Hal Samples

The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas This Weekend, Starring Aesop Rock, Identity Fest and More

Every Thursday we bring you our 10 favorite concert options for the coming weekend. Find every concert for this weekend and beyond at dallasobserver.com/concerts. Identity Festival Friday, August 10, at Gexa Energy Pavilion Identity Festival pretty much marks the greatest day of the year for EDM fa ... More >>

Sure, the West Fork of the Trinity Looks Beautiful From the Freeway. But Up Close ...?

Photo by Steven Wallace​On the way out to the ballpark a couple of weeks ago, as we drove down 30 over Belt Line, the boy noticed for the first time how close the Trinity River runs next the freeway. I told him that's known as the West Fork of the Trinity, which merges with the Elm Fork when it hi ... More >>

Jonathan Neerman Resigns as Dallas County GOP Chair; Former County Judge Candidate Wade Emmert "Interested" in Replacing Him

Photo by Hal SamplesJonathan Neerman​Back in December 2008, we introduced you to foul-mouthed Jonathan Neerman, who had the misfortune of taking over as Dallas County Republican Party chair during a Barack Obama-led Democratic ass-kicking at the polls. One day after the GOP swept local state ... More >>

For Those Wondering If Kyle Killen Ever Found a New Home for the Late, Great Lone Star ...

Hal SamplesJon Voight and the cast of Lone Star at the Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite, serving as a set during a summer shoot​Not a week goes by that a Friend of Unfair Park doesn't ask: Is Lone Star coming back? It's a fair enough question. After all, back in September, the day after ... More >>

Jonathan Neerman Says "It's Very Unlikely" He'll Return as Dallas County GOP Chair, Leaving His Political Future Uncertain

Hal SamplesJonathan Neerman​After losing yet again to the Democrats, Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman is prepared to let someone else attempt to turn the blue county back to red, telling us that he doesn't expect to run for a third term in 2012. "I don't want to say I'm d ... More >>

Let's Now Cut to the Chase

NBC Universal​It's getting close to that most wonderful time of the year -- when the fall teevee season commences. Later today we'll post a few peeks from Hal Samples and my visit to the set of Lone Star, the so-far-so-great (based on the pilot, at least) FOX series currently shooting all over tow ... More >>

Over The Weekend: The New Pornographers, The Dodos, Imaad Wasif

The New Pornographers, The Dodos, Imaad Wasif The Palladium Showroom Saturday, July 24, 2010Better Than: staring at Lady Gaga fans. Eric Grubbs​ On their third visit to the Dallas area, The New Pornographers finally got to be a headliner. (See more photos in Hal Samples' slideshow.) Given the s ... More >>

Liverpool FC, Like Your Texas Rangers, Will Also Be Auctioned Off. That Should Be Fun.

Spirit of Shankly​Sam's back in a Fort Worth courtroom this morning, where Judge Michael Lynn's trying to decide just when to auction off Your Texas Rangers. Among those in attendance: Chuck Greenberg, Nolan Ryan and, for whatever reason, Rangers GM Jon Daniels and skipper Ron Washington, who, fro ... More >>

Mark Cuban is MLB-Approved! And Other Notes From Today's Texas Rangers Hearing.

Hal SamplesTexas Rangers manager Ron Washington, GM Jon Daniels and their attorneys enter a Fort Worth courtroom this morning.​As promised, Sam just phoned in from outside the Fort Worth federal courthouse where, moments ago, Judge Michael Lynn sneak-peeked at where he's leaning concerning the pro ... More >>

Picture Show: Outtakes from the DOMAXXII Photoshoot

Dylan Hollingsworth and Andrew WilliamsMembers of Spooky Folk, Mount Righteous, galleryCat and The Beaten Sea revel in the greatness that is the state of local music.​ On Tuesday night, each and every nominated person on this year's Dallas Observer Awards Ballot was invited to attend an awards sea ... More >>

DC9 Live at El Sibil/DC9 in SPACE: A Retrospective

We're pretty much swamped here at DC9 HQ these days, working out some final DOMAXXII plans and whatnot (more announcements coming soon!), which is, well, a good thing, really. But, unfortunately, it means a temporary re-organization of some of our priorities. And, with that, some news: We're gonna b ... More >>

That Rhett Miller Makes One Adorable Punk

At some point today, Pete will no doubt post his musings on last night's LCD Soundsystem spectacular-spectacular at the Palladium. I look forward to that. But, alas, poor Pete bailed too soon. There was the after-show, after all, otherwise known as Rock Star Karaoke in the upstairs Loft (where the B ... More >>

Beaten to Neo-Pulp: The Bad Juju of Dallas Noir Writer Jonathan Woods

Bad Juju & Other Tales of Madness and Mayhem - book trailer from Bad Juju and Other Tales on Vimeo.I came across the above video this morning. I know well one of its makers (our pal Hal Samples), but not its neo-noir star: Jonathan Woods, a peddler of crime fiction loaded with "violence, sex, an ... More >>

Over The Weekend: The Cribs at The Granada Theater

The CribsGranada TheaterJanuary 22, 2010Better than: Missing the show entirely. I clearly need to pay more attention to the Granada's useful day-of-show set-time tweets.Hal SamplesCheck out more of Hal's shots from the night in this here slideshow.​Friday night at the Granada, there was a lineup o ... More >>

Debt Collectors Consider Trading "Knee-Breaking" Techniques for "Empathy Training"

Hal Samples Craig Cunningham​Craig Cunningham of Dallas has an interesting way of dealing with debt collectors: He sues them, as documented in this week's paper version of Unfair Park. While only a small number of debtors file such lawsuits, the debt collection industry isn't waiting for su ... More >>

GOP Chair Neerman Doesn't Buy Harry Reid's Excuse for Backing Out of Irving Trip, Says it's a Disappointment, Not a Victory for Protestors

Hal SamplesJonathan Neerman​Earlier today, Irving Mayor Herb Gears e-mailed The Dallas Morning News to let them know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "just called to inform me that pressing government business in our nation's Capitol requiring his presence necessitates his having to pos ... More >>

Hurling Pillows, Singing Carols and Drinking All the Way, Santas Rampage Through Dallas

Patrick MichelsSanta finds a friend at the Pegasus Plaza Christmas tree.​Dozens of Santas crawled the downtown pubs Saturday night, taking over watering holes from Victory Park through the West End and Main Street and out to Expo Park. Along the way, they staged a pillow fight, sang Christmas caro ... More >>

Fair Trade

DC9 in SPACE, Ep. 27: This Old House

...and for the Youtube inclined, here's your link.Last week, we welcomed the four young Denton gents in This Old House to Hal Samples' SPACE Studio for what, turns out, will be the final episode of the DC9 in SPACE series. We'll still have regular tapings with local bands, mind you--just not in Hal ... More >>

GOP County Chair Jonathan Neerman Responds to Kick to the Crotch from DMN'er

Hal SamplesFamily reasons? Give us a break, Neerman. Geez, like we haven't heard that one before. On Tuesday, DMN'er Gromer Jeffers reported on one of the paper's 423 blogs (apparently they have one named after the Portland Trail Blazers) that Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman (a ... More >>

Tomorrow Night in Deep Ellum, Kettle Art's Selling Local Pieces to the Highest Bidders

One of the Richard Ross pieces that will be up for auction tomorrow at The Whole Show in Deep Ellum​Those with blank walls and no Saturday night plans had best take note: Kettle Art down in Deep Ellum's the site of The Whole Show tomorrow, a silent auction during which ... lessee if I counted this ... More >>

Gig Alert: Sarah Jaffe At House Of Dang Tonight

I didn't find out about this show in time to get it in the listings last week, but, hey, that's what Gig Alerts are for, right? Sarah Jaffe will perform at 8 p.m. tonight at boutique shop House of Dang (which was a Best of Dallas winner in 2007 for Best Prezzies--"prezzies" being what the kids calle ... More >>

DC9 in SPACE, Ep. 6: New Science Projects

If you prefer the flavor of YouTube, you can check out the video here.To borrow an old cliche, Dale Jones is riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Mostly because, when you first meet the man, who, while performing, goes by the moniker New Science Projects, he seems a gentle soul, a 20-ye ... More >>

DC9 in SPACE, Ep. 1: True Widow

Welcome to the newest weekly feature here on DC9, called, quite aptly, I think, DC9 in SPACE. (Pause for effect.)The concept is pretty simple: Every Wednesday night, we're inviting a different act to play at Hal Samples' SPACE Studio for an intimate, filmed performance. And it'll be shot however the ... More >>

Echoes and Reverberations: The Twisted Fate of a Lifetime Crate Digger

Many of them were tucked away in suburban strip malls, their storefronts always the black sheep of the retail family. They were usually owned by a single lifelong music fan, someone who relished the opportunity to dog-paddle in the eye of the pop culture hurricane. Sometimes they smelled like incens ... More >>

M2S2 Prepares For Its Second Annual Offering

The folks at Life In Deep Ellum are pretty deep into the throes of preparing its second annual Mokah Music Summit and Showcase--or M2S2 for short. This year's free event, set to take place on Saturday, April 25, will feature 12 local acts, a performance from the students of Zound Sounds, and an art ... More >>

SXSW Dispatches: Telegraph Canyon Shares All The Good News From Its First SXSW Trip

[Last week, we asked a few bands to check in with us from time to time over the course of the week to tell us about their SXSW experiences. Now, with the fest over, those diatribes are starting to show. Here's Telegraph Canyon frontman Chris Johnson's SXSW diary, for your reading pleasure...] Hal S ... More >>

Good Friday: The Friday The 13th and Valentine's Day Edition

OK. First off, sorry if this is coming a little late in the day and if our descriptions of these shows are a little shorter than usual. A couple unanticipated developments (like the SXSW complete schedule announcement, for instance) got us a little derailed this afternoon. But enough handcuffing. O ... More >>

A Reel Good Time Promised Tomorrow Night at Kettle Art

It's gonna be Saturday, oh, tomorrow, and you ain't got squat to do? Um, you will, actually, because it's time for Kettle Art to work the reels once again. That's right, you're spending Saturday on Elm Street.The Deep Ellum Enrichment Project returns with "Hopelessly Devoted to You II," the second a ... More >>

Last Night: Butthole Surfers At The Granada Theater

OK, So This Will Be The Last DOMA Post Of The Year, Promise

Good Friday: Just-Announced Bun B Show, Tony Joe White, Ella Minnow, Scott McCurry, The Smoke!, Pimpadelic, Chris Flemmons, Big Daddy Kane, And Much More!

UltraViolet Rock Show & Art Auction featuring El Gato, Lovie, Bridges and Blinking Lights and more

Saturday, April 26, at Club Dada

Good Friday: Ghosthustler, The David Allor Benefit, Hal Samples' SPACE Opening, Black Joe Lewis

At Least Deep Ellum'll Look Pretty

Mokah Music Summit: The Morning After

The Reel History of Deep Ellum

Dan Paul Does It All

Good Friday: Local Honey, The Crash, Sarah Jaffe

Deck the Walls With Dallas Artists

Shanghai 5 to Get Political at the Space

A DOMA Good Time

Pictures of You (Or Someone You Like?)

Seed, Mom, Beauxregard, Handicaps and Harmonies

Sunday, July 15, at Sons of Hermann Hall

"Do" It One More Time

Best Night of Local Music Ever. Oughta Be, Anyway.

T.C.B. or T.Y.A. Saturday Night, Y'all

Thai One On

Magical History Tour

Observer Writer Seeks Can-Do-Over