Central Track Contributor
Do The Hussle.
Yesterday, the planet Mercury went into retrograde. Astrologically speaking, this means that plans can suddenly go awry. Maybe that helps explain yesterday's snow? Dunno.
But, if you care at all about horoscopes and the like, you might want to back up your hard drives, look both ways before you cross the street and be sure you have backup plans to back up your backup plans — and to keep this bit up until Mercury goes direct again starting next month.
Lucky for you, then, that there's lots going on this weekend. Y'know, in case your best laid plans fall through.
Friday
Yuck at Trees
Hailing from London, these '90s revival rockers put together one of the coolest albums of 2011. For real: Their self-titled debut was a pastiche of a really good record collection that contained all the great bands you loved from 20 years ago. They played with verve and looked sullenly grunge and everything was great. Then lead singer Daniel Blumberg left to go focus on his own music. All of a sudden, guitarist Max Bloom went from singing on one song on the album to becoming the new lead singer for the group's sophomore effort, which was released last fall. Now the band is touring on the back of that release and, on Friday night, they'll support it at Trees. Check it out — hey, if only to see how Bloom is doing up front these days. If you're lucky, maybe you'll get to hear some of the new material from the band's recently announced EP due out sometime this year. — Jeremy Hughes
Nick Earl Trio at Twilite Lounge
Polyphonic Spree guitarist Nick Earl — along with Spree bandmate Bach Norwood and noted area jazz drummer Chris Holmes — will run out a number of jazzed-up-but-recognizable instrumental versions of classic rock covers along with a handful of Earl's own originals as well. — Cory Graves
Jessie Frye (Album Release) at Lola's
Though Frye's new, Wall Street Journal-approved LP doesn't officially drop until Tuesday, the album will be available at a pair of release shows the local pop balladeer will perform at this weekend. Pullman Standard, Kaela Sinclair and We'rewolves perform at this one. — Cory Graves
Quaker City Night Hawks at Three Links
Last month, the Fort Worth hard-edged country rockers digitally released a pair of heavy new cuts that comprised their Texas Heavy seven-inch. Moreover, they teased that a soon-to-be-finished third LP will be of the same, ballsier ilk of these new tunes. That said, expect an even more raucous live offering than you've seen yet from these guys. Rise & Shine and Foxtrot Uniform open. — Cory Graves
Catamaran (EP Release) at Dada
We've been hooked on Catamaran's undeniably infectious single, “All Around,” for quite some time now. Hell, it even made our list of the best local tunes released last year. Tonight, the band adds to that cannon of glossy indie-pop treats with the release of its debut EP. Sealion, Spookeasy and Brave Young Lion open. — Cory Graves
Kevin Allison at Dallas Comedy House
Perhaps best known for being a member of The State sketch comedy troupe, Allison will be in town tonight, recording a live episode of his Risk! podcast, which typically involves people telling shocking, cringe-worthy stories to complete strangers. He'll also stick around to teach a couple of sketch comedy writing workshops on Saturday morning if you like what you see on Friday. — Porschia Paxton
Nelo, Seryn and The Rocketboys at Granada Theater
Nelo may have officially formed in Austin and lived for a time in Athens, but its members first began playing together while attending high school together here in Dallas. Tonight's homecoming affair will also mark the release of their latest, self-titled LP. Seryn and The Rocketboys open. — Cory Graves
Into It. Over It. at Sons of Hermann Hall
Into It. Over It. — the solo project of Damiera bassist Evan Weiss — was originally born out of the desire to quash a creative rut. Weiss, who previously lamented about never having written a single hummable tune his entire life, decided to reverse the curse by writing and recording a song a week for a full year. And his resulting 52-track debut effort features quite a few hummable moments to say the least. — Cory Graves
Mustache Envy at Sue Ellen's
Since 2011, the minds behind Dallas' Mustache Envy collective have aspired to bring the art of the drag king to the forefront. And with just a $6 admission to their bi-monthly shows, you should be left with plenty of extra dough to throw at the performers as you catcall and otherwise egg them on. Don't worry, says host Lillith Grey, they love it. — Cory Graves
Curtis Heath Benefit at The Live Oak
Time moves pretty fast in local music circles. Like, lightning fast. So it's easy to forget, sometimes, just how big certain bands were — even as recently as a few years back. That's certainly the case with The Theater Fire, which, it could be argued, was maybe the scene's biggest, most consistent act of the aughts, thanks to a three-album run of LP releases — starting with 2003's self-titled debt, 2005's Everybody Has a Dark Side, and, most recently, 2009's Matter and Light, which even Pitchfork lauded for its “clever orchestrations and cleverer lyrics.” And yet here they are, performing again, performing at this show as part a benefit for co-frontman Curtis Heath, who's currently being treated for melanoma. The Baptist Generals, Dark Rooms and Priya & Andy will all lend their talents to the evening's affair as well. — Pete Freedman
Jimmie Vaughan at Kessler Theater (Sold Out)
The older brother of Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan is known as “The Godfather of Austin Blues.” As a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, he brought into this world “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap it Up,” two of the most-used songs in the history of advertising. — Cory Graves
Reckless Kelly at Billy Bob's
Since its origins in an old farmhouse-turned-music studio 15 years ago, Reckless Kelly has been attempting to bring the old-school vibe back to country rock. Another thing that hasn't changed: The band has always tried to make its recorded output sound as live as possible. So what you hear on their albums is pretty much what you're going to get tonight. — Stephen Young
Millennial Fashion Show at Omni Hotel Park West
With New York Fashion Week going on, new looks are at the top of everyone's minds. As such, Dallas will take the opportunity to throw a fashion event and runway show of its own featuring over 20 designers. — Porschia Paxton
Dyro at Lizard Lounge
The 23-year-old house DJ is currently one of Holland's hottest exports. Not bad for a guy that's only been DJing for four years. — Cory Graves
Saturday
Turnpike Troubadours at House of Blues
Finally, some virtuosic Red Dirt musicians that aren't all in-your-face about it — or the fact that they wear pearl snaps, drink beer and frequently operate farm equipment. Needless to say, their songs are better for it. — Cory Graves
Jessie Frye (Album Release) at Three Links
Frye's second album release show of the weekend will feature performances from Nervous Curtains and Vulgar Fashion. — Cory Graves
The Fibs (Album Release) at The Where House
The latest cassette release from Fort Worth's ever-hip Dreamy Soundz imprint is the debut effort from newer outfit The Fibs. And though two-thirds of the band split before tonight's release, Dreamy Soundz heads Jennifer and Robby Rux — who also perform with Bitch Bricks and Year of the Bear, respectively — will be playing in their stead. Nathan Brown, The Silver Saint and Mercury Rocket will share billing. — Cory Graves
Lumberjack Festival at Dan's Silverleaf
No offense to Dan's regulars Satans of Soft Rock, Daniel Markham, Wurley Birds or Bar Band — all of which will also perform on this first night of of the Silverleaf's annual Lumberjack Festival — but we're going to go out on a limb here and say that the rare homecoming appearance by onetime scene kings Spooky Folk tonight might be the most exciting this that happens all weekend long. Especially since it's also the band's first hometown show since the release of long-in-the-works sophomore LP. — Cory Graves
Print This at WAAS Gallery
Celebrating the art of printed work, this show features a mix of pieces from designers, painters and photographers. Most notable, though, is the centerpiece of the show — work by Milton Glaser, who is famous for many reasons, one of which being that he made the “I <3 NY" logo. His career is so much more than that, however, and getting a chance to see his work on display is a must. Go learn about why he's one of design's living legends. Accompanying the Glaser work will be selections from local artists such as Jonathan Zizzo, Hal Samples and Brian Gibb. -- Jeremy Hughes
Russian Circles and KEN Mode at Dada
Winnipeg noise/hardcore act KEN Mode continues its tour in support of last March's Entrench at this show tonight. Beyond that, this show is probably your best chance to see some classically trained musicians — that's right, the members of KEN mode met at music conservatory — play some loud, loud punk music in North Texas this weekend. Discordant Chicago-based trio Russian Circles and Inter Arma also perfom. — Stephen Young
For the Love of Kettle at Kettle Art
At Kettle Art's one and only fundraiser of each year, you can come by and purchase art created specifically for the event for $50 flat, directly from local artists, with all the proceeds going back into the artist-owned gallery. — Trace McCaslin
Crizzly at Lizard Lounge
If you're looking for someone to blame for the recent batch of snow, look no further than Crizzly. The DJ's Lizard Lounge set this weekend, turns out, is actually a reschedule from a gig that was originally set to go down when #Icemageddon 2013 was having its way with us. And it hasn't snowed since. Coincidence? We'll leave that up to you to decide. — Cory Graves
Googoosh at Verizon Theatre
The four dates on Googoosh's current tour includes her first local performance since 2006. Still, we should be so lucky; people have waited a hell of a lot longer than eight years to see her perform before. Though she was a huge star in Iran in the '70s, she didn't turn in a single live performance between 1979 — when the female solo performers became banned in her home country — and the year 2000, when she finally returned to touring. — Cory Graves
One-Year Anniversary at Shopmieux
This Dallas resale shop, which sells designer clothes at a fraction of the price like a higher-end version of Buffalo Exchange, celebrates its first birthday this weekend. — Porschia Paxton
Sci-Fi Expo at Irving Convention Center
Appearing at this year's event, which goes down on February 8 and 9 at the Irving Convention Center, will be Mr. Holland himself, Richard Dreyfuss. Thanks to his roles in Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dreyfuss is essentially a god in the science fiction realm, but he's hardly the only interesting name also slated to appear at this year's deal. Among the others showing up to Irving: J.J. Abrams' Star Trek cast members Karl Urban and Alice Eve; O.G. RoboCop god and Buckaroo Banzai persona Peter Weller; Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan; and the reunited cast of SyFy's Warehouse 13. — Pete Freedman
Nispey Hussle at The Prophet Bar (Big Room)
He's yet to release a proper studio LP, but to imply anything other than that Nipsey Hussle is fast becoming a major player in the rap game would be absurd. Back in October, as you may have heard, the Los Angeles rapper released Crenshaw, his eighth solo mixtape since 2005. Per protocol, it was a free-to-download release. But it was more than that, too: In tandem with the 2010 XXL “Freshman Class” rapper posting that 21-cut affair online, Hussle also conducted something of a social experiment, releasing 1,000 hard copies of the release in a L.A. pop-up shop for $100 a pop, promising that fans who purchased the disc would also receive a free ticket to an upcoming live performance. Then a funny thing happened at that pop-up shop sale: Jay Z bought 100 copies of the disc, spending $10,000 in support of the fast-rising emcee. How's that for a cosign? Pretty solid. Better than one we could offer. And yet, alas, Central Track is presenting this appearance. — Pete Freedman
Sunday
Paul Simon, Sting at American Airlines Center
You know Paul Simon: He's that short guy who cameo'd in a music video with Chevy Chase and sang a bunch of songs with Art Garfunkel. Sting was the frontman for a rock band called the Police until he quit doing that to do whatever the hell he wanted to. He acted a little, did a bunch of yoga and got really good at having sex for a long time. Sting also happens to still be really good-looking. These two really cool guys have been friends since the '80s, when they ended up as neighbors in New York City. We suppose touring together was an inevitability of their 30-year friendship. They'll be doing some duets and playing through a few of their countless hits solo at this rather affordable show. — Jeremy Hughes
Local Education at Three Links
Denton folk-grass outfit Boxcar Bandits, Dallas rockers The Rye Boys and Fort Worth's blues-hating punks in Doom Ghost will be featured in local booker King Camel's now-regular all-local showcases at the venue. — Cory Graves
Big Hair and Sparkly Pants at Webb Gallery
Tucked in downtown Waxahachie is the world-famous Webb Gallery, a historic building chock full of just about everything old, outsider and bizarre. Famous for its collection of outsider and folk art, the museum is hosting a show starting Sunday, through the end of April, featuring what they say is, “a survey of what we think about TEXAS” from artists including Campbell Bosworth, Joe Ely, Dirk Fowler and more. There will also be a collection of vintage Texas music posters to check out, too. Music will be provided live by the Matt the Cat Trio. And Saint Arnolds is providing beer. — Jeremy Hughes
Lumberjack Festival at Dan's Silverleaf
Justin Collins, Brent Best, Pinebox Serenade, Spitfire Tumbleweeds and RTB2 each perform on the second night of this annual event. — Cory Graves
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
