I get the feeling that Canada doesn’t like us a whole lot. I know they have a bunch of good music there. But the only Canadian music that shows op on U.S. music charts ranges from mediocre to awful.The latest example is a guy named Drake. As part of Young…
Japanese ethereal post-rock act Mono has been to Dallas a few times this past decade. Andrew Claymen gave his take on the run up to the band’s set at Hailey’s in 2007:Like their crescendo-loving peers in Explosions in the Sky, Japanese post-rockers Mono lay down soundtracks for the Oscar-worthy epics…
Vinnie Paul Abbott is a guy who knows what he wants and how to get it. “When I walk into a strip bar,” says the Arlington native, “I don’t want to have a bunch of stupid strobe lights in my face and a bar girl bugging me.” Rather, the iconic…
The last time Megafaun, an Americana act with experimental flair and an offshoot of now-defunct DeYarmond Edison, was at Hailey’s, it was opening up for the Bowerbirds in August of 2009. Doug Davis gave his take on the band:Megafaun is a trio who might be described as post-rock meets bluegrass…
This summer, we’ll celebrate the 22nd year of our annual Dallas Observer Music Awards. And we’ve come a long way from the first ceremony taking up only one venue.The April 28, 1988 edition of the Observer had Brad Bailey reviewing our first annual Dallas Observer Music Awards ceremony on April…
OMFG! Did anyone else hear the new Usher single, “OMG?” It makes me ROFLMAO. I know Usher is going through a tough time this year, but he must have been burning something to write a single such as this…..
It was just two Saturdays ago that Dallas’ alternative rock crew The Buck Pets reunited for a release show at Trees to release their rarities album, RARES (and unreleased).The reunion was a long time coming, since it had been 15 years since the band released the rushed and disappointing album…
Acid Mothers Temple, O.G.O.D The Loft April 16, 2010 Better Than: This week’s Stargate Universe. The scenery look great when it was called Kobol in Battlestar Galactica. The dim attic of The Loft saw Japanese experimental rock group Acid Mothers Temple grace its small stage on Saturday night. And though…
You know the saying: “Too many chefs spoil the broth.”Well, this week’s The Problem With… is an example of a broth with a host of problems: It’s too salty (or as all the cool foodies say these days, too umami) and doesn’t have enough herb. And, dammit, I expect more…
What has drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott of Arlington’s canon metal band Pantera been up to of late? Setting up for a stampede, turns out: His metal supergroup, Hellyeah, announced last week some new tour dates. Oh, and there’s this: The band is also finishing up recording Stampede, the followup to…
Names like Gene Summers and Kim Lenz & her Jaguars are decades apart, but these artists follow a unique style of rockabilly that can only come from the Dallas area.The April 16, 1992 edition of the Observer profiled local rockabilly favorite Ronnie Dawson, who benefited from the genre’s revival alongside…
Folks, do you ever have the urge to read other people’s minds? To find out what is going down in someone’s head like the major motion picture What Women Want? Well, one pop star, Jason Derülo, saves us the trouble and lays his thoughts out in a song. Like most…
Perhaps this is a bit presumptuous of me, but we could be on the rebound from the recession that started on 2008. If nothing else, though, we’re a great deal away from the 1992 recession, which, turns out, kinda dogged the DFW live music scene pretty hard.The April 2, 1992…
I know, dear readers, I know. This song has been on the charts for half a year. And it simply will not relent. It needs to be taken down…
Guitarists from all over tend to cite Stevie Ray Vaughan as their primary influence. He may very well be the “Pride and Joy” of the Dallas area, even if Austin claims him as its own.Back on March 26, in 1987, Michael Corcoran profiled the Dallas blues guitar icon for the…
Fear Factory, Winds of Plague, Dirge Within, Periphery, By Any Means NecessaryHouse of BluesMarch 26, 2010Better Than: The mid-season finale of Caprica. Dammit Joe, who’s gonna call out for Tamara now? With all the stage lights turned off, Fear Factory appeared on the stage at the House of Blues on…
So. We’ve had two weeks now to let the video for Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” sink in. If nothing else, this provides a good opportunity for me to get at someone I’ve been meaning to talk about for a while now…..
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians are an institution in the Dallas rock scene, its signature folk/jam having settled in well among the Dallas alt-rock explosion of the ’80s. And today, even: The band’s singles “What I Am” and “Circle” are still in rotation in soft-rock FM stations across the country.The…
BTHouse Of Blues DallasMarch 16, 2010 Slightly better than: The Stars’ upset victory a few blocks away. I don’t know much about hockey. How often does a team win by six points? Brian Wayne Transeu, a.k.a. BT, is, if anything, a huge music nerd. His experience with electronic music and…
Band: Unwed SailorVenue: J&J’s PizzaTime: 11:22 p.m.A small place like J&J’s Pizza’s dim basement is a boon to bands who don’t mess with stage antics like “vocals” and “fan interaction.” An audience’s attention is likely to stay on the band if it takes up precious real estate. Unwed Sailor’s craft…
Band: I Heart LungVenue: Texas 8 BallTime: 1:08 a.m. With most jazz music, it’s usually about the sounds you don’t hear. With avant-garde music, like the stuff Southern California duo I Heart Lung plays, it’s about the sounds you do hear–and then some.The audience circled Chris Schlarb on guitar and…
What: The Ever-Shifting Live Music Landscape in DFW Venue: Sweetwater Grill and TavernTime: 1 p.m. The creaking doors and loud traffic around Sweetwater Grill saw a panel discussion on a clash of music promotion and booking business models in the DFW area. To be more precise, housing development, the recent…
