The Granada Theater on Lower Greenville opened 65 years ago, and as if to declare its gay cred from the start, the first film show there starred Joan Crawford. The theater turned up this ad from the first week of business back then; note the ticket prices. It costs more than twice as much nowadays to download a song from iTunes.
Sunday 08.07Strike it up
Bring out your bell bottoms and flared collars for this year’s Fruit Bowl as the Human Righs Campaign goes disco. The annual event raises funds for the HRC, but really, it puts our Wii talents to the test. But if you’re gonna dress up disco, reconsider those platforms for the slick lanes.
DEETS: 300 Dallas, 3805 Beltline Road,
Addison. Noon and 3 p.m.
Individuals $25–$30, teams $100–$160.
HRC.org/FruitBowl.
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‘Clap your Hands’ and say yeah
Even though Sia hasn’t quite made into the big time on the pop charts, she’s developed a strong following. The lez singer recalls the vein of Robyn, with smart pop music that keeps us coming back. She’s sold out here, but the venue has been releasing tickets so keep an eye out.
DEETS: With Oh Land and Ximena Sarinana. Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. 8 p,m. $24.
GranadaTheater.com.
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Poetic license
Local poet and author Christopher Stephen Soden reads from his newest collection Closer that is touted as “an existential look at same-gender sexuality and queer virility.” A Q&A will follow.
DEETS: McKinney Avenue Contemporary, 3120 McKinney Ave.
7 p.m. The-Mac.org.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 5, 2011.
Today could be historic. Before the night is over, the Dallas Mavericks, for the first time, could be the NBA Champions. With back-to-back wins, they head into Game 6 with momentum and confidence. Just not home court. And the Heat are likely pissed. If they win, it’s on to Game 7 and that’s just going to be war. No like.
OK, and who doesn’t have a crush on J.J. Barea? Just sayin’.
DEETS: Woody’s, 4011 Cedar Springs Road. 7 p.m. DallasWoodys.com; Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. 6 p.m. GranadaTheater.com.
OK, the deja vu of this year’s NBA Finals puts us on edge. The Dallas Mavs and the Miami Heat face off once again, only this time, the Mavs are seeking redemption. The finals start tonight with watching parties all over. Justdon’t start a drinking game on fouls against Dwayne Wade. You’ll get hammered way too fast.
DEETS: Woody’s, 4011 Cedar Springs Road. 8 p.m. DallasWoodys.com; Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. 7 p.m. GranadaTheater.com.
I had yet to see Brandi Carlile live. I always heard she was great, but then I would hear that from die-hard fans, so I wasn’t sure how fair of an assessment it was. On Monday night, I saw two things for sure — she was, at the very least, solid; and, the enthusiasm of her Dallas fans is equivalent to that of Adam Lambert’s. Do they have their own name like the Glamberts?
What’s interesting about Carlile is her quiet rise to stardom. She’s not a household name, but she can sell out the Granada. When the lights went out, the venue throbbed with yells and screams as the show began with her drummer, Allison Miller, killing everyone with a heavy drum solo. She should be worshiped as a drumming goddess. Carlile hadn’t even come out and the crowd was frenzied. Usually I take earplugs for the band. I should have taken them for the crowds’ roaring.
Carlile and the band rolled out, began playing and at that point, the largely female audience was putty in her hands. Carlile is more petite than she appears in pictures and she came out in a vest which seems to be her signature piece. Oh, that vest. But her voice is large and one of the best out there. Like the love child of Melissa Etheridge and Sarah MacLachlan, Carlile had both grit and grace in her range. Her high notes are magic and everything under is finely textured — as was her performance.
While there wasn’t a lot of showmanship behind her, there was a whole lotta heart. “The Story” and “Again Today” were not only highlights of the show, but she poured into them nicely as she did with her other standards and TV drama staples. Although her completely unplugged version of “Dying Day” was rather a show-offy moment that wasn’t overly necessary, her intentions were good and her singing projected to the back reaches of the venue. She busted out a few new songs which hint at Carlile heading into a harder-rocking direction. I don’t know if she’s going away from her torch singing, emotive usual stuff, but this was a Carlile I liked. Some of the audience did not and took it as an opp to get a bathroom or bar break.
Thanks to the peeps at KXT 91.7, one Dallas Voice reader can win a pair of tickets to tonight’s Brandi Carlile show at the Granada Theater. The show is sold out, so you probably don’t have much other way of trying to get in. This is clearly the best advice for you to get up in there.
The winner will be selected and notified by email later this afternoon. Just click here to register to win.
Good luck! Maybe I’ll see you there.
It wasn’t that long ago that lesbian singer Brandi Carlile was in Dallas. She took the House of Blues stage and pretty much owned the venue and the audience. Expect no less at her sold out show tonight at the Granada. Let’s just hope you can get in.
DEETS: With Ivan and Alyosha. Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. May 16 at 8 p.m. $29. GranadaTheater.com.
With musical superstars heading this way, we look to the skies for answersRICH LOPEZ | Staff Writer
lopez@dallasvoice.com
The gays are not without major music options as five big acts all head to town. From the mainstream pop of Kylie to the lesbi-rock of Brandi Carlile, and lots in between, it might be tough to navigate through the slew of music stars retrograding Dallas. Thus we searched for celestial advice on how to find our way through the asteroids and harmonies on which shows to consider.
The moon: Brandi Carlile
Although 2004 was the year Carlile broke into the music industry, it was her sophomore album that proved she’s no slump. For a newer artist, 2007’s The Story was like her Born to Run, featuring some big names behind it with T-Bone Burnett producing and a collab with the Indigo Girls. Carlile remained just as hot and 2009’s Give Up the Ghost did not disappoint. She worked with star producer Rick Rubin and offered another gay pairing with Elton John on “Caroline.”
With her show at the Granada, she’ll appear just as close as a full moon and likely shining as bright. Carlile has not made a career misstep so far and people are recognizing now how huge she could easily become. But the show is sold out so if you don’t have tickets already, make other plans. Your house is clearly not in her plane.
Appearing with Ivan an Alyosha.
Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. May 16 at 8 p.m. $29. GranadaTheater.com.
Mars alignment :
Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae
Despite the obvious, the celestial advisors have told us that Mars is the perfect place for these two. With eccentricity oozing out of their pores, they also have the talent to back it up, proving that on their Hooligans in Wondaland Tour.
Monae is probably the smaller of the two stars, but her Archandroid album was a brilliant musical high point and her energetic live performance is a spectacle beautiful to behold. Did you see her at the Granada with Of Montreal last November? Killer.
Bruno Mars is more of an anomaly. Although he’s doing the hipster throwback version of old soul acts, his songs from his debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans have minimal impact. The kid is talented and his multi-instrumentalism should be respected, but where Monae will likely leave you wanting more, Mars may too — more Monae.
Appearing with Patrick Stump.
Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. May 17 at 7 p.m. $35. Ticketmaster.com.
The sun:
Kylie Minogue with DJ Erik Thoresen
When this show was announced, there was a collective squeal from the gays. Minogue has never been Madonna or Britney, but she’s built a following that rivals both. Last year’s Aphrodite also took her to new heights musically. A solid package of pop and dance confections, Minogue reminds us that she is a star.
Her concerts have a reputation of being visual spectacles as well that apparently rival the likes of some Cirque du Soleil shows. That alone is worth the ticket.
Station 4 DJ Erik Thoresen was tapped to be the opening entertainment so this big pop-stravaganza also has big time local ties. Without a doubt, this is the party of the week, if not the concert.
Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. May 18 at 8 p.m. $50–$125. Ticketmaster.com.
House of Uranus: Of Montreal
While Of Montreal is too smart to be considered a party band, their brand of indie dance music is something more than infectious. The high energy and trippy lyrics get into your soul and skin and turn you into a dancing monster.
Maybe Monae has moved on, but OM is perfect for the mid-sized venue. Imagine a packed house and sweaty dancing bodies. Singer Kevin Barnes should put on quite a physical show. We love when he gets all sexy and dirty, but we’re just sorry he has to compete with Kylie for attention. That’s like Sophie’s choice. No fair.
Appearing with Painted Palms.
South Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St. May 18. Doors at 7:30 p.m. $20. GilleysMusic.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 13, 2011.
Sia will forever be known for her song “Breathe Me” at the series finale of Six Feet Under. Yes, it was the perfect song for that perfect moment. But Sia is a whole lot more than that one tune. Her latest album, 2010′s We Are Born, is a swell collection of pop tracks that ranges from feel-good charmers to dance-ready songs with her brooding ballads.
The out singer comes to Dallas this August playing at the Granada with openers Oh Land, which is one of the more ideal matchy-match bills of the summer. As Britney, Rihanna and Katy all dot the concert calendar on the grander pop scale, Sia will fill in the other end of the spectrum just nicely.
The show is set for Aug. 7 and tickets are on sale now. Get a sneak preview below.
Friday night was big for LGBT music as CSS, pictured, and Ricky Martin hit the town. CSS is primarily made up of LGBT-ers, but that’s not a thing with them. In this 2008 interview, the Brazilian band just wants to rock it and the video below shows they probably did just that.
Ricky Martin was all kinds of sexy at Verizon delivering an energetic show from the start. Even the ballads were pumped up as the audience sang along with every word. He knocked this show out of the park and his fan base hasn’t seemed to wane a bit ever since he came out last year. He encore’d with “The Best Thing About Me is You,” which is the video below (with singalong). Also, view our slideshow from the concert here.
