Fun Fun Fun Fest

How in the World did Russian Circles Wind up Opening for Coheed & Cambria?

Chicago-based Russian Circles have been hammering their brand of groove-heavy post-metal across the globe for seven years now. For most of their touring life, the three-piece outfit, consisting of Mike Sullivan, Brian Cook and Dave Turncratz have done so as club-show headliners. Since the release of ... More >>

Purity Ring Wants You to Get It

Just don't try to define it.

The Ten Best Concerts In Dallas This Weekend, November 1-4

Kreayshawn Friday, November 2, at The Palladium Ballroom, $17.50 With controversial 23-year-old rapper Kreayshawn's new album out, of course she's hitting the road. She takes the stage at the Palladium to deliver songs from debut Somethin' 'Bout Kreay, and hopefully offer something that eclipses the ... More >>

The Overserved's Guide To Dallas During Fun Fun Fun Fest

I haven't always been a festival person. Managing the stages and sets of so many performances, trying to balance the experience with both previously loved artists and the opportunity to experience something new is fulfilling, but can be overwhelming. One great thing about being the bratty cousin to ... More >>

Top Five Schedule Conflicts at Fun Fun Fun Fest

Headlined by reunited legends like X, Run-D.M.C. and Public Image Ltd, this weekend's Fun Fun Fun Fest has a little something for the older folks, as well as the young. With that much talent over three days, there are bound to be some tough decisions between stages. Here are a few scheduling conflic ... More >>

Can Homegrown Festival Thrive On An All-Texas Lineup?

ACL 2012 Announced: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Iggy & the Stooges and More

The Austin City Limits Music Festival line-up was announced at midnight, and I'm kind of miffed that RHCP are billed above Neil Young. Beyond that, you've got the usual ACL formula: the top tier of tried and true go-to festival acts (no surprise seeing the Black Keys or Jack White on this bill).Then ... More >>

Nelly - Wildflower! Festival - 5/18/12

Wildflower! Festival Galatyn Park Friday, May 18 The modern music festival exists as three very distinct types: The mega-fests put on by corporations, which bring together some of the world's biggest acts and are able to cut huge checks so bands can reunite (ACL, Coachella); the righteous upstarts t ... More >>

Inventive Ways To Get Lifted at Friday's Devin the Dude Show

Devin the Dude is dropping some of his own supply at the Granada Theater on Friday. No stranger to Dallas hip-hop fans, the Houston-based wordsmith makes frequent trips to our fair city and hopefully you have been able to count yourself in the crowd. It's always a fun night, and Devin's love of wome ... More >>

Jamie Kinser, DFW's Lady in Black

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans, where we get to know the people behind the scenes in Dallas/Fort Worth music. Jamie Kinser started booking shows after shaking hands with Ernest Tubb's nephew, Lucky Tubb. Before long, a handshake turned into a partnership. Next thing you know, Kinser's original en ... More >>

Mark Ryan's First Show

Penny in the Fountain: Five Texas Bands We Wish Would "Reunite" This Year

As it goes with many reunions these days, the news of At the Drive-in's reformation neatly coincided with the release of the Coachella lineup on Monday. And yes, people are excited. "One Armed Scissor" doesn't sound especially dated these days, and The Mars Volta's 26-minute solo weed jam revue was ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Deb Explores the Dark Corners of The Texas Theatre

​The jaunt to The Texas Theatre is among my favorite through the city. I take a roundabout way down Main Street, through Dealey Plaza to 35. Nothing beats Jefferson Street in this town: All faded jewel tones, party supply stores and beautiful Quinceañera boutiques. It looks frozen in time in ... More >>

Top Five Non-Musical Moments of 2011

Bon Iver​While it's been a great year for concerts in the 'hood, it'd be too easy to simply list my favorite concerts of 2011 (Bon Iver/Kathleen Edwards at the Winspear Opera House in September edges out the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Granada that same month). Instead, let's focus on the ... More >>

The Joy Formidable Never Sells a Crowd Short

Ritzy Bryan on the painful fun of playing live.

Last Night: The Misfits, Juicehead, Hood Rat, Electric Vengeance, The Hammercocks

Shigeo Jones Kikuchi: Photo AssassinThe Misfits.​Last Night: The Misfits, Juicehead, Hood Rat, Electric Vengeance, The Hammercocks Trees November 14 Better than: carving Crimson Ghost jack-o-lanterns with Evilive on. The Misfits might have delivered a much more satisfying set last night than ... More >>

Last Night: Touché Amoré, Pianos Become the Teeth, Seahaven, The News Can Wait

Touché Amoré.​Last Night: Touché Amoré, Pianos Become the Teeth, Seahaven, The News Can Wait Sons of Hermann Hall November 7 Better than: Glenn Danzig's "performance" at Fun Fun Fun Fest this past weekend. The persistent early evening rain did nothing to keep Touché Amoré's fans from ... More >>

Last Night: Purity Ring, Bethan, Peopleodian, Datahowler

Purity Ring: Apparently they're a bit camera shy.​Last Night: Purity Ring/Bethan/Peopleodian/Datahowler Club Dada November 7 Better than: anything else happening on a Monday, that's for sure. A four-act bill headlined by a touring international act is very strange for a Monday, but sadly th ... More >>

Last Night: Youth Brigade, The Hellions, The Broadsiders

Last Night: Youth Brigade, The Hellions, The Broadsiders Double Wide November 3, 2011 Better than: watching Another State of Mind and trying to figure out which parts were staged. Youth Brigade​ Before they paid a visit to Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest, Los Angeles hardcore punk legends Youth ... More >>

Guns N' Roses, We Were Promised Jetpacks & the Best Shows in Town This Weekend

Axel Rose​Welcome to the jungle! The one comfortably located just inside the walls of the Gexa Energy Pavilion. After carefully parking your car on someone's lawn, you'll be ushered into said jungle if you purchased your tickets to see what's left of Guns N' Roses -- Axel Rose and some dreadlocks ... More >>

Ten Performances Worth Seeing at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin This Weekend

​Yes. Fun Fun Fun Fest is this weekend in Austin, and judging by the eclectic-as-ever line-up, the name continues to become even more appropriate with each passing year. Celebrating its sixth birthday, the bash will take place on Auditorium Shores, which marks a step into more of a big-time, desti ... More >>

Listen: New Sounds from A.Dd , Flowers of God, Sore Losers, Little Black Dress, St. Vincent, Analog Rebellion and Paul Henry North

If it feels like things have been hectic of late, that's because they have been. October just tends to be that way around these parts, what with standard fall touring schedules pumping up the show-going options on top of the hype and added excitement that comes with such seasonal events as Austin Ci ... More >>

Your 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase Performers

A closer look at all 52 acts playing this weekend's Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase in Deep Ellum

Get To Know Your DOMAXXIII Nominees: Best Song, Best Metal Act, BestFunk/R&B Act

​Welcome to our 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards breakdown, wherein we'll use the weeks leading up to the DOMA showcases on Saturday, October 15 (which is also when voting ends), to explain the nominees in each category Today, we look at the nominees in the Best Song, Best Metal Act ... More >>

Welcome to ACL '11: Zilker Warms Up For A Big First Night; It's Already Buzz-Thirty, Dudes.

Pete FreedmanCold War Kids tear down that first-day ACL wall.​Off in the distance, the song of the summer, Foster the People's can't-stop-won't-stop "Pumped Up Kicks," is blasting away over Zilker Park, blaring from the P.A. over at the Google (nee Dell) Stage. There's a marvelous tag-team effort ... More >>

Nico Martini Ditched Football For Theater and Somehow Worked His Way Into HD Radio

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans , where we meet some of the people behind the local music scene -- those who aren't necessarily members of local bands, but more the people who make the scene move. Nico Martini​ Although we normally only see Nico Martini in his trademark short-bill painters' ... More >>

Listomania: The 15 Best Concerts of 2010

​With apologies to Robert Earl Keen, Devin the Dude, Cake, Hayes Carll and the multitude of also-rans filling up the regional concert calendar in these final weeks of 2010, it's safe to say, I think, that, with Friday night's Wu-Tang show at the Granada Theater, the year in live music effectively ... More >>

Trying Texas-Made Oatmeal Stout, IPA and Barleywine, Plus Thanksgiving Beer Help

Jesse Hughey​Earlier this month I spent a weekend in Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest, where I was able to spend some time in the very cool Black Star Co-op brewpub and also bring back a few beers that I hadn't seen in Dallas. One of the Austin-made brews that really made an impression on me was Jester ... More >>

Q&A Giveaway: Best Coast's Bethany Consentino On Writing With Weezer, That California Sound, and Why Cats Are So Big in 2010.

Best Coast lurves cats.​Best Coast isn't Bethany Consentino's first foray into music -- before starting her most recent project, the 23-year-old flirted with the major label circuit when her teenage singer-songwriter material caught their ears, and, a few years later, she started Pocahaunted, whic ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Mumford & Sons at House of Blues, Appleseed Cast at The Loft, Circle Pit at The Cavern, Cruel Hands at The Nightmare and The Dwarves at the Double Wide

Featuring some big names both old and new, it's just another crazy busy musical Thursday evening...

Q&A: Monotonix's Yonatan Gat Defends His Native Israel Against Bands That Boycott It, Describes Letting Himself Go During His Band's Notorious, Off-The-Wall Performances

Daniel RodrigueMonotonix's Ami Shalev​For astute music fans in the North Texas region, the name Monotonix has become quite familiar. In the last couple of years, the Israeli garage-punk trio has made a few stops here, including a 2009 NX35 slot that got the ball rolling pretty hard on their Metrop ... More >>

Fun Fun Fun Fest Announces Badass 2010 Lineup. Included On It? Dallas' Own Power Trip.

​The folks who run Austin''s Fun Fun Fun Fest have made it clear: Heading into their fifth year of operation, they aren't planning on slowing down their ever-growing momentum. Quite the opposite, actually: The fest is ramping up to seriously challenge ACL as Austin's premiere fall fest.Seriously: ... More >>

Over The Weekend: HEALTH, Times New Viking at The Lounge on Elm Street

HEALTH, Times New VikingThe Lounge on Elm StreetNovember 6, 2009Better than: a visit to the free clinic.HEALTH​Even the bands noticed it: Something was just off about The Lounge on Elm Street on Friday night."There's kind of a weird vibe in here," Times New Viking drummer/vocalist Adam Elliott sai ... More >>

Good Friday: The Party, Preston Grey, James McMurtry, The Fox and The Bird, GWAR, Snoop Dogg and David Cook

After an almost year-long hiatus, The Party makes its triumphant return tonight at The Loft.​Lots happening this weekend--a surprising amount, actually--so let's cut all semantics and jump right into the shows that need to be added to your weekend calendar considerations. First, some reminders of ... More >>

CANCELED: Atlas Sound And Broadcast Saturday At Hailey's In Denton

Atlas Sound's Bradford Cox, who will not be coming to Denton after all. His Fun Fun Fun appearance Sunday in Austin is still on, though. ​Bad news for local fans of Bradford Cox's solo project Atlas Sound and the dreamy pop of U.K. electronic outfit Broadcast, as the two bands have canceled their ... More >>

Listening Parties For Lucero And Crash That Took Me Tonight In Deep Ellum

​Dallas alt-pop band The Crash That Took Me doesn't have much in common with Memphis country-rocking act Lucero, but both have albums that will get the full listening-party treatment at Deep Ellum dive bars tonight.Adair's Saloon will play Lucero's 1372 Overton Park, which was released today, at 8 ... More >>

Does ACL Actually Hurt Dallas?

Gig Alert: Neon Indian at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios

No need to be shy, Alan.​At the risk of beating you over the head with this information, it seems worth our while to remind you that tonight marks the much-anticipated debut of Alan Palomo's newest project, Neon Indian, which has garnered praise from outlets far beyond us and the normal local musi ... More >>

Good Friday: RTB2, Tantric, The Weight, MATAS, This Old House, The Gourds, Grant Jones, Hawk Vs. Dove, Shaolin Death Squad, Bad Veins, The Black and White Years

​Another week bites the dust, which leads us to this weekly inevitability of us offering up our top choices for musical entertainment each weekend. And, well, there's a lot this weekend, actually, so hold on tight. First up, as always, a reminder of the shows we've already hyped up plenty...Tonigh ... More >>

Dashboard Confessional, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Tom Gabel, and The Prophet Bar are Full of Surprises

A Dashboard Confessional member actually chose to live in Dallas. Also: Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest Brings another Spillover, and—Hey—have you seen the Prophet bar's upcoming show calendar?