Forrest Cook
The ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Soundtrack Is Filled With Dallas Talent, Post Malone Drops $1.6M On A New Grill, Deep Ellum Honors Its Blues Past & More.
We all know by now that the perennial asshat known as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a permit-less carry bill into law last Wednesday.
While the law goes into effect this fall, we’re sure that a lot of Texans — licensed or no — are anxious to start bringing their guns out of the cupboard these days. But at least one famous Grapevine native is just comfortable showing off his fangs instead.
Earlier this month, news broke that Post Malone reportedly dropped a cool $1.6 million off at Angel City Jewelers in L.A. in exchange for, well, it isn’t grill exactly so much as a 28-unit dental restoration that includes two diamonds weighing in at 12 carats that have been molded over porcelain veneers and attached to the singer’s canines.
Is Posty making a play to get some Team Edward members into his fandom? If so, it could just be because he’s jealous that he’s not on Team LeBron like so many of his fellow big-name Texas musicians. On July 16, the long-awaited LeBron James-starring sequel to Space Jam — yes, the ’90 Michael Jordan/Looney Tunes crossover flick that stole our precious hearts all those years ago — will make hit theaters and HBO Max. And when it does, Space Jam: A New Legacy will also arrive with a killer soundtrack to go with it. Not unlike the first, actually!
Last week, it was announced that North Texas music heavyweights including Leon Bridges, the Jonas Brothers and Kirk Franklin are all putting down tracks for Bugs Bunny and Co. — who, you might recall, also boast some Dallas ties of their own.
Also not lacking for big names? The re-rollout for the Mark Cuban-owned Design District music venue The Hifi, which saw its initial 2020-planned grand opening bumped due to the pandemic. Well, it seems the 25,000-squar-foot spot is ready to give it’s first looks a second go now — and that it’s lined up some strong names for the occasion. Shows at the new space will officially kick off on August 29 with a three-night stand from Gary Clark Jr., with names like Chet Faker, Princess Nokia, Anderson East, Ruston Kelly and Boombox Cartel shortly following suit. If nothing else, the place certainly looks nice:
Of course, try as they might to change it, Deep Ellum will always remain the heart of Dallas’ music and nightlife scene from where this writer’s looking — and a new mural project is aiming to further substantiate that notion by illuminating Dallas musicians’ historic prominence in the blues genre. The project, colloquially termed “Blues Alley” will see the walls of Clover Street between Henry Street and Malcolm X Boulevard covered with portraits of Dallas blues progenitors Freddie King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan and Robert Johnson. A slew of local artists have been tapped to participate in the project, which is expected to be finished at some point mid-summer.
Speaking of remembrances: Today marks the third anniversary of Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott‘s passing from natural causes related to a heart condition in 2018. As if Pantera’s legacy could possibly be questioned around these parts, here’s the latest proof of the band’s staying power: Their seminal Vulgar Display of Power album was recently featured as a clue on Jeopardy.
Continuing on with the vulgar and heavy, the always entertaining GWAR recently announced a heartily filled-out American tour that ought to get fans’ blood pumping about as much as the band’s famous penis cannons do. As part of the tour, the band will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their mythical quest to squash human scum — and, yes, Rigor Mortis bassist Casey Orr will be getting in on the fun and joining in the festivities in his role as Beefcake The Mighty.
Another heavy Dallas band gearing up for the road is the death metal act Devourment, which is are finally going to get a chance to tour their 2019 album Obscene Majesty — their first release since 2013’s Conceived in Sewage. But, in lieu of those finalized plans for now, a little festing may have to satiate their road lust. Fortunately, they just announced they’re playing Full Terror Fest in Illinois later this year.
You can also catch Devourment participating in their fellow local metal act Frozen Soul’s upcoming live version of their so-far streamed concert series Wrecking Ball Madness that will take place at Haltom Theatre on July 24. The stacked event will also feature performances from Creeping Death, I Am, Sangusugahogg, 200 Stab Wounds, Kaliya, Flesh Hoarder, Kombat, Fleshrot, Reviled and Tribal Gaze.
As if that weren’t loud enough for you, the Fort Worth prog-metal heads in Earthgazer have announced their sophomore album Terrorform — for which they’ve already dropped a handful of singles — will formally arrive on digital platforms on August 8.
Meanwhile, the Megan Thee Stallion-covering nu-metal heads in UnityTX just this week released their new EP Hellway on Pure Noise Records. It only checks in at hair over 10 minutes, so check it out in full below:
Though definitely not metal, Denton’s raunchy favorites The Wee Beasties were recently awarded the Joe Cripps Music Grant as part of Denton nonprofit Friends With Benefits‘ 2021 class of arts scholarships and grants. The grant was received in good timing too, as The Beasties have been doing everything they can think of to raise money for a new album that now has an August 14 release date at Three Links alongside FEA and Scary Cherry & The Bang Bangs.
Also up Denton way, the punk acts Beaver and Stuck on 45 are set to head out on the road in August as part of an Open Heart Records-backed tour is headlined by Green Jelly’s side project Hellgrim.
As for new punk music, Dead Words‘ Patron Saints of Paradise Vibes came out on Father’s Day, and it was actually inspired by the memory of frontman Garrett Hollowell’s late father, as we already discussed.
Since we’re on the punk tip, let’s also note that Dallas pop-punk adoptees Teenage Bottlerocket released the a new single called “Ghost Story” off their upcoming August 27-releasing album Sick Sesh for Fat Wreck Chords. Catch a sorta-hometown show in support of the new album at Trees on November 13.
Allowing for a little more syncopated fluctuation, Pinkish Black’s Darren Beck has a new project called Information_Age with Pallbearer’s Joseph D. Rowland. The project’s digital debut EP is set for release on July 23, but the band just released the EP’s first single “We Were ALive” last week.
Meanwhile the Dallas singer-songwriter born Alex Montenegro but known professionally as Skirts released a gazey new landscape video for “Always,” the second single to Skirts’ debut album Great Big Wild Oak that’s due out in July on Double Double Whammy Records. That album will be available digitally but it can also be found in limited clear vinyl as well.
Texicana singer Chris Norwood is also back to releasing solo material — and not-so-solo material as well. His latest drop features his wife Carrie Norwood in a duet, singing “Baby I Need You(To Quit Breaking My Heart)” as it will appear on the upcoming August 20-due State Fair Records release I Am Not Cool.
If sultry bedroom-pop is more your thing, Dallas artist Tears has a new vibe out called “ENUFFA U” that just leaves us thinking we haven’t heard nearly enough out of her yet, actually.
On the rap front, Moonie900’s latest Stack Mode Brothers-produced anthem “Nawf Me Up” received the OG remix treatment with an all-star assembly of northside rappers flaunting verses — among them Stack Mode Fats, Mr. Lucci, Deonte, Mafia, Doe Montana, T. Cash, Big Doughski G, Lil Wil, J.B, Mr. Pookie, Monsta Mon and Que P.
Dallas rapper Ea$e also dropped a new video showing off his Feng Shui aesthetics for his song “Lit as I Can Get.”
Wrapping up the new music portion of the week, the up-and-coming rapper Cyraq busted out a collaboration with Trapboy Freddy for his new single “Texaco” that catches the rappers mobbing together on some diabolical testimony.
Finally, some sad news to wrap up this week: After a life behind the scenes in Dallas music, Mark Lee has passed on to the next plane. Along with managing Kenny & The Kasuals, Lee was a partner in the legendary 462 Concerts brand that was vital in the last go-around of successful runs of iconic Dallas venues including Deep Ellum Live, The Bomb Factory and Lakewood Theater. He’ll be missed.
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