Sure, the concept for Bruise Cruise seems like the script for a low-budget horror movie: Put a bunch of rowdy punk bands on a three-day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas, supply with booze, gambling and buffets, and watch some Lord of the Flies shit go down. Amazingly, all who…

Man or Astro-man? Sons of Hermann Hall Saturday, December 17, 2011 Better than: Having amoebas eat through your brain. A snippet of conversation overheard before the Man or Astro-man? show: “I’m really freaked out about Neti pots right now.” “Why?” “Well, I read this story about people dying from using…

Yep, this poster by Justin Blanks pretty much sums up a Devin the Dude show: The holy trinity is right there at the bottom. See for yourself Saturday at the Granada, and don’t miss local openers the Mohicans…

Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be trotting out our 2011 music lists in print and on the blog, but I’ve been thinking a lot about guilty pleasures this year. Songs that get stuck in your head whether you like it or not. Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” fell…

An inaugural visit to Queen City Hall a few weekends ago showed promise for the DIY venue, which makes up the other half of Queen City Tattoo. Akkolyte drummer Stefan Gonzalez was behind the kit for Doom Siren, and their high-speed thrash blast certainly whet the appetite for Akkolyte’s long-awaited…

Christmastime’s a real mindfuck, ain’t it? Songs get stuck in your head whether you like it or not (currently playing: Wham’s “Last Christmas”), you’re forced to drink eggnog and eat fruitcake, two things that should be banished to the ninth circle of hell, and that goddamn Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial…

This new track by local production duo Play-N-Skillz, featuring Dorrough, Too $hort (!) and Bay Bay, addresses the ladies of Dallas in no uncertain terms. After listening to it once, I had some conflicted feelings, but damn if wasn’t stuck in my head all morning. Maybe it’s the flute sample…

Are you ready to fly your flannel flag? Built to Spill, Boise, Idaho’s second finest export, were just added to the 35 Denton roster. It’s shaping up to be a pretty eclectic one, too — they join Houston baller Bun B, dub duo Peaking Lights, UK post punks the Raincoats,…

Canadian hip-hop curio Drake’s latest album, Take Care, seems to be a divisive one. Is he joking? Serious? Depressed? In need of a therapist? Much has been written about the album’s moody tone and existential angst. This review may be the most in-depth. Today it was announced Drake’s “Club Paradise…

Desperate Teenage Lovedolls is playing at the Texas Theatre tonight? Oh, you should go see it. If not for the stellar line, “Thanks for killing my mom,” then for cameos from members of Red Kross and Black Flag, or the truly creepy/ecstatic feel of the early ’80s Los Angeles punk…

Saturday marked another crazy night at El Sibil: This time the crowd was armed with flashlights and the performers — Analog Rebellion, Murder Skulls and Ocelot — had to bend the light to their wills. Check out more proof after the jump, and thanks to Jason Whitbeck for the photos…

Since moving to East Dallas two weeks ago, I’d heard many a tale of what Lower Greenville used to be, what it should be, what it is now, what it could be. The facelift it received — mainly in the form of a newly paved road — apparently took a…

Word on the street is El Sibil’s monthly parties are a “must-see” event and that the last one was “epic.” With that in mind, tomorrow night you’ll basically be in the dark — hence the need to bring a flashlight — at the Oak Cliff studio space. You’ll also be…

Taylor McClure of Pan-Ector designed this poster for Gutterth Production’s bi-annual Dead Week Print Show, which goes down tomorrow night. Datahowler, Botany, Summer of Glaciers and Juve perform at Rubber Gloves, while the print portion of the show is on display at Meme Gallery, with work from the Printmakers Association…

If you can overlook the “slap bass” tag on Zechs Marquise’s Bandcamp page, you’ll probably find something redeeming in the El Paso group’s cloud. Getting Paid (Sargent House), the second and latest album from the Rodriguez-Lopez clan (Mars Volta frontman Omar’s younger brothers make up 3/5 of the band), is…

Over the summer, writer and Girls to the Front author Sara Marcus reviewed Ellen Willis’ collection Out of the Vinyl Deeps for the L.A. Review of Books. The first five paragraphs of her review gave me goosebumps when I read it and have stuck with me since. She talks of…