Indie Rock and Indie Pop

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 >>

Index Festival

Friday, October 5, and Saturday, October 6, at Trees

KXT's Summer Cut - Gexa Energy Pavilion - 6/1/12

KXT's Summer Cut Gexa Energy Pavilion Friday, June 1 See also: The fans of Summer Cut. "What the [expletive] is that?" - Gexa's finest usher, on the stylistic motivations of its patrons. When the Flaming Lips come to town, people tend to shed their inhibitions. For the guy in the penguin costume ... More >>

This Weekend's Best Concerts: KXT's Summer Cut, Meltdown Music Festival, the Avett Brothers, Japanther and More

Summer Cut w/ The Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, Fitz & The Tantrums and moreFriday, June 1, at Gexa Energy PavilionHere we are, fully immersed in this year's summer festival season, and we're already peaking. It's going to be hard to outdo The Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, and everyone else KXT 91.7-F ... More >>

Edgefest 22 at FC Dallas Stadium

Sunday, April 22, at FC Dallas Stadium

The Jesus and Mary Chain Apologize for Rescheduling Issues With Puppets

A Message from Jesus and Mary Chain from 35 Denton on VimeoIt's about an hour-plus into Built to Spill's set of the final night of 35 Denton, which is the block the Jesus and Mary Chain were set to have before work visa issues forced them to reschedule. The reason I mention is the following from 35' ... More >>

Mark Pirro on Finding a Place to Plug In, Other First Show Experiences

Mark Pirro has been around the Dallas music scene for more than two decades as a member of Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree and currently Menkena. As a preview of The Spree's New Year's Eve show this Saturday at the House of Blues, we wanted to ask him about his first times at shows, including t ... More >>

Listomania: Ten Best Indie Christmas Songs

​It's that time of the year where you're sure to hear all the classic Christmas songs -- the exact same songs you listened to the year before. Snooze! Enter the indies, adding their own twist to your holiday favorites so you don't get sick of them. Okay, so we threw in a couple oldies, but the ... More >>

35 Denton Releases Second Round of Bands, Including the Raincoats

​ North Texas music festival 35 Denton, which takes place March 8-11, may be young in age, but its lineup is far from novice. The fest announced today it will bring British post-punk rockers The Raincoats to Texas for the first since the band's inception in 1977. The female four-piece from Lo ... 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

Austin City Limits Goes Mainstream

Spillover: ACL Festival Artists Booked to Perform Shows in North Texas This Week

​There are a good many reasons to skip this year's installment of Austin City Limits Music Festival down in Austin.For starters, the weather is supposed to sunny with a high of 98 degrees on all three days. in a giant field with no air conditioning, teeming with thousands of warm bodies, it won't ... More >>

As Fame Chases Him, Bon Iver Keeps Running

Over the Weekend: Death Cab for Cutie and Frightened Rabbit at the Verizon Theatre

Death Cab for Cutie, Frightened RabbitVerizon TheatreAugust 13, 2011 Better than: sweating in the heat only to watch a band implode. Death Cab for Cutie​After living through the nightmare that was the Kings of Leon show a few weeks back, it was nice to be in the cool confines of Verizon Theatre Sa ... More >>

This Week In Dallas Music History: The Polyphonic Spree is Born

Tim DeLaughter and Mark Pirro about to go on a Polyponic Spree.​With the unveiling of Tim DeLaughter's new act Preteen Zenith upon us this weekend, it seems more than fitting that we opened up a copy of The Observer from this week in 2000 and found that The Polyphonic Spree had just played their f ... More >>

Priory's Brandon Johnson Talks The Ups and Downs Of His Band's Potentially Religious Name

Priory​Portland's Priory only recently issued its debut effort, but main songwriters Brandon Johnson and Kyle Dieker have been collaborating for several years. It just took getting a couple of other band members in place for the band to finally hit the studio with its plethora of material. It expl ... More >>

Blake Sennett Moves Past Rilo Kiley With The Elected

Archers of Loaf, The Globes

Sunday, June 12, at The Loft

Okkervil River's Will Sheff Talks New Album, Showing Up Arcade Fire and New Music Trends.

For over a dozen years at this point, Austin's Okkervil River has been making intelligent, defiantly lyrical indie rock. And next week, after a few years out of the spotlight, the band will return to bask in it, thanks to the release of their sixth full-length studio effort since 2002, I Am Very Far ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: British Sea Power at The Loft, Emmitt-Nershi Band at the Granada, Collin Herring at Lochrann's and One Red Martian at the Prophet Bar

It's a fairly packed Thursday evening of music tonight -- one that features local, national and even international talent.

Giveaway: Five Pairs of Tickets to See Destroyer, War On Drugs, and Nervous Curtains at The Loft on Saturday

Destroyer, the chamber pop group lead by Dan Bejar, also of New Pornographers fame,  will being playing at The Loft tomorrow night in promotion of their latest album, Kaputt, which has received much critical acclaim for its wafting, smooth-jazz feel and heavy horn usage. The album is not of the ... More >>

DeVotchKa

Tuesday, March 15,at the Granada Theater

Tonight, Tonight: The Flaming Lips at The Palladium, Kid Rock at the Verizon Theatre, Seryn at Lochrann's, Nicholas Altobelli at Dan's Silverleaf and DISCIPLINE at Rubber Gloves

Well, all right! Tonight's the night: We're finally starting to feel the effects of Super Bowl XLV in tonight's goings-on in the form of two pretty major concerts. But for those local die-hards hoping to avoid the madness, there are still some other fine options. Just be sure to be careful out the ... More >>

35 Conferette Adds More Acts, Including New Sub Pop Supergroup Featuring Michael Cera

If nothing else, Michael Cera is cooler than Danny Masterson, right?​After announcing last week the addition of another 135 bands to its bill, you'd think the folks up at Denton's 35 Conferette might need a breather -- or, I dunno, maybe some time to focus on the actual logistics of the fest, sinc ... More >>

Royal Bangs Ready A New Explosion.

Last Night: Chiddy Bang, Vonnegutt at Trees

Chiddy Bang, Vonnegutt TreesDecember 2, 2010Better than: going to an actual SMU party.Chiddy Bang​Lest there remained any question as to whom the music of Chiddy Bang is meant for, the Philadelphia-based, indie rock-sampling hip-hop duo provided the answer at Trees last night.Or maybe it's more ap ... More >>

Show Announcements: Best Coast, Wavves, No Age, Geographer, Josh Ritter, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Get Up Kids, Tapes N' Tapes, Oberhofer, Bitter End, Underoath, Deerhoof & more

Best Coast and Wavves--In Love and On the Road​It's no secret that Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino wished that Nathan Williams, the stoner behind Wavves, was her boyfriend. She got her wish, too. And, now, the two are taking their much publicized relationship on road, presumably leaving a trai ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Blitzen Trapper at House of Blues, Mushroomhead at Trees, Tech N9ne and E-40 at the Ridglea, Chelsea Madrigal at The Kessler and Manned Missiles at Rubber Gloves. LATE ADD: The Soft Pack and These United States at Lochrann's.

The workweek is almost over. To celebrate, the gods have provided some local and national musical talent tonight to get you ready for the weekend.

ACL '10, Night Three: Dad-Rockers Square Off Against Artsy Fartsy Types, And We All Win?

Caity ColvardThe Eagles' Glenn Frey. You may also remember him from Jerry Maguire.​ Well, we saw it coming, but, no matter, the third day Austin City Limits went out with a whimper. Actually, though, it was kind of an enjoyable whimper. See, three-day fests like this are killers on your little pig ... More >>

ACL Day One Recap: Hipsters, Hippies and The Poor Schlubs Stuck In Between.

Patrick MichelsJulian Casablancas wears his sunglasses at nights.​ Well, Austin City Limits, you redeemed yourself. After a slow start to the festivities, things picked up very quickly, as predicted, and, by three o'clock, things were in full swing. But Night One--despite names like Miike Snow, Gi ... More >>

The xx, Warpaint

Friday, October 8, at Granada Theater

Q&A: Ratatat's Evan Mast Says Fans Should Expect To Rock and Dance at The Palladium.

Ratatat​Brooklyn-based Ratatat has been on a steady ascent ever since the 2004 release of their self-titled debut. And the instrumental electro duo's rise seems primed to continue along, thanks to recent collaborations with the likes of Kid Cudi and MGMT, as well as their work on the soundtracks f ... More >>

Show Announcements: Sufjan Stevens, Interpol, Yells At Eels, Video, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Wolf Parade, Will Johnson, More.

Denny RenshawSufjan Stevens​Sufjan Stevens didn't get too far in his attempt to write an album for each state in the US. Of the 50, he completed two--and then he kind of disappeared for a few years after the release of his Christmas album in 2006. Maybe if he hadn't put more than 20 songs on each ... More >>

Free Energy Brings Back A Classic Sound

A Golden Ticket Can Be Found At The End Of KXT's Pledge Rainbow...

​Surely, you've noticed the pledge drive efforts going on over at KKXT-91.7 FM of late, yeah? Us too.Annoying? Mostly. Necessary? Most definitely, given the station's public radio domain.But it's not all bad: Anyone and everyone who pledged to the station this week--and anyone and everyone who doe ... More >>

Gig Alert: Split Lip Rayfield and The Heelers Tonight at Rubber Gloves in Denton

​Yes, I know that most of the cool, indie hipsters will be at House of Blues to catch MGMT tonight. But folks who enjoy music of a more rootsy vein might want to trek to Denton and check out Split Lip Rayfield.Since 1995, this "thrash grass" combo has released a half a dozen albums, all of them wo ... More >>

Lovie

Because Of My Mattress (Self-released)

Yeasayer? Or Mehsayer?

Vampire Weekend, Abe Vigoda

Sunday, April 11, at House of Blues

Damaged Good$

$pread Love Not Germ$ (Self-released)

Yo La Tengo,Times New Viking

Saturday, January 30, at Granada Theater

Giveaway: Two Pairs of Tickets To Saturday's Granada Theater Show With Yo La Tengo and Times New Viking

For a whopping quarter of a century now, Hoboken's Yo La Tengo has existed comfortably at or near the top of the indie rock heap, showcasing an ever-changing aesthetic that, at various times in the band's career, has seen the band touching on various psych-, garage-rock and shoegaze styles. In this ... More >>

Lilith Fair To Return This Summer With Local Artists And A Dallas Stop

This logo wasn't lying. ​In yet another sign that the '90s are back, or perhaps never really ended, Lilith Fair is returning this summer with a 33-city schedule (including Dallas) revealed so far. Even better news: the lineup is strong enough that you won't have to promise your boyfriend a blowjob ... More >>

Cursive, Capgun Coup, Old Cranes, Timeline Post

Friday, November 27, at Hailey's Club in Denton

J. Tillman, Pearly Gate Music, Sleep Whale

Saturday, November 28, at Hailey's Club in Denton

Arctic Monkeys, The Like

Monday, October 5,at the Palladium Ballroom

Throw Me the Statue, The Brunettes, Nurses

Saturday, September 12, at The Cavern

Distant Gig Alert: Dinosaur Jr. and Built to Spill at the Granada Theater on October 22

We've gone a few weeks now without our (once) weekly Show Announcements posting about, go figure, upcoming shows that get announced each week. Sorry for the lapse there, folks--it'll make its way back soon enough, promise. In the meantime, let me use this post as an excuse to spread the word that, o ... More >>

Ben Kweller, Jones St. Station

Friday, June 26, at the Granada Theater

Bloc Party, Deerhoof, J versus K

Saturday, September 22, at House of Blues