This week, it's time to say farewell to one of the most beloved bands in North Texas, Centro-Matic. They'll play three sold out shows at Dan's Silver Leaf, the last of which will be their final show, on Sunday. Red Bull Sound Select is closing out the year with two shows of its own: one with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart headlining at Dada on Wednesday and the other with Anamanguchi headlining at Trees on Thursday. Jill Scott does the whole WinStar thing. There's plenty of local flavor, too, as Central Track throws a Christmas party with A.Dd+, Sealion and Larry g(EE) and Sudie opens for the Blow at Three Links.
See also: Sudie's Electro-Pop Follows the Lead of Her Rich Imagination The Biggest Dallas Concert Shitshows of 2014
Soul Search With Skin Father, Fury HC, Vulgar Display, Sold Short, Afraid of Life 8 p.m., Monday, December 15, 7 p.m., at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 214-653-8228, $10 Soul Search is a hardcore band from Southern California, which has an abundance of bands of a similar ilk. Ever since 2010, Soul Search has found itself gaining more and more popularity by rearing its head at festivals like This is Hardcore (it's okay to laugh at the name), Sound and Fury and Destroy L.A. Despite a familiar name and four years under their belt, they've yet to release a full-length album. It's just been EPs so far, but an album is on the horizon. H. Drew Blackburn
Soundwaves at Sunset Lounge With DJ Simon Phoenix and -topic, Tuesday, December 16, 8 p.m., at Sunset Lounge, 3030 Ross Ave, Dallas, 214-823-8193, Free There are plenty of ways for you to get your club turn up on a Tuesday in North Texas. One of the many ways involves the Soundwaves DJ night with Simon Phoenix, who is a venerable poet, and -topic, one of Dallas' meanest MCs, taking turns on the ones and twos at Sunset Lounge. The musical styling centers around beats culture and hip hop. They'll play mixes of popular songs and also have no problem throwing in deep cuts. HDB
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart With Son of Stan and Dark Rooms, Wednesday, 8 p.m. December 17, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, Free with RSVP A couple of years ago, a sizable corner of the indie-rock world went through a distinct '90s revival phase. Acts, such as the Joy Formidable and Yuck managed to pull off the retro-flattery without nostalgically aping the Dinosaur Jr. and Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins that they so clearly adored. New York City's the Pains of Being Pure at Heart might be the most nimble of that class of bands putting its own spin on the sounds that dominated the fuzzy-distortion section of the indie music pile from 20 years ago. The Kip Berman-led outfit certainly loves My Bloody Valentine and the Cure, but with the release of its third full-length, Days of Abandon, TPOBPAH display an artful ability to draw from their influences while crafting a batch of tunes that's as fresh as the first time any of the band's members popped Disintegration into a CD player for the first time. Kelly Dearmore
Anamanguchi With Mystery Skulls and Wrestlers, 7 p.m. Thursday, December 18, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, Free with RSVP New York's Anamanaguchi have made a name by being the best of the best in the chiptune genre. For the uninitiated, chiptune is a subgenre of electronic music that utilizes 8-bit equipment and video game sound effects. In effect, it is a genre of music where acts are trying to score old Nintendo video games. In fact, one of Anamanaguchi's big breakthroughs was composing the soundtrack to the Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World video game. What sets Anamanaguchi apart from the rest of the chiptune acts is their refusal to allow the genre to define them. They are a band with a heavy chiptune element, drawing heavily on its forms, but they are not just a chiptune band. As a result, their last album, 2013's Endless Fantasy, was met with great acclaim. The band is now gearing up for the release of their next album, tentatively titled [USA], which is due out sometime next year. James Khubiar
Jill Scott 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 19, At WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, OK, 1-800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com/jillscott, $70/$115 Since the start of her career, Philadelphia-bred songstress Jill Scott has created a rich and encapsulating artistry. She began her performing career as a spoken word artist, before she was discovered by the Roots' Questlove. Since her 2001 debut LP Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, her music has blended jazz and R&B intonations, spoken word lyricism, powerhouse vocals and soulful hip hop. Scott's work includes collaborations with musical greats such as Anthony Hamilton, Erykah Badu, Doug E. Fresh, Eric Benet and Common. Now more than a decade into her professional recording career, Scott has received three Grammy awards in lieu of maintaining a highly successful acting career. In 2011, she released her fourth studio album, The Light of The Sun, which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 100 chart with 135,000 copies sold in its first week. Join the Jill Scott experience at the Winstar World Casino for a live exposition of timeless music and tailor-made neo-soul sounds. Morganne Cameron
The Blow With Sudie, 8 p.m. Friday, December 19, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 214-653-8228 or threelinksdeepellum.com, $10-$12 One of the longest-running independent acts to come to fame in the heady days of indie rock's take off in the early 2000s is the Blow. They've managed to maintain their run and their fan base mainly due to mastermind Khaela Maricich's ability to adapt with any sound through the year while working with various collaborators. And it's the variety in the sound that makes the band so damn interesting: They don't genre hop, so much as evolve with the larger sound around them. Instead, the Blow make sad bastard love songs for people who want to dance. It's unique and it's hard to dislike, hence why the fan base follows along on the musical journey. Dallas' Sudie, fresh off highly praised performances at the Dallas Observer Music Award showcase and ceremony, opens, and will be an absolute can't-miss. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Bruce Robison With Kelly Willis, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday, December 20, at Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $20-$30 Bruce Robison is one of country music's best-kept secrets. His brother Charlie Robison experienced a brief burst of fame in the late '90s and early aughts, but Bruce mainly stayed in the background, writing songs that would eventually go on to become No. 1 hits recorded by some of country music's most influential artists. Now Robison has mostly been doing the family man thing, with occasional jaunts on the road showcasing his much-beloved melancholy songs about love and loss, the kind of thing you expect from a guy that so vividly represents the Nashville of days past. On this stop at the Kessler Theater, Robison will perform catalog faves and holiday tunes with his equally talented wife, singer-songwriter Kelly Willis. This may be a departure from Robison's usual format, but it will likely be a joy nonetheless. Amy McCarthy
The Christmas Party with A.Dd+ With Larry g(EE) and Sealion 8 p.m., Club Dada, Saturday, December 20, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., http://www.dadadallas.com/,$Free.99-$3 Do you hear that? Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to this event right here. In honor of Christmas, Printed Threads and Central Track are throwing this party with some pretty solid music. A.Dd+, the seasoned and talented rap group with the impossible to pronounce name, headlines. R&B act Larry g(EE) and the punk outfit Sealion round out the bill. It's promised to be a high-energy night with some of the best local acts we've got in this sprawling metropolis. Also, it's free before the show date and as we all know free is good. HDB
Ecocide With Dead to the Dying World and They Say the Wind Made Them Crazy, 10 p.m. Saturday, December 20, at Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St., double-wide.com, $5 Not to be confused with a band from Holland bearing the same name, Ecocide formed in San Antonio back in 2007. They released some demos, a single and one album before calling it quits in 2011. In late 2012, another album of unreleased tracks appeared and the band did a reunion tour. Almost exactly two years later, this is expected to be Ecocide's final North Texas show. Their music is creepy and slow burning, starting off with a violin and sounding almost like a slightly faster Godspeed You! Black Emperor. From there, they typically pick things up with sludge metal before going into full thrash-metal mode. The real surprise kicks in when violinist Heidi Moore takes to the mic and lets out some especially vicious hissing vocals you would expect to hear from a death metal band. The lyrical themes are often environmentalism, animal and human rights. This should be an epic farewell show, especially for the price. Jeremy Hallock
Centro-Matic with Daniel Markham, Patterson Hood, 7 p.m., Sunday, December 21, at Dan's Silver Leaf, 103 Industrial St, Denton, TX 76201, http://www.danssilverleaf.com, Sold Out All good things must come to an end, so by default, Centro-Matic must end. The famed Denton band formed in 1995 and released 11 albums in their near two decade existence. This is the last show of their three day run at Dan's Silver Leaf and the last show they'll ever play (prospectively). This is your last chance to ever see Cento-Matic live barring everything goes planned for them. This is a can't miss. Good night and good luck to the guys. HDB
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