Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

A community is coming together to help a Dallas singer and actress who lost all of her belongings in a fire last week.

Liz Mikel is known around Dallas jazz clubs and for performing with the Dallas Theater Company. She also had a role in the TV series “Friday Night Lights.”

Last week a fire tore through Mikel’s North Dallas apartment complex. “We ran out of the door, with the sparks flying, fire overhead and the smell of melting plastic.” she said.

Mikel, her daughter, and several others were displaced. “I saw the roof cave in, over my closet, adjacent to the bedroom, where I had been laying.”

Now, friends and complete strangers are reaching out. “Those day to day things were just taken from us so swiftly,” she said.

Sunday night there was a benefit at Tucker’s Blues in Deep Ellum.

“To have the love and support of my friends and community, it means the world to us. But, it shows the nature of people and how huge our hearts are as a community in Dallas,” she said.

Mikel says she has been overwhelmed by all of the support, and plans to give back when she gets back on her feet.

“I plan to continue this and help other people in need,” she said.

Mikel will play a role in the Dallas Theater Center’s upcoming pop musical Give it Up. The proceeds from the performance on Friday, Jan 15 will benefit Mikel. It is a “pay what you can” performance.

Elm Street in Deep Ellum is an absolute hot bed of activity. The latest kid on the block is LaGrange which officially opens tonite in the old Cafe Istanbul place and right across from the action packed Trees night club.

I got a sneak preview of the place last night and am really impressed with the vibe of the venue. It’s a quaint place with great seating which allows every seat in the house to have a stellar view of the stage. A long slab of mesquite makes up the bar, instead of the pre-requisite stuffed deer heads, La Grange has opted for illuminated glass-like ones (PETA friendly!), and the element I like the most are the massive glass doors which allow a perfect view to the interior for everyone walking and driving by.

Out back is a lovely little courtyard which will be ideal for socializing during more temperate climes.

For performing acts, La Grange has gone all out and provided a proper green room which is not always a given but definitely a welcome perk for the bands.

La Grange will kick things off tonite with performances by King Bucks and The O’s.

Tomorrow night for New Years Eve, it is FREE COVER and performances by Boys Named Sue and Manning Dickson.

….Dallas lost her favorite son in the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Gone - but never forgotten.

FREE SMIRNOFF MARTINI LUGE! HENNA TATTOOS! LIVE MUSIC WITH SHANTI MICHELLE! FREE VALET PARKING!

7PM-11PM

Join the party TONIGHT from 7-11pm at Chi Gallery. Enjoy complimentary refreshments including the SMIRNOFF MARTINI LUGE. You’ll be greeted with complimentary valet, and inside awaits art, music and dance! A unique blend of local artists bring you their featured collections as well as henna tattoo art, dance & movement performances, wearable silver pieces, and special surprises sure to tantalize your senses!

Featuring:
Jeffrey Noble
Debra Gloria
Lisa Coltman
J Pacetti collection presented by Scott Hebert
Maria Olivas
Valerie Guignon
Heidi Wunder
Panoramic Breath collection presented by Paul Gieselman
Entertainment By:
Zensual Dance™
Shanti Michelle
Belly Dance by Tamra Henna

Complimentary Refreshments & Valet

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND LOCATION VISIT
WWW.CHIDALLAS.COM

Granted the highs this weekend will be upwards of 103, but for you hearty souls that want to sample some fine dining at affordable prices ($2 - $5), make your way down to the Taste of Dallas being held in the West End and is FREE to attend!

In addition to the great food and entertainment there are other things to do as well … check them out:

More than just food!

“Taste Town,” a Kids Area to keep the little ones active.

“The Plate Fair of Texas” carnival midway area.

2 stages of entertainment featuring local and regional acts.

Cold drinks to keep the Big Kids happy!

Arts and Crafts in our Artisan Village and in the Marketplace

The best place to watch it will be on Hulu.com

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Before our very eyes Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas have morphed into larger-than-life concert headliners. That was evident during the Dallas-based trio’s show Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium. The gig opened the sibling act’s 2009 world tour and cemented them as big ticket superstars.

Before a crowd of about 50,000, the Jonas Brothers offered up roughly 100 minutes of songs from three albums, including the just-released “Lines, Vines and Trying Times.”

The stage, three octagons stationed smack in the middle of the stadium floor, provided plenty of room for spectacle, from a cool feature that showered ribbons of water shaped as hearts, letters and strings to a crane that extended Kevin and Joe over the audience.

But perhaps the grandest piece of eye-popping scenery was the surprise appearance of teen queen Miley Cyrus during an encore performance of “Before the Storm” with ex-boyfriend Nick Jonas. Everybody went nuts when she emerged to sing the power ballad.

Another memorable moment came when opening act Jordin Sparks of American Idol fame returned to the stage to sing “Battlefield,” her new single, with a little help from the JoBros.

Otherwise this shindig belonged to the boys, who were always in control of the proceedings. Kevin and Nick are the multi-instrumentalists of the group. They took to guitars, piano and drums. Joe is the entertainer, the one who made sure to corner the microphone at every turn.

With all three of them, you get an ever-growing array of musical styles. Sure, the gist of the trio is power pop, a radio-friendly mixture of hooks, soaring choruses and total feel-good vibes. For that we rejoiced in “BB Good,” “Play My Music,” “SOS” and “That’s Just the Way We Roll.”

But for a little variety, the whimsical, folky number “Lovebug” deserves mention, as does the soulful “Much Better” and “Gotta Find You,” which was all acoustic guitars, violins and quiet charm.

A couple of others to note: A lively cover of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Nick’s piano-fortified anthem, “A Little Bit Longer.”

Sparks could have easily been onstage a little longer. She was impressive, what with her strong pipes and earthy, spunky demeanor. She came off genuine singing her signature tunes “Tattoo,” “No Air” and during the effervescent “Young and in Love.”

New York City band Honor Society, who had the plum slot of first performers on this trek, were plenty fun doing four songs in the popular, fast-paced, catchy-crunchy sound of the day.