1) Get goofy at MASS (1002 S Main) tonight – War Party headline a show that features Son of Stan and Sealion in the opening slots, and since everyone in those bands are pretty much pals, expect plenty of laffs in between the punk, surf, and pop pumping out of the PA. Doors are at 8, the cover is $8, and Sealion start the show at 9:30. Here’s Sealion at the Kessler from a couple years ago:
2) Vorvon’s twin-bass attack kicks off Friday night’s heavy show at Lola’s; after them is Austin-based bass and drum duo Alien Knife Fight, and Royal Sons in the headlining spot. If you’re wanna hear something new, don’t miss Alien Knife Fight – bassist/vocalist Monique Ortiz is kinda virtuosic in both her roles, and she has played with members of Morphine, so, you know, great musical pedigree. I hear a Melvins influence in their music, which is always a selling point for me. Check out Alien Knife Fight here and see what you think. Cover is $10, and Vorvon goes on at 10, with the other bands following on the hour, just as you would expect. This Alien Knife Fight song is called “Keep Talking.” Enjoy!
3) If neither of those local shows float your boat, another thing you could do tonight is drive up to Denton for Acid Koolaid Festival at the Backyard on Bell. It’s a two-day, two-stage, 21-band festival that starts at 7pm Friday night. I’m not gonna list all those bands, but here are some highlights: from Fort Worth, there’s Vicious Firs, Same Brain, FOGG, and Mean Motor Scooter, but you’ll also want to see OKC’s Helen Kelter Skelter, Denton’s Mink Coats, Acid Carousel from Dallas, Crypt Trip, who apparently call San Marcos home. Full lineup is on the ticketing page. This Helen Kelter Skelter video was shot at one of my favorite venues, the Replay Lounge in Lawrence, KS:
4) Want another show for Friday? Eh, why not, right? I don’t know who Dylan is, but it’s his birthday, and he’s celebrating it at the Grotto with Dead Vinyl, Teenage Sexx, and Mean Motor Scooter – since they’re playing Friday night in Fort Worth, I assume they play Saturday in Denton at the festival mentioned above. Cover is $7, and Dead Vinyl start the show at 10pm. I wish more bands would make more “official” videos, like this Mean Motor Scooter video for “Monster”:
5) The Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards Ceremony is on Sunday, and the public part of the event (i.e. the awards) starts at 5pm. Admission is $10, and Hall of Fame inductees Burning Hotels will play at 8pm or so. This is always pretty fun party, and it’s at the Ridglea Theater this year, a place I doubt most people have visited in a really long time, so that in itself is a draw. Here’s a recap video of the 2017 FWWMA showcase from a couple weekends ago, in case you forgot it all:
FULL DISCLOSURE/WRITER BIO ALERT: per editorial suggestion, in addition to writing about music and other shit for the FW Weekly, I am an investor in a venue/bar called Main at Southside, colloquially known as MASS. I also bartend there, as well as the Boiled Owl Tavern, a bar that also hosts shows a few times a month. And, since we’re on the subject of warning you against what may be perceived as my own icky, unseemly self-promotion and/or conflicts of interest, I play bass in the following bands: Oil Boom, Son of Stan, Darth Vato, and maybe, once again in the hypothetical future, EPIC RUINS. Sometimes I talk about one or more of those entities in this space, but I assure you that it has very little to do with my own vested interests; it just happens that the aforementioned venues and bands are part of the Fort Worth music scene, and this music scene is something I care very passionately about, as I have been part of it for the past fifteen years.
