Anyone who’s a fan of pop country knows that Dierks Bentley is getting to be a pretty big deal. And, currently, the singer is touring the country on his Miles & Music for Kids tour–something of a charity event that marries a concert with a charity motorcycle ride.On Sunday, April…
Beach House, Washed OutGranada TheaterApril 21, 2010 Better than: Watching vintage Jazzercise clips on YouTube. As soon as the video screen lifted from the front of the Granada Theater’s stage on Wednesday night, all eyes in the room were glued to Victoria Legrand, the lead singer of Baltimore’s Beach House…
My all-time favorite music list is riddled with bands that started out being a little too weird and “out there” for me. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti is on that list of bands. The band started off sounding like a slightly out-of-tune AM radio to me, but the blissed-out melodies enticed…
Had your fill of local festivals lately? Well, too bad, because here’s another one for you–and it’s quite a doozy. On Saturday, May 22, at the Main Street Gardens in downtown Dallas, the City Tavern and DowntownDallas will present the Homegrown Music and Arts Festival. I’m pretty sure that’s not…
Every Sunday morning across the Bible Belt, thousands of congregations sing along as bands trade hymns for rock ‘n’ roll songs. But in recent years around North Texas, more and more Christian musicians are finding musical salvation outside the walls of the church. My own band, Radiant, experienced our musical…
Spring is a great season for music around here. Just when you’ve recovered from Denton’s NX35 and Austin’s SXSW music festivals—not to mention a barrage of road shows—Dallas hits you with two amazing parties on National Record Store Day. And, turns out, both Good Records (1808 Greenville Ave.) and Bill’s…
If you’re Lady Gaga on a massive world tour, how do you find the energy to keep up with the fast-paced world of international stardom? A couple of Red Bulls and maybe the occasional 5 Hour Energy? Nah. The answer’s celibacy, of course! Just days after announcing her celibacy, Gaga’s…
Band: Whiskey Folk RamblersVenue: Sweetwater Bar & GrillTime: 12:15 a.m.It seemed like, no matter where I went in Denton on Friday night, everyone appeared to be much cooler than I was. At Hailey’s, people’s jeans were a little tighter than mine. At Dan’s Silverleaf, the flannel shirts probably had higher…
Band: This Will Destroy YouVenue: Hailey’sTime: 11:30 p.m.On Thursday night at NX35, This Will Destroy You tried its best to live up to its name. As the crowd at Hailey’s slowly grew with semi-drunk, bearded fans, so did the anticipation for the San Marcos quartet’s set. And it continued to…
The last time Muse played in Dallas-Fort Worth, the band came dangerously close to doing the impossible—upstaging U2. I’m not sure what would happen in that situation, but I bet people’s heads would explode. At their shared concert at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, it wasn’t hard to see that Muse…
Tegan & SaraPalladium Ballroom February 25, 2010 Better Than: Watching the U.S. women’s hockey team lose to Canada. At the Tegan & Sara concert Thursday night, everything went according to my prediction. The Palladium Ballroom was nearly filled to capacity with mallpunks, lesbians and hipsters. But I wasn’t prepared for…
You never know who you’ll be standing next to at a Tegan & Sara show. For more than a decade the Canadian-born duo has run the gamut of music styles, promotional methods and, in turn, fans. You’ll probably run into a few stray teens from the local mall-punk set, primed…
The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Nico Vega, SerynGranada TheaterFebruary 21, 1010Not better than: watching the US hockey team beat Canada… but still pretty good. Last night at the Granada Theater, a small crowd was lucky enough to see Sweden’s The Soundtrack Of Our Lives perform in an unusually intimate setting…
If rock ‘n’ roll started in America and the British perfected it, then where does that leave the Swedes? If The Soundtrack of Our Lives’ new album, Communion, is any indication of the current state of Swedish music, then the Swedes are like the amp that turns things up to…
Mutemath, As Tall As LionsPalladium BallroomOctober 29, 2009Better than: Watching Spinal Tap’s Experimental Jazz Odyssey… well, almost better. It was clear that when Mutemath started its set that it would be playing new songs–lots of ’em. And it was clear that the band was going to have to work hard…
Every time Mutemath comes through town, the band outdoes its previous performance. Which is probably why its audience continues to grow. The first tours featured a tight, explosive performance. That led to the impromptu acrobatics of drummer Darren King. Then that eventually made way for a stunning light show. It…
Vivian Girls, True Widow, The Uptown BumsThe CavernOctober 15, 2009 Better Than: flying around in my mom and dad’s homemade hot air balloon… Vivian Girls started its first ever Dallas set Thursday night at the Cavern with a song consisting of four words: “Sound check one two.” Ah yes, the…
When Vivian Girls rolls into town this week, the band will be fighting an uphill battle. Sure, many bands that gain instant notoriety in the blogosphere come and go quicker than you can type GorillavsBear. But Brooklyn natives Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy and Ali Koehler, who come off respectively as…
The Helio Sequence,The LoftJune 5, 2009Better Than: Being in the registration line at SMU, which is the only other place I’ve seen this many undergrads. The best concerts aren’t always the ones that you’ve been excited about for months–you know, the ones where you repeatedly refresh your browser on the…
Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s, Telekinesis, and Everything, Now!Hailey’s Club, Denton May 22, 2009Better than: Sitting at home trying to come up with a more ridiculous band name than Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. There’s a popular old saying, “Less is more.” On Friday night at…
