Grammy Awards

Chadrick Honore is The Youngest Player in the Legendary Rebirth Brass Band: Get Familiar

At 25 years old, Chadrick Honore has lived the life of a man at least twice his age. The New Orleans native and esteemed trumpet player for Rebirth Brass Band has traveled the world, won a Grammy, and contributed to the critically acclaimed HBO series Treme. But the devoted father & true music fan i ... More >>

They Might Be Giants Does Not Need More Conspiracy Theorists

Hard to believe that it's been over three decades since John Flansburgh and John Linnell first started playing music as They Might Be Giants. What started as two nerds and a drum machine has slowly evolved into a multi-media company with two distinct divisions: indie rock and children's music. Spea ... More >>

The Grammys are Good for Something, at Least: Dallas Record Stores Get a Sales Bump

This is not your everyday Billboard chart. Each week, we'll tell you which bands are selling in the fine record shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where we consumers of music have impeccable taste. CD Source owner Lance Price says the Grammys still seem to be effecting who is rising to the t ... More >>

The Grammys: In 2013, They're Just a Means to Antagonize Twitter

Against all odds, the 2013 Grammys are not irrelevant--or, if you believe they've always been irrelevant, they've not become more irrelevant. They haven't become more relevant, either, to be sure; their recent attempt to rationalize the increasingly abstruse and parochial categories was worthwhile-- ... More >>

Grupo Fantasma

Friday, February 1, at Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge

Opus in Nerd Major

Preview: Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses at Energy Square

Saturday, March 17, at Energy Square

Reminder: Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses Headline The Observer's St. Patrick's Day Concert on Saturday

We were all scared there for a while, weren't we? Earlier this year, it looked like the 33-year-old Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade might not happen, due to increasing fees and inadequate funds putting a kink in our beer-filled garden hose. And then Mark Cuban rolled out of bed, decided h ... More >>

The Grammys Aren't A Beauty Pageant, Okay?

In the Studio With Play-N-Skillz

Photos by Roderick PullumBabyBoi and Skillz​Welcome to the first installment of In Session, in which nightlife photographer Roderick Pullum spends a little time with local producers in the studio.This week: Dallas duo Play-N-Skillz. Tucked away in historic Deep Ellum, on the corner of Commerc ... More >>

The Best and Worst Performances of Last Night's Grammys

Five Best Performances 1. Jennifer Hudson Grammy host L.L. Cool J had a hard enough job presiding over a celebration undercut by tragic circumstances, and he achieved a perfect, almost pastor-like tone from the get-go. But Miss Hudson's musical tribute to Whitney Houston - a subtly searing but stil ... More >>

Paul Meany of MuteMath Talks Keeping His Band Together and Out-Jesusing Tim Tebow

2011 was an interesting year for Paul Meany, frontman for the indie rock quartet MuteMath. Not only did the band turn into a trio with the departure of guitarist Greg Hill, but Meany decided it was time for other changes as well. When work began on the band's most recent effort, Odd Soul, it was dec ... More >>

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Sunday, January 15, at Winspear Opera House

Q & A: Tab Benoit: "There Are Other Things That I Pay Attention to Besides Just Playing the Guitar."

Guitarist/singer-songwriter Tab Benoit is Cajun to the bone. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but raised in the small town of Houma, Benoit was brought up on a steady diet of Hank Williams, George Jones, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker. It's no wonder that Benoit's songs echo the influences of classic ... More >>

Listomania: The 15 Most Unexpected, Unlikely, and Downright Awkward Collaborations of All Time

Beck​Yesterday Beck announced that he had been "recording some tracks" with country singer Dwight Yoakam. And yeah, we guess we could kind of see that, as Beck has run the gamut of styles during his career, touching on hip-hop, electronic, folk, and mariachi. But, even though it makes sense when ... More >>

Play-N-Skillz Go Fully Electro, Release Free Download With Akon, Pitbull and Nelly Collabs

Steve VisneauPlay-N-Skillz​We've seen this coming for quite some time now -- that the Dallas-based, Grammy-winning hip-hop production dup of Play-N-Skillz was going to be taking things in a more electronic direction at some point.We saw it in the videos they've released, in their (highly successfu ... More >>

Early Look: Play-N-Skillz-Coached Episode of MTV's Made Set To Air Tomorrow Afternoon

Steve VisneauPlay-N-Skillz​Juan and Oscar Salinas, the Grammy-winning production duo and brothers behind the Play-N-Skillz moniker, have a lot going on these days: a lawsuit against Lil Wayne; a recently released mixtape and single (with Bun B) to promote; a new mixtape on the way; a celebratory M ... More >>

Play-N-Skillz Releases Mixtape, New Video With Bun B That Was Shot at Ken Hamlin's House

Last we heard from two-time Grammy-winning, Dallas-based sibling production duo Play-N-Skillz, they were taking over the world with their David Guetta collaboration, "Where Dem Girls At?" and prepping the release of an upcoming EP called Alter Egos. Turns out they had something else to do first -- ... More >>

Live It Up In the Fort

Fourteen Texans Walked Away From the 2011 Grammy Awards With Trophies To Bring Home

The big winner at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night? That, surely, was The Arcade Fire, who, whether you've heard of them or not, walked with the coveted Album of the Year title at this year's festivities. But, really, Texas as a whole didn't do too bad as the Texas Music Office in Austin has remind ... More >>

Fit For A King

T Bone Burnett To Be Honored By The Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy In Ramp-Up To 2011 Grammy Awards

T Bone Burnett​The Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy swears it's kind of a big deal, having created a "best practices guideline" and leading various charges, etc., since forming 10 years ago. OK, whatever. Doesn't really matter.Because, if nothing else, what it's doing in the ... More >>

Maple Leaf Music

Dallas' Play-N-Skillz Are Getting An MTV Reality Show--And Want You Be On It, Maybe!

Steve VisneauP-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-play-N-Skillz!​I was lucky enough to spend some QT with Dallas hip-hop super-producers (not to mention two-time Grammy winners) Play-N-Skillz last week on the set of Tum Tum's new music video for his Salinas brothers-produced track "Smoke Something" off his excellent n ... More >>

Good Godfather! Al Pacino's Bringing a Greatest-Hits One-Man Show to AT&TPAC in November.

​Maria May at the AT&T Performing Arts Center just sent over a release announcing the 2010-'11 seasons of the Brinker International Forum, TITAS and JAZZ ROOTS -- quite the trifecta, especially when you look at the roster for the Brinker International Forum. The whole kit, along with the atten ... More >>

Botti Blows

Watch: Play-N-Skillz -- "Xxpensive"

Dallas natives and brothers Juan and Oscar Salinas, who combine to form Play-N-Skillz, have won a couple Grammy awards. And, in case you forgot as much, they're happy to remind you a couple times in the above video.Of course, that's not the sole purpose of its creation (though, certainly, it appear ... More >>

Free Yourself In Uptown

Sharpen Your Axe

Today In Music News: Miley Is Miffed and Jacko Is Back-o

Your daily dose of national music news for Monday, March 9, 2009...Miley Cyrus, is like, sooooo mad at being snubbed by Radiohead at the Grammys that she's going to "ruin" them. Right. I'm sure Thom Yorke and Co. not wanting to meet Miley has nothing to do with her being a big ball of suck.In case y ... More >>

Did You Know That Norah Jones Guests On The Lonely Island's Album?

Yep, it's true. The Grammy-winning Dallas native (who also has some punk leanings, remember) makes a guest appearance on Incredibad, the debut album from Andy Samberg and Crew's The Lonely Island. Jones joins the comedians, who are best known for "Jizz In My Pants" and T-Pain collaboration "I'm On ... More >>

Play-N-Skillz Check Their Fresh, Comment On Their Grammy Win

Given the amount of hoopla surrounding the red-hot local production duo of Play-N-Skillz lately--the abundant MTV coverage, the Grammys pre-party, etc.--the brothers Salinas (Juan and Oscar) had plenty of confidence heading into Sunday night's Grammy Awards--maybe too much, considering how, last we ... More >>

Today in Music News: Axl Speaks! Rihanna No-Shows! Blink Reunites!

Your daily dose of national music news for Monday, February 9, 2009... Axl Rose says the lack of press he did had nothing to do with why Chinese Democracy didn't sell big, it's the lack of marketing by the label. Oh, and W. Axl Rose also stated that he will never, ever, und ... More >>

Breaking Down The Grammy Nominations (Or: Hey, Some Love For DFWd!)

The 2009 Grammy nominations were announced last night, which means, yep, we're being INUNDATED with press releases from ecstatic and eager publicists touting their clients' successes.Like we have any say in the matter. Yeah, right.But, by my count, DFWd's doing OK here. Here's a breakdown of area ar ... More >>

Have Some Joe

Coming Together, Falling Apart

This past week was a big one for Booker T. Washington High School—and an abysmal one for local hip-hop

Rock St-art

We KLUV our art shows

Blues Dues

See some wise, old bluesmen in Grapevine

Handicapping the Grammys with a Foo Fighter

Gutter Ball

Art Grows Up

Nechita paints with the kids

Yes, There is Life in Deep Ellum

Things get complex

Represent, Y'all

The holler's not that far from the 'hood

Already, a Palladium Update

The Gospel of Clear Skin

Djore sings at St. Luke

Jig Jams

The Chieftains visit Bass Hall

Brave Combo

Saturday, August 27, at Sons of Hermann Hall

Susan Gibson, Adam Carroll

Friday, July 29, at The Horseman Club

Ol' Dirty Bastard

Osirus (Sure Shot)

The Weird Girl

Erykah Badu is serious about saving the soul of the city