La Grange

The Power of Kolaches and Support for West Extends to New York City

One should never underestimate the power of kolaches. When the fertilizer plant in West exploded a couple of weeks ago, for many, the soft round pastry that put West on the map sprung quickly to mind as a way to raise money to help the blast's victims. Last weekend, when a few local restaurants and ... More >>

Beer, Snow Cones and Many Other (Random) Things to Toast From 2012

In addition to our aforementioned love affair with bacon, many other great things befell our city this year. In an attempt to be a spot-on "reporter" for all culinary things that fall under the subheadings of lowbrow, redonkulous or strange, I find myself on the cutting edge of nothing really. But, ... More >>

The Best Texas Songs of All Time: #59-40

Best Texas songs, #100-80 Best Texas songs, #79-60 The Spotify playlist for songs #59-40 59. Tum Tum, "Caprice Music" For years, the Dallas hip-hop community's had a love affair with the Chevy Caprice Classic. Tum Tum's "Caprice Music" was an ode to that car culture, illustrating the unique trend ... More >>

Ruh-Roh, What's Velma Up To?

Tenacious D, Aerosmith With Cheap Trick and More Show Announcements

This video tells the amazing story of the Tenacious D reunion. With that reunion comes a new album, Rize of the Fenix, and a massive tour that will pass through Dallas. On Friday, July 20, Tenacious D and opening act The Slights will be at Palladium Ballroom. Tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m ... More >>

Florence and the Machine, Eddie Vedder and More Show Announcements

​​If there is a current British Invasion, it's being led by UK's high-charting indie-pop band Florence and the Machine. They're so hot right now. It didn't hurt that they had a song featured at the end of one of the Twilight movies, which, in the music world, is like being given a lifetime suppl ... More >>

Girls at Granada, Yann Tiersen at Trees and More Show Announcements

Girls​One of the biggest records of 2011 came from San Fransisco's Girls, who successfully mine early rock and roll influences to create notable and at times brilliant albums. Gorilla Vs. Bear has championed the band for years, and the blog is bringing Girls to the Granada Theater on Friday, March ... More >>

Deb Does Elm Street Tattoo, Goes Deep in the Armpit of Texas

Every year, on Friday the 13th, Elm Street Tattoo's talented staff executes small pieces that must include the number 13 somewhere, for $13 and a $7 tip. On most sleeves in Dallas, you can spot the 13s hidden among larger décor, identifying the shop's fans and loyalists. I was inside Elm Street T ... More >>

Good Friday Thursday: New Year Edition

​Last weekend was a little dead, y'know with Christmas and all, but this weekend is the opposite. In fact, there are so many New Year's Eve events worth checking out that we've got a separate massive list here.The biggest one, though, is easily the Dallas Observer-sponsored Lights All Night festiv ... More >>

Coldplay and Tool Announce 2nd Shows and This Week's Show Announcements

Get a double dose of Coldplay next summer.​This week, we learned that ticket demand for two shows we recently wrote about (Coldplay and Tool) was so overwhelming a second show has been added for each. On Saturday, June 23, Coldplay will perform a second show at American Airlines Center. Tickets fo ... More >>

Cha Cha's Rock and Roll Charity Gala, Adam Ant and the Rest of This Week's Show Announcements

​For the last eight years, local music advocate Chelsea Callahan has been celebrating her birthday with rock-and-roll and charity in mind. Every year, she books a solid bill of local bands and gives all the proceeds away to charity. This year, Cha Cha's Eighth Annual Rock & Roll Charity Gala o ... More >>

Top Chef Texas Recap: Highlights, Superlatives, and the Three Best Dishes

Top Chef Texas "Booyeah bitches!"​Last night at La Grange, City of Aters had good beer, better tacos, and an hour of fantastic television on an enormous projector screen. It was the first City of Ate Top Chef Texas viewing party, and watching the show with a beer in hand, a selection of $2 tac ... 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

Taylor Swift, Toro Y Moi, Portugal. The Man, and The Rest of The Weekend's Top Shows

​Unless you've got a teenage daughter -- or maybe if you are someone's teenage daughter -- you probably haven't paid much attention to Taylor Swift, the headlining performer in this weekend's biggest show. The young country superstar will be at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington on Saturday night along ... More >>

Korn, Boots Electric, Pure X, and This Week's Show Announcements

​It would be a stretch to say that this week's show announcements are all that strong. There are some notable ones -- though perhaps not for the right reasons. For instance: On Sunday, November 20, the Palladium Ballroom has Korn and a handful of opening acts with names that don't mean anythi ... More >>

Good Friday: Death Cab, Rock The Bells, Torche, Trae and The Rest of Your Weekend

Death Cab For Cutie​There was a time when Death Cab For Cutie would have Centro-Matic in the support slot of their regional shows. But those days are long gone. On Saturday, Death Cab will be at the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie with Frightened Rabbit. But if a Centro-Matic-less Death Cab doesn ... More >>

Good Friday: Homegrown Music & Art Festival, and the Rest of This Weekend's Shows

Seriously: Does anyone have any new photos of Neon Indian?​This weekend's biggest show will give local music fans a good reason to get outside: On Saturday, Homegrown Music & Art Festival will feature performances from Neon Indian, School of Seven Bells and a handful of other bands with local ... More >>

Good Friday: Sons' 100-Year Anniversary, All Time Low, Dierks Bentley, Guster and More!

David WilsonSons Of Hermann Hall turns 100​There are lots of shows happening this weekend -- and most of them are pretty good, too. But perhaps the most notable happens all day on Saturday, when Sons of Hermann Hall will officially celebrate their 100-year anniversary. Festivities will include per ... More >>

Good Friday: Billy Bob's Texas 30-Year Anniversary, Kirby Brown, Big K.R.I.T., Janet Jackson, Chris Cornell, Del Castillo, John Mellencamp, Yells At Eels, Del The Funky Homosapien & More!

​We've got a big weekend in store with plenty of shows, a few album releases and a celebration of a club's 30-year anniversary. We're speaking, of course, of Fort Worth honky-tonk Billy Bob's Texas, which has been hosting national and local country acts on its stage since 1981. Tonight, the venue ... More >>

Bonus MP3: Kirby Brown -- "No, MY Generation"

Jim WallKirby Brown​In the paper version of DC9 that will be distributed around town later today, Daniel Hopkins takes a long, hard look at Child of Calamity, the two-years-in-the-making debut, full-length release from folksy local roots rocker Kirby Brown, who will celebrate the release of his ne ... More >>

Show Announcements: Mike Watt, Ghostcar, Paul Slavens, Dredg, Eisley, Brandi Carlile, Little Feat, New Fumes, DEVO, Cage The Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, Sevendust & More!

Mike Watt​As we mentioned yesterday, the South by Southwest spillover effect has reached our beloved record store Good Records. And this evening, before he performs a full blown electric show at The Loft, Mike Watt will be over at Good for what he calls a "hoot & spiel," more commonly known as ... More >>

Show Announcements: Primus, Real Estate, Ha Ha Tonka, Titus Andronicus, Motley Crue, Poison, New York Dolls, Def Leppard, Matt and Kim, Del The Funky Homosapien, Fishboy, Rooney, Das Racist & More!

Les Claypool of Primus​Among the many arguments that dominated our corner of the high school cafeteria was the topic of world's best bass player. One kid was confident that Flea was the greatest. Another kid was a really big fan of Dave Matthews Band, so he thought that guy was really good. But in ... More >>

Show Announcements: Rihanna, Cee Lo Green, Dierks Bentley, Loretta Lynn, George Thorogood, Liz Phair, The Twilight Singers, Snoop Dogg, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Pinback, Wild Party, Stryper, Crosby and Nash, The Moody Blues & More!

Cee Lo Green, practicing his best Chris Brown pose for his upcoming tour with Rihanna.​A few days ago, we received a press release stating that pop star Rihanna will be performing at the American Airlines Center on Friday, July 8. We thought "Cool!" and went on about our business. But this morning ... More >>

Good Friday: Moondoggies, Ume, The O's, Sarah Jaffe, The Cool Kids, New Science Projects, Chris Johnson, The Virgin Wolves, Menkena, Bob Schneider, 30 Seconds To Mars & More!

Moondoggies​Despite having a terrible name, Moondoggies' brand of Americana and alt-country is surprisingly good -- so good that, last month, the Seattle quartet's song "What Took So Long" was featured as NPR's song of the day. While drawing some comparisons to Fleet Foxes, their four-part har ... More >>

Watch: Friends Share Their Favorite Frankie 45 Memories at His Club Dada Memorial Concert

Allison V. SmithFrankie 45​I'm not going to say that this is going to be the last post we're going to do on Frankie 45 -- because, to be honest, I highly doubt that much to be the case. There are too many other memorials in the works -- a tribute album is currently in talks, and, at La Grange on J ... More >>

Show Announcements: Lucero, Hellyeah, The O's, Robern Earl Keen, Miranda Lambert, REO Speedwagon, Bob Schneider, Genitorturers, Corrosion Of Conformity & More!

Ben Nichols​Yesterday, we mentioned the first batch of shows listed for the next few months over at Club Dada -- but we still thought that Lucero's performance set for Thursday, February 24, was worth mentioning again. Last time they came through, they didn't really get a fair shake, playing at 1 ... More >>

Bonus MP3: Menkena -- "Red In The Morning (feat. Nikki Cage of True Widow)"

​ Speaking of records we've been waiting on, seems there's finally news out of Menkena camp on the release of its debut album, With You I'll Travel, which has been finished since, oh, about February and stuck on our personal most-anticipated local releases list ever since. Blame the delay on the l ... More >>

Bonus MP3: Crushed Stars -- "Eyeliner"

Crushed Stars​ Speaking of Crushed Stars, mastermind Todd Gautreau will be bringing his project to La Grange tonight to showcase his latest material, which, mind you, is mostly the product of his own mind and playing. Aside from some assistance from drummer Jeff Ryan (Sarah Jaffe, Pleasant Grove) ... 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 >>

Good Friday: Elton John & Leon Russell, Calhoun, The Orbans, Celtic Thunder, Senses Fail, Bayside, Miniature Tigers, The Dandy Warhols, The Felice Brothers, David Allan Coe, The Derailers, Hed PE and More!

Elton John & Leon Russell​The biggest show coming to town this weekend is, without a doubt, Elton John and Leon Russell at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Saturday night. The two piano-playing legends of yesteryear have teamed up on a new album called The Union. And with producer T-Bone Bu ... More >>

Good Friday: Ben Kweller, Rhett Miller, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Os Mutantes, Deerhunter, Best Coast, Monotonix, Delorean, Magic Kids, Alejandro Escovedo, Bill Frisell, Suicidal Tendencies, DJ Shadow, Merle Haggard, Tumbledown & More!

Ben Kweller punching the bottom of Rhett Miller's head--for Cystic Fibrosis​This weekend's concert calender is abnormally full to the brim, but the show we're maybe most excited about is Ben Kweller and Rhett Miller's Cystic Fibrosis benefit concert at Granada Theater. Two of the biggest local ind ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Tom Petty and ZZ Top at Superpages, Jurassic Park: The Musical at Dan's, Black Tusk and Radio Moscow at The Nightmare

Interesting couple of "shows" happening in the North Texas area tonight. Fans of classic rock, metal and bizarre performance art all have something to look forward to this evening.

Good Friday: The Labor Day Long Weekend Edition

"Yazz Flute!" At Amsterdam Bar​It's Labor Day weekend, and the parties will be happening all over town. One of the most interesting is the Expo Park Jazz Festival's "The Many Faces of Jazz." This two-day jazz festival will happen at Amsterdam Bar on Sunday and Monday and will feature 14 local and ... More >>

A View From the Judges Table: Week Six of The Shiner Rising Star contest.

​Shiner Rising Star Competition: Week SixLa GrangeAugust 26, 2010For night six of the still ongoing first round of this year's Shiner Rising Star competition, hosted by KHYI-95.3 FM The Range, things reverted back to the local flavor that had been largely missing over the previous couple of weeks. ... More >>

Good Friday: KBFB-97.9 FM The Beat's Custom Car Show, Analog Rebellion, Dead Twins, Goo Goo Dolls, Switchfoot, Green River Ordinance, The Budos Band, Tanya Morgan, Brave Combo, More!

​This weekend marks 97.9 The Beat's sixth annual custom car show, which will take place on Sunday, August 22, at the Dallas Convention Center. This year, the event's headliners are Gucci Mane, Ice Cube, Waka Flocka Flame, Plies, Bun B, Trina, Slim Thug and a man who will definitely show off his ic ... More >>

A View From The Judges Table At Week Five of The Shiner Rising Star Contest

​Shiner Rising Star Contest: Round 1, Week 5Main Street Liquid Co., RichardsonAug 19, 2010For week five of the preliminary round of the Shiner Rising Star competition, three more bands took over the small in size, but big in character Main Street Liquid Company in Richardson. Last week, bands from ... More >>

Jacob Metcalf Prepares To Head South, Sets Final North Texas Performance For Next Week

Metcalf's keeping a keen eye on the horizon.​Dallas Family Band cohort Jacob Metcalf is leaving town. But is he off to NYC, like Norah Jones or Neon Indian? Or, perhaps, he's just fulfilling the old cliche and moving to Austin? Nope. But he is headed south."I'm going to Guadalajara," Metcalf says ... More >>

Good Friday: Trees' Anniversary, Ace McNeely Memorial Concert, Doug Burr, Monco Poncho, Airline, Loretta Lynn, Jackson Browne, Record Hop, Spooky Folk, The Beaten Sea, More.

​The Granada Theater's not the only venue around town celebrating an anniversary this week: On Saturday night in Deep Ellum, Trees will celebrate its own one-year anniversary. Tough to believe that it was just a year ago that the venue re-opened, but, hey, time flies. And the venue will be celebra ... More >>

Good Friday: Pleasant Grove, Toadies, B.o.B., RTB2, Queensryche, Ishi, Slobberbone, Spooky Folk, Dark Dark Dark, Trey Songz, Dondria, More...

​Dallas has seen many bands come and go. Some put out records that generated a lot of hype, but ultimately were forgotten. Some released albums that defined our music scene and still stand up today. Pleasant Grove is an example of the latter, and their crowning achievement is their album, Ausculta ... More >>

Gig Alert and Bonus MP3: Hear "Dancing on the Gallows" by Rose's Pawn Shop and Catch the Band Tonight at La Grange

Rose's Pawn Shop​Rose's Pawn Shop is an alt-country outfit hailing out of Los Angeles that boasts a couple of quality Americana albums, including the recently released Dancing on the Gallows. But there's a local tie, too: Local singer/songwriter, and former Dallas Observer Music Award winner Krist ... More >>

Show Announcements: Black Tie Dynasty, Happy Birthday, Sundress, The Black Angels, Deer Hunter, Best Coast, Blitzen Trapper, Better Than Ezra, David Allan Coe, and others

Bill EllisonI can't tell if Black Tie Dynasty is saying hello or goodbye.​I always thought it would be kind of a great idea for a band to only play break-up or reunion shows. Think about it: You can get a lot of people to come to your last concert. And, likewise, when your band gets back together. ... More >>

What It Was Like: Warbeast, Bad Sports and Seryn at the DOMAXXII Showcase

Mattie StaffordBruce Corbitt and the rest of Warbeast took things to 11 at Reno's.​WarbeastReno's 10 p.m.The back room of Reno's was well-attended as Warbeast ripped through an eight-song set that last 40 minutes. No, the room wasn't packed the entire time, but there were plenty of folks milling ... More >>

Good Friday: Brent Best, Telegraph Canyon, Greg Schroeder, Bob Log III, Brave Combo, The Hold Steady, The Whigs, True Widow, Dove Hunter, The O's, Rodeo Ruby Love, Mini Kiss, Second Saturdays and Others!

Larry Brown​American writer Larry Brown was born and grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. His works caught the eye of Alejandro Escovedo, who often played back-up for Brown during his public readings. Brown passed away in 2004, but Brent Best, Chris Welch, and Isaac Hoskins will celebrate his birthday ... More >>

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 13: DJ Bad Holly

​DJ Bad Holly admits that she got her start at DJing through a complete and utter accident. Holly Evans, a.k.a. Bad Holly, volunteered to DJ a party at Doublewide last year at the last minute--and to her surprise received and abundance of positive feedback. "Several people I'd never met came up to ... More >>

How a Girl on Top Chose, Kinda, to Move Back to Deep Ellum After Two Years Living in Austin

​Lower Greenville, Knox-Henderson or Deep Ellum? That's the question I asked all kinds of folks before moving back to Dallas this month to re-join the Observer. Two and a half years gone while in grad school in Austin, and all kinds of things change in this town. Somebody set off a Banana Republi ... More >>

Show Announcements: Dawes, The Eagles, Dax Riggs, Cypress Hill, Melissa Etheridge and More

Dawes​When Dawes came through town last month, they left the packed house at The Cavern in awe of their freewheelin' classic rock revival. We gave the show a great review, and got all giddy when Lance Yocum over at Spune Productions just announced that they'll be coming back on July 14--and they'l ... More >>

Good Friday: RTB2, Fair to Midland, Robert Gomez, Guy Forsyth, The Bravery, Green River Ordinance and Spindrift.

​First off: Let's all say a prayer for Bret Michaels.Now let's take a gander at what's in store for this weekend. First, the shows we've already discussed.Saturday sees our poster-winning show from The Slider Pines, Kirby Brown and Glen Farris coming to life at the Double Wide. But, for the most p ... More >>

Good Friday: The Slack, This Old House, Spooky Folk, Hendrick, Big Red Rooster, Telegraph Canyon, Menkena, Ishi, The Orbans, Gary Allan, Mike Doughty, Days of the New and Nick Oliveri

It's Friday night and the weekend's here, which means it's time to unwind, et al. Got plans? Nah? We've got your hookup right here. First up, as always, the shows we've already discussed. Kind of a slow weekend, though: A bunch of the bigger shows we've talked up are coming after the weekend. As of ... More >>

Looking Back on the Biggest Local Music Stories of 2009.

Counsel for the Defense

At 76, flamboyant criminal lawyer Racehorse Haynes keeps doing what he does best--winning