Reno (Nevada)

How Alan Keys Revived Reno's Chop Shop, and What He Thinks Deep Ellum Needs Now

Around Deep Ellum, Alan Keys is best known as "Alan from Reno's"...the guy who threw a hell of a party for many years at Reno's Chop Shop, bringing a pretty raucous and heathy-sized rock crowd in. Keys networked hard to get a lot of national touring acts to stop by for a drink or two as well: Avenge ... More >>

All Aboard for Fun with Cole Porter's Anything Goes

The Postal Service are Coming to Dallas: Presale Starts Tomorrow

Update, 2/20, 9:50 a.m. The pre sales have started for East Coast dates. The link goes live to the right of the date, where it currently says On Sale Soon. Once you click, you get put in a queue for tickets, so I'd try and click as close to 10 a.m. as you humanly can. As in, start refreshing your br ... More >>

How Do We Convert From Christian Rock to Indie Rock?

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you ... More >>

VideoBob Mosely Went from Geek to Artist for Pantera: "If My Magnum Could Talk"

This isn't the first time the Observer has reached out to "VideoBob" Mosely. If memory serves, he popped up in the City of Ate blog when he took over Reno's Grill for a spell, with a pretty visionary menu of barfood taste sensations, lots of self-designed movie props (Mosely does them professionally ... More >>

Why Your Band Has a Better Shot Starting Out Somewhere Other than New York or LA

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you ... More >>

Where to Drink Before Shows in Dallas

You know what goes well with live music? Alcohol. A large amount of alcohol. But that's not always cheap. Some nights you'll end up spending more than the ticket price on non-discounted booze, which is exactly what the venue wants you to do. You're playing right into their hands. SO LISTEN UP, SHEEP ... More >>

A Journey Through the Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase in 12 GIFs

Before Tuesday, which is when we'll be handing out the Observer music awards at House of Blues (with our emcee, comedian Paul Varghese, the Cannabinoids, Lucero and more), we'd like to present some GIFs. They're from photographer Catherine Downes, who was roaming the streets of Deep Ellum and captur ... More >>

10 Awesome Photos From Saturday's Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase

What a night it was. Saturday's music awards showcase on Elm Street left our web editor Nick Rallo voiceless, a man at Reno's toothless, and accounted for some epic hangovers the next day. It was a glorious night filled with memorable sets, and those little moments of bodily chaos, as we all hurried ... More >>

#doma2012: Your Instagrams from the Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase

So, the Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase is a total voice-stealer. Somewhere between the Atomic Tanlines' primal howl of a show at Reno's and downing an entire box of Triscuits in bed, I lost the ability to speak out loud. My point is, it was a helluva time. It was 60-plus bands packed into Dee ... More >>

The Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase: A User's Guide

We're taking over Deep Ellum on Saturday. Come along, will you?

Your 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards Bingo Card

Instructions: 1) Go to our Saturday showcase 2) Get drunk 3) See live music 4) Play this Bingo card 5) Wake up passed out in Reno's bathroom, clutching Bingo card

Sniffing Tail, Doing Shots

The Six Best Foodie Events of the Week (Oct 17 - Oct 23)

The 3rd annual Texas State Veggie Fair is this Sunday, October 21, at Reverchon Park (3505 Maple Ave.) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be lots foods samples, vendors, music and art - all in the name of a plant-based diet. Not to be shown up by other fairs, there's also a fried food competition th ... More >>

The 10 Best Moments at This Year's Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase

Mike BrooksMind Spiders on the rooftop of The Bone.​ It's tough to look back on an event like Saturday night's Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase and try to come up with a conclusive best-moments list. With 52 bands playing 10 stages over the course of a ten-hour period all throughout Deep Ellu ... 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

Raised An Army Brat, Jerry Rutherford's Now a Deep Ellum Metalhead Through and Through.

Jerry Rutherford​Within Deep Ellum's metal scene, Jerry Rutherford is everybody's friend. It seems like he's at all the shows, always up to do a shot and let out that rallying, supportive cry-of-the-rocker that barely edges up above the volume of whichever hard rock act is blaring not far in front ... More >>

DOMAXXIII: 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase Tickets Now Up For Sale

​ It's coming up on two weeks now since we dropped the above bomb on you and announced that we'd somehow cobbled together the above four bold-faced names -- Toadies, Old 97's, Centro-matic and Sarah Jaffe -- to headline our 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase on Saturday, October 15, in Dee ... More >>

Whitt's End: 9.2.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Raymond Radway was thiiiiis close -- three seconds, in fact -- to making the Cowboys' final roster. Then in Thursday night's 17-3 meaningless loss to the Dolphins the rookie free- ... More >>

Deep Ellum Native Wes Garratt Will Pour Your Drink and Take Song Requests As DJ Wes Metal

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans , where we meet some of the people behind the local music scene -- those who aren't necessarily members of local bands, but more the people who make the scene move.Wes Garratt​Behind the mixer, he's warmed up for Tripping Daisy, Bowling For Soup, Satellite Party ... More >>

Shit List: The Worst Venue Bathrooms in Dallas

You can find cats anywhere these days.​Public restrooms are never pretty. At best, they're clean, utilitarian, and stocked. Concert venues are, in particular, hot spots for awfulness in the public restroom arena. Even the cleanest, most well-stocked loo can turn into a soggy mess after visits from ... More >>

Local Music 'Mericans: Crystal Smith Supports The Scene When She's Not Slanging Drinks

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans , where we meet some of the people behind the local music scene -- those who aren't necessarily members of local bands, but more the people who make the scene move.Crystal Smith​Our local music scene's bartenders are, without a doubt, some of the hardest-working in ... More >>

Good Friday: 35 Conferette, Toadies, Slobberbone, The Civil Wars, ADd , Big Hud, Drowning Pool, Mint Condition, Ian Moore & The Lossy Coils & More!

​As we've reported, Denton's 35 Conferette is well underway, and the first set of reviews have already trickled in. We'll have plenty more for you as the festival continues on over the weekend, so if you find yourself with a little extra dough, head north for the weekend. But if you'd rather stay ... More >>

Bonus MP3: Onward We March -- "Of Pestilence"

Onward We March​A funny thing happened to local metal outfit Onward We March on their way to releasing their debut CD. They fired their lead singer. Just a few weeks after pressing their The Golden Vine EP, the band decided to change singers."I know it's incredibly bad timing all around," says gui ... More >>

State And Allen: At The Intersection Of Good Food And Assbaggery

Photos by Andrea Grimes and Man O' The HourBloody Marys are small but mighty at State and Allen Lounge.​It's disappointing, though not surprising, that Uptown is one of the few reliable neighborhoods for Saturday brunch in Dallas. Uptown is young, Uptown is packed, and Uptown loves drinking on all ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Ozzy at the AAC, Authority Zero at Trees, Danny Balis at Lola's and NOFX at House of Blues

Pretty busy Thursday evening we have here, highlighted by the Price of Darkness himself, and a pair of punk rock quadruple-bills.

Local Music 'Mericans: Brian "Torch" Idell Will Promote Your Band, Be Your Drinking Buddy

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans, where we'll be meeting some people behind the local music scene who aren't musicians, but more behind-the-scenes folk.Brian "Torch" Idell​Brian "Torch" Idell's beat is the streets of Deep Ellum. He's not a cop or reporter, though. Rather, he promotes local music ... More >>

Q&A: Eyehategod's Mike Williams Talks Playing Around Christmas, Going Through Bass Players and Liking The Carpenters

For over 22 years, Mike Williams has led the New Orleans metal band Eyehategod. And, in that time, the singer has endured numerous protestors at shows, a constantly revolving situation with bass players and even some time in jail in 2005 on a narcotics charge. Through it all, Williams has remained c ... More >>

Good Friday: A Spune Christmas, How The Edge Stole Christmas, Drowning Pool, Justin Townes Earle, Cheap Trick, John David Kent & The Dumb Angels, Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmy Eat World, Sundress, Will Johnson & More!

​It doesn't feel like the holiday season yet, but Spune Productions is ushering in the holiday spirit with its sixth annual Christmas Party tomorrow night at Hailey's Club in Denton. The festivities will include free (Christmas?) tacos, free wassail, and, of course, music. Telegraph Canyon is head ... More >>

Top 20 Stage Faces at The Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase

Caity ColvardRunner Up: The Backsliders. Alas, the microphone covers up what we assume was a great stage yell. Warning: This is not an official Dallas Observer Music Award. If it was, we might break it down into something like--Best Grimace, Best Contortion, Best Scream, Best "Stage Dump." But that' ... More >>

Night Moves No. 2: Tattoos and Hard Rock at DOMAXXII

Caity ColvardSpector 45 at Reno's​So, we have a lot of photos of DOMAXXII. We want to show you all of them. Somewhere in between the heat and The Cool Kids were the performances at The Bone and Reno's Chop Shop Saloon, featuring bands VIDEO, Phuss, Nervous Curtains, Spector 45, The Backsliders, Ba ... More >>

Picture Show: Saturday's Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase. (Yes, Again.)

Patrick MichelsEmotion Brown at the Outdoor Stage with Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, before her own set at Reno's later Saturday night.​As Warbeast, Akkolyte and others had their way with Reno's Chop Shop Saloon on Saturday night, those of us sardine-packed and sweating inside La Grange ... More >>

Proof That We Party On, Garth'd at DOMAXXII

Early Sunday morning (or very late Saturday, however you wanna look at it), DOMA nominee Mariachi Quetzal took the stage at Reno's Chop Shop Saloon in Deep Ellum for the stage's last performance of the night. Certainly, we have more show reviews, photos, slideshows and video) upcoming, but we though ... More >>

More DOMAXXII Showcase News And Info Than You Can Handle. Also? Free Wristbands!

​Hello, Unfair Park. It's nice to be here. Thanks for having me. Sorry to say, though, it's just a short stay--a follow-through on a promise I made yesterday to Robert, y'know. That promise? That I'd roll on through to this side of the fence for a moment to tell you a little "something-something" ... 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 >>

DOMAXXII: The Performers For The July 17 Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase Are...

​We've been pretty much dying here at DC9 HQ, sitting on this information, just waiting to put it out there for you. And now the higher-ups have given us the green light. You ready? Better be.On July 17, we'll be hosting our the fourth annual showcase for our Dallas Observer Music Awards (the awar ... More >>

On the Road Again

How Do Dallas's Lobbyists Earn Their Dough?

Zazzle​On October 28, the Dallas City Council will vote to renew its contract with the lobbyists who do the city's bidding in Austin and D.C. Right about now, the city spends $502,000 with the likes of CapitalEdge (which also lobbies on behalf of Arlington; Denton, Reno, Nevada; and Huntsville, Al ... More >>

Deputy of Laughs

Before the Election, Feeling a Little Hanxious

Man from Atlantis

Lowest of the Low | Oopsie | Romo Rules | Hieronymus' Truck Stop | Bad Neighbors | River Dreams

Ain't Got That Swing

Noodleswing Thai Cafe aims for the fence--and misses

Rodent Tales

It's man vs. squirrel

Italian Surprise

Raneri's does the Big I

Funny Valentina

The food's OK, but the service leaves a bad taste in your mouth at La Valentina

Pressing on

Finally, June Carter Cash gets her own record, and maybe some of the credit she's always deserved