Email Author Darryl Smyers

2006 Stories by Darryl Smyers

• The McKay Brothers

  published October 19, 2006

  It's always a good sign when guys who use "brothers" in their name are actually brothers. Noel and Hollis McKay are fifth-generation Texans who... More >>

• Born to Be Blue

  published October 12, 2006

  Resembling an advertisement for vibrant prophylactics, the billboards promoting the Blue Man Group bring to mind either a colorful way to promote... More >>

• Paul Westerberg

  published October 12, 2006

  Despite the howling of the legions of fans still hanging on to their inebriated memories of the Replacements, ex-Mats leader Paul Westerberg... More >>

• Buckcherry

  published October 12, 2006

  Recycling AC/DC riffs has not proven as popular as it was in the '80s and '90s, as many contemporary metal heads have chosen double snare drum... More >>

• The Cut*off

  published October 12, 2006

  Just back from a mini-tour that included a stop at the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, Fort Worth's the Cut*off is back in the studio,... More >>

• Whiz Kid

  published October 5, 2006

  "Sports is the modern version of slavery," says Denton-based singer Daniel Folmer, as he watches the Cowboys/Jaguars game at an eatery in North... More >>

• Ghoultown

  published October 5, 2006

  On hiatus for the past couple of years, local wild man Lyle Steadham has decided to resurrect Ghoultown, his metal/psychobilly labor of love.... More >>

• Ike Turner

  published September 28, 2006

  At 75, Ike Turner is still one mean motherfucker. Risin' With the Blues, his first release of new material in three years, is as tough and... More >>

• Travis Hopper

  published September 28, 2006

  Houston native and Dallas resident Travis Hopper has all the right intentions and influences on this sparse and sloppy alt-country debut. All... More >>

• Committing Arson

  published September 14, 2006

  "I don't want to become a terminally local band," says Nick Nowell, guitarist and front man for Thorn vs. Side, one of the area's freshest mixes... More >>

• Wintertime

  published September 14, 2006

  "Seattle is America's Copenhagen," says John Roderick, ringleader of The Long Winters, one of America's finest purveyors of angular and melancholy... More >>

• Keith Jarrett

  published September 14, 2006

  Recorded a year ago, this is Jarrett's 13th solo recording and the latest chapter in a sustained volume of prominence that began in 1971 with... More >>

• Enon

  published September 14, 2006

  Though John Schmersal, the mercurial leader of Enon, has never been that interested in regular melodies, he has led this pesky quartet to calmer... More >>

• Husky Rescue

  published September 14, 2006

  Hailing from Finland, Husky Rescue is a deliciously arty collision of folk and electronica that is masterminded by Marko Nyberg. Country... More >>

• Western Soul

  published September 7, 2006

  "Life's Little Ups and Downs," a song made famous by Charlie Rich but actually written by his wife, Margaret, perfectly encapsulates the working... More >>

• Gabriel & Dresden

  published September 7, 2006

  Although well-known for their remixes (Gustavo Santalaoralla's "Wings," the theme from Brokeback Mountain), San Francisco DJs Josh Gabriel... More >>

• Pere Ubu

  published September 7, 2006

  Rotund rapscallion Dave Thomas (not the Wendy's guy) continues Pere Ubu nearly three decades after he first set this pioneering avant-punk group... More >>

• Dave Barnes

  published September 7, 2006

  Nashville-based singer-songwriter Dave Barnes excels at a funky take on light rock that recalls both John Mayer and Dave Matthews. His recent... More >>

• Happy Accidents

  published August 31, 2006

  The first thing you notice when talking with singer-songwriter Richard Buckner is how cheerful he sounds, quite in contrast to his bottomless... More >>

• Body Count

  published August 31, 2006

  When rapper/actor Ice-T released the first Body Count effort in 1992, critics snickered at the formulaic metal as the world at large hollered... More >>

• As Tall as Lions

  published August 31, 2006

  Hailing from Long Island, this photogenic four-piece infuses its brand of emo with a modest British influence as well as a rewarding hint of '70s... More >>

• The American Band

  published August 24, 2006

  "Mark Farner hasn't played with us for nearly eight years," says Don Brewer, not hiding his animosity. Brewer, the drummer and co-founder of Grand... More >>

• Staggering Statistics

  published August 24, 2006

  Hailing from Cincinnati, this eccentric but muscular quartet features ex-Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley, but the soul of the group is singing... More >>

• Thorn vs. Side

  published August 24, 2006

  Nick Nowell, guitarist and front man for Thorn vs. Side, one of Dallas' freshest mixes of punk, pop and metal, is a literate and sometimes stern... More >>

• Sierra Swan

  published August 24, 2006

  Daughter of Billy Swan (known primarily as a sideman for Kris Kristofferson but who also had a wonderfully sublime '70s pop-country hit with "I... More >>