10 Best Concerts of the Week: True Widow, GloRilla, Soulfly and More

North Texas music fans won't have as many places to choose from this week as three venues are each hosting two of this week's best concerts: Tulips in Fort Worth, Trees in Deep Ellum and House of Blues in Victory Park. What music fans will have to decide, however, is what music is going to get them through the week — a week that kicks off with some dream pop with Sports in Fort Worth. And if you're looking to keep the dream pop vibe going, head to Denton Friday night for Lorelei K. If you're looking for something a little bit more rustic, Jason Boland's show at Tannahill's will be entirely acoustic, The Lone Bellow will have those folk-rock vibes and most of The Nixons' show will be acoustic-driven. Those who wish to get the most bang for their buck will want to check out the NOT STOCK festival over the weekend. There's surf rock on a Monday, hip-hop on a Tuesday and for something on the harder side of the rock spectrum there are a couple of Wednesday concerts. It's enough to make you feel lost, so let this be your guide.
Sports
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave. $20 at prekindle.com

Kicking off a weekend run through Texas with a Thursday night show in Fort Worth is Oklahoma dream-pop band, Sports. Brothers Jacob and Christian Theriot began playing bass and guitar together in grade school, naming their musical project "Sports" due to their shared lack of athleticism. The brothers went through a number of vocalists before landing on singer Cale Chronister, who has been with the band since 2015. Sports has become a favorite indie pop band on the Oklahoma music scene thanks to its heavy '80s influence. The latest Sports album, Get A Good Look, was released last February. Sports will have opening support from New York bedroom pop artist Rebounder.
Jason Boland & The Stragglers
7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Ave., No. 200, Fort Worth. $30 at ticketmaster.com

For over 20 years now, Jason Boland & The Stragglers have been at the forefront of the Red Dirt country movement, paving the way for acts like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stoney LaRue and Turnpike Troubadours. From their humble beginnings in Hurrah, Oklahoma, to their relocation to Austin, Jason Boland & The Stragglers have slowly moved their way up the country charts by keeping their music raw and their lyrics pointed. Boland kept himself busy during the pandemic by returning to the studio to record an EP of covers and working on a new Stragglers album produced by longtime collaborator Shooter Jennings. The Delectric Tour kicks off this Friday in Fort Worth at Tannahill's. This concert will be an intimate, full-band acoustic evening with reimagined songs and stories. The band will be playing all of its favorites and some special deep cuts.
Lorelei K
7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, Dan's Silverleaf, 103 N. Industrial St., Denton. $12 at prekindle.com

Dallas-based dream-pop group Lorelei K will celebrate the release of its new single “Lying Love” this weekend in Denton. The new song showcases the group's surrealist sensibilities surrounding singer Dahlia Knowles' love letter lyrics. Knowles has always been known for composing songs from long, free-verse poems, transforming her words into prophetic hymns and dynamic pop rock anthems. Dramatic and dreamy, the track is the introduction to a new era in the band's music, as is the forthcoming Lorelei K album, GUCCI DOOM. The single will be available on all streaming platforms the same day as the show. Lorelei K will be joined by witchy, psychedelic Denton rock band Sunbuzzed, who will also be playing in Fort Worth on Saturday.
The Nixons
7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, Trees, 2707 Elm St. $25 at axs.com

This Friday, Trees hosts a night of real North Texas nostalgia with a set that is sure to raise an eyebrow or two. The night will be headlined by Oklahoma City alternative rock band The Nixons, who made a name for themselves in North Texas in 1996 when time-honored radio station The Edge began including the band's song "Sister" on its regular playlist. Jaret Ray Reddick of Bowling For Soup — a band that blew up in Denton and Dallas before blowing up nationally — opens for The Nixons as a solo artist. Dallas alt-metal band Overscene will also be there to match the vibe of the night with an all-acoustic set. Nothing eyebrow-raising about the show yet, right? Well, there to put a hitch in the whole night's giddy-up will be Denton's symphonic brass punk collective The Wee-Beasties, which intends to go all-out on their tight, 30-minute time slot and prove its place among these local legends.
True Widow
Noon, Saturday, Jan. 28, Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth. $20+ at prekindle.com

Fort Worth venue Tulips hosts its second annual NOT STOCK festival this Saturday, boasting some of the hottest acts between here and Austin. Dallas rock band True Widow headlines the event, and considering that the band doesn't play around these parts that often, getting a chance to see them headline an all-day festival is not something you should pass up. True Widow formed in 2007 and built a reputation as a heavy and dreamy band alternating the male and female vocals of Dan "D.H." Phillips and Nicole Estill. The group released four albums and two EPs over the next decade, but have not released anything since 2016's Avvolgere. Last year, the band played only one show in its hometown — one of only four that it's played since 2017. The festival will also see performances by North Texas bands Pearl Earl, Sealion, Doomfall, Smothered, Sunbuzzed and Cool Jacket, as well as Austin bands Hey Cowboy! and Big Bill.
The Lone Bellow
8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $32+ at prekindle.com

Brooklyn indie-folk trio The Lone Bellow was formed as an outgrowth of singer Zach Williams' diaries. Williams had taken to writing as a way to cope with his wife's temporary paralysis following a horseback riding accident. After sharing his entries with friends, Williams heeded advice to learn the guitar and turn his thoughts into songs, and after his wife recovered, the couple moved to New York and he started up the band. While the band takes a more collaborative approach to songwriting these days, Williams is still known for penning songs in tribute to his wife, which he has done across all five of the band's albums. Their most recent, Love Songs for Losers, was written in Roy Orbison's former (and supposedly haunted) home and is full of stories about love and death. Flagstaff, Arizona, indie-rock band Tow'rs joins the band on its winter tour.
The Buttertones
7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, Deep Ellum Art Co., 3200 Commerce St. $20+ at prekindle.com

Los Angeles surf rock band The Buttertones has, for about a decade now, fused the classic rock sounds from the '50s with the post-punk sounds of the '70s and '80s. With a punk rock ethos and an atmospheric live show, The Buttertones are known to draw a crowd into its ever-growing fanbase. The band's latest album, Jazzhound, was released during the pandemic, which kept the band from supporting the album with a proper tour. Last fall, the band released two new singles, "Nite Time Is My Time" and "Angel Hands." Both songs beg for audience participation with their lively rhythms and mesmerizing vocals.  The band is currently on its "Blessed By The Night Again" Tour through Texas. No opening act has yet been announced.
GloRilla
7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. $123+ at livenation.com

Since 2016, Memphis hip-hop artist GloRilla has blended the dominance of crunk with the streetwise sensibility of trap music, slowly working her way up in the rap world through singles and features. In November, the rapper released her first EP, Anyways, Life's Great..., which featured Cardi B on the single "Tomorrow 2." Last year, GloRilla’s single, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance. GloRilla was also one of the last rappers to work with late rap legend Gangsta Boo on Latto's single "FTCU," which was released less than a month before Boo's death. GloRilla's status as an up-and-coming hip-hop act is evidenced by the soaring verified resale ticket prices seen on the LiveNation page for her sold-out show Tuesday night. As the shows for GloRilla's first headlining tour continue to sell out and her Spotify listens steadily increase, it's unlikely that she'll be playing in places as small as the House of Blues much longer. The show was already moved from the Cambridge Room to the main music hall due to overwhelming interest.
Soulfly
6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, Trees, 2707 Elm St. $25 at axs.com

Soulfly is just one of the many projects that Max Cavalera has spent his time fronting. While he may be more commonly known as the former singer for Sepultura, Cavalera has also led metal bands Nailbomb, Killer Be Killed, Go Ahead and Die and Cavalera Conspiracy — and all but the first have released music in the last five years. Soulfly, however, has been Cavalera's primary focus since leaving Sepultura and has always been a project influenced by spirituality and dedicated to God. That is not to say that Cavalera is by any sense a religious man. The project is, rather, a study in spirituality juxtaposed with themes of violence and warfare. Soulfly released its 12th studio album, Totem, on the Nuclear Blast record label and is by all accounts Soulfly's heaviest album in years. The band will open the month at Trees with the help of Orlando stoner metal band Bodybox, Maryland post-progressive metal band Half Heard Voice and Fort Worth nü metal revivalists Killhouse.
We Came As Romans
7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. $27.50 at livenation.com

Michigan metalcore band We Came As Romans is the decades-old project of two high-school classmates: guitarist Joshua Moore and singer Dave Stephens. While the band has seen almost a dozen other members pass through its ranks, Stephens and Moore have kept it going across six albums and two EPs. The band had its biggest success in 2013 with the album Tracing Back Roots, which cracked the Billboard 200's top 10 and went to No. 1 on the Independent and Hard Rock Albums chart, bolstered by the success of the songs "Hope" and "Never Let Me Go." The band is currently on tour in support of its latest album, Darkbloom, which was released last fall. The album is, in part, a tribute to former keyboardist Kyle Pavone, who died of a drug overdose in August 2018. We Came As Romans is currently touring with Alabama metalcore band Erra and Canadian metal band Brand Of Sacrifice.