10 Best Concerts of the Week: The Mavericks, The Hotelier, Cody Canada & The Departed and More

We hate to do it to you, but this week, nine out of the 10 best concerts will be on Friday or Saturday. That means that there will likely be some missed opportunities, but we're here to help you with the decision. On Friday, Dallas singer-songwriter Chris J Norwoood brings a new band with a new sound to Oak Cliff, while Teenage Bottlerocket skates into Lower Greenville. In Fort Worth that night, Matthew Logan Vasquez of The Delta Spirit rocks out Tulips, Alejandro Escovedo revisits his punk days at The Post, Latin-rock band The Mavericks plays the first of two shows at Tannahill's and Cody Canada gets back to the red dirt at Billy Bob's. On Saturday, Good Records celebrates 24 years with a Brainiac reunion in Deep Ellum, The Trilogy Tour turns up the heat in Fort Worth and The Blind Boys of Alabama brings history to Garland. On Tuesday, there will be some pre-Valentine's Day crying happening at the Granada when The Hotelier and Foxing play. Have fun this weekend. Bring a date. Or better yet, go by yourself and have your own good time.
Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout
7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St. $21 at prekindle.com

After two albums of darkness and emotional purging, Dallas singer-songwriter Chris J Norwood decided that he was tired of being a part of the sad-bastard music scene and returned to the studio to create something fun. Norwood formed his band, The Knockdown Dragout, borrowing a phrase his mother used about a particularly bad fight, employing it as something of a mission statement for fighting back against the image he had held up for so long. Instead of focusing on past relationships and their failures, Norwood's new music focuses on the good things in his life, namely his wife, whom he sings about in the sweet, romantic and playful song, "Dancing in the Kitchen." The band also does a cover of the Otis Redding classic, “Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song),” in addition to many new songs that celebrate life rather than bemoaning it. Norwood will have opening support from The Rosemont Kings and Kirk Thurmond.
Teenage Bottlerocket
7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $22 at prekindle.com

Teenage Bottlerocket is a pop-punk band formed in Laramie, Wyoming, at the turn of the century by twin brothers Ray and Brandon Carlisle. Together with Kody Templeman of The Lillingtons, the band set out to play a style of pop-punk that goes back to the genre conceived by the earliest forerunners like the Ramones, Screeching Weasel and The Bouncing Souls. Since Teenage Bottlerocket was formed earlier, and it drew inspiration from bands coming before the pop-punk explosion of the early-'00s, its sound stands apart from better-known acts in the genre, like Blink-182, Sum 41 and Good Charlotte. More in line with skate punk, Teenage Bottlerocket's music is fast-paced, fun to listen to and even more fun to dance to. Last year, the band released its So Dumb EP, and this year it's on tour with Oregon pop-punk band Broadway Calls. The two will have local support from Fat By the Gallon and From Parts Unknown.
Matthew Logan Vasquez
7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth. $20+ at seetickets.us

Matthew Logan Vasquez, guitarist and vocalist for Delta Spirit, began writing and recording for his solo project in November 2015, when he released his epic 17-minute single “Austin.” Vasquez went on to release three solo albums and a few EPs before returning to record with Delta Spirit in 2020. Last year, Vasquez returned to his solo work, releasing As All Get Out in April. In the past, Vasquez has played the role of an Americana crooner, channeling the 1970s Laurel Canyon scene with dreamy ballads and richly textured lyrics. On this latest release, however, Vasquez has incorporated more of the classic rock spirit seen in the Delta Spirit 2022 release One Is One. Here, the songs drive harder and faster with big solos and screams to match. Vaquez makes his way to Fort Worth on Friday with Austin rock band The Inkcaps, and he will have local support from singer-songwriter Levi Ray.
Alejandro Escovedo
8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, The Post at River East, 2925 Race St., Fort Worth. $45+ at tixr.com

On January 14, 1978, Sex Pistols concluded its ill-fated U.S. tour at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco — a concert that ended with the band playing a cover of The Stooges' "No Fun" and Johnny Rotten asking the crowd "You get the feeling you've been cheated?" and the band breaking up. Also on the bill that night were legendary San Francisco punk bands The Avengers, who played the middle set, and The Nuns, who opened the show. On guitar for The Nuns that night was a young Alejandro Escovedo, and if you think that punk is a thing of his past, you could not be more wrong. Whether or not Escovedo is playing what we think of as punk, his musical spirit has maintained that punk rock ethos in everything he does: blues, country, Americana, Tejano, rock 'n' roll or R&B. Friday night, Escovedo will be showcasing songs from his new album, Echo Dancing, which revisits all of these eras through that punk rock lens. 
The Mavericks
8 p.m., Friday – Saturday, Feb. 9–10, Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Ave., Ste. 200, Fort Worth. $45+ at ticketmaster.com

Founded in 1989 by frontman Raul Malo, The Mavericks straddle the thin line that divides the country, rock and Americana genres. For the last three decades, the band has also incorporated elements of Tejano music into its overall sound, but in 2020, The Mavericks released their first album in Spanish, En Español. For two nights this weekend, The Mavericks bring a multicultural and dynamic live show to Fort Worth. Longtime Mavericks fans and Latin music lovers alike have responded positively to the latest album. It debuted at the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Latin Pop Album chart and found its way onto NPR's and Rolling Stone's year-end best-of lists. At the show, The Mavericks will play songs from the latest album as well as many of their greatest hits. Singer Raul Malo is also known for playing unexpected covers during the band's live sets. Austin piano man Henri Herbert opens the show.
Cody Canada & The Departed
9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 9, Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth. $18+ at axs.com

You may remember singer Cody Canada from his time in the red-dirt country band Cross Canadian Ragweed. A year after that band called it quits, Canada started up the country-rock trio The Departed. Over the last decade, the band has been the creative outlet for Canada, former Cross Canadian Ragweed bass player Jeremy Plato and a revolving cast of drummers. The band has released four albums since 2011; the most recent, Soul Gravy 2022, came out in the summer of 2022. The album's title is a nod and a revision of Cross Canadian Ragweed's 2004 breakthrough release, Soul Gravy. The project is the start of Canada's mission to wrestle Cross Canadian Ragweed's music out of the hands of Universal South, which maintains ownership of the band's old music. That means that some fans in attendance at Friday night's show could hear some songs they haven't heard live in more than a decade.
Brainiac
7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10, Deep Ellum Art Co., 3200 Commerce St. $25+ at prekindle.com

Good Records has really gone all out in celebrating its 24th birthday by bringing indie-rock band Brainiac (or 3RA1N1AC, as some of you might remember them) to the stage. Formed in 1992 in Dayton, Ohio, Brainiac quickly became one of those bands that fans liked and musicians loved, namely Beck, Trent Reznor, Kim Deal and many others. Today, bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, Muse and The Mars Volta all cite Brainiac as direct influences on their music. However, the band was short-lived. In 1997, lead vocalist Tim Taylor died in a car accident not too long after the band released an electronic-based EP called Electro-Shock for President. The band subsequently broke up and was largely forgotten. More than 25 years later, following a full-length documentary, Transmissions After Zero, the surviving band members decided to get back together and share their songs with the world. Lung and Dallas bands Baboon and Def Rain open the show.
The Trilogy Tour
7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. $55.95+ at ticketmaster.com

Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Ricky Martin will join forces this week, bringing The Trilogy Tour to Fort Worth. This is the second time Martin and Iglesias have toured together, but this year they are including Mr. Worldwide himself to turn things up a notch. Iglesias and Pitbull also toured together, in 2017, so these are three people who know each other and play nicely together. Iglesias and Martin led the U.S. Latin pop explosion of the late '90s/early 2000s along with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. They both had chart-topping hits in 1999, Martin with the inescapable "Livin' La Vida Loca" and Iglesias with the smoldering single "Bailamos." Pitbull's time came a bit later with the release of his debut album M.I.A.M.I. in 2004. The three artists have all had very different career trajectories since their time at the top, but together, this is sure to be a top-tier show by any decade's standards.
The Blind Boys of Alabama
7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10, Granville Arts Center, 300 N. Fifth St., Garland. $32+ at prekindle.com

Sure, the lineup has changed a lot, but The Blind Boys of Alabama is one of the oldest touring acts in the country. Founded in 1939 as part of the school chorus at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind in Talladega, Alabama, The Blind Boys of Alabama began singing Black gospel music together when it was not allowed by the all-white faculty of the school, which despised the influence of the blues (or "the devil's music") on gospel songs. The group got its start performing in public in front of World War II soldiers at nearby encampments. From there, this gospel collective has been seen everywhere: backing Ray Charles, performing benefits with Martin Luther King Jr. and playing for presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama while they were in office. This is a group with a history as rich as the music it performs, and with over 80 years of performance history, you can bet it will be an amazing show. Bobby Rush opens.
The Hotelier
6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $25+ at prekindle.com

Of all the bands credited with the emo revival of the 2010s, The Hotelier stands out as one of the greatest examples of how bright the genre can shine. Formed in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2009, The Hotelier had some underground success with its first album, It Never Goes Out, in 2011, but it was the band's second release that attracted more widespread attention. Home, Like Noplace Is There, released in 2014, consisted of songs reflecting on vocalist Christian Holden's relationships with friends and family over the time period between the albums. The result was a beautiful album stripped of all the ornamental elements that had come to define emo in the mainstream. The emotions were raw and real, not overblown and dramatic. The band toured in support of the album with Missouri emo revivalists Foxing as they supported the album The Albatross. Ten years later, both are touring together again and playing those albums in their entirety.