28 December 12 - 18, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Ben Folds 7:30 P.M. THURSDAY, DEC. 12, MAJESTIC THEATRE, 1925 ELM ST. $93+ AT AXS.COM After making a trio of appearances in Dallas in 2023, acclaimed singer-songwriter Ben Folds is passing through town just once this year, bring- ing his “Paper Airplane Request” tour to the Ma- jestic Theatre. (The conceit: Attendees jot down requests and hurl them toward the stage when asked — Folds uses the projectiles to assemble a portion of the evening’s setlist.) When he and I spoke last year, ahead of his stint with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Folds allowed his pop music days may be dwindling: “Part of the rea- son I really felt motivated to make the most re- cent album was ... the kind of craft ... that I do ... and have practiced for a good 30 years of my adult life is waning, is moving out.” Lindsey Kraft will open. PRESTON JONES Billy Strings 7:30 P.M. THURSDAY, DEC. 12, DICKIES ARENA, 1919 MONTGOMERY ST., FORT WORTH. $59.50+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM In less than a decade, singer-songwriter and guitarist Billy Strings has risen to the front ranks of bluegrass and country music. The 32-year-old Michigan native is likely one of the precious few young musicians who cites Del McCoury and Ralph Stanley as being as much of an influence as Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath. On the strength of four studio albums — the latest of which, Highway Prayers, dropped back in Sep- tember — and a peerless reputation as one of the most incredible live acts you can find (“It took less than one song to turn me into a full- fledged convert,” Stereogum gushed of a Strings live gig in June), Strings has earned praise from fans and contemporaries alike — not for nothing did Bob Weir, Tery Anastasio and Les Claypool perform at his 2023 wedding cere- mony. PJ Patterson Hood 8 P.M. THURSDAY, DEC. 12, TULIPS, 112 ST. LOUIS AVE., FORT WORTH. $30+ AT SEETICKETS.US Athens, Georgia-based rock band Drive-By Truckers is bearing down on its third decade of existence, and in that time, one of the constants has been founder, singer-songwriter and co- frontman Patterson Hood (alongside Mike Cooley). Now and again, the Muscle Shoals na- tive has ventured off on his own as a solo artist, doling out records at irregular intervals — but which always sport fantastic titles (2012’s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, for example). Hood is readying his fourth such solo effort, Ex- ploding Trees & Airplane Screams, for release early next year, and heading out to road-test the new tunes before they land in stores. Screams, his first solo joint in a dozen years, is produced by Chris Funk and features a multitude of high- wattage guests, including Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby, Nate Query and Lydia Loveless, who contributes vocals to the lead single, “A Were- wolf and a Girl.” PJ Emma Ruth Rundle 8 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 13, RUBBER GLOVES REHEARSAL STUDIOS, 411 E. SYCAMORE ST., DENTON. $25+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle has been on something of an artistic odyssey for the bet- ter part of the last 20 years. Based in Portland, the 41-year-old musician has performed in bands (such as Red Sparowes, the Nocturnes and Marriages) as well as under her own name, earning acclaim for the raw, evocative and un- compromising sounds — her 2021 solo album, Engine of Hell, is a harrowing, hopeful excava- tion of her time spent in a mental health hospi- tal, which helped her get sober after struggling with drug addiction for much of her life. After moving from ambient folk to heavier, more metal-flavored compositions, Rundle has branched out into film composition, as well as poetry, with a collection of her works due out next year, to be accompanied by a piano-driven album. With Storefront Church. PJ Gregory Porter 7:30 P.M. MONDAY, DEC. 16, WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE, 2403 FLORA ST. $43.50+ AT TICKETS.ATTPAC.ORG ‘Tis the season for holiday-themed tours — if you haven’t seen something that tickles your mistletoe just yet, give it time; a slew of simi- larly inclined shows are heading this way — and singer-songwriter Gregory Porter will bring his to the refined confines of the Winspear Opera House. Porter, whose sound favors the jazzier end of the spectrum, released his debut sea- sonal album, Christmas Wish, in 2023. The two- time Grammy winner told the Mercury News in a recent interview to expect some holly jolli- ness, sure, but that the night wouldn’t be exclu- sively about decking the halls: “There’s a message that has been consistent in my music, and I weave the Christmas songs in so themati- cally you can see the connection. There’s a cur- rent and energy and consistency to the songs, and I don’t want there to be a separation. I want to have a soulful jazz Christmas along with my soulful jazz.” PJ Andrew Sherman Billy Strings is one of the most dynamic live performers around. | LET’S DO THIS | t Music
