Email Author Robert Wilonsky

1995 Stories by Robert Wilonsky

• Gettin' the Shaft

  published May 18, 1995

  Isaac Hayes answers the door, his bald head down and his eyes sagging. By way of introduction, he yawns and apologizes for being so damned tired,... More >>

• No mere replacement

  published May 11, 1995

  For several months, rumors have circulated throughout the music industry and among die-hard Replacements fans that the band would reunite--for a... More >>

• Home front

  published May 11, 1995

  In Taiwan, perhaps, there is someone sitting in front of a home computer reading Funland's band bio. In Australia, a record fanatic might be... More >>

• Oswald's ghost

  published May 11, 1995

  Norman Mailer stands behind the lectern, leaning against it as he addresses the 150 or so who have come to hear the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner... More >>

• Reviews

  published May 4, 1995

  Taking liberties Kojak Variety Elvis Costello Warner Bros. Records Recorded immediately after 1991's Mighty Like a Rose... More >>

• Reviews

  published April 27, 1995

  Swingin' on a star The Western Life Cowboys and Indians Independent release The points of reference are easily... More >>

• Ghosts in the machine

  published April 27, 1995

  Charles Horton has been working on jukeboxes for almost 25 years, has seen them come in all shapes and colors and sizes. He has stuck his... More >>

• King of the mild frontier

  published April 20, 1995

  Stuart Goddard, like so many of his British brethren who would later choose careers in music, began his career as an art-school dropout,... More >>

• At the Palace

  published April 20, 1995

  "People talk a lot about Gram Parsons, and they write a lot about Gram Parsons, but you never hear Gram Parsons on the radio." So said Parsons'... More >>

• Roadshows

  published April 13, 1995

  Welfare music Bill Wyman of the Chicago Reader can often be overheard proclaiming the Bottle Rockets the best band in America, and as the... More >>

• 1995 Dallas Observer Music Awards (Part II)

  published April 13, 1995

  BEST ACT OVERALL: Reverend Horton Heat ALBUM RELEASE (1994): Liquor in the Front, Reverend Horton Heat (Interscope Records) LOCAL... More >>

• Dour times

  published April 6, 1995

  It is perhaps just as well that Portishead, which was to make its American debut here April 16 at Deep Ellum Live, canceled its Dallas gig just a... More >>

• Roadshows

  published April 6, 1995

  Exile on vain street Like critic Chuck Eddy once said of Pussy Galore, with whom Trux singer Jennifer Herrema once performed, "Maybe you... More >>

• Roadshows

  published March 9, 1995

  Bitter, Sweet Matthew Sweet may well be an influence on the likes of someone like Freedy Johnston, who began making records six years after... More >>

• A better man

  published March 9, 1995

  "Does anyone know if I won a Grammy last night?" Dave Abbruzzese wonders. He says this as an afterthought, in the middle of a casual conversation... More >>

• Reviews

  published March 2, 1995

  Flak racket rubberbullet rubberbullet Last Beat Records Once one of my favorite local bands because they were so... More >>

• Punk, polka, and puke

  published March 2, 1995

  Made in USA Sonic Youth Rhino Records Nice Ass Free Kitten Kill Rock Stars In the end, there isn't much to... More >>

• Case dismissed

  published February 2, 1995

  In the end, the members of the Nightcaps weren't just seeking money when they picked their legal fight with ZZ Top. They wanted some respect, some... More >>

• Roky's road

  published February 2, 1995

  AUSTIN--The man standing at the counter waiting to order his food is disheveled, slumped, looking slightly deranged. His beard chopped and trimmed... More >>

• Building to a Crescendo

  published February 2, 1995

  The Music Hall in Fair Park was half empty, the writer for Time noted, but it was understandable. After all, "two of the city's most popular... More >>

• Whole lotta nothing

  published January 26, 1995

  AUSTIN--Early into Before Sunrise, as Jesse (the traveling American played by Ethan Hawke) and Celine (the French student, portrayed by Julie... More >>

• Trance-induced state

  published January 26, 1995

  AUSTIN--The Trance Syndicate office--if one can call a tiny room in a wretched little business park no bigger than its neighboring car wash an... More >>

• Reviews

  published January 19, 1995

  Hip hype hooray Second Coming The Stone Roses Geffen Records If one is to dismiss bands based upon hype alone, there are... More >>

• A new Lowe

  published January 19, 1995

  When the song comes out of the speakers, for the first time or the 500th, it seems almost too perfect: Johnny Cash, his voice a beautifully rotten... More >>

• Roadshows

  published January 12, 1995

  Schlub rock The tempered raves the Shakin' Apostles have garnered since the release of their eponymous debut in 1993 throw out the Flamin'... More >>