21 January 25 - 31, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents James McMurtry 7 P.M. FRIDAY, JAN. 26, TULIPS, 112 ST. LOUIS AVE. $25 AT SEETICKETS.US James McMurtry has been a welcome sardonic voice in country music for over 30 years now with songs such as “Levelland” and “We Can’t Make It Here” standing as time-tested an- thems of dissatisfaction with country life — told with wit, wisdom and wry humor. In August 2021, McMurtry released his 10th stu- dio album, The Horses and the Hounds, which was met with universal acclaim and heralded for its three-dimensional characters and thor- oughly engaging storytelling. McMurtry writes lyrics that reward those who listen closely for the punchline, which shouldn’t be difficult with the singer’s crisp (albeit misanthropic) delivery. That’s not to say that McMurtry is a misanthrope, but it’s transparently clear that some people really draw the singer’s ire. We’re still waiting for his next set of songs, but before then you can see him in Fort Worth with Austin singer-songwriter BettySoo open- ing the show. BY DAVID FLETCHER Tanya Tucker 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, JAN. 26, WILL ROGERS AUDITORIUM, 3401 W. LANCASTER AVE. $26.95+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM At the age of 13, Tanya Tucker released her first hit single, “Delta Dawn,” after hearing Bette Midler perform the song written by Alex Harvey on The Tonight Show. Tucker’s version became a top-10 hit on the country charts, but it was Helen Reddy who made the song a No. 1 pop hit the year after her first hit single, “I Am Woman.” Tucker has since credited her decision to record that song as the reason why she is a country singer today and not a rodeo queen. One of the very few child performers to make a lasting im- pression on country music, Tucker outgrew her pop-country origins to become a part of the out- law country movement in the late ‘70s, combin- ing the elements of rock and country music as heard in her 1978 single “Texas (When I Die).” For all of her fame and contributions to country mu- sic, it wasn’t until last October that Tucker was in- ducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. DF Elle King 10 P.M. FRIDAY, JAN. 26, BILLY BOB’S TEXAS, 2520 RODEO PLZ. $20+ AT AXS.COM Singer-songwriter Elle King spent last year supporting her hit song “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” which she recorded with Miranda Lambert. The single debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s rock and country digital sales charts, making King the first female artist in history to have scored four No. 1 singles in four different formats in her career. Last year, King released her long-awaited third album, Come Get Your Wife, which has been labeled a country album and peaked at the No. 11 spot on the Billboard Top Country Album chart af- ter its release. King closed out the year with a performance of “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home)” at New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash. King’s sound has always been hard to place, even while remaining familiar. Rang- ing somewhere between mid-tempo punka- billy and bluesy alt-country, King has shared the stage with acts as diverse as Dropkick Murphys and Ed Sheeran. DF The Dennis Gonzalez Legacy Band 7 P.M. SUNDAY, JAN. 28, TEXAS THEATRE, 231 W. JEFFERSON BLVD. $20 AT PREKINDLE.COM The Dennis Gonzalez Legacy Band will be per- forming its second concert ever behind the screen of the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff. The con- cert will celebrate the musical history and un- derground legacy of the late, Oak Cliff-based avant-garde jazz trumpeter, Dennis Gonzalez. While Gonzalez is best known for his music, he was also a respected composer, broadcaster, vi- sual artist, poet and educator. Gonzalez’s chil- dren and Yells at Eels bandmates Aaron and Stefan play bass and drums for the band, re- spectively, and they will be joined by avant-pop singer Lily Taylor on vocals. The band will also include Rob Mazurek and Jawwaad Taylor on trumpet, Danny Kamins and Joshua Miller on sax, Gaika James on trombone an drums by Drew Phelps. The concert will consist of two sets, digging deep into Gonzalez’s musical rep- ertoire and covering a deep discography span- ning about four decades of material. DF Neck Deep 6 P.M. MONDAY, JAN. 29, THE FACTORY IN DEEP ELLUM, 2713 CANTON ST. $46.75+ AT AXS.COM From Wrexham, Wales, pop-punk band Neck Deep have been at it a little over a decade now, keeping that early 2000s emo-pop sound alive and well into the next generation. The band comes to town 10 days after the release of its fifth studio album, Neck Deep. The album is the band’s first without original drummer Dani Washington, who left the band in May 2022 and was replaced by the band’s drum technician Matt Powles. For this album, the band returned to its old ways of writing, working in a ware- house close to home without the help of outside collaborators. Bassist Seb Barlow not only took the lead writing the album, but also served as the album’s producer. The album is more me- lodic than the band’s previous work, smoothing out a lot of the rough edges. The band will have opening support from California hardcore band Drain, Canadian pop-punk band Bearings and English hardcore band Higher Power. DF | LET’S DO THIS | t Music The late, great Dennis Gonzalez will be honored by his children this Sunday in Oak Cliff. Ginger Berry
