Some artists go to great lengths to bring together a space where their creativity can thrive, spending large sums of money (often while living on lackluster means) to create studios that allow for the freedom of expression, not just for themselves, but their friends and guests. Whether it’s to create…
Twenty years ago, Carl Newman was a 30-something, still-aspiring rock star from the Vancouver area who as founder, creative force and bandleader of The New Pornographers, was working on their debut album, Mass Romantic. Now 51, living with his wife Christy and their son Stellan in an idyllic setting in…
Waco-based hip-hop producer Symbolyc One (or “S1,” for short) can look back on a life of astonishing achievement, but as far as he’s concerned, he would not have developed the lofty bully pulpit he stands comfortably on were it not for God or, on a more tangible level, those peers…
In a scene that can easily become overrun with the same look and same sound repeated ad nauseam, Dallas-based band The Roommates breaks boundaries. The band consists of Mallory McAdams on lead vocals and guitar; Lonnie Shields on bass and backup vocals; Marisa Saltzgiver on drums; and Jesse Johnson on…
Jam bands aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. The name itself tends to conjure up images of directionless guitar solos and a general lack of musical stability. TryMore MOJO is not your typical jam band, but they’ve had to deal with the stereotyping before. Keyboardist and vocalist Leland Kracher remembers one…
Screw making lemonade — Denton rapper AV the Great ( real name Christopher Avant) turns lemons into gold. One night when Avant was a college student, a blackout on his street inspired an impromptu block party. When the cops arrived to quash the fun, he returned home. But soon, the…
While the options for a fun night out in Dallas are seemingly endless for millennials (and *shudders* Gen Zers), does the city really cater to the Gen X-and-up crowd? Whether you’re out in Deep Ellum, Uptown or Bishop Arts, you’re guaranteed to find a venue filled with people born in…
Oklahoma psychedelic rock behemoths the Flaming Lips have aged to be the envy of almost every artist within the genre, for reasons that vary between flawless albums like Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and the fact that the band has stayed in the mainstream eye for over 25 years. Given…
North Texas, along with the rest of the world, was rocked to its core on Sunday following reports of the untimely death of NBA Icon Kobe Bryant. The 41-year-old retired Los Angeles Laker, along with his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna Marie-Onroe Bryant and seven other passengers were killed in a Helicopter…
This Sunday, the event that the Recording Academy calls “Music’s Biggest Night” took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and while DFW artists enjoyed a gratuitous spotlight just like last year, actual Grammy recipients from our neck of the woods were few and far between. The most prolific of…
The most dangerous thing that can happen to an art form is for it to be treated gently — relevance calcified into reverence. There is no doubting Dwight Yoakam’s devotion to country music — his was a poignant presence in documentarian Ken Burns’ sprawling 2019 assessment of the genre —…
As the first month of 2020 comes to a close and some of us begin to bail on our resolutions, we should all be happy that we’re still just in the early days of another badass year for live local music. There are plenty of places you can spend your…
Chris Carrabba may have a new look, but the song remains the same. When we last saw the Dashboard Confessional singer, he was still sporting a clean-shaven face and his signature pompadour. Now, with a beard and long hair parted to the side, he is ready to bring new life…
This week’s dreary weather might have gotten you down. It’s the doldrums of winter that are settling in and making life a bit more challenging to conquer. If this feels like the case, then dive on in and look ahead to some concerts on the horizon. There’s K-Pop at the…
This week, K-Pop phenomenon BTS announced they will be making a stop in Dallas with a performance at the Cotton Bowl on May 5. It’s time to give the world of Korean pop, known as K-Pop, the recognition it deserves. Whether or not you’re a fan of the genre, there’s…
Remember those nights when you stayed up with your friends watching music videos on MTV? Kids today will never know the frustration of the pre-internet days, when we had to wait for our favorite songs to come alive on the big screen (well, a screen bigger than the one on…
Over the span of a three-decade career, progressive metal juggernaut Tool has, from a commercial and artistic standpoint, become the envy of almost every contender in the genre. In a 13-year stretch, Tool belted out four entries in a timeless discography that serve as metal benchmarks: Undertow, Ænima, Lateralus and…
One would imagine that looking out into the audience from the stage inside the Meyerson Symphony Center must be daunting, even for the most self-assured performer. The concert hall seats over 2,000 people who, on a sold-out night, would be spread out across four levels, all the way up to…
Robert Ellis — a singer-songwriter born in Houston, briefly situated in Nashville, now calling Austin home — is deeply fond of Fort Worth. Appreciative of the city’s relaxed pace and its cultural fixtures, like the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Ellis also cites Niles City Sound and his longstanding…
The sound of trap music is not going anywhere soon, but do you remember what hip-hop used to sound like with the mix of drums and soul samples? Dallas recording artist Samsonyte is here to flip the script on the “Hip-Hop Is Dead” era. The underground hip-hop and rap scene…
“Oh, my God! Thank you, Jesus! God is so good! I love God!” This is Taylor Morgan, recounting the jubilation she felt after planning a successful event. Morgan, who’s 30, plans jam sessions. She plans benefit concerts. Sometimes she sings. And she prays. She prays in her car. She prays…
It’s an unseasonably warm night in January when the guys in Creeping Death meet up at the Storage Depot in Denton. They’ll be leaving for a weeklong tour early the next morning. With generous clouds and no breeze, it could rain any moment, but not even a sudden downpour could…
