In the liner notes to his band Big Black’s final studio album, legendary guitarist/producer/journalist Steve Albini wrote, “…breaking up is an idea that has occurred to far too few groups. Sometimes the wrong ones.” And with the glut of local bands calling it quits these days—Oso Closo, The Cut*Off, Odis,…
Detroit natives Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler have come a long way from their humble beginnings in 1991 when they formed gangsta rap duo Inner City Posse. In the ensuing years, the pair metamorphosed themselves into their now familiar wicked clown personas as Insane Clown Posse, developed their more horror-themed…
It’s no secret that Shearwater frontman Johnathan Meiburg loves birds. His band’s namesake is a medium-sized, long-winged seabird, for instance—and then there’s the fact that most of Shearwater’s albums seem to have birds on their covers. To be fair, Meiburg’s no amateur ornithologist; he once gave a lecture on “The…
Band: DJ Mom Jeans, Sore Losers, AnonymousCultue, Damaged Good$ and Pigeon John Venue: Andy’s BarTime: All night long.It’s no secret that Danny Masterson is much more well-known for playing the character Hyde on That 70’s Show than for spinning records. But for the crowd at Andy’s last night, it didn’t…
Between its folky Thanksgiving soiree and now-legendary winter dance party, Spune Productions is developing quite the reputation for throwing the area’s most epic seasonal shindigs. And with a bill that boasts eight touring bands—as well as two local acts—for just 10 bucks, this week’s Rite of Spring Fling at Hailey’s…
Earlier this week, Arlington’s Man Factory released for digital download Street Fight!!! Round Two, the second installment in its planned power-pop opera trilogy based on the popular Street Fighter video game series. Fans of Round One had been waiting patiently for the past two years to find out how the…
Between its folky Thanksgiving soiree and now-legendary winter dance party, Spune Productions is developing quite the reputation for throwing the area’s most epic seasonal shindigs. And with a bill that boasts eight touring bands–as well as two local acts–for just 10 bucks, this week’s Rite of Spring Fling at Hailey’s…
Blues drummer/songwriter Doyle Bramhall has seemingly always had an affinity for great Texas blues guitarists. Considering his childhood garage jam sessions with Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons, his high school band the Chessmen (who got to open for Hendrix on the Dallas stop of his ’69 tour, and which featured…
The music of Roy Robertson may border on indie-folk, but the native Texan is getting ready to show the Metroplex that his music really plunges much deeper than this well-explored territory. Perhaps this is but one explanation as to why there has been so much buzz surrounding the UNT junior…
Joel Zimmerman is no ordinary musician; in fact, if he were born even just a decade earlier, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t be one at all. The computer programs he most frequently relies on (FL Studio, Nuendo, etc.) lean heavily on MIDI data—a technology that didn’t exist until the…
Though the Alt Press’ Fall Ball tour lineup reads like a who’s who of tween pop bands (The Academy Is…, Mayday Parade and more) the real draw when the tour makes its Dallas stop will be the return of hometown product Luis Dubuc, aka The Secret Handshake. While Dubuc’s simplistic…
This summer, when Wilco guitarist Nels Cline was asked by Paste magazine about how the band has evolved over the years, he responded by saying, “I think we’re having maybe more of a blast and enjoying each other’s playing and company more now than before.” In listening to Wilco (The…
The Dead WeatherHouse of BluesOctober 5, 2009Better Than: Sunny Day Real Estate, Rob Thomas, and Arctic Monkeys combined. Yeah, I said it. As far as rock ‘n’ roll supergroups are concerned, there are two main varieties: those comprised of members of formerly great bands, reeking of late career desperation (see:…
If you don’t remember The Arctic Monkeys’ 2007 sophomore album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, you’re not alone. Despite the fact that the band’s previous album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, held the honor of being the fastest-selling debut ever in the U.K. (it ultimately went quadruple platinum),…
After the breakthrough success of 2007’s Visiter by San Francisco psychedelic folk group The Dodos, frontman Meric Long stated that, for his next album, he “wanted to make a rock record.” And what better way for the acoustic-based duo to accomplish this feat than to become a trio? Although the…
Ra Ra Riot, Maps & Atlases, Princeton Granada TheaterSeptember 23, 2009 Better than: Staying at home and pretending the Rangers playoff hopes are in fact still alive. Ra Ra Riot Showing up on time for things is not something that Dallas crowds are especially known for. (A good example of this: Look…
The Secret Machines have been through a lot in the past two years. Although their first two albums received favorable reviews, disappointing sales cost them their major-label backing. Also came the news that founding member Benjamin Curtis was leaving the band to focus on his School of Seven Bells side…
More and more frequently, indie rock acts are not only proving that the typical guitar-bass-drums formula isn’t necessarily the only path to success, but that no more than two band members are really needed. As a result two-piece bands are simply everywhere.Take, for example, our own fair city, in which…
2006 may not seem like that long ago to most folks, but, in the time since, Syracuse’s Ra Ra Riot has been through a lot. It was in that year that the band survived the drowning death of original drummer and major creative force John Pike even before recording its…
Last week, it was announced and then un-announced that Denton’s Oso Closo had won a Chipotle-sponsored contest that involved them filming themselves singing about their favorite burrito. On Monday, though, the official word from the popular restaurant chain came: Oso Closo was indeed the winner of $10,000 in prize money,…
After label troubles nearly derailed the promising careers of Clipse, the Virginia-based hip-hop duo is set to make a bit of a comeback: Til the Casket Drops, the group’s first album since brothers Malice and Pusha T parted ways with the super-producers The Neptunes, is set to release in September…
Change the graffiti on the bathroom wall, get your tattoo fixed, get your T-shirt airbrushed and change the name on your year-end list: Dance pop artist Santogold is now Santigold. She’s not telling you why—that’s just how it is. Or so the press release announcing as much read this past…
