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Local Man Really Likes Smoking His Liquor

Broderic Allen, aka Ballen, aka B.A., is an aspiring Dallas rapper and member of local hip-hop collective The Chaos Theory. But it's not his music that's landed him on TV, and on AOL News, and in the U.K.'s Daily Mail. All that stems from his drinking habits or, more accurately, his getting-drunk ha ... More >>

The Postal Service Reunion was Ten Years Coming. Do you Feel Old Yet?

If you are in or around your mid-twenties, this probably isn't the first time you've felt the cold hands of classic-rockdom closing around your neck. (For me, it was seeing a Garden State DVD on the bargain shelf at an FYE. And then, right afterward, it was thinking, "Man, I can't believe I used to ... More >>

Burn It All Down

Buzz looks back on 2012 before the memories go where they belong: up in smoke.

Here's Why the Morning News Really Bought Pegasus News

Yesterday evening, the Dallas Morning News reported on its business blog that it had purchased "hyperlocal online news provider Pegasus News." The news was surprising because Pegasus has been at the periphery of the local media scene for nearly a decade, never standing out as much of a competitor or ... More >>

On turntable.fm, The Greatest Thing Going Right Now In Internet Music

​Back in January, Stickybits co-founder Billy Chasen registered the domain name turntable.fm. Earlier this month, the previously alpha-tested music-sharing site made its debut as as an invite-only beta site, the only prerequisite being that new users had a Facebook friend with an already registere ... More >>

And Presenting: SXSW Bingo 2011, Interactive Version!

Illustration by Noah Patrick Pfarr; Design by Alexander Flores. Written by Bill Jensen, Keith Plocek, Nick Lucchesi and Alex FloresClick to embiggen. See more in SXSW Bingo: Music Edition​It's happening right now. South-by-Southwest 2011 started up in Austin. And, as we pointed out earlier, one do ... More >>

Come for the Super Bowl. Stay for the Skiing.

Photos by Justin TerveenI texted Justin shortly past 1 a.m.: "You getting this?" Silly me. He was at Fair Park at that very moment, snapping away. For hi-res versions, and time-lapse video, go here.​Seven hours later and ... impressive. Unless you're, say, Sports Guy Bill Simmons, who shoots up th ... More >>

Erykah Badu, Midlake Earn Multiple Year-End Nods Across The Country and The World

​Sarah Jaffe isn't the only local receiving national attention this year with year-end nods. In a not very surprising turn, hometown heroes Erykah Badu and Midlake have also received honors around the world.

Once More, Blockbuster to Close Out Year By Closing a Couple Hundred Stores

​It's been exactly a year now since our last extensive sit-down with Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes, who, at the time, referred to the downtown-based videotailer as "a football team that's rebuilding." At the very same time, Blockbuster was shuttering dozens of stores, including the location at Royal L ... More >>

TCU to Head (Big) East? Yup. In 2012.

TCU FootballTCU celebrates its second straight Mountain West title after Saturday's shellacking of New Mexico.​So report both AOL FanHouse and the New York Daily News this morning, in advance of what's expected to be a 1 p.m. press conference here. The undefeated No. 3 Horned Frogs, of course, are ... More >>

Kemado Announces True Widow Signing, Slates Sophomore Disc For March 2011 Release

Allison V. SmithTrue Widow​ We'd been suspecting this for a while now, but, according to a press release sent out by Kemado Records this morning, now it's official: The New York City-based label home to The Sword and Saviour, and formerly to acts like The Soft Pack, Dungen, Marissa Nadler and Lang ... More >>

Observer Hires New Food Critic and It's Not Dude Food's Noah Bailey

Not Hanna Raskin​It's no easy thing, hiring a food critic. There's the slogging through countless resumes and writing samples, the wining and dining of potential candidates, the follow-up phone calls and e-mails to find that one voice among the many whose writing pops off the page and knows what ... More >>

AOL's Spinner Picks Up On Telegraph Canyon, Likes What it Sees.

You've read--and watched, as the above video shows--how much we love Telegraph Canyon for the last year or so. But, let's face it, we haven't been alone; Rolling Stone even threw a little attention the band's way. And, earlier this week, AOL's Spinner is shined a spotlight on the Fort Worth outfit, ... More >>

Today In Music News: Rachel Ray Wants Hall & Oates In Rock Hall, Morrissey Collapses and Weezer Loves Smooth Jazz

Your daily dose of national music news for Monday, October 26, 2009...Does Hall & Oates belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Maybe yes. Maybe no. But is it really a good idea to have Rachel Ray taking up the cause of getting them nominated? Morrissey collapsed on stage due to breathing di ... More >>

Whitt's End: 5.8.09

Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Looks like The Ticket's parent company - Cumulus Media - is asking forcing employees to take five unpaid days off before June 30. Ouch. Maybe not a big deal to on-air talent with six-figure ... More >>

Re: FYI, Read This ASAP. OMG!

The following is a prime example of my curse here on Earth. A fleeting thought sprouts into a mild observation, only to bloom into a thesis that eventually flourishes into a blog item with sports branches. My apologies ... Got a text the other day, the salutation of which was LOL ... More >>

Could Cell Phones Topple iPods?

Could your cellphone's ability to stream music render the iPod obsolete? Quite possibly.

"Running Away" with Hal Samples and the Polyphonic Spree

That's Not Fair

As the memoir boom winds down, authors are training their sights on sis and bro

Bully on the Bench

When big-city lawyers appear in the courtroom of Judge Gene Knize, they better be prepared to duck and cover

iPeep

With the season's biggest video player, music lovers can watch good videos again

Hearts and Letters

Theatre Britain's The Day After the Fair: love's masquerade on page and stage

Going Postal

Rain, sleet, snow...and art?

Of Boobs and Blood

Troma's Lloyd Kaufman has guts, all over the floor

Bad Business

The snooze alarm is going off, and the folks in the music bizneed to wake up and take notice

Radio Active

With Napster six feet under, the RIAA now wants to hang the Internet DJ

When Online Got Off Base

Or: How Mark Cuban would have--and could have?--saved the music biz

Boom

Plus: She's a Keepie, The Fix Is In, Kill Us With Crap

Urge to Merge

Will Belo be bought? Yes. Or no. Either way, you won't be able to tell.

Net Loss

The government killed TV, and Hollywood's begging it to revive the corpse

Taste for Love

Dallas food writer turns matchmaker

Soul Alone

N'Dambi doesn't need a record label. She just needs you to listen.

Machinations

The sun will explode in 5 billion years, and robots are humanity's best hope to escape. Three guys are working on a plan. In a garage. In Heath, Texas.

Out & About

Owls

With Friends Like These...

CompUSA and Latin America's richest man get a $450 million lesson from a Dallas jury: Friendship and business don't mix.

Tired of Waiting

The center of the musical universe, Austin welcomes the beautiful and the ugly

Sleeping with the enemy

Channel 11 and the Star-Telegram join forces against Channel 8 and the Morning News

Bug in your ear

For 25 years, Bug Music has protected the rights of songwriters. In the process, it's gotten Willie Dixon's songs back from Led Zeppelin and transformed Iggy Pop into a TV commercial composer.

Scene, heard

Cheap tricks, SXSW, record releases, and lots of words in bold type

Daughter of the chaos

Luscious Jackson's Jill Cuniff explains why it shouldn't be called "news"

Pretty on the outside

The Go-Go's are back from vacation...again

Letters

Amazon.com

In cyberspace, no one calls you "Stretch"

Country and Midwestern

The best of the alt-country lot salute the majesty of the past--while defining the future

Third time's a charm

If the rock Fitz, then Dylan Silvers will wear it

A touch of evil

Denzel Washington's Fallen, and he can't get up

Naughty bits

Artist claims censorship because he can't display his downloaded porn

Cyberbunk

Kevin Massey is no 'cyberstalker.' But when he tangled with another bullheaded loudmouth on the Internet, their 'flame' war spawned a great publicity stunt.

Caught in the Web

Zach Loafman, a gifted St. Mark's teen, fights an addiction to the Internet.

Noise annoys

Compilation of "experimental music" skirts the line between art and nausea