The Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase took place this Saturday night in Deep Ellum and even though we nominated the acts, they exceeded even our own expectations. Over 40 nominated bands played in various locations. The streets were already exciting. Present were the usual weekend crowds, but members of the…
There are plenty of great acts to see this week, but let’s start with the free ones. You can catch The Funky Knuckles at Three Links or the Revelers Hall Band at Revelers Hall this week at no cost if you’re looking for something light. But if you’re looking to…
We are proud as new parents this week as we prepare to roll out the red carpet — with the same comedic and cinematic Life is Beautiful-like effect — to award the city’s best at the Dallas Observer Music Awards ceremony happening on Tuesday, Dec. 10. After all, while this…
Year-end lists are all the rage this time of the year. It’s always fun to delve into and sample critics’ tastes as various publications churn out the content of best songs, best albums, best videos and best concerts. Get a jump-start on some 2020 memories as artists continue to announce…
Jack Barksdale, the 12-year-old powerhouse blues-Americana singer-songwriter, is back with his new single “Man in the Shadows” and a music video to boot. The song, Barksdale says, is about the internal conflicts people have within themselves. “Some of these are more serious than others,” Barksdale says. “I wanted to record…
Ariana Grande can’t seem to stay away from Dallas. The singer wowed Dallas audiences when she made a stop on her Sweetener World Tour this past May, and she’s bringing her powerhouse vocals back once more this December to American Airlines Center. Fans are waiting with anticipation for the megastar to perform…
I had never listened to Jagged Little Pill in its entirety until last Friday, and my thoughts about it already felt like a Reductress headline “Man Discovers Alanis Morissette For the First Time 25 Years Later.” I hope I will get some leeway as a black man for being late…
iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Ball (or 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball, as far as DFW is concerned) made its way through Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena on Tuesday night, and as tradition has it, half a dozen of the hottest names in pop music played 20-30 minute sets with five minute intermissions…
One young woman from Waxahachie has gained national fame for singing cover songs in a parking garage after becoming an American Idol reject. Emma Oliver, 21, now has more clarity than ever before on what she can achieve through her music. At 16, she sang her way onto the Dallas…
It wasn’t all bad — 2019, we mean. Sure, politics were a trash fire; tensions over policing, gender and economic inequality hit Dallas as hard as anywhere else; and if we don’t manage to throttle one another before, the climate crisis is standing by, ready to kill us all. (Ten…
Contrary to popular belief, we at the Observer actually don’t sit in our ivory towers, looking down at all the lay folk with scorn and disapproval as we kick it with George Soros and other members of the Deep State. We’re all just regular people like you who are simply…
Many contemporary DIY artists and labels owe much of their success to Bandcamp for providing a popular, user-friendly platform with one of the most acclaimed payout models in the music industry. Artists such as Car Seat Headrest and Soccer Mommy used the streaming service as a launchpad, and it is…
At the end of October, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) hit 19 venues and restaurants across the U.S. with a Halloween surprise. And it wasn’t candy. The music licensing organization filed legal action against the venues for allegedly not paying fees to have licensed music in…
Here are a few shows to help you get ready for the Dallas Observer Music Awards this weekend. Billy Law, the Dallas-native indie-rock group, is playing a free show at Sundown at Granada on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, you can check out acoustic soul-pop singer-songwriter Key LeBlanc at Opening Bell Coffee…
Tom Waits once said: “This whole division between genres has more to do with marketing than anything else. It’s terrible for the culture of music. Like anything that is purely economic, it ignores the most important component.” Progress. The “important component” the venerable Waits was referring to in the above…
After last week’s big rollout of concert announcements, things are beginning to slow down to the end-of-year crawl. There are a few casino shows to check out as well as a couple on the club circuit that should prove entertaining. The details are below. The Doobie Brothers are celebrating 50…
Backyard on Bell shuttered unexpectedly Tuesday, leaving many concertgoers of the beloved Denton music venue and bar taking to social media with speculations over why. Owner Scott Bonfield confirmed to the Observer that the venue closed for good, but declined to elaborate because of legal reasons. “We’re just calling it…
For Travis Austin, music and clothing have always gone hand in hand. Austin got his start in the fashion industry after he decided to leave the world of modeling to be one of the people he worked for. “I’ll never forget it,” he remembers. “It was Black Friday when I…
Midway through our text chat, drummer JD Beck stops me cold. “Hold on,” he sends. “Let me get you a photo from Paak.” A couple of minutes later, the 16-year-old Dallas musician sends a photo of himself and his bandmate DOMi, a 19-year-old pianist, hanging out in a kitchen. Both…
Dallas Observer Music Awards season is upon us yet again, a time when we reflect on the achievements made by local artists, promoters, DJs, radio hosts, producers, etc. We truly have something special with the music scene here in DFW, and while we certainly take pride in the artistic community,…
Time seemed more slippery than usual this past Friday night at the Majestic Theatre. Standing before a near-capacity audience, Rufus Wainwright, clad in a Western shirt, black jeans and glittering ruby slippers, sang in his ageless voice — rich, resonant and riveting — of youthful hedonism and domestic pleasures, collapsing…
We hope you’re not suffering from too bad of a food coma after Thanksgiving because some shows you won’t want to miss are coming on the tail of the holiday. Le Cure, the Dallas-based Cure tribute band, is taking over the stage at The Foundry Bar in Dallas on Friday. That…
