Akkolyte Reno’s Chop Shop Saloon9 p.m.Akkolyte–brothers Aaron and Stefan Gonzalez–delivered their ususal thundering performance grindcore/punk at this year’s DOMAXXII. Aaron wields the bass while Stefan mans the drums. Both thrash away in pure melodic thrash. Both shine with insane virtuosity. Both lash out lyrics with fervor and grit. Stefan’s bellowing…
The past year or so has seen a tremendous upswing in the quality and skill in the Dallas area underground hip-hop scene. But one of the brightest gems in that group, Sore Losers, is now taking its show on the road. The duo plans to move to Los Angeles next…
Rusko, Dub AssemblyTreesApril 30, 2010 Better than: anything that has been at Trees since its re-opening. This was the Trees of old. By 9:30 p.m., the room was already buzzing and already a quarter full; the line outside already wrapped to the parking lot between the venue and Franzini’s Pizza…
Trees, once hailed as one of the meccas of Dallas live performance, has yet to return to its former position of glory in its latest incarnation. But Friday night’s Rusko show, brought to you by local promoter Feezy Duz It, definitely lends credibility to the venue, bringing the club its…
Big Boi, Girl TalkSouthern Methodist UniversityApril 15, 2010Better than: Big Boi’s set getting canceled as well. Many unsuspecting local music fans had the same reaction upon hearing that there would be a free concert on the SMU campus featuring Outkast’s Big Boi and mash-up artist Girl Talk. The consensus response,…
OK. There are certain things that are undoubtedly cool about living in a big city. Like when huge shows evade the radar of just about everyone. How huge? How about Spring Concert, put on by Southern Methodist University’s Program Council, featuring one of the most influential mash-up artists in the…
We’ve recently gotten our hands on the first single from the forthcoming A.Dd+ album, When Pigs Fly, a catchy little jam titled “Howdy Do.” From the opening bars of the track, it’s quite clear that these boys are dealing with some serious ammunition, armed with the production of local super-producer…
Last week, Damaged Good$ dropped its $pread Love Not Germ$ mixtape as a free download available at damageisgood.com, ending months of dangling the carrot in front of its fans. See, the mixtape was the culmination of a project that saw the duo hosting a charity show and releasing a single…
P.O.S., Dessa, AstronautalisHailey’s ClubFebruary 27, 2010 Better than: waiting in line for two hours. Here’s one thing can be said with almost unerring conviction: You’ve probably never been to a hip-hop show like the one held at Hailey’s on Saturday night. There was very little of what you’d normally see…
For the majority of the rap world, the pool of influences is composed of a very shallow range of artists. So many will list among their favorites Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Rakim and Tupac. But artists Astronautalis and P.O.S. quite clearly stray from those conventions, drawing from a seemingly widening supply…
Welcome to Round 3 of Vox Pop, your weekly video emcee showdown. In the spirit of keeping the entrants of this contest on their toes, we’re going to throw the first of what is sure to many curve balls.Today we introduce the Vox Pop Hall of Fame. Rappers who win…
Welcome to Round 2 of Vox Pop, DC9’s way to give back to the hip-hop community.First off, we’d like to start by saying thanks for all of the input that we got last week, in our first round of competition. Let’s keep this thing building, though. And that being said,…
This week, for the first go ’round of our new weekly, online hip-hop battle competition, both of our top performers–JMack and AnonymousCulture–chose to go the a cappella route with their submissions, opting to let the merits of the lyrics stand on their own without a backing beat. Bold move.But last…
The Upper Echelon Tour with Myka Nyne The Green Elephant Sunday, February 7 Better Than: The poetry that your English Lit teacher thought would inspire your love of words. To see a Myka Nyne show is truly an experience. Nearly absent are many of the conventions that sadly reemerge all…
Attention Dallas-area emcees, free-stylers, and rappers of all shapes and sizes: DC9 at Night is on the lookout for the best lyricists in North Texas. Today, we launch a new weekly feature called Vox Pop, or voice of the people. The concept it simple: Each week, we’ll host two videos…
Neon Indian, Ishi, Fizzy Dino Pop, YeahdefGranada TheaterDecember 28, 2009 Better than: lamenting the toys you didn’t get for Christmas. For years many wondered what would be the “next big thing” to come from Dallas, a city long on talent but guilty in recent years of not having a cohesive…
Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, DJ Big WizGranada TheaterSaturday, December 5, 2009 Better than: studying for an essay exam. Easily one of the most eccentric and talented wordsmiths in the world of hip-hop, Aesop Rock has been giving underground heads some of the most dense and textured rap to unravel for…
Imogen Heap, Back Ted-N-Ted, Tim ExileGranada TheaterNovember 17, 2009Better than: a night at home with your diary. While many long-time fans of Imogen Heap will praise the deep emotional quality of her work, her quirky honesty is what may strike you initially when seeing this marvel of a woman perform…
Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow & The Missing Men, Disco DoomGranada TheaterOctober 22, 2009 Better Than: a Thursday evening at home in your rocking chair. At his Good Records performance held earlier last night, Lou Barlow expressed his love for playing in the endangered venue of the record…
It’s not often that one gets the opportunity to witness the rock royalty. But that’s exactly what’s in store for the audience for Thursday’s double-headlining bill featuring Dinosaur Jr. and Built to Spill, whose combined careers span three generations of indie rock. Add to that mix a third performance, this…
The Cannabinoids feat. Erykah Badu and Shiny Toy GunsVictory PlazaOctober 16, 2009Better Than: a Texas-OU tennis match. Check out photos from the show here in our slideshow. Continuing the time-honored tradition of competition between Texas and Oklahoma, fans at Victory Plaza were treated once again to a duel between the…
It’s appropriate that Chucky Sly’s long-awaited debut album is titled The Unseen Mechanism—the local MC has excelled under the radar for much more than a decade and a half. He moved here in 1991 from Germany, but since, he’s consistently operated with the singular task of creating exceptional music. “When I…
