The 7 Best Concerts of the Week: RiFF RAFF, Beck, Dashboard Confessional and More

There are always plenty of concerts to see and hear in Dallas, and this week is no exception. Shows include white boy rap, emo and cover bands.

Outward Bound Mixtape Sessions
10 p.m. Monday, March 19, RBC, 2617 Commerce St., 469-487-6149 or rbcdeepellum.com, free

We look forward to Mondays now, thanks to the work of Stefan Gonzalez. The lineup he curates every week makes RBC one of the best places in the city to discover new music. Outward Bound Mixtape began a few years ago at Crown and Harp on Lower Greenville before it moved to Deep Ellum. It offers an opportunity for local and touring acts to try out something new in front of an enthusiastic and open-minded crowd of regulars, whether that means a first show, new songs or a sound that defies genre labels. If you ask the act du jour in Dallas noise, punk, goth or free jazz where it played some of its first shows, you'll likely be told Outward Bound, so attend Mondays and stay ahead of the curve. Caroline North


CoLab
With Friday's Foolery, 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinksdeepellum.com, free

At Three Links, CoLab has a daunting weekly task: perform an improvisational hip-hop show. The Dallas collective combines funk, soul, R&B and hip-hop to create an unexpected fusion sound with its talented arsenal of musicians. But above all else, it prides itself on the “ass-shakin’” effects of its music, which should be all the reason you need to show everyone that them hips don’t lie. Matt Wood


Dashboard Confessional
5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., houseofblues.com, $33.60-$63.10

Can you claim the title of millennial if you didn’t use angsty Dashboard Confessional songs to get over a breakup? Chris Carrabba and his band have been around since 2000 and singing the words so many emo teenagers are thinking. Relive the better days when you see them live at House of Blues. Paige Skinner


RiFF RAFF
9 p.m. Thursday, March 22, Lizard Lounge, 2424 Swiss Ave., 214-826-4768 or thelizardlounge.com, $12.50-$250

Even after a lengthy 2013 feature by LA Weekly unearthed the origins of RiFF RAFF, the man born Horst Simco remains one of the most enigmatic and interesting figures in hip-hop — for better or worse. Nothing is ordinary about Jody HiGHROLLER, from his often braided, brightly colored hair to his unorthodox Houston-inspired rap delivery. He’s always reinventing the wheel, keeping things fresh, and that’s why he’s stayed relevant for nearly a decade. A man of his character was born for the social media age, and nearly every day, he provides his audience with hilarious content and off-the-wall captions. No matter how you look at it, The Freestyle Scientist is entertaining, and he’s back on the road for his Neon Black Tour in promotion of his latest album. It's guaranteed to be a spectacle. Mikel Galicia


Led Zeppelin II
8 p.m. Friday, March 23, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., houseofblues.com, $15-$35

Led Zeppelin II is a Chicago-based tribute act to Led Zeppelin. The members look the part and sound the part, as you'd expect them to. The four-piece will play the House of Blues, which welcomes tribute acts year-round. Highly lauded for its near-replication of how Zeppelin was live, the band gives a looseness to the sound. If you've always wanted to experience something like The Song Remains the Same, give this a chance. Eric Grubbs


Beck
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 23, Toyota Music Factory, 316 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, livenation.com, $59 and up

Beck has gone from sneering, genre-busting rap-rocker to today’s polished poptimist in a career arc both surprising and somehow sadly predictable. It’s the usual route, really: Rock star goes from ambitious, caustic youngster to restrained elder statesman. But for some reason, with Beck, it never seemed like it would shake out like this. Still, if you’re a fan of meticulously crafted pop with a few eccentric curly-cues added in for good measure, Beck’s still your man. He’s still mixing genres, too, more or less. There’s a raplike rhythm to his sleepy delivery, a slight experimental bent to his choice of instrumentation and the way he pieces it all together. Jazz, blues, new wave, college rock — they’re all in there, too. Beck might not be pushing boundaries anymore, but he’s matured into a writer who’s more or less freewheeling it with the conventions of the Great American Songbook. And like Bob Dylan before him, he might just find some fresh ideas in there yet. Jonathan Patrick


Caroline Rose
7 p.m. Saturday, March 24, Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $12-$15

Before settling in for what should be a very fun night of raucous glam-rock from Mississippi hell-raisers The Weeks, check into Club Dada early for the opening set by Caroline Rose. The 11 tracks on Rose's recent album, I Will Not Be Afraid, transition through a variety of genres and styles. Self-described as "postcards I've picked up from along the road," the tunes at times shimmer with '70s-era disco-funk-infused beats that slyly force the listener into tapping along in rhythm. Elsewhere, there are snippets of Timberlake-esque pop, girl-group syncopated chants and even some country-tinged wailing thrown in for good measure. Punctuating it all are Rose's sharp and cutting sense of humor and penchant for observing the nuances and subtleties of daily existence. It's one of the year's sharpest listens so far and should make for a fascinating live performance. Jeff Strowe