The DFW area certainly has no shortage of great bands. To that point let me introduce you to a great up-and-comer, The Campaign. Like their Dallas brethren Radiant, The Campaign’s music is melodic pop-rock with a dash of soul that is instantly catchy and worthy of repeated listening. The Fort…

Aficionados of electric blues would do well to get down to Pearl at Commerce this Saturday for blast of twelve bar heaven with Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King. Kubek was born in Pennsylvania but was raised in Irving and has been a part of the Dallas blues scene for…

Guess who’s coming to Dallas? Well, OK, Grand Prairie. Just got an email from Robert Wilonsky that will be shiny, happy news for R.E.M. fans and Old 97’s fans alike. According to R.E.M.’s Web site, the band will perform at Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie October 24, with support from…

Jerry Wexler in 1979. (AP) Sad news today, as the AP reports that Jerry Wexler died at 3:45 a.m. this morning at the age of 91. The man who coined the term “Rhythm and Blues,” he was a hugely influential partner at Atlantic in the 1950s and ’60s. He produced…

Sarah Jaffe at Stubb’s August 9. (Sandy Carson) The Austin Chronicle’s Doug Freeman was apparently quite impressed by an August 9 bill at Stubb’s that included locals Sarah Jaffe and Dove Hunter, along with Abilene’s Micah P. Hinson. He hints that Dove Hunter’s fans weren’t completely enraptured with Hinson’s quieter…

Brooke Opie, a.k.a. Little Birds In peripheral local music news, Half Price Books takes a Starbucksian step by heading into the CD business. OK, sort of. A few weeks ago, it released Music by the Book, a compilation of songs performed by, as they call it, “our HPB family.” Although…

Felix “Tex” Ventouras If you’re really dedicated to supporting local music, you have yet another reason to be a fan of synchronized swimming. Felix “Tex” Ventouras, a Dallas native and 2002 graduate of Booker T. Washington (Arts Magnet) High School, composed music for the Team USA synchronized swimmers. According to…

Hey, all you garage bands. In case you haven’t heard, Mötley Crüe is giving one lucky–uh, we mean talented–band the chance to open up for them on their 2009 U.S. tour. You can still enter until September 21. The winning band is promised the opening slot, management and recording deals,…

Radiohead’s May 18 show was Dallas’ top-selling concert of the summer, far as StubHub’s concerned.(Michael Insuaste) StubHub just announced “America’s 20 Most Rockin’ Cities of 2008,” and Dallas came in at a somewhat respectable tenth place, edging out Atlanta and Las Vegas but slipping three spaces from last year’s No…

Sorry, SheDick, this lineup includes natural-born women only. Just got an email from Mary Hestand, leader of that fabulous group of female 40-something retro-rockers Merry and the Mood Swings, informing me that the lineup is set for a special concert to be held at the Dallas Women’s Museum during the…

(Brian Harkin) Doug Burr recently took home a Dallas Observer Music Award for his song “Slow Southern Home.” Next week, another of his songs will be in the spotlight. “Should’ve Known,” which you can listen to on Burr’s MySpace page, will be featured on The Secret Life of the American…

LeeAnn Rimes reaches into her pocket for her new BlackJack II. LeAnn Rimes is giving a free concert tomorrow night at Gilley’s, but there’s a small catch: the only way to get in is to win tickets in a radio contest or register online to add your name to the…

It wasn’t that long ago that I was singing the praises of Gerard Dirkx, the former frontman of Dallas’ legendary new wave combo The Telefones, as he began performing solo for the first time. Gerard put his current band, Fat Palace, on hold and put on some low-key gigs that…