21 Best Things to Do in Dallas This Week: May 9-15

Tue 5/9
Your grandfather is a legendary storyteller. When he spins a yarn about going fishing on the bayou and getting chased out by an alligator, everyone in your family gathers round, and listens transfixed. But even your grandfather is no match for Garrison Keillor, best known for his 42-year run as host of the live, variety-style radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. On July 1, when 74-year-old Keillor recorded his final episode and turned the reins over to Chris Thile, 18,000 people showed up to watch him do it. President Obama even called to congratulate him. And Keillor's not done. You won't hear him on NPR Saturday nights any more, but Keillor is still visiting theaters all over the country to artfully blend folk songs with stories of fictional Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. His next visit to Dallas is 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at the Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St.). Tickets are $37.50-$65.50 at attpac.org. Caroline North

One's self-perception is filtered through a series of frames and issues, even barriers. Identity is a loaded term, and that’s a good thing. Discussing identity means discussing gender, politics and culture. That discussion is just the aim of Identity: I Am One, I Am Many, presented by Sunset Art Studios and the Oak Cliff Cultural Center at the OCCC, 223 W. Jefferson Blvd., through June 9. It’s inspired by a quote attributed to activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, Cesar Chavez: “Preservation of one’s culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” Identity features Sunset Art Studio’s artist residents Tina Medina, Johnathan Foster and Iris Bechtol, and artist coordinators Emily Riggert and Rachel Rushing, as well as their works exploring definitions of the self. Admission is free and the cultural center is open 1-9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Merritt Martin

Wed 5/10
Sometimes he plays guitar. Sometimes he tells stories. Sometimes he does both. But comedian Nick Thune is always funny. Whether it’s penis jokes, jokes about legalized marijuana or simply clever observations concerning marriage and millennial malaise, Thune brings a distinctly modern style to conversational comedy. Charmingly blasé, Thune’s performances feel less like performances than hilarious late night talks with an unusually astute friend. Thune hits Dallas at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, at Trees. Tickets are $16. More info at treesdallas.com. Jonathan Patrick

When one is a resident of the Lone Star State (both native or got-here-fast-as-possible varieties included) one gets used to a sort of challenging approach. “Well, everything’s bigger, but does it have good film?” Yeah, we’ve got that covered. “Beer, sure, but can Y’ALL make booze?” Shut your face, we can. “OK, those big Texas flavors in your food are pretty awesome, but what about wine?” Tackle that one 7 p.m.Wednesday at Whole Foods, 8190 Park Lane North, when The Texas Wine Journal presents Texas Wine Talk & Tasting: Texas vs. The World. Because some super proud Texans will happily tell you Texas is becoming its own wine region that can stand up to some of the best in the world. Sniff and sip for yourself, then enjoy a mixer with local wine producers and Texas Wine Journal folk. Tickets for the talk and tasting are $25, and there are only 25 available, but the mixer is free to attend (wine is sold there by the glass and bottle) and doesn’t require a ticket. Must be 21 to attend. Visit Eventbrite.com. Merritt Martin

David Crosby is a legend. As a member of the Byrds and CSNY, Crosby and his push-broom mustache were in the vanguard of the late-'60s long hair revolution, celebrating such cultural milestones as getting eight miles high and almost (but not quite, man) cutting his hair. In later years, he distinguished himself as sobriety partner for Lionel Hutz and biological father of Melissa Etheridge's offspring. Crosby plays the Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $80-$635 at granadatheater.com. Jeff Gage

Thu 5/11
Significance Imposed represents a match made in art heaven, pairing up local photographers with wordsmiths for a multi-dimensional, multi-media, multi-literate event at Kettle Art, 2650 Main St.. The exhibit, which kicks off from 7 until 10 p.m. Thursday, May 11, with an opening reception, evokes a Texas road trip. You’ll see photos of Texas landscapes, lifestyles and life married with words that evoke wide-open spaces and that special statewide joie de vivre. MakeShift Photography plays matchmaker for a dozen creative duos (and one trio). Admission is free, and the exhibit will be on view Thursdays and Fridays from 7 until 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 4 to 10 p.m. through June 3. See Facebook for more information. Jennifer Davis- Lamm

Ahead of their headlining gig for Homegrown Fest, Dallas darlings Tripping Daisy announced they will have an "exclusive, VIP, warm-up sneak peak" at 9 p.m. Thursday at Club Dada (2720 Elm St.). It will be one of only six shows to make up the band's unexpected mini-tour this year, and a great opportunity to catch Tripping Daisy — who haven't played a show in almost two decades — in a more intimate setting than a large festival. Tickets to the show are $50 at dadadallas.com. Diamond Victoria

Fri 5/12
What happens when you spend an entire year gathering contacts on some of the most beloved local bands in Dallas? You get to throw one hell of a party when you reach the first year anniversary mark. That’s what the music blog Crate Diggers plans on doing when they celebrate their first anniversary at the Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St. The music blog will throw a concert and party featuring some of the most beloved local musicians and groups in the entire city like Ty Richards, Northern National, Bravo, Max! and Dan Rocha Jr. And you can’t have an authentic Texas rock show without some quality Texas booze to go with it. So all night, the show will sell $2 Lone Star tallboys and $5 shots of Terremoto tequila. The show kicks off at 9 p.m. Friday, May 12. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased online at prekindle.com. Danny Gallagher

The “New World” in Dvorák’s 9th Symphony, From the New World, is America. This piece shimmers with the yearning for liberty and restless ambition that gave rise to our nation. There’s a felt tension written in the symphony’s DNA, a push-and-pull between exploration and comfort, between the Czech composer’s newfound love of New York and the memory of his homeland. Incorporating elements of what Dvorák understood as native American music – from American Indian to African imports – the composer’s 9th Symphony was designed to evoke a rustic and distinctly American beauty. What makes this arguably Dvorák’s best composition is that he succeeds in doing just that. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Shostakovich’s Festive Overture complete the Fort Worth Symphony’s program. Concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 12 & 13, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 14, at Bass Performance Hall. Tickets start at $23. More info at fwsymphony.org. Jonathan Patrick

Conjure up a “Renaissance man” and you’re not likely to imagine Joe Rogan unless you have some knowledge of how varied his skill sets are. Check this list: advocate for the psychedelic experience, host extraordinaire (from everyone’s favorite Fear Factor to Joe Rogan Experience podcasts), actor (News Radio), retired MMA champ and black belt, sports color reporter, writer (his blog post on getting stoned and working out is frankly, quite lovely) and last but not least, a stand-up comedian for well beyond two decades with a fairly fresh Netflix special streaming somewhere this very minute. That stand-up part is especially important as Rogan returns to the area for an 8 p.m. show Friday at the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Place. Tickets start at $35. Visit axs.com. Merritt Martin

When one of your ex-wives is Roseanne Barr, you know you have some good stories. Of course, that’s not really a fair way to characterize Tom Arnold, who was a rising comedy star long before one of the most infamous marriages in comedy. He’s a seasoned stand-up comedian, actor and TV host with shows like Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show Period, Trailer Park Boys, Sons of Anarchy and many others on his IMDB resume. He’s picked up supporting roles in several big budget Hollywood movies like True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Hero with Dustin Hoffman, as well as indie hits like Gardens of the Night, The Great Buck Howard and Happy Endings. Now you can see him perform live at the Addison Improv, 4980 Belt Line Road, for a special engagement of shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, May 12, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 14. Tickets are between $25 and $35 for the Friday and Saturday shows and between $22 and $32 on Sunday depending on available seating. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online at ImprovAddison.com. Danny Gallagher

Friday’s event from 7-10 p.m. at Deep Vellum Books, 3000 Commerce St., is more than just a reading from a zine. It’s a launch, a celebration and a bit of a lottery. White Rock Zine Machine is observing its collaboration with MakeShift Photography and the resulting PhotoRama: Significance Imposed. The new series combines words and photography in the classic format of written response to visual stimuli. Thirteen writers and a dozen photographers created a gallery exhibition open down the way from May 11-June 3 at Kettle Art Gallery, 2650 Main St., and the zines shine a spotlight on selections from that show. Not only will the reading serve as a bit of a performance, but audience members can get an artful keepsake as well: Tiny zines are just $25. Collect them all. Attendance to both the reading and the related exhibition is free. Visit deepvellum.com. Merritt Martin

In 1985, the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth debuted In the American West: Photographs by Richard Avedon, and the controversial exhibition opened to such widespread acclaim that it became notable as one of the most heavily attended exhibitions in the museum’s history. Instead of glossy images of glamorous supermodels and attractive celebrities Avedon typically shot, In the American West presented captivating, dramatically oversized black-and-white portraits of hardscrabble folk. Avedon created the haunting photographs by placing his sitters a few feet in front of a white paper backdrop and directing their gaze into his 8x10 Deardorff view camera. For the first time since 2005, the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., will show a collection of prints from Avedon’s iconic body of work as Avedon in Texas: Selections from In the American West. During an informal gallery talk from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., John Rohrbach, the museum’s senior curator of photographs, will explain what Avedon found in Texas that inspired him and set the tone for the entire collection of images. “Avedon’s oversize prints demand engagement,” Rohrbach says. “His sitters induce us to confront our own humanity. One cannot walk away from this exhibition unmoved.” Admission to the exhibit is free and runs through July 7. Daniel Rodrigue

Sat 5/13
Paint, canvas, watercolors, paper, multi-media collage – these are all familiar components in making art. Michelle Mackey’s joint compound, however, is a bit of a surprise to the uninitiated. Holly Johnson Gallery, 1845 Levee St., No. 100, hosts Mackey’s second show in the venue, Michelle Mackey: Double Take. The exhibition is one of “new paintings,” and yes, those paintings are created with build-ups of joint compound on wood, sanding and shellacking and vinyl paint. Mackey tackles time and memory with relation to space and setting. The result is ethereal and a bit overwhelming, in the most beautiful way possible. Double Take opens with a reception for the artist from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, May 13, and continues through August 12. Holly Johnson Gallery is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and by appointment. Visit hollyjohnsongallery.com. Merritt Martin

This is the eighth year for the Texas-based music and arts festival Homegrown Fest. This year’s lineup at Main Street Garden Park, 1902 Main St., includes standouts like Lower Dens, White Denim, Cure for Paranoia and MUTEMATH. But what makes this year’s installment especially exciting is the reunion of legendary Dallas act Tripping Daisy — no other band defined the hip bohemia of the ‘90s quite like them. Twelve bands, art exhibits and tons of other arty what-have-yous and rich eats all promise to make Homegrown Fest another memorable local festival. Framed by the towering jewels of the downtown Dallas skyline, and bathed in waves of vivid, brain-frying light, Homegrown attendees will be gifted a glimpse at our city’s thriving arts and music communities. Music starts at noon and tickets start at $50 at homegrownfest.com. Jonathan Patrick

TITAS has pretty well established itself as don’t-miss arts programming in Dallas, appealing to a huge range of people from dance moms to theater diehards. They’ve earned this distinction thanks to year after year of revelatory, cutting-edge and surprising productions, like their annual Command Performance. This year’s edition at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., will be no exception. The nonprofit dance behemoth will stage dances from Boston Ballet’s Dusty Button and Lasha Khozashvilli; Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Claude Alexander III; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Matthew Rushing; aerial dancers from Bandaloop; MOMIX; Beijing Dance Theater’s Linshu Feng and Jie Zheng; and more. Grab a seat for this inspiring mix of modern and classical movement, which includes specially commissioned choreography from dance heavyweights like Twyla Tharp and Sonya Tayeh. Tickets range from $12 to $190 at tickets.attpac.org. Jennifer Davis- Lamm

What happens when you combine the raw, honest art of emotional storytelling with the sharp wit of a stand-up comedian’s eye for the strange and absurd? You either get confused if no one told you the show was going to feature both kinds of acts or you get the storytelling/stand-up show Truth in Comedy. Each show features three sets of storytellers telling a true story complete with all of the juicy details and emotions followed by a seasoned stand-up who performs a set based on those stories. The next episode of Truth in Comedy will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at the Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio (1810 S. Akard St.) The next episode will feature storytellers Winn LaRue, R. Jane Hardin and Garrett Davis and stand-ups Katy Evans, Byron Stamps and David Jessup. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased online at prekindle.com. Danny Gallagher

Metis Atash doesn’t sculpt traditional Buddha sculptures like one typically meets in temples, gardens and meditation rooms the world over. Instead, Atash’s stoic “Punk Buddha” sculptures sit cloaked in vibrant, even flamboyant, colorful robes, which sparkle with upwards of 20,000 Swarovski crystals. Under the gallery lights, each one-of-a-kind Buddha seem to twinkle with life as light waves reflect off each tiny crystal. And the names of the Buddha also reflect Atash’s colorful designs on the robes of her sculptures, including work inspired by iconic artists ranging from Piet Mondrian and Andy Warhol to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy, as well as fashion houses such as Chanel, Hermes and Balmain. Samuel Lynne Galleries, 1105 Dragon St., presents a showcase of the Miami-based sculptor's “Punk Buddha” series with the exhibition Buddha Goes Punk. The opening reception, which is free and open to the public, will be from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition runs through June 24. For more information on the philosophical inspiration for Atash’s “Punk Buddha,” visit samuellynne.com. Daniel Rodrigue

Sun 5/14
You’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere for Mom to sip some mimosas this Mother’s Day if you forgot to make brunch reservations last month. Maybe that’s for the best. Overcrowded restaurants and long cook times may not prove the best of times for our favorite ladies. For something a little more relaxing, The Texas Discovery Gardens, 3601 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., have you covered from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 14, with a day of music, storytelling and butterflies with its Mother’s Day Concert & Butterfly Release. Celebrate motherhood with a concert by The Women’s Chorus of Dallas, spoken stories from other moms and a finale in the Butterfly House, where you can purchase a butterfly to have included in the butterfly release. After the festivities, stick around and enjoy the garden’s lush landscapes. Admission is free for TDG members, or $20 for non-members. Visit texasdiscoverygardens.org for more information. Diamond Victoria

Mon 5/15
Local nonprofit Genesis Women’s Shelter has been doing the heavy lifting since 1985, providing shelter, safety and a way forward to women who are in abusive and dangerous relationships. With an emergency shelter, a long-term housing facility and an ongoing counseling operation, Genesis helps 1,200 women and children find refuge and empowerment every year, an expansive, expensive and impressive operation. The Genesis Annual Luncheon, which will be held this year at 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 15, in the Hilton Anatole, 2201 North Stemmons Freeway, highlights their accomplishments and focuses on the need to provide help and hope to victims of domestic violence. This year’s keynote speaker will be Arianna Huffington, who will provide perspective and inspiration for supporters of Genesis. Seats for the charitable event, which will directly benefit the organization, start at $125, and can be purchased online at genesisshelter.org. Jennifer Davis- Lamm

We actually look forward to Mondays now, thanks to the work of Stefan Gonzalez. The lineup he curates on that day every week at RBC is one of the best places in the city to discover new music. Outward Bound Mixtape began a few years ago at Crown and Harp on Lower Greenville before it moved to Deep Ellum, but in its new home it offers the same opportunity for local and touring acts to try out something new in front of an enthusiastic and open-minded crowd of regulars, whether that means a first show, brand new songs or a sound that defies genre labels. If you ask the act du jour in Dallas noise, punk, goth or free jazz where they played some of their first shows, you'll likely be told Outward Bound, so attend Mondays and stay ahead of the curve. The show gets started 10 p.m. at RBC, 2617 Commerce St. Admission is free. Caroline North