Central Track Contributor
Psych Yourself Up For Black Mountain.
This Thursday is jam-packed. Like, even for a Thursday, I mean. And Thursdays are pretty much always guaranteed to at least be kinda busy. But this one? This one is insane.
A quick rundown of what's on the docket for today: For starters, there are shows aplenty, featuring musicians all across the genre spectrum, with some big names playing at some big venues and some smaller-but-just-as-good names playing some smaller-but-just-as-good rooms. There's also a pretty huge comedy show going on right downtown. And there's a massive philanthropic event right down the street from that comedy event.
All in all, that adds up to a pretty hectic little Thursday.
Also? There's a new presidential library opening up and, oh yeah, there are five presidents in town for that, and that's not even mentioned elsewhere in this write-up of things going on today because that's how busy today is.
Told you it was insane.
Bill Burr at The Majestic Theater
You might recognize Bill Burr from Chappelle's Show. Or from Breaking Bad. Or from his countless televised appearances and sets on the late-night talk show circuit. As for credits beyond that? Well, as if those weren't solid enough, you won't find many. That's because Burr's a comedian’s comedian. Stand-up is his fortress. Tonight, you're welcome to enter it.
Youth Lagoon at The Loft
Youth Lagoon's mastermind, Trevor Powers, is all about that dreamy indie pop-rock life. And, as such, the two albums he's released to date — Wondrous Bughouse and The Year of Hibernation — have each been met with wide critical acclaim. Need more proof that he's something special? He's on Fat Possum Records, a label known for pretty much everything except for the kind of music Powers makes. And yet he stands out. He's that good.
Juicy J at The Southside Music Hall
Juicy J is a hip-hop veteran. Dude's been around and in the limelight for years, mostly as a member of the Oscar-winning Three Six Mafia out of Memphis. More recently, though, he signed to fellow stoner Wiz Khalifa’s independent record label Taylor Gang Records, and subsequently reinvented his whole identity, appealing himself to a new generation of fans by serving up raps that make him out to be a far less thoughtful and savvy performer than he actually is. Which is exactly why he's so thoughtful and savvy, when you think about it.
Ray Wylie Hubbard at Dan's Silverleaf
Ray Wylie Hubbard was born in Oklahoma, but the influential songwriter grew up right here in Oak Cliff, which explains why he wrote the song “Screw You, We’re From Texas,” at least in part.
The Black Crowes at the House of Blues
Never forget: The Black Crowes jacked Otis Redding's style long before Kanye made it cool.
Lumineers at the Verizon Theatre
Every few years there's a folk rock band that gets insanely popular. This is that folk band.
Barefoot at The Belmont presents Amy Cook and Somebody's Darling
Barefoot at the Belmont, the annual summer concert series held at the Belmont Hotel's pool, kicks its 2013 season off tonight with Amy Cook, who has a bunch of songs inspired by the town of Marfa in her songbook, and Somebody's Darling, the Dallas roots rock outfit that has a cool van.
Burning Hotels at Sundown at Granada
Arguably Fort Worth's most popular band, the Burning Hotels play their dance-friendly, '80s-inspired songs for free at Sundown tonight. Looks like they're making a play for becoming Dallas' most popular band then, eh?
Black Mountain, Besnard Lakes and Suuns at Dada
The psych-rock bill of the week comes courtesy of three bands scheduled to play at Austin's Psych Fest later in the weekend. Maybe if you take enough drugs at this show, you'll feel like you're in Austin, yeah?
Quaker City Night Hawks at Billy Bob's Texas
The Quaker City Night Hawks have been making quite a name for themselves around town. If you aren't familiar their latest album, well, it's pretty damn good. And their live shows are even better.
Stilletto Strut at Downtown Neman Marcus
To raise money and protest family violence, The Joule Hotel and Neiman Marcus Downtown are putting on a sassy walk in high heels. Yes, that sounds a little weird, but basically some wonderful ladies will strut in said heels, people will donate money and, hopefully, people will stop sucking by being violent. While the ladies walk, dudes are invited check out the the “Loafer Lounge” at the Joule, where there will be food and drinks. I'm not making any of this up, by the way. It's all real.
Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Conferenceat at Sheraton DFW
Are we the only people confused as to why this Halloween-esque convention is going down in late April? No? OK, cool.
Woodsman, A Giant Dog and Midnight Society at Rubber Gloves
Woodsman is an experimental, ambient, post-psychedelic quartet that's based out of Denver. The band features two totemic percussionists and two sonic animators that use electric guitars, feedback loops and recorded samples during their shows. This is a band that can only exist in the 21st century. Less bizarre is A Giant Dog, the Austin-based outfit that features members of Bobby Jealousy, Bad Sports and OBN III's. Prolific musicians? That's just timeless.
Friday’s Foolery EP Release w/ The Bombachs and Tony Q Project at City Tavern
OK, so check this out: On Thursday, The Bombachs will celebrate the release of their EP, which comes out Friday; that EP, meanwhile, is called Saturday Morning. And, now, let us all sing the Happy Days theme song.
