Another Christmas has come and gone, but the eggnog hangover lingers. Hopefully, you had a nice and restful holiday, because we're getting right back to business as usual. There's a few more gems on our concert calendar before we wrap up 2013. Perfect Pussy hits Three Links, Denton Does The Band again (this time in Dallas, for free), and Peanut Butter Wolf will shut down The Crown & Harp all before New Years Eve. You better shake that holiday sluggishness, it's time to send 2013 out with a bang.
Stage Fright: Denton Does The Band Thursday, December 26, at Twilite Lounge The Last Waltz is American rock music's beloved holiday tradition. The Band's legendary farewell concert was held on Thanksgiving Day in 1976 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, and filmed by Martin Scorsese for what would come to be heralded as one of the greatest concert films ever made. To honor the occasion, some of Denton's finest musicians will come together to pay tribute to The Band at Deep Ellum's Twilite Lounge. This lineup includes Ryan Thomas Becker, Scott Danbom, Tony Ferraro, Jeffrey Gruber, and Grady Don Sandlin. Best part? It's free. Vanessa Quilantan
VIBE: Dropclock VS Track Meet Thursday, December 26, at Beauty Bar This week, at Colly T's blossoming Beauty Bar Thursday night residency is a battle of the sound systems. Colly T affiliated DJ collective Dropclock Productions, will face off against Thursday night's former residents, Track Meet DJ Crew. Both sets are known for their ability to get the party poppin, so no matter who proves victorious in battle, we all win. VQ
Lights All Night Friday, December 27, at Dallas Convention Center Electronic festival Lights All Night will return to Dallas' Convention Center on December, bringing with it some of the biggest names in EDM, including headliners. Deadmau5 and Kaskade. The former is perhaps the most respected of the current generation of house DJs, and Kaskade isn't far behind, and they're just two of several dozen offerings. KM
Spoonfed Tribe Friday, December 27, at Trees There are some musical experiences that can't be understood if you first hear them on a mixtape track from that weird friend who insists that cassette tapes are going to make a comeback. If you've never heard the rhythmic, hypnotic sounds of the beloved Fort Worth band Spoonfed Tribe, take the opportunity to see them in person this Friday at Trees before you buy an album or find another way to obtain one of their songs. Their percussion sounds mixed with their psychedelic loops can turn even the most sedentary audience into an undulating mesh of waving arms and bodies. Danny Gallagher
Peanut Butter Wolf Friday, December 27, at The Crown & Harp Lunaface & Too Fresh Productions have one last Christmas present for you. It's a last minute surprise, hidden over there in the corner, and baby, it ain't no Red Ryder bb gun. It's an intimate DJ set from world-renowned founder of Stones Throw Records, Peanut Butter Wolf. Go early and be prepare for a crowd, this one is going to be packed to the brim. VQ LE$ Friday, December 27, at Club Dada Over the last few years, Louisana native turned Houston resident, LE$, has proven himself as one of the strongest voices in underground Texas rap. This Friday, he hits Club Dada with local support from Ty City, Tunk, Money 1st Ent., and Aeronautiqz will round out the bill. VQ
Hayes Carll Saturday, December 28, at House of Blues Because he's capable of writing incredibly humorous songs ("She Left Me For Jesus" being the key example) Houston's Hayes Carll is often mistaken for some sort of Americana novelty act. But like two of his main influences, John Prine and Loudon Wainwright, Carll can be as emotionally distraught and painfully astute as any songwriter in any genre. Whether solo or with his top-notch band, Hayes Carll in a live setting is a thing of beauty, a Dylanesque, hyperbolic mass of contradictions and witticisms. Like Steve Earle, Carll plays real music that doesn't pander to red-dirt cliché or any notion of slick country pop. His music, like his appearance, is always ragged and right. Darryl Smyers
Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Jason Eady, Folk Family Revival Saturday, December 28, at Granada Theater Recently, we named the title track of Jason Boland and the Stragglers' latest album, Dark and Dirty Mile, as one of the best Texas country tunes of 2013. Over the course of a 15 year career, Boland has overcome a life-threatening car crash, addiction and divorce. In 2008, a ruptured vocal cord almost cut Boland's career short as the group released what arguably stands as their greatest album, Comal County Blue. Even a tunesmith with half of Boland's skill could draw heart-wrenching material from such a series of catastrophes, but Boland isn't just any songwriter. Get to the show early for Jason Eady, by the way. Eady began a decade ago as a bluesy balladeer and has enjoyably turned into every bit the classic country savior Boland and his Stragglers are. Kelly Dearmore
Yells at Eels, Tidbits, Lazy Summer Saturday, December 28, at Crown and Harp Forget everything you've heard about the Dallas jazz scene (or lack thereof), because Yells at Eels now have their hands firmly placed in its innards. The local trio break apart, rebuild and then rearrange the machinery of music. Live, these guys throw the blueprints in the fire, and spew out an improvisational ferocity that's like a portrait, forever taking shape. Trying to track what goes on at their performances, instrumentally or compositionally, is like following elevators in free fall. Headed by trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez and backed by his two sons Aaron (bass) and Stefan (drums), Yells at Eels are always moving and changing and, therefore, perpetually retain a startling level of newness, a raw slab of art that gets right to the essence of true musicianship. Max Roach and Charlie Haden would be very proud. Fellow free-jazzers Tidbits and Lazy Summer share the bill. Jonathan Patrick
Eyehategod, Pinkish Black, Venomous Maximus, Cleric Saturday, December 28 at Trees
Extraordinarily legendary New Orleans sludge metal band Eyehategod play only their second gig in Dallas since 1996 on Saturday, a rare chance to hear riffs the size of a house. It'll be the slowest and heaviest thing to happen to North Texas since Sleep at 35 Denton, a show that feels like a long time ago now. Attend (because $17 is a steal for this line-up), drink brown liquor, and expect to move all of your limbs violently. In a coup for our Metal Band of the Year, Pinkish Black are second on the bill. Also, Eyehategod at Trees. This is the sort of concert Trees should be putting on every week, the kind of show that defines Trees. Do you need more reasons to attend? Well, how about the YouTube video of the whole of 1996's classic Dopesick above this paragraph? - GAVIN CLEAVER
SEASONAL BONUS ROUND:
New Years Eve Tuesday, December 31, Everywhere. We've put together a three part guide to live music in Dallas on New Years Eve. Whether you're looking to play it cheap after all that money spent on Christmas presents, or you're trying to do it real big, because YOLO- we've got something for you. Stay safe out there folks, and happy new year from all of us here at DC9 At Night!
Five Places To Spend More than $200 on New Year's Eve in Dallas The 12 Best New Year's Eve Concerts In Dallas: $20 to $200 The 13 Best New Years Eve Concerts in Dallas: $20 or Less
See also: -The 100 Best Texas Songs: The Complete List -The Ten Most Badass Band Names in DFW -The Best Bands in DFW: 2012 Edition -Photo Essay: The Tattoos of Dallas' Nightlife Scene
