Central Track Staff
All Hands On Deck.
Authorities recently revealed that a wildfire that scorched 51,000 acres in Oregon last year and cost the state over $8 million to fight was caused by a woman who threw some fireworks into some brush so that her bored firefighter buddies would have something to do.
It goes without saying that there are about a million less destructive ways to fight off boredom than starting random fires, and most of them won't cost millions of dollars or lead to your incarceration. Here are but a few. — Cory Graves
Stardeath and White Dwarfs at The Where House
A part of us wonders what folks like Jakob Dylan and Julian Lennon think of a band like Stardeath & White Dwarfs. On the one hand we're sure they can relate to the whole having-a-successful-relative-in-the-biz thing, as the band's Dennis Coyne is the nephew of Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. But, on the other hand, the fact that Dennis isn't of Wayne's direct lineage probably helps Stardeath avoid some of that unfair criticism that comes along with not living up to one's already legendary father. That being said, Stardeath's brand of psych rock is quite good on its own, Flaming Lips notwithstanding. — CG
Decks in the Park at Klyde Warren Park (Free)
Typically, when one brands an event as “family-friendly,” it usually means it's going to be the kind of thing people with kids will flock to and those without will avoid like the plague. For whatever reason, that doesn't seem to be the case with the free Decks in the Park dance parties held at Klyde Warren Park on the fourth Thursday of every month, which only seem to be growing in popularity each month. At last month's edition, for instance, crowd's began showing up before the first needle drop and eventually reached all the way out to the back lawns. — Kathy Tran
1310 The Ticket Presents: Corona Light Fight Night 2014 at Village Country Club
Hi kids, do you like violence? In their 10th annual Fight Night promo sports talk radio powerhouse 1310 The Ticket is once again giving North Texans three-minutes to pummel the crap out of one another in front of inebriated rabble-rousers. It's not as barbaric as it sounds: Well, they'll have a professional boxing referee and on-duty paramedic onsite at least. Free parking will be available at Dallas Children's Theater at 5938 Skillman St. — Cory Graves
Sean Patton at Addison Improv
Not to be confused with New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, New Orleans-based comedian Sean Patton does his act tonight in Addison. Not that you would, really: Patton's not what one would call the athletic-looking type, although, he did take a year's worth of stage fighting classes as a goof. Anyway, you can listen to him recounting the tale of an especially wild Mardi Gras eve in his hometown here if you're thinking about heading out to Addison tonight. — CG
G-Love & Special Sauce, Keb Mo at House of Blues
This Philadelphia-based band is hard to define. They like to call itself as a bunch of hip-hop blues musicians, at least according to its Facebook page, anyway. But, honestly, G-Love & Co. mostly sound like an alternative soft rock band that crashed into a laid-back hip-hop sound and then turned a corner into the early '90s. Should be quite entertaining. Speaking of the early '90s: Hey, that's when these guys released “Cold Beverage,” pretty much the only song most people can name by them! Grammy-winning bluesman Keb Mo also performs. — Erika Lambreton
Hip-Hop Karaoke at Crown and Harp
Always wanted to sing along to Master P's “Make 'Em Say Uhh!” but never been certain where in public you could pull off such a feat? Head on over to the Crown and Harp's downstairs venue tonight — and the last Thursday of every month — for your chance to sing (or rap) to your heart's desires. — EL
Beach Day at City Tavern
A couple of summers back the ladies of Beach Day met when their three respective former bands shared a bill. Then last year the trio released a debut full-length that heavily drew upon that instantly recognizable '60s girl group sound with elements of punk and surf sparsely sprinkled in for good measure. The band's followup, released earlier this month, boasts a higher fidelity and arguably more professional sound, but perhaps loses a little something in the process. It'll be interesting to see which end of the spectrum the girls' live show falls. Oklahoma's Skating Polly and Dallas' The Chloes open. — CG
Michael Malone at Hyena's Dallas
Michael Malone is a fast up-and-coming comedian. He's already made his stamp online with his best-selling album on iTunes, the jokester will be at Hyena's tonight to make fun of himself, you and the guy sitting to your right, all while having a good time. — Chase Whale
Beer vs Wine Smackdown at Scardello (Sold Out)
Beer-heads and wine-lovers come together at Scardello's to see which elixir is the better cheese wingman in this interactive taste-off. Five rounds will go down, each with one cheese, one wine and one beer. Each pairing will be talked about and discussed and votes will be held to see which drink of choice will go best with the next cheese platter you order. While tickets are sold out, you can call Scardello at 214-219-1300 to get put on the waitlist. — Chris Escarfullery
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
