It occurred to me recently that, within the DFW music scene, people really love to draw county lines. So what we were trying to illustrate with our 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees is that Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton aren’t three separate entities, but rather one big music community…
Austin’s never been short on stellar roots bands or hardcore honky-tonkers, thanks in part to some young acts that perform way beyond their years. Mike and the Moonpies, Whiskey Shivers and Shakey Graves are but a few of the promising names to reveal themselves recently. Add Crooks to that list…
Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we’ll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we’ve done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here. Best Americana/Roots Act J. Charles &…
Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we’ll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we’ve done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here. Best Blues Act Hunter Hendrickson Band…
Headlined by reunited legends like X, Run-D.M.C. and Public Image Ltd, this weekend’s Fun Fun Fun Fest has a little something for the older folks, as well as the young. With that much talent over three days, there are bound to be some tough decisions between stages. Here are a…
One of the many reasons Austin stoner metal kings The Sword gain fans by the boatload with each new release lies in the way in which each album, including their latest LP, Apocryphon, has been better than the album before it. This is a band that understands it’s not only…
How metal is a band that markets its own hot sauce? When the band in question is Austin’s kings of metal, The Sword, the answer is: Insanely. Along with showing off their culinary contributions on a recent episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, the quartet, led by J.D. Cronise, recently…
Carrie Ann Heart and Michael Trent’s savory Southern stew of folk, rock and blues makes the buzz they’ve received for their debut album as Shovels & Rope, O’ Be Joyful, highly warranted. In concert, their loving chemistry is apparent, as each takes a seamless turn on a single snare, guitar…
Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we’ll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we’ve done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here. When it comes to finding an…
Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we’ll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we’ve done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here. It’s an impressive feat that J…
In March of 2010, Sam Bush was granted the title “Father of Newgrass” by the Kentucky state government. That’s kind of a big deal. Bush is as revered and accomplished a player as can be found in music where “grass” is in its title. Whether it’s traditional bluegrass, newgrass or…
Metroplex resident and country singer-songwriter Mike Ryan has been hitting the bars and college towns of Texas for the past couple of years really hard. Now, he has a shiny new gem to add to his merch table, as his gigs are attracting more people than ever before. Night Comes…
Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we’ll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we’ve done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here. The way in which Dallas singer-songwriter…
If a bluegrass festival happens and mandolin maestro Sam Bush isn’t on the bill, did bluegrass really happen there? To be clear, there are plenty of worthy bluegrass acts to round out a solid lineup, but it’s tough to imagine a festival feeling and sounding complete without the man many…
The way in which Dallas singer-songwriter Ronnie Fauss was “discovered” by the folks at New West Records is pure old-school. It was an acoustic in-store gig at Houston’s famed Cactus Records, which caught the right ears and led to the next chapter in Fauss’ career. Certainly the in-store performance was…
Ryan Bingham isn’t a country singer. While he’s dabbled in the tones of roots and country, he’s a rock star at this point in his career. Sure, many people know the Los Angeles-based former rodeo cowboy from his celebrity-making, Oscar-winning tune “The Weary Kind” from the movie Crazy Heart, in…
Brothers Todd and Toby Pipes have long been fixtures in the North Texas music scene, going back to their time in Deep Blue Something. Regardless of one’s feelings on 1996 hit “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” their contribution to the musical landscape has been substantial, especially in the past couple of years…
Tennessee’s Will Hoge has proffered a literate, solid and consistent collection of country, rock and soul since 1997. It’s been the last few years, however, that provided Hoge a more prominent place in the public’s consciousness, due to a horrific traffic accident in 2008 and the recent ascent of his…
The Pistol Annies are not a “supergroup.” The trio, led by country singer Miranda Lambert, is super talented, however. Aside from the small tastes of Music City success fellow member Ashley Monroe has received, this is the greatest professional triumph for both Lambert and Angeleena Presley. The subject matter of…
If the oft-employed term “influential” still has meaning in today’s musical universe, then a massive amount of its worth lives within the work of John Prine. A legend without being a household name, Prine’s songwriting is a force that’s turned many aimless youth into wonderful artists in their own right…
Local folk-rock artist Andrew Delaney, along with his band, The Horse You Rode In On, has steadily improved over three years and two studio albums. He’s created a catalog that isn’t easily defined, yet is easily accessible. In a live setting, he and his band are able to give even…
In 2011, “Big” Gus Samuelson was named the Best Radio DJ by the Observer, thanks to his role as host of the Lone Star Underground on KHYI 95.3 The Range. He also hosts other shows on the station, but he’s not just talented in the radio booth. As leader of…
