A Night Out With Pete Weise At Pearl - June 27th 2008

Thanks to a last minute sleep-over hosted by one of our daughter's friends, my wife and I were blessed with a night off Friday night. And I scrambled to find some great live music for an evening on the town, just the two of us. Normally, a free evening would mean following some of my local heroes to a venue to hear some live blues. But this night, I was tempted to try something a little different. I saw that The Pete Weise Quartet was playing down at Pearl at Commerce. I went and listened to some songs on his MySpace page, and I knew I had to check this out. I'm not well versed on jazz, but I do go and listen to it a lot. I grew up listening to my mom's Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton records. I admit I don't know that I ever understood it. But I like the vibe. And the idea of being downtown listening to some live jazz got me motivated to make the drive from Frisco and weather the challenges.

But first, I needed a restaurant recommendation. Luckily, the folks over at North Texas Blues are always willing to help. They gave me a couple of options including Daddy Jacks and Monica's down in Deep Ellum. I let my wife look at the menus, and she liked the menu of Monica's so we gave that a try. Our waiter Pedro recommended the Mexican Lasagna and Green Pasta and we ordered both. The Mexican Lasagna was good. I really liked the green salsa on it, but would have done without the Italian style marinara on the plate and used something a little peppery instead. My wifes pasta was interesting. The sauce starts off sweet and then ends in a mild pepper kick. Both dishes were a little heavy. Next time, I think I'll try the fish tacos or the Tilapia. The margaritas were very tasty. And the entertainment was fun too. The live band (not sure who it was) reminded me of the Gypsy Kings and were very entertaining. During the breaks, they played disco? Oh well, it was an interesting mix and we didn't mind. It made for fun people watching. There was a large party, mostly women, there for a birthday party. And it wasn't long before the dance competition was on. I should mention that I only paid $5 for valet parking right in front of Monicas. We felt extremely safe coming and going from the restaurant. The whole thing could not have been more stress and worry free if I had gone to dinner in Frisco. They are doing some things right down there.

From there we made our way down to Pearl. The parking situation here was not quite as nice as Monicas. There is a pay lot right next door. I payed $5 to park there. But I will admit that given the lighting and crowd from the club next door, I was not feeling quite as confident about our safety. We didn't have any issues. But, lets just say some of the stories I heard about Deep Ellum were running through my mind. Once inside, I was in heaven. Pearl is an open room with great site lines and comfortable seating. It's very upscale with a vibe to it that lets you know you didn't just walk into another smoky biker bar. We picked a table along the wall and ordered a few drinks. We just happened to be sitting next to Miss Marcy who plays there every Monday night. How cool is that?

The Pete Weise Quartet features Pete Weise on guitar, Chris Bullock on tenor sax, John Caruth on drums and Mike League on bass. The entire band is fantastic. I was mesmorized by John Caruth and Mike League, let me say that. I could try to describe for you just how amazing the music was. But my words wouldn't do it justice. Here is a little medley I've put together from the show (with Pete's permission). Have a listen:






That pretty much says it all right there. Pretty cool stuff huh? You don't get the full force unless you see it in person, but the audio is the next best thing. Pete is also an associate professor of Music at Collin County Community College. So for those of you out there that have Pete as a prof, you're teacher kicks some serious butt.

So, the final tally for the evening is:

1.) An incredible night on the town in Dallas, Texas thanks to Monicas in Deep Ellum, Pearl at Commerce and The Pete Weise Quartet ... Score: 9.5

2.) Trouble? Nil. Zero. Squat.

Thanks Dallas. Let's do it again real soon. ;)

Lineup for the Frisco Freedom Festival Released

Here is the official list of performers that will entertain on the Community Stage at this year's Freedom Fest in Frisco, July 4th:

Official Site

3:45 - 3:55 p.m. Sami Lee

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4:00 - 4:10 p.m. N3

4:10 - 4:20 p.m. U4ix

4:20 - 4:30 p.m. Anna Thomas

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4:40 - 5:00 p.m. The Iron Horse Express

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5:05 - 5:15 p.m. Fresh Dance Clique

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5:20 - 5:30 p.m. Haleigh Pickett

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5:35 - 5:40 p.m. Suzahn Matney

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5:45 - 5:55 p.m. Imaj Thomas

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6:00 - 6:10 p.m. Cutta C

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6:15 - 6:25 p.m. John

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6:30 - 7:00 p.m. E.F.X

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7:10 - 7:40 p.m. Camfield Way

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7:50 - 8:20 p.m. Mike and the Majestics (featuring Hash Brown)

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8:30 - 9:00 p.m. Vic Duncan

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9:10 - 9:40 p.m. HIM8NC