Email Author Darryl Smyers

2011 Stories by Darryl Smyers

• Robert Earl Keen

  published December 29, 2011

  With his 56th birthday quickly approaching, one might think Robert Earl Keen would be happy to just coast along on two decades of music.... More >>

• Brandin Reed

  published December 8, 2011

  The Dallas-Fort Worth area always seems to have an inexhaustible supply of country and alt-country singer/songwriters. Some, like the vastly... More >>

• Still Burning

  published December 8, 2011

  In the end, it's nearly always about the money. Just ask David Yow, singer for Austin's legendary '80s noise rockers Scratch Acid. "We... More >>

• And the Winners Are ... You

  published October 20, 2011

  A few years ago, you'd hear the happy-go-lucky, impossibly supportive local music fans shout their rallying cries, and you'd smile because,... More >>

• The Night Nirvana Played Trees

  published September 29, 2011

  Although it was October, the weather was unseasonably warm and humid. Inside Trees, the air conditioner that was set on high was having little... More >>

• Handsome Furs

  published August 25, 2011

  Formed in 2006, the Handsome Furs have released three albums, each one a bit more seedy that the last. The recently issued Sound Kapital... More >>

• Mister Heavenly Is More Than a Celebrity Bassist

  published August 25, 2011

  Nicholas Thorburn, leader of the indie-rock band Mister Heavenly, is one of those classic West Coast slackers. His answers to the simplest... More >>

• Dntel: Brought To You By The Postal Service

  published August 18, 2011

  Soft-spoken to a fault, Jimmy Tamborello comes across like some kind of computer nerd who's checking out porn, afraid of waking his... More >>

• The Red 100's

  published July 21, 2011

  Playing heaving and heavy psychedelic rock, the power trio known as The Red 100's is an anomaly on the local music scene. Decidedly unhip,... More >>

• OK Sweetheart

  published July 14, 2011

  OK Sweetheart's Erin Austin possesses one of those amazing voices, the kind that oozes both desperation and sweetness. Austin can convey plenty... More >>

• Bravo, Max!

  published July 14, 2011

  Even though Dog's Light is Bravo, Max!'s debut full-length effort, it seems that the band has been around for years. And, in a way, it has.... More >>

• Face to Face, Strung Out, Blitzkid

  published June 2, 2011

  Although not as well known as, say, Green Day or Blink-182, two other bands that emerged at about the same time, California's... More >>

• Dredg, The Dear Hunter, Balance of Composure, The Trophy Fire

  published May 26, 2011

  They may boast a name that suggests a death metal band that just can't spell, but California's Dredg are actually an experimental rock... More >>

• Greg Dulli Comes To Terms With His Past. Kind Of.

  published May 26, 2011

  Although it's been more than a decade since former Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli was hospitalized in Austin after an altercation with a... More >>

• Primus, Dirtfoot

  published May 19, 2011

  Amazingly popular for a band that lists Frank Zappa and The Residents as influences, Primus have somehow sold a ton of... More >>

• My Chemical Romance Shed Their Emo Roots

  published May 19, 2011

  Call My Chemical Romance anything you like. Talented. Petulant. Even sell-outs. Just don't call them emo. "All emo means, to... More >>

• Mogwai's Hidden Sense of Humor

  published May 12, 2011

  With his thick Scottish accent and humorous remarks, Stuart Braithwaite, leader of the post-rock instrumental band Mogwai, comes across as a... More >>

• Dengue Fever

  published May 5, 2011

  Very few bands have the convoluted but fascinating history of Los Angeles' Dengue Fever. Inspired by a trip to Cambodia, brothers... More >>

• Pete Yorn, Ben Kweller

  published April 14, 2011

  Musicforthemorningafter, the recently reissued debut effort from singer-songwriter Pete Yorn, still sounds as fresh today as it did a... More >>

• The Von Ehrics

  published April 14, 2011

  Robert Jason Vandygriff has led some form of The Von Ehrics for more than a decade now. In that time, the band has released four full-length... More >>

• The Demigs

  published April 7, 2011

  Way back in 2007, Denton's The Demigs released Yardling, a howling and thunderous debut that channeled Chris Demiglio's Pixies fascination into... More >>

• W.A. Fite

  published April 7, 2011

  W.A. Fite is the pseudonym for Dustin Blocker, best known about town as the frontman for the local rock outfit Exit 380. But that, more than... More >>

• There's More to Arlo Guthrie Than Protest Songs

  published March 24, 2011

  For a singer-songwriter often associated with protest songs such as "Alice's Restaurant" and "Coming into Los Angeles," Arlo Guthrie comes... More >>

• Say Hi's Happy Sounds Come From A Dark Place

  published March 17, 2011

  For a guy crossing Missouri in a ragged van in the middle of winter, Eric Elbogen sounds fairly chipper. And happy he should be: Elbogen's... More >>

• Mike Watt and the Missing Men, Eli "Paperboy" Reed

  published March 10, 2011

  If known solely for his work with the legendary punk rock trio The Minutemen, Mike Watt's rock 'n' roll reputation would be... More >>