Hey, friend, it's 2015. We're living in the future. There's the Instagram. The kids are doing the snapchatting and the twittering. You can watch a whole movie in the palm of your hand on a square that's 1/4 of an inch thick. We're in the future. But, where the hell is my hoverboard? I was lied to! Anyway, there's concerts this week. Mike and the Moonpies, a Denton Showcase with Vice Palace, the Blue Man Group finishes a stop in Dallas and there's much more. Check out your picks for the first weekend of 2015.
See also: Austin's Mike and the Moonpies Lost $25,000 Worth of Gear After Dallas Gig Denton's Problem Dogg Released a 49-track Album and It's Completely Insane
Blank-Men With Bummer Vacation and Wonderboom, 9 p.m. Friday, January 2, at Bryan Street Tavern, 4315 Bryan St., 214-821-4447, Free The Blank-Men are a four-piece out of Fort Worth. Their music has one foot in the past and another in the present. Synths bounce around and the drumming is strident in typical '80s fashion, though the mood, vocals and guitar licks are decidedly punk. Their sound is perfectly encapsulated by their cover of an obvious influence, Devo. It's danceable and frantic, but most important, it's fun. H. Drew Blackburn
The Paul White Consortium 10 p.m., Friday, January 2, at Granada Theater, 3520 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, Free The Paul White Consortium is a four piece that consists of veteran players in the Dallas music scene. What they've bestowed upon us here is a delightful tribute of the last roughly 50-60 years in pop and rock music. You'll hear them play anything from The Beatles to Alice in Chains to SRV. You know all of the songs. That's perfect. Grab a drink and revel in nostalgia. HDB
The Prophet Bar Presents the Hip-Hop Showcase With Spike Chester, Brandon Smith, K-Lew, T Lo-Lo, Loren, Street Certified Gang, 24Kv, EB Rebel, ShottyHD, Patrick Milla Da Don, Scott Summer$ and ZacFray, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, January 3, at The Prophet Bar, 2548 Elm St., thedoordallas.com, $10 You haven't heard of most of these artists. (Hell, I haven't heard of most of these artists!) That's why this show is worth your time. Everyone starts at the bottom. Check out this showcase in the hopes of catching someone on the upswing. Maybe Saturday will be the day you forever boost your street cred, one day bragging that you, "saw ____ at The Prophet Bar before their mixtape dropped and they hit it big." Attend this event. Your ego is begging you. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Mike and the Moonpies 8 p.m. Saturday, January 3, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $10-12 Honky-tonk will always and forever be a part of Austin's culture and Texas' as a whole. Mike and the Moonpies have been an Austin staple for about seven years and their lineup has changed numerous times. Now they have a solid cast of six guys who play the music of the heartland and two albums under their belt. They've opened for the likes of Eleven Hundred Springs and Hayes Carll, and if these guys are good enough for them, they're good enough for you. When they visited Dallas last spring, the Moonpies were dealt a blow when their tour van (and with it all of their equipment) was stolen from outside their hotel. They're back on their feet, though, and hopefully this visit will be far more pleasant. HDB
Spiderweb Salon Winter Formal With Danny Diamonds, CATASTICA, Skagg Philips, 9 p.m., Saturday January 3, at Dan's Silver Leaf, 103 Industrial Street, Denton, TX, 940-320-2000, $5 Spiderweb Salon grew out of a backyard in a quaint little Denton home. It's a throwback to the salons that were invented by the Italians and carried on by the the French in the 17th and 18th centuries. They aimed to entertain and educate people with literature. So there here, there are definitely going to be readings of poetry and fiction, as well as visual art on display. There's also gonna be some music by way of Danny Diamonds, CATASTICA, and Skagg Philips. It's also got a winter formal theme so dress a little nice you hoodlum. HDB
Johnny Hootrock With Rodeo Clown Drop Outs, and Hellbilly Homicide, 9 p.m., Friday, January 2, at Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St., 214-887-6510, $8.50 Psychobilly is basically that scene in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story when Dewey gets hooked on cocaine and demands that the band play faster. It's rockabilly and punk rock fused to create a frenetic sound. Johnny Hootrock is a Dallas based three piece rockabilly band that brings out your darker and more badass side that has 347 Sailor Jerry tattoos. It's fast, loud, and kickass; just the way we like it. HDB
Vice Palace Denton Showcase With Terminator 2, Problem DOGG, Shiny Around the Edges, Bukkake Moms and PseudoQueen, 9 p.m. Saturday, January 3, at Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd., 214-948-1546 or thetexastheatre.com, $5 On January 3, Denton will invade Oak Cliff. The gig, organized by local production outfit Vice Palace, will feature a variety of Denton bands at the Texas Theatre. The show will follow the premiere performance of Pseudoqueen: Shatrovian Myst, also booked by Vice Palace, at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center, next door to the Texas Theatre. The lineup, in true showcase form, features a diverse array of performers. Sludge metal act Terminator 2 will headline. Problem DOGG, whose album release is the night of the show, is a no wave, noise rock group. Critically acclaimed Shiny Around the Edges will bring their brand of heavy, grating rock 'n' roll. And opening the show is the controversially named no wave band Bukakke Moms. If the show is carried out in typical Denton fashion, you can expect a party. James Khubiar
Fun Button With The Gabies, The Orcanaut, The Hymens, 9 p.m., Saturday, January 3, at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, 411 East Sycamore Street, Denton, TX, 940-387-7781, $1-$3 Fun Button is a Denton based four piece that combines bluesy and jazzy riffs with an indie rock sensibility. They've only got two songs on the Internet, but the both of them, "Two Roads" and "Off The Grid," show some promise for great things to come. If you're into jubilant indie rock that has a flavor of a jubilant affair with excellent solos, this looks like a choice move. HDB
Hares on the Mountain 5 p.m. Sunday, January 4, at Dan's Silver Leaf, 103 Industrial St., Denton, 940-320-2000, Free It almost seems like there's a law stipulating that to be in one Denton band you must also be in at least one more. Hares on the Mountain consists of Ryan Thomas Becker (also in RTB2), Petra Kelly (a violinist in Spooky Folk), Tony Ferraro (a member of the Satans of Soft Rock), Cory Coleman (A.M. Ramblers) and George Neal (the Slow Burners). It looks like the drummer, Justin Collins, is the only one who doesn't play elsewhere, but he produces for other bands in the area, so the point stands. These musicians come together to form a Denton supergroup that plays "danger folk." To wit, danger never sounded so good. HDB
Blue Man Group 2 p.m., Sunday, January 4, at Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street, 214-880-0202, $25-$85 The Blue Man Group has been heralded for their performances that combine visual art, comedy, digital media, and of course percussion based music. The group was founded in in 1987 by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton and ever since then they've been painting themselves blue and getting accolades in troves. Though they've earned a considerable name with a ton of clout I'll always remember them as the group that is responsible for putting these brilliant words of true American poetry into our world: "I'm afraid I just blue myself." HDB
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