10 Best Concerts of the Week: Reckless Kelly, Sad Summer Festival, Stephen Marley and More

If you read the headline expecting there to be some big-name surprises in this list, you've got another think coming. This week in North Texas, there's a huge opportunity for local music fans to see so many acts from our own vibrant music scene in their natural habitat. The problem: Like, everybody is playing Saturday. So, that leaves you with some decisions to make, dear reader: Will it be the avant-country going on at Ruins? Will it be the blues at The Kessler in Oak Cliff? The hip-hop show at Granada on Lower Greenville? How about a garage-punk/burlesque show in Fort Worth? Or you could just rock out in Arlington. Sunday and Monday, there are some really excellent touring bands coming through small venues such as Three Links in Deep Ellum and Tulips in Fort Worth. Oh yeah, and those names from the headline? They'll be here, too, to kick off and close your concert week.
Reckless Kelly
5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at Lava Cantina, 5805 Grandscape Blvd., $20+ at eventbrite.com

Whether you think of them as roots rock, Texas country or Americana, Idaho-via-Austin band Reckless Kelly has been at it for over 25 years now, bringing a raw performance with refined musicianship. The band's latest dual-release American Jackpot and American Girls began as a small album project with band leader Willy Braun taking the helm as producer and expanded as the band laid down enough material for two solid albums,  which are divided between the band's trademark storytelling and exploration of the human condition. No opening act has been announced for this event, but no matter what, you'll still want to get there early. The concert takes place at the Lava Cantina in The Colony, which, in addition to its packed live entertainment schedule, is also known for serving delicious Creole food with a Mexican spin.
Brody Price
6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Ruins, 2635 Commerce St., $10 at eventbrite.com

It's been a long time since we have heard from alt-country musician Brody Price. The last show he played was last October at Deep Ellum Art Co., but this weekend he is back in Deep Vellum playing at Ruins along with Austin country glam band Pelvis Wrestley and local indie band Darling Farm. In 2019, Price released the album Hoop Dreams, which was not a typical country album. But then, Brody Price is not your typical country artist. Beginning his career as a standard singer-songwriter doing the stereotypical country thing expected of a man who sings with a distinct Texas accent, Price stepped outside the lines to make indie music with a twang instead. He followed the album up the next year with the Hunky Dunky EP, which he released with his band, The Tasteful Nudes. Price doesn't play live all too often, so this is sure to be a real treat.
Junior Brown
7 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St., $26+ at prekindle.com

Known for his signature instrument, the "guit-steel" double neck guitar — a hybrid of electric guitar and lap steel guitar — Arizona country singer Junior Brown has been representing the Ameripolitan sound since the 1960s. Brown got his start singing and playing for various bands throughout the '60s, '70s and early '80s, most notably spending a brief stint with Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. It was in 1985 that Brown created his signature instrument to avoid all the switching of sitting and standing between the two instruments. Brown plays the guit-steel while standing behind the instrument as it rests on a music stand. Though he's never become a mainstream success, Brown has built a strong fanbase over the last two decades, cranking out over a dozen albums. North Texas blues prodigy Jack Barksdale opens the show for Brown on Saturday night at The Kessler in Oak Cliff.
Devin the Dude
8 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., $20 at prekindle.com

Houston rapper Devin the Dude has been inarguably one of hip-hop's best-kept secrets since his solo debut in 1998. Before that, the musician was a part of Scarface's collective Facemob, and before that, he was a member of Rap-A-Lot Records' Odd Squad (later known as the Coughee Brothaz). Since 1998, Devin the Dude has released 10 albums without achieving much in the way of mainstream success. Still, the rapper's effortless, spaced-out flow and chilled-out beats have made Devin the Dude a critical success and your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, doing features with everyone from Bushwick Bill to E-40 to Snoop Dogg. Devin the Dude's most recent album, Soulful Distance, came out in February and features some of the biggest names in his hometown: Big Pokey, Lil Keke, Slim Thug and Scarface. Still as smooth as he ever was, Devin the Dude rolls into the Granada Theater on Saturday night.
Labretta Suede & the Motel 6
8 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Main at South Side, 1002 S. Main St., $12 at prekindle.com

Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 have had a really tough go at it since the band moved to Dallas from New Zealand at the start of 2021. In just a year, the band has had its gas siphoned, guitars messed with at shows, storage lockers broken into, been roofied, had record needles stolen at a DJ event and, to top it all off, had their Chevy Suburban stolen and totaled in late February. In spite of all of that, Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 have pressed on, building a solid fan base on the band's reputation for putting on a racy show. Part garage-punk powerhouse and part burlesque show, Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 defy you to not take notice when they hit the stage. This Sunday, the band finally has something to celebrate with a release party for the new 7-inch single release of the song "Teenagers" at Main at South Side in Fort Worth with opening support from Crooken Bones.
The Infamists
9 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Cave's Lounge, 900 W. Division St., TBA

Cave's Lounge in Arlington will offer a nice little lineup of local talent on Saturday night, starting with Denton rock band and headliner The Infamists, who have a reputation for putting on an incredible show, for making raunchy videos and having a long-term bromance. For a band of guys who don't take themselves too seriously, they have been cranking out some serious rock 'n' roll with unflinching consistency, whether there's a global pandemic going on or not. Showcasing the band's prolific songwriting, The Infamists released its latest EP, Invocations of Insurgency, on Valentine's Day. For those keeping track, that's a new release every year since 2014. The Infamists will have opening support from Fort Worth punk band The Me-Thinks and North Texas rock band Good Latimer.
Twin Tribes
9 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., $15 at prekindle.com

A goth-rock duo formed in Brownsville in 2017, Twin Tribes' Luis Navarro and Joel Niño Jr. first started making an impression on the post-punk world in 2018 when their video for "Shadows" captivated audiences with its style and over-the-top occult imagery. In the few years that have passed, Twin Tribes have taken the world by storm, signing with Spain's Dead Wax Records and playing shows around the world. Using analog synthesizers and drum machines, Twin Tribes creates dark melodies for the undead. The band returns to North Texas on its 2022 summer tour on which they will see much of the Midwest and Northeast. Warming up the crowd for Twin Tribes at Tulips Sunday night in Fort Worth will be darkwave DJ Culturgang. Dance-pop band Wingtips from Chicago will also be there as well as North Texas' own avant-pop star Nicole Marxen.
Haunted Summer
7 p.m. Monday, July 11, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $12 at seetickets.us

Fresh off a tour with psych-pop band The Warlocks, Los Angeles dream pop band Haunted Summer makes its way through Deep Ellum on Monday night to play Three Links with local support from psych-folk artist Bayleigh Cheek. Haunted Summer has passed through North Texas a few times over the last few years, but this time they come as new signees to Rain Phoenix's LaunchLeft record label, bringing the band's new album Whole along with it. The band announced its new record earlier this year with the release of a cover of Daniel Johnston's "You Put My Love Out the Door," which reimagined the lo-fi track with dreamy folk instrumentals. Led by the husband and wife musician team of Bridgette Moody and John Seasons, who play on dueling keyboards, Haunted Summer is known for its emotionally evocative performances that can both lift and break your heart.
Sad Summer Festival 2022
1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, at Gilley's Dallas, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd., $49+ at seetickets.us

Get crazy with the eye makeup and brush your hair in front of your face because Sad Summer Festival, the annual summer music festival sponsored by mall shoe store Journey's, returns to North Texas this year with over half a dozen bands that will have you trying to remember your MySpace password to look back at those times when you considered yourself a scene kid. The co-headliners for this year's festival are Houston electro-punk band Waterparks and Welsh pop-punk band Neck Deep. Tallahassee emo band Mayday Parade will also be there alongside Michigan post-emo band Hot Mulligan. New York pop-punk band State Champs, Scottsdale emo-pop band The Summer Set and Orlando alt-punk band Magnolia Park round out this mid-day, weekday festival at Gilley's Dallas in the Cedars. It might not fit in with your work schedule, but we think the nostalgia is worth it.
Stephen Marley
7 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, at Amplified Live, 10261 Technology Blvd. E., $30+ at seetickets.us

The second son, third child and last born to Bob and Rita Marley, Stephen Marley was just 7 years old when he began singing with his older siblings in Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers in 1979. Unlike many of Marley's children from other relationships, Stephen, along with his brother David (nicknamed "Ziggy") were directly mentored in music by their legendary father, and while Ziggy has gone on to achieve worldwide acclaim, Stephen spent the majority of his music career behind the dials as a producer for artists such as Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Steven Tyler and The Roots. It wasn't until 2007 that Stephen decided to record music as a solo artist, releasing four albums of which three received the Grammy Award for "Best Reggae Album." The Babylon By Bus Summer Tour rolls into Amplified Live Wednesday night.