Beto O'Rourke, Spoon, Sparta, Polyphonic Spree & more set for Dallas music fest

You’ve probably heard that Beto O’Rourke, who’s battling Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate race, is under fire from the Texas GOP for — wait for it — playing in a punk band 25 years ago! How unprofessional!

O’Rourke is not only not bothered by it, he’s leaning into it. O’Rourke gave Rolling Stone a digital version of a rarity by his old band, Foss (who also counted At the Drive-In frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala as a member), and you can listen to it here. Here’s more from RS‘ interview with O’Rourke:

“I was into Minor Threat, I was into the Rites of Spring,” O’Rourke recalls. But more than just the bands, it was Dischord’s whole ethos that appealed to him, an angsty teen. “They started their own label, they pressed their own records, they wrote their own songs, they booked their own tours and they set conditions, like: you’re not gonna pay more than five bucks to come into this show. You’re not gonna pay more than 10 bucks for this record. Our shows are gonna be all ages, everybody can come in.”

He also added that when he met Cedric, Cedric was playing Misfits covers in his band Phantasmagoria. “I’m a junior in high school, and this guy is like a freshman, and he’s singing in this amazing band,” he said. “He had long black hair and everybody wore the black wristbands.”

O’Rourke is also now set to appear at a new music festival in his home state, the inaugural Buffalo Tree Festival, which takes over Main Street Garden in Downtown Dallas on October 7. The festival was put together by The Polyphonic Spree‘s Dylan Silvers and The Dallas County Democratic Party, and it’s got an all-Texas lineup. The Polyphonic Spree and fellow indie vets Spoon are both playing, as is another former Cedric Bixler-Zavala collaborator, Jim Ward, playing with the reunited Sparta. There’s also music by singer/songwriter Sarah Jaffe, rising rapper Bobby Sessions, and more.

In addition to O’Rourke, there will be appearances by other Texas 2018 Democratic candidates including Colin Allred (Congress in Texas’ 32nd district), Lupe Valdez (2018 Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas), and Kim Olson (2018 Democratic Candidate for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture). Full lineup of musicians and Democratic candidates below.

Affiliated nonprofits and causes will also be on site, including Moms Demand Action, Coalition of Black Democrats, Next Generation League of Progressive Voters, Angie’s List, Human Rights Campaign, and more TBA.

Tickets are on sale now.

Watch Foss performing in 1994:

Buffalo Tree Festival — 2018 Initial Lineup (more TBA)
BETO O’ROURKE
SPOON
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE
SPARTA
LUPE VALDEZ
COLIN ALLRED
SARAH JAFFE
LA ENERGIA NORTEÑA
BOBBY SESSIONS
THE TONTONS
SUNSHINE VILLAGE
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
MIKE COLLIER
NATHAN JOHNSON
KIM OLSON
IKE REILLY
KENDALL SCUDDER
MARC VEASEY
ROYCE WEST
MARIACHI DAMAS DE ORO
FISHING IN JAPAN