Passion Pit

Austin City Limit's 2013 Lineup

Austin City Limits' lineup for 2013 was just announced: Headliners include Depeche Mode, The Cure, Muse, Kings of Leon and noted teenage-girl-advice-givers Atoms for Peace. Tickets go on sale May 7 -- early bird passes are sold out but VIP is available if you just can't wait. See also: -50 Don't ... More >>

What to Do When it All Happens on One Night in Dallas: End Your Night in A Hip-Hop Video

Some weekends are just an exercise in multiplicity. When the raining turns to pouring there is really only one decision to make: stay in and away from water or jump right in the puddle? In 2013, if we are to keep Dallas excessive, we might have to jump in more puddles. The trick to a menu like las ... More >>

Ten Indie Artists Poised for Pop Stardom in 2013

We now live in a world where major corporate radio routinely features songs by Phoenix, M83, The Black Keys, Passion Pit, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Kings of Leon and Macklemore. These were largely independent artists who for the most part built critical acclaim over the years by producing quali ... More >>

Passion Pit's Ian Hultquist Proves Pragamtism and Charisma Can Play Nice

Multi-instrumentalist Ian Hultquist, of electro-pop outfit Passion Pit, is the kind of guy that's comfortable and secure in his role as a sideman that carries out the artistic vision of the band's creator and public face, Michael Angelakos. Since 2007, when Angelakos asked him for help building some ... More >>

12 of This Weekend's Best Shows, Starring Triple Play, BrewFest, Mission of Burma and More

See more in our fully-loaded concert calendar Triple Play: The Relatives, Pleasant Grove, SerynFriday, September 14, at Dallas City Performance HallTriple Play -- in which KXT, the Observer and the Kessler Theater curate a three-band bill -- was rolled out over a few months this past spring. This ve ... More >>

A Journey Through Lollapalooza in 25 GIFs

BY REED FISCHER See also: What your Lollapalooza outfit says about you Are you ready for some GIFs? To quote Ozzy Osbourne, "I can't fucking hear you!" I said, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME GIFs?! This past weekend's running of Lollapalooza in Chicago was intense. The heat, the monsoon-like storm on S ... More >>

This Week's Top 11 Show Announcements: Beach House, Animal Collective, Grimes, Air Supply and More

Beach HouseFriday, September 21, at Palladium Ballroom, $22/$25Would a Beach House fan go buck wild if I said their new album, Bloom, sounds pretty much the same as its predecessor, Teen Dream? I'm not saying Teen Dream isn't an immaculate record, or that the band's previous performance in Dallas at ... More >>

Preview: Meltdown Music Festival at QuikTrip Park

Saturday, June 2, at QuikTrip Park

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 >>

Ten of This Weekend's Top Shows: Jane's Addiction, Marilyn Manson, Memoryhouse and More

Jane's Addiction, The Duke SpiritThursday, May 10, at McFarlin AuditoriumAfter seeing Perry Farrell (who is strangely older than my parents) perform a really bad set at South By Southwest a few years ago, seeing Jane's Addiction doesn't pique my interest as much as opening psych-tinged act The Duke ... More >>

The Fest Quest: How Many Festivals Are You Going To This Summer?

It's beginning to look at a lot like festival season. Has Dallas always had so many? And with such... random lineups? Here's a guide to some of the upcoming ones. And feel free to consult with Festy for more tips on how to maximize your summer festival experience, like the foolproof "Get backstage b ... More >>

Keep Austin Fun Fun Fun

Austin's little fest has grown big and sponsored--and that's fine by us

Austin City Limits Goes Mainstream

Download and Stream Some Killer Ocelot Jams, See The Half-Dallas Duo's Free DJ Gig Tonight

​Not to keep touting each and every Thursday night gig at Rio Room, but tonight's offering at the Travis Street lounge is again an intriguing one. After recent Thursday night sets from Diplo, Shuttle (the DJ moniker of new Dallas resident Nate Donmoyer of Passion Pit) and others, the Thursday nigh ... More >>

Passion Pit Drummer, New Dallas Dweller Nate Donmoyer To Spin Free Rio Room Set Thursday

​Technically -- technically -- last week was supposed to be it for Rio Room's somewhat over-the-top, but nonetheless impressive summer-long offerings of DJ sets from bold-faced names. Diplo's performance was to be the cap in the summer's feather, and the weekly Sunday night residency from Grammy-w ... More >>

Spoon, Black Lips, Cannibal Corpse and Others Join Still-Growing Fun Fun Fun Fest Bill

​Further proof that Fun Fun Fun Fest is making a serious run at Austin City Limits as the go-to Austin-based music festival this fall: Today, rather unexpectedly, the three-day, Transmission Entertainment-promoted event has added a few more names to its bill, including Austin heroes and ACL vets S ... More >>

Public Enemy, Slayer, Henry Rollins, Passion Pit and Odd Future Top 2011 Fun Fun Fun Fest Bill

​Since the names of some of Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011's performers started leaking in mid-July, we've been sharing with you the info, a good chunk of which has been fairly exciting -- like Odd Future and M83 and, of course, the almighty Slayer, just to name a few of the early-released names.Now, thoug ... More >>

Q&A: Through "Operation Every Band," Denton Resident Kevin McStravick Has Listened To Most Every Act Playing SXSW '11 -- And He Has Some Band Recommendations For You.

​Over the past three months, Denton resident Kevin McStravick has taken on a rather daunting project -- finding and reviewing every single band that is playing at SXSW this year, which counts almost 2,000 acts, and ranking them on his website.For the project, which is called Operation Every Band a ... More >>

Folks Throwing XLV Party in Cotton Bowl Say Tent's Just Fine And the Wingding's Still On

​For the last hour or so, a rumor's been circulating via the Facebook and e-mail that the ginormo tent built inside the Cotton Bowl for the XLV Party -- featuring DJ sets from Duran Duran's Roger Taylor, Passion Pit and Samantha Ronson, among others -- collapsed beneath the weight of last night's ... More >>

Unexpected Influences: Like The Rest of Us, Jonathan Tyler Loved Oasis As A Kid. And, Yes, He Wanted a Vanilla Ice Haircut, Too.

Welcome to a Unexpected Influences, where we talk to musicians about the music no one expects them to like. Patrick MichelsJonathan Tyler​With the help of his band, The Northern Lights, Jonathan Tyler has used a passion for a variety of musical influences to fuel his soul-infused brand of Souther ... More >>

Passion Tent

Macho, Macho Bowl

Are You Pumped For All Those Free Concerts The Super Bowl's Gonna Bring? Even If The First One We've Heard Of Features Maroon 5?

​Robert's been doing a pretty decent job of keeping folks appraised of the Super Bowl-related(ish) events we can expect to be inundated with come February when the big ol' XLV comes through to rock Arlington (with the Black Eyed Peas) -- like the two-day Diddy-hosted affair, and the Pam Anderson p ... 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 >>

Your First Super Bowl Party Invite: The Village People at the Cotton Bowl. Wait. What?

​We are 59 days from kickoff of Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, and The Great Prostitution Invasion of '11 only feels like a long way off. But, no -- time to party plan. And yesterday, this invite arrived to a three-night-stravaganza at Fair Park starting February 3 called, simply, XLV Party. Better ... More >>

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 >>

Tonight, Tonight: Chiddy Bang at Trees, Tame Impala at The Loft, Danny Balis at The Belmont Hotel, Grant Jones & The Pistol Grip Lassos at The Kessler and Heather McCready at Poor David's Pub. And That's Just The Beginning...

Quite the nice and busy Thursday evening of music going on in our area tonight -- one highlighted by a very nice collection of local acts.

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 28: DJ Hunter Vaughan

​Three years ago, Hunter Vaughan was just your average 17-year-old raver who frequented Dallas' nightclubs (when permitted inside) with the sole objective of having a good time. As Vaughan became more aware of the scene around him, though, he started keeping his eyes and ears out for local residen ... More >>

Q&A: Two Door Cinema Club's Kevin Baird Talks His Band's Fast Rise, Its Favorite Festival Moments and Its Problem With Light Beer.

In just four years, Two Door Cinema Club have gone from a group of high school buddies to rocking thousands at festivals all over the world. That much isn't necessarily surprising: The band's sharp, dance-infused indie rock has drawn comparisons to Passion Pit and Hot Hot Heat. And, while they may n ... More >>

Last Night: Passion Pit at the Palladium Ballroom

Passion PitPalladium BallroomJune 21, 2010Better than: seeing Elmo in concert.Passion Pit​It was startling, actually--even to the band on stage. "This is one of the biggest audiences we're playing to on this tour," Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos announced to his adoring crowd somewhere in ... More >>

Picture Show: Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club at the Palladium

Win the crowd, and you'll win your freedom.​It shocked Passion Pit (playing with openers Tokyo Police Club) to see a 3,500 capacity ballroom filled to the brim Monday night. But, as Pete pointed out in his review, the crowd's energy was even more remarkable. See more of the night's energetic perfo ... More >>

Giveaway: A Pair Of Passes To See Passion Pit Perform at the Palladium

The five electro-pop gurus that form Passion Pit are touring the globe, offering up their infectious melodies and good times to audiences everywhere. This summer it's all about the U.S. of A--and the fun's making a stop at Dallas's own Palladium Showroom on Monday, June 21. And though, OK, the lyric ... More >>

Passion Pit Might Not Be As Happy As We Thought...

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 11: DJ TraDeMarx

​DJ TraDeMarx, aka Chris Johnson (and better known around town as CJ), is relatively new to the DJ game, having gotten his start at spinning just three years ago after a friend asked him to DJ his party. Drawing much of his inspiration from Rio De Janeiro production duo/DJ's The Twelves and Brookl ... More >>

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 9: DJ Merritt

​Twenty-something years ago, Merritt was just your average high school kid, hanging out and throwing keggers. But, one Saturday afternoon, on his way to help set up a party, Merritt witnessed a series of life-changing events which transformed him into DJ Merritt--pretty much over night. Now, with ... More >>

Sarah Jaffe Makes Magnet A Mix, Offers Up Another Song Download

Well, speaking of upcoming debut full-lengths from promising young area artists: Today, Magnet magazine has posted quite the flattering write-up on Sarah Jaffe on its Web site, wherein it gushes about the songs on her upcoming Kirtland Records full-length Suburban Nature: "One listen to 24-year-old ... More >>

Show Announcements: Kings Of Leon And Lupe Fiasco Coming To Dallas, Original Music Coming To Frisco, But Sting Ticket Sales Are Suspended

​Kings Of Leon couldn't quite sell out the American Airlines Center last time they came through town, so the band is aiming a tad lower this year, scheduling its 2010 Dallas tour stop for the intimate-by-comparison Superpages.com Center.The band performs Thursday, September 23, with doors opening ... More >>

Syndey Confirm Returns With Plans For New Music, A Label, And Maybe A Festival. But Definitely A New Remix EP For You To Download For Free.

​Earlier this week, Sydney Confirm's Redsean (aka Sean Humphrey) announced the release of a free-to-download remix EP called Sounds of Old. Only, turns out, the remix EP, which is pretty stellar collection of slightly vampy electro-dance cuts featuring Redsean's track revisions from the past two y ... More >>

Nick Jonas and The Aging Of The Area Disney Crop

Our Critics List Their Fave Discs of '09

Year in Review: 2009's Best Indie Records, the College Rockers Honor Roll

Yeah, pal, that's "college rock," scare quotes very much included. Look, it's a meaningless term. As are "indie," "alternative," "hipster," etc., etc. Let's not overthink this: Here we have ten splendid records with an amorphous rock 'n' roll designation, albeit in a perhaps slightly more experiment ... More >>

Electronic Music Moves Its Way Into Other Genres

ACL '09 in Photos: Festival Recap with Passion Pit, Girl Talk and Ben Harper

Photos by Patrick MichelsPassion Pit's passionate pit.​With ACL wrapped up and the bands, festival-goers and fields at Zilker Park on their road to recovery, it's time for one last look at the bands that braved the mud on the festival's last day.First, for an overall recap of the best shots from t ... More >>

ACL: The Dirty Projectors Clean Up Quite Nice

​ The Dirty Projectors may have been around since 2002, but make no mistake: 2009 is the Brooklyn-based act's breakthrough year, thanks tot he success of the band's phenomenal earlier-this-year-released Bitte Orca, a true gem of a folktronipop of a record, riff with lush instrumentations and as im ... More >>

ACL '09: The Rain's Stopped (For Now) As Crowds Wait For Pearl Jam--And Maybe The Toadies?

​The early outlook here on the Day Three of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival isn't too bad. The sun has peeked out from behind the clouds here and there, and, for the time being, the rain has held off. Forecasts appear to indicate more rain as the day continues, though, and, surely ... More >>

Neon Indian hits the national scene

Blogaroo '09: At Least The Comics Are Keeping Things Light...

As of Friday at noonish, nothing at the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has happened the way I've expected it to. Or the way I've thought it should've gone. Or the way Triumph the Insult Comic Dog thought it would either, for that matter.No surprise that there are lines for everything, but th ... More >>

Last Night: Passion Pit at the Granada Theater

Passion PitGranada TheaterJune 2, 2009 Better than: Staying home and watching a cartoon or puppet show with a character whose voice sounds like Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos' vocals.  "Oh, Passion Pit, you old blowhards."In today's fast-moving indie music climate, hype ... More >>

Passion Pit Puts Its Mind over Manners