Houston's Weekend Planning Guide "Weekend Fridays" Friday August 4th, 2023 Events and concerts in Houston

[From All Music.com-Timothy Monger] A South Korean girl group who fuse mysterious horror and fantasy themes with slick dance-pop, rock, and metal, Dreamcatcher rose quickly into the K-pop mainstream with a series of loosely thematic EPs in 2017 and 2018. A breakout act at home, the seven-member group also found a more widespread international audience which they fostered over the next two years with tours of Europe, Asia, and South America. Their largest audience outside of South Korea emerged in Japan where they released the 2019 full-length album, The Beginning of the End. They have continued to hit the Top Five in Korea with albums like 2020's Dystopia: The Tree of Language and 2022's Apocalypse: Save Us.

Formed in 2014 by Happy Face Entertainment, the initial lineup of Jiu, Sua, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, and Dami released a handful of singles and the 2015 EP, Love Shake, under the name Minx. As Minx, the group's songs trended toward a bright, bubbly K-pop style with a decidedly cheerful youth-oriented aesthetic. They enjoyed moderate success during this early phase, but by the end of 2016, Happy Face announced that Minx had taken on two new members, Handong and Gahyeon, and would soon reemerge in a darker-toned version under the name Dreamcatcher. Distancing themselves from the wholesome image of their early days, the seven-member Dreamcatcher fused adult-oriented dance music with elements of rock and metal. Read more @All Music.com (Click Here)

[From All Music.com-Andy Kellman] Like almost all other musicians hit with the neo-soul and retro-soul tags, the primary inspirations of singer and songwriter Leela James are classic artists who arrived no later than the early '70s. Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Tina Turner were among the vocalists to whom the gritty-voiced Los Angeles native was likened early in her career, which was established with A Change Is Gonna Come (2005), her assured full-length debut. James has since distinguished herself with a succession of unpredictable albums highlighted by the Stax-issued My Soul (2010), Loving You More...In the Spirit of Etta James (2012), and independent recordings ranging from Fall for You (2014) to See Me (2021).

Born Alechia Janeice Campbell in Los Angeles, Leela James first appeared on a handful of '90s rap recordings as a background vocalist. Under the name Alechia James, she placed songs on a pair of soundtracks released in 2000. First was "Holding Back the Years," a Simply Red cover for Whatever It Takes, followed by James' own composition, "Work," which paired her with the Roots and appeared on the soundtrack for Bait. After she was showcased on an uplifting track off Pete Rock's Soul Survivor II, "No Tears," she made her proper debut on Warner Bros. in 2005 with A Change Is Gonna Come. Featuring a cover of Sam Cooke's song of the same title, as well as one of No Doubt's "Don't Speak," the throwback-oriented set involved assistance from major figures including Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, James Poyser, and Chucky Thompson. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 148 and was followed with an appearance on Ray Charles' posthumous Genius & Friends, as well as nominations for Soul Train Music and NAACP Image awards. Read more @All Music.com (Click Here)

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes…

Houston Shakespeare Festival in their 49th season presents Shakespeare’s Macbeth. A Scottish general and his wife are plunged into a murderous quest by the prophesy of three mysterious witches. Consumed by brutal ambition, the couple’s bloodbath delivers the crown of Scotland to Macbeth. After unthinkable acts of betrayal, a price must be paid. Guilt, madness, and tyranny reign in a world where “fair is foul and foul is fair.”

Dive deeper into the plays with their pre-show Bard Talks given by HSF Executive Director Dr. Rob Shimko before every performance.