Email Author Darryl Smyers

2007 Stories by Darryl Smyers

• Poco Haunt Us

  published May 31, 2007

  "A lot of what is played on country radio today is the same as what we were playing in the early '70s," says Rusty Young, singer, guitarist and... More >>

• Hymns, Theater Fire

  published May 31, 2007

  Brother/Sister, the debut effort from New York City's Hymns, was one of the most underrated discs of 2006. Mixing the most stable elements... More >>

• Making the Cut

  published May 24, 2007

  With a stiff wind blowing in their faces, the members of the Cut*Off, Fort Worth's sole grunge/psychedelic combo, played Lee Harvey's with a... More >>

• For the Rest of Us

  published May 24, 2007

  Typically, summer festivalgoers migrate to the same sites and are treated to the spectacle of vendors all lined up hawking overpriced clothing,... More >>

• Going Green

  published May 17, 2007

  "Environmentalism is not a partisan issue," says Martin Sexton. "It's a human issue." Speaking from his home in Boston a few days before the... More >>

• Leonard Cohen

  published May 17, 2007

  In 1967, there were many singers claiming to be poets, but Leonard Cohen was a real poet who was trying to be a singer. And although there are... More >>

• The Demigs

  published May 17, 2007

  Chris Demiglio, the slightly rotund, bald frontman (and namesake) of this Denton quartet, is, for better or worse, a dead ringer for Frank Black.... More >>

• I Hate Sally

  published May 17, 2007

  Dee Prescott, frontwoman for this Canadian doom metal quartet, looks like a Joan Jett starter kit, but once she lets loose her commanding roar,... More >>

• Jimmy LaFave

  published May 10, 2007

  Although born in Wills Point, Texas, roots singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave is more closely associated with Stillwater, Oklahoma, the place where he... More >>

• Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts

  published May 10, 2007

  Since being championed by Peter Gabriel in the early '90s, Ohio-born singer-songwriter (and painter) Joseph Arthur has been walking the fine line... More >>

• Backtrackin'

  published May 3, 2007

  Since music is said to be the universal language, it should come as no surprise that many hidden treasures come from all around the globe. And... More >>

• Daniel Folmer

  published May 3, 2007

  Denton's Daniel Folmer is a prolific 20-something wunderkind who somehow found time between delivering pizzas and playing pick-up hockey games to... More >>

• Olav Larsen & The Alabama Rodeo Stars

  published May 3, 2007

  While he was growing up, Olav Larsen would search the record stores of his native Norway for imported records by Jimmie Rodgers, Neil Young and... More >>

• John Vanderslice, St. Vincent

  published May 3, 2007

  Pixel Revolt, John Vanderslice's most recent concoction, was such a well-constructed, thoughtful and original piece of indie pop that it... More >>

• The Album Leaf

  published May 3, 2007

  Tristeza guitarist Jimmy LaValle is the Album Leaf, and it's his orchestral vision that sets his music apart from many making similarly... More >>

• Mother Nature

  published April 26, 2007

  Lake Highland resident Annie Benjamin is hard to miss. With her fiery red hair and tirelessly animated personality, Benjamin has been a fixture of... More >>

• The Smithereens

  published April 26, 2007

  When the Smithereens debuted in 1980, they actually had to refute criticism that they sounded too much like the Beatles. Such dated lunacy makes... More >>

• Dallas Soul Music Conference

  published April 26, 2007

  If you saw the potent and distressing documentary Before the Music Dies, you had the opportunity, aside from a concert venue, to see why... More >>

• Mavis Staples

  published April 19, 2007

  Since going solo from '60s gospel-pop sensation the Staple Singers, Mavis Staples has never flowered into the dynamic performer many envisioned.... More >>

• Type O Negative, Celtic Frost

  published April 19, 2007

  Hailing from Brooklyn, Type O Negative is one of the few metal bands to dare to actually smile while performing, even though they are most... More >>

• Substitute

  published April 12, 2007

  Although antithetical, Placebo has often been called a glam version of Nirvana. The London quartet has been honing their blend of art and rock for... More >>

• Arbouretum, David Karsten Daniels

  published April 12, 2007

  Quite possibly the most warped double billing in recent memory, the pairing of Baltimore's Arbouretum and North Carolina native David Karsten... More >>

• Gurf Morlix

  published April 12, 2007

  Known primarily as a producer (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard), singer-songwriter Gurf Morlix has quietly released three... More >>

• Backtrackin'

  published April 5, 2007

  With the deluge of product released both by the major and indie labels as well as the proliferation of the do-it-yourself aesthetic even among the... More >>

• The Fall

  published April 5, 2007

  Mark E. Smith, the infamously scowling frontman for post-punk legends the Fall, is a literate, talented lout who simply cannot handle even a... More >>