This week is a great one -- so much so, in fact, that you've gotta make some choices. Homegrown brings Spoon downtown with the Old 97's and more. Lana Del Rey plays a show with Courtney Love (yes, we know it's a bit strange) at Gexa. The Jesus and Mary Chain plays at the Bomb Factory to celebrate the release of their seminal album, Psychocandy, and Father from the Awful Records crew hits The Prophet Bar, along with many other great shows in Dallas.
See also: Homegrown Festival Goes Big with Spoon for 2015 Lana Del Rey and Courtney Love Coming to Dallas in May 2015
The Funky Knuckles 10 p.m. Monday, May 4, at Sundown at Granada Theater, 3520 Greenville Ave., 214-823-8305 or granadatheater.com, Free The Funky Knuckles have been together for over six years. The fusion jazz band released an album called Meta-Musica in 2014 that climbed to No. 1 on iTunes' jazz charts on the first day of its release. Together, the Knuckles are a force to be reckoned with. That's because, individually, they're all seasoned players who've worked with superstars like Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Chrisette Michelle, Talib Kweli, Puff Daddy and the Polyphonic Spree. HDB
Crocodiles With Bummer Vacation and SuperSonic Lips, 8 p.m., Tuesday May 5, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., 214-653-8228 or threelinksdeepellum.com, $5-$8 Crocodiles have a considerable amount of bite. This noise-pop band with some winks and nods to a throwback to the '80s new wave has captured the eyes and ears of many in-the-know fans of independent rock. They've got a knack for catchy riffs and melodies most expertly showcased on their debut record from 2009, Summer of Hate. Since their debut, the acclaim has waned, which the band is no doubt looking to change with their upcoming record Boys. HDB
Mike Hosty 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 6, at Vagabond, 3619 Greenville Ave, 214-824-2263, Free Reluctantly, we may take one of Oklahoma's own in on a case-by-case basis, so long as they are quite good. Mike Hosty is of that league. Born in Wisconsin, he's been doing gigs in Oklahoma since the 1990s. He's well known in those parts for his undeniable ability to put on a one-man show with an acoustic guitar and drum. He's also got a knack for cracking a joke or two. HDB
Jesus and Mary Chain With the Black Ryder, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 7 at The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6507 or thebombfactory.com, $44 The Jesus and Mary Chain are coming through town to give their longtime fans their dream show: A full set of their genre-defining album Psychocandy. An album that could be considered generation X classic rock at this point, Psychocandy explored the Reid brothers' love of Velvet Underground, Phil Spector and surf music, then enveloped those influences in washes of feedback-drenched glory. It was their debut album and in the eyes of many it was never topped. Along with Cocteau Twins and Spacemen 3, JAMC wrote the rulebook on noise pop and inspired generations of bands to follow. They became less vicious with each new release after Psychocandy, relying more on the pop hooks that were always buried under their sonic assault. Apparently they have gone out of their way to make sure that sonic glory is properly revisited on this tour -- sonic glory that has been missing from their shows for well over a decade. The brothers William and Jim Reid are the only members left from the original Psychocandy lineup embarking on this anniversary tour, and they are working on new material. This may be the last chance to see the fan favorite album performed in its entirety. Wanz Dover
Tony Bennett 8 p.m, Friday, May 8, at Winstar World Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma, 1-800-622-6317 or winstarworldcasino.com, $55-$95 Tony Bennett was born in the year 1926. He was able to see jazz in its heyday with his own eyes, and in New York city at that. By the time he was a teen he was smoking jazz cigarettes with jazz musicians in the city. Even at his now-advanced age, he still packs a punch with a great voice singing standard tunes and some of his own. Last year, a bit of a surge of youth came his way with a fantastic duet album with Lady Gaga. Bennett is a national treasure and you'd be a fool not to see this master at work. HDB
Stoney LaRue 8 p.m., Friday, May 8, at Lone Star Park, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, 1000 Lone Star Parkway, Grand Prairie, 972-263-7223, $5-$20 Stoney LaRue was born in Taft, Texas, which is basically Mexico. Actually all of Texas is kind of Mexico. Anyway, he moved to Stillwater and picked away at becoming a prominent red dirt country mainstay. LaRue, since he smartly packed up and headed north, has released four studio albums and two live projects. He's relatively well known by fans of the red dirt, subgenre of country, but he's got some crossover appeal that may come his way. Last year he sang some back up vocals on a Miranda Lambert song. HDB
Father With, Maxo Cream, Crit Life, KC$B, Team Next, Marlee the Hippie, 8 p.m.,Saturday, May 9, The Prophet Bar, 2548 Elm St., http://www.thedoordallas.com, $20-$25 At any given moment, there's something interesting brewing in Atlanta, Georgia. At the present moment the most interesting thing is the fact that Gucci Mane is releasing more albums than most people do in their entire careers from prison. What's going on here? Aside from that, there's this crew Awful Records who have taken a do-it-yourself sensibility, married it with rap and sprinted with it through the finish line and don't seem to be turning back any time soon. The marquee name among the band of misfits is Father, who earned the rap Internet's adoration last summer with "Look At Wrist," a wryly hilarious bass-thumping tune. Through the midst of loosies and innocuous albums Father is perhaps one of the most interesting rappers out at the moment, and fellow Awful Records cohort, KeithCharles Spacebar, who released he's debut project, We're All a Little Triflin', isn't trailing too far behind with his brilliant head bopping production. HDB
Homegrown Festival With Spoon, Old 97's, Shakey Graves and more, 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at Main Street Garden Park, 1920 Main St., homegrownfest.com, $33 Even if you harbor a certain fondness for Texas' state-wide culture of self-regard, listening to the same jokes about the "bipolar weather down here" and the size of our food platters and pickup trucks can get more than a little tiresome. But if there's ever a right way to celebrate local pride, a day of live music acts with tangible reasons to love our not-so-humble state is it. The sixth year of Homegrown Music and Arts Festival sports a couple of pretty big names in Spoon and the Old 97's, and the rest of the docket should be interesting as well, even if you're not ready to secede from the Union. Among them, acts like old-school soul vet Bobby Patterson and dance-fusion upstart Wrestlers provide a wider variety of sounds and styles than non-Texans would expect from the Lone Star State, and all you parents out there can get your under-10 kids in free. Just remember to be responsible for your little ones, folks -- I know how Rhett Miller's jams can get the party going. Brian Peterson
Lana Del Rey With Courtney Love, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 First Ave., 214-421-1111 or gexaenergypavilliondallas.com, $25-$79.50 As a musician, crafting an alternate ego is an idea nearly as old as music itself. But Lizzy Grant's constructed persona of Lana Del Rey has proved confounding to her many detractors (or shall we say "haters?"), as the line between her genuine and farcical selves tend to blur. Even before this iteration of herself, Grant performed as Sparkle Jump Rope Queen, further separating the musician from the individual. But with last year's Ultraviolence it became undeniable that her listless ennui was not only self-aware, but concrete evidence of her abilities as an erudite songstress. Her shadowy, veiled vocal delivery coats a thick layer of gloom on her pastiches of '60s and '70s pop, with enough modern twists to make it her own. But be warned about reading into her lyrics too critically. Although her prose, like her persona, frequently embodies a "tragic beauty," she also offers such insights as, "That's not what this bitch wants/Dope and diamonds/ Diamonds/Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds/That's all that I want, man." We'll give her the benefit of the doubt, though, and assume that's Rey, not Grant, speaking. Matt Wood
Lord Huron With Leon Bridges, 8 p.m. Sunday, May 10, at South Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or gilleysdallas.com, Sold out Lord Huron will be taking over the South Side Music Hall on May 10 in all of their rustic, bearded glory. After the wildly successful reception of their debut album Lonesome Dreams in 2012, Michigan-bred, Los Angeles-based, Lord Huron are at it again with their newest release, Strange Trails. Released last month, the 14-track production is an intimate journey into hauntingly seductive folk-rock. The band's lyrics evoke images of pioneers crossing treacherous terrains in search of their lost loves. Or maybe Vikings. It may just me, but I get a pretty definite Nordic warrior vibe when listening to this band. Also, I hear these guys bust out an electronic theremin for some of their newer tracks, and who doesn't like some theremin action? Providing opening support for Lord Huron is Fort Worth's own R&B It-boy, Leon Bridges. Since scoring a record deal with Columbia Records last Christmas, Bridges has been taking audiences by storm with appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show and South By Southwest. Critics have hailed Bridges as the answer to the industry's need for something new and sincere with hints of nostalgia - and Bridges has all of it, wrapped in a youthful, dapper, 25 year-old package. With influences from Gospel to R&B and soul, Bridges is and artist worth showing up early for. He may even steal the show. Molly Mollotova
DC9 AT NIGHT'S GREATEST HITS
50 Signs You've Been Partying Too Long in Denton
Florida Georgia Line Danced on the Grave of Country at Gexa on Saturday
HOT 93.3 FM Has Already Given Up on Classic Hip Hop
The 50 Best Red Dirt Texas Country Songs
The Best Places in Dallas to Go When You're Stoned
Follow @DC9AtNight
