Tis' time for another weekly installment of my Featured Shows.
This week we've got some doozies; and when I say doozies, I mean
some crazy-awesome jammage in our own DFW backyard! There is always
tons of great live music in Dallas/Fort Worth, and you can find all
the info with us, Live Music DFW. We strive to be your one stop music
shop for all things Live Music in DFW. I appologize for the lack of
content in last week's post, as I scrambled to make the Sunday deadline.
This week's addition will have a lot more content! Please subscribe, like
our fb page, watch our vids on youtube, follow us on twitter and instagram;
we are taking over the interwebs! So, here are my picks for Featured Shows
6/23/13:
Sunday 6/23
Off to Levitt Pavillion in Arlington for another great FREE Live Performance.
This time it is Denton-based instrumental-fusion Snarky Puppy to start out the week.This award-winning group has garnished
a reputation for putting on a live performance unparalleled in energy, virtuosity, and musicianship. The fusion of a
knowledge & respect for musical tradition, and conceptual innovation in a way that is able to reach the most
critical, as well as carefree audiences.
With over 25 players in regular rotation, Snarky Puppy puts on quite a show. The core of the group,
which remains consistent, features Grammy Award-winners Robert “Sput” Searight on drums (God’s Property, Snoop Dogg)
and Shaun Martin on keys (Kirk Franklin, Erykah Badu), as well as young organ prodigy Cory Henry
(Kenny Garrett, Kim Burell) and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato (Marcus Miller, Q-Tip, George Duke). Show info can be found here.
Monday 6/24
Twin Shadow plays at the Granada theater. They have been described as "steeped in 1980s new wave building from streaks of haunting synth textures and having sophisticated melodies, R&B intimacy, and poetic lyrics, mixed with hazily new wave-tinged pop"
Info is here.
Tuesday 6/25
Tuesday we are up to Denton for local act Boombachs playing at Dan's Siverleaf. I'd describe their sound as Jazz-infused Hip-Hop.
Self-described as "A band whose foundation is centered around hip-hop a la The Roots, A Tribe called Quest, changes the game by
shamelessly cross-pollinating jazz, progressive/post rock, and funk." Their result below.
Members include:Adonias "AD" Wondwessen, P. Manzell Bledsoe, Marcus Wheat, Matt Westmoreland, Connor Veteto, Eric Daino,
William Huebner, Stephen Simpson. All eight members of The BoomBachs reside in Denton, TX. Info on the show can be found here.
Wednesday 6/26
We get some local flavor with Mikal Cronin and Shannon & the Clams at Club Dada in Deep Ellum.
Channeling early rock
rhythms, 1960s groups, and garage psych bands, with a dose of
R&B, surf, and punk all thrown in, too. Shannon and the Clams are described as sounding like "a brawling Etta James
backed up by the 13th Floor Elevators singing Shangri-Las tunes...").
Info is here.
Thursday 6/27
On Thursday we make our way down to Deep Ellum for a killer show at the Prophet Bar. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds,
a Soul/Funk/R&B act from New York will be gracing us with their presence. Started as a band among family and friends, The Dirty
Birds have been touring since 2008, putting out two albums. 2012 was their breakout year opening and playing with some huge
names including Gov't Mule, The Avett Brothers, Counting Crows, Trombone Shorty, the Rebirth Brass Band, and a three week
run with Allen Stone that culminated in an Austin City Limits late night set. I will be having an interview with these guys, so
all my music-going friends out there can have an inside look...more info to come.
The band consists of Arleigh Kincheloe (Sister Sparrow), Jackson Kincheloe, Bram Kincheloe, Sasha Brown, Ryan Snow, Phil Rodriguez
Brian Graham, and Josh Myers. Show info can be found here.
Friday 6/28
Friday, The Freeman in Deep Ellum will have a female night of Jazz/Swing with Stefanie Pepping & Gumbo Ce Soir The Blondelles @ the Freeman
Shows at the Freeman are always free, but donations for the musicians is strongly encouraged.
Info on the show can be found here.
Saturday 6/29
Saturday is a Tribute Band Saturday, as there will be three great tributes playing in DFW.
Forgotten Space, the resident Grateful Dead Tribute has a much anticipated return to Club Dada. These guys are the real deal!
Le Cure, a Cure Tribute will be at Sundown for a late night FREE show.
And for our Denton friends, we've got Petty Theft, the local Tom Petty Tribute will be at Dan's Silverleaf.
Info below:
Forgotten Space
Petty Theft
Le Cure
If you have read this far, it means I'm doing something right. Please
if you have any questions, concerns, compliments, gripes, feel free to follow up with me.
I check the media often. If you are interested in contributing content, please
follow up with me as well. Thanks and keep jammin' my friends!
SW
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Effinays Interview 6/8/13
Saturday night, June the 8th, The Effinays opened for Spoonfed Tribe at Trees in Deep Ellum. While not the headliner of the night, the DFW based Funky Reggae band drew quite a crowd. During their high energy set, the crowd was dancing, and grooving to the sweet tunage that The Effinays have become known for. Saturday was their last show before they left on their first ever tour!
After their set, I got a candid couple of minutes with the
guys, and got to ask them a little more about the force in live music they had
become. It all started with Jeremy "Pan Blanco" Piering on Bass
Guitar. The rest of the current lineup is not original band members. So when I
asked what made this particular group of musicians the best iteration of the
band, Piering responded “You know, we are just more genuine with these guys. No
drama, just having fun and making music. We support each other, and don’t shoot
anything down; every idea is a good one”.
When asked to describe their sound “We’re genre-bending, we
have influence from anything and everything; No limits.” That being said, there is an obvious influence from Reggae,
Funk, Reggaton, Hip Hop, and Jazz.
So what kind of time do you have outside of the band? Peiring said “We all hang out together, its family man!” Marquise Jones, on Tenor Sax chimes in “I’ve only been here 8 months, and even though we do holidays and birthdays together, they joke and say I’m still on probation…”
About to embark on your first tour, what are the Effinays
excited for? Peiring speaks first “Playing music all over the country,” except
this first tour is mostly along the west coast. “Yeah we are going to try for
all the way up to Washington.” Marquise says “I’m excited because I’m sheltered
and I want to travel” His ambitions were a little higher claiming he wants to “Share
their music with the world”. Jon “Big Spook” Martinez felt differently. “It’s a
Catch 22, having to leave the family for 4 month”.
I mention Joe’s tattoo. “Oh yeah, it says Musica es Mi
Passion, I got it when the band started getting really serious”. I ask when, he
says “Right before Wakarusa” so sometime in May. It definitely gives not just
Joe, but the whole band a cool vibe.
I wanted to hear from some of the other guys so I asked Valenti
"Funk" on Drums/Keys, how he got his start playing both at the same
time. “I played Piano first, and then when I picked up drums, I just replaced
the left hand with a drum stick… It just works”. And work it does, well that
is, the piano & drum boogie works well.
On to Jason "Shaggy" Kerr on Guitar; Shaggy is it
intentional that your Guitar and Jeremy’s Bass match? “You know, this is
actually my back up. It’s the same model as my main Guitar, but when I saw some
guy selling it in that color, I had to go for it and get it to match.”
Julian, tell me about
the Effinays involvement in NORML and winning Activist of the year from High
Times magazine. Julian "King" Ayacannoo, the other Sax player started
to reminisce. “Yeah, the tour is actually being sponsored by NORML, its pretty
cool. As for the High Times, we were nominated for three awards: Activist of
the year, which we won, best local act, and best underground act.” People
getting to share great music and a great cause, at least for the Marijuana
activists. “When we received our award, we met George Clinton, who was the
Activist of the Year, the year before. It was really cool when we spoke to him,
and he wanted to take a picture with us!”
George Clinton had the right idea. These guys are one of the
coolest, chilliest, and funkiest bands in North Texas, so I’d recommend you go
check them out. They were even so cool as to give me some signed posters, and
Big Spook even gave us a shout out here at Live Music DFW (even though he
reversed our name)
Hope ya’ll enjoyed, I’m hoping to do more of these candid
interviews, so I’ll keep you up to date. Thanks for reading and keep jammin’ my
friends!
The Effinays band consists of:
Joe "Big Spook" Martinez -
Lead Vocals
Julian "King" Ayacannoo - Sax Jeremy "Pan Blanco" Piering - Bass Guitar Valenti "Funk" - Drums/Keys Jason "Shaggy" Kerr - Guitar Marquise "Kool-Aide"Jones - Sax |
Monday, June 10, 2013
Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 6/9/13
Good evening my friends, and happy Monday! It is time for my weekly featured shows. I would like to remind readers that this is not the end all be all of acts in DFW, it’s just acts I’d like to highlight. More events can be found here. If you are a venue, a booking agent, or a band with a Facebook presence, and would like to have your events added to this calendar, please send an email to livemusicdfw@gmail.com stating so, and an invite to the events you’d like me to add on Facebook. Together we can bring music to the whole Metroplex! Let’s kick this thang off!
Monday 5/10
We start out the week with a free show at Sundown at Granada. Mondays in
June feature the David Willingham Project, a Funky Reggae Band, playing a free set
for the patrons of Sundown at Granada. As all of the Granada’s events, they
post that it “Goes Good With: Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Cas Haley, SOJA,
Dennis Brown, Luciano, Ugly Lion, Easy Star All-Stars, Black Seeds, and many
more…”. Info on the show can be found here.
Tuesday 5/11
Going a little Cajun on Tuesday as
we head to Deep Ellum for the Free Loaders. They’re a 6 piece
Jazz/Blues band fronted by graveled voice singer/drummer John Jay Myers. Their
sound is self-described as "Tom Waits doing Jazz Standards". It will
be held at the Freeman Cajun and Creole Restaurant, and as the name states,
this is a free event (but strongly encouraged to tip the musicians). The
Freeman also has some great Cajun food and a full bar…lots of fun for them Jazz
fans.
The Free Loaders
play the Freeman 7pm-10pm. More info here.
Wednesday 5/12
Wednesday, Minor Decline and The Neckties play at Lola’s in
Fort Worth. Minor decline is a Punk-Metal band based out of Chicago, while the
Neckties are based locally blending Rock with Soul for a very entertaining
performance.
Info on this event can be found here.
Thursday 5/13
Levitt Pavilion in Arlington (posted about it recently) will
be hosting the American Jazz Composer’s Orchestra, a local
professional big band, born in 2010. Started by some jazz professors at the
University of Texas at Arlington, the American Jazz Composers Orchestra is
dedicated to promoting and documenting new works for large jazz ensembles that
are created by American composers.
Unfortunately, I could not find any video for them, but the
event information is here.
Friday 5/14
While
myself and many others will not get to see Tab Benoit and Jason Elmore & Hoodoo
Witch, two killer Blues acts, I’d like to give a shout out to them, and anybody
attending their show. Granada sold out of tickets for this show, leaving fans
like me to wait for Benoit’s next visit. If you’re lucky enough to go, you are in
for a great time! Though it might not help, the info is here – shout out
Starting
the night is Ducado VeGa and Zenya Vi at the Doublewide
in Deep Ellum. They are a Husband and Wife band like you’ve never seen. Him
giving off a very Hendrix vibe, her more of Fergie one, but when they get
together they jump from instrument to instrument making FunK/Jamtronica that
rocks the house.
More
info on Ducado VeGa and Zenya Vi and the show can be found here.
And why not head over to Sundown at
Granada for a little free show from the Eric Tessemer Band? A master at guitar,
he blends Rock and Blues in to a crisp, clean listening experience.
More info on the show here.
Saturday 5/15
So I’m going to end out the week in
shows, with a couple of excellent tribute bands. First is the Jeff Beck
tribute, El Becko playing at Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton. I couldn’t find a
video of the band, but here is a bunch of Asian kids covering Jeff Beck.
More info on that show here.
Then at the Granada, it’s A Hard
Night’s Day, Beatles Tribute extraordinaire. These guys are really good, and
know a huge catalog of Beatles tunes. I’d definitely check ‘em out!
More infor here.
So that’s it for this week, next
week, I will start on Sunday as to incorporate the whole week of activities. I
love feedback and comments, and please, please, please, tell your friends! Keep
on jammin’!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Big Sam's Funky Nation @ Levitt Pavilion 6/7/13
Levitt Pavilion, in the heart of Down Town Arlington, is filled with music-goers and their families. Levitt is an outdoor pavilion that offers FREE live music all summer long, and I figured Big Sam’s Funky Nation was the show to check it out.
I’d only ever been to Arlington for Texas Rangers’ games or
one of the amusement parks. But after this show, Levitt Pavilion will definitely
be one such amusement park on my list! Let me paint the scene for you; Levitt
lists capacity on their website at 2,500, which would easily quantify the
patronage for Funky Nation. Almost completely full, Levitt Pavilion housed
families with lawn chairs and blankets, seemingly arriving way before my
friends and I did (30 mins before performance) to snag a great spot.
We start at the back, not wanting to upset these nice
families who have waited, but the Upbeat, Funk/Rock seemed to be lost on all
but the small children. As expected the music was excellent, but it was a family-type
function, which made for significantly less Funk-tion.
“Big Sam” Williams, a New Orleans Trombonist/Singer/Band
Leader, got his start with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the age of 19. After one year with the Dirty Dozen, Williams
began a broadening his musical goals. Big Sam played with Elvis Costello and Allen
Toussaint in 2006 on their Grammy-nominated "The River in Reverse"
album and ensuing international tour. Big Sam's Funky Nation has become his
main band, touring nationally, internationally, and at major festivals such as Bannaroo,
Gathering of the Vibes, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Voodoo Music
Experience, South by Southwest, & Austin City Limits.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation describes their sound as a “signature Noladelic Powerfunk sound masterfully combin[ing] a rock sensibility with improv-style associated with jazz and the horn-heavy front section that’s the hallmark of big band funk.”
In my opinion the highlight of the show was, after the band
had left the stage, our music-going group started to chant the Parliament lyrics
“We want the funk, gotta have that funk!”. The band came back out for an encore
performance which combined of several songs; “The Treme Song”, “Everybody Needs
Somebody”, and a special shout out to yours truly with the camera-phone “You Better
Tweet About Me”. They invited people from the audience up on stage, and what
had started out as an encore, quickly became a dance party!
All and all, this was a great, did I mention FREE, community
event put on by Levitt Pavilion and the city of Arlington. I’d highly recommend
catching some more of those shows, I know I will, and will keep ya’ll updated
on what will be playing when.
Thanks Big Sam and Funky Nation for a funky good time, and
keep on jammin’ my friends!
SW
Monday, June 3, 2013
Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 6/2/13
Hello all my musical friends, and welcome! Tis’
another installment of my featured weekly shows. I’m not getting started on
this until late (sorry), so it will not include Monday. Needless to say, there
are some big acts playing this week. Now, based on where these shows are and
how big an act it is, ticket prices will vary. I am just doing my best to let
you know what I think are some of the coolest shows out there this week. So,
without further ado, here is the Live Music DFW blog week of June 2, 2013.
Tuesday 6/4
This one is kind of a biggie guys, Fleetwood Mac
will be playing at the American Airlines Center Tuesday night. The multi Grammy-winning and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees
last toured in 2009 with the sold out Unleashed tour. The current 34 city tour
also marks the 35th anniversary of the release of their classic Rumours album
(1977), one of the most successful albums in recorded history with sales
exceeding 40 million copies. Rumours planted itself at the top of the pop charts
for over 31 weeks and had four top ten singles.
Fleetwood Mac's success has brought fame to its legendary members Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks who
can be seen Tuesday at the American Airlines Center.
Wednesday 6/5
Another legend comes to D town, well actually GP
town! Peter Frampton will be playing with Robert Cray on Wednesday at the
Verizon Center (formerly Nokia Center) in Grand Prairie. Frampton, while
needing little introduction, is up to something new and hot. Shortly after receiving his first
Grammy Award, Frampton embarked on his Fingerprints Tour. This tour is the
artist's first public performances since winning "Best Pop Instrumental
Album" for his first all instrumental recording, Fingerprints.
Frampton will be performing material
from Fingerprints - as well as favorites spanning his catalog. Frampton's band includes
Rob Arthur (keyboards, guitar and backing vocals) and John Regan (bass), as
well as Audley Freed (guitar) and Noah Levy (drums). More band info here.
Robert Cray may need an
introduction, as some of you might not be aware of this guy. He is blues
guitarist with heavy soul influence, has been recording since the 70’s and
has won 5 Grammy’s in his career. He too is going strong, having an album
dropping in August.
Robert Cray will be playing with the
Robert Cray Band as part of Peter
Frampton’s Guitar Circus. This will be an excellent show, I promise. Band info
here.
Thursday 6/6
Let’s bring it a little closer to home with Fish Fry
Bingo, a Bluegrass-Jug Band based out of Ft. Worth. Self-described as “A pure,
raw hillbilly tour of American music, original and otherwise”, Fish Fry started
playing together in 2006, with the current lineup playing together since 2011.
Their music incorporates a variety of instrumentation; Banjos, electric washboards, wah pedals, boots
& bare feet, pots & pans, kazoos, spoons, beers, upright bass,
mandolins, jugs, train whistles, guitars...
The Current Fish Fry Bingo line up consists of Dan
Benjamin, Tony Drewry, Adrian "Doc" Cook, Matthew Broyles, and David
"Blackie" Graham. More info available here.
Friday 6/7
Friday we are back to the big leagues! There are two
shows for Friday I’d like to talk about. First is the Big Sam’s Funky Nation
free show at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington. I posted about it last week.
The second show is none other than Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Reigning from New Orleans, this young Trombone/Trumpet Player
and Band Leader has been gaining momentum since the release of his
Grammy-nominated 2010 debut album, Backatown. Trombone Shorty &
Orleans Avenue have grown creatively, building a new fan base on
five continents. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews has dubbed the band’s sound as
“Supafunkrock.”
Orleans Avenue consists of Mike
Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dan Oestreicher
on baritone sax and Tim McFatter on tenor sax –
stirring together old-school jazz, funk and soul, laced with hard-rock power
chords and hip-hop beats. More info can be found here.
Saturday 6/8
Saturday
is a local day! Got to throw some love to my boys, the Effinays, who play their
last DFW show this Saturday before embarking on their first Tour! They will be
playing at the CD release party for Spoonfed Tribe, along with other local
bands including Yells at Eels and The Venetian Sailors. Should be a rad show,
here are some videos of the acts.
More info on that show can be found here.
The second option, the free option is My Wooden Leg out of Ft. Worth. They play a free show at Sundown at Granada on Saturday night. Their sound blends hard rock, Balkan funk rhythms & Gypsy melodies. Video below:
My Wooden Leg consists of Michael
Maftean, Joshua Jones, Steward McCarty. More info here.
So that’s it, those are my shows for the week. If you’ve got the money to see ‘em all, I’m very jealous of you! Please like out Facebook page and share this blog! Be sure to subscribe as well. We need to get as many people involved with Live Music in DFW as possible. This is more than a blog, it is a community, and I’d very much like it to be a closed knitted one. So go out and enjoy some music, and keep jammin’ my friends!
SW
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