0) Holy shit, there’s a lot of important shows going on this weekend, and I’m not even kidding. If you stay in, I hope it’s only because you’re too sick to get out of the house. Like Andromeda Strain-level sick.
1) This is the last week of the Live Oak Lounge (1311 Lipscomb), so I’m gonna promo their shows up here in numero uno. A side-note: as a venue is wont to do when it is about to close, the Live Oak is offering killer “every 2017 Kia must go!” type of drink specials right now, so book an Uber and get blasted on craft drafts you might have otherwise avoided because it they were previously too pricey. But also, here are the last four shows:
Wednesday: Dallas rap crew The Outfit, TX with DJ Mutemor. Starts at 9, is all ages, and is no cover.
Thursday: nothing booked, so maybe make it a night out for dinner and drinks. The servers will really appreciate it, and I mean that with 100% sincerity. Tip generously; your karmic tank levels will appreciate it.
Friday: The Last Song Swap. It’s a going away party starring local songwriters like Jamie Lin Wilson, Charlie Shafter, Rodney Parker, Cody Culberson, Austin Campbell, Kenny Uptain, and probably like ten or twenty more who show up and want to throw a tune or two your way.
Saturday: Brandy Clark and Charlie Worsham. These two country-folk troubadours have angelic voices and heartbreaking love songs to sing, which is probably as fitting an end to the Live Oak’s 5-year run as one could hope for. Tickets are $20, and while I am unsure if this all-ages show is sold out yet, you might as well get tickets ahead of time because the Live Oak is likely to get packed. Here’s Brandy Clark performing “Get High”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei7hwprDvuM
2) It probably goes without saying, but this week’s Team to Beat Show of the Week show is Margin Walker’s Fortress Festival. Should you have the barest shred of interest in current music and also possess a Facebook account, you’ve surely seen at least one advertisement for this concert, either directly in your feed or passed along by one of the local bands lucky enough to “share the stage with Run the Jewels.” Held in the Cultural District (aka that area between W 7th and Lancaster where the art museums are), the two-day music fest kicks off Saturday afternoon at 3pm; Saturday is the more local-heavy day of the two – between the two stages, you’ll see Ronnie Heart, Cure for Paranoia, Bobby Sessions, Sam Lao, Blue the Misfit, and Burning Hotels. As for Saturday’s non-local headliners, they include Houndmouth, Wolf Parade, Flying Lotus, S U R V I V E, and the aforementioned, celebrated rappers Run the Jewels.
Sunday’s lineup also starts at 3pm with So-So Topic, followed by Sudie, Dengue Fever (of all these bands, they’re the most interesting to me), Golden Dawn Arkestra, Quaker City Nighthawks, Whitney, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Alvvays, Slowdive, Peter Hook & the Light, and Purity Ring closing at the evening at 9:30. A brief admonishment: if you don’t have tickets yet, you’d better try to buy them literally RIGHT NOW, because this thing has allegedly and hopefully been selling faster than flashlight batteries in the advent of Delkus-hyped t-storm watch. I say hopefully, because this is the sort of event that every music fan in Fort Worth says they want but always has the potential to fall on its face because of under-attendance. If you think that’s bullshit, email Lance Yocum and ask him about that Wall of Sound concert he put on at LaGrave Field that had Om and Explosions in the Sky. If you’re free this weekend, fork over the cash and go to Fortress Festival. You won’t be disappointed. Wanna browse links to the artists? Here’s the complete lineup page, and it’s full of all the appropriate biographical links. Also enjoy this recent Run the Jewels video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaljXUiCaE
3) Just in time for the Live Oak’s demise, there’s a new Near Southside venue opening on Saturday night. Per the exterior signage, it’s called MASS, which stands for Main at Southside, a name inspired by its location at S Main (1002 S Main) near Rosedale – if you need a landmark, it’s just south of the Vandervoort’s dairy factory. You can read more about it in this week’s Weekly, but if you’re too busy to pick up a copy, the opening night lineup features the deliciously retro-sounding post-punkers Heater at 9, Tom Petty-by-way-of-the-Jayhawks Kevin Aldridge and the Appraisers at 10, and classic rock-deconstructionists/class clowns Oil Boom in the 11pm headlining slot, who will play a set heavy on tracks from their upcoming album, due out in the fall. The show is all-ages, and cover is $5 if you’re old enough to drink beer and $10 if you aren’t. Anyone wearing a Fortress Festival wristband will be rewarded with a conversation about how Fortress Fest was, so be sure to “go to MASS” after you’ve gone to that other concert. Here’s a live Oil Boom jam from last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAADpNGbhzc
4) Here’s the fourth important concert this weekend: Sub Oslo at Lola’s (2736 W 6th St), with Stumptone and DJ Sober. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Sub Oslo is the best band to ever be associated with Fort Worth, whether you’re talking about way back when or right fucking now. Even if you’re stone-cold sober (or even Stone Cold Steve Austin), Sub Oslo’s mega-heavy dub is like a huge blanket of warmth of mind-altering sonics made by top-notch musicians. As for Stumptone, the long-awaited/long gestated album Spark was one of my favorite records of 2016, and they are also not to be missed. Finally, if you need to know more about DJ Sober, ask another DJ; he or she is likely to tell you Sober is the best in the Metroplex. The show is 21+ and starts at 9pm; cover at the door is $12. For more information, consult long-time scene chronicler Ken Shimamoto’s blog post about this other band called Suiciety. Boy did I love to get blazed and listen to this Sub Oslo jam back in the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUd0JRgZ_1E
5) Wrap up your weekend on Sunday afternoon on Magnolia during Open Streets. Think of it like Arts Goggle with fewer art vendors and more skateboarding. DJ Databass is spinning vinyl of the funk, hip hop, and reggae varieties, and rumor has it that there’s an Open Streets after party in the Deep Southside at a venue on the intersection of Hemphill and Jessamine. No, it’s not the Montessori school. If you want to know more, ask someone who used to be affiliated with the Where House. That’s all I’m gonna say about that!
