10 Best Concerts of the Week: Tha Alkaholiks, Damoyee, Mike Zito and More

With many touring acts spending the holidays at their respective homes, this week's best concerts in North Texas are mostly for the locals. Whether it's a local tribute to Black Sabbath Thursday night or an all-local supporting lineup for a national act like Kellindo Sunday night, local music is virtually everywhere you're wanting to catch any live music at all this week. And with all of North Texas' favorite artists being home for the holidays, there are plenty of exciting acts to introduce to your visiting family and friends. Whether it's a Fort Worth country show, a Deep Ellum rock show or a concert full of your favorite Disney songs, there is something for everyone this week. If you're tapped out from the holidays, there are a couple of free shows to check out, too. Next week, North Texas starts gearing up for the New Year early with an official pre-party show at Bottled Blonde for the Lights All Night festival.
Tommy Luke
7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, at Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., $8 at prekindle.com

Fort Worth alt-country artist Tommy Luke is a real road warrior. Whether he's playing an afternoon show in a New Jersey coffee house or a club show like the one at Tulips in Fort Worth Thursday night, Luke is always prepared with a vast songbook filled with new standards and original songs that can be raunchy, humorous or melancholy but always entertaining. This past summer, Luke went on a two-month-long national tour that saw him taking his brand of country music all across the deep South and East Coast. When he returned home in the fall after that tour, Luke began playing shows all across Texas before coming back to his hometown for the holidays. A completely independent artist, Luke's ability to book shows anywhere and everywhere across the country is based entirely on his songwriting prowess and his ability to engage any audience he encounters.
Free Mode / Dust Mothers / Vanden
8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, at Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., Free

If you're looking for something a little more toned down while still being amped up this holiday season, check out this free DJ night at Rubber Gloves in Denton. New artist Vanden opens the night with some hot tracks that will surely get you moving. The night will also include Denton band Dust Mothers, who play a mix of explosive, surfy, psych-rock songs made to release all the built-up tension from the holiday season. Denton DJ and drummer duo Free Mode brings its blend of trance and alt-rock to the stage with live sampling and improvisational jamming. It's certain to be a fun night with this low-key local show. Each of these acts are relatively new to the local music scene and are sure to go far with their talent and drive. This is your chance to catch them at the start of their careers. Many years from now, you will be able to say, "I saw them first in their hometown."
Bull By The Horn
8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $15 at seetickets.us

A boogie-woogie rock 'n' roll band from Dallas that has yet to put out an official studio release, Bull By The Horn built its reputation in North Texas by putting on an incredible rock show. This has earned the band opening spots for some of DFW's favorite acts, such as Mothership and Speedealer. This Thursday night, the band plays a headlining show at Three Links with opening support from Black Sabbath tribute band Rat Salad, playing its first-ever live show, and up-and-coming alt-rock band Olive Vox, which recently played Levitation Fest in Austin. A varied night of rock sounds, the lineup is certain to delight even the most discerning of rock fans. This being an all-local show at one of North Texas' most celebrated rock venues, Bull By The Horn's is the perfect show to take family and friends visiting for the holidays if you want to show them just how much we like to rock out in Dallas.
Tha Alkaholiks
9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 25, at The Nines, 2911 Main St., $15 at prekindle.com

Tha Alkaholiks is an American hip-hop trio from Los Angeles formed in the early 1990s.  Also known as "Tha Liks," the three-piece makes party music with a hardcore hip-hop edge. Born Eric Brooks in Columbus, Georgia, DJ and producer E-Swift lays down the beats for rappers J-Ro and Tash. Although the group has largely never had much in the way of commercial success, Tha Alkaholiks has built a solid following by playing over 2,500 shows over the last 25 years in venues across the world. A hip-hop group that's been dedicated to touring since its formation, The Alkaholiks have a live tour following not unlike that of The Grateful Dead's or Jimmy Buffett's, dedicated to seeing the group perform whenever it's in town. The Alkaholiks make a special appearance on Christmas Night at The Nines in Deep Ellum with DJ Mike B and DJ Rocksteady in the mix.
The Grays Classic: Disney Show
7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26, at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St., $22 at prekindle.com

The Grays is a soul-jazz-funk-fusion band composed of three sibling musicians, Kwinton, Kierra and KJ Gray, who taught themselves how to play music by studying their favorite songs from childhood. As part of an ongoing tradition, the family band comes together Sunday night to play re-imagined versions of all of your favorite Disney songs. This is an event that never fails to dazzle crowds of all ages. Not only are The Grays incredibly talented family members, but their effortless chemistry on stage has been developed over many years of playing residencies around North Texas. They know how to get a crowd moving, and they love watching it happen. The last time The Grays did their Disney show at The Kessler, many local artists including Taylor Nash, Sudie, Rat Rios and Moses Habtezghi made guest appearances. It's likely the band has something special in store this year as well.
Kellindo
7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $15 at seetickets.us

The lead guitarist and co-composer for Janelle Monáe, Kellindo Parker, headlines the Boxing Day show at Three Links. Parker's time with Monáe earned him the opportunity to perform with artists such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Parker released his first single, "When Flowers Could Dance," in 2018 and his second single, "Sugar," the following year. Over the course of the pandemic, Parker has released a series of singles, each one brimming with a heavy mix of pop, rock and funk. Reminiscent of Prince's Dirty Mind, Parker's music is bold and creative, smart and steamy, and always so much fun. Opening for Kellindo Sunday night at Three Links is an all-local lineup: SolShifter, a band composed of ex-Toadies and Pimpadelic members, as well as The No-Where Jets and The Lash Outs, who will be there to get things started out right.
Damoyee
7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, at The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St., Free

It's been quite the year for R&B singer Damoyee. At the start of the year, the singer released the song “Can’t Imagine (A Day Without You)” featuring The B23 Band. The song is a tribute to all of the frontline workers who kept the country moving during the pandemic. The next month, Damoyee released “Waiting for You,” a collaboration between the singer and her friend and fellow Berklee College of Music student, multi-instrumentalist Timothy Stone. The two wrote, recorded and produced the lovingly nostalgic song about missing your friends, from their bedrooms in Texas and Connecticut during quarantine. Though they had never actually met on campus before, Stone and Damoyee connected via Discord to write the song together after they returned home from college to ride out the pandemic. Damoyee closes out the year playing a series of shows including her Tuesday night show at The Free Man in Deep Ellum.
Mike Zito
7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St., $28+ at prekindle.com

One of the most lauded artists in the contemporary blues arena, Mike Zito began playing guitar at 5 years old. By the time the young musician was in his late teens, he had made quite the impression on his local St. Louis music scene. From the late 1990s until the early 2010s, Zito recorded his music independently, releasing eight albums before signing with Electro Groove in 2011. In 2013, Zito signed with Ruf Records and released Gone to Texas with his band The Wheel. The album conveyed the story of how Zito gained his sobriety while offering an emotional homage to the state that had left its imprint on the singer-songwriter for the rest of his life. His next two albums, 2016's Make Blues Not War and 2018's First Class Life both entered Billboard's blues charts in the No. 1 spot. Zito will have opening support from Dallas blues-rock  band Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat Tuesday night at The Kessler.
Colab
9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $10 at seetickets.us

For the last 15 years, the jazz-funk-R&B-hip-hop collective CoLab has gathered its rotating cast of about 40 musicians somewhere in the Dallas area on Tuesday nights, only canceling a handful of times because of severe weather. The residency first started at Zubar, then moved to Prophet Bar, then Wits End, and for almost five years now, they have been welcomed at the punk club Three Links. For many of the 3Links2sdays regulars, attending CoLab’s performance is like going to church, and it’s hard not to understand their sense of worship. While the music brings fans together, it’s the fellowship that keeps them coming back to CoLab's shows. Every Tuesday night around midnight, CoLab finally takes the stage with their signature opening, followed by originals or improvisations of whatever they feel sounds good. The Grays will be there to kick things off.
Born Dirty
8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Bottled Blonde, 505 N. Good Latimer Expressway, Free w/ RSVP at eventbrite.com

The official Lights All Night pre-party goes down Wednesday night at Bottled Blonde on the outskirts of Deep Ellum. A part of To The Moon and Next LVL Events' weekly Retrograde Wednesdays at Bottled Blonde that feature new electronic artists, the official pre-party for Dallas' annual New Year's EDM festival will feature Born Dirty. An Israeli native who spent his childhood in France before moving to London, Mika Abadie (aka Born Dirty) burst into the EDM world just a few years ago and almost immediately caught the attention of some of the industry's leading acts such as Mad Decent, OWSLA, Fool’s Gold and Dirtybird. Born Dirty has also played at the world's greatest festivals, including Lollapalooza, Electric Daisy Carnival, Shambala and Splash House. Born Dirty will have opening support on Wednesday night from Los Angeles EDM duo Party Shirt.