The holidays are generally a busy time for orchestras, but this year’s the exception for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Its musicians have been on strike since Sept. 8, protesting pay cuts that would have placed their salaries $20,000 below the national average, equivalent to what they were paid in…
There are no peaks and valleys at a Matt and Kim show. Every set the Brooklyn duo performs is one long climax bathed in smiles, dancing, crowd participation and pure raucousness. Last night at The Bomb Factory they delivered on that reputation with a high energy performance that felt just…
At 41, classical pianist Eva Brandys just released her first EP to tell the story of her life. It’s an EP that almost never happened, for many reasons, but now she hopes to create many more songs. Brandys, who grew up in communist-era Poland, started playing piano at 8 years…
Celebrated Texas drummer Joe Cripps has been missing from his Arkansas home for two weeks, according to police and family who are asking for help in locating him. Cripps, the former drummer for Denton-based polka band Brave Combo, was reported missing by his family and last seen Oct. 19 at…
Christy Ray has had a front row seat for the DJ world since she was a child. Exposed to the inner workings of the DJ booth by her mom, DJ Spinderella, she is prepared her for her own career. In the past year that journey has seen her pop up for…
Thursdays are a night of show-and-prove for local producers. On that day every week, Crown & Harp on Greenville Avenue plays host to Beat Assembly, a monthly meeting of musical minds. It’s one half party, the other half a workshop of original instrumentals. Producer battles aren’t anything new, but hip-hop…
Adele’s boyfriend hasn’t married her after five years and a baby together. It’s a predicament she casually slipped into conversation in the midst of introducing one of her songs, “Million Years Ago,” during her sold-out concert at American Airlines Center on Tuesday evening. “I’m not married,” she said. “I don’t…
Grammy-award winning, vocal powerhouse Adele was in town last night. She played at the American Airlines Center to a sold-out crowd. But if you weren’t lucky enough to snag a seat, Dancing With The Stars winner and celebrity offspring Rumer Willis was also in town. She played her cabaret show…
Dorrough Music is now the only hip-hop artist in the world whose merchandise is sold at an NFL team’s official pro shop. Last week the Dallas Cowboys announced a collaborative merchandise deal to sell the rapper’s hat and t-shirts. This partnership is only the third of its kind, following Drake’s…
Six Shooter is a recurring feature where we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians. The month of October is supposed to bring in the fall weather but that didn’t really seem to happen. You can, however, start to hear the fall mood in some of this month’s releases,…
The Off The Rails Country Music Fest today announced the lineup for the the 2017 show in Frisco, and it certainly has a more than a few A-list names. Miranda Lambert is headlining Saturday’s show, with the crowd warmed up by Tyler Farr and Justin Moore. Sunday’s show features Cam,…
On Saturday night, Sofar Sounds hosted R&B singer M3CCA, poet T. Odis and rappers KoolQuise and So-So Topic for a secret show at The Grove, a coworking space in the West End. Sofar Sounds, which stands for Songs From a Room, began in 2009 with the goal of offering artists…
As we emerge from a hazy-eyed Halloween hangover this weekend and into the month that kicks off the holiday season, Dallas is prepared to put us right back into the swing of things with some great concerts. Make a path through the now-neglected hanging decorations and cobwebs to check out…
Texas native songwriter Amanda Shires had a handful of anxiety-inducing and hormone-driven questions while she was pregnant with her daughter just over a year ago. They’re questions any expectant new parent recognizes: Can I do this? Are we ready? What will change? But among the biggest for the 34-year-old singer…
Earlier this month songwriter Alejandro Escovedo invited the Observer to his Dallas apartment to discuss the long road he’s traveled between albums. During the visit he played an acoustic rendition of “Heartbeat Smile,” the first single off his new album, “Burn Something Beautiful,” released today. Recorded in Portland, Oregon, the…
A year after it happened, Chris Penn is still in a slight state of disbelief that the original Alice Cooper group reunited and played the record store he co-owns, Good Records. On October 6, 2015 the man born as Vince Furnier played with surviving members drummer Neal Smith, bassist Dennis…
Jonathan Graham has been a staple of local music since his teens, under his alias DJG. Graham had a long-running residency at Hailey’s infamous ’80s night. He’s a family man these days, but still manages to get out and play special events and guest slots under his new monicker, DJ Nowadays. Graham is known for…
The newly opened Lounge Here on Garland Road and the boutique under construction next door could be regarded as departures for the woman who owns them, Julie Doyle. She’s the co-manager of the choral rock band Polyphonic Spree, but Doyle sees these new outlets as just another medium to reach…
This weekend people flocked to the born-again So What?! Music Festival in Deep Ellum. Pop-punk veterans like Hawthorne Heights and Dance Gavin Dance headlined the festival, as well as metal acts like Hatebreed and DevilDriver. But the real draw was the artists who held down the fort leading up to…
For some adults, Halloween usually includes more hangovers than costumes. But this week offers plenty of cool parties to get dressed up for, namely Granada Theater’s Day of the Dead Costume Bash. But if caked-on white face makeup and fake blood don’t pique your interest, feel free to enjoy this…
Keite Young sits at a Deep Ellum bar, a red Kenyan necklace dangling from his neck, and carrying a small leather medicine bag. The Fort Worth native is ready to break what he calls his “eight-year silence” as Medicine Man, his stage alter-ego and soul/rock/hip-hop project with producer Jason Burt. Young made his…
Miranda Lambert wasn’t in attendance but her town of Lindale erupted in a pink-hued block party to celebrate the grand opening of her boutique store, The Pink Pistol. The day also commemorated the opening of the music venue Love and War in Texas and at The Cannery Lindale. This officially…
