Those Bastards!

FRI 4/2

Though the Man in Black, who inspired the band’s name — and gave his blessing
to it against the advice of his attorneys — is no longer here, the Bastard
Sons of Johnny Cash aim to keep the spirit of “outlaw” country alive. Formed
in 1995 under the leadership of Mark Stuart (vocals, guitar), this revolving
band of brothers includes Johnny Fingers (guitar), Christian Dunn (bass) and
Joey Galvan (drums). After releasing their roots-country debut, Walk Alone,
they followed it up with Distance Between, an effort that sounds much
closer to Springsteen’s Nebraska (especially Stuart’s voice) than Cash’s
At Folsom Prison. More reflective and starkly mellow, it shows a new
side to those Bastards, setting them apart from the retro-tonk crowd. “I felt
something evolving that was a lot deeper,” Stuart says. “I wanted to open the
vein, put the hand right in the oven, get it good and hot…I really wanted
to feel my toes on the edge of the cliff.” Johnny would have probably approved
of living on that musical edge — hell, he would have probably jumped off
it too! No word on whether the Sons plan to take a DNA test on the Maury
show to establish paternity. 9 p.m. Friday, April 2. McGonigel’s Mucky Duck,
2425 Norfolk. For information, call 713-528-5999 or visit www.mcgonigels.com.
$10. — Bob Ruggiero

Bend It Like Bocca

THU 4/1

Forget soccer stars. Argentina goes nuts over its ballet dancers. You’ll see
why when Julio Bocca, the beloved South American heartthrob and virtuoso of
the ballet world, brings Ballet Argentino to Houston. A former American Ballet
Theater principal and gold medal winner in the Moscow Ballet Competition, Bocca
formed his own company in 1990 to showcase the artistry and technical proficiency
of young Argentine dancers. His brand of bravura will be on view in Alvin Ailey’s
masterpiece, “The River,” and Ana María Stekelman’s passionate work, “The
Man in the Red Tie.” 8 p.m. Thursday, April 1. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For
information, call 713-227-4772 or visit www.spahouston.org.
$18 to $50. — Nancy Galeota-Wozny

Return of the Mac

Plenty of young symphonic stars will be shining at the Houston Civic Symphony
Spring Concert. Tenth-grade cellist Emileigh Vandiver, a Lincoln Center veteran
who disses pop music because “it’s not very imaginative,” will play Tchaikovsky’s
Rococo Variations. Eighth-grader Christopher Lee will perform Sarasate’s
classic, Fantasy on Carmen. And pianist Jessica Zhu, just 17, will take
on Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. But the potential show-stealer is
Gallery Furniture’s Jim “Mattress Mac” McIngvale, who’ll narrate Peter. “This is the first time I have done anything like this,” says Mac, “so I am
excited and nervous about my theatrical debut. I hope that I will do a good
job for such a worthy cause.” Well and good, Mac, but didn’t we once overhear
you say, “There’s no difference between philanthropy and publicity”? 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 2. Talento Bilingue de Houston, 333 South Jensen. For information,
call 281-586-2100. Free. — Steven Devadanam