A surprisingly big weekend around the region this time around--which is a pretty good lead-in to next week's also surprisingly big week.
First, the shows we've already talked about...
Right now at Bill's Records, you can take in the festivities for owner Bill Wisener's 65th birthday. Later on tonight, there's plenty more: Gary Louris and Mark Olson are playing Sons of Hermann Hall; Starlight Mints, Dove Hunter, The Crash That Took Me and The Burning Hotels are playing the Longhorn Saloon in Fort Worth; and Eastwood, Elkhart and The Atoms are playing Dada.
Saturday's a huge day, too: Rain or shine, Good Records will be celebrating its anniversary and National Record Store Day with Erykah Badu and many, many others; Forever Young in Arlington will host its own Record Store Day event with Asleep at the Wheel; Dan Deacon will bring his "army" to the Modern in Fort Worth; Lymbyc Systym and Florene will play Hailey's in Denton; and That 1 Guy will play the Longhorn Saloon in Forth Worth.
And, after the jump, there's plenty more throughout the weekend...
32nd Annual Dallas International Guitar Festival
All weekend long at Dallas Market Hall
More a convention/expo than a festival, but, hey, Rick Derringer will be there, which is cool 'cause "Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo" is a fun song. Or maybe I've just listened to the Dazed & Confused soundtrack too much?
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Friday, April 17, at the Granada Theater
The Oakland rapper's back in the region after stopping through Texas last year for the ACL Fest. Should be a good show on this crowded night. But if hip-hop's your thing, this is the place to be.
Fair To Midland, The House Harkonnen
Friday, April 17, at The Door
Fair to Midland kinda blew me away when it stopped through the Curtain Club in January as a warmup for the tour that is now bringing the band back to Dallas. Say what you want about the band's progressive heavy rock sound, but it all makes for an incredibly entertaining show thanks to Darroh Sudderth's near-possessed stage demeanor. Get there early for HK, too: They're one of the better--and most unsung--live rock bands in town. Yeah, they posture and pose on stage like they know they're hot shit, but when the volume's turned loud and the band's playing its gritty, heavy, fast songs... um... they kinda are that good.
Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, Cobra Starship, Hey Monday, All Time Low
Friday, April 17, at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie
A dream mall pop lineup, if there ever were one, I guess. Oh, and 50 Cent, too! Of all the mall pop bands, Fall Out Boy's stuff is easily the most identifiable, thanks to singer Patrick Stump's unique and, yes, interesting vocal delivery. And some of the band's songs are just plain catchy and good, like its breakout single from a few years back, "Sugar, We're Going Down". Unfortunately, Fall Out Boy's breaking out also opened the door for countless other interchangeable acts, including the ones on this bill (for example: Do most people know anything about Cobra Starship beyond its name? And maybe that it contributed to the Transformers soundtrack? Doubt it.) And, with some money in their pockets, FOB's members, like Pete Wentz are supporting these acts on Fueled by Ramen. So it's kind of a vicious cycle. But enough of all that: How 50 Cent found himself on this bill might be the biggest mystery of the touring circuit at the moment. More than anything, though, it speaks to how far he's fallen. Gotta be weird performing to a room full of snotty, suburban white kids when you got your start based off the street cred of being shot nine times (plus a lot of help from Dr. Dre and Eminem, as we're knowing seeing quite clearly). Oh well. Moral of the story: Don't challenge Kanye West to a sales-off.
Voxtrot, Mount Righteous, Kinch
Saturday, April 18, at the University of Dallas
Didn't know the University of Dallas had shows... Maybe it's an end of the year party for the students? Must be. Either way, with Austin's Voxtrot and the marching band popsters of Mount Righteous, this is a fun little bill, even if it's a bit out of the way (and stacked up against some other seriously strong bills).
Jimmy Buffett
Saturday, April 18, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco
Might be weird to hear "Cheesburger in Paradise" in a venue named after a pizza chain, but what the hell? By the time anyone notices, they'll all have been whisked away to Margaritaville, anyway.
Great American Taxi, Cadillac Sky, Charlie Shafter
Saturday, April 18, at the Granada Theater
Great American Taxi's the headliner, but the more interesting band here to me is Fort Worth's Cadillac Sky. A local band that's never around thanks to a touring schedule that rivals the hardest of 'em all, Cadillac Sky blends a heavy influence of fellow Fort Worthian T-Bone Burnett's bluegrassy chops with some rock and country experimentations to create a pretty filthy blend of progressive bluegrass. I spoke with frontman Bryan Simpson a few months back for a Q&A that never made ti to the blog, but he gave a gracious interview for a guy whose band has been earning raves from criticism all across the land. Really interesting stuff from these guys, whom we should be proud to call our own. Give the band's Myspace page a listen (click its name above); I think you'll like it.
Kev Brown, Playdough, Cy Young, Rob Viktum
Saturday, April 18, at The Lounge on Elm Street
A solid bill of hip-hop at The Lounge on Saturday, and the Lounge has been doing a whole bunch of hip-hop lately. Pretty well, too. On Twitter yesterday (hey, you should follow me!) Rob Viktum said it'll be the best hip-hop show Dallas has seen in a long time. Granted, he's on the bill, so he's biased. But considering he's a talented DJ and beat-maker who has worked with the awesome Def Jux label in the past, his word's pretty solid to take.
Record Hop, RTB2, Timeline Post, Drink To Victory
Saturday, April 18, at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton
A solid lineup for this Gutterth Productons-produced show, featuring the loudest band in North Texas (Record Hop), the loudest duo in North Texas (RTB2), the Daniel Rodrigue-approved Timeline Post and the straight ahead punk rockers in Drink to Victory, whom Jesse Hughey just vouched for to me, So there you go.
Matthew Gray
Sunday, April 19, at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton
The Matthew in Matthew and The Arrogant Sea performs a solo set as a fundraiser for his Bee's Fifth Collective.
...and if there are others you wanna hype, toss 'em in the comments section. See you out there. Be safe, as always.
