Central Track Staff
Get Tatted Up in Deep Ellum.
Ever wonder what Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would look like with only one eyebrow? Yeah, neither have we — well, until this story popped up in our feeds.
Check it out. We'll wait. You might need a second to digest what you've just seen.
Here's the backstory: Apparently San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson have a bet that the loser of their teams' encounter this Sunday will have to shave off one eyebrow, and some enterprising sports writer decided to take things a step farther by Photoshopping an eyebrow off an assortment of the league's QBs.
One must admit, the added excitement of seeing one of these guys lose an eyebrow does tick up the interest level in the game quite a bit. But, really, who will have time to watch football in a weekend that will not only play host to two festivals, but a boat load of other events to boot?
Friday
Dia de Los Toadies at Panther Island Pavilion
After five years of hosting Dia De Los Toadies in mostly remote locations (see: New Braunfels and, fittingly, Possum Kingdom Lake), the sixth installment of the festival will be held, for the first time, in the band's hometown Fort Worth. Night One of the fest will include almost entirely acoustic performances from Toadies, James Hall, Will Johnson and the Matt the Cat Trio. — Pete Freedman
Gold Fields, Rush Midnight and Night Drive at Dada
Back in May, Australia's Gold Fields performed a set at the House of Blues as part of a free show also featuring their fellow Aussies in Empire of the Sun. Rightly, Empire of the Sun headlined that affair — and will be back in the area, too, for next week's Breakaway Fest in Frisco — but, make no mistake, Gold Fields nearly stole the show, with its groovier, less synthesized and exuberant, but no less infectious offerings. Tonight, the band continues to make the case that its music can stand alone. — PF
Gold Panda at The Loft
Though the Essex-born knob-turner Derwin Schlecker spent the bulk of his formative years in England, he did spend a significant amount of his time while enrolled at the University of London living and studying in Japan. The experience seeped into his output as Gold Panda, cropping up in the form of Oriental-influenced sounds layered over an assortment of drum loops and beats. — Nicole Arnold
Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley at Gexa Energy Pavilion
Personally, we find it refreshing that though Miranda Lambert is married to one of the most popular country singers out there (read: Blake Shelton), she's out on tour with Dierks Bentley instead. Anyway, it's nice to see that the feisty Lambert — who is by far one of the biggest female names in country right now — avoiding that whole husband/wife co-headlining country tour cliche. We're looking at you, Faith Hill. — Jessica Petrocchi
Disco Kids at It'll Do
Dallas has some trampoline parks, sure. And there are family-friendly live music events at the zoo, among other places. But, until Disco Kids' arrival, there hasn't been anywhere in town for kids to dance the night away. Now, at least partially inspired by the Philadelphia-based Baby Loves Disco concept that transforms nightclubs around the nation into Sunday afternoon turn-ups for toddlers, Alicia Duncan aims to change that. Every other week (and once a month during the school year) at Disco Kids, she hopes to keeps local kids dancing. Because, hey, kids just need to get crunk from time to time, too. — Zoe Mattioli
Harm's Way, Power Trip, Dead In The Dirt, Homewrecker and Vulgar Display at Sons of Hermann Hall
Catching a Power Trip live show is easily the most visceral experience one can indulge in around these parts. So, yeah, there was all sorts of anticipation — amongst a certain set, at least — in the lead-up to the release of the band’s long-awaited full-length debut, as put forth this summer by the well-respected folks at Southern Lord Records. Fortunately, Manifest Decimation doesn't even come within the same zip code of disappointment. Combining thrash and hardcore elements into a stirringly brutal stew, Manifest Decimation is whatever the opposite of easy listening is. Its riffs are absurdly over-the-top, its energy is out-of-this world and frontman Riley Gale's vocals are just muddled enough to the point where you can sing whatever the hell you want over his band's backing music and it still works. The best metal-inclined album Dallas has seen in years? The best metal-inclined album Dallas has seen in years. — PF
Shooter Jennings at Granada Theater
Raised on a tour bus for most of his early years, Jennings, the only son of country luminaries Waylon Jennings and Jessie Colter, literally has the whole outlaw country thing in his blood. His early education came writing and recording “Outlaw Shit” and a handful of other tunes with his dad in the '90s that finally earned their release in 2008. Before that, Jennings became something of a household name in his own right following the success of his 2005 debut album, Put the “O” Back in Country. — Cory Graves
Sacco & Vanzetti EP Release at Hailey's
The indie-rock outfit — which shares both of its Jesse-named members (Botello and Miller) with Denton indie-folk band Senor Fin — celebrates the release of its debut Ghost EP at tonight's show. Go ahead and give it a listen here, then go nab yourself a hard copy at tonight's show. Denton's Bashe and Blessin' share opening billing. — CG
Elm Street Music & Tattoo Convention at Prophet Bar
Soon as the clock struck midnight last night, signalling the arrival Friday the 13th, Oliver Peck and his Elm Street Tattoo team — along with 50 other Peck-selected tattoo artists from around the world — started their usual 24-hour tattooing marathon session at both their own shop, but also in the big room of the Prophet Bar. The marathon only happens today, but there's music and more traditional tattoo convention happenings — along with skateboarding demos and motorcycle expos — in store for the entire weekend, as we'll get to in a second. —PF
Saturday
Elm Street Music & Tattoo Convention at The Prophet Bar
Following Friday's 24-hour marathon, tattooing will continue throughout the weekend at Elm Street Tattoo and in the big room of the Prophet Bar, with patrons able to request tattoos not related to the “13” concept on these added days. In addition to the tattooing, the festival will also feature what Oliver Peck calls “a shitload of bands” performing across various stages at the Prophet Bar, Trees, Wit's End and Peck's own Three Links venue. The parking lot outside of Prophet Bar will also feature a weekend-long skateboarding demo helmed by Dallas-based skate icon Mike Crum. Meanwhile, the parking lot outside of the old Club Clearview space will host a weekend-long vintage Harley Davidson expo, and the lot outside of Trees will be similarly fenced off to host various vendors and additional drinking festivities. — PF
Dia de Los Toadies at Panther Island Pavilion
In addition to a headlining performance by the Toadies, the second day of the festival will include performances by Gary Clark Jr., Eisley, The Dirty River Boys, The Burning Hotels, The O's, Pinata Protest, Oil Boom, Baboon, The Cush and These Machines Are Winning. — CG
Dent May at Rubber Gloves
When Dent May released his first full-length LP back in '09, he pulled off something of a major feat: He made us realize that a ukulele could, indeed, sound “magnificent.” Although his current effort is a more synth-based R&B effort completely devoid of the beloved uke, his southern charms still remain intact. Just think: If he could make us feel so enamored with a ukulele, imagine what he could do with a more conventionally adored setup. — CG
Nadis Warriors at Sons of Hermann Hall
According to the band, “their eclectic mix of musical layers incorporates Tibetan singing bowls, tablas, live guitar and keys to create an electronic excursion through healing and dance. Focused on moving crowds and melding the collective consciousness, each Nadis Warriors performance is an odyssey built around connectivity, instead of pandering production bent on superficial crowd puppetry.” Sounds like a show best enjoyed stone-cold sober if you ask us. — Stephen Young
Ghost Daddies at Crown and Harp
Of all the times various CT staffers caught this Denton-based DJ duo in the past year, perhaps the twosome's most impressive performance was the one that made us forget we were at a costumed Burning Man fundraiser event in the dead of summer. But we digress. Not only were they solidly on-point that night, they were able to do so while one of their members was rocking a cast on his arm. — CG
Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and Rhett Miller at Majestic Theatre
Back in July, the last of the city's historical Theatre Row buildings still standing announced its intention to once again “bring in relevant, current and popular music.” To that end, the city-owned venue hired former Granada Theater booker/Old 97's manager Mike “The Colonel” Schwedler with the hopes that his years of experience and loads of connections would help turn things around. The first sign of Schwedler's influence sees country legend Emmylou Harris headlining this bill. One could argue Harris is certainly more “popular” than some recent performers, although arguably no more “current” than what we've seen from the venue in the past. — CG
David Washburn's New Orleans Jazz Sextet at Twilite Lounge
Even before opening its doors back in June Twilte Lounge co-owner Danny Balis has likened the vibe of his upscale dive to that of “a New Orleans bordello.” So it makes a little more sense that his bar will be hosting New Orleans Saints watching parties all season long. Before tomorrow's game, though, they'll help set the mood with a performance by David Washburn's “'20s-era New Orleans jazz” sextet. — CG
Color Vibe 5K at Cousins Paintball Park
There are literally dozens of 5Ks that happen in North Texas each year. The one — and perhaps only — thing they have in common is that they all boast courses that are precisely 3.10686 miles long. After that, the themed attire and so forth couldn't differ any more from race to race. At this one, participants will be “blasted with color” at various checkpoints along the route, and the race will culminate in a painted up dance party. — CG
The Concious Collective at WAAS Gallery
This collective boasts an array of artists that range from sculptors to performance artists, although they all tend to share similar viewpoints concerning quote-unquote green living. Though differing in media, the pieces in this exhibition share themes of “enviro-socio-political awareness, holistic health, and interconnectivity.” — CG
Sunday
The Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade on Cedar Springs Road
The Dallas Pride Parade always attracts a lot of colorful participants (think rainbows!), so it's pretty much guaranteed to be the best parade you'll go to all year. And, this year, the LGBT community has even more than usual to be proud of: The consistently decreasing social stigma of not being heterosexual, the president and vice president coming out in support with gay marriage, and a landmark Supreme Court decision. It kind of makes this year a milestone for the gay community. So, with that in mind, this year's Pride Parade should be one for the books. Come dress in rainbow colors and dance in celebration of the human condition! — Chelsea Upton
Andrew Bell at Dada
The Chicago-based singer-songwriter cracked into the collective conscious like a Trojan worm when his 2010 hit, “Sky's Still Blue,” was used in adverts for Microsoft's Windows 7 OS. The Young International open. —CG
Sevendust at Trees
In an interview with Billboard earlier this year, Sevendust drummer/lyricist pretty much summed up everything one needs to know about the band's latest LP: “We didn't have any songs, but everybody grabbed their station and kind of picked up whatever needed help or work, and we were able to bang out it with nothing but riffs.” Whether you just involuntarily eye-rolled or found yourself inexplicably making a rock fist is pretty telling in more ways than one as far as this one goes. — CG
DallasSITES at Dallas Museum of Art (Closing)
It was exciting news earlier this year when the Dallas Museum of Art announced its ambitious summer exhibition, “DallasSITES: Charting Contemporary Art, 1963 to Present.” After all the recent talk surrounding Dallas's viability as an internationally competitive city in terms of visual art, it seemed like the show might serve a culmination of sorts. But when the exhibit finally opened, it actually told a good deal more than originally expected. The title is apt, to say the least — “DallasSITES” maps out the history of contemporary art, categorizing movements and happenings by neighborhood over the course of about 50 years. A timeline spans one of the walls, while glass cases display artifacts (if a document from the 1970s could be considered an artifact) from Uptown to Oak Cliff. This weekend is your last chance to catch it before it closes today. — Elaine Sun
Mexico Inside Out at The Modern
The curator of this exhibition, Andrea Karnes, purports that this collection of contemporary Mexican art — which was two-and-a-half years in the making — is the first of its kind to be presented in North Texas. Inside Out runs from tonight through January 5, 2014. — CG
To find out what else is going on this weekend, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
