Forrest Cook
The Jonas Brothers Record An Olympic Anthem, Kirk Franklin Becomes The BET Awards’ Most-Honored Gospel Singer, Skid Row Singer Johnny Solinger Dies & More.
We’ve always suspected that St. Vincent reads Central Track, but now it feels like we have full-on confirmation of as much!
Late last week, the Dallas-raised performer dropped a poster specifically promoting her upcoming appearance at Irving’s The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on October 2 — and did so with a cheeky photoshop that placed her face into one of our favorite photos. Check it out:
Keep in mind that this show’s not just a chance to see the artist born Annie Clark perform songs off her new Daddy’s Home LP. If history is any indicator, it could be another whole three years before she comes back to town again. After all, it’s been three years since her last (incredible) stop this way.
Plus, you never know: St. Vincent could throw in a cool cover or two — something with which she’s quite familiar. This morning, she released her cover of Metallica‘s “Sad But True,” which will arrive as part of a compilation of the metal icons called The Metallica Blacklist that will arrive on September 10. A surprising cover choice? Not really, when you consider how Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has long been vocal about his St. Vincent stanning.
Perhaps more surprising is just how much NBC is planning to hype up the former Westlake-residing Jonas Brothers as part of its Olympic coverage this summer. Before the band kicks off a 44-date tour in August — and they too can sure put on a live show — the band will be seen plenty on NBC throughout July. First, they’ll be getting their own reality challenge special called Olympic Dreams Featuring The Jonas Brothers on July 21, in which Joe, Kevin and Nick will compete against each other in various Olympic events. Then, the brothers’ just-released “Remember This” single will be performed by the brothers during the broadcast giant’s airing of the Tokyo games’ opening ceremonies on July 23, after which the song will be prominently featured throughout the ongoing coverage of the competitions.
While it seems they’re carrying that flame well, local gospel icon Kirk Franklin is keeping a lit torch of his own. He raked in a Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel Inspirational Award over the weekend at the BET Awards for his song “Strong God” off his 2019-released album Long, Live, Love. With the win, Franklin passes Yolanda Adams as the most-awarded musician for that category in the award show’s history with five total wins. Franklin also debuted his latest collab with Lil Baby called “We Win” to kick off the awards show. The song arrives officially on the new Space Jam: Legacies soundtrack that drops July 9. (The movie itself comes out July 16 in theatres and on HBO Max.) Check out that BET Awards performance here:
Of course, purpose can be hard to see through a cloud as thick as the pandemic was — but surviving families must carry on regardless. As we briefly touched on previously, Daren Eubank — the ‘D’ of the local pop/rock/hip-hop fusion group D & Chi — died last May at Methodist Dallas Medical Center after a bout with COVID-19. Eubank was a prominent voice in Dallas music and the owner of RISE Performing Arts Center. A talented singer, Eubanks even made it as far as the group rounds on the 18th season of American Idol.
When he was diagnosed with Covid, D and Chi were forced to cancel a show at Firehouse Gastro Park. Now, the surviving members of the group are honoring their comrade by releasing the final album and last project Eubanks recorded, And It Feels Like, with a July 16 show at the same venue, and featuring additional performances by Texicana and Drugstore Cowboy. The band’s cofounder Chi explains his motivation to move forward with the release in spite of tragedy: “A lot of life was lived during the making of And It Feels Like. We celebrated a dream coming true when we made it on American Idol, we experienced the pain of the death of D’s mother. Then battled hopelessness as opportunities were stolen from us during the pandemic. We brimmed with pride at ideas like Songs From the Street and Couchbound Sessions. Then D passed. All these beautiful and devastating moments can be felt in this album.” The album will be available on streaming platforms on what would have been Eubank’s 30th birthday on July 8.
The Dallas music scene also recently lost another one of its giants as the talented rock vocalist Johnny Solinger passed at the age of 55. Beyond recognition locally for his work in his own band Solinger, the performer also earned acclaim for his work as the lead vocalist for the hair metal heroes in Skid Row. Solinger took up that role in 1999, replacing Sebastian Bach. He held the gig through 2015. In May, however, Solinger revealed that he’d been hospitalized with liver failure — a battle he eventually lost last week. A GoFundMe has been set up to help his family cover the costs of his funeral.
Another notable fundraiser, meanwhile, is in the works for Dallas music producer Jeffrey Saenz, who was recently electrocuted by a fallen powerline. On Sunday, July 11, the Double Wide will host a benefit concert to help the beloved music scene veteran cover his medical costs as he remains hospitalized. Performing at the event — appropriately called “Jeff Fest” — will be a number of Saenz’s collaborators, including Paul Cauthen, Jonathan Tyler, David Ramirez, Matthew Logan Vasquez (of Delta Spirit), Sir Woman, Thomas Csorba, Sam Anderson (of Quaker City Night Hawks), Electrophunck, About You and Left Arm Tan. Head here for more details and ticket information.
Still on causes that are actually bigger than the artist themselves, Colleyville native Demi Lovato performed their greatest hits for a YouTube concert celebrating Pride Month. The event was co-hosted by an otherwise star-studded cast that included classic rock legend Elton John on Friday. As for Lovato, their performance included an appearance by the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles. Though a celebration of diversity, the performance’s true goal is to raise funds and awareness for the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth. Three charities highlighted during the performance were The Trevor Project, The Elton John AIDS Foundation and AKT.
The Marfa Tapes trio of Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall also did a streaming concert last week–theirs for National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk series. As if this trio of locals weren’t getting enough press as is, Time Magazine just called their album one of 2021’s best to date. Reads their praise: “[The Marfa Tapes] has none of Nashville’s typical sheen… The rough edges are palpable: the trio forgets lyrics; planes hum overhead; cold cans are cracked open. But what the album lacks in polish is more than made up for in chemistry and complexion.” Their aforementioned Tiny Desk effort has some nice sheen, though:
On the subject of collabs sure to spark some noise, the Grammy-winning songwriter Bobby Sessions recently talked with iHeart Radio about who he would love to work with as his career takes off. Fresh off the release of his debut Manifest LP, the Def Jam-signed rapper’s wish list includes J. Cole, Billie Eilish, Rihanna and Andre 3000. Hey, ours too!
On the other hand, locals looking to collaborate with Sessions have a cool opportunity in front of them. The performer put out a casting call this week, looking for anyone interested in rolling up on a video shoot for his song “Dream More, Doubt Less.” The video shoot is taking place at InterSkate Roller Rink in Lewisville on July 3 from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Sessions is riding a wave for sure, and it’s nice of him to try to include his local fanbase.
Fresh off their own collaborative album efforts, the rap group Cure For Paranoia is riding a wave of their own. The Truth To Power compilation they’re featured on alongside Leon Bridges, Flower Child and many others just made it to the Billboard charts — and, were that not enough, they also announced they’ll be playing a new festival in town called The Carne Asada. Set to take place at Sons of Herman Hall on July 10, the event will also feature performances from Big Tuck, Ray Burger, Sandovall, Yokyo, Cush with a C and many more. Tickets can be snagged here.
If watching badass music from the comfort of your own home is still your jam, though, no sweat! You’ll just want to hit play on the below clip from the popular H3 Podcast, which finds Dallas-sprung improvisational supernova Marc Rebillet wilding out with Flying Lotus and Rebillet’s onetime idol and now close friend Reggie Watts.
If you wanna wild out like Rebillet and hop in a music video like Sessions’, why not meet the Denton wildlings The Wee-Beasties in the middle? The band is currently asking fans to summit video clips of them smoking pot with their moms for inclusion in the video for their song, the fittingly named “I Wish My Mom Would Smoke Pot With Me.”
In other news, the Dallas death metal band Creeping Death is hitting the road in October with Exhumed and Bewitcher, and stopping off for a hometown date at Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill on Halloween night.
Meanwhile, the punk rockers in Calculated Chaos announced that they’ve signed to Grimace Records, which means their debut, Civil Audio-recorded self-titled LP can now be found on all the regular streaming services.
On the rap front, youthful YouTube rapper Cyraq Jackson dropped a new Vandergriff Skatepark-filmed video featuring his drill-style flow, plus some of his homies 50-50ing all around him in the butterfly bowl as he raps. Check it out:
On the more-established front, the Toadies also have a new release out — albeit one that comes from their salad days. See, the band just released a remixed and mastered version of their “Got A Heart” single on streaming platforms this past Friday, and it comes with a bit of history behind it. The song was originally released on the band’s first DIY EP, Slaphead, but it’s since been remixed and mastered by Chris “Frenchie” Smith. Physical versions of the update will be made available as part of a limited edition flexi disk and T-shirt bundle later this summer, with a portion of the proceeds going to aid original Toadies bassist Lisa Umbarger, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Also on the philanthropy front is the acclaimed area folk-rock act About You, who is out to prove yet again that the world isn’t doomed, no matter how bad we think it is. As part of a project headed by lead singer-songwriter Max Poscente, the band is gearing up to release their sophomore album with a lead single called “MONA” which turns out is an abbreviation for mother nature. It’s not out yet, but the song has already been pegged for use by The Foundation For Climate Restoration as the soundtrack to its call to actions and efforts to provide deeper understanding regarding the ecosystem we are all a part of. Together, the band and organization are asking for tax-deductible donations to aid in the production of a film, as well as other materials that can be used to broaden the scope of positive impact. You can find more information on that release and the Foundation For Climate Restoration right here.
On the other hand, if you wanna hear a Dallas-tied song with absolutely no causes tied to it at all, then you should go ahead and click play on the below embed, for which some demented YouTuber turned Drowning Pool‘s “Bodies” into a kids song.
Far more relevant, on the other hand, is the latest cut from the popular Fort Worth indie rockers in The Unlikely Candidates, who perhaps weirdly waited until just after Gemini season to release their new “Gemini” single on June 24. Anyway, check out the catchy little ditty below.
Finally this week, let’s end things on a high note. In the wake of our premiering the new “Modern Lovers” single from the band FIT last month — a group featuring members of Sealion, Coywolfe, Birds of Night and Drug Animal (among other notable area acts) — a visual component was debuted last week at the Double Wide to pair with the track. Peep the gorgeous Dillon White-directed and Claire Bruce-starring clip in all its glory below:
Them boys are going places!
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