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The 12 Best Things About SXSW 2013

This year, Dallas Observer music blog DC9 at Night and Houston Press music blog Rocks Off teamed up to bring you only the greatest moments from last week's SXSW madness. Here are the 12 best shows and moments we saw. See also: -There's an App to Get You Laid at SXSW, But You Absolutely Don't Need t ... More >>

Top Show Annoucements: Metric, Rodriguez, The Walkmen and More

Metric Sunday, April 28, at House of Blues, $28-$38 It took them a little while (since the late '90s) but Metric has made it. Big. The group's 2009 release, Fantasies can take most of the credit for that when they unleashed the addicting, head-bobbing and shoulder-swaying hit "Gold Guns Girls." Sexi ... More >>

Does Neutral Milk Hotel Suck? A Debate Involving the Merits of "Elephant 6" as a Safe Word

Jeff Mangum plays the Majestic Theater on Sunday, January 20. Gavin: You know how we always say Kiernan should publish our gchats? WELL GUESS WHAT! WE'RE IN THE MONEY! Jaime: Wait, we're going to talk NMH? Gavin: Yes. And how you think they suck, and then as a follow-on topic, how you are wrong. ... More >>

Why EDM Is Thriving While Other Genres Are Sinking

DJs are the new rock stars? Maybe. (Although chefs are already the new rock stars.) Still, the big name DJs do seem to be living pretty large, what with the constant travel to exotic locations, goofily-clad fans, eager women, drugs and parties. Just swap MacBooks for guitars and it doesn't look so d ... 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 >>

Spune's Annette Marin: "Music Promotion is a Lot Like Running a Grassroots Political Campaign"

For three years now, Annette Marin's been a mover and shaker at Spune Productions, alongside Lance Yocom, and had a hand in this year's Index Fest and Untapped Festival. In 2013, she's helping ready new releases from Air Review and Datahowler. As a student, Marin set out to pursue a career in polit ... More >>

Why The Chronic is the Greatest Album in Rap History

Making My 16-Year-Old Cousin Listen To Therapy? and Hootie & the Blowfish

Unlike Jesse Hughey and Darryl Smyers, I do not have children yet. I come from a large family. My father is eldest of five, so it's understandable why I, a 33-year-old, have cousins who are teenagers. Something I've wondered about with my cousins is the kind of music they like these days. Is their ... More >>

Luke Pritchard of The Kooks: "I Can't Believe We Are Still Making Music."

Hugely successful in their homeland of Great Britain, The Kooks have found it difficult to make commercial inroads in the United States. Perhaps it's the band's eclectic mix of rock, pop and reggae that has failed to connect with American audiences. Speaking from Boston and in anticipation of toni ... More >>

Kanye West's "Theraflu," Explained

America loves hip-hop music, but we don't always understand the meaning behind the message. We love to dance awkwardly to "Rack City" in the comfort of our homes while throwing imaginary ones in the air, but seldom take the time to break down a song line by line to derive its true meaning. That's ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Wednesday 3/14/2012

​If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving musi ... More >>

Jon Anderson and Tim DeLaughter - Kessler Theater - 2/28/12

​John Anderson, Tim DeLaughterKessler TheaterTuesday, February 28Tim DeLaughter took to the Kessler Theater stage on Tuesday night like a guy about to meet his girlfriend's parents for the first time. He was struggling to keep himself together in front of a sold-out crowd of mostly grey-haired dad ... More >>

The Five Best and Worst Musicians to Interview

In honor of Evan Dando and his band The Lemonheads being at the Prophet Bar tonight, I thought I might share with the readers of DC9 some of the pitfalls of being a music writer. Sure, there are tons of positives: free shows and CDs and access to cool people (some of whom you may actually admire). B ... More >>

Soundgarden's Kim Thayil Talks His Band's Legacy, Plus Grunge's Revival and Future.

Kim Thayil​With the 20th anniversary edition of Nevermind being released earlier this year -- and with the subsequent buzz it churned -- it would seem we are on the brink of a full-blown grunge resurgence. But what is being somewhat overlooked in all the Nirvana hype is that the early '90s Seattle ... More >>

Feds, Researchers Raise More Questions About Texas's New Voter ID Law

​The voter ID law passed by Texas lawmakers in May continues its circuit among activists, lawmakers, academics and social commentators as a discriminatory, unjustified and absolutely necessary measure, depending on who's yelling. Words like "voter fraud" on the right and "disenfranchisement" o ... More >>

Austin City Limits Goes Mainstream

Five Ways Drunk Folk Justify Drinking

​As if you needed another reason to have a beer besides "It's Hump Daaaaay!" and "It's daytime!" and "I like beer!," here are five "facts" drunks will throw at you to convince you that getting hammered is actually good for you. "Wine is nature's sunblock!" -- your mom and these scientists&nbs ... More >>

Christina Perri's Literal Overnight Success Story

From Our Archives: "Crocodile Nowitzki"

Not quite as good as the cover of the new Sports Illustrated, sure, but slightly better than this.​Last night I finally had the chance to read the new issue of Rolling Stone, which happens to feature a feature by former Observer-er Jesse Hyde, who decamped for his native Utah a couple of years bac ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Ke$ha at the House of Blues, Willie Nelson at the Meyerson Symphony Center

Could there be two more disparate acts playing Dallas than the two we've got tonight?

Wayne Coyne To Hand-Deliver Flaming Lips' Gummy Skull EPs to Good Records at 2 P.M.

Danny FulgencioWayne Coyne, just a few weeks ago at Good Records.​Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, it turns out, is a man of his word. At the start of the calendar year, Coyne, in a sit-down with Rolling Stone, said that his band, in part inspired by Kanye West, would be releasing music on a mon ... More >>

Q&A: Midlake Invite Us Into Their Denton Studio, Talk Their Recent Recording Sessions

Dylan HollingsworthMidlake in their studio, just after wrapping The Courage of Others.​That first step into Midlake's new studio is a tricky one -- especially at night. The entry way is actually a sectioned-off sitting room, and it's pitch black, forcing one to step lightly to avoid knocking over ... More >>

SXSW Meets Its Odd Future

Tonight, Tonight: Liz Phair at the Granada, Dawes at Dada, Helmet at South Side Music Hall, Appleseed Cast at The Loft and David Lindley at the Kessler

A busy, busy Thursday evening tonight as the weekend cranks up a day early. SXSW crossover travel is certainly adding to our own scene's musical hustle and bustle...

Pyromania vs. Pyromania: Def Leppard Tribute Band Feud A-Brewin'

Pyromania found their drummer, apparently. ​A heavy metal feud is brewing between California and Dallas. Seems Southern California's Def Leppard tribute band is pretty pissed off at Dallas' Def Leppard tribute band, according to Spinner and NME. Perusing the Huntington Beach-based Leppard tribute ... More >>

Can the albums scheduled to be released in 2011 match the stellar albums released in 2010? They just might be better.

The Levon Helm Band with Ray Lamontagne

Thursday, November 11, at the Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie

For Your Weekend Listening Pleasure: George Harrison Brings Friends to Fort Worth in '74

​Legend has it George Harrison's '74 tour, kicked off shortly before the release of Dark Horse late that year, was a fiasco best forgotten -- in large part because the former Beatle, whose wife Pattie had just left him for Eric Clapton, had gone on the road following the same bout of laryngitis th ... More >>

Old 97's Release Album Art, Tracklisting For October 12's The Grand Theatre, Volume One

​Well, finally: An email from New West Records today finally gets around to confirming all that hard work and reporting we've been kicking out since April on the next, once-thought-to-be-a-double-album-but-now-known-to-be-a-two-part-release from Dallas' own Old 97's. Meaning: Yes, it'll be called ... More >>

Q&A: Crowded House's Nick Seymour Talks Inspiration, Visual Art, David Byrne, Mustaches and Bicycling With Our In-House Superfan

On the far left, Neil Finn and his mustache. Next to him? Nick Seymour.​On a hot summer day last month, I played the "international calling game" with Crowded House's bassist Nick Seymour. I harassed operators and PR reps to no avail: The number I was dialing was not in service. I wondered what in ... More >>

Nick Jonas and The Administration, Diane Birch

Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January 3, at House of Blues

Tipsy Turvy: Yes, You Can Build Alcohol Tolerance--But At What Price?

That's not me--I wasn't that rousing, but I was pretty sober.​After wrapping up "Purple Rain" by Prince in the main karaoke room at the office holiday party last night, I turned to a coworker's wife, who was sharing the stage with me, and said that was so much fun I was going to go sing it i ... More >>

LMFAO Wants To Be Your Friend, Bitch!

Foul-Mouthed Hussy

How R&B has descended into Rap and Bullshit

Admit It: Death Cab Made You Vote

Mr. Nasal Voice Man

A young Dylan visits the AllGood

Forgiven

Stranger Things have happened to Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

Odds & Ends

Cory Helms benefit entertains and helps out; The Hourly Radio plays NYC showcase; rockin' women headed for Hailey's

Making a Difference?

For musicians these days, speaking out against President Bush isn'trisky so much as trendy

It Took Some Time

Why Morrissey is newly hip among bands that sound nothing like him

Dead Dance

Ballerinas rattle their bones

Tit for Tat

When girls started going wild, Playboy Video stopped playing mild

You Will Love It

Josie doesn't pussyfoot around: You're being brainwashed by pop

Flanagan's wake

VH1 vice president's novel about the music business mourns an era just since passed

Body shots

Mariah Carey's new video is an insult to your intelligence, but it's much more than that

Rock and roll over

In today's music business, tomorrow's revolution is yesterday's fad

Sells like teen spirit

Hype! dreams and other bull about grunge, Seattle, and Sub Pop

Live and demystified

More man than legend, Bob Dylan brings it all back home