Ever since Faith No More went platinum with “Epic” way back in 1989, there has always seemed to be a spot in the marketplace for industrial strength metal/funk. Korn certainly took the sound to new heights of popularity and the genre proved financially viable enough for lesser-known bands to carve…

Besides fronting the soft-rock ensemble Blue Petal and the poppier Morning Elephant, Russian-born Dallasite Manya Repnikova (see right) also leads a band named after, well, herself. Hard to see (or hear) much difference between Blue Petal and Manya, though, especially since guitarist Pete Anderson (not the famous country producer) is…

Besides his involvement in the alt-country combo Bluetortillas, local singer/songwriter Douglas Woodlane has found time to record a couple of solo efforts, the most recent being Douglas Woodlane and the Thieves. The very Neil Youngish opening cut is “Broken Blue” and Woodlane was kind enough to send this over as…

Anyone remember Mazzy Star? Or, before that, Opal? The late ’80s and early ’90s seemed like a good time for purveyors of dreamy, psychedelic pop. One could do much worse than checking into Opal’s 1985 Northern Line EP–hell, the Old 97’s covered the title song on an early b-side.Dallas’ own…

Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Louise Bond) helped start UK punk stalwarts Vice Squad way back in 1978. She left the band for an ill-fated solo career in 1982, but resurrected the name in 1997. Since, she and an assorted crew of sidemen have been shouting and pointing as if Reagan…

Local combo Fate Lions has been around since 2007 in various incarnations, evolving from a rather pedestrian alt-country outfit to far more pleasing new wave/pop unit. Led by songwriter and front man Jason Manriquez, the band has solidified enough to record a full-length debut, Good Enough For You, which hits…

Million-selling DJ and renowned remixer Paul van Dyk doesn’t ask for much. On tour, van Dyk brings his own computers and various paraphernalia in order to recreate his dense and danceable compositions in front of a sweaty crowd. All van Dyk wants, really, is a sound engineer who knows his/her…

Even after 30 years as the leader of legendary area polka act Brave Combo, Carl Finch sounds like he’s just getting started. “Every year, there seems to be some kind of new carrot dangling in front of this band,” Finch says from his home in Denton. “Some sort of new…

From his home in Austin, Curt Kirkwood, founding member of legendary indie rock band The Meat Puppets, sounds mellow and contented, a far cry from when he was leading his band through its tumultuous days in the ’80s and ’90s. Even though he’s getting ready to tour with a recent…

Although yours truly will not be in attendance, folks with actual fashion sense and a modicum of coolness will certainly be spending this evening’s show at the House of Blues.That’s because Australia’s The Veronicas will be on stage, dispensing their ultra-suave brand of electro-pop while wearing the high-dollar attire that…

This particular weekend offers an interesting mix of local and national talents, many of which are playing unheralded venues scattered about the Metroplex. The mix of genres represented in our area in the coming days is quite remarkable.First off the shows that were already covered in print or online. Tonight’s…

Like many before him, Jeff Morrison lives out his rock star fantasies in the privacy of his own home, playing with an imaginary guitar while pretending to be Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton or just about any other guitar hero. Unlike most, however, Morrison doesn’t worry about what his friends think—and…

From his time leading the seminal new wave band the Talking Heads to his mercurial and oftentimes fascinating solo career, David Byrne has always done things his own way. And for the better part of 40 years now, he’s ingrained himself into the fabric of indie and experimental music, creating…

Mike Slagle has led some form of The Uncle Bill Roach Band since 1976., which, according to my math, equals 33 years quality Texas music. Name after Slagle’s great Uncle, the band incorporates tropical influences into its version of Americana. Now based out of Granbury, Slagle and crew remain a…

Yet another quirky, off-kilter pop band from Canada, Montreal’s Clues recorded its eponymous debut at Arcade Fire’s Petite Eglise studio late last year. Which makes sense, since Clues’ multi-instrumentalist Brendan Reed was an early member of Arcade Fire, playing drums and singing on that band’s debut EP.Clues’ self-titled debut, meanwhile,…