This is the last full week of September. Soon enough it'll be October, then Halloween, then Christmas and then 2015. Time flies so spend it wisely, like by going to shows in North Texas. There's yet another music festival, a rock legend at the American Airlines Center, free shit at Sammons Park, and soul and R&B singers so great that they're worth the trip to Oklahoma. Here are your concert picks for the week.
Tycho With Christopher Willits, 7 p.m. Monday, September 22, at Granada Theater, 524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $24 Tycho makes the type of music you might hear in a Zach Braff movie. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl twirls her hand outside of a car while it's buzzing down the freeway; Braff smiles and says something like "you're as beautiful as the limitlessness of life." Scott Hansen's project--now a three piece band--is bright, ambient, and uniquely fecund. It's no wonder, he's also a graphic designer, photographer, and visual artist as well. The florescent scenery you see here is no mistake, it's a carefully constructed tableau. H. Drew Blackburn
Idiot Glee With Rat Columns, Dripping Wet, 8 p.m., Monday, September 22 at Three Links, 2704 Elm St. Dallas, TX, http://www.threelinksdeepellum.com, $8-$10 Idiot Glee was once a one man band, just Lexington, Kentucky native James Friley. He'd take an MPC and other equipment, using it to create breakbeats, loop his vocals, and make lush sounds. Starting this year, Friley's enlisted the help of a few friends: Case Mahan on guitar, Dave Vicini on drums, and Jamie Adkins on the bass. It's a smart decision. As dexterous and gifted as Friley is, a full band adds more freedom to explore the vast sensibilities Idiot Glee has showcased over the years--from doo-wop to dream pop to you're standard silky rock. HDB
Sham 69 With Total Chaos and the Broadsiders, 9 p.m. Three Links, Wednesday, September 24, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinksdeepellum.com, $12 Sham 69 is among those legendary first-wave punk bands that were especially influential in the early hardcore movement. The band got its start in the late '70s and got big with hits like "If the Kids are United" and "Borstal Breakout." They still maintain a huge following in the punk world today. Sham's raw but catchy tunes bleed the rough life of hooligans screaming "Oi!" in the streets of England and are timeless anthems for punks all over. Nowadays though, there are two Sham 69s in existence: One is led by Jimmy Pursey and the other by Tim V. In that growing tradition of aging rock bands, the two factions are feuding over who the real Sham 69 is; Tim V fans will be happy to know that his version is the one coming to Three Links. Aside from that, openers Total Chaos and the Broadsiders should make this a totally punx show for die-hard fans and curious show goers alike. Pablo Arauz
Hercules and The Love Affair With Nick Monaco and DJ Red Eye, 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., 214-742-3400 or dadadallas.com $17 If you want to figure out if a person's fun or not, you can ask them if they're into disco. If the answer is no, followed by condescending staccato laced laughter, the chances are this person is not fun. This is pure science. Disco is a genre that was made purely so people can dance and have fun. Has disco had some low moments since its creation? Yes. But, there are highs as well, like Hercules and The Love Affair. Their self-titled debut album was released by DFA in 2008, and ever since, founder DJ Andy Butler has put out some ass-shaking worthy music with his revolving door of collaborators that experiments with dirty house synths and anthemic warbling. HDB
The Growlers With the Garden, 8 p.m. Thursday, September 25, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., 214-742-3400 or dadadallas.com, $15 As rough and tough as we all may be when we're growing up and earning our stripes, there comes a time when the smartest of us decide to clean up a little bit. Do-it-yourself garage rock sprinkled with reverb (which is essentially an excuse for a little more noise) is a blissful little barometer of youth. Throughout the course of their career, the Growlers have done a pretty good job showcasing this spirit. The retro surf-laden and psychedelic sound these Californians have come to be known for sparks off a high that's more energetic and creative than lethargic; more sativa than an indica. However, following the footsteps of many a garage band before them, the layer of grittiness that the band has showcased is being abandoned in favor of a polished sound for their newest album, Chinese Fountain. Perhaps cleaning up a little bit is just a way of life. HDB Cassie Holt and The Lost Souls 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 18, at Sammons Park, 2403 Flora St, 214-954-9925, http://www.attpac.org/, FREE You can catch a free show at Sammons Park every week and free show's are a great thing. Possibly the greatest thing. This week Cassie Holt and her band the Lost Souls--who were included on our list of 5 North Texas R&B and Soul Acts You Need To Hear Now--are gonna perform under the retiring sun. Cassie Holt and The Lost Souls provide boisterous, powerful vocals courtesy of Cassie Holt and thanks to the Lost Souls the production is tight, nonchalantly cool, and as vintage as a prized find at Dolly Python. HDB
Index Festival With Local Natives, Future Islands and more, 4 p.m. Friday, September 26-Sunday, September 28, in Deep Ellum, index-festival.com, single day passes $40-$45, 3-day passes $99-$199 You guys! It's festival season! Wait, I thought spring was supposed to be festival season? Or was that summer? Is it ever not festival season in Dallas? Are we festivaled out? Are we going to these festivals out of some bizarre Stockholm Syndrome brought on by our mad bookers who take every opportunity to bring wristbanded parties to the area, so as to sate the public's endless appetite for trying to keep to a set schedule to see bands play? I have no idea, but I do know the folks at Spune have yet again put together an eclectic mix of national, regional and local acts (including Ryan Bingham, Future Islands, Blitzen Trapper, Dan Deacon, Dawes, and on anon) that would usually sell out whatever venue they'd normally be performing in on their own. So you're getting a pretty decent deal by dropping $100 and venue-hopping to see these 96 bands for the weekend. So go overdose on some live music. Or don't. Just give me a wristband, and let me buy some beer. I can't fight the lure of three nights full of music. Damn Stockholm Syndrome. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers With Steve Winwood, 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 26, at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or americanairlinescenter.com, $57-$145 The notion of whether rock is dead or not has been discussed for years, and recently the impossible-to-answer-question has seemed to get louder. The short answer is no, of course it isn't, and you're stupid for asking. The less harsh reply would be to direct anyone wondering if rock 'n' roll and the Grim Reaper are hanging out towards the current state of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Not only have reviews for the legendary group's latest LP Hypnotic Eye been rightfully positive, but the classically groove-laden gem debuted at the top of the Billboard charts after its release just a couple of months ago As hard as it is to believe, it's his first album to do so, beating out Eric Clapton's latest release. Only Petty's Wildlfowers in 1994, unquestionably one of the best rock records of that seminal musical year, had a better sales week for the 63 year-old, Florida-born rocker. Reviews for the current Heartbreakers' tour have also been glowing and serve notice to any doubters that as long as Petty is running down a dream, rock 'n' roll will still be alive and well. Kelly Dearmore
War on Drugs With Califone, 8 p.m. Friday, September 26, at Granada Theater, 524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $24 Are the War On Drugs some kind of modern heartland rock band? Because if you play a song like "Red Eyes" for your dad, chances are he might remark how it reminds him of a Springsteen song. Sure, there are lots of fuzzy, meandering guitar jams, but they do kind of have those driving, gated-reverb vibe of hoary Springsteen chestnuts like "Dancing in the Dark." Then there's this Stereogum story from the other day about how the Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek referred to WoD as "John Cougar Mellencamp" to a crowd at the Ottawa Folk Fest, grousing about how much he hated "that beer commercial lead guitar shit." Apparently, both bands played opposite each other, and the War on Drugs' sound bled over into Sun Kil Moon's set. Does Mark Kozelek dislike fun things? Because rock music and beer both generally qualify as fun, certainly more so than cranky fat guys playing sad songs on acoustic guitars. The War on Drugs play the Granada Theater on September 26, along with Califone. Steve Steward
The O'Jays With Brian McKnight, 8 p.m. Saturday, September 27, at Choctaw Casino Resort, 4216 S. Highway 69/75 Durant, OK, 800-788-2464 or choctawcasinos.com, $35-$60 The O'Jays were formed way back in 1958 in a high school in Canton, Ohio. So naturally a casino in Oklahoma will have yet another legendary act you didn't have a clue still tours pop into town. Accolades for the soul and R&B group run deep: Seven of their studio albums have placed in the top 20 of Billboard's Top 200 chart and their 1973 single, "Love Train" earned the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. All of this pales in comparison to being inducted in the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Also on the bill is Brian McKnight, who you may recognize for his singles "Back at One" and "Anytime," or his foray into satire with Funny or Die, "If Ur Ready to Learn." The safest bet at Choctaw this Saturday evening is easily the probability of a great show. HDB
