In photography, there’s seemingly no room for industry progress, or in entrepreneurial parlance, “disruption.” Think about it. Professional photographers can take pictures that look more lifelike than life itself, and any layperson can take high-definition pictures and videos simply by pulling a handheld computer out of their pocket. How could…
The nominees for the 62nd annual Grammy Awards will be announced Wednesday, and just like every year, there is lively speculation about who will receive a nomination. Artists like Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande are safe and almost certain predictions, but the Recording Academy may surprise us in nominating…
Last month, we published a think piece titled, “Trump’s Dallas Rally Proved One Thing: Conservatives Need to Promote Better Music,” which argued that the music that conservatives are using to advance their cause isn’t championed on the basis of artistic merit. Since we ran that piece in mid-October, Kanye West…
Embarking on arena tours and playing to thousands of adoring fans every night might seem glamorous and enticing on the surface, but the grating minutiae of this routine can take its toll on an artist. Meet-and-greets, for example, are unanimously considered a chore in the music industry, but just like…
The Coathangers have a history with Dallas that is almost as old as the band itself. In March 2009, the Atlanta punk trio played South by Southwest, then made their way to Dallas to play a festival called “South by South Flesh” at the Lounge on Elm Street. From there,…
We often use an artist’s discography to map out their personal and creative evolution, and if we see an emerging artist encounter one of these pinpointed milestones in real time, it almost feels like we’re growing alongside them. This is especially the case of Denton artist Dahlia Knowles, who performs…
Things were going well for Ashnikko when she took the stage at Canton Hall this past Friday night. The North Carolina-based rapper, who is currently on tour in support of fellow Detroit rapper Danny Brown, seemed to be in her element during her lively set. The crowd of roughly 600…
Before President Donald Trump’s rally Thursday night as at American Airlines Center, thousands of ardent supporters gathered outside on Victory Plaza to tailgate. A video of the festivities made the rounds on Twitter, offering images of red-hatted Trumpsters dancing to … a band. Which band, you ask? So do we. Despite…
Pop music is notorious for its ephemera, and as such, the multitudes of one-hit wonders and novelty acts overwhelmingly outnumber the commercially successful acts that continue to reinvent themselves and their genres. There is a narrow sliver between these two gulfs, wherein lie some of the most influential, but criminally…
Eric Andre put it best last night when he described his comedy as, “A mix between Gallagher and GG Allin.” The antics performed by the comedian on his Adult Swim television series The Eric Andre Show take notes from game-changing predecessors The Tom Green Show and Jackass, made manifest in…
In case you haven’t had the displeasure: “Incels” — an abbreviation of “involuntary celibates” — are a group of men who meet in the dark corners of the web to support each other’s rampant and often violent misogyny. For as long as the incel subculture has been around, the group…
Tame Impala is a big deal, and it’s a big deal that they are a big deal. When the Australian psychedelic rock outfit released its sophomore full-length, Lonerism, in 2012, they encountered a level of hype that, in hindsight, sort of mirrored Arcade Fire’s ascension to the top 15 years ago…
Globe Life Park is closing to make room for Globe Life Field, and in the former’s entire 25-year history, there have only ever been three full concerts booked at the stadium. Back in June, Paul McCartney became the first artist to ever play a full performance at the venue, and…
They say you are the company you keep, and by that logic, Tanya Tucker’s friendships and associations with figures such as Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Glen Campbell mean she is an icon of formidable stature. She is, of course, an icon for reasons far greater…
This week, Dallas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress made headlines after predicting that a “Civil War-like fracture” would surface if President Donald Trump’s impeachment were to materialize. If the Civil War sequel Jeffress warned about happens before Thursday, Oct. 17, Dallas may be a major battleground, as Trump will be hosting…
During the Dixie Chicks’ commercial peak, they were the target of intense acrimony and ostracism after lead vocalist Natalie Maines made critical remarks of President George W. Bush and the invasion of Iraq. As such, the jingoistic boy’s club that was the ’00s country music industry blackballed them and kept their…
To say we listen to music with our eyes would sound counterintuitive and foreign, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate. Think about it. How different would the live music experience be if we didn’t have eyes? How would record collectors listen to an LP in their living room if they couldn’t…
Houston-based soul and R&B outfit The Suffers had some abysmal luck following a set at this year’s Homegrown Fest. As we reported back in April, the eight-piece band lost about $33,000 worth of equipment when thieves took off with the band’s detached trailer, which stood in the parking lot at…
I’ve always hated the notion of the “tortured genius” since it essentially glamorizes an artist’s devastating struggle. Isn’t music supposed to, as Woody Guthrie once put it, “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable?” I’ll admit, it has become harder for me to intellectually defend my disdain for this archetype…
KERA hosted a preview screening of the upcoming Ken Burns docuseries Country Music on Thursday at Southern Methodist University’s McFarlin Auditorium, and we had the esteemed privilege of attending and even speaking with Burns’ co-collaborators Dayton Duncan (writer and lead producer) and Julie Dunfey (co-producer.) Between all three producers, there are…
First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress appeared on Fox Business’ Lou Dobbs Tonight a week ago to confirm what we have known all along: He will always be there to shill for Donald Trump. In discussing the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to uphold the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ ban…
The entertainment industry is said to be a cruel den of vipers, where nepotism reigns. True, having a strong work ethic is crucial, and you will generally have to start from the bottom and take your neophyte status in stride, but there’s no required penance behind success. The only true…
