1) I don’t necessarily agree with everything local activist/organizer/social justice warrior Chelsea Bonham says, but they and I are for sure on the same page when it comes to a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body. Yes, I’m talking about abortions; if that bothers you, stay home and complain to Jesus about it. For everyone else who believes in equality and the right to reproductive health, Bonham has put together a benefit at Republic Street Bar (201 E Hattie) to raise money for the Texas Equal Access Fund, which helps low-income women have access to abortions; I and fellow WIZARDVIZION vinyl operator Jordan Richardson will be DJing a set of various danceable jams, as will DJ duo Away from the Numbers (Gabrial Mendoza and Sam Ramirez, who do that Gathering Dust post-punk night at the Owl), and there’s also live bands starting at 4pm with Mr. Breakfast, Ko49, Better Now, Dead Vinyl, Shinji (from Baltimore, MD), 1919 Hemphill impresario Al Rios’ pop punk band Special Guest, and headliners New Science Projects, who are worth the price of your donation alone. Oh yeah, bring a donation, because supporting TEA is the whole point of this organized hangout-sesh. You’ll also want to bring money for a raffle ticket, because prizes come from places like the Boiled Owl Tavern (bar cash, duh), Spiral Diner, and more. Helping organizations like TEA is more important now than ever before, so stop by, have fun, and toss some cash in the jar to help keep this organization afloat.
2) Lola’s (2736 6th St) Friday night show is Darth Vato’s 15th anniversary. I’d like to think I don’t need to say this, but full disclosure: I’m in that band. Hopefully that doesn’t make you not want to go. But even if that’s the case, you should still show up because Pablo & the Hemphill 7 and Lion Eye are the opening bands, and both will scratch your itch for irie vibrations, even if Darth Vato’s version of reggae is about as white as it comes. Some Fairmount millennials might call that cultural appropriation, but don’t try to tell me you don’t know the words to “Caress Me Down,” kids – I see you. The show is all-ages, and cover is $10. Here we are, playing at the Moon Bar almost a decade ago. The Moon Bar has been gone for almost six years; now it’s a Toppers Pizza. Toppers Pizza is kind of nasty, but at least you can order one hella late!
3) Then on Saturday at Lola’s, Sally Majestic celebrates their 16th anniversary (or birthday, as the flyer calls it). This show is an even bigger affair (as 16th birthdays tend to be), because the bill has seven acts on it: SM, of course, as well Animal Spirit, We Are Band Nerds, Black Market Garden, the Me-Thinks, Leroy the Prophet, Duell, and River Crest Yacht Club. That’s a fairly diverse (and festival-length) lineup – reggae, rock, rock, band nerd, rock, hip-hop, funk, and rock are all well-represented – and tickets are also only $10. Sally Majestic seem to play in Colorado a lot. Wonder why that is! Here they are playing in Colorado:
4) Another thing to do on Saturday that’s even bigger than Sally Majestic’s birthday lineup is FAM Fest 2017, held at Shipping & Receiving. The annual celebration of Food, Art, and Music is short on cost – it’s free – and long on lineup; inventive freestyle rapper Astronautalist is the headliner, but there’s also fifteen other artists performing across two stages, as well as five DJs. Most of the music leans towards hip-hop and electronic stuff – besides rap crews assembled by the likes of 88 Killa and GOAT, you’ll get performances by acts like Rat Rios, Tidals, and Squanto. The event is all-ages, pet-friendly, and starts at noon. As millennial social media addicts like to say, “come thru!”
Here’s this recent 88 Killa video for his song, “The Code”:
5) Oh yeah, I almost forgot: the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day is on Saturday, and there are shows at Doc’s (9522 Camp Bowie W), Dreamy Life (1310 W Allen), and Chief Records (140 E Exchange). Did you know about Chief Records? It’s in the Stockyards, and the scene there leans heavily on Texas music and country and western; starting at 10am, Chief’s Record Store Day roster includes sets by Audry Oliver, Jason Eady, Tommy Hooker, Joe Savage, Holland K Smith, Jackie Darlene, and Michael Lee. Doc’s RSD party starts at noon and features Heater, Starbass Laboratories, High Art, Steve Gnash, and Movie the Band. Finally, the Dreamy Life Records and Music extravaganza kicks off at 2pm with performances from LOAFERS, Teenage Sexx, Sub-Sahara, War Party, Son of Stan, Sealion, and Acid Carousel. Admission to all of those fiestas is free, leaving you plenty of cash to score good deals on great music, local and otherwise. Support local bands, because they exist in part to give you something fun to do.
