So, it’s the day before Austin Psych Fest and you’re still not ready. Especially if you plan to make a weekend of it (maybe camp out?), then man, it’s high time you start prepping. There’s plenty of I’s to dot and T’s to cross, and maybe a few hard-to-come-by party…
As part of its three-week Beethoven Festival, The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Jaap van Zweden) is performing the master’s symphonic game-changer, The 9th Symphony. Psychologically absorbing, suspenseful and grandiose, the 9th remains one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. From the fiery rhythms of the scherzo to…
We all know it, but it’s time to show it. Urban Outfitters is a creative wasteland, a shortsighted cul-de-sac of trends and trash-culture bent for capital gain — one large, unthinking slab of cultural masturbation. But, by and large, it’s a beast we ourselves feed. Like creepers to a drug…
Everybody that’s seen Suspiria has an opinion about Goblin, whether they realize it or not. The Italian prog rock greats have, throughout their career, created some of the most captivating and unnerving music ever put to film. With their work on Suspiria, though, they made what is widely considered the…
This March I found myself at Amoeba Music in LA, one of the most celebrated record stores in the world. The size, the selection and the pricing were all very impressive, but none of it compared to the sense of community living inside. It was contagious, enlivening. For a fan…
A riverside ranch, a three-day weekend amongst nature and a stream of psychedelic music may sound like a cult happening (and it kind of is) but more to the point it’s the scene of Austin’s Psych Fest, a musical celebration of all things mind-bending. In seven short years, Psych Fest…
Something special happened in Dallas last night. For a brief flash, our city was the center of free jazz–jazz’s most uninhibited form. A quartet named The Bradford 4 performed at an intimate project space (Beefhaus) put on by local artist collective Art Beef. The Bradford 4 is fronted by legendary…
Like all niche stores, record shops are keeling over left and right. Only one or two record stores among each hundred have survived the evolution of the music industry. In turn, a priceless cultural gathering place has been all but lost. A cornerstone that ignores occupational, national, and social boundaries,…
With a virulent wit, a deep antipathy for authority and a boiling paradox of emotions, Tyler has made some of the most controversial music of the 21st century. Far from mere shock fodder, his music reflects not only internal vulnerability and brokenness, but also the ever-fragmenting moods, morals and frustration…
There’s anywhere from 1 to 10 billion bands at any given SXSW. This year I think there are more. This makes planning one’s festival schedule a daunting monstrosity. But don’t worry, The Dallas Observer is here to help. Because it’s our opinion that festivals should be about seeing great bands,…
Ever miss an un-missable concert? It’s one of those pangs that lingers, fixed like a stamp on the back of your skull. It’s a bad taste in your mouth that never leaves, a constant reminder of how your life could have been better had you seen (insert band name here)…
It’s hard to overestimate the impact Philip Glass has had on classical music. Apart from being (arguably) the world’s greatest living composer, Glass almost single handedly brought minimalism into contemporary popular culture — influencing legions of rock and electronic artists while simultaneously introducing classical music to a generation of otherwise…
On tape there’s something eloquent, even graceful about how Denton-formed Snarky Puppy blend various streams of sound. A great deal of these recordings capture the group in a live environment, reflecting the searing energy and fluid ease with which these artists navigate the modern (jazz) fusion frontier. It’s what has…
Most people have heard of psychedelic rock — a mid ’60s music closely associated with the psychedelia counterculture. But what you might not know is that its roots started right here in Texas, with 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson first using the term almost fifty years ago in 1965…
Two days, 12 hours in, and I feel like a stuck balloon. No energy drink can pull me from the oppressive blankness that clouds my mind. I lie in a broken, noodle-like mass on the floor outside of the main stage, searching for restful escape in an iPhones’ application folder…
Two blocks away from the Dallas Convention Center for Lights All Night, and that rumbling, white noise roar of a crowd pre-concert is already audible.The colossal sonic happenings inside – thousands of feet removed, and buffered by countless layers of stone and steel – vibrate the downtown concrete architecture both…
It’s already halfway over. For those interested in attending night two of Lights All Night, I have some sage advice that just might save your life, or just help you have more fun. Whatever. Read these ten lines, commit them to memory, and, of course, laminate them — things get…
It was on a Saturday in Deep Ellum, and the night seemed unnaturally dark. Outside, the first breezes of fall chilled the air, but inside Reno’s Chop Shop the air was humid and thick, like a warm locker room. As the bar buzzed with the aimless movement of incoming patrons,…
CD Source has been servicing Dallas’ music needs for what will be approximately 20 years this coming Friday — owner Lance Price opened the store on December 5, 1993. A lot has happened in 20 years: we’ve seen the digitization of music sales, a resurgence in the vinyl medium, the…
Earlier this month, local multi-instrumentalist Wanz Dover released Another Five Hours, the second offering under his Silver Saint moniker. Aesthetically, the project’s sound is in the vein of the early ’80s New York art-rock and no-wave scenes, specifically the work of avant garde guitarist/composer Glenn Branca. Having directly worked with…
Many listeners still can’t help but disregard certain artists based solely on the fact that they are commercially successful. This assumes that popularity and talent are mutually exclusive — pop music is the great enemy to art. To those who have doubts concerning the joy these artists can deliver, you…
If a tsunami of tasteless social media updates didn’t clue you in already, Lou Reed has died. He was a writer, a guitarist, a singer–a visionary. As the principal songwriter of pioneering ’60s act The Velvet Underground, he punched a whole in the veil separating rock music and art. As…
