Destroyer, the chamber pop group lead by Dan Bejar, also of New Pornographers fame, will being playing at The Loft tomorrow night in promotion of their latest album, Kaputt, which has received much critical acclaim for its wafting, smooth-jazz feel and heavy horn usage. The album is not of the…
Ryan Thomas Becker was a busy man during 35 Conferette, putting on performances with RTB2 and the now-defunct Eaton Lake Tonics, as well as his other project, Ryan Thomas Becker & Last Joke, which features Tony Ferraro of Eaton Lake Tonics, Andy Rogers of Oso Closo, and Grady Don Sandlin…
Texas budget cuts have been looming over the heads of teachers and school boards alike in recent weeks, and Booker T. Washington High School, the DISD magnet for performing and visual arts, is no exception. But, with less money rolling in, the prestigious school has taken a proactive approach to…
Portugal. The Man7 p.m., Main Stage TwoAbout 10 minutes before Portugal. The Man began their set, it seemed as though they wouldn’t draw a large audience because of !!!’s near-simultaneous performance on Main Stage One. That turned out not to be the case, though: By the time the band started…
At the beginning of yesterday’s “Monetizing Music in a Free Economy” panel, moderator Nico Marini raised an interesting question: Should music be free? Turns out, the musicians pretty much thought so — despite their mostly humble backgrounds. “I might represent the musician still doing laundry at his parents house,” admitted…
The panel for “Women and Power in Rock and Roll” was a high point among the yesterday’s events at 35 Conferette, as an impressive lineup of female musicians, scholars, and music industry pros — all with their own dynamic personalities and personal insight into the triumphs of women in music…
Getting an arts community in Dallas isn’t something that just happened naturally; rather, it was the result of the hard work and collective efforts many people, some of which were on the arts panel at 35 Conferette yesterday to discuss how the region as a whole can move forward in…
It’s not always a glamorous life in the music industry. In fact, it rarely is — because, like any other industry, it’s closely tied with many legal practices and issues. During yesterday’s daytime panel conference, “Music Business Legal Check List: Five Things You Better Think About and Do,” conference-goers were…
Over the past three months, Denton resident Kevin McStravick has taken on a rather daunting project — finding and reviewing every single band that is playing at SXSW this year, which counts almost 2,000 acts, and ranking them on his website.For the project, which is called Operation Every Band and…
The headliner list for the 35 Conferette is incredibly impressive this year, with big names like Mavis Staples, Big Boi and !!! highlighting the bill. But, among the 200 and counting bands that are playing the festival, there’s also a pretty great lineup of local talent. In fact, almost 100…
In this week’s paper, Daniel Hopkins brings our attention to the show that Glasgow-based pop band Trashcan Sinatras will be playing tonight at The Loft to promote their latest acoustic album, Brel. In the article, he describes the band’s quick rise in popularity with their 1991 debut album, Cake –…
Dallas hasn’t always been synonymous with underground hip-hop, but, as the culture of area hip-hop has grown, DJ EZ Eddie D, born Eddie Murphy, has been there to witness it all.Since 1987, the KNON-89.3 FM “The Voice of the People” radio personality has served as the host of the station’s…
Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise ShowMarch 1, 2011The Loft Better than: trying to make your own music out of tools you found in the garage. It’s hard to believe that The Loft’s small stage would host such a huge act, but indeed that is what happened last night, with the venue…
There’s been a lot of talk about the upcoming Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Show that’s going on at The Loft tonight — and most of it is about the possibility of Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Magnum showing up and adding to the “surprise” factor, a rumor that’s persisted in light…
2009 was rough year for Ian MacDougall, guitarist for the formerly Denton- and now Austin-based Riverboat Gamblers. Upon returning to Austin after finishing a tour, MacDougall was struck by a car while riding his bike, causing him some pretty serious injuries. MacDougall’s recovery was a slow process, no doubt due…
Earlier this year, Denton’s own Paul North, otherwise known as Sunnybrook, needed some money to release his album, Hay Daze, on Appalacian Records. So what did he do? He used the popular funding platform, Kickstarter, to raise funds from fans and contributors through pledges. Unfortunately, Sunnybrook’s goal of $3,000 was…
Marnie Stern, Tera MelosSons of Hermann HallFebruary 24, 2011 Better than: corporate team-building exercises. Marnie Stern stepped onto the small, half-circle stage at Sons of Hermann Hall, looking casual and cool with her hair braided down the side, wearing a cut-up Elvis Costello T-shirt that complemented her no-fuss style.During the…
South Africa natives Civil Twilight create beautiful, heavy-hearted ballads, with ringing vocals and quiet, slow-building instrumentation — music that is soothing and disheartening at the same time. But, while they draw easy comparisons to U2 and Radiohead, Civil Twilight’s delicate and skilled performance style will be sure to distinguish them…
Virtuosic guitar player Marnie Stern will be headed to Sons of Hermann Hall tonight to promote her latest, self-titled album, a work that is currently being praised for its intimate songwriting style and bluntly honest lyrics, a noticeable change from her previous, more technique-driven albums. Stern discussed her shift in…
Punk-infused Southern rock band Lucero released 1372 Overton Park in October of 2009, marking the band’s sixth studio album as well as their debut with a major label. But, while some might be alarmed that Lucero has lost their rough-around-the-edges appeal with the new resources they’ve racked up, the band…
During the first, unrefined point of some artists’ musical careers, they begin as a pale imitation of another more experienced musician, fiddling around with sounds with which they are familiar, instead of focusing on innovation or art. Unfortunately this is the case for Dallas’ Tiger Darrow, a skilled and promising…
Tapes ‘n Tapes, Oberhofer, Les AmericainsFebruary 19, 2011The LoftBetter than: Seeing yet another mediocre opening band. At around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday night at The Loft, Tapes ‘n Tapes ambled onto the stage before a nearly packed venue, channeling the ’90s bands that inspired them. Clad in blue jeans, T-shirts,…
