lyrics full of nonchalant melancholy power the band. The obvious influences of Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin rear their head in a comforting manner. Their self-titled debut album from 2012 is full of the band's signature catchy hooks charismatic thunder, which is even more of a delight to witness in the flesh. HDB
Ryan Adams 8 p.m. Friday, December 5, at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium, 6405 Boaz Ln., Ste. 101, smu.edu/businessfinance/campusservices/mcfarlin/events, Sold Out Ryan Adams hasn't played Dallas since 2007 and this show sold out as soon as tickets went on sale. After starting Whiskeytown, a band that unapologetically tried to mimic American Music Club sans gay frontman sporting a unibrow, Adams has been trying to beat the sun, recording at a furious pace and living life as variously as possible. Since that 2007 show, Adams married the poor man's Britney Spears (which is surely better than marrying Britney Spears), released two books of poetry and short stories, been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease (he'll lose his shit if you go overboard with camera flashes), dropped one band (The Cardinals) and added another (The Shining), released a mountain of recordings via his own Pax Americana Recording Company, produced albums for a diverse array of artists and developed an affinity for pinball (he is currently touring with a Metallica pinball machine). You can expect a career-spanning set of songs both released and unreleased; Adams may even perform an improvised song if you ask nice enough. Jeremy Hallock
Ringo Deathstarr 8 p.m. Friday, December 5, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $10 Elliott Frazier has been making his own brand of star-gaze since 2005 when he first put early Ringo Deathstarr demos on Myspace. Since then Frazier moved from his hometown of Beaumont to Austin where he managed to put together a band, put out a handful of EPs, land a few record deals, tour the world, and go on tour as the opener for the Smashing Pumpkins. The band's signature blend of ear shattering volume, endless drone, and devotion to the early shoegaze pioneers has garnered its fair share of critical praise, with many making it a point to warn concert goers to that it might get loud. DOMA darlings Blackstone Rangers provide support along with ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead side project Midnight Masses, and Blessin. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Dallas Observer Music Awards With Blue, The Misfit, Pinkish Black, Son of Stan, Goodnight Ned and more, 5 p.m., Saturday, December 6, at Deep Ellum, $10-$50 All of your favorite local artists are set to perform at the showcase for the 26th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards, set to be at Deep Ellum's hottest clubs. Performers include Blue, he Misfit, Son of Stan, Ishi, Sealion, Cutter, Pinkish Black, Sam Lao, Tunk, Hex Cult, Hares on the Mountain, Buffalo Black, Booty Fade, Sudie, Dustin Cavazos, Mayta, George Quartz, Yells at Eels, Goodnight Ned, Quaker City Night Hawks -- hell I'm losing my breath. Let's just say that there are over 60 bands playing and you can find the full lineup on the Internet. Go check that out. Oh, and don't forget to vote. It's sure to be a night packed with great music. HDB
New Jack Swing featuring Guy & Tony! Toni! Toné! After 7, Al B. Sure! 8 p.m., Saturday, December 6, Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place Grand Prairie, TX, 972-854-5111, http://www.verizontheatre.com, $40-$60 New Jack Swing was a marriage of rap and r&b. It was an exciting time. You can relieve the days of the late 80s and early 90s with Guy, Tony! Toné!, After 7, and Al B. Sure. Other than hammering home the point that there are a vast amount of ways you can spell Tony, you're in for a treat a funky music that was once for the wild youngins, but is now a pleasant treat for the Grown and Sexy. HDB
Taylor McFerrin With D.V.S.* 9 p.m., Saturday, December 6, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 214-653-8228, $5-$10 Surely, our plan was to hijack all of Deep Ellum on this evening for the Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase, but apparently John McClane or somebody was yippie-ki-yay-not-having-that. Taylor McFerrin and D.V.S.* are gonna stop by and close out the night at Three Links. But even if they've been absorbed as part of the DOMA bill, they more then merit their own nod for the evening. McFerrin is on Flying Lotus' record label Brainfeeder and the young padawan doesn't disappoint with his contemporary electronic jazz stylings. HDB
Blackalicious With Daniel Bambaata Marley, 7 p.m. Saturday, December 6, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $29-$39 Rapper/DJ tandem Blackalicious will be taking the stage at the Granada Theater this weekend in anticipation of the impending 2015 release of Emoni, their first album in a decade. MC Gift of Gab and producer Chief Xcel are often likened to West Coast collectives the Pharcyde and Jurrasic 5 for their shared brand of Afrocentric, message-oriented backpack rap. But don't let the kufi fool you, these guys have seen over 20 years in Hip-Hop and the demand has led to a national tour almost 10 years removed from their last studio album. Having collaborated with Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, ?uestlove of the Roots and the late soul singer and hip-hop pioneer Gil Scott-Heron, Blackalicious straddles the fence as one of fundamental entities in hip hop, while remaining largely unsung heroes by the casual listener. Rodney Blu
Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas With War Party, 8 p.m. Saturday, December 6, at Gas Monkey Bar N Grill, 10261 Technology Blvd. E, 214-350-1904 or gasmonkeylive.com, Free We can't argue against free shows. Especially when you've got Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas coming through, who come from the motor city, a place with a rich history of great rockabilly, soul, and blues acts. The band just recently released their debut, Secret Evil, which captures their punk attitude and reverie for having fun. War Party, a raw garage band from Fort Worth opens. HDB
Aaron Carter 8 p.m., Sunday, December 7, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $19.33 I was a goddamn weirdo in second grade. A mess of gel-infused, spiked hair and owner of a few too many N*Sync CDs, Aaron Carter was the cutting-edge razor of cool to me. I once inexplicably wrote my name on a test in second grade as "Aaron Carter" in a terrifying fit of idolization. In fact, there's probably still a CD of Aaron's Party in the back of my childhood closet somewhere. Eventually, though, I realized what an awful mistake I had made and moved on. But Carter never did. He's playing the same songs at age 26 that he did at 12. It's bizarre to see Carter (who now looks like a long-lost member of One Direction) shirtless and singing songs about his parents going out of town and getting grounded. Yet there's almost something admirable about it all, given that his career should have by now turned into a dumpster fire of adulthood. So what if it's a blatant money grab? There'll still be a crowd of enthralled fans coming out to sing along. So people all around, come and get it. Matt Wood
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