OK, so we know all the snobby, music elitists will be at the Devotchka/Crooked Fingers show tonight at HOB. But for those whose tastes are not so refined, well, you folks can head on down to The Lounge tonight to catch the sheer ugliness of Cattle Decapitation. The San Diego…
In my review of the debut EP from local rockers The Semifinals in this week’s print edition of the Observer, I applauded Andrew Strickland and crew’s efforts fuse cute Emo with some old-school post-punk a la Gang of Four–and the results are pretty damn cool. Here’s “Yr Fists,” the best…
After a year spent locked away in a sweltering practice space at a Garland steel mill, Andrew Strickland, James Layfield and Aaron Beaudrie, known collectively as The Semifinals, are finally ready to unleash their pent-up angst on an unsuspecting public. And, fortunately for us, the trio’s frustrations while serving time…
Even though he’s suffering from an aggravated sciatic nerve that causes him pain when he sits, John Pedigo still has a giddy confidence that’s downright contagious. Pedigo, half of the alt-country duo The O’s, possesses a self-assurance and humor that stands firm even in the face of wincing pain. “Perhaps…
Emil Svanängen, leader of the indie/folk ensemble Loney Dear, isn’t afraid to tread softly. Hailing from the small city of Jonkoping, Sweden, Svanängen’s delicate pop has found an international audience by staying true to its original aesthetic: long on dreamy atmospherics, traditional rock mentality be damned. As Loney Dear, Svanängen…
Besides possessing a great name, San Diego quintet Goblin Cock has the brains to go along with its ballsy brawn. Led by former Pinback frontman Rob Crow, the band has all of the subtlety of a pitbull–and that’s exactly what makes the band a wonder to behold. Channeling everything that…
David Ponder, guitarist for local roots rock up-and-comer Somebody’s Darling, just sent me a couple of MP3s to offer DC-9 readers. “Easy” and “Hearts Too Young” appeared on last year’s eponymous EP and they are both superb examples of alt-country with Amber Farris’ powerhouse vocals (rightly) front and center. Bonus…
Although the cover lists only the band’s name, this debut effort from local reggae/rock/hip-hop outfit Automorrow is referred to in promotional materials as The Diver EP. Whatever the band chooses to call its product, the five songs contained on this intriguing debut point to a band worth watching. On four…
A few days after Christmas, in a drafty house in Northwest Dallas, Amber Farris and David Ponder smile, even as they shiver. “Maybe I should turn up the heat,” Ponder suggest to Farris, who quickly nods her approval. As the room temperature approaches a more comfortable level, Farris and Ponder’s…
Since Automorrow had the CD release party for its The Diver EP on Friday, and also since my review of said EP runs in this week’s print edition of the Observer, we at DC-9 thought you might like a little taste of the band. While the band incorporates ska and…
On Thursday, January 22, a little past 8:00 p.m., a car crashed through the front window of local music store CD Source. Seems an unlucky gent had pulled in front of the store and erroneously thought he had put his car in park. Once he opened the door and stepped…
AC/DC, The AnswerAmerican Airlines CenterJanuary 23, 2009 Better than: Watching Spinal Tap for the hundredth time while smoking crack in a trailer park in Balch Springs. In front of a sold out crowd at the American Airlines Center, legendary hard rock icons AC/DC delivered nearly two hours of thundering, unapologetically…
Tonight at the American Airlines Center, before Aussie rock legends AC/DC will be bringing back a lot of high school memories by banging out classic hard rock warhorses such as “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Hell’s Bells”, the crowds will be warmed up by Ireland’s The Answer, a…
Early in 2007, a group of young men out of Plano formed a band called Swim Swim and released I’m So Glad That I’m an Island, a wonderful, but grossly neglected collection of indie pop that should have made local heroes out of Jeremy Aulden, Mike Brady and Jason Bailey…
Hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling first formed The Beat and exposed the disaffected youth of England to the sound of ska. Those were the days when, because of an American band already possessing the name, the band was forced to call…
Not a lot going on, music-wise, this inaugural evening in our area, but there are a few worthy performers out there who could help you celebrate Obamamania…Chance Anderson is a youthful, roots rocker from Lewisville (via Empire, Oklahoma) in the vein of Steve Earle. Anderson plays tonight at the Back…
Local rock band Rescue Signals has just signed an album deal with Rock Ridge Music and plans on releasing an album in late April. The record will be the band’s debut full-length and will be called Indecisions. And Rescue Signals has already completed a video for the album’s first single,…
Quite the quartet of semi-local, well-respected indie acts assembled on this particular evening—and the headliner might be the least interesting of the bunch. While Black Tie Dynasty makes the girls go crazy with all sorts of retro chic, Austin’s What Made Milwaukee Famous doesn’t need to plunder the graveyard of…
Speaking from his American house in, of all places, Atlanta, Georgia, Norwegian industrial/techno wizard Andy LaPlegua, leader of Combichrist, comes across like the nicest punk you’re ever likely to meet. A few minutes spent talking with the polite, well-spoken and surprisingly good-humored LaPlegua and I was just about ready to…
The National Association for Music Merchants is having its winter get together in Anaheim, California this week and Arlington’s Glitter Rose (right, as photographed by Kaci Okabayashi of Industrial Envy) is playing a showcase for Moody Leather, the company that endorses her guitar strap. Ms. Rose informs me via email…
Hailing from New Mexico, Michael Hearne plays Americana music with such a gracious demeanor, some might overlook the depth of his songs simply because of their mellow, mostly acoustic presentation. To do so would be a shame, however, as Hearne is one of the best singer/songwriters (not to mention guitar…
Peace Queer, Todd Snider’s eight-song EP released in October, basically encapsulates everything good and bad about the alt-country singer-songwriter. Well-written, -sung, -performed and -produced, the EP is also funny as hell. But like most of Snider’s recorded history, it’s a bit smug. Snider has always incorporated wit and a leftist…
