Central Track Contributor
Ben Folds Five is Back Together!
This weekend is so jam-packed that, no matter what you like to do, there's surely something for you. If you're an artist or art admirer, check out Art Uprising on Saturday or practice your sketches with Dr. Sketchy at Tietze Park on Sunday. And your music opportunities for the weekend are endless — including Eternal Summers, Fiona Apple, Riot Fest, Beach House, Ben Folds 5 and The Go Go's. Besides that, you can check out some sweet spots at National Park(ing) Day or take a biking art tour through the Design District.
C'mon, it'll be fun!
Friday
Eternal Summers at Bryan Street
Like their name suggests, Eternal Summers is a sunny indie pop group that is a sheer pleasure. Could there be a more fitting time than today, the last official day of summer, to see this band? We think not.
National Park(ing) Day all throughout Downtown Dallas
Parking used to be something you did with your car when you weren't driving it. Now, thanks to National Park(ing) Day, parking is more of a lifestyle. Teams will show up and claim their parking spot for a day, and from there they can transform it into whatever they desire. Be sure to check out Central Track's parking space, too! We're turning our spot into a gym! That's because we here at Central Track are all about (other people's) fitness.
Bela Fleck & the Marcus Roberts Trio at The Kessler
Did you know that playing the banjo could win you a Grammy? What about 14 Grammys? Bela Fleck is undoubtedly one of the world's most prominent banjo players (besides this kid), so seeing him in action with the jazzy Marcus Roberts Trio will be a treat.
Beach House at the Palladium Ballroom
While the Palladium Ballroom is quite possibly the furthest thing possible from an actual beach house (it's land-based, the floor is sticky instead of sandy), that didn't stop the dream-pop duo from scheduling a performance there. Sorry, Teen Dream fans, this show will probably consist of a lot of material from their latest album, Bloom.
The Local Edge Presents The Unlikely Candidates, Cozy Hawks and Birds of Night at House of Blues
Mark Schectman of 102.1's The Local Edge will be hosting a night of local music at the House of Blues tonight with The Unlikely Candidates, Cozy Hawks and Birds of Night. Maybe The Unlikely Candidates can temporarily change their name to “The Unlikely Pigeons” to make the evening completely bird-themed.
Adam Ant at Granada Theater
The new wave legend and facepaint aficionado will be returning to Granada Theater tonight for a show that looks very likely to sell out (if it hasn't already.) If you didn't get a ticket, may I suggest becoming an animorph and then change yourself into an ant before joining Adam on stage with the rest of his extensive (and musically astute) ant collection?
Til Midnight at the Nasher with Telegraph Canyon and Raising Arizona
The Nasher's a pretty cool place, when not being burned by the reflection off of Museum Tower, and, tonight, you can check it out for free, while also seeing a free show from Telegraph Canyon, followed by a screening of Raising Arizona.
Saturday
Art Uprising at West Village Dallas
For the first day of Art Uprising, there will be over 50 different artists displaying their works in tents throughout the village. And among the bands scheduled to perform are Whiskey Folk Ramblers, The Will Callers, Bravo, Max! and Zhora. Did we mention that the event is free?
The Go-Go's at Billy Bob's
These barrier-smashers are not only the first female rock group to top the Billboard charts, they've also reached triple-platinum status. The members have split off and worked on their own projects since their early days (including a successful solo career by Brenda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin's role as Joan of Arc in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), but now they're back together again!
Riot Fest at Gexa Energy Pavilion
Gexa is a pretty big venue, so just picture thousands of people rioting, tearing up all the advertisement logos and smashing beer cans on their heads. Pure chaos! Orchestrating the chaos will be Rise Against, Descendants, NOFX, Andrew WK, The Sword and many other riotous bands.
Fiona Apple at WinStar Casino
Aside from sometimes wearing a squid on her head, Fiona Apples sometimes gets arrested in West Texas for hash possession, as she did this week. Sometimes, the bad, bad girl also is released on bail in time to make he shows at casinos!
Sweet Hangs Party at Doc's Records
Enjoy a 20 percent discount, as well as free food, drinks and music at this event. The list of bands scheduled to perform is quite long and includes Team Tomb, Spooky Folk, Botany, Street Arabs and Bitch Bricks.
Assassination City Roller Derby at Dad's Broadway Skateland
Haven't gotten your roller derby fix yet? Check out the B-Team, Dirty Little Secret Service (which is actually the Secret Service codename for the actual Secret Service), going up against the Magnolia Roller Vixens. After that, it's a mash-up battle of “cougars vs kittens,” where those over 30 compete against those under 30. No cats will be harmed.
Polish Ambassador at Trees
This Polish Ambassador is not a diplomat, but rather an electronic musician who combines funk, 8-bit sounds and all things electro into a nasty stew that he'll dump all over the Trees crowd tonight.
Sunday
Ben Folds Five at the Palladium Ballroom
They haven't released an album since 1999, so you can probably thank the muppets of Fraggle Rock for bringing these cool dudes back to recording.
Dr. Sketchy's Session in Tietze Park
If you like to draw, come out to this free outdoor sketch at Tietze Park. Once there, you will be sketching Jennica, which is apparently an actual, real human name. Fun fact: Jennica means “fair and smooth.” So your sketching will be easy!
