November 30, 2012

It’s hard to believe that December is already here, but before you know it Christmas will have arrived too. If you’re like me, you’re not quite ready to succumb to all things Christmas, so this weekend we’ve got a nice mix of holiday and non-holiday events for you to choose from.

Sure, you could head to NorthPark to knock out your Christmas lists, but as you Oak Cliffers know, you’ll head to the Bishop Arts District if you’d rather purchase unique, artisan made gifts that aren’t mass-produced in a sweatshop overseas. Tonight and Saturday at 6 p.m., they’re hosting the 17th annual Jingle Bells on Bishop, a “neighborhood-style Christmas festival” that is “famous for being the farthest thing from the mall scene.”

I couldn’t find much about Chad Stockslager online, but from what I could gather, he plays and sings in popular local band The King Bucks and sometimes he covers Simon and Garfunkel songs with fellow Texas-based musician Chad Holt. I can’t say for sure whether or not they’ll perform “Mrs. Robinson” or “Bridge Over Troubled Water” tonight at Bar Belmont, but head there at 7 p.m. to find out for yourself.

Check out the Kessler Theater tonight at 8 p.m. for a seriously groovy-good time. Roots singer Tab Benoit will be performing with special guests Somebody’s Darling, and if you’re a blues fan, this is one performance you won’t want to miss.

Although Detrophia is about, well, Detroit, it looks like the type of documentary that could have implications for all major cities across America. If you’re at all interested in learning more about the rise and fall of one of our country’s greatest urban cities, head to the Texas Theatre at 7:30 p.m. tonight to check it out. Also, judging by her enthusiasm, it’s very likely that you’ll see our very own Georgia Fisher there at tonight’s showing, or tomorrow’s (5:30 p.m.) or Sunday’s (4:30 p.m.). Or all of them. In honor of Detroit, they’re also showing 1993′s hit True Romance at 10 p.m tonight, 7:45 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday), and 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

Have you ever wondered about where you come from? About the far-removed branches of your family tree? Confused about where to even start looking for your earliest ancestors? The Hampton-Illinois Library is here to help. Join them at 10 a.m on Saturday when they present Genealogy 101, where they’ll teach you how to go about your research.

As aforementioned, you can catch both Detrophia and True Romance again Saturday at the Texas Theatre at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. respectively. At 10 p.m. they’re hosting Away From The Numbers, where DJs Gabriel Mendoza and Sam will be laying down some “Brit-pop, post-punk, and glam-soul.”

If classic and conservative music is more your thing than post-punk (I’m not too familiar with that genre, myself!), Austin-based Bob Schneider and the Tosca String Quartet will be performing two special holiday eve shows Saturday at the Kessler Theater at 7 and 9:30 p.m.

If you didn’t make it to one of the earlier screenings, you’ve still got one more chance on Sunday to catch Detrophia at 4:30 p.m. and True Romance at 6:45 p.m at the Texas Theatre . If you’re really into Detroit (or just really lonely/bored), you could even stay for both.