Woody’s goes from macho to musical on Tuesdays with its long running Show Tunes Night. Sing along because you know will to all the classics from MGM up to today’s Broadway shows and likely a few surprises in between. It’s best with a group because then you can prove who the biggest theater queen is of the night.
DEETS: Woody’s, 4011 Cedar Springs Road. 9 p.m. DallasWoodys.com.
Local duo Bandmates noted that they are playing a last minute gig tonight. With hippie flair and tunes that border on whimsy punk-folk, singer Kimberly Castrellon will win you over with her adorable allure while partner in life and music, Susan Carson will funk you up with her bass. You may have seen Carson last on the big stage with Jane Doe at House of Blues this past summer, but now she gets to chill with her latest band — and her girl.
DEETS: Sue Ellen’s, 3014 Throckmorton St. 8 p.m. SueEllens.com.
DJ Tristan Jaxx will dole out the tunes for tonight’s Thanksgiving Eve Party. This is the perfect way to burn off some calories to make room for tomorrow’s big meal. That’ll be something to be thankful for in hindsight.
DEETS: The Brick, 2525 Wycliff Ave. Doors at 9 p.m. BrickDallas.com.
She’ll folk you up
Boston folk singer Catie Curtis brings a new set of tunes to town. Promoting her latest album Stretch Limousine on Fire, Curtis says this album has pushed her to her musical boundaries. So her live show must be just as inspired.
DEETS: With Melissa Greener. Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse, 555 N. Central Expressway. 8 p.m. $15–$18. UncleCalvins.org.
In this installment of Show vs. Show, we take a look at two bands both welcome at any party. It’s the battle of young and not-so-young as The B-52s bring out their campy tunes and CSS turn on their Brazilian beats for Dallas audiences.
Despite a healthy discography, we might always know The B-52s for “Love Shack,” but there are worse tunes on which to hang a legacy. Now a classic party anthem, the song has held up for more than 20 years.
The band’s talent shouldn’t be overlooked for its camp factor. When the late Ricky Wilson threw down that riff for “Rock Lobster,” he made music history with a strong sound. It’s easy to blow off, but over the years, has proven unforgettable. Guitarist Keith Strickland stepped in and filled those shoes with the perfect blend of musicality and whimsy.
Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson always keep our attention with their mod outfits and high-to-heaven ’dos, but Fred Schneider symbolizes the band most with his outrageous flair.
But don’t count out CSS for party ’peal. The Brazilian popsters may be the heirs apparent to The B-52s (if not LMFAO), infusing a comic touch on their songs. They don’t offer as much of a punchline as The Bs do, but with tunes like “Let’s Reggae All Night” and “City Grrrl,” they add their own panache. Another point in their corner is opening dance band and performance artists MEN, led by lesbian JD Samson.
This should be more like Party vs. Party. All that’s missing are the party favors, confetti and punch bowl.
— Rich Lopez
The B52's
Known mostly for… being the premiere party rock band veterans, churning out hits “Rock Lobster,” “Love Shack” and “Roam.”
Good for the gays? As gay as it can get. Their camp factor is off the charts. And of course, there’s queer singer Fred Schneider.
What to wear? Anything but beige or gray. And lots of hairspray.
Relevance: The B-52s haven’t delivered big since 1989’s Cosmic Thing, but their songs are timeless fun.
Reason to be there: This is one resilient band that wholeheartedly still delivers. And how awesome is “Love Shack” going to sound live?
Reason to not: It’s in Frisco.
Deets: Dr. Pepper Arena, 2601 Avenue of the Stars, Frisco. Nov. 3
at 7:30 p.m. $27–$77. Ticketmaster.com.
CSS
Known mostly for… their Brazilian dance pop. Hipsters party out to this band
that wants nothing more than to have a good time.
Good for the gays? With openers MEN, both are queer-centric with refreshing
but catchy tunes.
What to wear? Ironic T-shirts and colorful Converse Chuck Taylors.
Relevance: Their latest album, La Liberacion, strikes an unusual dance chord that’s also infectious and irreverent.
Reason to be there: While CSS has a strong fan base, they are still off the gaydar. You can be the one to tell all your friends about them.
Reason to not: With this one-two punch of catchy alterna-pop, there really isn’t a reason not to be there.
Deets: With MEN. House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. Oct. 28
at 8 p.m. $18–$20. HouseOfBlues.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 28, 2011.
Whether you’ve seen it onstage or at the movies (or both!), Hairspray is whole lot of delightful fun. Mixing social messages with drag characters is one thing, but to brighten it up with fun-loving tunes that feel like they popped right out of old-time radio is what makes the story work so well. Come on. How many times have we wished we could wake up singing “Good Morning, Baltimore” and feel that good about the day? Anybody? Just us?
Check out our piece on actor David Coffee who plays Edna Turnblad.
It’s been a while since LGBTs would trek out every week to Grand Prairie to Forum Roller World for gay skate night, a hit with the community that eventually fizzled away. Never fully deterred, though, Don Blaylock — who used to DJ the event — decided it’s time to bring it back.
“People loved it before,” he says. “I thought it would be great to bring back and have something for people to do.”
Blaylock says that interest had already been brewing when he started handing out flyers on the street.
“The response has been so positive,” he says. “There is an unbelievable interest in it.”
Just don’t expect to find info about it online. Blaylock is old-school and doesn’t do things on “the computer” too much. (Advice to Mr. Blaylock: Facebook is so much easier.)
“I’m just doing it by good ol’ word of mouth,” he laughs. “I’m stuck in the ’70s.”
Skate night won’t be the same as before in two ways. First, Blaylock is not returning to the DJ booth. Instead, he’s in talks with the rink DJ to play tunes that will work for the fabulous crowd as well as for the regular weekend skaters.
Second, it’s going from a weekly event to monthly. Figuring that overexposure may have contributed to waning interest the first time, skate night will be every third Saturday of the month, but this first one will be Friday.
“I just wanted to get it going and began planning it before I thought about it too long,” he says.
Skate nights will begin at a meeting place for a quick energy-boosting nosh, then skaters will roll off to InterSkate Roller Rink in Lewisville. For now the cost will be the admission fee at InterSkate and people can bring their own wheels.
—Rich Lopez
Gay Skate Night, June 17. Meet at Hunky’s, 3940 Cedar Springs Road, at 6:30 p.m., then InterSkate Roller Rink, 1408 S. Highway 121, Lewisville at 8:30 p.m. $3. InterSkate.net. 214-207-7430
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 17, 2011.
SADDLE UP | Kate Cooper, foreground, says this time in Dallas will be a proper showing for An Horse.
RICH LOPEZ | Staff Writer
lopez@dallasvoice.com
First things first: Grammarians and language mavens might have trouble with the band An Horse. Not that there is anything wrong with the music, but that two-letter article strikes some nerves — including with this writer.
But Kate Cooper is fine with any way people talk about it.
“Oh, people get so worked up about it, but it is arguably correct,” she says.
Cooper, who is touring with bandmate Damon Cox, brings the international pop stylings of An Horse to Dallas Monday. With their second album, Walls, An Horse seems to have found their sound, a polished collection of a dozen tunes that play as if a sprawling backing band helped out.
A job well done … but that name.
An Horse. Yeah, it’s tough to work with.
“I’m happy that it gets people talking about grammar,” she chuckles.
The story about the name related to an argument Cooper had with her sister over the use of the article a in front of words beginning in h. That resulted in her sister making a sweater for Cooper with the words on it and subsequently being asked if that was a band … and thus band history was created.
Cooper and Cox are on a high from supporting Walls. Even though the band has played Dallas before, she disputes it was a proper showing (a last minute venue cancellation and other problems marred it), so Cooper figures this time will be better.
“Yeah, we’re looking forward to it and we’ve stayed in Dallas before so we kind of know the city,” she says. “We’ve stayed there while making our way to Austin and every time we drove through, we’d play the Dallas theme song. That’s always my impression of the city.“
An Horse’s debut, 2009’s Rearrange Beds, was really a collection of demos cobbled together. With a label behind them this time around and an actual production team in place, this might be An Horse’s winning run.
“It just feels like a proper record from a proper band,” she says. “The first time, we weren’t really a band so much as just friends wanting to make music. Next thing we knew we had an album and were on tour and it was all kind of an accident.”
Cox and Cooper worked in a record store together and became BFF’s before becoming a band. Little did they know they’d catch the eyes and ears of some big names. Garnering attention from major music pubs like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork put An Horse on the map. Cooper knows they are still young and green, but such accolades comfort and encourage her.
“It’s all great even though I don’t read them,” she says. “It’s good to get the attention and for a band from Australia, that’s impossible. But we’re still both learning and taking more things in. We’re just better equipped this time around.”
Even if they weren’t receiving the high praise, it doesn’t matter to Cooper. She would still make music.
“Yeah, but I’d be doing it just in my bedroom,” she says.
Although from Australia and now based in Canada, Cooper hasn’t found any difference in attitudes among countries when it comes to her being an out lesbian musician.
“I’m lucky I’m surrounded by people and fans that it’s not a thing to them,” she says. “Everywhere we go it’s just me being me. Occasionally I’ll hear a comment but they are usually a lazy reference point. I just say more power to them and their small minds.”
And they’re not so indie that they’d skip out on playing specifically LGBT events. It’s just a matter of timing and, well, requests.
“I know it’s come up once or twice, but the scheduling didn’t work,” she says. “But we haven’t been really been asked to play any Pride events. I’m very proud of being a gay person and I’d be stoked to do that.”
Are you listening, Dallas Tavern Guild?
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 20, 2011.
In case you haven’t been following along, nutjob Pam Geller is the Atlas Shrugs blogger largely behind the battle to block NYC’s now infamous “Ground Zero mosque.”
Those red ribbons should match that cosmo
Chef Blythe Beck serves up her designer nibblies while Micah B provides the tunes at Kimpton’s Cocktails for a Cure red ribbon party. With auction items, cocktails and food, the only thing that makes it all better is that it benefits the Resource Center Dallas.
DEETS: Central 214, 5300 E. Mockingbird Lane. 6:30 p.m. $20. HotelPalomar.com.
