Guitarist David Ponder is sitting in a bar on Lower Greenville, feeling cautiously optimistic. His band, Somebody’s Darling, just released its sophomore album, Jank City Shakedown, and he thinks it’s something special. “I don’t know if I would call this album a make-it-or-break-it record,” Ponder says, “but I do feel…
Guitarist David Ponder is sitting in a bar on Lower Greenville, feeling cautiously optimistic. His band, Somebody’s Darling, just released its sophomore album, Jank City Shakedown, and he thinks it’s something special. “I don’t know if I would call this album a make-it-or-break-it record,” Ponder says, “but I do feel…
From his home in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bill Stevenson sounds as content as any legendary punk rocker can be. The Descendents drummer certainly has a right to be laid back: After more than 30 years behind the drum kit, Stevenson has nothing left to prove. Hell, the guy doesn’t even…
From his home in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bill Stevenson sounds as content as any legendary punk rocker can be. The Descendents drummer certainly has a right to be laid back: After more than 30 years behind the drum kit, Stevenson has nothing left to prove. Hell, the guy doesn’t even…
Even without considering his most recent band, OFF!, Keith Morris’ punk rock credentials would be secure. Best known as the original singer for Black Flag and the founding member of the Circle Jerks, Morris has been at the forefront of the American hardcore and punk experience for the better part…
Early morning interviews are always a risky proposition. When I was told to call Hamilton Leithauser, lead singer for indie darlings The Walkmen, at 9 a.m., I feared either early morning grogginess or outright surliness. Instead, Leithauser, who was speaking with DC9 in anticipation of Wednesday’s show at the Granada…
George Lewis followed up 2010’s Forget with the recently issued Confess , mixing the classic sounds of new wave with a more modern R&B twist. Speaking from the tour van as it crossed the California desert, and in anticipation of tonight’s show at Trees, Lewis spoke about the unusual path…
See also: Playing Fugazi’s Repeater for my kids I have been graced with a 15-year-old son who loves punk and metal. What’s a better bonding experience than sharing a moment listening to Iron Maiden or Bad Brains? But when it comes to my 12-year-old daughter, her boy-band, country-pop leanings leave…
Fang Island, Adebisi Shank, Spacebeach Dada Thursday, August 16 It was West Nile aerial spraying night, so my wife warned me not to go out, but I was rewarded with one of the best shows of the year. As planes buzzed above, the band joked about the situation. “I guess…
Seeing that the first show I ever took my son to was Iron Maiden, I get a special feeling every time the legendary metal act makes its way to our area. Anyone who calls themselves a metalhead knows the “hits,” so in honor of the band playing tonight at Gexa…
Fang Island just released Major, one of the best albums of the year. No joke. These guys somehow mix power pop with progressive rock, and the resulting chaos is quite appealing. Speaking from a tour stop in Kansas City, and in anticipation of tonight’s show at Dada, guitarist Chris Georges…
Mixing progressive rock with power pop isn’t easy and certainly doesn’t sound like a workable combination. However, Brooklyn’s Fang Island not only make it work, they do so with flair to spare. The band’s recently issued sophomore effort on Sargeant House, Major somehow manages to bridge the gap between Pink…
See also: The top 100 Texas songs We’ve decided it was time to make a list of the five best from Brent Best and crew. Please feel free to chime in with your own selections. 1. “Barrel Chested” Hell, if the song was good enough to be included in the…
See also: The top 10 North Texas blues albums See also: The top 100 Texas songs The Telefones, Vibration Change Released in 1980, this album is more punk in spirit than execution. Songs like “Rocket Rocket” and “The Ballad of Jerry Godzilla” fuse punk rock’s oomph with a new wave…
In any major city, musical venues come and go. Some closures are well-deserved: bad sound, weak promotions, etc. But other times, a place shutting its doors is a kick in the teeth for any local music fan. Here is my list of five long-gone musical establishments I wish were still…
See also: The fans of Aerosmith Aerosmith, Cheap Trick American Airlines Center Saturday, July 28 At 64, Steven Tyler is simply a wonder to behold. As he pranced, pouted and prowled the stage at the American Airlines Center Saturday night, it was hard to keep up with the showboating. And…
For the better part of two decades, Russ Irwin has been the touring keyboardist for Aerosmith, and besides not tiring of seeing Steven Tyler’s ass over that time, he’s also managed to carve out quite a career as a songwriter, producer and session musician. Along with Aerosmith, Irwin’s played with…
Over two decades, Buffalo’s Cannibal Corpse has become one of the best-selling death metal bands in the United States. Unflinchingly confrontational, bassist Alex Webster and crew have created a catalog of extreme metal that is as consistent as it is intense. The band’s most recent effort, Torture, has received some…
At 62, Huey Lewis is happy to get by on the hits. His tour with Joe Cocker comes to the Meyerson tonight, so we asked about his band’s popular ascension in the ’70s, how he feels about singing with one of his idols and why he will never produce another…
See also: Q&A with Kendall Schmidt of Big Time Rush See also: Photos from Big Time Rush Big Time Rush, Cody Simpson and Rachel Crow Gexa Energy Pavilion Saturday, July 14 Being a parent takes a lot of patience, especially when it comes to your child’s musical taste. Saturday night…
Being in a successful boy band and having a hit TV show is hard work. Just ask Kendall Schmidt of Big Time Rush. Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Schmidt was singing by the age of three and acting by the time he was ten. In 2009, Schmidt was cast…
One could argue that Roky Erickson’s entire body of work is underrated. Nevertheless, I waded through his maddeningly inconsistent catalog and picked out five songs that may have escaped notice, either solo or with the 13th Floor Elevators. Please feel free to add to the list, and check out Erickson…
