Ryan Adams

Atoms for Peace is Dallas' Favorite Band This Week

This is not your everyday Billboard chart. Each week, we'll tell you which bands are selling in the fine record shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where we consumers of music have impeccable taste. Lance Price, CD Source owner, says a recently turned solo artist with a classic sound is makin ... More >>

Five Great 2012 Concerts in Non-Traditional Venues

Certainly, there will be lists coming forth that will discuss the wonderful local tour stops for many national and international bands in 2012, whether Radiohead at the AAC, Sharon Von Etten at Trees or Frank Ocean at South Side Music Hall. See also: - The top five musical resurrections of 2012 ... More >>

Elkhart's Travis Hopper On Being a First-Time Dad, the Band's Future

​ Some local bands play so much that you take them for granted. In the case of Elkhart, they've barely played this year, but with good reason. Luckily, their Americana-influenced rock returns to City Tavern tonight. Frontman Travis Hopper, who told us earlier this year about the band's futur ... More >>

Five Sad Bastard Songs From 2011 (And When To Use Them)

Make sure you're alone, cold and in the dark before listening to these songs.​We're just on the cusp of a time change. Oh, you know what that means. You know. It means: it'll get darker soon, the clouds will hang gray and low in the sky, and it'll be bone cold. Unless it's not cold because Tex ... More >>

Get To Know Your DOMAXXIII Nominees: Best Solo Act, Best Alt-Country/Roots Act, Best Country Act

​Welcome to our 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards breakdown, wherein we'll use the weeks leading up to the DOMA showcases on Saturday, October 15 (which is also when voting ends), to explain the nominees in each category Today, we look at the nominees in the  Best Solo, Best Cou ... More >>

Nicholas Altobelli

Radio Waves & Telephone Wire Self-released

Tonight, Tonight: Will Johnson and Matt Pence Art Show at Meme Gallery, Hugh Cornwell at the Double Wide, Here in Arms at Dada and Southern Culture on the Skids at Sons of Hermann Hall

Some pretty solid pickings on this Thursday evening, thanks to three music shows and an art show from some of the area's finest rockers.

Tonight, Tonight: Lady Gaga at the AAC, The Small Ponds at Dan's, The Lonely Forest at Dada, Muffalo at The Double Wide, Babar at Rubber Gloves and Milktooth at La Grange

Eek! It's time for SXSW spillover, the yearly event in which the hoards of bands heading to Austin collect a little gas money by playing our fair area. But I'm not one to complain: Good music is good music, no matter where or when it's played.

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 >>

Unexpected Influences: Smile Smile's Ryan Hamilton Can't Hear Enough Frank Sinatra, John Mellencamp or Third Eye Blind.

Smile Smile's Ryan Hamilton​Delightfully catchy.That's exactly how you can describe the folk-flavored indie pop being made by the boy-girl duo Smile Smile. Members Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme are riding high on the success of their Kirtland Records-released sophomore offering Truth on Tape ... 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.

Tonight, Tonight: We Are Scientist at The Loft, Powerman 5000 at Trees and Cory Morrow at The Aardvark. LATE ADD: The Fresh & Onlys and Royal Baths at The Nightmare.

A couple of nice triple-bills, plus some hardcore country, makes for a pleasant Tuesday evening of music, no?

Tonight, Tonight: Sufjan Stevens at McFarlin Auditorium, Gorillaz at the Verizon Theatre, The Script at the House of Blues and The Summer Set at the Prophet Bar

Sufjan Stevens​Quite the packed hump day evening we have tonight. Lots of cool choices...

Gig Alert/Bonus MP3: Greg Reichel Plays Adair's Tonight, Shares A Song From His Debut

Greg Reichel​Raised in Oklahoma, but now a resident of Dallas, Greg Reichel is the best kind of alt-country songwriter, one who enjoys both the old-school, rural soul of Townes Van Zandt and the snotty genius of Ryan Adams.Reichel released his debut album back in 2007 and he's been skimping and sa ... More >>

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 19: Lucy Wrubel

​Lucy Wrubel has been DJing for over a decade now. The stand up comedian turned DJ got her start in Rome Italy, where she found she could overcome the language barrier through music. "I found myself unable to communicate with the locals, unless I was choosing the music." Wrubel says, "After spen ... More >>

The Best Local Album Releases of 2010... So Far.

Bill Mallonee

Saturday, June 26, at The Hydrant, Denton

Bonus MP3: The Orbans -- "New Dress"

In this week's paper, Mark Schectman reviews When We Were Wild, the long-time-coming-but-well-worth-the-wait full-length debut from Fort Worth's The Orbans. And Schectman makes no bones in shouting out the disc's merits:[It's the Orbans'] blending of styles that truly makes When We Were Wild such a ... More >>

Calhoun Returns From The Dead, Releases New Demos, Hits Studio

Vishal Malhotra Calhoun's back, even if it's just those two on the left...​Over on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's site today, a real treat for fans of Calhoun, one of the finest bands from that city: Seems the band, which called it quits last May, isn't done yet. And there's proof: A week ago toda ... More >>

Norah Jones

The Fall (Blue Note)

A. A. Bondy, Elvis Perkins

Saturday, November 14, at House of Blues' Cambridge Room

Stream Norah Jones' Ryan Adams-Penned Song Over at NPR.org

​Over on NPR.com today, a real treat: The National Public Radio folks have posted a stream of the new Norah Jones track "Light As A Feather" for all to listen in on.It's a track of note because, for one, Jones didn't write it; rather, mercurial and prolific alt-country icon Ryan Adams did. And, li ... More >>

Wayne "The Train" Hancock

Friday, September 4, at the Granada Theater

Gig Alert: Hippiefest Tonight at Nokia Theatre

​Yeah, yeah. I know that these oldie tours are an easy target for the cool, indie rock naysayers out there, but most of the acts on tonight's Hippiefest bill at Nokia Theatre are just a wee bit older than Aerosmith and ZZ Top, and I didn't hear anyone complaining about that recent gig. Anyh ... More >>

Bonus MP3: Something in the Wheel -- "Ol Nathanial and the Thirsty River"

Something in the Wheel is a clever country duo consisting of Mimo Morreale and Daniel Pease. Both members sing, as well as play banjo, guitar, harmonica and mandolin, and, flanked by a few extra players, the duo captivated a crowd with its down-home sound as it performed on the acoustic stage at las ... More >>

Last Night: Mark Olson and Gary Louris at Sons of Hermann Hall

[Editor's note: This review was penned by our newest Observer/DC9 contributor, Eric Grubbs.] Mark Olson and Gary LourisSons of Hermann HallApril 17, 2009 Better Than: wondering if Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary could successfully do a reunion record and tour. Steven CohenThe ave ... More >>

What It Was Like: These United States, Phosphorescent, BLK JKS, Foreign Born, Akron/Family, Dinosaur Jr

Pete Freedman Phosphorescent captivates the crowd at Mohawk's Patio.Night two at SXSW 2009 very much encapsulated everything I love about SXSW: Writing down a schedule of shows to see, throwing it out the window and catching a whole different lineup of acts that were probably better than any ... More >>

Today In Music News: There Are Some New Hall of Fame Inductees; Ryan Adams Says He's Done; Neko Case Teases For A Good Cause

Your daily dose of national music news for Thursday, January 15, 2009... Run-DMC (the Kings of Rock!), Metallica and Jeff Beck are the newest inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I wonder who's going to DJ for Run-DMC since Jam Master Jay has passed? I pray to god it's not Grand Mas ... More >>

Celebrate Nicholas Altobelli's CD Release This Friday in Grapevine

Since we're on the topic of CD release parties already: You may recall a few months ago when I wrote about this local, young, up and coming alt-country singer/songwriter, Nicholas Altobelli. Basically, I stumbled, quite literally, into The Cavern one night and was taken aback by Altobelli's way-beyo ... More >>

Gig Alert: August 27, 2008

Backtrackin' for Country Comforts

The "Vice and Virtue" of The Happy Bullets' New Video

What Thursday Night Can Be in the Big D

And Another Thing...

Sad Bullets | In Deep | Handstamps

It's Hip to Be Square

Odds & Ends

Raise a final beer (or seven) to the boys in Speedtrucker at their farewell shows

Adios to the Arbor

Two former music editors weigh in on the future of Trees

Our critics' top 10 albums

The Volebeats

Like Her (Turquoise Mountain)

Son Volt

Okemah and the Melody of Riot (Transmit Sounds)

Secret Code

Quack Addicts

Where does Ryan Adams fit in among the great meltdown artists of yore?

Sam Roberts

Friday, October 1

Bottle the Spin

The "40 best artists making music right now?" Nah.

Beth Orton, Hem

August 13

Hayden / Neil Halstead

Skyscraper National Park (Hardwood/Badman) / Sleeping on Roads (4AD)

Hear This

Back to business as usual: I dig music

Dashboard Confessional

November 29

Exile on Fry Street

Slobberbone is still a little bit country and a lot rock and roll