The 10 Best Dallas Music Stories From February

Being the shortest month of the year, February often flies right by, and it was no exception this year. But it didn't just have to do with the number of days in the month this time (it was a leap year, after all). In Dallas music, there was a hell of a lot going on and a lot of reasons to get caught up in the excitement. So to make sure you didn't miss out on any of the action, we've rounded out the biggest highlights from the past month of Dallas music.
Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano Fell Over Drunk at Fort Worth Show
Concrete Blonde singer Johnette Napolitano made a solo acoustic appearance at the Live Oak in Fort Worth, but it didn't last long. Visibly intoxicated, she fell over drunk barely 10 minutes into the set, bringing the show to an abrupt halt. The whole thing was caught on video.
Dallas’ Underground Dance Parties Struggle to Survive City Crackdown
Starting on New Year's Eve, Dallas Fire and Rescue began shutting down a series of after-hours dance parties, leaving the local music scene wondering what the cause of the closures was. By the beginning of February, the parties had almost completely disappeared. In an investigative story on the cover of the paper, we explored what had happened.
The 10 Best Listening Rooms for Live Music in Dallas-Fort Worth
A great concert can be much more than pure sensory assault (although everyone needs some of that from time to time). When hearing the nuance of a band's music is key, certain concert venues are a cut above the rest, so we took a look at which ones in DFW are really the best for a true audiophile experience.
RIP Nevada Hill of Bludded Head
In some cases, "best" stories is a misnomer, and this is certainly one of them. But Nevada Hill was as beloved and influential as any musician in the music scene (or the art scene, for that matter), so his death after an inspiring, years-long battle with cancer had a profound effect on everyone in the community.
Black Pussy Won't Be Changing Its Name
35 Denton stirred the pot of controversy a couple times in February, once over its use of a pay-to-play application process and later in a situation that wound up having some real consequences. Portland band Black Pussy, a group consisting solely of white males, has been protested and accused of being sexist and racist for its name for over a year. After initially defending the booking, the festival later removed them from the lineup.
Rusty Burns, ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan Collaborator, Has Died
Mere days after Nevada Hill passed away, DFW lost another of its musical lights as veteran guitarist Rusty Burns passed away, also succumbing to cancer. The Fort Worth native had lived an adventurous life, working the road crew for ZZ Top and nearly joining Stevie Ray Vaughan's band in the 1970s. But most local fans knew Burns from his decades-long stint with Southern rock band Point Blank.
Scenes from Demi Lovato's Twitter War against Taylor Swift
Dallas loves to get itself some drama, doesn't it? When pop star Kesha was denied an injunction against the producer who she alleges drugged and raped her, Taylor Swift stepped in to donate a cool quarter of a million dollars to help with her expenses. But in a Twitter stand that lasted two days, Dallas native Demi Lovato made clear that she wasn't impressed.
Kelly Clarkson Reduced the World to Tears Last Night On American Idol
Kelly Clarkson will be the best American Idol performer, always and forever, and we didn't need a return performance on the show to prove it. But good Lord, did her rendition of "Piece By Piece" to kick off the show's final season ever seal the deal. There wasn't a dry eye in the house after this one.
Erykah Badu and 4,000 of Her Closest Friends at Bomb Factory
What's a month in Dallas music without Erykah Badu? Why, hardly a month at all. February was an extra special month for the Queen Bee, though, because it was her birthday — and she celebrated in true royal fashion with a party at The Bomb Factory, with no one other than Dave Chappelle helping to host and Andre 3000 there to cheer her on.
Jessie Frye Gets One in a Million Chance to Play Bernie Sanders' Rally
February managed to end on a feel-good note, thanks to Denton's Jessie Frye. The goth-pop singer received a surprise invitation from the campaign of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. On only 36 hours' notice, Frye found a guitarist to back her up for an acoustic performance to kick off Sanders' rally at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, and even got to meet Sanders himself after the show.