Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

TV On The Radio coming to Lakewood

Just-left-of-mainstream music lovers such as myself have likely heard some buzz lately about the Boston-based indie band TV On The Radio (TVOTR). The first track from the group’s imminent album "Dear Science" surfaced last week and fans (based on my meanderings around Cyberspace that is) pretty much went crazy over it. So naturally, when I learned TVOTR is slated to play at our little Lakewood Theater, I decided to learn a thing or two about them — so I downloaded a couple of their songs, "Wolf Like Me" and "Staring at the Sun". Plus, I listened to the aforementioned track —which is absolutely cool.

Here are five other things I discovered within five minutes of googling TV On The Radio:

This Thursday: Gustavo Ipina Memorial Scholarship fundraiser

Every year, a $5,000 scholarship is given to an ESL student at Woodrow Wilson High School in honor of the late Gustavo Ipina. Former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Taly Haffar, who was assigned to prosecute the man who shot Ipina in a tragic road rage incident, is the torch bearer who continues to carry on Ipina's legacy by helping other students like him.

This Thursday night, Gallery 2910 in Deep Ellum is hosting the third annual GIMS summer art show, raising funds for the scholarship with paintings, drawings, photographs and jewelry on sale and up for auction. The event lasts from 5-9 p.m. and includes complimentary valet parking, drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

It's a great cause helping extremely hard-working and motivated kids  — two of the scholarship recipients, sisters Lizeth and Elsa Olvera, were featured in our July Advocate cover story, "Liberty and Justice for Dallas". And if you can't stop by Thursday night, you can still donate to the cause.

Festival of Independent Theaters: last call

Tonight and tomorrow will be your last chances to check out the Festival of Independent Theaters at the Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake. Sample Dallas' theater community for a small price. Here is the schedule and here is a description of the weekend's shows.

Free outdoor movie, bands at Tietze Park tonight beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Looks like it will be a perfect night for the Friends of Tietze Park Foundation's first outdoor movie night, featuring a free sunset showing of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark movie. Bands Sibling Rivalry and Modern Relic will be playing beginning at about 6:30 p.m., and plenty of low-cost hot dogs, popcorn and water/soft drinks will be available for purchase (you can also bring your own picnic). Metro Paws will be sponsoring water and dog treats, as well as microchipping ($20 per pet) onsite, and some of the other sponsors also will be manning booths. The movie should begin around 9 p.m.; bring a blanket or lawn chairs.

Tietze Park is located on Skillman, between Vanderbilt and Llano avenues.

The event is sponsored by Lakewood Orthodontics and Keller Williams Realty, with additional promotional assistance from Brennan Financial Services, Republic Title, State Rep. Allen Vaught, State Rep. Dan Branch, Friends of Santa Fe Trail, Gracehill Community, Metro Paws, Bill Keffer for State Representative, Studio Movie Grill, Skillman Church of Christ and Advocate Magazines.

Lakewood's got talent

I've been hearing a significant amount of buzz about a young Nick Chatham, who will enter the 9th grade at Woodrow Wilson this month—he's got musical talent, an album, and a cool look ... but apparently he's also got that IT factor that makes little girls swoon. One parent tells me it's not just the girls who dig him but all of his peers because, "he's such a great kid."

So, if you want to check Nick out yourself —you know, before he's inaccessibly famous—he'll be performing at Come Together Dallas at the Lakewood Theater Sunday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. along with several other local acts including The Slack, Elle O'Brien and Daniel Day Larocha. The show is sponsored by Empowering Your Future, a nonprofit organization you can read about here.

Dallas Summer Musicals: Jersey Boys hits the high notes

Everyone knows at least a couple of songs by The Four Seasons. And that's what makes Dallas Summer Musicals' latest show so much fun: You already know the score before you even step into the theater. And it's an incredible score, filled with hits that span the group's career.

The book of Jersey Boys may be just as entertaining, however. It's the back story of the four men who made up the original group, both how they came together and their rise to fame. Pay close attention to the title, however: These are Italian guys from the old neighborhood in Jersey, and the script's language reflects their background. Think "The Sopranos" or "The Godfather". In other words, it's probably not a musical for the kids.

I went home after the musical to look up CDs of the music, both the soundtrack for the musical and any other albums by The Four Seasons. I ended up disappointed. The recorded music didn't match what I remembered from the show. I found myself longing to find an album that somehow captured the explosive sound and mesmerizing harmony created by the actors on stage, but even with all of the advances in modern technology, it doesn't exist.

That, however, is why we go to the theater.

The show runs through Aug. 13 at Fair Park's Music Hall. When I attended Friday night, the place looked sold out, so I would suggest buying tickets as soon as possible.

Soak up Dallas home trends with Design Sponge

Never know what the latest design trends are? Or where to shop in Dallas for hip furniture and home décor? Me neither. My solution is heading to Design*Sponge.

The website features city guides (not limited to the United States), before and after pictures, do it yourself guides and more. It's also very picture oriented, which enables you to see the design trends and then pick them out somewhere else on your own, or knock off the design and make it your own.

The best feature of the site (in my opinion) is the city design guides. With only 29 city guides so far, Dallas has made its way onto the list, with shops of all kinds featured under categories from furniture to gadgets to fashion.

For example, if you're looking for something contemporary, the guide points to shops like Ligne Roset on McKinney, where "irreverent looks" can be found. To go green, the site includes Lakewood Shopping Center favorite Green Living to find recycled products and home accessories. And the handmade category suggests taking a trip to Make in Oak Cliff, where local designers and artists hand craft items and offer DIY classes.

That's just a taste of what the Design Sponge site has to offer. Explore for yourself.

Tolbert's chili resurfaces at Whole Foods and in Grapevine

I'm showing my age here, but a brief in the DMN about X2 Chili being sold at Whole Foods Market made me recall the one-and-only, original Dallas chili-man: Frank X. Tolbert. Tolbert (who died in 1984) was a true bear of a man, tall and lanky and loud and funny and everything I imagined a Texan would be when I was growing up in Minnesota. And in case you didn't know, X2 is Frank's son, as well as an accomplished but eclectic artist, and X2 Chili is a frozen version of what the son cooked up for the father at the downtown Tolbert's Chili Parlor on Main across from El Centro, where those of us who worked at the Morning News back then spent many a lunch and, sometimes, dinner hour.

In fact, the first restaurant I remember eating at when I arrived in Dallas in 1978 was the Tolbert's across from the Melrose Hotel on Cedar Springs at Oak Lawn (there's a Walgreen's there now, and it was a Luby's before). Tolbert's super-serious chili was way too hot for my Yankee tastebuds back then, and that was before I met Frank X. his-own-self at the Morning News, where the guy pretty much had the run of the place. He occasionally wrote a history column, but he seemed to spend most of his time telling stories to youngsters like me when he wasn't holed up with Blackie Sherrod and/or John Anders (also rather elusive but personality-laden columnists at the News back then). Tolbert had a hand in starting up the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert - Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cookoff, and if you don't want to try the frozen variety, you can get a fresh batch of Tolbert's chili at the remaining Tolbert's in Grapevine, operated by Frank's daughter (and X2's sister) Kathleen.

And I guarantee you that if you click on all of the links in this blog post, you'll have added a mini-history of Dallas and Texas to your party repertoire.

King Tut roadshow: Not enough class for Dallas and the DMA?

There's an interesting story in Sunday's DMN about the upcoming King Tut artifact exhibit, which is being held downtown October through May at the Dallas Museum of Art. Not being a big-time art aficionado, it was interesting to read the point-counterpoint of the article, which can be summed up pretty clearly. One side believes that having a high-profile exhibit such as King Tut will bring up to one million visitors downtown to the DMA, many of whom have never visited the museum, hopefully expanding the museum's reach into the community and paving the way for future growth. The other side believes that the carnival-barker atmosphere surrounding the Tut exhibit (remember, these are serious art people debating this issue, so carnival-barker is a relative term here) isn't worthy of a serious museum like the DMN, and the people who agreed to put the show on there should have their heads (and presumably their art credentials) examined.

I saw the last Tut show when it visited Dallas, and the pieces were amazing to see in person. Since that time, we had the good fortune to see thousands of additional Tut pieces at the national museum in Cairo, Egypt; there's something about the boy king that just makes people flock to see his retinue. I have no doubt the same will happen here in Dallas again this year. More importantly than whether the DMA is "too good" for this exhibit is the traffic the Tut show will bring downtown — just about the time that the new arts district really is taking shape. A chunk of the money for the district came from city taxpayers, who now will get a chance to see what we've paid for up-close-and-personal. That's the real benefit here for Dallas residents.

Moviemakers: Make your movie

But you better get to work. The Video Association of Dallas is accepting entries for the 21st annual Dallas Video Festival, which will be held at the Angelika Film Center, in Mockingbird Station through August 11. You can register online here. And if you're into video, but not quite ready to submit your opus, get involved with the VAD — they have lots of activities and info that might get you ready in time for next year's festival.