The Best Free and Cheap Dallas Concerts This Week: Dec. 12–18
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Sanity Slip
7:30 p.m., Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., Denton. $12 at the door
San Antonio beatdown hardcore band Sanity Slip comes to Denton Tuesday night hot off the release of its Winter Promo EP. On the new EP, the band collaborates with musical acts English hardcore band Six Ft Ditch, Chicago death metal band No Zodiac and Oklahoma slam metal ban Field Dressed, among others. Though the pig squeals and screams may still not be everyone’s cup of tea, the EP does much to expand the audience and the genre of beatdown hardcore. Sanity Slip comes to town with Maul from Fargo, North Dakota, and will receive local support from Worst Behavior and Distain.
Wednesday, Dec. 13
Thelma and The Sleaze
7 p.m., Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth. $18+ at prekindle.com
Nashville’s Thelma and The Sleaze is definitely not your typical Southern rock band. Fronted by Lauren “LG” Gilbert, Thelma and The Sleaze is an all-female, queer band born in defiance of the male-dominated rock world that shows just how hard women can rock. Since its formation, Thelma and the Sleaze has been a road band, making its business being on the road virtually non-stop, whether opening for acts such as Brittany Howard, Charles Bradley and The Eagles of Death Metal or headlining small venues as it will do Wednesday in Fort Worth. Austin’s VOLK, as well as local bands Phantomelo and Glüestick, open the show.
Jason Hatch
7:30 p.m., The Rustic, 3656 Howell St. Free
Singer-songwriter Jason Hatch has been making the rounds at open mics and free live music nights all around North Texas. This week the roots rocker takes to The Rustic stage for a night of free music. With soulful songs and emotional lyrics, Hatch’s voice captures the spirit of early Americana with just enough modern influence to keep things fresh.
Thursday, Dec. 14
DMAC Attack!
7 p.m., Andy’s Bar, 122 N. Locust St., Denton. $10 at prekindle.com
The Denton Music and Art Collaborative (DMAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing healthcare subsidies for local artists and musicians. This Thursday, DMAC will host a fundraiser with the help of Denton musical acts Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, Projectile Vomit Project, The Infamists, Hex Bob-omb and Danny Conrad. This mix of artists is exactly who DMAC is here to support, so if you care about local music and the health of the people who make it, this is definitely worth the trip.
Gabriel & Dresden
9 p.m., It’ll Do Club, 4322 Elm St. $17+ at eventbrite.com
Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden formed their progressive house duo in San Francisco at the turn of the century. The duo released just one, self-titled album in 2006 before breaking up and working on solo projects. The two would get together now and then for a reunion show, but in 2015, Gabriel & Dresden got back together in earnest for a massive world tour culminating in the 2017 release, The Only Road. The group released its third album, Remedy, in 2020, but since then, they have focused primarily on singles and remixes.
Friday, Dec. 15
Donovan Keith
7 p.m., Magnolia Motor Lounge, 3005 Morton St., Fort Worth. $10 at outhousetickets.com
Austin’s Donovan Keith is best known for his classic soul voice and showmanship, winning over audiences across the state. Once the singer for Austin band Soul Track Mind, Keith developed a dance-infused stage show that received high praise from Performer Magazine. His vintage mix of soul, funk and rock has earned him opening spots for acts from many genres such as Enrique Iglesias, Charles Bradley, Fastball, Snarky Puppy and Erykah Badu.
GITMO: 10 Years, 50 Albums Anniversary Party
8 p.m., Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., Denton. $10 at prekindle.com
North Texas independent record label Gitmo Music has compiled a catalogue of more than 50 albums over the last 10 years. The label takes over Rubber Gloves this weekend to celebrate this achievement. Everything kicks off at 8 p.m. on Friday and picks right back up at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Over the course of two days, 54 bands will play across Rubber Gloves’ three stages. This will be a chance to catch local favorites Super Hero/Super Villain, The Infamists and Dezi 5, and it will give you a chance to hear from the next generation of local talent.
Bubby
8:30 p.m., Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St. $12 at prekindle.com
Dallas indie rock band Bubby hasn’t been around for all that long, but its output since coming together in 2020 has been quite promising. The band has already released two EPs and a few other singles, all dreamy songs with catchy lyrics sure to captivate any audience. The band headlines a local show at Double Wide in Deep Ellum Friday night with help from bedroom pop band Ruff Wizard, Austin experimental folk act Dog Island and alt-rock band Mkn Coffee.
Saturday, Dec. 16
Mason Adams Project
7 p.m., Six Springs Tavern, 147 N. Plano Rd., Richardson. $10 at prekindle.com
The Mason Adams Project (MAP) plays rock ‘n’ roll with Southern charm. Formed in 2017, the five-piece band released its first EP in 2019, but it never really had the chance to gain a lot of traction thanks to the lockdowns of 2020. That didn’t stop the band from continuing to write and record new music, releasing three volumes of The Quarantapes. Last year, the band released its first full-length album, Old Red River, which combines the work heard on The Quarantapes. This year, the band will host its 5th Annual Mason Adams Project HO-HO-HO-Down with friends Jacob Zazz and The Loose Ends as well as Wild Daydream.
Alex Blair Group
7 p.m., The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St. Free
Alex Blair has become one of North Texas’s most in-demand performers thanks to her powerhouse vocals deeply rooted in soul music from the ’60s and ’70s as well as her background in jazz and musical theater. Blair graduated from the prestigious University of North Division of Jazz Studies in 2014 with a degree in Performance and has gone on to tour with Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Stone Mecca as he opened for Wu-Tang Clan. Blair is a frequent guest on The Free Man stage, so if you miss your chance this time, there will be more in the future.
Urban Heat
9 p.m., Sundown at Granada, 3520 Greenville Ave. $15 at prekindle.com
Urban Heat formed in 2019 when Jonathan Horstmann, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, reached out to fellow multi-instrumentalist Kevin Naquin and bassist Paxel Foley to create a live band based on his analog sound design. The result is a band that sounds like it is right out of the ”80s gothic music scene. Urban Heat has generated a lot of buzz around its energetic and engaging live show. The band will perform with Rare DM, a Brooklyn-based producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist making analog synthpop and darkwave music.
