Now Seizing Our Attention

Yang Jin Long came of age in the intellectually and creatively stifling environment of post-Cultural Revolution China. Apparently, the result of leaving behind such a tightly wound upbringing is to create vibrantly colorful art that looks like it belongs on the cover of a ’70s prog-rock album. In other words,…

Raising The Barr

I didn’t know it as a warped junior-high dork, but Glenn Barr’s art was already informing the love of surreal visuals that I shared with millions of other kids who loved The Ren & Stimpy Show. That stint doing background styling for the cartoon is only part of the Lowbrow…

The Anvil Experience, Mitra

One of the most inspiring rock documentaries ever, 2009’s Anvil! The Story of Anvil told the sweet tale of singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow, drummer Robb Reiner and the band they refused to quit. Back in the early ’80s, their Canadian metal band had a taste of stardom culminating with a…

Show Announcements: Buck Pets To Rock Trees Once Again, More

Yet another reunion show recalling Deep Ellum’s glory days is in the works as The Buck Pets, whose history Jeff Liles tackled in Echoes and Reverberations last year, will play Trees Saturday, April 10. We haven’t heard any kind of formal announcement yet, but the calendar on the Trees MySpace…

Dude Food: Gordon Biersch

Gordon Biersch 8060 Park Lane 214-369-2739 Dude Factor: 5, or David Hasselhoff, on a scale of 1 (Adolphus Busch) to 10 (Charles Bukowski)I can almost imagine the German-American (I’m guessing) restaurateur who founded this chain irately shouting down a customer who asks if they serve any beers besides those brewed…

The Used Added To Dallas MusInk Bill

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago when Lucero and Telegraph Canyon were added to the bill, the lineup for the MusInk Tattoo & Music Festival April 9 through 11 looked like it would stick with the roots-, folk- and country-influenced rock favored in these parts. But today’s announcement…

Rhymefest Leaks Two Tracks Featuring Production By S1

El Che, the forthcoming LP by Kanye co-writer Rhymefest, features four songs with beats by Strange Fruit Project producer/MC S1 (Symbolyc One), two of which Fest leaked today on Ruby Hornet to build momentum for the official release. Both leaked songs also feature Phonte of Little Brother, who S1 says…

New Food

As if getting back to the grind after the holidays weren’t depressing enough, many people have New Year’s resolutions dragging them down. Here’s an idea: rather than make a negative food-related resolution, like dieting or cutting back on the booze, resolve to appreciate good food. Start by learning to cook…

Bowl Game

There are plenty of things to miss now that the holidays are over–days off from work and school, the joy of watching a child unwrap a present and especially the drinking. But perhaps the most sorely missed is the attention that charities like the North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant…

H To Tha D

Debating the merits of Houston compared to Dallas seems an exercise in futility. One has enough smog to choke a horse, while the other has an NBA team with a horse mascot and the most embarrassing championship choke in history. One couldn’t keep its NFL team but eventually got another,…

Rob Viktum Looks To Cambodia, Sees Progress

Dallas hip-hop producer and DJ Rob Viktum is known as an impeccably tasteful sampler, a beatmaker who uses snippets of half-forgotten soul songs and boom-bap drumbeats for a sound that hearkens to the ’90s Golden Era of rap and ’70s movie soundtracks. And yet he still manages to sound modern…

No Idea Festival To Be Held At Phoenix Project Next Sunday

Last year’s performances at Lola’s Sixth in Fort Worth marked the first time the improv/experimental music No Idea Festival came to the North Texas area. This year the event will be held in Dallas at a far grittier venue, the home base of the non-profit art- and music DIY collective…