1) Opelika, AL-bred Americana artist Adam Hood sits down for a performance at The Post at River East (2925 Race St) on Wednesday evening. His sound blends the usual pillars of Americana – country, soul, folk and blues – into kind of a, well, a blue-eyed soul version of Americana. He’s got a great voice and big hooks – “Real Small Town,” off his newest release Somewhere In Between could very well be a big hit on the Ranch, the kind of song that people who dislike Jason Aldean but think Rascal Flats are still pretty cool would get into, and lyrically, it’s got a lot of tear-welling specificity about living in one of those places that are barely specks on a map anyway, and then the present persistently grinds it into the dust of history. All-ages, doors are at 6, show is at 8. Cover is $16. Did you know a Confederate Rose is a type of flower? I did not until I listened to Hood’s song, “Confederate Rose,” the closer to the aforementioned album. The flower is not a rose, actually, but a type of hibiscus. I recently learned what a hardiness zone is; if you know what that means, Confederate roses fare best in zones 9 and 10. North Texas is in zone 8, so if you try to grow one of these plants, I’d bring it inside until the lows stay consistently in the 60s or higher. Here’s the video for that “Real Small Town” song:
2) The Red Goose’s upstairs (306 N Houston St), which used to be the home of Fort Worth Live, has been hosting weekly EDM House Party on Thursday nights for a while now, and I’m just now catching on to this because I had a lot of Sammy Hagar content to get through over the past 14 months, and I am finally caught up, so expect to have slightly more coverage of these type of events than in previous years. This week’s House Party features FLOG, Rezinat3d, Neon Smoke, Wasubii, and AutoDegenerate. 18+, $3.50 cover, starts at 9pm. Incidentally, Sammy Hagar and the The Circle are the headliners for the Bo and Jim Bash 9 on September 2 at Dos Equis, with Whitesnake sharing the bill and Night Ranger warming the crowd up.
3) What you got going on Friday night? How about a trip to the Moon (2000 W Berry St) to see Phantomelo, Keanu Leaves, and The Herald? Show is 18+, cover is $10, doors are at 8pm, and The Herald kicks the night off at 9:30. I don’t know what they sound like, and I’m not going to make my own assessment, choosing instead to post what a website called thearkofmusic.com had to say: “Opening their sophomore project is the album’s title track, ‘Sea Of Strangers,’ an ambient, chilled-out track that immediately took me back to 2001 and 311’s classic, ‘Amber.’” Huh! Would not have guessed that, Ark of Music! Color me intrigued, and honestly, a band that may sound even a little bit like turn-of-the-century-era 311 might very well be the shot in the arm this music scene needs. Where’s the party these days, yo?
4) Storied Chicago punk band 88 Fingers Louie (“Geriactive since 1993” reads their FB About page) has had so many members run through its lineup, it’s practically a finishing school for dudes who go on to be in huge bands – its alumni includes musicians who went on to be in Alkaline Trio, Explode and Make Up, Paper Mice, Rise Against, and The Story So Far, to name drop a few – so their headlining spot at Three Links’ (2704 Elm St, Dallas) 7-Year Anniversary Party on Saturday night is kind of like watching a historical reenactment, except that they have a new album coming out soon, so you’ll hear a bunch of new songs, too. Links’ anniversary bill also includes Phoenix, AZ’s Playboy Manbaby, which are kind of like if Ween were a punk band, except maybe influenced by Jimmy Eat World, because Arizona. Local punk doods From Parts Unknown open this all-ages show at 7pm, and tickets online are $17 = $4.62 service fee, so estimate the cost at the door based on that, or just grab one here like a responsible human who plans ahead. Here’s a Playboy Manbaby video for a song called “Mulligan.”
5) The Boiled Owl Tavern (909 W Magnolia) celebrates its 8th anniversary on Saturday with a dance party themed around the idea of “1980s Sci-Fi Boogie Zone,” though DJ Soft Cherry, who’s providing the soundtrack, will probably throw down hip-hop and house. The ’80s Sci-Fi theme is more an excuse for you to turn an ’80s look into some kind of sci-fi-esque costume – for example, an s’80s look that can be arguably titled Friend of Sarah Connor In Terminator counts, as does a Terminator costume, or you can just tape something cyborg-y to your face or your arm or wear huge, dark sunglasses and make up a story about them that sounds futuristic, but in an ’80s VHS sort of way. I don’t care. This is really just an excuse to get down to some bass-heavy jams and toast the health and continued success one of your favorite Fairmount dives. Watch this trailer for 1986 sci-fi action movie The Eliminators:
