AT&T Performing Arts Center announced today two original concert experiences for North Texas, both of which support local artists and engage audiences through unique, low-cost performances.
Pin Drop Disco, powered by Silent Events, is an outdoor concert that delivers live, local DJs to partygoers via headphones. From the outside, the scene is so quiet you could hear a pin drop… but each partygoer can listen to the mixes of dynamic Dallas DJs as loudly or softly as they want in a personal headset, provided by the Center. On September 18, 2015 at 8 p.m., the featured artist DJ Spinderella will headline, with contributions from DJ emptycylinder, Wanz Dover and Zhora’s Taylor Rea who will play simultaneously on different channels, allowing listeners to tune into one or all, depending on tastes.
Strauss Square Uncovered begins on September 23, 2015 at 7 p.m., in a newly created Center concert series, featuring bands that take you back and make you sing out loud. “Petty Theft – The music of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers” kicks things off in Annette Strauss Square. On October 7, ‘90s nostalgia kids can get their alternative rock and pop fix with the Clinton Years, opening for Straight Tequila Night whose spirited performances bring the best of country hits back for seconds. Fans will be thrilled to learn that Austin-based Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda will make their very first appearance on October 21.
The Center will soon announce the final act of Uncovered, a band known for their original music who will cover classic songs outside of their usual set list. Look for more information about this special finale night.
Doug Curtis, President and CEO of the Center, believes that Strauss Square Uncovered has a big future as an Arts District neighborhood tradition. “It offers an affordable mid-week concert series for family and friends to kick back under the stars and sing along to some great hits, all in one of the best outdoor venues in town,” he says. “By comparison, Pin Drop Disco using the headphones is totally novel and unconventional, but we know that people are going to have a great time dancing to their favorite DJs.”
General admission ticket prices for Pin Drop Disco and Strauss Square Uncovered are $15 and can be purchased online or by phone at 214-880-0202 or in person at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Information Center at 2353 Flora Street (Monday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.). These are not BYOB events.
Pin Drop Disco
DJ Spinderella with dj emptycylinder,Wanz Dover and Zhora’s Taylor Rea
Friday, September 18, 2015 – 8 p.m. Annette Strauss Square
Dee Dee Roper, internationally known as DJ Spinderella, is a Grammy award winning DJ, producer, rapper, writer and world-class mother. Spinderella is one of the original pioneers of hip hop music beginning her career as a member of the iconic rap group Salt-N-Pepa, selling more than 15 million albums and singles worldwide. Over two decades after her groundbreaking entrance into hip hop, the Brooklyn native still sets the standard for “turntablists” all over the world and is still a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. It has never been simply about cuts, beats, and rhymes says the Grammy, MTV, and BET Award Winner. “I’ve been blessed to be in the game for so many years, when many others have come and gone,” says Spinderella. “This industry is all about fun and entertainment, but humility and professionalism will take you far. I’ve also had great mentors such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Scratch, and the late Jam Master Jay.” Spinderella is a part of the American Diabetes Association Celebrity Cabinet, TV ONE UnSung Ambassador, Avid supporter of Saving Our Daughters Mentoring Program & Founder of the Spinderella DJ Academy.
With the flick of her wrist, Spin has juggled single motherhood while conquering grand scale events and holding down her international reputation as the “Universe’s #1 female DJ.” In addition to pursuing acting and voice over work, she recently coordinated and hosted the “Music, Movies, and More” symposium at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Attendees at the official Espy Awards, Academy Awards, Kentucky Derby, and NBA All Star after parties have annually enjoyed her sets. She has also performed at high profile events for Magic Johnson Enterprises, McDonald’s, Children Uniting Nations, Glamour Magazine, Cisco Systems, Skyy Vodka, Red Bull, Nike,
Queen Latifah, the J. Paul Getty Museum, House of Courvoisier, LA Weekly, Planned Parenthood, Carl Lewis, Paramount Pictures and many more. “There isn’t anything I can’t do when I put my mind to it and feel it in my heart.” You would think that just being Spinderella is enough for one woman to handle, but this woman wants it all. “I’m blessed,” she explains. “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t appreciate all I have or where I’ve come from.”
OPENERS
Wanz Dover
When Wanz Dover first made a splash in the Dallas music community with his band Mazinga Phaser, he wasn’t a DJ at all. At least that’s not what he was known for. Nowadays, he has several DJ projects going, and with his German techno moniker Blixaboy as the flagship, Dover has made a bigger splash in Europe than he has stateside. But typically, when you catch a DJ set from him these days, you’re going to be hit over the head with his incredible collection of punk garage soul. He’s passionate about the music he spins. A simple request while he’s behind the ones and twos can lead to a long conversation about music, a subject in which Dover is an expert.
DJ emptycylinder
Nathan Johnson, aka DJ emptycylinder, is the kind of guy who, when asked about his musical influences, will cite Christopher Cross and the Chariots Of Fire soundtrack as sources of inspiration right alongside such shoegaze luminaries as My Bloody Valentine and Ride. He appears to possess two seemingly contradictory qualities: he is both earnest and cryptic. Or, you could say, he is a down-to-earth smartass. His perspective on art aligns with these traits. “Standing in front of a Rothko has the same effect as standing in front of the left speaker at a Mogwai show,” he says. While resistant to try and intellectualize this statement, it strikes me as a meaningful observation, both about the function of art and the fractured nature of our understanding. As DJ emptycylinder, his aim is to “hear how the music wants to fit together while also paying a lot of attention to the crowd and what generates some type of positive response from them – the people who really do this well strike that special balance between playing what the crowd wants to hear and what the crowd doesn’t even know it wants to hear yet.” We look forward to hearing what is sure to be an eclectic set. — Christopher Hughes
ZHORA’s Taylor Rea
Dallas synth-pop sweetheart Taylor Rea is no stranger to the stage. Since 2010 when she joined the electronic outfit Ishi, she’s been one of the most recognizable names in the local scene. Rea has worked venue and festival stages high and low in this city. In 2011, when Rea left Ishi, Zhora was born. The more indie-pop-structured outfit has seen plenty of success since. Zhora is a high energy experience fronted Rea, incorporating a rhythmic dance of light and sound. There is no beginning and no end. Rea has a regular DJ residency at Off the Record called Roll Call.
Strauss Square Uncovered
Petty Theft – The music of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 – 7 p.m.
Lead by Mike Rhyner of The Ticket radio station, Petty Theft has a slavish devotion to recreating the sounds of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Formed in 2003, Petty Theft has about 90 songs in their repertoire. The lineup has changed through the years, but the current group includes Rhyner; bassist and vocalist Harrison Calhoun; drummer Drew Hunter; keyboardist Steve Luthye; guitarist and vocalist Rodney Wall; and Bill Porter on guitars, mandolin, harmonica and vocals.
‘90s NIGHT with Straight Tequila Night (‘90s country) & The Clinton Years (‘90s rock and pop)
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 – 7 p.m.
Straight Tequila Night – One of the best tribute bands in Dallas, Straight Tequila Night play all your favorite hits from ‘90s country radio, and then some. Your best friends in low places, they never fail to get the boots scootin’.
The Clinton Years – In 1999, Cammy, Benny, Danny, Jamie, and Matty were rehearsing their favorite contemporary covers in the basement of their local video arcade. The owner, drunk on power and Zima, accidentally placed his arcade’s new Street Fighter 3: Third Strike machine in front of the door to the basement trapping the sweet people inside. After little to no effort to escape, our heroes got back to work. Subsisting on a cache of Mondo, Surge, and Dunkaroos, they hammered classic alternative rock and pop 24 hours a day. They hoisted their instruments and set out on a mission to rock America and defeat their nemesis, Vladimir Putin. Thusly were The Clinton Years born.
Bidi Bidi Banda – a Tribute to Selena
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 – 7 p.m.
Austin, TX based ‘Bidi Bidi Banda’ is an all-star Selena Tribute, composed of members of premier Texas Latin bands. Bidi Bidi Banda is the refried dream of Stephanie Bergara, a native Texan who grew up listening to Tejano radio and singing in to a hair brush while wearing her mother’s red lipstick. The band’s interpretation of Selena’s greatest hits will leave you belting lyrics, doing the washing machine and reliving greatness of the Queen of Tejano Music.
