Central Track StaffRoot For Them Red Raiders, Pop Some Xanax With Sik-K, Give Dirk a Final Sendoff, Kick Off Soluna and Thin Line Fests, Hold Out Hope With President Obama and More.
According to many different bouts of research, a lot of us tend to put off doing things we know we’re going to love. We do so, they say, at the same rate that we put off doing things we know we’re going to hate.
Part of the reasoning — as you can read more about here — is that we perceive that we’ll have more time to enjoy things we have later, because right now we’re too “busy.” The thing is, we all think of ourselves as super busy, and when later comes, we’re going to be just as “busy” as we are now.
In summary? There’s no time like the present. We’re not getting an less busy, so we have to learn to just enjoy the present, and fit in as much fun in what little free time we think we have.
Below you’ll find loads of places to start putting this into practice. — Cory Graves
Monday
Terror Jr. at Trees
Remember the Cataracs? One of the members of that project formed Terror Jr. in 2016. They achieved hype after one of their singles was used for a Kylie Jenner lip gloss commercial, and they didn’t use an orange tile on Instagram to make it happen, either. — Garrett Gravley
Octavio Solis: Retablos at The Wild Detectives
Author and award-winning playwright, Octavio Solis, will be reading from his book Retablos, aloud for everyone to hear at Oak Cliff bookstore. He will be telling short stories of a life lived along the border through astonishing, evocative language and vivid imagery. Tickets will be selling for $16. — Mira Scott
Master of the Mic: #LAReplay w/ Haiku d’eTAT at Ruins
A MoM replay, featuring Season 4’s judges, returning past winners as hosts, and performances from most recent winner, Floetic Desire and finalists, Lamar AdotThomas, Frxsh and KoolBRZ with DJ Imperial D. Can’t beat that. — CG
Game of Thrones Trivia at Trinity Cider
Ready for this weekend’s Thrones premiere? After two years, you should be. Either way, brush up on everything that’s happened up to this point by playing the game of Game of Thrones — and drinking special brews of fire and ice. — CG
SOLUNA: A Musicians View at Meyerson Symphony Center
To kick off this year’s SOLUNA festival, there’s this champagne toast and chamber orchestra performance where you get to sit right on stage. — CG
National Championship Watch Party at Blue Light
There will be a veritable shit ton of bars in which to watch those Texas Tech Red Raiders vie for their first-ever National Championship, but none of which will have its guns so far up as this Lubbock-sprung Tech bar. — CG
Tuesday
Milk Carton Kids at Kessler Theater
Life has changed drastically for the American indie folk duo so much that these guys are introducing a band to their new project set to drop on June 29. They’ve historically been just an acoustic duo, so this should be interesting. — MS
Parcels at Trees
The Australian-bred, Berlin-based soft rockers bring the super sounds of the ‘70s back to Deep Ellum. Polyester optional. The Undercover Dream Lovers open. — CG
This Wild Life at The Prophet Bar
Due to fans seemingly gravitating more towards their acoustic material, punkers Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Grusso formed This Wild Life six years ago. Now, they’re touring for their new album, Petaluma. And on it, the records feel brighter, more up-tempo and like something worth listening to every day. Sleep On It and Crooked Teeth open. — MS
Delta Sleep at Sundown
UK post-hardcore/math rock outfit Delta Sleep released its most recent LP Ghost City in August 2018, and is presumably coming out with more material, if not taking another North American victory lap to celebrate last year’s release. — GG
Ann Marie at 2513 Deep Ellum
Besides being the ultimate British fusion of electro, R&B, hip-hop and pop, the singer-songwriter is also a three-time karate champion. — MS
Sik-K at Canton Hall
This is the year of Korean artists, and that includes rapper Sik-K. He recently released the singles “ADDICT” and “xanax” and is teasing more imminent material, much to the gargantuan number of Twitter fans’ excitement. Yoshi Flower opens. — GG
Born Yesterday at The Magnolia
It’s time, it’s time! In the 1950 comedy, Harry whom is set for D.C. on a business trip, and this time he wants to bring his former showgirl ex-girlfriend Billie along. He hires a journalist to make her appear more intelligent in front of his colleagues but, little does he know, Billie may be smarter than her friends give her credit for. — MS
Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center
Every indication would be that this is Dirk Nowitzki’s final home game as a Maverick. But until he actually says the word retirement I’m choosing to be in denial about the whole thing. — CG
Lucinda Williams & Buick 6 at Ridglea Theater (Sold Out)
If you loved Lucinda’s classic album, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, then you will want to come see it played in its entirety here, in honor of its 20th anniversary, followed by a second set of fan-favorite songs from throughout her career. — MS
Stephen Kellogg at Sons of Hermann Hall
Over the last decade, Kellogg has gained a lot more publicity by raising thousands of dollars for causes close to his heart, being named as Armed Forces Entertainer of The Year, performing more than 1,500 concerts around the world and even penning singles for American Idol winner Nick Fradiani. — MS
Wednesday
Leikeli47 at Dada
The fast-rising, frequently masked rapper from Brooklyn hits Dallas this week to make Ellum go “Tic Boom.” Yung Baby Tate and Deante Hitchcock are also on the bill.– GG
Better Oblivion Community Center at Trees
Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers’ new band, Better Oblivion Community Center, make their area debut at Trees. In the past two years, Bridgers has enjoyed success as a solo artist and as a member of boygenius. At this point, Oberst’s achievements under Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, The Faint, Monsters of Folk and The Mystic Valley Band should go without saying. — GG
The Strumbellas at Canton Hall
After a quick Wikipedia search, I learned that people have actually used the phrase “farm emo” in a sentence, and I’m glad this band is the reason behind that. — GG
Christopher Cross at Majestic Theatre
The five-time Grammy winning yacht-rocker also has an Oscar under his belt as well. He never started any silly backwards jeans trends, either. — CG
Inner Moonlight: First Year Anniversary! at The Wild Detectives
The monthly, second Wednesday poetry event celebrates its first anniversary with a whole night dedicated to former featured poets all throwing a poetry party. — MS
STS9 at House of Blues
Their name is pronounced as Sound Tribe Sector 9, and they are an instrumental collective that tends to combine the likes of dab, funk, psychedelic and electronic influences. Sounds like a whirlwind of crazy, cool sounds, if you ask me. — MS
Ima Let U Finish at Three Links
But Dallas has one of the best Kanye tributes of all time. — CG
Almost Famous at Sundown (Free)
Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical classic — and probably the last movie with Kate Hudson in it that you took seriously — will be playing on the roof of Sundown tonight for free. Oh, and if the entire audience at this screening isn’t singing “Tiny Dancer” in unison during that one bus scene, you have my permission to throw a fit. — Chelsea Upton
Thursday
A Conversation with Barack Obama at Hilton Anatole
POTUS 44 is in town to deliver one of the keynote speeches at this year’s Diversity & Leadership Conference. Joining him will be Ugly Better herself, America Ferrera. — CG
Big Freedia at Granada Theatre
The New Orleans bounce music icon is stopping in town to show everyone in Dallas how to twerk it out in 2019. — Big Freedia
Martellus Bennet: Dear Black Boy at The Wild Detectives
Dear black boy, you are loved and you are more than just an athlete, a jersey number or great stats. You are playing in the biggest game that life has to offer and Martellus Bennet, Super Bowl Champion and former Dallas Cowboys tight end, will be at The Wild Detective to remind you just that, along with speaking on his new book, Dear Black Boy. — MS
Wolf at the Door at Kitchen Dog Theater
Married and abused, life seems to have granted Isadora, a way to stand up to her abusive husband, Septimo –a pack of wolves is closing in on their living quarters. On top of that, Septimo is forcing the very pregnant Yolot, to stay inside the house. While Septimo has plans for the unborn baby, the ladies have devised secret plans of their own. The window of opportunity is fairly small; will the ladies take it or pass it? You have a few chances to find out, as the play runs through May 5. — MS
Mandolin Orange at Kessler Theater
The North Carolina folk duo’s music readily radiates a mysterious warmth. And on their newly dropped album, Tides of A Teardrop, this kind of intimacy is deepened and harmonized by singer-songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz. — MS
Lil Jon DJ Set at Lava Cantina
OK. — CG
George Thorogood & the Destroyers at House of Blues
The gravel-voiced king of the white-boy blues will perform his major hits tonight, like “Bad to the Bone” and a handful of others that could have just as easily been filler on the Problem Child soundtrack. — CG
Heartbyrne, Josh T Pearson at Deep Ellum Art Co.
This must be the place – where the Austin-based Talking Heads tribute plays this week. In the opening slot is the Lift to Experience vocalist playing the “hits” from his second solo album. — CG
Thin Line Festival in Denton
The Brave Boys at Campus Theatre and Carson McHone and Claire Morales at Dan’s make up the free music contingent of this, largely, film fest. Screenings of documentaries like Joseph Pulitzer, The Mischief Makers and Love in the Time of Antidepressants are among Thursday’s other draws. — CG
Skull Fist at Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill
The Canadian metal outfit’s 2015 breakup didn’t last long at all. Four months after quitting, frontman Zach Slaughter returned to the fold and began working on the album they’re currently out promoting. Starkill opens. — CG
Tripping Daisy at Dada
Homegrown Fest is presenting a “Super Not So Secret VIP” show with hometown heroes Tripping Daisy. The Bralettes and Meach Pango open. — GG
Dallas International Film Festival
Aside from the opening night party, a screening of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile at The Magnolia kicks off night one of DIFF. The full week’s schedule can be found at the link above. — CG
SOLUNA: 1812 Overture at Meyerson Symphony Center
The DSO will be joined by the Dallas Symphony Chorus for Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, and by world-renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman for Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The big spectacle concludes with Tchaikovsky’s explosive 1812 Overture, which in its purist form, calls for live cannon fire. — CG
The Office: A Dunder Mifflin Party at Industry Allley Bar
As part of the festivities on Thursday, April 11, Industry Alley will be even hosting its own version of The Dundies — which is kind of like a kid’s birthday party, where you go, and there’s really nothing for you to do there, but the kid’s having a really good time, so you’re… you’re kinda there. That’s kind of what it’s like. — Oscar Martinez