24 July 13-19, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Ben Kweller 7 P.M. FRIDAY, JULY 14, THE ECHO LOUNGE & MUSIC HALL, 1323 N. STEMMONS FWY. $30 AT LIVENATION.COM Taking a break from his opening slot on select dates of Ed Sheeran’s Subtract Tour, indie rocker Ben Kweller returns to Dallas, where he got his start as a member of the post-grunge band Radish. In late 1999, Kweller left North Texas for New York to pursue a solo career. Recently, the Dripping Springs resident released a deluxe edi- tion of his debut album, Sha Sha. Originally composed of outtakes from Radish’s unreleased album Discount Fireworks, Sha Sha was origi- nally self-released by Kweller on CD in 2000, before ATO Records released a second version of the album with many new recordings and songs in 2002. The album’s only single, “Wasted and Ready,” was by no means a hit, but its video did receive some rotation on MTV, exposing Kweller to a larger audience and helping to build the cult following the singer-songwriter main- tains to this day. Texas piano man Robert Ellis opens the show. DAVID FLETCHER The Polyphonic Spree 6:30 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 15, LONGHORN BALLROOM, 216 CORINTH ST. $20+ AT PREKINDLE.COM On July 15, 2000, Dallas symphonic psych-rock band The Polyphonic Spree played its very first show opening for indie rock band Granddaddy and indie rock legend Bright Eyes at the Gypsy Tea Room. The band, founded by Tripping Dai- sy’s Tim DeLaughter, had only formed two weeks prior, putting together a 30-minute set together for the show with 12 musicians. Twenty-three years later to the very day, Poly- phonic Spree will be celebrating the release of its latest crowdfunded album, Salvage Enter- prise, which is due out in summer. This Satur- day’s performance at the resurrected Longhorn Ballroom will be the first time much of the new material will be performed live, but fans can ex- pect to hear all their favorites from across the band’s catalogue as well. DF Overkill 6:45 P.M. TUESDAY, JULY 18, TREES, 2709 ELM ST. $26 AT AXS.COM Though the “Big Four” of thrash metal will al- ways be Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and An- thrax, New Jersey’s Overkill actually predates them all, forming in 1980. Taking its name from Motörhead’s sophomore release that had come out the year before, Overkill made its start in the New Jersey metal scene playing covers of songs by metal bands Riot, Motörhead and Judas Priest along with some punk songs by Ramones and Dead Boys. Today, Overkill has a more ex- pansive catalog than any of the Big Four with its 20th album, Scorched, being released this past April. While Overkill has never seen the sales that the Big Four have seen by diversifying their sound, it has maintained an avid following of fans devoted to pure thrash metal. Thrash bands Heathen from San Francisco and Exhorter from New Orleans open the show. DF Jackson Browne 7 P.M. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, TEXAS TRUST CU THEATRE, 1001 TEXAS TRUST WAY. $49+ AT AXS.COM While Jackson Browne began his singing career in the 1970s, his songwriting career goes back to 1967 when Nico recorded her debut album, Chel- sea Girl, after her collaboration with The Velvet Underground. Browne contributed some guitar work to the album as Nico sang three songs he had penned, most notably “These Days,” which remains the singer’s biggest solo single. Browne also wrote songs for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Eagles before he was encouraged to pursue a singing career. As a singer, Browne saw imme- diate success with the release of his first single, “Doctor, My Eyes,” which went to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. In the decades that have followed, Browne has released 15 studio al- bums. Though Browne’s tour in support of his most recent album, Downhill From Everywhere, came through Fort Worth in 2021, this will be the first time he has played in North texas since 2013, when he opened for Jimmy Buffett in Frisco. DF The Drums 7 P.M. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, GRANADA THEATER, 3524 GREENVILLE AVE. $25 AT PREKINDLE.COM Returning to the Granada Theater on Wednesday is indie-pop act The Drums on the heels of its re- cent single release, “Obvious.” The single is just the latest in a series of about a dozen non-album sin- gles The Drums have released since their last full length album, 2019’s Brutalism, and their fourth single released this year. Formerly a full band, The Drums became a three-piece after their first al- bum, a duo after their second album and after the third album, it became the solo project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Pierce. With the tour just starting, it is unclear whether The Drums will be touring as a full band like they have in the past, but given the instrumentation of their latest singles, the likely answer is yes. The Drums are known for high-energy performances, so come hydrated and ready to sweat it all out on the dance floor. Rapper, producer and GothBoiClique co- founder Cold Hart opens the show. DF | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Melissa Hennings Ben Kweller plays July 14 at The Echo Lounge & Music Hall. o puffnstuffsmokeshop.com WE CARRY CBD! CuRREnt StoRE HouRS: MON-THUR 10aM - 10pM •FRI & SaT 10aM - 11pM • SUN 12pM - 10pM The Best Selection & Prices of Smoking Accessories and more in DFW!
