Central Track Contributor
Live And Die.
Yesterday, Americans were gripped when a pack of llamas led police on a high-speed chase through the suburbs of Arizona. In case you were wondering, that wasn't the code name of an underground Sun City street gang either. We're talking actual, real live llamas.
We can't promise you anything you do this weekend will be as thrilling as watching wild camelids galloping through traffic on via live webcam feed, no. But if anything can come close, it can certainly be found in the following list. — Cory Graves
Friday
The Avett Brothers at South Side Ballroom (Sold Out)
No matter that the cute indie folkers roll through Dallas at least a couple times every year, the Brothers Avett never have trouble selling tickets to their shows. This current trip finds them selling out a two-night swing at the 3,000 capacity South Side Ballroom. That's no small feat. And likely a couple of those tickets were snagged by non other than Dirk Nowitzki. Dude's a huge fan. — CG
Meghan Trainor at Granada Theater (Sold Out)
Grammy-nominated pop crooner, Meghan Trainor, is currently headlining her first-ever North American tour. On the back of massive, No. 1 hit single, “It's All About That Bass,” this show sold out in short order. Deeper into the bubbly 21-year-old's catalog are several other potential hits waiting to be discovered, too, though they're maybe a bit more doo-wop influenced than her biggest song to date. —Lauren Rushing
A Place to Bury Strangers at Dada Update: This show has been postponed till March 3. — Carly Seitz
If noise rock doesn't annoy the shit out of you with its perpetual cacophonies and dissonance, you might like A Place to Bury Strangers and want to catch them live at Dada. If you're not familiar with the noise rock genre, just give APTBS a listen and one song should clear things up for you. Other genres the band falls into include shoegaze, psychedelic and space rock.
Screeching Weasel at Trees
Formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel, Chicago punk outfit Screeching Weasel has gone through numerous lineup changes during its three decades together. In fact, noted asshole Weasel — who pulled an Afroman during a 2011 SXSW performance, punch two female audience members in the face — has been the band's only consistent member. Still, similarly tumultuous openers the Dwarves has been super thrilling every time its been through town in recent years. Potato Pirates also perform. — LR
Hayes Carll at Kessler Theater
No, he hasn't released any new music since 2011's stellar KMAG YOYO, but, c'mon, Hayes Carll is just the best. A hyperliterate lyricist in the vein of Rhett Miller and a vocalist crooner indebted to Ray Wylie Hubbard, Carll's music is pure Texan — and in the best way possible. It swings and it swaggers, it rollicks and it bites. And, in live settings, his charms are only multiplied. He's a treasure. Troy Cartwright opens. — Pete Freedman
Baring Teeth, Mountain of Smoke, Ten Foot Beast, Idrea at RBC
In case you've ever wondered exactly how dissonant heavy local rockers Baring Teeth get such a massive sound out of its three-piece setup, the band recently sat down with the Toilet Ov Hell blog to break down its 2014 album Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins track by brutal track. As for how they achieve the effect live? That's just something you'll kind of have to see for yourself. Ten Foot Beast, Mountain of Smoke and Idre open. — CG
Jim Breuer at House of Blues
Though he was born with a face that just kind of looks perpetually stoned, SNL alumn Jim Breuer insists he no longer gets high. And while he doesn't distance from past roles like Bryan the stoner from Half Baked — he cringes, sure, but they made him who he is today — the comedian's now found God, and makes his spiritual journey a big part of his set these days. — CG
Seryn at Good Records (Free)
Back in 2014, Seryn made a believer out of its harshest critics — us, included — with the release of its spectacular single, “Disappear.” We gushed about it in quite some length here. More recently, the band's released its long awaited sophomore LP which contains that gem. Pick up a copy when the band performs a free set live from Good Records' Astro-Turf stage this weekend. — CG
Arlo Guthrie at Eisemann Center
Arlo Guthrie wrote the song that made him famous, “Alice's Restaurant,” in 1965. But it's not really a song. First off, it's 18 minutes long, and less than two minutes feature any singing. The rest of it is just Guthrie talking, telling a story, while he plays guitar. Yet, for some reason, people really like it. In fact, it's so special (or maybe just long), that Guthrie only performs it on his 10-year anniversary tours. Lucky you, because this year, he's celebrating the song's 50th anniversary, meaning you'll have a chance to see him perform it — CS
CARA Awards Honoring Dan Mojica at Patterson-Appleton Center for the Visual Arts
For his long history of enriching Denton's music scene, the Greater Denton Arts Council will honor Dan's Silverleaf owner, Dan Mojica, with its 42nd annual Community Arts Recognition Award during a ceremony on Friday. Denton-based acts Polly Maynard, Paul Slavens, Isaac Hoskins, Steve Carter, Joe Pat Hennen & the Industrial Street Jug Band and Hares On The Mountain will perform at this ceremony in his honor. — CG
Wild Tapes Grand Opening/Listening Party at The Wild Detectives Update: This event has been postponed till March 6. — CG
Vice Palace's Arthur Pena will begin “curating” a selection of cassettes that will be available for purchase at The Wild Detectives starting this weekend. Says Pena via Facebook: “This curated store will feature tapes from Dallas' most rad bands to national music from this cities [sic] most progressive record labels!” Pena will begin hawking his tapes following a Friday night grand opening/listening party that'll be DJed by George Quartz.
Greg Fitzsimmons at Addison Improv
Why did the chicken cross the road? To see Greg Fitzsimmons at Addison Improv. Rest assured: The guy who's had his set on virtually every late night show will be telling way funnier jokes than that one, promise. — H. Drew Blackburn
F U T U R E at That That
Chris Lund and Kelsey Kincannon have got something pretty cool up their sleeves these days. For quite awhile now, Dallas natives Lund, also known by his Left/Right DJ moniker, and Kelsey Kincannon, who DJs as Tresspass, have been throwing one of the most detail-oriented, recurring immersive art + music experiences in town. “A lot of people in Dallas boast about cutting-edge events, these guys are the ones actually doing it,” says DJ Colly T, who has performed at past F U T U R E events. Also performing will be Chrs Roze, Night Calisthenics and Zander, with Shadowplay providing visuals. The FUTURE is bright, indeed. — Heather Abbott
DFW South Asian Film Festival at Angelika Film Center (Plano)
Starting tonight, and running through March 1, the first-ever DFW SAFF will highlight films of, well, South Asia (read: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), many of which will be making their Texas premieres at the fest. You better nab tickets quick, though, because opening night is already sold out. — CG
Eddie Spaghetti at Three Links
Twenty-two years after its hard-rocking Sub Pop debut, The Supersuckers has come full circle. After toying with genres like country and cow-punk over the years, and more recently, the band came through supporting a brand new, straight ahead rock release. Tonight the band's frontman, Eddie Spaghetti, will perform solo. So, too, will Quaker City Night Hawks frontman Sam Anderson and J. Charles & the Trainrobbers' frontman Jeff Saenz. — CG
Key! at 2809 Canton St.
Performing at this underground party will by Key!, Brother Misfit, Dola and a special guest that may or may not be a certain young ex-Mid-Cities rapper that's been making a name for himself since moving to one of the coasts. Or not. Guess you'll just have to show up and see. Oh, and bring your own libations if you so choose. — CG
Saturday
Bridget Everett at Sons of Hermann Hall
Stand-up comedian, and self-described “alt-cabaret provocateur” is extremely proud of her full figure, often wearing very little clothing on stage. Bridget is definitely a crazy character and often sings about her sex life while being backed by The Tender Moments — a band that often includes Beastie Boy Ad-Rock. Think Leslie Hall with less sweaters and more blow jobs. — LR
The Avett Brothers at South Side Ballroom (Sold Out)
Back for the second straight night. — CG
Cowtown Ultra Marathon at Will Rogers Memorial Center
You know what's longer than a marathon? A 50K ultra marathon. After running 26 miles, though, what's another four, or so, really? — CG
Quiet Company (Album Release) at Dada
Austin indie-pop road warriors are here so often it almost feels like the band's a local one at this point. We imagine this album release show will be just as packed full of the local music scene contingent as if they were, anyway. Credit some of that, too, with the fact that well-loved locals Oil Boom and Calhoun also perform. — CG
The Demigs (Album Release) at Dan's Silverleaf
Beatles-loving Denton indie rockers The Demigs realeases its new double vinyl LP at this hometown show. Fellow little d-town favorites Daniel Markham and RTB2 open. — LR
Cursive at Trees
Indie rock heroes, Cursive, have been around a long time. Its been 10 years since the band released its phenomenal The Ugly Organ record, and as such the band will play the record in its entirety at this show. Beach Slang and Megafauana open. — LR
Guided by Vices at The Foundry (Free)
Members of American Werewolf Academy and Centro-matic will get drunk, turn the amps up to 11 and play Guided by Voices tunes at this free show. What's more, Dogfish Head will be releasing a new imperial lager at the show that the brewer's say was somehow inspired by GbV's Bee Thousand album. Go figure. — CG
Big Gigantic at House of Blues
Not only is Boulder, Colorado electronic duo Big Gigantic pretty badass, they're even more badass live. That's a major differentiation to be sure. Combining hip-hop and jazz influences into its sound, the guys mix in live saxophone and drums into their live set to really spice things up. Peking Duk opens. — LR
“Say It Ain't Southern Vol. 2” at The Wild Detectives
DJ Sober's current passion project is actually one that doesn't even involve music at all. Rather, the friend of our program and longtime hobo culture enthusiast, put together another volume of his new train graffiti zine, which centers around the monikers and marks of these folks. Just be sure to get there early, as the last issue sold out in super short order, and you'll definitely want to take a copy home with you. — CG
Tofu Carnage Records Showcase at Double Wide (Free)
Want to listen to metal, and a lot of it? Lucky you, because Dead to a Dying World, Tyrannosorceress, Unconscious Collective, Sans Soleil, Ecocide, They Say The Wind Made Them Crazy and The Angelus will all perform — for free, no less! — at this Tofu Carnage Records showcase. Rawk! — LR
Napalm Death, Voivod at Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill
'80s grindcore inventors, Napalm Death, and Canadian hardcore forebearers, Voivod, co-headline this bill. Like the show this venue was named after, this bill will be incredibly Fast N' Loud. What's more, Exhumed, Iron Reagan, Phobia and Black Crown Initiate open this ridiculously stacked and equally noisy bill. — CG
James Zabiela at It'll Do Club
British tech house/breakbeat DJ, James Zabiela headlines It'll Do's Saturday night offering. As per usual, resident DJ Redeye will start things off. — CG
Ruthie Foster at Kessler Theater
Blues, Grammy-nominated Texas-bred musician Ruthie Foster is an all around powerhouse of talent. Vocally, she often draws comparisons to the likes of Aretha and Ella, while instrumentally, the guitar slinger mixes in jazz and American roots influences into her stunning live shows. — CG
Styx at Billy Bob's
It's been said that estranged Styx vocalist Dennis DeYoung's backing band sounds a lot more like his old outfit than this bunch, which actually does still include a handful of original members. Only one of the two will be honky-tonking it up in Fort Worth this weekend, though. — CG
Panic at Crown and Harp
Considering how prone to cancelling shows the oh so volatile Morrissey is these days, local Smiths/Morrissey cover band, Panic, is without a doubt the most reliable source to hear those bands' material. — CG
Fungi Girls, The Zoltars at Three Links
Earlier this month, lo-fi Austin rockers released a new single from its forthcoming third LP. According to the band's publicist, the new disc is both “rawer” and “more light-hearted” than its previous material, which is really saying something considering our favorite of the band's early jams is a two-chord stomper called “Party at the Batcave.” The always phenomenal Fungi Girls also performs. — CG
Sunday
Import Face-Off Drifting Demo at Texas Motorplex
Even better than watching The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift again for the millionth time? Seeing souped-up cars sliding around corners in person. But even that doesn't compare to this event out Ennis, which offers up a chance to ride in the passenger seats of these imports while professional drivers sling you around the track. — CG
Pierce the Veil at South Side Ballroom
Cali-bred post-hardcore act Pierce the Veil likes to say it makes music in order to inspire chaos. They'll try to start up a 3,000 member mosh pit at this one. — CG
Eric's Sending at Tomcats West
Earlier this year, Eyes of Oort guitarist Eric Carder passed away in an accident. Tonight fellow local bands Cosmic Trigger, Born & Raised, Triple SP, Sharpy, Merkin, Idler, The Crimson Veil, L. Ron Hummer and Mayor West will honor their fallen brother and try to raise funds to buy him a tombstone at this tribute show. — CG
19th Anniversary Party at Flying Saucer (Addison)
Description: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Addison is celebrating its almost-20th birthday on March 1. Beers from all over the world will be released, and a “Beer Bingo” tournament will be held from 2-4 p.m., with prizes including gift certificates and more, so be sure to check it out. Oh, and be sure to get some free cake! — CS
Goonies & Stand By Me Double Feature at Granada Theater
Hey you guys, '80s pint-sized buddy flicks Goonies and Stand By Me will screen back-to-back. Whether you're looking for pirate gold or a dead body in the woods, you're bound to find what you're looking for here. — CG
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
