The Uplift Peak Preparatory graduation was almost like any other high school graduation ceremony. Parents flapped programs in their faces back and forth to cool them down from the hot summer air. Infant relatives cried and screamed in the silence that preceded the start of the ceremony. Graduates flooded into…
Dallas venue The Dirty 30 had a break-in May 7 for the sixth time in a year and a half. Someone used a crowbar to open the door, broke the windows and took about $850 worth of alcohol. Although the club’s security alarms have sounded for all of the break-ins,…
Just outside of Joplin, Missouri, Mitchell Ferguson, a local singer-songwriter, and his band all sat on the side of the road. Smoke billowed out of a newly purchased 1992 Chevrolet G20 Van as the cellphones of Ferguson; drummer Michael Ferguson, his brother; and bassist Dawson Slaby began to die in…
The wood-frame housing of the 5th Street Patio Cafe near historic downtown Frisco conveys the illusion of authenticity to passersby. Owner and chef Kristy McDonald says many people think the restaurant was set in an old, refurbished neighborhood home, but this is not the case. The houses that used to…
For Spencer Wharton, a local singer-songwriter and talent buyer, the closing of Crown and Harp, a 20-year-old Lower Greenville bar and music venue, was a story of love lost, emptiness and significant life changes. The end of the Dallas venue led Wharton to write the title track of his upcoming…
Most people’s recent memories of Kanye West probably include him wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat or talking about how slavery was a choice. Some, however, still like to remember West for his earlier influences on music with his soulful and culturally forward lyrics. The Live Playlist will host…
One in three Americans does not get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why get more sleep when you can send not-so-healthy amounts of caffeine coursing through your veins? The Dallas-Fort Worth coffee scene is well equipped to accommodate. If you find yourself in need…
A handful of third-party booking and promotion agencies in the Dallas area raise red flags for local musicians, but just as many concert and event promoters put music before money and base their businesses on trust and community in the local music scene. Spencer Wharton of Wharbaby Entertainment, a Dallas-Fort…
There are about 7,000 adolescents experiencing homelessness in the Dallas and Fort Worth school districts. On May 10, Texas Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel and Focus on Teens, a nonprofit organization, put on a show at the Kessler Theater to help support the needs of these children. Eric Nadel’s Seventh Birthday Benefit…
The latest show listings on its website are from 2016, so it is hard to tell if The Bar & Restaurant Society, a Los Angeles-based booking and promotions agency, is still in business. In any case, the agency has caused problems for artists throughout the years. The Dallas-Fort Worth area…
Walking along the streets or standing in a room full of other people, those with a mental illness may be nearly impossible to distinguish. But one in five adults experiences a mental health condition every year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The National Alliance on…
For some up-and-coming bands, snapshots of their shows seem priceless. There is, for the most part, a symbiotic relationship between concert photographers — who offer free press, promotional material and a glimpse into the magic onstage — and the performers they shoot. Once these acts reach a certain level of stardom,…
With most people having access to the internet or pay-per-view, it is easy to access live fights wherever they occur. It’s easy, but not cheap. When pay-per-viewing a fight costs as much as $100, like the McGregor and Mayweather fight, fans might get more bang for their buck seeing these…
The Box Garden, an outdoor venue at Legacy Hall in Plano, is about ready to open as a hub for live entertainment, bars and restaurants. It will seat more than 400 people, with additional standing space to hold up to 1,200. As part of the new entertainment space’s grand opening,…
Erin Kinsey, a 17-year-old country musician from Rockwall, once looked at her childhood music lessons as a burden. Now, she has an opening slot for a Hunter Hayes concert April 28 at Ascend Theater in Tennessee and no other plans for her future besides pursuing a career in music. Kinsey…
Charley Crockett loves Deep Ellum. “Here’s the thing,” Crockett began at his concert Friday night. “Whether you know it or not, this is the most important city in the world. I’m talking about the contributions to music of Deep Ellum. Let’s boogie.” Just before his declaration, as the curtain came…
Weed, the drug that remains in the same class as heroin, LSD and cocaine, has been a staple of the counterculture for decades. With a handful of states legalizing the substance in some way, the taboo behind smoking pot is beginning to dissolve. People have become accustomed to marijuana’s influence on…
Displayed on the walls of Kettle Art Gallery were snapshots and video footage from the 25 years of Dallas band Old 97’s. Jason Janik, a local photographer, curated Friday’s show filled with concert photography and Old 97’s fan art. It coincided with the group’s annual Country Fair. People began to…
It is hard to overlook what The New Yorker once called “The Perplexing Whiteness of Country Music.” It’s nothing less than a phenomenon. Sometimes called “the white man’s blues,” country music has been influenced by many cultures. But, like most of history, its past seems whitewashed, keeping major influences hidden…
David Wilson, sound engineer, venue manager and talent buyer for Double Wide, has always joked about teaching a class on stage etiquette. Hopefully, enough people will read this, and he won’t have to. “Don’t piss off the sound guy.” It’s a pretty common mantra in nearly every music scene. Most…
Everything seems to be falling into place for smooth-singing local country singer Jessica McVey. In the next month, you might see her playing her debut single, “John Deere in the Headlights,” at places like End Zone Bar in Deep Ellum or Z Grill in Flower Mound. Just a few years…
We’re not here to harp on someone’s age, but it can be sobering when a musician younger than 21 is kicking ass while we sit in our cubicles wondering where we went wrong in life. Here are some of the best. Caleb Lewis is the 20-year-old wunderkind guitar virtuoso and…
