10 Local Acts Livestreaming Concerts This Week

There's a pretty good mix of livestreamed shows going on this week. You can catch smooth singer-songwriters like Kristy Krüger, or those performing in Opening Bell Coffee's virtual open mic night. You can watch John Jay Myers slam on his drums with his band The Free Loaders. If you're looking for hip-hop, or something more electronic, we have you covered, too. The Proving Grounds showcase at The Rail Club Live will include hip-hop artists like Cree8ion, Hippie Snooks and AIR, Kinfolk Jack and more. Then you can hop on over to Static Interference for sounds curated by local electronic artists. What more could you ask for?


Opening Bell Coffee Open Mic
The folks at Opening Bell Coffee are not letting a pandemic get them down. While you can't go to the venue this Tuesday to hear some primo local talent, you can hop on to the shop's Instagram page for its now-virtual open mic. Owner Pascale Hall, musician and open mic host Steve Jackson and Rangers broadcaster Eric Nadel are all putting in the work to maintain the shop's reputation of having the longest-running open mic night in Dallas. Tickets are $5 and every buck helps keep the place from going out of business. Find @openingbellcoffee on Instagram to tune in.

Kristy Krüger
Local singer-songwriter Kristy Krüger has consistently hit the livestream throughout the pandemic. Before COVID-19, you might have seen the singer at Allgood Café or Opening Bell Coffee. Krüger put out her latest full-length album Fever of Unknown Origin last year. But, according to The Dallas Morning News, she recorded some of the tracks on the album as far back as 12 years ago. Back then, she was touring regularly and had released four other full-length albums. She took a long break from music after a death in the family but is now making a comeback.

Proving Grounds
The hip-hop showcase Proving Grounds is no stranger to The Rail Club Live. It's been a regular event at the Fort Worth venue since before COVID-19 tore into the local scene. Like Rail Club Live and so many other venues, Proving Grounds has been resilient. The venue has continued to host the showcase through the pandemic on their Facebook. This week, you can see local hip-hop artists like Cree8ion, Hippie Snooks and AIR, Kinfolk Jack and more. 

The Free Loaders
If a movie was made about The Free Man, a Deep Ellum Cajun restaurant and live music venue, the soundtrack would consist of songs by one band: The Free Loaders. Luckily, a three-piece variation of the band plays at the venue every Tuesday, so there, you don’t have to wait for the movie to come out to hear its killer soundtrack. Just hop over to The Free Man, or their livestream, on a Tuesday evening, order a po' boy and listen to frontman and venue owner John Jay Myers slam on his drums and bark into the microphone with keys and stand-up bass behind him.

Static Interference
Every Thursday, local and out of town DJs are featured on Static Interference, an interactive social media electronic music channel that also presents documentary films and electronic music videos. The Thursday shows are livestreamed from a warehouse in Dallas and are curated by the likes of Gina G, Mike Kannon and Wanz Dover. If you have something else going down on Thursdays, you'll be missing out.

Hightower Band
The Fort Worth country-surf-rock group Hightower has made a name for itself performing at venues across North Texas and putting out absolute bangers on albums like their latest, Echo Spring. If you didn't get a chance to catch the band live before the pandemic struck, Hightower has you covered with Hightower Happy Hour. It's a new acoustic concert series the band will be livestreaming every Friday from a scenic view of the North Texas Hill Country. Check them out at Facebook.com/hightowerband.

Ireland
Local singer-songwriter Ireland just put out her concept album The Life of Rosemary Ellis. At 15-years-old, the artist was the youngest semifinalist since Maren Morris in the B.W. Stevenson Memorial Singer/Songwriter Competition. She released her first EP, Clouded Dreams, in 2015. Leading up to the release of her album, Ireland built a small stage in her bedroom for livestreamed performances.

Jack Barksdale
Jack Barksdale, the 12-year-old blues-rock musician, just can’t be stopped. He runs his own video web series, has shared the stage with Ray Wylie Hubbard and has performed all over North Texas. His musical journey began when he learned to perform “Give My Love to Rose” by Johnny Cash at 7 years old. When the Observer spoke to Barksdale last year, he had just released his four-song EP Revival. Join Barksdale this week for a livestreamed performance.

Jason Bucklin Trio
When Jason Bucklin isn’t teaching guitar and bass lessons, like he’s done for most of his life, he’s usually on stage with his jazz trio. In teaching guitar and bass over the years, including master classes at the University of North Texas, Bucklin has grown an appreciation and passion for all kinds of music. But jazz was his first love. Bucklin used to play with Café Noir, the Dallas-based sextet, but now he's known for doing his own thing in DFW. You can catch him live this week as he performs at The Free Man Cajun Café and Lounge.

Jessica Mcvey
The smooth-singing local country singer Jessica McVey has been wailing all over North Texas for some time. She broke out with her debut single, “John Deere in the Headlights,” in 2018, and she hasn’t slowed down since. While everyone is stuck inside, McVey and guitarist Fletcher Moud will bring the music to the people with Quarantine Sessions every Wednesday. Tune in on McVey’s Facebook page to see them do their thing. Facebook.com/JessicaMcVeyMusic