This week, the first proper week of April, looks promising. tUnE-yArDs is at South Side Music Hall, as is Jungle. Man-Man does one of those dirt-cheap Red Bull Sound Select shows with Zorch and Party Static at Club Dada. The Randy Rogers and Josh Abbot Bands play at WinStar. Aimee Mann and poet Billy Collins do a collaborative performance at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. There's plenty more, too:
See also: tUnE-yArDs Brought a Fun, if Familiar, Party to Granada Theater The Both at Kessler Theater, 8/12/14
Big Gus & the Swampadelic 7 p.m., Monday, April 6, at The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St., http://www.freemandallas.com, Free There's music for free every day at The Free Man. It starts at 7 p.m. There's cheap booze and a kitchen that cooks up Cajun style food, like fried gator. Tonight Big Gus & the Swampadelic play a set of what they call "swampy tonk." It's Americana and zydeco, a splice of Creole-centric R&B with a focus on upbeat lyrics and a band of talented players to boot. H. Drew Blackburn
Skizzy Marks Swizzymack, Prelow, 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $20-$25 It seems like almost every rapper under the age of 30 that doesn't make it a point to let you in on the fact that they sell a lot of drugs and kill people sometimes is a son of Kid Cudi. Skizzy Marks undoubtedly comes from the lineage of the Man On the Moon. He's a liaison between indie rock and underground rap, and earlier this year he released an album The Red Balloon Project. At only 22, Marks is potentially one of the young rappers you should keep an eye on. HDB
Jungle 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 8, at South Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or http://gilleysdallas.com, $21-$24 Jungle updates the very familiar genres of soul and funk. But whereas other musicians who draw inspirations from the like of Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding or Parliament try and stick to the books with the retro sound and just update the production value into something crisper thanks to the advances in modern technology, Jungle adds a contemporary flair of electronica and psychedelic elements. They're like if Animal Collective and Marvin Gaye had a love child.HDB
TunE-yArDs With Son Lux, 8 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at South Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or gilleysdallas.com, $23/$26 at the door Don't be fooled by the primary colors and bubblegum; tUnE-yArDs' work is anything but childish. Through her adaptive, nuanced voice and expert narrative acumen, lead singer Merrill Garbus creates the sounds and sensations of disadvantaged neighborhoods, both celebrating and lamenting the areas. Grit and harshness are embraced by Garbus as tools to trigger emotions that are both startling and enthralling. Though Garbus has increased the size of her touring band, she still functions as a staggering multi-instrumentalist, often working as her own drummer, ukulele player and backing vocalist to her lead. So although the stage will undoubtedly be covered in ornate, absurd decorations, everyone's eyes will be trained on this outstanding example of female excellence. That will be doubly true given that she typically wears a self-invented "Mermaid Chic" wardrobe for her performances. Matt Wood
Chipper Jones WithnotLando, Trái Bơ, 7 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St. Dallas, TX 75226, $7-$10 Chipper Jones is a legendary baseball player. He played third base for the Atlanta Braves for 19 years, got a world series ring in 1995 and was the NL MVP in 1999. He's a first ballot hall of famer. It's bewildering to think of why a duo from Austin decided to name their band Chipper Jones, as this is terrible for Googling. But, this ambient pop rock band makes a case for why you should let room in your brain for another Chipper Jones. The guitars are bright and carry out a melody just as beautiful as any voice could. HDB
Man-Man With Zorch and Party Static, 8 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $3 with RSVP On the off chance that you've haven't made it out to one of the monthly Red Bull Sound Select shows in Dallas, you're quickly running out of excuses. The lineups are invariably excellent, with well-known music blog Gorilla Vs. Bear having joined the rotating team of curators this year in place of Spune. Consistently some of best-booked showcases in the series are those from Parade of Flesh, and this month is no exception: there's nothing quite like the manic energy of a Man Man show. When you add in the eclectic brilliance of Austin's Zorch, and the dynamic songs of 2014 Dallas Observer Music Awards' Best New Band winner Party Static, you have the perfect trio of bands to dance your way into madness. Make no mistake, Friday night at Club Dada is going to be one hot sweaty, dance-filled mess, and you're going to love every minute of it. Oh, and do we need to keep reminding you that these shows are only $3 with RSVP? Jaime-Paul Falcon
Randy Rogers Band With Josh Abbott Band, 8 p.m. Friday, April 10, at WinStar World Casino, 777 Casino Ave., Thackerville, Oklahoma, 1-800-622-6317 or winstarworldcasino.com, $35-$65 Of the most impactful bands that have fueled the Texas Country boom of the past two decades, the Randy Rogers Band is the only one that has kept the original line-up intact now for 15 years. Sure, there have been Texas- and Oklahoma-based acts that've achieved larger national and commercial acclaim (Eli Young Band and Jack Ingram), and bands that are currently enjoying buzz as the young guns for the new generation (Turnpike Troubadours and Dirty River Boys), but radio spins and Greek Row chatter isn't always the deciding factor on greatness. One will likely have a wildly difficult time arguing that there's a more reliably excellent band, night-in, night-out, no matter where they happen to be playing. The revved-up chemistry displayed during a RRB show is manifested most clearly by the interplay between Rogers and the group's frenetic fiddler Brady Black, who often share the spotlight on the lip of the stage as Black's fiddle takes lead over Rogers' distinctly raspy vocals. With thousands of shows under its belt, it's hard to imagine anyone out there with a bad Randy Rogers concert tale. At this point, we can all count on death, taxes and killer Randy Rogers Band concerts as the surest things in life. Kelly Dearmore
Billy Collins and Aimee Mann 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2403 Flora Street, $45-$65 Hear, ye, hear ye, stick out your pinkies for this convergence event tailor made to the high brow, tweed sports jacket wearing professor, at a college out in the northeast that sits dormant inside us all. Billy Collins is a poet laureate who teaches at City University of New York. Aimee Mann is a Grammy winning songstress. This is a night of poetry, acoustic music, and a conversation about The Arts. It's like a Portlandia sketch (Mann has appeared on the show) but very serious. HDB
Punch Brothers With Gabriel Kahane, 8 p.m., Saturday April 11, Thursday, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $25.00 - $39.00 It's not often that you'll find bluegrass that errs on the side of erudite. That's basically because it's typically a genre that's so extensively tied to the rural, to the people who work with their hands. The Punch Brothers hailing from Brooklyn (of course) make what is perhaps the most Starbucks ready bluegrass possible. It's tight, delicate, and artisanal. The band's convergence of elements from indie rock, bluegrass, and classical create a fine sculpture.
Night Drive With Nite, 8 p.m., Sunday, April 12, at Three Links, 2704 Elm Street, http://www.threelinksdeepellum.com, $8-$10 Night Drive is a duo from austin that takes way back into 80's with electro synth pop. You can't help but think you're Michael Night cruising into the neon purple sun set as KITT explains just how cool, how lit, the whole situation is. In 2013, Night Drive released a five song EP called, Position I. This year they've released a single in "Easy to Lie" which is an upbeat number, that demands you bring your dancing shoes. HDB
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