Central Track Staff
Take That And Rewind It Back.
Tonight's got all the makings for a perfect, holiday-themed date night.
Start Downtown at Weekend Coffee, where they'll be handing out complimentary spiked eggnog. From there head to Spinster Records for some local holiday tuneage. Then, head to Kettle Art for some Christmas shopping.
That is, of course, if you've already got a date for the evening lined up. If not, might we suggest swinging by Off The Record beforehand? — Cory Graves
Usher at American Airlines Center
Though he spent much of his childhood in Tennessee and later in Atlanta, the R&B superstar born Usher Raymond was actually born right here in Dallas. With eight Grammys and 65 million records sold worldwide, he ranks among the best-selling artists of all time. Tonight, he'll reunite his decade-old non-feud with Justin Timberlake, in a sense, as he'll performing at the venue just one night after his former pseudo-nemesis. — CG
Karaoke Motel at The Ice House
When anyone consciously heads to a particular bar on karaoke night with a group of friends, they generally do so with the understanding that, a few drinks in, they'll be goaded by their pals into performing. Same goes for this bit of experimental immersive theater, really. Sure, most of what you'll see is straight from a Thomas Riccio-penned script. But there's also a good chance you'll end up a participant in the thing at some point, too. The play runs thrice nightly Thursdays through Saturdays until December 13. — CG
Crate Dating at Off the Record
Find your next bf/gf at this unique singles event, which combines crate digging with some good ol' fashioned music snobbery while you discuss your selections with your potential fling. It beats swiping away on Tinder, for one. And it should provide more suitable matches, seeing as how you'll already have two things in common — your love of vinyl and for hanging out in bars on weeknights. — CG
Brian Allen Carr at The Wild Detectives
Austin-based author Brian Allen Carr follows up his novel Motherfucking Sharks — a sort of literary version of Sharknado — with The Last Horror Novel in The History of the World, a book that introduces Texas-centric creatures like La Llorona and El Abuelo into the horror canon. Carr will be on hand, reading selections from the book tonight. — CG
Brewing in North Texas at Four Corners Brewing Co.
Brewing in North Texas dates back much further than the current craft beer boom its currently been experiencing — further back, even, than Rahr & Sons' nearly decade-long history. The earliest brewers date all the way back to 1857, and one of the first craft breweries opened its doors in Plano in 1982. Paul Hightower and Brian L. Brown know all about that stuff; they've written a book about it, even. For real. You can ask them about it tonight at Four Corners. — CG
Student Art Sale at Brookhaven College
The tables, we've been told, will be piled high with treasures that can, in turn, go home with you for a song. Pick up some one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts and help out a starving student artist at the same time. — CG
Magda Sayeg at Tractorbeam Gallery
Austin-based artist Magda Sayeg is known the world over for her knit-based graffiti, which she lovingly calls “yarn bombing.” In turn, Sayeg's become known as the mother of said movement. It's a style that's not only spread to places like Dallas — a group of yarn bombers calling themselves the “Knit Wits” meets regularly at the Lakewood branch of the Dallas Public Library — but globally to places like Rome, whose centuries-old monuments have been jazzed up by Sayeg. — CG
The Buick 6 at Vagabond
Not content just to lord over the area's best Tom Petty cover band, Mike Rhyner (read: our 9th favorite Ticket personality and recent Texas Radio Hall of Fame inductee) also does a pretty mean Bob Dylan. This is that band. — CG
Hand Drawn Records Christmas Party at Spinster Records
There's just over 20 shopping days left until Christmas — or, as many local musicians prefers to think of it, 20 more days to squeeze as much enjoyment as possible out of their recently-released Christmas recordings. That's especially true for the batch of locals that took part in Hand Drawn Records' first foray in the Christmas comp game. Pick up a physical copy of said comp, and get into the holiday spirit with live performances from a handful of the records' participants at this gathering. — CG
“Holiday Presence” at Kettle Art
Let's face it: Holiday shopping is a pain in the ass. Not only do you have to deal with hoards of people all fighting for the same over-priced gift, but the gifts often lack a sense of personality or creativity, making it seem like you put no effort into finding it. For the 10th year in a row now, Kettle Art provides an opportunity to find one-of-a-kind, affordable gifts from an array of artists without the painful trip to the over-packed retail jungles. — Porttia Portis
Blood & Thunder Roller Derby World Cup at Dallas Convention Center
Right on the heels of the 2011 Super Bowl and the 2014 Final Four, it seems North Texas has landed yet another marquee sporting event from the upcoming sports calendar. Yup, Dallas will play host to the 2014 World Cup — well, the other World Cup. That's right: The second-ever Roller Derby World Cup (the first came back in 2011 in Toronto) kicks off tonight, and runs through December 7. It'll feature the roller derby squads of more than 13 countries, including the defending champion from right here in the United States. — Stephen Young
John Fullbright at Kessler Theater
Born in the same small Oklahoma town that gave us Woody Guthrie, John Fullbright never shied away from his roots. He first made a name for himself performing in an annual folk fest named after Guthrie. Since, he's released a trio of albums that exude a similarly bold, rootsy style to forbearers Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Most recently, his tune “Gawd Above” appeared on the August: Osage County soundtrack. — CG
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
