It’s rare that I recommend people go to Dallas, but I’m making an exception for nostalgia’s sake. Two must-see shows are being held at Poor David’s Pub this weekend. (And the club is a heck of a lot easier for Tarrant County folks to get to — and get out of — in it’s new location just south of I-30.)
Friday night’s show will be a barn-burning blast when Joe “King” Carrasco & the Crowns reunite and take the stage. The Austin-based band formed in 1979 and blew minds with its blend of rock, party punk, and Tex Mex sounds.
The band made it fairly big on a national level, appearing on “Saturday Night Live” in 1981 and getting regular exposure in the early days of MTV. Check out this video and see if it doesn’t take you back to the 1980s (if you were alive back then):
Meanwhile, Saturday night’s show is one I’ve been anticipating for a long time: the incomparable Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.
Elliott is a native Brooklynite who transformed himself into a Will Rogers-like, troubadour, cowboy, free-spirited rambler with a vague revolutionary vibe to him. His style of storytelling and guitar picking — and his nasal delivery — influenced none other than a young Bob Dylan when the two were hanging out together in the 1960s in Greenwich Village.
Elliott’s South Coast (1995) is a personal favorite. His version of “If I Were A Carpenter” tops even Johnny Cash’s rendition. The album is as stripped down as it gets — just Elliott, an acoustic guitar, and a batch of vivid, imaginative story songs. That’s probably what Saturday night’s concert will be as well.
