1) Lola’s (2736 6th St) Thursday night show is free and features five songwriters who run in the same social circle but are otherwise stylistically distinctive: Joe Savage (country, Tom Waits admiration), Vincent Neil Emerson (country, Steve Earle admiration), Caleb Stanislaw (guitar alacrity, psychedelic pop), Denver Williams (off-kilter indie rock in the vein of Pavement), and Tommy Luke (bluegrass-influenced skateboard folk). Not sure if it’s one of those song swap situations where all five sit on stage at once or if they play in succession or sit in on each other’s sets or what, but each of these dudes is fun to watch on their own, and they’ll likely feed off each other’s energy even if there’s only a few people there. Hopefully there are like fifteen times as many people in attendance as that, though. Here’s a video of Denver Williams playing solo, shot by Tommy Luke:
2) Ever wonder what the deal is with that other band from Texas called Duel, who are based in Austin and only have one “l” in their name? Thursday at the Ridglea Room is your chance to find out, when they headline a bill featuring another heavy band from Austin called Greenbeard, as well as local doom trio Mountain of Smoke. Cover is $12 at the door and CASH ONLY. Show is 21+ and starts at 9pm with MOS. Duel describes themselves as old school stoner metal, and based on this video, I guess that fits pretty well:
3) By now you’ve probably heard that Teenage Sexx has changed their name to Upsetting; they explain why in this Dallas Observer article, which also plugs their new album Everything I’ve Done So Far, released Friday night in Denton at a free show at Andy’s Bar (122 N Locust, Denton). Real talk: it’s gonna take me a minute to get used to that name, but the Dallas-based punk trio’s new record should be on your radar no matter what they call themselves, seeing as how they’re one of the tightest, most entertaining live bands around and seem to take their music, if not themselves, pretty seriously. And actually, I get the impression that they take themselves seriously enough. Long story short: Upsetting Record Release Party at Andy’s Bar in Denton Friday night; no cover, 21+, also features Friendship Bracelets, Soggy, and Genius Christ. Their new video features a spaghetti fight:
4) Friday night, MASS’s (1002 S Main) show features Unlikely Candidates, Daybreak Hits, and Northern National – basically, radio-friendly indie rock. Doors to this 18+ show are at 8 and the music starts at 9; cover is probably $8, though it could be more or less. Anything is possible. Or you could go to Billy Bob’s (2520 Rodeo Plaza) and watch Josh Weathers with Seth James opening; doors to that show are at 6pm, and Josh Weathers plays at 9. General Admission tickets are $14, and the show is 18+. Here’s Seth James and his wife, Jessica Murray, performing on the Texas Music Scene:
5a) Also on Saturday: Das Blumelein Project at the Steinway Center on Camp Bowie (3717 Camp Bowie, to be precise). Two sopranos, Agostina Migoni and Bethany Mamola have created a show in which the typical “stand by a piano and sing” performance format is expanded with theatrical flourishes, utilizing visuals and an original script and additional instrumentation to tell a story. Cover is the “pay what you want” model (but don’t be a cheapskate, please), it’s all-ages, and the show starts at 7:30. Check out this video for a better idea of what this event is:
5b) Also-also on Saturday, Primadonna, which is (according to a press release) America’s only Madonna Tribute, will make its Fort Worth debut. I’m not sure if the Dallas-based act is in fact the only such act in the whole country, and I’d be shattered to learn that someone exaggerated in a press release, but I am 100 percent certain that it’s the only Madonna tribute that will appear at Lola’s Trailer Park (2735 W 5th St) that night. This sounds like it has all of the components of a good drag show: costume changes, choreography, and, well, Madonna songs. Panic, a Smiths-Morrissey tribute, shares the bill. The doors open at 7pm, and tickets are $10, which is pretty reasonable for a Vegas-style performance. Here’s a little preview to whet your appetite:
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 at the Boiled Owl Tavern, a bar that also hosts shows a few times a month, as well as Off the Record, which is a bar/record store that hosts DJs several nights a week. Since I’m on the subject of warning you against what may be perceived as icky self-promotion and/or conflicts of interest, I play bass in the following bands: Son of Stan and Darth Vato.
