To this day, the mere mention of the term “Seattle Band” conjures up images of flannel and angst-fueled grunge more than it does the harmonic, beard-enrobed folk-rock that now serves as the rain-drenched city’s chief musical export. But while the coffee-stained town seems to churn out top-notch folk rock and…
During a Fat Tuesday celebration at Plano’s Last Chance Saloon in March, the heavily beaded and soused patrons that packed the popular suburban spot were focused on a ditzy cougar-wannabe who insisted upon earning Mardi Gras prizes the easy way outside on the club’s patio. Meanwhile, just a few feet…
Traditional American roots music has continued to grow in mainstream popularity since the commercial explosion of the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack in 2000. Now, a new film-inspired collection of unfiltered mountain music has made its way into the public consciousness, thanks to its association with the movie that…
The Bosun’s Locker in London might become a pilgrimage-worthy mecca for fans of some of today’s rising indie-icons. While the acoustic-intensive and tearfully sensitive Mumford & Sons have perhaps made the biggest splash of any of the acts that used to perform at the English pub, it was Noah &…
Times New Viking is another recent example of a band that’s realized that it can be pretty fun to fully utilize the expensive studio amenities that its record label is providing. Following in the recent sonic footprints as bands such as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Harlem,…
Denton’s Bad Design understand the role artistic influences should play in an individual’s own creation. The post-punk trio consisting of Steve Altuna, John Hossley and Clint Sawyer has obviously enjoyed the works of Fugazi and the Pixies, yet they’ve managed to produce a raw-boned album that merely draws from those…
For anyone wondering if Eleven Hundred Springs will ever record a bad album: Maybe, but you’ll have to wait until at least the next album. Indeed, the beloved, Matt Hillyer-fronted group’s latest record, Eight the Hard Way, is yet another shiny rhinestone gem in their already sparkling catalog. Sure, Eleven…
The new, self-titled album from Darryl Lee Rush is the portrait of a storyteller finding a new way to say things. It’s not that Rush has reinvented himself with his new album; it’s just that he’s tweaked a few things to appropriately highlight the strengths of his music. While the…
Since their inception in 2006, Fort. Worth’s Tejas Brothers have stood as one of the best live acts in Texas. And with the release of their second album, Rich Man, the Dave Perez-led quartet is once again proving itself one of the best bands in the state. Not only does…
Never let it be said that Ryan Bingham is one to pander. Or one to strike while the iron is hot. In the spring of 2010, Bingham famously won an Oscar for his song “The Weary Kind” from the movie Crazy Heart. As a result, the former vagabond troubadour became…
Fiery-haired Californian Brett Dennen looks like he could be an up-and-coming protégé of Justin Beiber’s — but, at this point in his career, he’s actually rather seasoned veteran. With four studio albums under his belt, including the brand-new Loverboy, Dennen has fully established himself as a troubadour interested in spreading…
California folk-rock act Dawes has had a whirlwind couple of years. Since abandoning the more hard-charging rock vibe they boasted before the departure of former co-songwriter Blake Mills, the SoCal act has gained steam, interestingly enough, by becoming more musically laid-back. And there’s been plenty of steam, too: The quartet,…
It’d be easy to pigeonhole Oklahoma music as solely focused on red dirt country (see: Cross Canadian Ragweed) or dust-bowl folk (see: Woody Guthrie) were it not for the contributions made by the likes of the Flaming Lips, Evangelicals, Starlight Mints and Stardeath & White Dwarfs in recent years. Another…
On Orange Peel Sunshine’s recently released self-titled album, the Josh Campbell-led outfit takes post-punk for an enjoyable spin around the American rock block. And though the collection’s production comes with a polish that detracts from the ferocity of certain songs, that slight issue is made up for with scorching numbers…
THe BAcksliders have rightfully garnered a reputation in North Texas as a band that righteously rocks. And on their latest record, the Bonner-intensive group (Kim fronts the band, her husband Chris plays guitar, his brother Jason plays bass) manages to continue rocking, even if they seem to be holding back…
On an otherwise normal evening at Colin Meloy’s house, the Decemberists were working through tunes for their new album, The King is Dead. But one thing was different about this night: The Portland-based band had a special guest joining them. It was Peter Buck, the guitarist responsible for giving REM—and…
Back in 2009, Hey Dillon (The Last Great DJ), a documentary produced by the McKinney-based The Good Fight Motion Pictures and focused on KHYI-95.3 FM The Range disc jockey Brett Dillon, premiered and made its way around the region. The narrative — independent radio’s David facing off against corporate radio’s…
William FitzsimmonsThe LoftApril 22, 2011Better than: having to stuff used ear plugs in my ears. On Friday night, at The Loft, William Fitzsimmons brought the quiet.Interesting, too, since throughout the entire 90-minute set performed by the Pennsylvania-raised Fitzsimmons performed there seemed to be a tonal tug of war in the…
For about 10 years now, Arkansas native Joe Purdy has steadily released album after album of solid — and at times, spectacular — folk music. Most recently, though, with his two 2010 releases, 4th of July and This American, Purdy has adopted inventive ways to get his music heard.Case in…
It’s an old story in music. A band works hard and earns a loyal, if somewhat diminutive, following. The band works harder and gains an even bigger and still super-loyal fan base. The band gets signed to a major label or imprint, mostly on the strength of their fans’ support,…
The last couple of years have followed an interesting path for British singer-songwriter Bobby Long. Both geographically and musically. After learning cello and guitar by the time he was 18, when he started writing his own songs, the young and dashing Long began to set his sights on open mic…
Ride With Me, the self-produced new album from McKinney’s Zane Williams, a prodigal Texan who returned after writing Jason Michael Carroll’s hit song “Hurry Home” on Nashville’s music row, is a neo-traditional prize, pleasingly rife with the PBR-scented tones of fiddle and pedal steel. Along with those hardwood-tested sounds, Williams…
