This week is all about family. It's great, really. Sure, there are always pitfalls to getting together with all the relatives, be it the in-laws or even just the immediate family. There's always those nightmarish "debates" about sex and politics, and if not then there's a lot of awkward silence. But oh well. Thanksgiving is great anyway.
For music fans, it's a time to give thanks for the folks that we spend much of our time with: the music community. Dallas isn't letting us down either, with a slew of great local shows by (mostly) local artists to help celebrate the scene and, in some cases, give back. We've pulled together a special guide of the best ones to help celebrate the holiday. Hell, if you want, you might even bring your chill aunt or uncle out on the town.
See also: 50 Reasons to Be Thankful for Dallas Music
5th Annual Thanks for Giving with Reverend Horton Heat With From Parts Unknown, Palimino, 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 26, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $10 For years, Dallas based psychobilly outfit, Reverend Horton Heat, has held an annual Thanksgiving concert at Trees with the goal of raising money to help food banks and those in need during the Thanksgiving holiday. Your $10 entrance fee is going to good use here. It's also going towards seeing a band known for their frenetic live shows entrenched in retro flavor. This is a total win/win situation and a perfect way to kick off the holiday on the right note. H. Drew Blackburn
Erykah Badu With RC & the Grtiz and DJ Jay Clipp, 9 p.m., Wednesday, November 26, at The Prophet Bar, 2548 Elm St., 214.742.3667 or theprophetbar.com, $37 Erykah Badu is a prototype of artistic versatility. She is a mother, a builder, a scuplter, a painter, an activist, a seamstress, a designer, a musician; Badu is an artist. Her art form procreates the type of musical sensibilities that gives rise to intellectual thinking, esoteric sound vibrations, and a vibe so raw that her Grammy winning 1997 release Baduizm still manages to sound like a fresh perspective. This millennium has seen a slew of genre-blending works including Mama's Gun (2000), Worldwide Underground (2003), New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008) and New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010). But more than "The First Lady of Neo Soul," Badu is also a delightfully fun local music icon, ubiquitous for her trademark hats and periodically gaming the internet, be it trying to kiss a news anchor or busking in Manhattan. In collaboration with The Prophet Bar's long-running weekly Wednesday jam session held by R.C. Williams and The Gritz, the South Dallas queen will perform live in concert at the Jam's eighth anniversary party alongside DJ Jay Clipp and RC & The Gritz. Head over to The Prophet Bar to grab your dose of an appetizing pre-holiday jam mix. Morganne Cameron
Smackdown Karaoke and Thanksgiving Potluck 8 p.m., at Thursday, November 27, Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St., www.double-wide.com, This is Thanksgiving and the day of the year when the feelings towards your family take sudden hard rights, making you question if you're truly related to these people only seconds after being so thankful you have them in your life. Here's your chance to step away from your crazy uncle who's screaming about Communism and sing some karaoke at Double Wide, where they're also having a potluck and potluck's are great. HDB
Beauty Bar 4th Anniversary With DJ Sober, Red Eye, Blake Ward, Trailer Swift, Dubble A, Cris Rose, and Genova, at 10 p.m., Wednesday, November 26, Beauty Bar, 1924 N. Henderson Ave, 214-841-9600, Free In honor of Beauty Bar's fourth year in Dallas, they're throwing an extravaganza that'll bleed into Thanksgiving once the clock strikes midnight. The all-too-important drink special will of course be present. But the lineup of some of Dallas' best and hardest-working DJs makes this a can't-miss if you're thankful to have an ass you like to shake this holiday season. We wish luck on actually dragging it out of bed the next morning before the relatives all start showing up. (It'll totally be worth it though, promise.) HDB
Dance Gavin Dance With Alive Like Me, SECRETS, Defeat The Low, Storylines, at 7 p.m., Thursday, November 27, Prophet Bar, 2548 Elm St., 214-742-3667, $16 Pretty much your only opportunity to see a rock show on Thanksgiving comes with all due thanks to post-hardcore outfit Dance Gavin Dance. In the age of emo revival, it's a good choice. The band's been a staple for scene kids for years and a surefire Vans Warped Tour act. Incorporating jazz, prog rock, and the word "fuck" into their music separates them from other bands of the same ilk, adding some diversity to an often-stilted genre. HDB
Good Records Black Friday With Street Arabs and The Aquaholics, 7 a.m.-12 a.m., Friday, November 28, at Good Records, 1808 Greenville Ave., 214-752-4663, Free Here is a perfect opportunity to grab a bunch of exclusive records that you can't get from Urban Outfitters or Dallas' not-so-iconic bookstore. (There we go using that word again. SIlly us!) Because of capitalism, Record Store Day is dabbling in Black Friday, and this is great for the album listening/collecting set. At Good Records there will be exclusive releases from the Afghan Whigs, the Flaming Lips, Phil Spector, St. Vincent and more. And there will also be some in-store performances starting at 8 p.m. from the Street Arabs and the Aquaholics. HDB
Double Wide Black Friday With Black Taffy, Ethereal and the Queer Show, Lily Taylor, and For Silence, Double Wide at 8:30 p.m., Friday, November 28, at Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St, $7-$10 You don't have to shop on Black Friday. Matter of fact, we don't recommend it unless you really have to buy that TV or you're getting some vinyl. Double Wide, for the sake of holiday consistency, is hosting another party, roughly 24 hours after ignoring the moratorium on Thanksgiving itself. But in doing so they're taking a little bit of a turn from their usual love for gritty guitar-driven rock. Tonight Double Wide gets artsy with a few of Dallas most art-centric acts in Lily Taylor, Black Taffy, Ethereal and the Queer Show and For Silence. There will even be visuals from media artist Sean Miller. Pinkies up at Double Wide for this one. HDB
"18 Year Anniversary Party" hosted by Slim Gravy, with Daniel Hart (solo set)/Dark Rooms, Dead Mockingbirds, The Chloes, Jenny Robinson, Blue, The Misfit, -topic, Buffalo Black and more, 12 p.m., Sunday, November 30, at Crown and Harp, 1914 Greenville Ave, Free Congrats, Crown and Harp, you can now buy cigarettes, which isn't suggested, but it's your life man, do what you do. You can vote. You can get a tattoo. You can buy a lottery ticket and never win anything more than 20 bucks. You can legally do the sex anywhere in the U.S. Sadly, you can't even celebrate your own party, which has a stacked bill of some of Dallas' best artists spanning rock, rap and electronica. If only you were 21, right? Sucks to suck. The rest of us that are 21 and over, it would behoove us head on down for this week's most enticing party. It doesn't really have to do with Thanksgiving, but hell, we're more than thankful to have this place around, so why not include it here? HDB
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