Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Casket Girls, Datahowler, New Fumes The Loft Tuesday, November 6 A packed crowd at The Loft was setting its own agenda on Election Night, one that included lots of synth, delay and effects. At the top of the ballot was Black Moth Super Rainbow, a…
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Granada Theater Thursday, October 11 It was one of those rarest of nights in a Dallas music venue. Godspeed You! Black Emperor returned to North Texas after a decade absence to perform music new and old in a way that held the crowd completely spellbound. Shortly…
Live music is like food. Sometimes you want fast junk, but occasionally you want the dish unhurried, richly textured and profoundly delicious. Montreal’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor are progenitors of the “slow music” movement that emerged in the late ’90s, and after a 10-year hiatus, the band has reformed to…
Dirty Projectors, Wye Oak The Kessler Theater Friday, August 3 Dirty Projectors, and David Longstreth particularly, are incredibly adept musicians that wear their musical smarts on their sleeves. But idiosyncratic arrangements and vocals that, while not jarring are hardy mellifluous, can make sitting through an entire album more of a…
“Experimental” falls short of describing most of the Dirty Projectors’ output, although the recently released Swing Low Magellan edges a bit closer to conventional song structures. While the recorded music is probably more admired than enjoyed, the band has been quite a treat to watch mature. Singer David Longstreth is…
“It was a really amazing gift for us as a group,” acknowledges Michael Bloch, guitarist for Brooklyn quartet Here We Go Magic. The gift? Nigel Godrich, the producer and “sixth member” of Radiohead, offered his services for the band’s new album, A Different Ship. Godrich and Thom Yorke became fans…
“It was a really amazing gift for us as a group,” acknowledges Michael Bloch, guitarist for Brooklyn quartet Here We Go Magic. The gift? Nigel Godrich, the producer and “sixth member” of Radiohead, offered his services for the band’s new album, A Different Ship. Godrich and Thom Yorke became fans…
Santigold House of Blues Wednesday, June 6 Santi White is a charmer, and she had the audience under her spell from the first notes of “Go,” which opened last night’s show at House of Blues. Her stew of dancehall (queue the reverb), electronica, rap and dub begs the body to…
This has been a pretty great spring for touring acts in Dallas, but there hasn’t been much that makes you want to dance. That will change when NYC’s Santi White, aka Santigold, takes the stage at House of Blues. Four years after her debut Santogold spawned “Creator” and “L.E.S. Artistes,”…
The other day a press release landed in my inbox announcing the Dallas appearance of Montreal trio Plants and Animals, who are touring in support of their new album, The End of That. It turns out this is the trio’s third full-length release, and they’ve opened for bands like The…
Spiritualized Granada Theater Tuesday, May 15 Life is particularly becoming on Jason Pierce. When Spiritualized took the stage shortly before 9 p.m. at the Granada Theater, Pierce and his two-member gospel “choir” were clothed in pure white, while the rest of the band wore black. Looking remarkably fit and without…
“It’s ironic that, in some ways, when I needed music the most, making this record really fucked it up for me.” So explains Jason Pierce, the mastermind behind English band Spiritualized and the newly released Sweet Heart Sweet Light, their sixth studio album. He’s juggling phone interviews and rehearsals on…
“It’s ironic that in some ways, when I needed music the most, making this record really fucked it up for me.” So explains Jason Pierce, the mastermind behind English band Spiritualized and the newly released Sweet Heart Sweet Light, their sixth studio album. He’s juggling phone interviews and rehearsals on…
Justin Townes Earle Dada Saturday, May 5 Justin Townes Earle looked dapper as he took the stage alone Saturday night at Dada. Whippet-thin, with a cleft chin that would make Travolta envious, he started the evening with nods to Woody Guthrie, first with “They Killed John Henry” and then with…
Bowerbirds, Dry The River The Loft Thursday, April 12 Phil Moore, the singer-guitarist and principal songwriter of Bowerbirds, has an extraordinarily supple, soothing voice. He’s has always been a joy to watch and listen to, but the Bowerbirds that performed last night at The Loft were the sum of their…
The Grateful Dead sang, “What a long, strange trip it’s been” a mere five years into their psychedelic journey. That was 10 years before Christopher Owens, songwriter-guitarist of the San Francisco-based band Girls, came into the world. That puts his trip at 30-plus years, and it has been strange indeed…
Shelby Lynne The Kessler Theater Friday, January 27 Shelby Lynne does things her way, and that’s how it was Friday at The Kessler. She has a voice that rivals anyone in terms of control, clarity and power, with a honeyed Southern twang used to good effect. She applies that amazing…
“There’s too many ways to steal music. The only way to make a living in this business is to go on the road.” Shelby Lynne’s soft drawl betrays her Alabama roots and suggests an easy demeanor. Don’t be fooled. Whether the subject is personal or professional, Lynne articulates the no-nonsense…
The Kills Granada Theater Monday, January 23 Better than: No! No no no no no no!!!!! A mediocre performance by The Kills has more rock star quality than an excellent night for most bands. Hate to say it, but last night at the Granada, the band was a bit on…
Jake Orrall, 26-year-old guitarist for Nashville duo Jeff the Brotherhood, is multitasking. Catching him at home in early January, he’s juggling interviews while pulling vinyl together for a DJ set later that evening. His younger drummer brother, Jamin, is hanging out with him. And really, catching them in Nashville is…
About the middle of last month, the unavoidable “best of” lists for every conceivable cultural endeavor began sprouting in major media outlet and fringe blogs around the world. Truth is, I’m a sucker for these when it comes to the music category. Part of me wants validation that, once again,…
Last Night: Grieves, Budo, K. Flay House of Blues December 14, 2011 Better than: Hip-hop in a suburban church. This suburban triple-header brought out a crowd of 150 or so to the Cambridge Room at House of Blues, and the almost exclusively white 20-something crowd was treated to a brand…
