I know I say this every week, but Dallas REALLY DOES have a little something for everyone this week, including a local band's EP release, an underground hip-hop show, a gig from a country singer-songwriter, a national folk-pop duo, a metal and hardcore show, a gigantic '90s music concert and a Tom Waits-inspired cabaret-inflected folk duo (as pictured above).
Any questions?
See also: - "The 10 Most Mind-Blowing Live Acts In DFW"
Sean and Zander Sunday, June 16, at Three Links, $10 In February of 2012, during their opening set for Celtic-punk icons Dropkick Murphys at the House of Blues in Dallas, Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss performed a rough-hewn set of cabaret-inflected folk. It was still punk but without any of the quick-paced thrashing of the headlining band or of Schloss' better-known former band, The Circle Jerks. Sean and Zander (as they're more commonly referred to) playfully relished their early slot in front of a crowd that was ready for more whiskey instead of the Tom Waits-inspired devilishness the duo offered up during their all-too-short half-hour set. They only have a couple of albums of material as Sean and Zander under their experienced belts, but the two will certainly be full of tricks and surprises when they take the Three Links stage to headline their own damn show for a whole damn night. -- Kelly Dearmore
Pageantry Friday, June 14, at Dan's Silverleaf, Denton Born from a long-gestating collaboration between Roy Robertson, Pablo Burrull and Ramon Muzquiz, Denton's Pageantry is finally releasing their first EP, Friends of the Year. The band composes an ethereal fuzz, highlighted by a steady hand on the drums and a captivating falsetto that come together to take the listener on something that resembles an out-of-body experience. If you're looking for a shorthand description, imagine if the first Tapes 'n Tapes album had been produced by guys in Grizzly Bear, then mixed by the duo from Cults. What makes Pageantry's take on this sound so interesting is that they concoct all this with just three players, which says a lot about the talent behind the project. Their much buzzed-about Denton sister band, Chambers, provides support at Dan's Silverleaf. Pageantry plan to film their set for a video, so dress to impress and try not to get too lost in the sound. -- Jaime-Paul Falcon
Goatwhore, The Scaccianators, Hammerwitch, Warbeast, Rotting Corpse Friday, June 14, at Trees, $10How awesome are Goatwhore? So awesome that their last album was called Blood For the Master. The pioneering New Orleans metal band makes a stop in Dallas for a tribute to the late Rigor Mortis guitarist Mike Scaccia. Read Jeff Liles' excellent tribute to the blazing guitarist here. --Kiernan Maletsky
Raw & Underground VII: AV the Great Saturday, June 15, at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, $5/$7 Rising hip-hop local AV the Great has been known to MC several events in the area, many of which have dealt with movements for issues like education, teen violence, and voter registration. See the rapper this Saturday at Gloves for what he considers some of the best local underground hip-hop artists in the area, for just 5 bucks. -- Rachel Watts
The Trusted Few, Tex Railer's Doomtown, Bastardos de Sancho Saturday, June 15, at Double-Wide, $5 I just discovered who Bastardos de Sancho was earlier this week, and I gotta tell ya, you should check this shit out. The Latin fusion metal band play the Star Wars "Imperial March" song while shouting nonsensical Spanish before each set. Three guys in Luchadore masks trapse onstage with smoke pouring from every corner before playing their infamous intro, called "Obi Juan Peyote." See above video for further illustration. -- Rachel Watts
She & Him Saturday, June 15, at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, $35 Since Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward teamed up in 2006, indie folk-rock aficionados from all corners of the world have not been able to get enough of their stripped-down, minimalist folk, or Deschanel's sweet, lingering melodies. Volume 3 is the duo's follow-up to their first two full-lengths, and it features sunny, love-struck songs that mesh well with the four covers that the album features. It's out just in time for their stop here in the outskirts of Dallas. -- Rachel Watts
Mark Chesnutt Saturday, June 15, at Billy Bob's Texas, $12-$20 Beaumont's finest singer has always had a great relationship with Dallas -- it's the subject of several of his songs and the setting of his most recent live album. Catch him Saturday at the most Texas of all music venues. (KM)
Ariel Pink Monday, June 17, at Trees, $15 The woozy and washed-out sound waves have been coming from Ariel Pink since the late '90s, but every five years or so he still finds himself being re-branded as the "next big thing." It's kind of a shame, but you can see why people might find him surprising even after all this time. He makes it really damn difficult to box him in. A better fit for a Pynchon novel than the cover of Spin, Pink seems to prefer to let his enchanting melodies and basement-recorded high jinks speak for themselves. This is one of those shows best experienced alone and slightly drunk. Then see what kind of madcap adventures the experience leads you into afterward. Kirin J. Callinan and the most excellent Purple Pilgrims open. -- Lee Escobedo
Barenaked Ladies Monday, June 17, at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, $20-$60 The Barenaked Ladies have been going since 1988. That makes them an entire quarter of a century old. Coming from the They Might Be Giants school of wry, entertaining, catchy rock and pop, 25 years is a long time to remain relevant enough to bring a headline tour to the cavernous Verizon Theater, but they've managed to successfully ride the zeitgeist across four separate decades with a not inconsiderable amount of small-scale hits and even the theme song to The Big Bang Theory. I saw them once at a festival and they did a four-part a capella version of "My Heart Will Go On" with beatboxing. What I'm trying to say is they're fun, unchallenging and worth checking out.
The recently reformed Ben Folds Five, acting curiously as support on this tour, will undoubtedly offer up a similarly entertaining show. A born performer, Ben Folds has been taking his piano skills and razor-sharp wit around the world for a relatively lengthy time, and the years have dulled neither his ear for a good hook nor his sixth sense for a good joke. His solo piano tours may have lacked some oomph, but with the other two members of the band back on board, they will undoubtedly be rockin' again, oscillating wildly between ballads and full-blooded piano rock. Worth an evening of your time. -- Gavin Cleaver
