Chuck D says knock you out. The Kings of the Mic Tour has repeatedly been compared to a big classic-rock arena show — old timers busting out riffs familiar to a graying crowd. But that’s the wrong comparison. The Kings of the Mic Tour is more like if Chuck Berry…
It’s not every state that can claim a musical history as rich in innovators and legends as Texas, from Buddy Holly to UGK to Pantera. But Willie Nelson stands without equal as a folk hero: A man of humble, high-school-football-playing beginnings and a long resume of odd jobs and blue-collar…
A week after its initial lineup announcement (and the immediate sellout of early bird tickets), Fun Fun Fun Fest has announced its second batch of artists. Along with lo-fi hero Daniel Johnston, the other incarnation of Black Flag (just Flag) and Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. is Star Slinger, Deerhunter and…
If one of North Texas’ biggest music festivals happens again, it will do so without its creative director, programming director and chief financial backer. 35 Denton started in Austin as a SXSW day party in 2005 and by 2013 featured in the vicinity of 200 acts from around the globe…
In this week’s Dallas Observer we profile 30 of the metro area’s most interesting characters, with new portraits of each from local photographer Stanton Stephens. Look for the Dallas Observer People Issue on newsstands this week. See the entire Dallas Observer People Issue here. Gene and Tommie West belong to…
In this week’s Dallas Observer we profile 30 of the metro area’s most interesting characters, with new portraits of each from local photographer Stanton Stephens. See the entire Dallas Observer People Issue here. You don’t love drums like Tex Bosley loves drums. He loves the shells, the way the wood…
If you ever see Ice Eater, pay attention. Partly because the futuristic rock band puts on an incredibly dynamic live show – their relatively early show at Sunday’s Fort Worth Weekly Music Showcase was the most well-received I saw all day. A Weekly staffer got onstage afterward and called it…
Beyonce’s massive world tour kicks off this week in Los Angeles and stops at American Airlines Center on July 6. That show is, unfortunately, sold out. But the Queen has just announced a second appearance in town this year: She’ll be making her way back on December 9. Tickets go…
There are wheezing old rock stars, cashing in on the long-gone fire of their youths. And there is Robert Plant, who is older than them and still more colossal onstage than pretty much all the kids who owe him their careers. The most famous living front man made a stop…
What is good for any music in North Texas is pretty much good for all music in North Texas. So this weekend’s Fort Worth Weekly Music Showcase is undoubtedly a cause for celebration. The free festival is this coming Sunday, June 23, and features 48 bands from Fort Worth and…
Red Bull’s Sound Select program has announced a new set of shows in a handful of U.S. cities in late July. The program is designed to showcase local talent, and the Dallas show (on July 26 at Prophet Bar) is exemplary: Erykah Badu will be joined by Larry G[ee] and…
Pop sensations Queens of the Stone Age will play Verizon Theatre on October 5. Tickets for the show, which range from $42.50 to $49.50 before fees, go on sale this Friday, June 21 at 10 a.m. If you missed this announcement when it came through, you’re forgiven: The show still…
My Bloody Valentine will play Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on August 17. This is a big deal: The Greatest Shoegaze Band Ever released its third album (and first since 1991’s spectacular Loveless) earlier this year. When MBV reunited in 2009, they played only five U.S. shows, at Coachella and…
There’s a new music festival coming to Dallas. Well, Frisco, technically: It wil held at FC Dallas Stadium. But there are plenty of reasons to make the trip for the inaugural Breakaway Music Festival. The lineup, which hasn’t been finalized, includes Empire of the Sun, Wu-Tang Clan, Big Gigantic, Juicy…
Mumford & Sons, scheduled to play tonight at Gexa Energy Pavilion, have postponed their next three shows. Dallas, Woodlands and New Orleans are affected. Bassist Ted Dwane has a blod clot on the surface of his brain that requires emergency surgery, as the band has informed fans in its official…
Summer Cut was a good time, partly because the bands were generally so high energy. And while the crowd was in high spirits, not very many people were full-on dancing. It’s a long show, it was hot outside. You have to pace yourself. Unless, that is, you are these two,…
The State Fair of Texas announced its headlining acts today, and there are some actual heavy hitters, including new wave legends Blondie and rising, pot-smoking country star Kacey Musgraves. There’s also “an evening with Molly Ringwald.” Here are the rest of the headliners:…
The Avett Brothers | Grace Potter & the Nocturnals | Matt & Kim | RTB2 | Oil Boom | The Roomsounds and more Gexa Energy Pavilion June 1, 2013 The rain at KXT’s Summer Cut started (for the second time) around 9 p.m., partway through Grace Potter & the Nocturnals’…
Taylor Swift is playing Cowboys Stadium on Saturday. Here are some important facts about Taylor Swift: 1. She made $57 million from May 2011 to May 2012, making her the highest-paid musician under 30 in that time period. 2. Her latest album, Red, has sold over 5 million copies since…
In this week’s feature, Kelly Dearmore tells the story of Home By Hovercraft, a band inspired by The Polyphonic Spree and its members’ own theater backgrounds. That tells you a lot about what kind of sound they’re headed for; they do it well. You can listen to “Zoo Lion” below…
The Baptist Generals’ long-awaited Jackleg Devotional To The Heart is here. You can buy it on a number of media including colorful vinyl. Mine’s translucent pink — not sure if that’s how they all are or not. Either way, we strongly advise you to track it down. It’s really good…
There was no better place to be Saturday night than on a hill in Fort Worth, watching the dust whip behind The Walkmen while the sun set over the skyline. Panther Island Pavilion, the crook in the Trinity River north of the city, is new and raw. Right now the…
