If albums were rated by simply how badass they are, Tiny Darkness, the debut record from Dallas-based Darstar, would rate a five-out-of-five bottles of Jack Daniel’s. The urgency of the fuzzed-out and bombastic collection bursts from the speakers, as does the brazen lack of concern for any who may be…
Comedian is seemingly too simple of a label for the multi-talented Larry Miller. But when you examine the veteran scene-stealer’s creative offerings, Comedian is perhaps the most appropriately broad title for him outside of Restless Artist. Whether it’s his well-followed podcast endeavors, his classic stand-up routines, his memorable roles in…
Local dream-pop outfit Little Black Dress has finally followed up on the promise that was displayed with their full-length debut, Snow in June, of a couple of years ago. They’re doing so by offering up a pretty sweet-sounding, limited-edition vinyl single, no less. The new, self-produced seven-inch single, “Don’t Worry…
Alabama-raised Jason Isbell has pretty much met, if not exceeded, the expectations of just about any interested party following his departure from the beloved band of southern-rock story-tellers, The Drive By Truckers. Each of Isbell’s three albums since leaving his former band in 2007 has progressed in quality. His solo…
Gainesville, Florida’s Chuck Ragan is one of those dudes who just can’t go wrong. His more-than-a-decade’s work with the still-revered punk act Hot Water Music is often cited by younger punk bands as a key motivator for their own punk-ish endeavors. In the more recent past, as well as the…
Let’s get right to the point: This year’s edition of Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest was a dust-covered, freaked-out combo plate of the buzzed-about, the stupid, the surprising and the legendary. When the lineup for this year’s edition was revealed, more than a few folks used the word “eclectic” to…
On a gorgeous SXSW night in 2010, Glossary was performing an outdoor set during the Ninebullets.net showcase. As the crowded, tree-covered patio’s patrons settled in for the set, the band finished a somewhat down-tempo, almost somber tune. While the name of the tune escapes my memory, the words of Glossary…
Yes. Fun Fun Fun Fest is this weekend in Austin, and judging by the eclectic-as-ever line-up, the name continues to become even more appropriate with each passing year. Celebrating its sixth birthday, the bash will take place on Auditorium Shores, which marks a step into more of a big-time, destination…
Metal has long been a canvas for the otherworldly. When the paper version of DC9 spoke to The Sword’s lead man, J.D. Cronise, back in February, his answer to why metal is such fertile soil for the magical and mystical was rather matter of fact. “The music itself is just…
Seems like most indie music fans had no idea that the Balkan’s had their own unique brand of folk music before Zach Condon started mining that territory for sonic gold under his Beirut moniker. Despite being so closely affiliated with the roots music of that region, Beirut has for years…
Berkeley’s Testament has now been shredding for almost three decades. Just the fact that they’re still making quality examples of the style they helped usher in says a great deal about the group’s artistic character. Sure, as is the case with just about every other band that’s stayed relatively active…
In the words of the great, would-be time traveler Kip Dynamite: We “love technology.”And we do. Let’s be honest: Music fans of today have it a bajillionty times better than the generation previous to this current, wireless point in time. Blogs, mp3s, iTunes, Myspace, Facebook and even email blasts from…
The recent Big Four shows featuring thrash-metal kings Metallica, Megadeath, Slayer and Anthrax were massive, epic spectacles that were barely contained by the huge venues they were performed in — legendary spots such as the Coachella-approved Empire Polo Club and Yankee Stadium, and some European locales as well. The genius…
From any way one might look upon them, The Sheepdogs of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, are living the dream of being rock stars on the rise. Earlier this year, the band became the first unsigned act to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, and it didn’t take long for the band…
Rhode Island’s ramshackle band of rockers, Deer Tick, has been rather prolific since the release of 2007’s War Elephant. That album that won fans with the literate, country rock stylings of lead singer and songwriter John McCauley III. It wasn’t before everyone was ready to lather the stickiness of the…
Genre labels are fascinating tools in the overall study of popular music. Even the term “popular music” can be misleading, for heaven’s sake. Metal gods Anthrax are popular — but they’re certainly not pop. Kesha is certainly pop — but not popular with people, y’know, who like music to not…
Last month, at the Glastonbury festival in the U.K., the members of Battles found themselves in a dressing room next to the current queen of pop radio, and perhaps the polar opposite of their band in terms of style, Kesha. Multi-instrumentalist Ian Williams, who spent his earlier years playing guitar…
A few years ago, you’d hear the happy-go-lucky, impossibly supportive local music fans shout their rallying cries, and you’d smile because, much as you wanted to believe that what they were saying was true, you knew in your heart that it wasn’t. Still, you listened to their rants: “There’s just…
Regular readers of DC9 and regular drinkers at just about any North Texas honky-tonk are likely familiar with Grant Jones & The Pistol Grip Lassos by now. Between celebrating a great victory in the 2009 Shiner Rising Star Contest (where they won a recording contract) and suffering unimaginable loss when…
Casey Hess of the Dallas Observer Music Awards-nominated Descender (Best Hard Rock Act) is — perhaps too quietly these days — one of Dallas’ great rock heroes. Since his stints in a few influential and popular area bands going back to the 1990s glory days of Elm, Main and Commerce,…
Banjo hero Bela Fleck has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to the often misunderstood stringed instrument that’s now become a practical necessity to forming an indie hipster band. You see, in the 1970s and even into the 1980s, Fleck was a country guy. As a member…
Fort Worth’s Earthquake Country sounds, based on name alone, like a lame cover band looking to regale muffin-topped boot-scooters with the latest America Has Idol Talent disco-and-Western blend. Thankfully, Diaspora, the first record from Jason Worley and his backing band, which includes members of Telegraph Canyon, isn’t anywhere near such…
