Breaking news: Filthy rich people will do anything short of stash their money beneath their Bergères to avoid paying taxes, leaving the rest of us plebes with the bill, because we working-class types enjoy only raping, robbing, and murdering one another, of course. Breaking-er news: Money “saved” by filthy rich people from tax breaks does not trickle down onto our unwashed heads. Didn’t 30 years ago. Doesn’t now. Won’t later. Filthy rich people, or as the recently leaked Panama Papers seem to indicate, would rather trust their wealth to “banks” on islands than pay taxes. What makes you think Benjamin Wey, Igor Olenicoff, and Dallas’ Anthony Gumbiner want to share their Dom Pérignon? These boys do enough to keep democracy afloat across the globe. Leave them alone.
What’s nice about Friday on the Green is its spirit of generosity. All we ask of you is to spend some money on the vendors who, essentially, pay the bands, who, essentially (hopefully), entertain you. Even dropping some coin with our vendors and sponsors throughout the week (or the month or the year) helps. As pretty much the only publication to write about the monthly spring event (and as its lone producer) over the past eight years, the Fort Worth Weekly wants to thank you thousands of folks who spend one Friday a month with us in the spring, summer, and fall, despite the lack of coverage from the rest of North Texas media and especially the petty market competition with the sad, pitiable small-man complex.
Headlining 2016’s kickoff Friday on the Green this Friday is Reagan James, whom I had never heard of until last week, apparently because I spend more time at Lola’s, the Owl, and The Grotto than I do at home watching TV. And I’m sorry that I missed her. James, though still a teenager, has two albums to her name, she has big-time experience (she acquitted herself well on The Voice a couple of seasons ago), and she has the powerful, sensuous, non-cheesy voice, and showstopping comportment, of a woman 40 years older. Oooo, don’t let the morality police catch you describing a public figure who sometimes relies on his or her body and looks to generate attention (and sell merch and concert tickets). Well, not describing an entertainer or what he or she dresses like or how he or she carries him-/herself seems a little lazy. Pretending appearance does not exist is so … daily newspaper-y. Anyway. Reagan James. Right. Phenomenal talent. Pumping out the kind of old-school R&B that is severely lacking in this town and in general and that is severely awesome. Listen to “A Long Walk” or “That Thing” –– or, best of all, James’ “Breaking the Bank” –– and tell me that James’ kind of music doesn’t rule. You can’t.
James will be joined by openers The Hendersons, ’60s-pop geniuses who will soon get the recognition they deserve (their forthcoming record was produced by an international rockstar), and the Cut-Throat Finches, the vehicle for veteran singer-songwriter and cabana boy extraordinaire Sean Russell, who was churning out delicious, melodic, Triple-A pop before it was cool. (Is it cool? Uh, was it ever cool? It’s cool now, right? Yeah. Yeah, it is. I think.) (Love ya, Sean.)
“The big thing we should be concerned about is, there is onshore haven behavior in the United States, and it is undermining our own tax compliance and tax citizenship,” James Henry, economist and senior advisor to the Tax Justice Network, told Fusion. “I mean, if ordinary people are the only ones paying taxes, then you’ll have a tax revolt on your hands. … It’s nothing less than our democratic process at stake.”
Show your revolutionary tendencies by showing up at 7 p.m. on Friday at Magnolia Green Park (1100 Lipscomb) on the Near Southside. But bring some foldin’ money. These revolutions don’t run on hot air alone.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
