Halloween is the best holiday, and that is just a fact. Christmas presents and Thanksgiving dinner are all well and fine, but how often do you get to get shitfaced wasted at a block party dressed as Miley Cyrus or a Ninja Turtle? Probably not enough. This weekend, the holiday festivities are in full swing in Dallas, and there are plenty of options to celebrate. Hopefully your costume this year includes a danceable shoe, because we've got a bevy of great shows where you can go get your Monster Mash on.
MellowHigh Thursday, October 24, at Dada MellowHigh is a three-piece offshoot of controversial and ragtag West Coast rap collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. Rapper Hodgy Beats and producer Left Brain received much critical acclaim when they began recording together under the MellowHype moniker in 2010. Last year, they dominated rap social media with MellowHype week, a widely successful series of Internet single releases. On Halloween, they will debut a self-titled album as the group's latest incarnation, MellowHigh, featuring fellow Odd Future affiliate Domo Genesis. It's easy to roll your eyes at the overall goofiness and jackassery of OFWGKTA. They're talented, but they're kids. Between their music video production, their Adult Swim show Loiter Squad and the creative output from all members of that scene (including the dudes behind Comedy Central's Workaholics and Sacramento punk outfit Trash Talk), you can't deny these kids are as culturally relevant as ever. Vanessa Quilantan
The Pharcyde Friday, October 25, at the Prophet Bar The Pharcyde are one of the most influential hip-hop acts of all time, and they are coming to Dallas. Inventive, hilarious, witty and imaginatively self-deprecating, the group belongs to that exclusive class of those that actually deserve the label "ahead of their time." With the release of their debut, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, in '92, The Pharcyde hit the West Coast scene fully formed. The album still ranks as one of the most discussed artifacts in the history of hip-hop, and rightly so. While national attention was focused on gangsta rap, and the East Coast scene in general, these guys were cooking up some of the most wildly radical music rap would ever see. Their rich and angular productions -- all stuttering drum loops, funk atmospherics and disjointed piano lines -- remain a blueprint for all conscious, alternative hip-hop. God, and those lyrics, to this day, still ooze with warmth and charisma. This level of songcraft is a real thing of beauty. Don't be fooled Dallas, to have these guys here in town is a real treat. Jonathan Patrick
Don Trip and Starlito Saturday, October 26 at The Loft In 2010, Don Trip and Starlito, two well established Tennesee rappers in their own right-- met by chance and started casually recording together. The result was their critically acclaimed 2011 mixtape, Stepbrothers, which Spin named the best rap album of the year. This October, they dropped the follow up, Stepbrothers 2. This time around, they took their time and did it right. Unlike it's predecessor, Stepbrothers 2 is retailed, and currently clocking in at number 17 on the iTunes rap album chart. While most mainstream rap fans are still reeling over Drake or Pusha T's new albums, underground fans across the country are clamoring for this project. Catch them this Saturday at The Loft with Kevin Gates, for what is likely to be one of the best rap tours to stop through all year. VQ
Terrorvault: Cutter, Hex Cult, Vulgar Fashion Saturday, October 26 at The Crown and Harp Three of Dallas' most interesting experimental synth pop bands will come together for a Halloween show on Lower Greenville this weekend, and they're looking to create an immersive experience for fans. Hex Cult's Hesh Qwalino describes it as, "A tasteful event with like-minded acts to create a visual distortion of our demented desires." VQ Warsaw and Panic Saturday, October 26 at Double-wide Panic is a tribute to The Smiths and Morrissey fronted by Josh Venable, former Dallasite and former host of KDGE The Edge's long radio show, The Adventure Club. For his passion project, Venable dons a black pompadour wig and gets deep into character, Manchester dialect and all. Opening for Panic, is Joy Division tribute band, Warsaw. There will be a costume contest, but it may be hard to top the performers themselves. VQ
Jamey Johnson Saturday, October 26, at Billy Bob's Texas, Fort Worth Somehow, in a world of skinny jeans and thinner country radio playlists, Jamey Johnson has become arguably the most commercially successful, non-commercial country artist of the past five years. Each of his past three albums has represented great risk for both artist and record label in some form or another. Whether he's singing about "cocaine and a whore" on his gold-selling That Lonesome Song from 2008 or releasing the also gold-selling The Guitar Song in 2010, a double album that barely contained even a hint of radio-friendliness, the Alabama native has little need for the expectations of the suits on Music Row. Indeed, the ballsiest move he's made in his recording career is evident in his last album, 2012's Living For a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran. Unapologetically old-school and about as far away from grabbing at the money-coated waves of Top 40 radio as one can get, the album is a masterwork in how an artist pays tribute to a legend. The titles of these three albums hint at where Johnson's focus is, as each contains "Song" in the title. For a writer of Johnson's caliber, focusing on the song has plenty of rewards and isn't much of a risk after all. Kelly Dearmore
Chiddy Bang Tuesday, October 29, at House of Blues You and your friends can waste an entire night trying to decide what to do with an endless chorus of "I'll do whatever you want to, dude." At least you won't have a problem deciding what kind of concert to go to when the rapper known as Chiddy Bang comes into town. His unique combinations of his rap with DJ samples reaches across all aisles of taste. He borrows sounds from all walks of music life from the sullen alternative tones of Radiohead on his song "Because" or the iconic piano of the Ray Charles for his appropriately named song "Ray Charles." At least you'll have one night that doesn't end with the phrase "Screw it, we're going to a karaoke bar." Danny Gallagher
Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, H20 Wednesday, October 30 at Trees Holy aughts-era pop punk dream lineup, Batman! The always dark and brooding Alkaline Trio are on the road supporting their latest effort, My Shame Is True. The album is a return to the Trio's skate punk power chord progression roots, as well as their always delightful pun game (past album titles include Good Mourning, From Here to Infirmary, and Damnesia). VQ