Happy Friday, folks. If you haven't already made plans via the Elm St. Tattoo Festival, which already has two nights under its belt this week, then you'll definitely benefit from this collection of great shows this weekend. Sure, the likelihood of you getting a tattoo lowers exponentially if you attend one of these instead -- well, maybe not Warped Tour -- but at least your fun levels will peak. (Or something like that. Give me a break, it's basically already the weekend, right?)
Peter Bradley Adams 9 p.m., Friday, June 13 at Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., Denton, 9403202000 or danssilverleaf.com, $10/13 at the door If you watched any TV during the early 2000s, you've probably heard the soulful, folksy crooning of Peter Bradley Adams. You may not recognize Adams as a solo artist, but his folkpop project eastmountainsouth was popular with both critics and fans alike. You probably heard the group's single, "You Dance," a few times on the radio in 2003, and both eastmountainsouth and Adams have contributed music to popular TV shows like Alias, Smallville and One Tree Hill, along with film work with director Cameron Crowe. As a solo artist, Adams' catchy and comfortable sound has also enjoyed critical acclaim, if less chart popularity than his previous projects. Adams' fifth album, The Mighty Storm, might be his best release yet, full of emotionally charged lyrics and memorable folkpop arrangements. Dan's Silverleaf is an intimate, comfortable backdrop to enjoy these mellow folkpop tunes, especially with a few ice cold PBRs in hand. Amy McCarthy
Say Anything With the Front Bottoms, So So Glow and You Blew It, 7 p.m., Friday, June 13, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 2148249933 or granadatheater.com, $23/$28 at the door Max Bemis, mastermind of Los Angeles' emo rockers Say Anything, has battled many demons over the years. Whether it's bipolar disorder or drug addiction, Bemis has succeeded in coming back from the brink and his band's music has remained remarkably consistent. Say Anything's newest effort, Hebrews, is another fine collection of (overly) emotional indie rock. Indeed, Bemis' vocals can be a lovethemorhatethem proposition as he squeezers every bit of angst from each and every syllable. Thankfully, he's also an excellent songwriter who straddles that fine line between pathos and comedy, as evidenced by new songs such as "Judas Decapitation" and "My Greatest Fear is Splendid." Darryl Smyers
Punk Rock Karaoke Saturday, June 14 at Three Links, 2704 Elm Street, threelinksdeepellum.com, 6 to 9 p.m. The five day, second annual Elm Street Music & Tattoo Festival is bringing more than 50 bands to Deep Ellum stages this week, but when Punk Rock Karaoke sets up at Three Links, it's your turn to take the stage. If you've ever wanted to stand behind a microphone backed by a live band and belt out punk rock songs ranging from the Stooges' "Search and Destroy" to Black Flag's "Rise Above" and the Ramones' "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," then don't miss Punk Rock Karaoke. The Mumbles, which consists of Colin McCarty, Ted O'Loughlin, Darin Robinson and Allan Tate, will back the karaoke singers. The band has been nominated three times for a Dallas Observer Music Award in the Best Cover/Tribute Act category. The Mumbles rotate through about 100 punk and new wave songs, with McCarty accompanying the karaoke singers while the other Mumbles members contribute backing vocals. Daniel Rodrigue Rev. Horton Heat With Scott H. Biram, The American Fuse, and Austin Lucas, 7 p.m., Saturday, June 14, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., treesdallas.com, $25-$120 The headlining show of Oliver Peck's Elm Street Tattoo and Music Festival is as Deep- Ellum-as-Deep-Ellum-can-get as long time area mainstay Rev. Horton Heat and a cast of well regarded area rockers take over Trees for a night of rowdy rock, beer and ink. The Rev. is coming up on his 30th anniversary of rocking in and around the historic arts district, and much like getting one of Peck's 13 tattoos, seeing the Rev. is a Dallas rite of passage. You might as well knock out both on Saturday night. Jaime-Paul Falcon
James Taylor With His All Star Band, 8 p.m, Sunday, June 15 at Verizon Theatre. 1001 Performance Pl., Grand Prairie, 9728545111 or verizontheatre.com, $6990 He might be the self consumed guy who inspired Carly Simon's monster hit, "You're So Vain," but that's something that probably won't ever be confirmed. What is an irrefutable truth is that James Taylor is a world renowned musician, songwriter, vocalist and pretty much any other category he could be lumped into. Sure, his easylistening, posthippy folk balladry may seem like mindlessly pleasant pap, but in his best work there's depth and pain in Taylor's songwriting. He's battled with depression and drug abuse nearly his entire life, and his experiences in psychiatric institutions, as well as the suicide of a close friend, led him to write the defining song of his career, "Fire and Rain." Named for the whiplash sensations of shock therapy and the cold shower that follows, there's nothing light about it. Paige Skinner
Vans Warped Tour 11 a.m., Sunday, June 15 at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214 4211111 or gexaenergypavilion.net, $49 Falling in Reverse, the headliner for the Vans Warped Tour, is sort of a Chili's appetizer sampler of the festival's entire lineup: there's a guy with tattoos where his sideburns should be, a guy who looks like Nikki Sixx and a guy with one of those haircuts where the bangs are flatironed and the hair in the back explodes outwards, like his head is trying to entice a bird couple to settle down and raise a family. (How would a bird ever find its way inside a Hot Topic, let alone have enough time to build a nest in the manager's hair?) In fact, you could just watch Falling in Reverse and experience the entire festival in 40 minutes rather than in eight hours of walking around getting dehydrated and sunburned. Of course, if you're 20 or younger, a day like that totally rules, especially when you've done it while lugging around a bag full of free promotional shit. Any older and you have to tell your friends you're just going for Bad Religion, except that this year, you'd have to say, "I'm just going for Finch." Steve Steward
Dallas Symphony Orchestra: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 7:30p.m., Saturday, June 14 at Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., 214-670-3600, dallassymphony.com, $19-79 On Saturday, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and some of the city's most talented and innovative young musical present a special one-night only concert. The concert is imagined by and presented in partnership with the Dallas Symphony's Teen Council and features musicians from the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and the Booker T. Washington High School Young Women's Chorus performing alongside the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The concert, programmed in part by the teen council with other teens in mind, features A Midsummer Night's Dream, Felix Mendelssohn's fanciful take on Shakespeare's classic comedy of romantic errors. Eighteen-year-old violinist Christine Wu, winner of the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition, will also perform a movement of Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto. The orchestra's newly appointed assistant conductor, Karina Canellakis, conducts. Katie Womack
