Central Track Contributor
Get Creative With Tyler.
Once again, that magical weekend where SXSW, its subsequent spillover events, St. Patrick's Day (and all its related revelry) and spring break are all overlapping. That is to say, this will hands down be the busiest weekend of the year.
On the plus side, finding something to do these next few days will take almost no effort at all. Of course, that doesn't mean we haven't gone ahead and put together a few suggestions for you, anyway.
Before you head out, though, to just remember a few things: Though the local authorities are more willing to look the other way while you make a drunken fool of yourself this weekend than they are at any other time of year, they still have zero tolerance for those who think it's somehow cool to drink and drive. To that end, DPD is conducting a No-Refusal DWI Initiative from 6 a.m. Friday morning to 6 a.m. Tuesday, March 18.
So, y'know, just be extra safe this weekend.
Friday
St. Vincent at House of Blues
It's clear from the media whirlwind that started in the lead-up to the release of St. Vincent's self-titled, fourth solo LP (and has yet to let up, really) that the onetime local has taken a major step forward massive fame this time around. And, sure, that probably still would have been the case even if the album hadn't turned out to be the best thing she's ever released. Annie Clark seems poised to be the big breakout star of 2014 — or, at the very least, she'll prompt the creation of a widely spread Who The Fuck Is St. Vincent? Tumblr page come next awards season, we're betting. — Cory Graves
Joe Rogan at Verizon Theatre
For a guy that's most well-known for hosting an “extreme,” gross-out-heavy reality show like Fear Factor — or, more recently doing color commentary for the Ultimate Fighting Championship — Rogan's brand of comedy is surprisingly not at all douchey. Even when long stretches of his stand-up sets revolve around marijuana use and the legalization thereof, you'd be hard pressed to describe his diatribes as anything but deeply thought out and extremely well articulated. Or, perhaps more importantly, brutally funny. — CG
Fox & The Bird (Album Release) at Kessler Theater
Dallas folk choir Fox & The Bird celebrates the release of its latest LP, Darkest Hours, with this Oak Cliff gig. Stream that sucker here and download it for the suggested donation price of $7. Standout tracks from that one include lead single “Wreck of the Fallible,” a harmony-rich cover of The Flatlanders' “Dallas” and “No Man's Land,” which, early as it is, already sounds destined to wind up on our list of the 2014's best local songs come the year's end. — CG
Les Claypool's Duo de Twang at Sons of Hermann Hall
One of the most recent times Claypool was in town with his other band, Primus, it was part of a grandiose production assembled with the help of George Lucas' special effects team and required the audience to wear 3-D glasses. Rest assured, this performance will be nothing like that. Like, at all. Claypool's self-described “fuck-off vacation band” is just a no-frills, hillbilly bass and guitar duo that's just as likely to be heard putting a strange, old-timey spin on an Alice in Chains tune as it is to be covering an old Django Reinhardt song. — CG
Cynanide and Happiness' Banana Bar Crawl at The Green Room
The fact that this thing is organized by the minds behind the wildly popular, locally-based web comic Cyanide and Happiness should all but guarantee it'll be a lot more entertaining than your run-of-the-mill banana outfit-clad bar crawl. This one will start off at The Green Room at 8 p.m. and wind up at Wit's End at 11 p.m. — or just in time to catch a live set from turd-rockers Hey Banana Na. They say the only way to find out the other stops is by catching it from the beginning. But we're guessing the prospect of finding a few dozen banana suit-wearing booze hounds in Deep Ellum at any given time won't be all that hard. — CG
Saliva at Trees
It's 2014, and nu-metal/rap hybrid acts Limp Bizkit and Saliva are both expected to release new albums this summer. A sign that the oft-disparaged genre is, in fact, not dead after all? Or just proof that some things — like hokey street racing movies — never go out of style? It was, remember, the Fast and the Furious franchise whose soundtrack was partly responsible for launching Saliva. Come to think of it, they are making another one of those films, too. Some things never change. — CG
South by So What?! at QuikTrip Park
Third String Productions' annual, multi-day, pop-punk-inclined, SXSW-aping offering once again goes down at Grand Prairie's QuikTrip Park this weekend. Day One of the now three-day affair will include performances from The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Asking Alexandria, August Burns Red, We Came As Romans, Chiodos, Emmure, I See Stars and Thy Art Is Murder. — Pete Freedman
Spring Break Block Party in the Arts District
Leave it to the Arts District to flip the old-fashioned block party concept on its classy little head. While there may not exactly be any break dancers or mixmasters at this one, there will be live classical music, free admission to nearby art museums, food trucks and a showing of The Labyrinth in the Nasher Garden. — CG
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real at Hat Tricks
Don't make the trek all the way out to Lewisville tonight solely because you've figured out POTR frontman Lukas Nelson is, indeed, the son of Texas treasure Willie Nelson. Vocally, Nelson sounds closer to Hank Sr. than he does his own legendary nasal-voiced pop. Musically speaking, though, his band's mix of good old fashioned, twangy country is as authentic as they come. Even when mixing in elements of modern rock, the sound never borders on the same type of over-commercialized cash grab that taints much of the red dirt scene. — CG
Synesthesia II at Capital L Arts and Entertainment
In neuroscience, the term synesthesia is used to describe the phenomenon in which one form of stimulation also causes a secondary form of stimulation. So it's when two senses are tied together, so to speak. While not quite the same thing, exactly, this event will feature simultaneous live art, live music and live bartending. That is to say, there will be an open bar. And, as a bonus, admission tonight automatically makes one eligible to win some of the artwork created tonight. — CG
Saturday
ZZ Ward at Trees
After selling out the Cambridge Room back in September, the Pennsylvania native — who gained nationwide success with her album Til the Casket Drops and the subsequent soundtracks that quickly scooped up its tracks — will perform at the slightly larger Deep Ellum venue on this return trip to town. With a tone and stage presence similar to Etta James and Tina Turner, this harmonic and bluesy blonde is bound to stop some hearts this evening. — Jordyn Walters
Dave Barry: “The Funniest Man in America” at Horchow Auditorium
While the prolific humor writer and long-tenured, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald was once called “The Funniest Man in America” by The New York Times, we'd venture to guess that the panel that thrust that title upon him was made up almost exclusively by teenage boys and fathers of teenage boys. Because, really, the comedy tastes of those two groups is eerily similar. This talk, though, will probably appeal more to the latter, as Barry's newest collection of essays deal mostly with experiences like taking his teen daughter to a Justin Bieber concert. — CG
Denton Does Big Star at Twilite Lounge
As they did at last fall's Fort Worth Rock Assembly cover band festival, this gig finds RTB2, Tony Ferraro and Daniel Markham joining forces to pay homage to Big Star following sets from each of their individual acts. — CG
Ludacris at Energy Square Parking Lot
This won't be the first year in which the phrase, “Move, bitch, get out the way” will be heard in Energy Square during the annual Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade Agter-Party. But Ludacris' headlining performance during the festivities will, in fact, be the first time the person uttering the phrase will be onstage — and not just someone trying desperately to make it to one of the thousand Port-A-Potties before inevitably barfing in the street. So bring the kids! Aer, Party Police, Sam Lao and Home by Hovercraft open. — CG
Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights at Granada Theater
Those with enough wherewithal to puke and rally — or those who've built up a superheroic alcohol tolerance — should know by now that the place to stumble to post-parade after-party festivities will, once again, be the Granada. JT and the boys have been playing this party for enough years now that it really shouldn't be much of a secret. — CG
Tyler the Creator at House of Blues
It was almost exactly three years ago to the day when Tyler's Odd Future outfit took the 2011 SXSW by storm, outshining every other act performing that year. Can you even remember any of the 2,000 other bands that performed that weekend? We can't. Somewhat inexplicably, though — especially considering the short attention spans of the Internet Generation, who also happen to be the group's most loyal fans — Tyler and his cohorts have ridden a steady stream of buzz ever since. Through threats of overexposure and inevitable backlash, members of the group are still looked upon as shining stars in the hip-hop community — no to mention some its most exciting performers — all these years later. — CG
South by So What?! at QuikTrip Park
Bands performing at Day Two of this pop-punk leaning affair include Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men, Motionless in White, Mindless Self Indulgence, FOR TODAY, Attila, Crown The Empire, issues, letlive. and Alesana, among others. — CG
Dwight Yoakam at Billy Bob's
The country icon and current torch-bearer for the Buck Owens-pioneered Bakersfield sound will be doing his thing out in Fort Worth. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy one of the genre's most beloved figure's as he performs at the region's most legendary honky tonks. — CG
DTCV, Wet Nurse and Lust-Cats of the Gutters at The Crown & Harp
When all is said and done, we wonder whether James Greer will be most remembered as a former member of Guided by Voices or as the novelist that wrote what's considered the band's definitive biography? Surely, either of those will take precedence over footnotes like a six-year engagement to estranged Pixies bassist Kim Deal or being the screenwriter of Jackie Chan's The Spy Next Door. Anyway, his current project, DCTV, headlines this Burger Records International Tour bill at the tiny Crown & Harp. Wet Nurse and Lust-Cats of the Gutters also perform. — CG
White Rock Local Market at Lakeside Baptist Church
Six weeks after the dreaded groundhog told us that there'd be six more weeks of winter, it seems everything is finally transitioning away from the cold and depressing to the lively and vivacious. Starting off the introduction into the season? The sixth annual White Rock Local Market, which kicks off this Saturday, March 15, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lakeside Baptist Church in East Dallas. The kickoff event will feature live music from Dave Burris and area Simon & Garfunkel tribute Holt & Stocklager. — Porttia Portis
Sunday
Spillover at Dada & Three Links
Parade of Flesh's seventh annual “Sunday after SXSW” deal takes over two venues in Deep Ellum this year (Club Dada and Three Links) for an all-day offering featuring no fewer than 24 performers, plus an appearances by the Third Man Records mobile record store. Among the more interesting acts appearing on the now-final bill: Ty Segall, Dum Dum Girls, Diarrhea Planet, Har Mar Superstar, Astronautalis, Cerebral Ballzy, The Coathangers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Oberhofer. In other words: This is far and away the most interesting spillover event that'll happen this year, at least band name-wise. — PF
Toadies' Rubberneck Red Beer Launch at Martin House Brewing Company
Martin House Brewing Company is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Toadies' Rubberneck album by rolling out its commemorative Rubberneck Red beer next month. The tropical, piney-flavored red hops are similar to their Imperial Texan, but with a lower alcohol content. This unveiling event for the brew will also feature a live acoustic performance from the band. We hope this isn't the first you're hearing of it, though, as our friends at Prekindle let us know that tickets to this one sold out in under five minutes. — PP
South by So What?! at QuikTrip Park
The Devil Wears Prada, Between The Buried And Me, The Story So Far, The Ghost Inside, Periphery, Comeback Kid, Being As An Ocean, Counterparts, Xibalba, Expire, Alpha & Omega, Hundredth, Kublai Khan, Barrier, Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck, Born Of Osiris and more will perform at the final day of this year's fest. — CG
Prawn, Tiny Moving Parts, Caravels, Special Explosion, Foxing, Caution Children, Empire Empire, Warren Franklin, Innards at 1919 Hemphill
Catch nine of the most enduring DIY acts in the country — each hailing from nine different states, no less — all sharing one last Texas bill before making their ways home from this year's SXSW. — CG
La Luz and Speedy Ortiz at The Live Oak
Speedy Ortiz is bit of a thing in the indieverse right now. Their debut album, Major Arcana, has received raves from the A.V. Club and Pitchfork, the latter of which bestowed upon the band their coveted “Best New Music” designation. Their fuzzy guitar work has invited comparisons to the likes of Pavement and Sonic Youth, too, so it's no coincidence that the band hit the road in support of Thurston Moore's Chelsea Light Moving project late last year. — Stephen Young
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
