A couple holiday shows highlight this week's docket, including the biggest installment yet of Chad D's Annual Toy Drive on Greenville Avenue. Resilient Dallas band Drowning Pool plays a somewhat rare hometown show at Trees and House of Blues has the week's best punk show.
New Science Projects Christmas Mixer
Thursday, December 12, at Macaroni Island
If you prefer your Christmas celebrations strictly DIY, with an atmosphere lending itself more to chaos than well-planned light displays, then Denton's premier house venue Macaroni Island is hosting your ideal Christmas mixer. Headlined by Denton's own New Science Projects, this Christmas jamboree in a house promises to have absolutely none of the trimmings but all of the music. Gavin Cleaver
NOFX, Dillinger Four
Thursday, December 12, at House of Blues
Of all the bands to actually make money playing punk rock, Los Angeles' NOFX have always remained truest to the spirit and influence of classic hardcore. Over two decades, Fat Mike and crew have consistently released killer slabs of hilarious, almost melodic punk that never abandoned the archetypical roar of Black Flag or D.O.A. Yet as fine as the noise of NOFX may be, the headliner is not the onl y reason to attend this evening's festivities. Adding weight to the fray is a band from Minneapolis, Dillinger Four. Like NOFX, they're experts at the shouted choruses and three-chord bedlam associated with the legendary Misfits. This bill may well be the punk-rock savior of the Christmas shopping season. Darryl Smyers
Drowning Pool
Saturday, December 14, at Trees
"Never give in and never give up." This lyric from "Die for Nothing," off Drowning Pool's Resilience, perfectly embodies the attitude that has kept the Dallas band together despite multiple changes at lead singer over the years. Most bands implode when a singer leaves (Destiny's Child, Live), or the replacement ends up being a letdown (Hello, Flyleaf!), so the fact that Drowning Pool are on their fourth (Jasen Moreno) and are still producing dynamic, face-melting rock songs, is no small feat. They could just pack it in, but as another lyric from that same song says, "Live for something or die for nothing." There is no doubt they would rather live for this band than give up on it. Drowning Pool's vocalist problem is akin to Queens of the Stone Age's revolving-door drummer situation: It makes consistency hard to come by, but they continue to make it work. Resilience indeed. Brian Palmer
Chad D's 14th Annual Toy Drive
Monday, December 16, on Lower Greenville Avenue
'Tis the season for benefit shows, and in Dallas few events are as warmly welcomed as the annual toy drive and show hosted by the Libertine on Lower Greenville Avenue. Proof of Chad D's 14th Annual Toy Drive popularity can be seen in the sheer growth of the event. While having Brent Best of Slobberbone, The O's, Dave Little, RTB2, -topic and Dim Locator playing along with DJ sets by Blake Ward and Zhora's Taylor Rea (among many other performers) is enough to fill boxes with unwrapped toys and cash donations, the event is now a neighborhood party. In addition to the festivities inside the Libertine, stages at The Bottle Shop, The Singlewide and The Crown and Harp will be rocking. That means more worthy causes will benefit this year. Dallas Life Foundation will receive the toys while the monetary proceeds from the Bottle Shop and Singlewide shows will go toward helping Baby Eevie Elouise (benefit organizer Gavin Malloy's infant cousin) fight leukemia. Local music played in locally owned venues to help those around us is a great thing any time of the year. Kelly Dearmore
