I can’t in good conscience recommend paying for this show, as that would mean supporting two acts whose masses-pleasing mediocrity helped define the reprehensible and irreversible plummet in quality that “alternative rock” radio took during the mid-’90s. But if you somehow end up with free tickets to this perfect storm…
Before Ryan Adams recorded every half-baked song idea he ever had, before he scored the model-actress girlfriends, before A.A., he was a mean, drunken son of a bitch. He was also a hell of a lot more interesting. March 4 will herald the release of a two-disc deluxe version of…
Muppet kids apparently have career goals similar to those of human children. In Sesame Street Live’s When Elmo Grows Up, Elmo and friends perform a musical show-and-tell about what they want to do when they grow up—even though Elmo has been a three-and-a-half year-old monster since 1985. They aspire to…
Experts urge parents to read to their offspring, touting it as a bonding activity and a way to strengthen kids’ reading skills. What they don’t tell you is how boring it is to read the same book over and over again. Our kids demand that we reread, say, Everyone Poops…
While all three of these acts would appeal to a crowd that likes its rock loud, this still seems like a strangely mismatched lineup. The Great Tyrant’s Daron Beck plays ominous synth and keyboard parts and bellows and growls theatrically over the most brutal rhythm section in North Texas, making…
It seems like Mike Doughty is doing everything he can to blend in with every milquetoast singer-songwriter who ever drew inspiration from Duncan Sheik. The ridiculous album title, bland packaging photos—including shots of the artiste at work with a cup of coffee and a notebook full of scribbles—and liner notes…
“That’s a good dog. Yes he is! Who’s a good puppy? Who’s a good puppy?!! Yes he is! OK, sit. Good boy! Down. No, down. Good boy! Roll over. Good boy! Aww, he likes having his tummy rubbed. Yes he does! Good boy. OK, fetch. Go get it! Wow, look…
I love it when hot female scenesters (scenesterettes? scenestresses?) are hip to retro trends that make them look even hotter. Burlesque dancing, pin-up girl styling and corsets have all made comebacks among the fashionable rocker chick set in recent years. I think some of these trendy young lasses try to…
Rose County Fair, John Pedigo’s post-Slick 57 band, has dropped the rockabilly influence of his previous group but kept the contrasting elements of vintage punk and Americana. “Falcones,” from 2007’s The Overture (and available on its MySpace site), is a good example of the band’s catchy pop leanings, with Pedigo’s…
Hopefully you’re smart enough to take one look at this lineup and know that you should have acquired your tickets to this thing already. If not, get on it. Chances to see The Paper Chase seem increasingly rare, and the openers—both of whom have recorded with Paper Chase mastermind John…
Just months after opening for Interpol during its fall 2007 tour, Liars is back on the road, despite singer/guitarist Angus Andrew’s painful back injury, which has the frontman mostly seated during recent shows. (Andrew says he was just “tidying up” and reaching for a cushion when his back gave out.)…
Fran “DJ Frantic” Erck’s first club gig wasn’t supposed to happen at all. He’d only started spinning records two years earlier, after he’d grown bored of his videogames and after his friend Pat “Phat-1” Johnson had persuaded him to get a secondhand set of turntables. Johnson tried to convince the…
Imagine a night of blues music in modern-day Dallas. Ready? Let me guess: The first image that came to your mind was a middle-aged white guy wearing a leather vest and turquoise bolo tie, doing a passable-but-unnecessary Stevie Ray Vaughan imitation to a bar full of yuppie weekend bikers. As…
Chicago has given the world some great gifts, such as deep-dish pizza, Steve Albini and the Blues Brothers. It’s also been home to some rather unfortunate events, like the Haymarket Riot, Al Capone’s gangland battles and the Manhattan Project. And then there are those Windy City contributions that can be…
Just when those of us slow to adapt to change had finally stopped calling it “Starplex,” the Fair Park outdoor amphitheater that plays host to your burnout uncle’s favorite prog-rock reunion shows has been renamed again. Live Nation, the company that brought you House of Blues—the rock venue with valet…
With beats that include everything from beatboxing to banjo, and a story-telling flow that varies from gruff rasping to dramatic singing, rapper Astronautalis has always been difficult to classify. He’s not making the pigeonholing any easier on his upcoming album, which will include sea chanteys and a song about the…
Like a dumb grown-up, I had the Doodlebops mixed up with another live-action preschool band, The Wiggles. The Doodlebops feature blue, yellow-on-orange and pink-on-purple musicians, while The Wiggles feature blue, red, purple and yellow players. Totally different. To avoid further confusion, I asked my 5-year-old son, Lyle—a budding Uncle Barky…
Seated behind a folding table in the small lounge at Lee Harvey’s, next to the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade game, Mark Griffin is flipping through a book of CDs, trying to pick the next song when two 30-something guys walk in, halt in their tracks and stare at him for a…
Verb! Pikahsso shows action on his birthday by teaming up with local photographer and homeless advocate Hal Samples to throw a party and collect winter clothing for the homeless. The party, at Samples’ studio, will feature performances by some of the best rappers in the D-F Dub, including Pik’s group…
Traditional regional music is a heavy influence for all three acts on this bill. Flogging Molly is a Los Angeles punk band that uses traditional Irish melodies and instruments, including the tin whistle, and falls somewhere between the Dropkick Murphys and The Pogues on the punk-to-traditional-Celtic-music continuum. Singer Dave King…
It’s inevitable. At some point you’ll be at a bona fide grown-up party, where nobody is throwing up, burning things, doing bong hits or staining the carpet. You’ll find you’re actually enjoying it, even though the music is too quiet and people are talking about real estate. Then you’ll look…
Droning, disorienting, ominous and sometimes satirical, Dallas noise collective Loop 12’s sound-art compositions (the term “music” might be a bit restrictive here) definitely aren’t for everyone. Rickety analog tape equipment meets looping software as the musicians and artists compose these psychedelic soundscapes on the spot for each performance. The 10-minute…
