Central Track Contributor
Go Crazy with Tracy Morgan.
In what was something of an inevitability, the first reported use of @horse_ebooks' surrealist spam poetry as a senior quote in a high school yearbook has finally occurred.
The non sequitur in question: “Their negativity only pushed me further into the realm of soap making.”
Brilliant.
If you're only going to mark seminal moments in your existence with quotes from one spam-detection-avoiding-peddler-of-absurdly-written-ebooks-about-horses on Twitter, it really should be @horse_ebooks.
Or you can just shake off the dregs of the work week and try to find a new realm all your own this weekend. There's certainly no lack of opportunity.
Friday
Whiskey Folk Ramblers at Dada
Local alt-folk specialists Whiskey Folk Ramblers head a Deep Ellum triple-bill featuring Dead Flowers and The Venetian Sailors.
Arctic Monkeys at House of Blues
Indie darlings Arctic Monkeys hit House of Blues for the penultimate show of their brief U.S. tour before heading to Houston to headline the Free Press Summer Fest.
Aziz Ansari at the Verizon Theatre
Renaissance man Aziz Ansari performs his Buried Alive set in Grand Prairie. No word on if this means an appearance from “Randy.”
JB Smoove at the Arlington Improv
Expect Curb's Leon to deliver one of the better hours in a weekend chock full of stand up. Enjoy the show — just don't steal his Vapora Sports.
Tommy Davidson at the Addison Improv
The In Living Color and Comedy Central vet performs the second of his four weekend sets in Addison.
Paul Banks at the Granada
Paul Banks takes a break from rehearsing new songs with Interpol to perform some of his — and alter ego Julian Plenti's — solo work. Make no mistake: This is not an Interpol gig. We can't stress this enough. Don't expect him to perform any of his other band's material, as he never — ever — does so when performing solo.
Billy Joe Shaver at The Live Oak
Don't question Billy Joe Shaver's status as an outlaw country legend. Sure, he's written songs for the Allman Brothers, Elvis and Johnny Cash and most of Waylon Jennings' Honky Tonk Heroes album. But he also shot a man in the face outside of a Texas tavern and later wrote a country song about it. By all means, go out to Fort Worth to check him out tonight. Just don't make any sudden movements.
Paul Thorn at The Kessler
You'd expect a professional-boxer-turned-singer-songwriter to write gritty music, and Paul Thorn doesn't disappoint. Expect a tough, southern-flecked set of Americana at this show.
Overserved Summer Kickoff featuring Sarah Jaffe, DJ Trademarx, Pronail Princesa, Deb Doing Dallas and Blake Ward at Ku De Ta
Dallas pool and social club Ku De Ta kicks off its summer festivities with a free party featuring DJ sets from this list of Dallas notables. No need to bring your suit; night swims don't start until later in the summer.
Baroness at Trees
Baroness — a.k.a. the thinking-man's metal band — bring their ferocious, sludgy sound to Trees. Dallas stonegazers True Widow open what is sure to be one of the loudest shows so far this year.
Cas Haley Album Release Party in the House of Blues' Cambridge Room
The Arlington-based and America's Got Talent-approved reggae performer celebrates the release of his new full-length, LA SI DAH, at the House of Blues with a show opened by Collin Hauser.
The Hanna Barbarians EP Release Party at Lola's
The impeccably named psychedelic outfit The Hanna Barbarians begin their tour supporting their new EP Spaceway Sessions Vol. 2 with a show in their own Fort Worth stomping grounds.
Murder Junkies at The Boiler Room
The not-so-impeccably named Murder Junkies, best known for backing punk provocateur GG Allin, are a bit less extreme without their famed frontman. There's no fighting with fans, mid-set self-mutilation or anything like that. But expect a rowdy show nonetheless.
Subrosa Union at The Prophet Bar
Austin reggae-rock act Subrosa Union graces The Prophet Bar with its catchy hooks and infectious energy, mon.
Saturday
KXT Summer Cut at Gexa Energy Pavillion
The radio station's second annual summer showcase features national acts The Avett Brothers, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Matt & Kim and Dawes, as well as local stalwarts RTB2 and Oil Boom, among others.
The Features at Trees
Tennesee rockers The Features show off their wide,ranging arsenal at Trees. The group's krautrock influences give its psychedelic sound an interesting edge.
An Evening with Ira Glass at the Winspear
This American Life host Ira Glass recreates the sound of his show on stage with a mix of live stories and recorded material, including a “best of” reel all triggered from his iPad.
Cheech & Chong, WAR and Tower of Power at the Verizon Theatre
Legendary stoners Cheech & Chong lead a mixed-media triple-bill with classic funk purveyors WAR and Tower of Power in Grand Prairie.
Paul Varghese and Friends at House of Blues
Paul Varghese heads the Saturday portion of the House of Blues' weekend comedy double-header. Anthony Perez, Cris Lehman and Chris “No That's The Other Chris Brown” Brown will also be performing.
Generationals at Three Links
New Orleans indie-pop duo Generationals visits Three Links in support of their April release, Heza. Even if you haven't heard of the band, you've almost surely heard their songs. They're everywhere as of late, most recently being featured on an episode of Chuck, in the Farrelly brothers movie Hall Pass and in a commercial for Amazon's Kindle. Go match a couple of faces to the earworms.
The Baptist Generals Album Release at Dan's Silverleaf
This show is 10 years in the making, so expect a boisterous and friendly crowd as The Baptist Generals enjoy home field advantage at Dan's. Head up north to hear material from the Denton band's excellent new Jackleg Devotional to the Heart album.
Ride the Link Celebration at Main Street Garden Park
Main Street Garden hosts a party lauding the opening of CentraLink trail, which connects Oak Cliff, the Katy Trail and the Santa Fe Trail. The celebration features free bike tune-ups, free food, giveaways and group rides along the newly-opened trail.
School Class Science Fair
Head to the Oak Cliff alternative education project's science fair and finally win that blue ribbon you deserved for that baking-soda volcano you built in the second grade.
The Singapore Slingers and Kristy Kruger at The Kessler
Local 18-piece big band The Singapore Slingers specializes in pre-swing American dance music. Not really clear on what that means? Think old-school dances like foxtrots, waltzes and rags. Singer-songwriter Kruger shares the bill.
Rhythm & Booze at The Common Desk
The Deep Ellum communal workspace hosts a parking lot party featuring bottomless beer, free barbecue and live music. Tickets are only $15 if you get them in advance.
Peter Tork of The Monkees at The Granada
Here he comes, The Monkees bassist Peter Tork. Unlike Paul Banks, he will most certainly will be performing the material he's best known for. So, if you expect to hear “Daydream Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville,” you shouldn't be disappointed.
Sunday
Tracy Morgan at House of Blues
The former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star has been, to put it kindly, a little erratic at some of his recent performances. Maybe he'll be totally fine and do a hysterical set. Or he could completely melt down. Either way, you won't be able to look away.
Ferralog Studios' One-Year Anniversary Party at Dada
Deep Ellum recording studio Ferralog Studios marks it one-year anniversary with a show at Dada featuring Goodnight Ned, Leslie Sakal and Complex Simplicity. The shows starts at 3 p.m., which is a little early, to be sure. But, if you show up before 5 p.m., you get in for $5, which isn't a bad trade-off.
Hurt at Trees
Los Angeles-based alt-rock quartet Hurt fronts a quadruple-bill at Trees. Twice Broken, We the Broken, and Alloy provide support.
Coliseum at The Double Wide
Head bang with some Kentucky crust-punks.
Kixpo: State of Texas at the Texas Theatre
Deadstock — the group that puts on the popular regional sneakerhead convention Kixpo — is helping the Texas Theatre host a double-feature of sneaker culture documentaries: The mini-doc Kixpo: State of Mind kicks things off, followed by the full-length Just For Kicks.
Sunday Fundaze on the W Dallas Wet Deck
There'll be swimming, dancing, DJs and handcrafted cocktails at The W's 16th floor pool.
'85 vs. '95 at The Arcade Bar
DJ Rob Viktum spins mid-decade favorites from the '80s and '90s alike at this weekend-closing party. We predict your chances of hearing some 2Pac's as strong to quite strong.
