Last week on Fox News, anchor Megyn Kelly took it upon herself to advise the children of America that Santa is in fact Caucasian. Tasteless? Yes. Unnecessary? Absolutely. Racist? Of course. But no one could've predicted how wrong she'd be proven when just a few days later, Santa would prove to be a black woman named Beyoncé.
In the last week, Beyoncé has sold over a million iTunes copies of the surprise-released self-titled visual album she's been prepping in secret all year. If you can pry yourself away from the new material, or its incredibly sexy accompanying music videos this week- you'll be glad to know there's plenty of great shows in town leading up to Christmas. Keep the eggnog flowing Dallas, and have a wonderful holiday from all of us here at DC9 At Night.
8 Ball & MJG Thursday, December 19, at Carnaval As one of Southern rap's mainstays, 8 Ball & MJG have had a very long and successful career. This month, they're touring the South to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic album, Comin Out Hard. Local support from DJ Sober, Wordlife, Tunk, and many more will open the show. Vanessa Quilantan
Supreme La Rock Thursday, December 19, at The Crown & Harp Seattle's Supreme La Rock is just the latest in an impressive run of guests at Too Fresh Productions' weekly vinyl spin at Crown & Harp. La Rock is currently the DJ for the Seattle Seahawks, but he has a long history of championing vinyl. Kiernan Maletsky
Kopecky Family Band Thursday, December 19, at Live Oak Music Hall, Fort Worth The Kopecky Family Band is not an actual family like, say, the gang in Eisley. In fact, the only Kopecky in this band is Kelsey, who is one of the singers. They view this name differently than most because they believe music can make a family as easily as blood can. "My Way" off their latest album, Kids Raising Kids, takes your assumptions about what a Nashville-based band should sound like, tosses them in a blender and gleefully hits puree. This dreamy, doo-wop-tinged number explodes into rocking choruses and features a horn section that suddenly appears in a manner reminiscent of the wedding scene from Love, Actually. And all the while, Kopecky's echoing vocals sound like an apparition calling out to you in the middle of the night. Country, Americana and folk tunes are fine, but that's not what this Family is all about. Brian Palmer
Robert Earl Keen's Merry Christmas from the Fam-o-lee Christmas Show Thursday, December 19, at House of Blues Americana music can hardly have a better representative than Houston's Robert Earl Keen. Besides the plethora of quality country and folk music the guy has released over the past four decades, Keen's semi-annual holiday concerts have become known as both family-friendly and raucously celebratory. This time around, Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines are along for the ride, making this show a glorious triple bill of talented pickers and grinners. Along with the usual Christmas favorites, expect a ton of secular songs that revel in all things rural and covertly revolutionary. Darryl Smyers
Foxtrot Uniform Friday, December 20, at Double-wide The band started by Kenny Uptain and Kelly Test has evolved into a five-piece, with members from Fort Worth and Dallas and a sound spanning from straight-ahead rock & roll to R&B-inflected pop. KM Reckless Kelly Friday, December 20, at House of Blues Reckless Kelly may have a soothing country sound but they haven't been afraid to use them to tackle subjects that can make any human with a heart madder than hell, such as the botched rescue efforts following Hurricane Katrina in "God Forsaken Town" and the war in Iraq in "Ragged as the Road." The band's latest album, "Long Night Moon," represents a return to a lighter country sound with dispatches from a life on the road and reflections on loves lost, longing for life and all the other lamentations that make mellow country songs. Expect an interesting mix of both when the band takes to the House of Blues main stage. Danny Gallagher
Jay Z Saturday, December 21, at American Airlines Center There may not have been a more crassly commercial album release in 2013 than Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail. He "sold" the first million copies to Samsung in the form of an app. The promotional cycle involved flying Rick Rubin out to a loft in New York somewhere to nod studiously while Jay Z talked about dualities and the wild, wild West, in spite of the fact that Rick Rubin had exactly nothing to do with the record. But Jay Z has always championed commercialism, and his brazen commitment to it doesn't change his stature. You weren't going to the show for the new material no matter what it sounded like. You were going for maybe the greatest rapper ever, standing tall and delivering the classics, and you won't be disappointed. Kiernan Maletsky
Young Guru Saturday, December 21, at Travis Basement Looking for a good Jay-Z after party? The Knox-Henderson area is your destination. DJ Sober's camp is bringing Hov's longtime engineer and touring DJ, Young Guru, out for round two at The Travis Basement this Saturday. This is a very rare performance, so expect a sizeable crowd. VQ
A Very Spune Christmas Saturday, December 21, at Texas Theatre Spune's big Christmas show features a diverse but insanely talented array of local talent, including Denton champions Midlake and the mesmerizing polish of Air Review. That's about it for guitars, though: the undercard includes producer Datahowler and rappers -topic and Sam Lao. Nothing like a little togetherness for the holidays. KM
Fat Pimp: Unplugged Sunday, December 22, at Cambridge Room @ House Of Blues In 2008, while attending Texas Southern University, the Dallas-born Fat Pimp accidentally started one of the biggest trends in contemporary Texas rap when he debuted the single "Rack Daddy". Since then, "dance songs" (in which a rap song showcases and brands a signature dance move) have always had a place on Dallas rap radio stations. For his first ever live performance in Dallas, Pimp will rock a full backing band at the Cambridge Room, creating an "unplugged" aesthetic. VQ
Buffalo Black Wednesday, December 25, at The Boiler Room This week's installment of deejays Dubble A and Shygirl69's celebrated weekly, Trillwave, may possibly be it's best of the year. With Buffalo Black headlining, and deejays A1 and Niro spinning sets- attendees are in for a Christmas treat. VQ
See also: -The 100 Best Texas Songs: The Complete List -The Ten Most Badass Band Names in DFW -The Best Bands in DFW: 2012 Edition -Photo Essay: The Tattoos of Dallas' Nightlife Scene