Secret Machines

Jeff Liles Tells Stories From Dallas' Past and Looks to its Bright Creative Future

There it is. Nestled in South Dallas, rescued by caring souls of our local arts. The beacon that is The Kessler. A majestic Texas juke joint, pampered with TLC and vision that only a handful of true music fans could bring. The Kessler (or rather, "The Kessler X " as our subject refers to it) is o ... More >>

School of Seven Bells Does Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Kiss Them For Me"

Strangely enough, we have our second Siouxsie and the Banshees cover in this edition of Covering Tracks, turned in by the New York-by-way-of-Dallas duo School of Seven Bells. Benjamin Curtis and Alejandra Deheza recently headlined Modern 'Til Midnight at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, a homeco ... More >>

Watch the Video for School of Seven Bells' "Lafaye"

It's a big day for School of Seven Bells. The band's third and most industrial-influenced album, Ghostory, is released today. The band, located in New York, was formed when longtime Dallas musician Benjamin Curtis (UFOFU, Tripping Daisy, Captain Audio) was on tour with his band Secret Machines, open ... More >>

News And Notes: Josh T. Pearson's Christmas EP, School of Seven Bells' Forthcoming Album and More

​This news from former Lift To Experience frontman Josh T. Pearson comes as a bit of a shock. In our story about the painful release of his record Last Of The Country Gentlemen earlier this year, he told us, "I called it Last Of The Country Gentlemen because I didn't know if it would be my last or ... More >>

Get To Know Your DOMAXXIII Nominees: Best New Act, Best DJ, Best Rap/Hip-Hop 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 New Act, Best DJ, an ... More >>

Tim DeLaughter's Preteen Zenith Project Releases "Sampler" Mashup Of Four New Tracks

​For almost two months now, we've been waiting patiently for the chance to hear some music out of Preteen Zenith's camp -- you know, it being the new band from Polyphonic Spree and Tripping Daisy mastermind Tim DeLaughter and Secret Machines member Philip Karnats, and also featuring members of The ... More >>

The Homegrown Fest Bore Some Nice Fruits

The Second Homegrown Festival Pulls A Nice Crop

It's Official: Tim DeLaughter's New Band, Preteen Zenith, Will Make Its Debut in July.

And so it is.​Well, we thought this would be the case, and, turns out, we were right: Tim DeLaughter's new band will indeed make its debut at the Gorilla Vs. Bear Festival taking place at the Granada Theater on Saturday, July 23. Says so, even on the Facebook page for the new band, which, DeLaught ... More >>

BREAKING NEWS: The Secret Machines Haven't Broken Up. Quite The Opposite.

It's a fair question: With Brandon Curtis off playing in Interpol, Benjamin Curtis long gone and in his own School of Seven Bells project (who'll play the Homegrown Fest in Dallas this weekend), Josh Garza reportedly spending his 2010 working with members of Elefant and Monster Magnet, and, as of t ... More >>

It's Official: We're Moving The Dallas Observer Music Awards Out of Summer and Into October

Patrick MichelsMike Modano and Willa Ford at the 2009 Dallas Observer Music Awards.​Last year's Dallas Observer Music Awards, if you don't mind us saying, were pretty amazing. The winners were pretty great, the nominations on point, the ceremony a great time and, oh, the showcase.Yep, last year's ... More >>

The Best Songs in Dallas Music, 2010: PlayRadioPlay! Becomes Analog Rebellion and Overtakes The Machines at No. 11

[Over the next few weeks, we'll be presenting our favorite local songs of the year, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1, one track a day. Today, we take an in-depth look at song No. 11 on the list -- and, please, feel free to click after the jump to grab a free download of the track. Also after the ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Interpol at the Palladium, Widespread Panic at Verizon, Don Williams at the Majestic and Bones Thugs-N-Harmony at the House of Blues

What a packed Wednesday evening. And that's not even counting Your Texas Rangers playing in their first ever World Series game. Crazy, right?

Interpol's Confidence Doesn't Reflect Recent Lineup Changes

Watch: The Secret Machines' Brandon Curtis Performs With Interpol on Letterman

Just a few weeks ago, Dallas native Brandon Curtis and his band The Secret Machines were playing at our Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase outdoor stage. The trio wore black as their psychedelic drones pretty much obliterated the audience. The heat from the afternoon sun took care of the rest. I ... More >>

Cool Drinks, DOMAXXII Style

​Last week was spent building tolerance: It was the annual week of the Dallas Observer Music Awards. The tolerance of which I speak really has nothing to do with music, but of crowds, heat and hooch.Allow me to elaborate: The DOMAXXII (the 22nd year of the DOMAs) showcase took place down in fair D ... More >>

Last Night: Silversun Pickups, Against Me! and The Henry Clay People at The Palladium Ballroom

Silversun Pickups, Against Me!, The Henry Clay People The Palladium Ballroom Wednesday, July 21, 2010 Better than: playing "Lazy Eye" on Guitar Hero at home.Ally Jayne HoffmanSee more of the Pickups in the slideshow.​The crowd that came out to Silversun Pickups' headlining set at the Palladiu ... 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 >>

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 >>

What It Was Like: The Cool Kids and Ishi at the DOMAXXII Showcase

Patrick MichelsThe Cool Kids brought the Outdoor Stage to an awesome close last night.​The Cool KidsOutdoor Stage8:30 p.m. As the stage was getting broken down from The Secret Machines' set and set up for The Cool Kids, it looked like the Texas heat had gotten to the Deep Ellum crowd. There was h ... More >>

Good Friday: DOMAXXII Showcase Edition

​Not sure if it's possible to be reading this right now and still be unaware of the biggest show coming to town this weekend. Saturday in Deep Ellum, we will kick off the Dallas Observer Music Awards festivities with the most kickass showcase we've ever put on. Aside from over 40 of the area's top ... More >>

National Public Radio Names School of Seven Bells' "Windstorm" As Its Song of the Day.

Abbey DruckerSchool of Seven Bells​ We've made no secret of our in-house excitement for School of Seven Bells' sophomore full-length, Disconnect From Desire, which earned its release this week. Ambient, grandiose and a little wistful, too, the album's an almost-prefect summer companion. And, turns ... More >>

Saturday Night Is Alright ... For the 22nd Annual Dallas Observer Music Awards Kick-Off

​I have been a terrible former music editor. Here we are, but three days from the kick-off of the Dallas Observer Music Awards, and so far I've written not one word about so glorious an event as the one planned by Pete and our crack promotions staff. Pete has offered to post a little something-som ... More >>

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

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 >>

Lightning Round: Two Items For Your Morning Listening, Viewing Pleasure

Justin Terveen​Note to Fair Park officials: Should you want a copy of this photo, taken during Wednesday night's storm, for promotional purposes -- just a suggestion -- I am sure our friend Justin Terveen will be happy to cut you a deal. And, speaking of lightning (or "Lightning Blue Eyes"), this ... More >>

Over The Weekend: Cursive at Hailey's Club

Cursive, Capgun Coup, Old Canes, The Timeline PostHailey's ClubNovember 27th, 2009 Better than: realizing that the Black Friday deal you got was a Black Friday bust. Cursive​Watching the four-band bill on Friday was like watching many Dallas Cowboys' wins: Everything came together in the last ... More >>

Tracklist: The Local Hang With Playlister P, Vol. 1

​Thanks to all the area musicians, DJs, loacl music fans, and, well, everyone else who stopped on in The Libertine last night to check out the little experiment we're calling The Local Hang with Playlister P. It was a night not without flaws--I'll admit that it took me a while to figure out the so ... More >>

Toadies, The Secret Machines, Ben Kweller, Bowling For Soup, Eleven Hundred Springs, The Boom Boom Box

Saturday, August 29, at Rough Creek Ranch, Glen Rose

School of Seven Bells, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Darktown Strutters

Wednesday, June 3,at Hailey's Club, Denton

What It Was Like: Pete Tong, Late of the Pier, Peter Bjorn & John, Angus & Julia Stone, School of Seven Bells, Zee Avi

Pete Freedman School of Seven Bells' Benjamin Curtis at Buffalo Billiards.The first night of SXSW saw four pretty major draws around town--Echo and the Bunnymen at Emo's; The Decembrists at Stubbs; St. Vincent, Department of Eagles and M. Ward at the Central Presbyterian Church; Peter Bjorn & ... More >>

Major Changes In Store For PlayRadioPlay?

Maybe you're like me (God help you). Maybe you heard  some of PlayRadioPlay's stuff in the past and thought, "Hey, this is interesting stuff, especially condsidering it's coming from some kid from Aledo. If only he turned down some of that vocoder..." Well, over on his Myspace page, a ... More >>

Astronautalis and The Riverboat Gamblers Return to Town

OK, so we have a pretty expansive definition of "local"

Ghost Rock

From costumes to cover bands, your best bets for Halloween shows

It's a Hell of a Town

Belafonte touts an undercooked beef

Arcadia Fire Sale

Philip E. Karnats

Pleasesuite Good Records

First Brick in Our Wall of Sound Preview

On Leaping From Texas

The quest for being not-so-secret machines started for Oceanographer in New York City

Dallas Hates Art Rock

Day of the Double Agent comes out of hiding with pedals, samplers and tape loops in hand

Secret Machines

The Road Leads Where It's Led (Reprise)

Odds & Ends

Sara Radle's off to L.A.; LM5 calling it quits; Rubber Gloves gets anew look

Comet

Feathers From the Wing (EP)

Smells Like Indie Spirit

Music that made the world safe for the word "alternative" again.

Odds & Ends

Ranking radio, Liz loves Sorta, and Swinging My Vote

Birthday Bash

Arts Magnet High School is throwing itself a party

Scene, Heard

Getting some closure

Scene, heard

Bluh; Pleasant Grove in Germany; The Early Line; Trees turns 10; Rubber Gloves gets wet; And so much more