10 Best Concerts of the Week: Josh Abbott Band, Sama' Abdulhadi, Slaughter Beach, Dog and More

It may be another week of mid-level acts in North Texas, but with the lack of big names coming to town, this is a great opportunity to learn some new music and see come local acts tear it up onstage. The concert week begins on a busy Friday with performances from Dave Fenley in Arlington, Josh Weathers in Denton and the first of two shows from Josh Abbott in Fort Worth. Friday also brings a special performance from Sama' Abdulhadi, who is widely recognized as the queen of the Palestinian techno scene. Saturday comes with fewer decisions, but harder choices as Fugitive and Wolves Reign play Deep Ellum and John Fullbright plays Fort Worth. The new week brings the indie rock of Slaughter Beach, Dog, the Tog Dawg hip-hop of Reason and the "Madchester" sound of The Charlatans. It will be another week or so before the big acts start coming to town again, but for now, there is so much to be enjoyed here in the middle.
Dave Fenley
8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 5, Arlington Music Hall, 224 N. Center St., Arlington. $22+ at eventbrite.com

Born and raised in the East Texas town of Lufkin, Dave Fenley grew up with a solid foundation of religion, family values and music — singing in the children’s choir in his Southern Baptist church while his father sang bass, teaching him the harmonies to good ol' country songs on the radio. In high school, Fenely's family moved to Canada, opening the singer up to a different set of influences. Fenley listened to new R&B artists like Boyz II Men and older acts like Otis Redding, Ray Charles and Percy Sledge. He started writing songs at 15 and playing guitar at 18. Before he was old enough to legally drink, he began performing in bars, playing his mix of country and R&B. These days, Fenley works primarily as a songwriter in Nashville, but he has played with Dwight Yoakam, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley in addition to solo shows like the one in Arlington on Friday night.
Josh Weathers
8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 5, Dan's Silverleaf, 103 N. Industrial St, Denton. $30+ at prekindle.com

Based in Fort Worth, Josh Weathers is a singer-songwriter specializing in soul-infused country music. Weathers has spent 15 years honing both his songwriting craft and his stage performance, putting together a memorable, high-energy live show. A few years back, Weathers went viral after posting a video of himself singing Dolly' Parton's “I Will Always Love You," which has since expanded his audience nationwide. Many have seen in Weathers the heartland rock of John Mellencamp or Bruce Springsteen as well as the soul of Stevie Wonder, but his sound is truly unique. In addition to his music, Weathers and his wife Kady founded a nonprofit organization called Love Like You Mean It after a life-changing trip to India in late 2015.
Sama' Abdulhadi
9 p.m., Friday, Jan. 5, It'll Do Club, 4322 Elm St. $20+ at eventbrite.com

Known as the "queen of the Palestinian techno scene," Sama' Abdulhadi was born in Jordan to a family that had been deported from Palestine for its political demonstrations. Her family moved back to Palestine in 1993, living under constant political turmoil. Abdulhadi was briefly a member of the Palestinian soccer team before a career-ending injury turned her sights to music. Abdulhadi studied sound design in Beirut and became a DJ in Egypt with a broadcast range across the entire Arab Middle East. In 2018, she moved back to Palestine and began performing online, garnering millions of viewers and an increased demand for in-person performances. In 2020, the Palestinian Authority gave her a permit to perform at a mosque, but religious Palestinians forced her to stop and she was arrested and jailed for desecrating a religious site. That trial is still pending, but in the meantime, Abdulhadi has been taking her act across the world.
Josh Abbott Band
10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Jan. 5 and 6, Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth. $20+ at axs.com

Lubbock's Josh Abbott Band has been kicking up red dirt country music since 2006 when he was in grad school at Texas Tech. Abbott asked his Phi Delta Theta fraternity brothers Austin Davis, Neel Huey and Andrew Hurt to join the first iteration of the band, and the four began playing around their college town. As the years passed, the band grew in membership and got tighter, leading up to its first album, Scapegoat, in 2008. The album didn't do much in sales, but it did give the band a chance to tour and grow its following. The band released its sophomore album, She's Like Texas, in 2010, featuring a duet with Kacey Musgraves almost three years before she released her first album. Critics compared the band's gritty soulfulness to Steve Earle, and the band sold out its first show at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth. The Josh Abbott Band returns to the venue for two nights this weekend.
Wolves Reign
7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 6, Deep Ellum Art Co., 3200 Commerce St. $20+ at prekindle.com

Dallas progressive rock band Wolves Reign will celebrate the release of its album Human Nature in Deep Ellum on Saturday night. The much anticipated album comes after nearly a decade of live shows around North Texas, where Wolves Reign opened for bands such as Primo Danger, Cassandra's Curse and Thank You Scientist. Over the years, Wolves Reign has built a small but strong following of supporters taken with the band's incredible musicianship and mesmerizing performances. The band's album release party will offer opening sets from bands Wolves Reign has played with in the past, including alternative hip-hop band Chilldren of Indigo, experimental rock band Ether After and progressive indie singer-songwriter Joseph Fisher-Schramm.
Fugitive
8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 6, Trees, 2709 Elm St. $20 at axs.com

North Texas thrash metal band Fugitive is something of a local supergroup, with guitarist Blake Ibanez of Power Trip as well as members of Creeping Death, Scourge, Impalers and Stymie. Last year, Fugitive dropped a music video for the song "Blast Furnace," which was recognized by the Observer as the "Best Music Video for Headbanging Into Oblivion." The single was a follow-up to the band's 2022 debut EP, Maniac, bringing the its recorded output to seven songs. In those seven songs, Fugitive has shown itself to be a growing part of North Texas metal history. The band's show on Saturday should be a sign of great things to come. Also on deck for the evening is Austin blackened thrash metal band Sadistic Force, which released its new album, Midnight Assassin, late last year. Fort Worth hardcore band Ozone and Dallas death metal band Cleric are also on the bill.
John Fullbright
8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 6, The Post at River East, 2925 Race St., Fort Worth. Sold out.

John Fullbright may not be the most recognizable name in country music, but he should be. This former member of the Turnpike Troubadours has laid down deeply emotional and introspective songs on country music's large underground circuit for about 15 years. Fullbright came out swinging with a debut live album in 2009, but it was his first studio effort, From the Ground Up, that caught the attention of critics outside the country world. With songs such as "Jericho" and "Satan & St. Paul" sending listeners soaring through biblical allusions and the search for new meaning, Fullbright showed that Oklahoma farm boys could get emo too. Though 2014's Songs may have gotten more attention than its predecessor, Fullbright all but disappeared after the tour, popping up for short tours here and there. In 2022, the singer-songwriter released his first album in eight years, The Liar, which showed no letdown in his songwriting. Fullbright will be performing yet another sold-out show in Fort Worth on Saturday.
Slaughter Beach, Dog
7 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 7, Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth. $26+ at seetickets.us

Philadelphia rock band Slaughter Beach, Dog began as a side project for Modern Baseball's Jake Ewald, but it became his full-time project when that band went on hiatus in 2017. Modern Baseball had only just concluded what would be its final tour when Slaughter Beach, Dog's first LP, Welcome, hit the shelves. Modern Baseball reunited for a few one-off shows in 2017, but Slaughter Beach, Dog has completely taken its place. Since then, the band has released four albums and an EP, including last September's Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling. While the band's previous releases have all followed a lo-fi, indie-rock aesthetic, its new release draws from blues and folk influences to elevate its moody dreaminess. Opening will be Austin indie-pop band Sun June.
Reason
7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 8, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. $49 at livenation.com

Kendrick Lamar label mate Reason is currently on his Off The Porch Tour with opening act Oswin Benjamin in support of his 2023 sophomore album, Porches. The album marks the artist's first solo album in three years following his debut album, New Beginnings. Since signing with Top Dawg Entertainment, Reason has had some trouble getting his career off the ground. The rapper's first album came out when the world was still deep into the pandemic lockdowns, which delayed all efforts to support the album. On the new release, Reason shows himself to be a versatile lyricist with a good flow and captivating voice. While it remains to be seen if Reason could be Top Dawg Entertainment's next big artist to watch after the rise of Lamar and SZA, what is certain is that this rapper is someone to keep an eye on in the years to come, and attending a live show now could give you some major "I was there before" points in the future.
The Charlatans (UK)
7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 10, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. $39.50+ at livenation.com

English band The Charlatans comes from West Midlands, but the group is more associated with the Manchester music scene of the late '80s. Nicknamed the "Madchestesr" scene, the area became heavily associated with indie dance music, which merged indie-pop with psychedelic and acid house music. This was the same scene that saw the rise of acts like Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and James at the Haçienda nightclub. Over the years, the group has undergone several lineup and record label changes with the deaths of two of its founding members, Jon Brookes and Rob Collins. Founding members bassist Martin Blunt and singer Tim Burgess have kept the act together and going strong. The band's show with Ride on Wednesday in Dallas will be its first appearance in the city since 1997.