10 Best Concerts of the Week: Robert Cray, Shooter Jennings, Tame Impala and More

This week, smaller and local shows get a bigger spotlight than they have in recent weeks, with Tame Impala taking one of Dallas' largest stages Tuesday night at American Airlines Center. The shows are also much lounder than they have been with acts like The Casualties and Frozen Soul playing spots in Deep Ellum while Record Setter and Heavy Baby Sea Slugs headline shows at Rubber Gloves in Denton. If this week's little cold snap has you down, Robert Cray's soul blues will turn up the heat Friday in Fort Worth, WALK THE MOON is sure to get you working up a sweat in the Cedars Saturday night, and Daikaiju is all set to (literally) set things on fire Sunday night at Three Links. Also on Sunday, Shooter Jennings plays an afternoon BBQ show in the Design District. And if you're looking for more, there is certainly more to choose from.
The Casualties
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $22 at seetickets.us

Punk has had its share of deaths and revivals. After the death of Sid Vicious in 1979, the genre was generally declared dead, which gave rise to a reckless bunch of street punk bands like The Exploited and GBH. When The Casualties formed in 1990, they did so with the explicit purpose of reviving that street punk sound, which they felt had died around 1985. Donning both the look and feel of those bands with their high, dyed spikes and fast-paced, reactionary approach to songwriting, The Casualties rose to prominence in the punk scene over the course of 25 years. The Casualties parted ways with their original singer Jorge Herrera in 2017 after he was accused of multiple incidents of rape and sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl. David Rodriguez of The Krum Bums replaced Herrera without missing a blast beat, and The Casualties released Written in Blood the following year. Their Friday night show at Three Links will have opening support from Piñata Protest, 1984! and Hard Detox.
Record Setter
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., $10 at the door

Sibling duo Jake and Judy Mitchell brought Record Setter to life in Denton around 2011, adding a bassist and an additional guitar player as the band developed their intensely emotional punk sound. By 2017, they felt like they had hit a wall and released their album The Purge as a kind of farewell. Fans, however, couldn't get enough of the album for its pristine presentation of deeply personal thoughts and carefully crafted mix of hardcore screams and math-rock guitars, which harked back to the glory days of emo before it was associated with bands like The Used and My Chemical Romance. After releasing a split-EP with Genius Christ in 2019, the band caught the attention of the prominent indie-rock label Top Shelf Records who signed Record Setter in 2020 and put out their third album, I Owe You Nothing, last November. Record Setter's hometown show at Rubber Gloves on Friday is a celebration of that release one year after the fact and will have opening support from local noise and emo bands party hats, Audiobaton and UNSPELL.
Abbreviations
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., $10 at prekindle.com

Dallas Observer's pick for "Best New Label," Red Zeppelin Records, will host a label showcase at Dan's Silverleaf Friday night with performances by Bayleigh Cheek, God of Love and Abbreviations. Cheek is a storyteller whose haunting vocals sail across a sea of raw instrumentation that is as bold as it is soul-stirring. Dallas alt-indie band God of Love has recently released its steamy, seductive single "Green Eyes Black Night" off its upcoming release Do Your Worst, due out Dec. 3. All of this leads up to the night's headliner Abbreviations, who have the distinction of releasing the first album on vinyl for the new record label. The indie-rock band's eclectic debut album ABBV was released on CD and digital formats on Oct. 22, but the freshly printed vinyl copies will be available for fans to purchase at the show, online, or at Red Zeppelin Records in McKinney.
Robert Cray
10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, $16+ at axs.com

Soul blues artist Robert Cray formed his first band in the 1970s at the age of 20 after seeing his heroes Freddie King, Muddy Waters and Albert Collins perform and deciding that the life of a bluesman was the life for him. Cray and company played mostly college towns throughout the '70s and early '80s, landing him an uncredited spot playing bass with Otis Day and the Knights in the film Animal House. Cray's big break came in 1986 with the release of Strong Persuader and its hit track "Right Next Door (Because of Me)" about infidelity and guilt. The album received a Grammy award, and Cray became a highly sought-after musician, earning spots playing with Keith Richards, Chuck Berry and Tina Turner. Cray's work with others and as a solo artist led to his induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011. Cray plays Billy Bob's Texas this Friday in support of his most recent album, That's What I Heard, which was released in February 2020 and solidified his place as the king of the soul blues.
Frozen Soul
6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., $13 at etix.com

OK, so death metal may not be your thing, but you have got to give it up for a North Texas band that is making waves in any genre. When Frozen Soul released its debut album Crypt of Ice earlier this year, it immediately caught the attention of music publications such as Pitchfork, which named the album one of "5 New Albums You Should Listen to Now" — a message that was received loud and clear by fans who sent the song "Arctic Stranglehold" to the No. 1 spot on Apple Music's metal chart. In celebration of the band's success, Arlington's Division Brewing released their Frozen Soul-inspired beer Frost Hammer — a raspberry/blueberry milkshake double IPA with about 10% to 12% ABV — last May. In October, Frozen Soul kicked off their headlining, U.S. tour with Sanguisuabogg, Vomit Forth and Inoculation, which makes its way to Club Dada in Deep Ellum Saturday night.
Heavy Baby Sea Slugs
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., $10 at the door

Experimental noise-punk band Heavy Baby Sea Slugs is as in-your-face as it is mysterious and enigmatic. Much of the band's early work was released in physical formats that have been sold out and gone un-digitized since 2013. The band's sparse number of shows and two-track releases make them even harder to classify and keep up with, so this chance to catch them at Rubber Gloves Saturday night is not one to be missed. One thing that can be said about the Sea Slugs is that their sound has certainly evolved beyond the short burst hardcore tracks of their early work. to sprawling hardcore soundscapes that creep and crawl with intensity before breaking out on terrifying sprints of high-pitched guitars, thunderous bass and anxious drums. The Heavy Baby Sea Slugs headline a night of dark experimental music after Baka, Akkolyte and Sunbuzzed perform.
WALK THE MOON
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at South Side Music Hall, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd., $36 at ticketmaster.com

Lace up your dancing shoes and make sure to drink plenty of water because the dance-rock trio WALK THE MOON is coming to South Side Music Hall this Saturday night. While it seems like WALK THE MOON just showed up in the summer of 2012 with their timeless hit single "Anna Sun," the group had actually been shopping the single for a couple of years before to build up a fan base slowly.  Fall of 2014 brought the inescapable, singalong dance-rock anthem "SHUT UP + DANCE," which sent the band on the late-night and morning talk show circuits as well as the Home Run Derby, gaining wide exposure and a ton of awards in the process. WALK THE MOON's new release HEIGHTS hits record shelves and streaming services Nov. 12. The album has already produced three chart-hitting singles including their most recent song, "Rise Up," which adds a bit of gospel praise to WALK THE MOON's infectious rhythms.
Shooter Jennings
4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at Ferris Wheeler's Backyard & BBQ, 1950 Market Center Blvd., $40+ at prekindle.com

The only son of country music singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, Shooter Jennings took on his father's outlaw country mantle in 2005 with his debut, hit single, "4th of July." Jennings had previously sung lead and played piano in a short-lived rock band called Stargunn before dissolving the group in 2003 to pursue a career in country music instead. His first album's title Put the "O" Back in Country was something of a mission statement to return the hard edge to country music, which had been softened for radio airplay. "4th of July" may be the only song Jennings has seen enter the charts, but that hasn't hindered the artist's ability to cultivate a strong following around his fearless approach to country. Jennings has released eight solo studio albums over the course of his career and released music with his progressive metal band Hierophant. Jennings headlines Sunday evening at Ferris Wheeler's after opening sets from Kody West, Jason Cross and Cowboy Calvin.
Daikaiju
8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $15 at seetickets.us

Its name roughly translates as "giant monster," and Daikaiju is legendary for its stage show, which returns to Three Links in Deep Ellum Sunday night. Often referring to its shows as "ATTACKS!," the anonymous members of the Huntsville, Alabama, band are known to perform in kabuki masks, speaking only through hand signals and setting things on fire. The band's performances at Three Links have become the stuff of legend. Those in attendance the night of their 2017 show will remember the band previously using the bar as a stage, bringing all of their instruments into the crowd, playing on the sidewalk outside and setting their instruments on fire. For all of their onstage antics, it's easy to forget that Daikaiju is a music group, and a talented one, playing the kind of aggressive surf rock that warrants the audience's attention regardless of its stage show. American Shit Storm and The Bobby Lees will open the show.
Tame Impala
8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., $52 at ticketmaster.com

Tame Impala (aka Kevin Parker) has had something of a renaissance in the last few years. Entering the music world with heavy, fuzzy riffs and drowned-out vocals, Tame Impala's 2010 debut, InnerSpeaker, and its follow-up, 2012's Lonerism, were instant garage rock classics that earned the band high praise from the indie music world as well as the Grammy committee, which nominated Lonerism for the Best Alternative Music Album. Things shifted in 2015; at the same time Parker was working on producer Mark Ronson's Uptown Special, Tame Impala became more dance-oriented with the big guitar sounds replaced by synthesizers. Tame Impala's 2020 album The Slow Rush moved things even further in that direction, which caused a split amongst music critics who either yearned for the heavy sounds of the past or praised Tame Impala's embrace of something new. You can decide for yourself Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.