Three Nights in Funkytown

I’ve heard some people refer to Fort Worth as the “poor side of Dallas.” Fort Worth gets picked on more than its fair share, so perhaps this weekend can be considered Funkytown’s revenge. In fact, for all citizens of Tarrant County, I am declaring this as a four day weekend.


For this week only, Thursday is the new Friday. So once you get off work and battle rush hour traffic, you need to make 8.0 your destination. The Crash That Took Me headline the joint, playing what I believe is their first show in Fort Worth. Johnny Lloyd Rollins and THe BAcksliders open for TCTTM. THe BAcksliders go on first at 7:00, and unless if this your first read of Ghost of Blind Lemon, you know that I am crazy about this band. Some of you out there may think, “Oh, they’re just the opener, it’s okay if I miss them.” You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried. THe BAcksliders are a crash course in everything right in music in the past fifty or so years. They combine Beatle-esque pop, blues, soul, and even hints of country and punk and make it all work. No, it is not okay to miss this band. There is not a weak link among this lineup, so get there early and stay until the sweet end.






So if Thursday is the New Friday, then it logically follows that Friday is the new Saturday. It’s time to add some culture to your weekend, and where better to do that than at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth? For $15 admission, you not only get to see the artwork, you get to see six great performances and two DJ’s. Check out the advertisement to the left for all the details you need. Forgive me, I'm feeling lazy and don't feel like listing every act, Let me just say this though: Doug Burr alone is worth the $15 cover charge. Yup, he’s that good. That’s without even discussing St. Vincent, who I have yet to see live. If the recordings are any indication, her set will blow you away.









Continuing with my logic, Saturday now becomes the new Sunday. Ridglea Theater will host the S.P.E.A.K. project Saturday night the 20th. The goal of the project is to help promote awareness about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. So that night you’ll not only get an education on how to protect your health, you’ll be get schooled in regards to good music. Check out this lineup: Black Tie Dynasty, PPT, The Burning Hotels, and the cut*off. I must stress here, as I did for the 8.0 show, that getting here late is completely unacceptable. The cut*off’s ingenuous blend of Texas acoustic style music with early 90’s grunge (think more Pixies than Pearl Jam) is not to be missed. Oh, and DJ Prince William will be spinning tunes there. So get out to Ridglea (7:00 sharp), get your groove on, and get educated. Get it?







It’s time for some rest now, and now Sunday is simply Sunday. After that many good shows, rest will be your friend. With more weekends like this, Fort Worth could be the new Dallas. OK, maybe not, but at least it’s an improvement in its shows.