Deb Doing Dallas

P.O.S.

​Doomtree
Dan's Silverleaf
Tuesday, February 7

In a year spent throne-watching, Doomtree's 2011 release, No Kings, was an interesting comment on hip-hop's climate. Excessive in its own right, the Minneapolis collective has no less than seven official collaborators contributing to the final sound of their latest record. Not the baroque hip-hop of Kanye and Jay-Z, Doomtree's approach to excess is literal. There are just a lot of them.

Each member brings their own flavor to the mix, from spoken word to articulate, dizzying narratives, all backed by traditional 808 beats, drum machines and the occasional atmospheric instrumental track. Doomtree seem to define themselves by squirming out of every box you try to put them in, and their individual voices remain distinctive, further proven by their solo work. Yet the sum is at least as compelling as their parts.

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Audra Schroeder

Dancing + booze + I dropped my phone = Blurry picture of King Khan

​King Khan & the Shrines
Sons of Hermann Hall
Monday, February 6

It's hard to tell who King Khan is channeling when he gets on stage. James Brown comes to mind first, as does Screamin' Jay Hawkins. He sings about the important things: Mainly sex, food and rock 'n' roll. Also, the man has style. He came out in a satin cape, gold glitter blouse and feathered headdress. Yes, he was wearing a blouse and he doesn't give a fuck.

Seems like King Khan and his eight-piece Shrines have been perpetually on the road, and while last night's show was one of the tamer KK&TS shows I've seen, they were still fueled by the psych-soul voodoo that is their music, and possibly something otherworldly, too.

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If I had to explain Madonna's Super Bowl performance in one word that isn't followed by question marks and exclamation points, it would be synergy. She was in a commercial before the event, and her new song, "Give Me All Your Luvin'" was featured afterwards. OK, fine, the Super Bowl is commerce, and Madonna has a new album coming out.

But props to her for using that budget to go fucking Broadway with it, BECAUSE SHE CAN. The whole Roman soldier-themed show was pulled together by Madge's longtime creative director Jamie King, and it had the slick feel of something orchestrated, literally, from the ground up. Madonna appeared as a sort of alien gladiator queen to the strains of "Vogue," complete with her own army, and though I haven't really been excited about Madonna in a while, I got excited. As a kid growing up in the '80s and '90s, the image of her making out with Jesus in the "Like a Prayer" video is burned in my Catholic-schooled memory much like those (synergy alert!) Vogue magazine covers were burned in the stage.

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Best album cover ever? Best album cover ever.

​Well, the weekend is over and I am still trying to remove my neon pink lipstick from the super fun wedding reception the Observer staff ingested too many jello shots at. All in the name of art, we are cultural consumers around these parts.

Be it a new pop-up bar or an afterparty, I don't like to miss out on things but sometimes even I need a respite. Thankfully, my plans for Friday managed to include soul music, strong cocktails and the comfy booths at Inwood Lounge. A perfect way to take it down a notch, without having to really take it down a notch.

Vinyl Fantasy generally takes place at the end of the month at Inwood Lounge (it also moves around), though some months back it became a more focused soul night. VF stays mostly in that territory but there is license to just play, well, the weird stuff those in charge have uncovered while vinyl hunting. Adam Buck (DJ Business Casual/DJ Baby Jessica) and Nathan Johnson (DJ Empty Cylinder) cover the ying and yang of '60s and '70s soul, girl groups and weird shit in one of those most consistently pleasant evenings in town.

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Catherine Downes

​If you're like me, you wondered what exactly Shepard Fairey would spin at Saturday's Dallas Contemporary Phenomenon event. Sadly, Tuvan throat singing and Icelandic death metal were not in the cards. Instead, it was sort of like being at a really fun wedding reception: House of Pain's "Jump Around," Young MC's "Bust a Move," Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." Uh oh, uncle Dave's doing the Macarena.

But Fairey was in town for the art, man, the making and exhibition of which has been thoroughly documented over at Mixmaster. This was the afterparty; give folks free booze and recognizable jams and they're going to dance, especially if you add in free jello shots and put a glow stick in their drink.

Fairey did seem thoroughly engrossed in the set, fist-pumping and singing along, not just going through the DJ motions. In addition to the fabulous people-watching, there were also some great conversations to overhear. Here are a few snippets that really set the tone of the night.

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Lindsey Henrie

Sinden at Rio Room

​Thursdays in Dallas are getting unruly, reworking my school night routine a bit. I make sure the laundry, nails and hair are did a day or two early since we are all bound to run into each other once the sun sets.

Last night, Dallas overfloweth. I love Parks and Recreation as much as the next gal, but the real must-see events were beyond your front door, sugars, what with Dallas darling du jour Shepard Fairey's talk at The Contemporary, and They Might Be Giants hosting '90s nostalgia at The Granada. Plus, a smattering of weekly events was plenty of inspiration to cancel those Friday meetings. (Quit scheduling Friday meetings!)

In one corner, we have Beauty Bar's beloved DJ Sober weekly, Big Bang, a Thursday staple. In the other, Rio Room's Thursday night rotating DJ series, currently under the '83 Series moniker, is getting hotter and hotter with Blake Ward's thoughtful programming. Can one Deb do it all?

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Mike Brooks

They Might Be Giants

​They Might Be Giants
Granada Theater
Thursday, February 2

When nerds sell out a show, you know you're in for it. Scanning the crowd at the Granada last night, I could tell there were quite a few folks paying babysitters until 11 p.m., who were maybe a bit pudgier than when they first got into the NYC duo in the '80s or '90s. Still, They Might Be Giants have retained that rabid fanbase by staying consistently true to their oddball sound, never trying to be commercial, but somehow managing to do so.

The polka-punk of "Istanbul" immediately took me back to the days of watching The Adventures of Pete & Pete and "Snowball in Hell" continued the "early stuff" trend most of the crowd was probably there for. "Birdhouse in Your Soul," from 1990's Flood, remains a stone-cold classic, an eternal love song for freaks and geeks: "Not to put too fine a point on it/Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet/Make a little birdhouse in your soul."

The two Johns behind TMBG -- keyboardist/accordionist Linnell and guitarist Flansburgh -- still have the chemistry that made the group such a catch. Flansburgh is the boisterous one, romping around the stage, never standing still. Linnell is the quiet, contemplative one. When Linnell brought out his bass clarinet for a song, people cheered. Again, they know their crowd.

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​Craig Finn, Mount Moriah, Beau Jennings & the Tigers
Dada
Wednesday, February 1

Craig Finn stepped on stage with his four bandmates and declared, "I'm Craig Finn. This is my band. We need a name."

Serving as the opening date for a two-month tour ahead of them, the erstwhile Hold Steady frontman was in his usual jovial and conversational mood. An acoustic guitar was strapped to him the entire time and, unlike the last time The Hold Steady came to town, he actually played it throughout the set.

Recalling the kind of stage moves Elvis Costello did with The Attractions in the late '70s, Finn did more than vocalize his stories. Tossing his arms and pointing every once in a while as the words came out of him, this was expected for longtime Hold Steady fans.

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​Shelby Lynne
The Kessler Theater
Friday, January 27

Shelby Lynne does things her way, and that's how it was Friday at The Kessler. She has a voice that rivals anyone in terms of control, clarity and power, with a honeyed Southern twang used to good effect. She applies that amazing instrument to her songs and makes them feel like intimate revelations.

Showing up only15 minutes before show time, Lynne wasted no time getting down to the task at hand. Accompanied by a guitar, she delivered her songs and, often, the stories behind them. The standing room audience hung on every word.

As might be expected, the 90-minute set drew heavily from her newest release, Revelation Road. But her whole catalog was well represented. Introducing "Toss It All Aside" off the new release, she explained how she had seen a desperate man, and hadn't realized the song was about her daddy until last year. Tissues, please.

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