(Side note: Brazil is currently hosting the Confederations Cup as a warmup for the World Cup. Our guys failed to qualify for this tournament by virtue of losing the 2011 Gold Cup to Mexico. Given the street protests going on in Brazil, Mexico’s troubles fitting the tournament into their schedule, and USA’s sparkling run of results, missing the Confed Cup sure looks like a blessing in disguise right now.)

With the next qualifying matches set for September, now’s a good time to reassess the pecking order for USA’s players when it comes to making next year’s World Cup squad. The number in parentheses after each player’s name reflects what his position was the last time I made this list in March, so you can see whose stock is rising or falling. Keep in mind, this list isn’t intended to reflect who the best players are, but rather who looks like the best bet to be named to the squad by the current management.

1. Michael Bradley (1)
Watching him makes me want to compare him to the world’s best central midfielders. He doesn’t have Xavi or Andrea Pirlo’s ability to consistently deliver the killer pass, nor does he have the instinct for goal that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard had in their best days. What he does have is the ability to steady the team in the middle of the field, always passing the ball to a teammate who’s free. (I can’t remember the last time he gave away the ball in a dangerous area.) In that regard, he’s like Luka Modrić, only with more physical presence. It’s good to have him on our side.

2. Jozy Altidore (3)
A goal in each of USA’s last four matches, and 31 goals this past season in the Dutch league. The big striker is finally developing into the goal threat USA’s fans hoped he would be, and when the goals are flowing for him, everything else becomes so much easier for USA.

3. Clint Dempsey (2)
Didn’t score in any of the qualifying matches, but he still made his presence felt in all of them, and he found the back of the net against the Germans. Playing behind Altidore instead of on the wing keeps opposing defenses honest instead of homing in on Jozy.

4. Tim Howard (5)
There have been rumblings that Brad Guzan should be the man in goal for USA, but the Everton keeper played well enough to quiet those down, allowing only one goal in the three qualifying games and making some good saves on those rare occasions when he was called on. With USA remaking its defense, you can understand why Klinsmann might want to stay with an established goalkeeper.

5. Jermaine Jones (12)
The Schalke 04 player has played like a man determined to make up for missing World Cup 2010 with injuries, and looks like a natural midfield partner for Bradley. But seriously, stop it with the yellow cards, Jermaine. You’re no good to the team if you’re suspended.

6. Matt Besler (7)
The Sporting Kansas City central defender has come from nowhere, playing with a composure well beyond his lack of experience at the international level and forming a good understanding with Omar Gonzalez.

7. Omar Gonzalez (6)
He was a rock against Mexico last March, but this summer he showed a worrying tendency to make one bad error in every game (see: his pass straight to Roger Espinoza in the Honduras game), and he has Howard to thank that more of them didn’t turn into goals for the opposition. Will have to work on that.

8. Graham Zusi (N/A)
The hairband-sporting winger may not have Landon Donovan’s speed and dynamism, but his service from the wings was good enough to allow Dempsey to move into a more central position, where he’s more dangerous. More on him further down.

9. Geoff Cameron (8)
Central midfield, right back, central defender. It might not be the best thing for the player’s development to have so many different positions, but every national team needs a Swiss Army knife, and Cameron fits the bill. Looks like a decent replacement for Jones in the middle of the field, an important consideration given Jones’ tendency to collect yellow cards.

10. Fabian Johnson (27)
Speaking of versatility, the Hoffenheim player looked good on the left wing but also filled in capably at left back in the Honduras game. Assisted on two of Altidore’s goals in the last two games.

11. DaMarcus Beasley (14)
His transformation into a left back continues apace. This probably isn’t where he expected to be 10 years ago, when he looked like a superstar in the making, but he’s probably grateful to still be in the picture for 2014.

12. Landon Donovan (4)
Well now, this is interesting. With the emergence of both Zusi and Johnson in these last few games, LanDo might just have to win back his spot in the starting lineup. If he could play well enough to do that, it would present Klinsmann with a lot of options. His experience in previous World Cups will probably stand for much, but he has some work to do.

13. Brad Evans (N/A)
Scored the game-winner against Jamaica, looked shaky against Panama, steadied himself against Honduras. Not bad for a midfielder playing out of position. He even stood well against Lukas Podolski during the Germany game. Do we have a new right back?

14. Brad Guzan (9)
At the very least, he’ll give USA security if anything happens to Howard.

15. Eddie Johnson (N/A)
I really should have had him on that previous soccer ladder, but I forgot about him. The game against Panama alone would have been enough to remind me, as he got to score a goal for USA in front of his hometown fans in Seattle. He did less well in the other games, but his ability to play either on the wing or as a center forward who can spell Altidore makes him an intriguing part.

16. Brad Davis (N/A)
Klinsmann seems to see him as an option off the bench, but he did well in limited action against Honduras, and in the second half against Germany.

17. Timmy Chandler (10)
Uh-oh, other right backs are emerging, and left backs, too. A badly timed injury put the Nürnberg fullback out of these qualifiers, just as another injury did in March. Will he ever get a chance to show his stuff in meaningful games for USA?

18. Herculez Gomez (11)
Like Chandler, he saw no action in this slate of matches. He got hurt in training camp. The battle between him and Johnson over the spare wing-forward spot bears watching.

19. Maurice Edu (15)
One more injury casualty, forced to sit out these past games due to a sports hernia. USA is stacked with central midfielders of his caliber.

20. Clarence Goodson (13)
Did himself no good in that loss to Belgium. Between Gonzalez and Besler, he may have to aim for being the third-choice center back.

21. Stuart Holden (33)
Still working his way back from injury, but could give Klinsmann more options on the wing if he’s at full health. We’ll see more of him during the Gold Cup this summer.

22. Joe Corona (26)
Saw a few minutes against Panama. Need to see more.

23. Jon Busch (N/A)
Because we need a third keeper, and the San Jose guy is having a good start to the season.

24. Kyle Beckerman (21)
The Real Salt Lake midfielder got called to the squad as an injury replacement for the Honduras game, but didn’t see the field. Too bad; it would have been nice to have him play for USA in front of his own fans in Utah.

25. Brek Shea (16)
At Stoke City, the winger took part in a horrendous prank involving a severed pig’s head that resulted in one teammate throwing a brick through another teammate’s windshield. That had nothing to do with him missing the recent slate of games (a calf injury is to blame for that), but it probably didn’t raise his stock.

27. Steve Cherundolo (23)
Can still play the “World Cup experience” card, but how much will that count with Evans and possibly Chandler playing at their levels?

28. Terrence Boyd (17)
Seems not quite there yet as a center forward on the international level.

29. Sacha Kljestan (22)
Klinsmann tried to go with him and Jermaine Jones against Belgium, since Kljestan plays in the Belgian league and knew most of the players. It didn’t work.

30. Edgar Castillo (35)
The Germans torched him when he came in off the bench. That Klinsmann moved Fabian Johnson to left back in the Honduras game instead of starting Castillo isn’t a good sign.

31. Carlos Bocanegra (24)
32. Oguchi Onyewu (25)
33. Jack McInerney (N/A)
34. Mike Magee (N/A)
35. Mikkel Diskerud (39)
36. Chris Wondolowski (18)
37. Jonathan Spector (28)
38. Tim Ream (29)
39. Luis Robles (N/A)
40. Jonathan Bornstein (34)
41. John Anthony Brooks (N/A)
42. Alejandro Bedoya (37)
43. Charlie Davies (38)
44. José Francisco Torres (40)
45. Robbie Rogers (N/A)

Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire (PG-13) Kris Koenig’s documentary examines the hidden agenda of the gun control movement. (Opens Friday at AMC Grapevine Mills)

Fill the Void (PG) Rama Burshtein’s drama stars Hadas Yaron as an 18-year-old girl in Tel Aviv whose sister’s sudden death forces her to choose between defying her family and doing her duty as an Orthodox Jew by marrying her widowed brother-in-law (Yiftach Klein). Also with Irit Sheleg, Chayim Sharir, Razia Israeli, Hila Feldman, and Renana Raz. (Opens Friday in Dallas)

Much Ado About Nothing (PG-13) Joss Whedon (The Avengers) directs this low-budget, modern-dress, black-and-white adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy about two ex-lovers (Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker) who engage in a war of wits while falling back in love. Also with Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Jillian Morgese, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome, Ashley Johnson, Tom Lenk, and Nathan Fillion. (Opens Friday in Dallas)

Pandora’s Promise (NR) Robert Stone (Earth Days) directs this documentary arguing the case for nuclear power. (Opens Friday in Dallas)

World War Z (PG-13) Brad Pitt stars as a U.N. epidemiologist who must find a way to stop a worldwide zombie pandemic. Also with Mireille Enos, Daniela Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Fana Mokoena, David Morse, Peter Capaldi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Moritz Bleibtreu, Lucy Russell, Konstantin Khabensky, and Matthew Fox. (Opens Friday)

After Earth (PG-13) Slight but tolerable, this only stinks if you go in expecting a good movie. Will Smith and Jaden Smith star as a human warrior and his son who crash-land on a post-apocalyptic Earth that’s now covered in jungle and filled with predators. With the father immobilized, the son has to negotiate hostile terrain to bring back their spaceship’s homing beacon. The movie has terrible dialogue, but it moves along with a video game’s single-minded pace, as the boy fights off dangerously evolved creatures against gorgeous backdrops. If director M. Night Shyamalan wants to take up B movies, this is a way to do it. Also with Sophie Okonedo, David Denman, Glenn Morshower, and Zoë Kravitz. — Steve Steward

Before Midnight (R) The movie that This Is 40 should have been. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reunite for this sequel to Before Sunrise and Before Sunset as the now-married lovers who run into marital trouble while vacationing in the Greek isles with their twin daughters. She wants to take a more substantive French government job, while his concern for his son from a previous marriage pulls him back toward America, and when the vitriol between them starts flying, man, you had better duck. There’s a whole lot of bitterness and unattractive behavior on display, and director Richard Linklater and his collaborators resolve it a bit too easily. Still, the writing is sharp and occasionally spellbindingly poetic, the stars’ chemistry continues unabated, and the movie offers up some great wisdom. I’ll be interested to see where these characters are in 2022. Also with Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Walter Lassally, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Panos Koronis, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Yiannis Papadopoulos, and Ariane Labed.

The East (R) As good a thriller as there is in theaters right now, this second collaboration by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij (Sound of My Voice) stars Marling as a private intelligence firm operative who infiltrates a group of violent ecoterrorists. In many ways, this is an ordinary spy thriller, but the fact that the main character is a woman has ripple effects throughout the story, especially in her attraction to the group’s leader (Alexander Skarsgård) and her conflicted relationship with her boss (Patricia Clarkson). The smart, layered script gives Batmanglij the chance to execute some terrific set pieces, and the star is a compelling physical presence. Marling and Batmanglij both look destined for bigger things. Also with Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Jason Ritter, and Julia Ormond.

Epic (PG) This animated movie’s renderings of forest greenery are simply glorious. Too bad it trips over pesky minor elements like story and character. Adapted from William Joyce’s The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs, this movie is about a teenage girl (voiced by Amanda Seyfried) who’s magically shrunken down to a couple of inches tall and introduced to a world of tiny people and talking animals protecting the forest. The movie is overloaded with expositional dialogue and characters who are poorly introduced. You can’t even figure out why the bad guys are trying to reduce the forest to rot. A witless script wastes an enviable voice cast, and any sense of wonder here is broken every time somebody starts to speak. Additional voices by Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O’Dowd, Jason Sudeikis, Pitbull, Steven Tyler, and Beyoncé Knowles.

Fast & Furious 6 (PG-13) The latest and most enjoyable in the series has Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, and the rest of the gang convening in London to stop a British baddie (Luke Evans) who has the resurrected-from-the-dead Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in his clutches and working for him. Director Justin Lin gives up the pretense that any of this is to be taken seriously and orchestrates two impressive large-scale action sequences: the climax on a military airbase and a knock-down, drag-out brawl between Rodriguez and Gina Carano that’s intercut with a slapstickier fight between Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, and Joe Taslim. The comedy is still cringe-inducing and the dialogue is still bad enough to kill plants and small animals, yet there’s still some gas left in the tank. Also with Jordana Brewster, Gal Gadot, Elsa Pataky, Clara Paget, Kim Kold, and Ludacris.

42 (PG-13) A museum piece, not a movie. This biography of Jackie Robinson focuses on the three years leading up to the baseball star’s tumultuous 1947 season, when he integrated his sport as a player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Writer-director Brian Helgeland tries to create scope by taking us through dead-end subplots with poorly characterized supporting roles. This is forgivable; less so is Helgeland’s failure to give us a sense of how widespread racism was among fans, the press, and executives. The racial slurs that Robinson (Chadwick Boseman, doing what he can with a plaster saint of a role) encounters seem to come mostly from a few troublemakers. Had Helgeland been more willing to court controversy, this might have been the great American story that it promised to be. Also with Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Lucas Black, Andre Holland, Alan Tudyk, Hamish Linklater, T.R. Knight, and John C. McGinley.

Frances Ha (R) Finally, a Noah Baumbach movie with a likable main character! Greta Gerwig stars in and co-writes this black-and-white dramedy as a 27-year-old modern dancer in New York who goes into a tailspin after her career stalls and her best friend and roommate (Mickey Sumner, in an impressive screen debut) leaves to move in with her boyfriend. The episodic script and Baumbach’s flitting direction do great with the herky-jerky rhythms of Frances’ life as she scrounges for extra cash and new places to live, wallows in self-pity, takes an ill-advised weekend trip to Paris, randomly lashes out at people, and tries to do right by her friend while moving on with her life. This funny and heartwarming film is the best-ever showcase for Gerwig’s infectious joy. Also with Adam Driver, Michael Esper, Michael Zegen, Patrick Heusinger, Charlotte d’Amboise, and Grace Gummer.

The Great Gatsby (PG-13) Ridiculous. And also pretty cool. Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) adapts F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel into a piece of spectacle that overloads your senses. Leonardo DiCaprio (looser and more romantic than he’s been since Titanic) portrays Gatsby, while Carey Mulligan pulls off the near-miraculous feat of making Daisy interesting. Their performances help make this version of Gatsby feel more alive than more realistic versions, as does Luhrmann’s gleefully anachronistic soundtrack and his scrupulously composed, frenetically edited scenes of revelry. The movie flattens out the novel’s themes and waters down its critique of capitalism, but Luhrmann manages to make this classic into very much his own opulent, tragic creation. Also with Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, Callan McAuliffe, and Amitabh Bachchan.

The Hangover Part III (R) This crew should have put down the bottle after the first hangover. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis reunite after their buddy (Justin Bartha) is kidnapped by a crime lord (John Goodman). The anarchic glee of the first movie (and the second, if you’re feeling generous) has now soured into going through the motions, and you don’t care about tying up the few loose ends from the earlier installments. Goodman can’t inject his line readings with any menace, and the Asian kingpin Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) has devolved into a huge hassle. Even the gap-filling photo reel over the end credits isn’t funny this time out. Good riddance to this series. Also with Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Epps, Sasha Barrese, Jamie Chung, Gillian Vigman, Sondra Currie, Melissa McCarthy, and Heather Graham. — Steve Steward

The Internship (PG-13) Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson re-team eight years after Wedding Crashers, and like most comebacks, this one falls short of the glory days. They play ace salesmen who are fired from their jobs and take internships at Google with a chance to land a permanent job with the tech giant. The rapport between the lead actors remains smooth, but the material just isn’t there, with too many scenes devolving into so much babbling. The romance between Wilson and a poorly served Rose Byrne comes out soggy, and the older guys are portrayed as so out-of-touch that they don’t understand their younger fellow interns’ references to Harry Potter and the X-Men. It’s time for these comic actors to start looking outside their familiar circle for new collaborators. Also with Aasif Mandvi, Max Minghella, Josh Brener, Tiya Sircar, Tobit Raphael, Jessica Szohr, Rob Riggle, Josh Gad, B.J. Novak, and an uncredited Will Ferrell.

Iron Man 3 (PG-13) An excellent finish to the series. Suffering crippling anxiety attacks, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) must deal with a terrorist bomber (Ben Kingsley) who leaves him without power for his suit. New director/co-writer Shane Black likes staging low-fi action sequences that force Tony to rely on his unaided wits and limbs. The banter between Tony and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) may be a bit worn, but robbing Tony of his armor re-establishes the character’s humanity in his love for his girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his best friend (Jon Favreau). We wouldn’t mind seeing this Tony every couple of summers. Also with Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Ty Simpkins, and an uncredited Mark Ruffalo. — Steve Steward

Man of Steel (PG-13) Zack Snyder doesn’t succeed in making Superman interesting, but he does succeed in making this familiar story feel rough, strange, and new. Henry Cavill plays the refugee from the planet Krypton who gradually discovers his superpowers while hiding them from the world. Snyder’s nonsequential storytelling invigorates this movie for the first hour or so, but he does a poor job of introducing the characters. The destruction visited on Metropolis is cohesively managed, but because he hasn’t set up what the city is like, the climax has no resonance. The movie opens some promising avenues for the future (and it’s way better than Superman Returns), but it still leaves lots of room for improvement. Also with Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Ayelet Zurer, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, and Laurence Fishburne.

Mud (R) Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter) juxtaposes childhood against cold, hard reality in his second film. Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland play 14-year-old boys who discover a mysterious drifter (Matthew McConaughey) living on an island in the Mississippi River. Nichols evokes a world filled with stunted men who refuse to adapt to change, couching this story as a drama whose slow pace suggests the river’s quiet, inexorable movement. The movie shines brightest when the characters finally come to grips with the hidden truths about themselves. Also with Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Joe Don Baker, and Sam Shepard. — Steve Steward

Now You See Me (PG-13) A much better movie about magicians than The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Of all directors, Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans) pulls off this neat little bit of sleight-of-hand starring Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson as four stage magicians who execute a series of Robin Hood-like robberies of scummy rich people while being chased by a hapless FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo). Not everything here hangs together, but the actors are well-cast in their roles. Both they and the filmmaker seem to be having fun, and you may very well share in that sentiment. Also with Morgan Freeman, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Kelly, Common, and Michael Caine.

The Purge (R) This horror flick tries to get into social commentary. Big mistake. Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey play parents in a dystopian near-future America who hunker down in their mansion to survive an annual 12-hour period when all crime is legal. Writer-director James DeMonaco tries to use the setup to satirize America’s class attitudes and love of gun violence. (Not surprisingly, poor people are the primary victims of the annual Purge.) Yet it’s way too ham-handed and crude in its treatment of these ideas. Nor is the movie effective in any way as a thriller. There is honor in being a cheap B picture but none in being a pretentious cheap B picture. Also with Adelaide Kane, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge, Rhys Wakefield, Tony Oller, and Arija Bareikis.

Star Trek Into Darkness (PG-13) It’s like The Wrath of Khan, except when it’s not. J.J. Abrams’ second adventure has Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leading the crew of the Enterprise on a manhunt for a terrorist (Benedict Cumberbatch) with a mysterious history. The interplay between the crew members remains well oiled, and Cumberbatch kicks all kinds of ass as the bad guy. Abrams executes complicated action set pieces (like a scene with two spacesuited crew members shooting through space toward an enemy ship) with his customary flair, but even more impressive is how he manages to give longtime Trek fans what they want while still making his story new for a generation of newcomers. Despite some ragged plotting, this blockbuster is a worthy second episode in the series. Also with Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, and Leonard Nimoy.

This Is the End (R) Uproarious. Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride all portray themselves as self-absorbed weenies who hole up in Franco’s Hollywood mansion when the apocalypse as described in the Book of Revelation starts to happen. While trying to survive, the boys rag on one another’s career missteps and film a no-budget sequel to Pineapple Express, but they’re all strongly characterized enough that you’ll laugh a lot even if you don’t know who the stars are. Co-directors Rogen and Evan Goldberg toggle nicely between the indoor hijinks and the effects-heavy depiction of the end of days. Also parodying themselves are Emma Watson as a crazed, ax-swinging survivalist and Michael Cera as a disgusting sexist cokehead who meets a satisfyingly hideous death. It’s a bracing return to form for Rogen and company. Also with Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Channing Tatum, and an uncredited Jason Segel.

Stories We Tell (PG-13) Sarah Polley’s documentary about her family and the conflicting stories her mother told her about her parentage.

Even if you have no interest in 1970s British parliamentary politics, you’ll still want to check out This House, James Graham’s play about how the Labour party hung onto a wafer-thin majority in 1974. The 30-year-old playwright captures the situation in all its appalling madness: double-dealing, backstabbing, gentleman’s agreements trampled on, sick and dying MPs wheeled into the chambers to vote. The play will be broadcast at 2pm & 7pm at Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St, FW. Tickets are $10-18. Call 817-923-3012.

THU ▪ 20

Summer is a perfect time for the delicate pleasures of white wine, and you can sample a handful of them at the Summer White Wine Festival at FnG Eats. The Keller restaurant will be serving up chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, and even albariño along with various hors d’oeuvres and flatbreads. The event is at 7pm at 201 Town Center Blvd, Keller. Tickets are $40. Call 817-741-5200.

FRI ▪ 21

How did it take Sister Act this long to become a Broadway musical? The 1992 movie about a nightclub singer who takes over a convent choir was always a natural subject for the stage, especially given Broadway’s current willingness to recycle any successful story into a musical. Sporting original songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the show (which received mostly positive reviews when it debuted in New York in 2011) receives its first run at Bass Hall this week. The show runs thru Sun at 555 Commerce St, FW. Tickets are $38.50-99. Call 817-212-4280.

SAT ▪ 22

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari was an Italian composer respected for his operas, despite the fact that his career overlapped Verdi’s and Puccini’s. Yet it’ll be his accomplished chamber music that takes the spotlight during Timeless Concerts’ performance A Night in Italy, which also includes music by Puccini and Vivaldi. The concert is at 8pm at Arlington Museum of Art, 201 W Main St, Arlington. Tickets are $25-29. Call 817-303-4189.

SUN ▪ 23

Music Christmas, everybody! For Fort Worth Weekly’s 11th Annual Music Awards Festival, 48 of the coolest, hippest, craziest bands in the great 817, including Burning Hotels, Quaker City Night Hawks, and Holy Moly, will perform throughout the West 7th corridor. MAF ’13 is 4-10pm and is free, but bring some spare change for cold, refreshing beverages and for copies of Frequencies, Vol. 4, the Weekly’s annual charity compilation CD. Call 817-321-9700.

MON ▪ 24

Get ready for enough percussion to move your chair from one end of the auditorium to the other. The DCI Tour 2013: Innovations in Brass comes to your local movie theater this evening, offering performances by seven Drum Corps International bands representing cities from northern Illinois to Atlanta. The broadcast is at 6:30pm at various movie theaters; check Calendar for locations. Tickets are $13-15. Call 818-761-6100.

TUE ▪ 25

What’s even better than a play that runs in midweek? A plays that runs in midweek that’s free! CATS puts on Winnie the Pooh Kids!, starring students from the CATS Stars on the Rise Camp and features songs from the recent Pooh movie as well as from the older The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The show runs Jun 25-27 at George W. Hawkes Central Library, 101 E Abram St, Arlington. Admission is free. Call 817-861-2287.

I had seen the dish listed a while back on the little chalkboard menu of daily specials, and I tried to order it, but the kitchen had sold out. I called a few days later –– was it on the board again? Yes, said the nice lady who answered. No, said my server when I got there. Again, they had sold out before I arrived.

Like Captain Ahab, I persisted in my pursuit. I called every day for a week. No, they weren’t on the board that day or the next or the next. Could I order them special? The lady checked, but no. Or maybe she just put me on hold while she told the other employees that the empanada stalker was back again, and they discussed whether to call the vice squad. Fearing they’d take out a restraining order on me, I gave up for a while.

Then my wheels got to turning. Maybe there were no pork empanadas and it was all a cruel joke on local fans of the tasty meat pastries. Could this somehow be connected to the NSA’s phone surveillance scandal?

It’s not like Paco & John’s doesn’t have other great stuff on the menu. The grilled red snapper taco plate ($5.55), for example, is one of the best street tacos in the city. Next time I was there, I ordered it in lieu of the empanadas. The rose-colored snapper was flaky yet firm and tasted like a milder salmon. There was nothing flashy about the setup: just corn tortillas, chopped onions, and cilantro. The salsa was mild and tasted of tomatillo and a hint of garlic. The rice at that place is amazing. I have it on good authority it’s made with a combination of chicken stock and puppy dreams.

The pork carnitas torta ($5.75) is another one of the restaurant’s triumphs. The slow-roasted, melt-in-your-mouth pork was so rich and tender it practically dissolved on my tongue like cotton candy. The meat is piled on a bun with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, pickled jalapeños, and sliced onion.

I don’t know if good things always come to those who wait, but in my case empanadas did. There they were on the board again when I stopped in for lunch at the Hospital District eatery a few weeks ago.

I ordered casually, to keep from drawing attention to myself. I fully expected my server to return with the bad news that they were all gone.

Instead, I got a plate with two golden brown pork empanadas! Not believing that my quest had finally been fulfilled, I sunk my fork in for that so-long-awaited first bite …

… And tasted something more akin to a fried gut rocket than the delicately nuanced morsel I’d been craving. The pork flavor was buried beneath a bland crust, the whole thing so searingly hot that I briefly feared I had cauterized my tongue to the roof of my mouth.

I’ve paid the price of my obsession. For now, I’ll go back to tacos –– well, those, and the other unusual dishes with which Paco & John’s routinely tempts me. Some days in the food (and food critic) business, you get the white whale, some days you just get the harpoon.

Contact Chow, Baby at chowbaby@fwweekly.com

Anyway, I spent some of my birthday on a solitary drive around town, reflecting on getting older, passing the various places where I’ve lived, worked, played, drunk, and puked. I drove around South Hulen and Stonegate, Westcliff and Fairmount, Berry Street and the West 7th corridor, searching for memories hidden behind new names and coats of paint or space-for-lease signs. The sun went down, bathing my melancholy in beautiful, carcinogenic UV rays, reminding me that living in the past doesn’t pay the rent in the present. Or some such nonsense. It was my birthday, and I’d been smoking weed pretty much all day (when I wasn’t napping), so I probably had dozens of moronic nuggets rattling around in my head or spilling out of my mouth. I guess I’m lucky the only one around to hear them was me.

Rounding Blue Bonnet Circle, I noticed Tiff & Andi’s Place has closed. I wondered what happened and what would happen next, recollected that the place used to be known as The Boom Room a million years ago, when I was in college, and wondered how many people around here remember that. North of the circle, I turned east onto Berry, where passage of time became even more apparent. Because The Aardvark and that 7-Eleven are still around, the two blocks between University and Green aren’t exactly unrecognizable from a decade ago, but I quickly imagined telling some 21-year-old college punk how what’s now Topper’s Pizza used to be this kickass rock club called The Moon, just as my friends in their 40s told me about how Fuzzy’s used to be a club called The Dogstar.

Like I said, things change. Everything is fleeting.

But then again, before hitting Lola’s, my girlfriend and I had drinks at A Great Notion, a bar that’s been around longer than I have. I once talked to a guy who’d been a Notion regular since his 21st birthday –– he was in his 50s at the time of our convo. While statistics suggest that I might die from Average White Male life expectancy 30 or 40 years from now, I wonder what the average lifespan of a Fort Worth bar is. I hope a lot of them stick around at least as long as I have. — Steve Steward

Caves’ 10th Anniversary

In Arlington, meanwhile, Caves Lounge (900 W. Division St., 817-460-5510) has kept its party going for more than a decade — like, a month more, to be exact. Bartender Danny Balvin, who has poured drinks there for eight of those 10 years, said the Division Street dive officially celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 9, but Saturday, June 29, is the date set for a huge party. If you’ve ever been to Caves’ Oktoberfest –– or the bar’s Halloween or any other holiday-themed bash –– you know this soiree will be packed with people, overflowing with booze, and probably hot, with a ton of free food on the patio and a ton of free rock inside, the last courtesy of longtime Caves dwellers The Dangits and Perdition. Starting Wednesday, you can buy a wristband for only $5 that’s good for 50-cent Bombshell Blonde drafts until the keg runs out — only 30 wristbands are going to be sold, so you might want to make a beeline for the bar sooner rather than later. — S.S.

Contact Last Call at lastcall@fwweekly.com.

As lawsuit settlements go, it was quite the head-spinning turnaround.

It’s been a tough three years for Palazzolo, who was fired after reporting extensive misconduct by administrators and others at Arlington Heights High School. And despite the settlement, it may not quite be over yet.

The board, following a 45-minute executive session, approved an amended version of the settlement. What those amendments are, neither side would say at this point.

One district employee who has followed the case told Fort Worth Weekly that amendments to the settlement are a continuation of the district’s attempts to get Palazzolo to agree not to talk about evidence gathered during his lawsuit.

“I think they want the bodies to stay buried,” said the employee, who asked not to be named.

After the vote, board President Judy Needham issued a statement saying the board had approved “the form of settlement” recommended by its attorneys and that the document needs only the plaintiff’s signature to be binding. (Trustees Carlos Vasquez and Juan Rangel, both of whom lost their re-election bids last week, didn’t show up for the meeting.)

Palazzolo attorney Jason Smith said that trustees asked for the amendments because the district just wanted to “discuss some items” of the settlement.

The trial, in Wise County, of Palazzolo’s suit against the district over his firing lasted only long enough for attorneys to make their opening statements. The next morning, the two sides announced the settlement had been reached.

In his opening statement, school district lawyer Thomas Brandt acknowledged the problems that had plagued Arlington Heights in 2010, saying the school was “run by an incompetent principal” and generally was a mess. Brandt named current Assistant Superintendent Robert Ray as the main whistleblower, not Palazzolo.

Brandt also named Heights special education teacher Chad Whitt as another whistleblower, and credited the district with protecting and promoting those who spoke up to reveal what was going on.

However, in 2011, Whitt told a Texas Education Agency judge that he had been threatened with termination after testifying on behalf of Palazzolo. Whitt had expected to be called as a plaintiff’s witness in the Wise County trial.

After the settlement was reached, Whitt told the Weekly that he didn’t think Palazzolo’s settlement would immediately end the district’s culture of intimidation and retaliation.

The district’s top officials are “going to have to make a lot of decisions as to what kind of a school district we want to have,” he said.

So Sessom was shocked when the Yellow Cab driver told him he owed $30.

“I knew that was wrong,” he said.

Sessom complained about the price, but the cabbie wouldn’t budge. When Sessom refused to pay, the cabbie called police. Sessom figured he could tell the cop that the cabbie was trying to overcharge him, and the cop would defend him. Instead, the police officer told Sessom to pay up.

“He told me I was going to jail for theft of payment if I didn’t pay,” Sessom said.

Katie Smith, a manager and bartender at Magnolia Motor Lounge, has heard similar stories from customers. She works the day shift and sometimes talks to customers who leave their cars at the club, take taxis home, and return the next day to get their vehicles.

“It keeps coming up,” she said. “The cabs are taking advantage of people who have been drinking. I’ve heard about it and noticed it a lot more in the past year.”

Three cab companies handle calls in Fort Worth, with Yellow Cab taking most of them. Yellow has 220 authorized cabs on the road, while Cowboy Cab and Executive Cab each have 55.

Stories about sneaky cabbies are nothing new, but the technology involved in dispatching taxis these days make it more difficult for drivers to scam riders by manipulating meters.

A former hotel manager, who asked not to be named, said he has seen cabbies approach front-desk employees and offer them kickbacks for referring drunken hotel customers to them for cab rides.

“A couple of cab drivers would hang out in the lobby when it got close to bar closing time,” he recalled.

Some cabbies bragged about taking long, circuitous routes to pad the meter for customers too drunk to notice.

Taking a long route is a common way for cabbies to bump up fares, although this method isn’t as profitable during times of high gas prices.

A tried and true method of ripping off customers is to simply take advantage of diminished mental faculties. Intoxicated people can lose their capacity to add or subtract or to realize they’re being asked to pay more than the metered amount.

A former Fort Worth cabbie, who asked that his name be withheld, said drunken riders make easy marks. For instance, if a solo drunk person climbs into a cab, the driver might “double up” the meter or indicate that more than one rider is in the cab, to increase the rate.

“I only did it to the really obnoxious drunks,” he said. “A lot of these drivers, if they think you’re drunk enough, they will lie to you about the price, especially if you pass out [during] the ride. That is one of the common things.

“Sometimes they’re so drunk they don’t even know where they’re going,” he said.

Another former cab driver in Fort Worth, who also asked for anonymity, said making a living as a cabbie has become more difficult in recent years. High gas prices, higher lease prices on cabs, and more cabs on the road have hit drivers in their pocketbooks, increasing the temptation to cheat.

In a situation such as Sessom’s, when a rider and cabbie disagree over a fare, police are likely to tell the rider to pay up, Police Lt. Robert Alldredge said.

“Usually whenever we show up on something like that, if the cab driver tells us that is what the fare was … if it says it on the meter, that’s what it is,” he said. “It is considered theft of services if the individual doesn’t pay the fare.”

Disgruntled riders should file a complaint with the cab company and the city that licenses them, he said.

A former cab driver said the best thing to do is pay the fare, get the cab driver’s name and cab number, and then call the cab company and contest the amount.

Riders can also complain to Fort Worth’s Ground Transportation Office by calling 817-392-6987 or emailing gerald.taylor@fortworthtexas.gov. Taxi drivers who try to overcharge customers or otherwise disregard rules can get their permits suspended or revoked.

Fort Worth’s ordinance requires taxi drivers to carry passengers to their destinations by “the most direct route available, unless otherwise directed by the passenger.”

The city council establishes taxicab rates, which are generally $2 for the initial meter drop, plus 40 cents a quarter mile. Based on those rates, Sessom’s fare should have been about $10 instead of $30.

Michael Rice, who manages Yellow Cab’s Fort Worth office, said he hasn’t received any complaints about cabbies overcharging intoxicated persons.

Fort Worth and Dallas officials also report few complaints. Dallas transportation regulation manager Gary Titlow said there is “always a rogue driver here or there” but that most cabbies follow the rules.

“We always suggest to individuals that if they have a complaint, they get the cab number,” he said.

Sessom might be out of luck. He didn’t get the cab driver’s name or the cab number.

“I don’t know if he even had the meter on or not, but I don’t see how it could ever equal $30,” he said.

Smith, the bar manager, worries that customers will be less likely to call a cab if they think they might get ripped off.

“It’s terrible being a bartender and knowing that people are opting out of calling cabs because of the dishonesty,” she said.

One afternoon when my father was at work and my mother had taken to bed with strict instructions that we not wake her unless we were pretty damn sure that Jesus Christ himself was returning robed in clouds of glory, I got an idea. I made up my mind to wire some old radios together — rectangular, white-and-brown clock radios with knobs and clock hands that would be total anachronisms now. Today’s high-tech whizzes wouldn’t be able to turn one on, let alone use it to tell time.

Being an “imaginative” child, which meant that I’d already spun a huge number of tall tales to get me out or, more often, into all sorts of jams, I thought maybe if I could wire the radios together I could listen in on a conversation between Secret Service agents, their pockets brimming with Man from U.N.C.L.E. gadgets, or perhaps contact some green-skinned, antenna-ed Martians who were orbiting above, searching in vain for leaders to be taken to.

I found three old radios, took off the backs, and after finding some spare wire and wire cutters, I connected them. Then came the moment of truth. I plugged one in. Immediately all the electricity in the house went out.

As far as I knew, the whole city had gone dark because of me. At the Astrodome, the National League’s perennial doormats, the (Dis)Astros were totally blacked out right after Don Wilson threw a strikeout and radio announcer Loel Passe had only time to say, “He breeeeezed him, one more … .” At Mission Control a few miles to the south, it went dark just as a lone Gemini astronaut had begun his spacewalk right above a curving Africa. And at cinemas all over the city, technicolor movies were stopped in mid-scenes and riots were breaking out. All because of me, angry patrons with slick-backed hair and tight Levis were throwing Milk Duds, popcorn, and Goobers at ducking ushers, while screens were being ripped apart by a colorful fusillade of Dots.

Since I’d been raised the right way, spasms of guilt began to shoot through me. But suddenly all my guilt disappeared, to be replaced by my second most common emotion: fear. I’d heard my father’s footsteps outside my door. I knew it was him. His heavy patent-leather footfalls were by that time etched into my preadolescent brain.

I figured I was as good as dead — I’d become all too well acquainted with his belt. But then something amazing happened.

My dad entered my room looking askance, his thick eyebrows making two question marks, my signal that I needed to confess, PDQ. I didn’t have time for an elaborate lie, so I was forced to stick with the truth. I told him everything, and the weird thing was that he thought it was hilarious. He kept asking me over and over to tell him why I had wired the radios together. He loved the part about the Martians.

I looked at my dad’s face turning red from laughter and wondered if the scorching sun had baked his brain or whether being stuck in the endless traffic of the Gulf Freeway had made any diversion funny, even that of his only son causing a massive blackout.

Whatever the reason, he escorted me out to the backyard to show me the fuse box, educating me on the ins and outs of fuses — and something even more important. I learned that day more than a bit about patience and compassion.

At 56, I am all too aware that I’ve not always measured up to my father’s example. Though I’d done something dumb as a box of rocks, he took pity on me as I confessed the truth to him. Truly, it’s a wonder he could hear me, my knees were knocking so much.

Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, an essayist, poet, and short story writer from Fort Worth, can be reached at kwheatcroftpardue@yahoo.com

Group f.8: Deserts, Seas, and Journeys, Jun 22-Aug 3. William Campbell Contemporary Art, 4935 Byers Av, FW. 817-737-9566.

Lucky you — you get to live in North Texas, home to easily one of the most dynamic music scenes in the country; you’re even luckier if you have a Fort Worth address. Sure, you might have to work a little to tease out the good music in our neighborhoods, but if you do, you are rewarded on more than just an aesthetic level. Your support for local artists keeps the local economy humming, and thriving local economies are great for the global economy. The warm fuzzies should course through your soul just knowing that the $10 you shelled out for a local CD or band t-shirt is not going into the pockets of some fat-cat New Yorkers or Angelenos. Supporting local artists, frankly, is just part of fostering sustainability.

And what’s not to like? Prefer hard-charging, no-nonsense rock ’n’ roll? Try Quaker City Night Hawks, The Hanna Barbarians, or The Frisky Disco. Garage-rock more your thing? Check out The Longshots, We’reWolves, or War Party. Or maybe you dig neo New Wave. Well, if you haven’t heard Burning Hotels, Ice Eater, or Ronnie Heart, you haven’t heard anything yet.

You probably need to get out more, and to inspire some (geographically concentrated) wanderlust, we offer up the 11th Annual Fort Worth Weekly Music Festival, one fun-filled day of 48 of the most ass-kicking independent artists in the Greater 817. Taking place in eight venues in the West 7th corridor on Sunday, June 23, MAF ’13 is free, and what could be more sustainability-encouraging than that? — Anthony Mariani

Though together less than a year, The Longshots played a sanctioned South by Southwest gig this year and have, uh, shot to regional prominence.

Band

While certainly not comprehensive, this list acknowledges the great bands in town that are moving forward. One group that few people ever expected to see nominated here is The Unlikely Candidates, whose Brit-influenced radio rock recently got them signed to Atlantic Records. The Candidates’ Big Apple swagger is shared by Burning Hotels, who pump out sexy, propulsive, glamorous post-punk. The Hotels have been around about as long as Calhoun, founder Tim Locke’s electro-rock outfit that’s about to release a new record. Paperweights will follow twang-free Southern rockers The Orbans’ sophomore album. Spacey surf-punks Fungi Girls and operatic demons Pinkish Black both put out new albums in 2011, and the greasy Quaker City Night Hawks and trippy-dippy Skeleton Coast both released 2013 album of the year nominees. — A.M.

ROCK

The Fort can definitely bring the rock. All manner of it. The Hanna Barbarians take most of their inspiration from the blooze: Muddy, melodic, and often loud, their songs are superimpositions of the Mississippi Delta (circa 1950) over the Trinity River. Foxtrot Uniform also harks back to rock ’n’ roll’s genesis but adds some soul and groove. Early American sounds have little to do with the remaining candidates: KatsüK is partially informed by a world-music vibe, Secret Ghost Champion is moody and psychedelic, We The Sea Lions meld hard-charging mod-rock with rich melodiousness, and the folks of Year of the Bear will punish you with their walls of unremitting, multihued sound. See? Something for e’rybuddy. — A.M.

NEW ARTIST

As these nominees prove, Fort Worth’s scene is only getting stronger. The Longshots are anything but — though formed only recently, they played a sanctioned South by Southwest showcase. Their chief competitors seem to be Ice Eater, the sinister and synthy brainchild of Zachary Edwards and former Burning Hotels drummer Wyatt Adams; former Stella Rose frontman Stephen Beatty’s brooding, ticking-time-bomb outfit Un Chien; and Missing Sibling, a noir-pop side project of current members of KXT darlings Calhoun and Fate Lions. But don’t count out the young’uns. The bristling, countrified Patriot is led by charismatic wonder Jake Paleschic; the darkly psychedelic We’reWolves put out one of the most arresting debut albums of the year; and Americana-influenced rockers Siberian Traps may be new to Fort Worth but have been around for a while. The Fibs and The Williams might steal votes from each other — the bands deliver a similar brand of whiskey-soaked, garage-inflected blues (think: Quaker City Night Hawks, War Party, The Frisky Disco). Both Animal Spirit and The Diabolical Machines have novelty in their favor, but where the former practices a restrained rowdiness, the latter is delightfully twee and punchy. The last nominee defies easy description. Loud, melodic, dynamic, brutalizing, fascinating, Sonic Buffalo is Fort Worth’s answer to Jane’s Addiction and Butthole Surfers. No bull, the Buffalo is the real deal. — A.M.

The spunky and fresh-faced Diabolical Machines are up for best new artist.

AMERICANA/ROOTS ROCK

What a busy bunch. Whiskey Folk Ramblers have just released a dandy of a new album, The Lonesome Underground, nicely melding the sensibilities of Tom Waits and John Steinbeck. And Telegraph Canyon and The Orbans are both about to release long-players — it’s been three years since each band’s last full-length. But don’t count out The Will Callers, who’ve also just dropped a remarkable album, What Else Is Left?, and Derek Larson & The Leavers, whose new Blood on Blood offers a rousing but tradition-minded take on classic country blues. The newcomers have also been productive. Left Arm Tan has just put out Alticana, mixing downhome charm with smart lyrics, and several months ago Siberian Traps released one of the most brilliant albums anywhere, Blackfoot. Plus, Jacob Furr & The Only Road, Kevin Aldridge & The Appraisers, and Holy Moly all put out superior albums about a year ago. — J.F.

HARD ROCK

So maybe these guys have a couple beers now and then. Maybe they also smoke a bowl every once in a while. That still doesn’t mean they’re not serious about blowing your hair back with their thunderous rifferama and rhythms. The stoners include Fogg, a new trio focused on fuzzy, smoky heaviness; Vorvon, a super-group of Sabbath/Conan worshippers; and the self-proclaimed “shittiest” band in Fort Worth, the lovable Me-Thinks. Less stoned, The Dangits and The Phuss want to drive their furious, adrenaline-charged boogie right down your throat, and Rotten Roots know how to rock but aren’t afraid to explore their contemplative, alt-country side. Newby Sonic Buffalo is definitely the most original nominee, serving up blistering melodic rock with thick grooves, everything powered by frontman Tac Willy’s crazy-wild feminine voice. — A.M.

TEXAS MUSIC

Long, lanky Austin Allsup’s powerful vocals and dynamic guitar style have jelled to make him a popular draw. The effervescent Charla Corn works her magic as a radio personality by day and singer-songwriter by night. The guys in the Joey Green Band have transformed themselves from fresh-faced youngsters playing battles of the bands into honkytonk-hardened warhorses in just a few years. The hirsute Phil Hamilton is no stranger to the Texas Music charts and to fans of meaty rockers and sweet ballads. Scott Copeland & The Haters offer a must-see show that’s fun, energetic, and super-tight and with stage patter that’s uproarious. The youngest nominee (and most musically dynamic here), Green Light Pistol has established freshness and originality in a genre often known for its imitations. — J.P.

Get your geek on with Lindby, best pop nominees whose Christmas recording is a candidate for EP of the year.

LIVE BAND

All of these bands draw well but for different reasons. Want to testify at the Church of Rock ’n’ Roll? Check out Josh Weathers Band. Want an experience for your head and heart? See Burning Hotels. Want to feel irie, mon? Pablo & The Hemphill 7. Want to contemplate the cosmos via the Earth? Telegraph Canyon. Want to get good and greasy for some horizontal mamboing (or fighting, or both)? Quaker City Night Hawks. As for Holy Moly, just know that they’re the only band whose music started a mosh pit at Billy Bob’s. — A.M.

HARDCORE

Cowtown’s hardcore scene hits heavier than a dumptruck falling from the sky, making your ears feel like they got punched with a sledgehammer. Big Fiction’s technical prowess and knack for burying hooks beneath brutal walls of sound only augment the rage. Cadillac to Mexico’s brand of melodic hardcore shotgun-marries sludgy distortion with massive grooves. Innards’ sudden bursts of sonic assaults are tempered by dreamy aural textures (often in brainy time signatures). Corporate Whore bludgeons you with a mix of crust and death metal, and Unraveler’s metal-influenced breakdowns and fantastical imagery are like a bad trip in the best way. — S.S.

HEAVY METAL

Fueled by booze, weed, and a groundbreaking lineage dating back to the early 1970s, Fort Worth’s metal scene is all over the map — in a totally evil, bitchin’ way. Black on High creates new darkness from the bones of Nixon-era hard rock and Reagan-era thrash. Cosmic Trigger’s and Stone Machine Electric’s atmospheric, proggy doom takes stoner rock into deep space, while Orthodox Fuzz and Southern Train Gypsy melt faces with Southern-baked rage. Sweetooth bangs like an all-night kegger, FTW’s road-burned, apocalyptic biker-sludge is as heavy as it is groovy, and Tricounty Terror kicks down the doors of metal’s boys’ club like The Runaways commandeering a Russ Meyer flick. — S.S.

Synthy and dark, Ice Eater is a best new artist nominee that’s full of veterans.

C&W

Tommy Alverson has spent decades kicking around Fort Worth, and he’s developed a large fan base, a long discography, and a tight band. How far has he come? Willie Nelson sang on one of his recent albums, which is the equivalent of being knighted. Convoy & The Cattlemen, by comparison, are just babes in the woods but already adept at rockin’ the effin house with their wheels-off tuneage. Guthrie Kennard is the bluesiest of this bunch, but he knows a thing or two about country — he’s had a long affiliation with Texas Music pioneer Ray Wylie Hubbard. The Paychecks, plying pleasing honkytonk sound, are new but have seasoned members, some of whom made a name for themselves as 100 Damned Guns before breaking up a couple of years back. — J.P.

AVANT-GARDE/EXPERIMENTAL

The out-there nominee has to be Hentai Improvising Orchestra, a collective that doesn’t make music as much as sonic art. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Alan, frontman Chris Hardee’s vehicle that crafts symphonic rock grandeur with pop elements that doesn’t sound the least bit pretentious or bloated. The moody post-rocking Constant Seas, dramatic and brittle-sounding Drift Era, and grungy Gonzo City and Slumberbuzz are creative jam-bands; Psychedelephant and Sym are techno wizards that know no boundaries. — A.M.

POP

Last year’s winner in this category, D-Snacks offer restrained, precise, and utterly infectious blends of pop, reggae, and hip-hop. Veteran Lannie Flowers continues his conquest of U.S. and European music critics with his warm, Beatlesesque hooks and gorgeous melodies. Singer-songwriter and former American Idol contestant Tim Halperin specializes in piano tunes that highlight his casual mastery of white-boy soul. Last year’s critically acclaimed album Indian Summer marked the end of an almost three-year hiatus for The Hendersons, the brainchild of Nolan Robertson, who plinks and plunks sunny, Donovan-like piano and guitar riffs with show-tune theatricality. Sounding like a different band from tune to tune, Kites & Boomerangs gracefully hop genres but maintain their anchor in world beats like ska and reggae. With Lindby, co-frontmen Nick Spurrier and Nick Goodrich give equal time to colorful synths and bright guitars. — J.F.

In all of their Southern-fried goodness, best new artist nominees Patriot’s salad days are now.

PUNK

All kinds of punk fer ya here. The metal variant includes veterans and 2012 winners Raging Boner, whose music owes as much to thrash and hardcore as to Black Flag, and Spacebeach, whose pounding noize is spacey and ominous. On the traditional tip, we’ve got Not Half Bad, inspired by frontman Matt Scifres’ spleen-o-grams addressing societal ills. Pop gets its due via The Pajammas, who aren’t afraid to delve into a little prog, and Perdition, an act that proves that punk humor is funnier when embedded in badass musicianship. Straight from the garage come Doom Ghost, a Replacement-ish quartet serving up melodic, anthemic choruses, and War Party, an amalgamation of proto-punk, ’60s pop, and even soul. And so long to the recently disbanded China Kills Girls. We’ll miss your trashy opuses, especially “Fuck Machines” and “All-You-Can-Eat Enchiladas.” — J.F.

BLUES/SOUL

The namesakes of Luke Wade & No Civilians and Josh Weathers Band are both blue-eyed soulmen with powerful voices, backed by local music royalty. Conversely, guitar prodigy and crooner D. Anson Brody is backed by the world — he’s making a record with digital contributions from random collaborators as part of his Open Source Year. The blues have a home with James Hinkle & The Transatlantics, led by an elder statesman of Fort Worth blues who recently took his Funkytown mojo overseas. Newcomers The Williams do that driving, Black Keys-inspired blooze thing to perfection, and Joshua Irwin specializes in a sweet, funky brand of Americana that will definitely get your toes tappin’ and your head bobbin’. — E.G.

R&B/RAP

As this category proves, the Fort is international, yo. You can leave the “bitches” and “niggas” at the door when you step into Nice Major’s house. The strong, poppy, melodic sophomore album, The Do You Believe Project, from this haircutter by day is ready for radio. There’s a lot of future in Rivercrest Yacht Club’s frontin’. Heffminster de la Roca, Generic, and DDS may delight in witty, erudite, semi-geeky wordplay (“switchin’ to the bass like Optimus Prime”), but there’s no denying the guys’ righteous flow and the phat-ass beats rumbling from the rhythm section of LeeZurly (best bassist nominee Lee Allen) and The Rear Admiral (best drummer nominee Lucas White). Mt. Olympus is the Fort’s answer to Wu Tang Clan, featuring five of the sickest MCs in all of North Texas, including Dru B Shinin’, whose tasty, hook-laden rhymes are nicely captured on his new album, All American, a nominee for album of the year. The street is represented by Immortal Soldierz, whose rhymes about crime, sex, and the underground have helped establish a huge following, and Kyeyote, a relatively recent Chicago transplant who tells tales from the dark side to inspire and lift up. — J.F.

JAZZ

Namesake bandleader of the Johnny Case Trio has been laying down smooth, straight-ahead piano licks longer than most of the other nominees have been alive, and he does it with reserved élan. Both Mix Magyk and Gunga Galunga whip up a high-energy, progressive style of funky jazz that has made them audience favorites. Bandleader Adonis Rose is one of the most sought-after stickmen in the country, and locals get to watch him do his thing regularly at Scat Jazz Lounge. Young torch singer Tatiana Mayfield is a throwback to the classy, elegant era of American music, and Flipside’s amalgam of styles and influences defies easy categorization. Maybe “post-fusion” works best. — E.G.