Slipknot’s return to Dallas on Aug. 25 marked three years in a row that the band has performed in the city at Gexa Energy Pavilion. It wasn’t particularly unique from the other two visits, but one detail remained obvious: no matter what, the people will come. Vocalist Corey Taylor was…
Those with long memories of Dallas’ music scene rejoiced when news broke this week that the owners of The Bomb Factory planned to reopen the space formerly known as Deep Ellum Live. Those who don’t know the venue may be a little confused. We dug into the Observer archives (OK,…
Dave Murry didn’t want to pick up the phone when it rang at 6 a.m. on Thursday. He was still catching up on sleep after working until 10:30 p.m., filling in as the chef at Fuel Bar and Grille, a biker bar and restaurant he owns in Fort Worth. …
Who says the sky is falling? Well, maybe a few people. Some of them were in Denton on Monday night to wring hands over the state of the music scene, although they weren’t necessarily in the majority. There were none to be found in Deep Ellum, though, where, when folks…
Feezy has been a scene staple for over 15 years, grounded by his nearly decade-long residency at Candleroom. Feezy’s wealth of music knowledge stretches from the deeper roots of dance music to more mainstream fare. Where most DJs typically pick a side and stick to it, Feezy has been able…
William Shakespeare once wrote, “Some men are born great, others achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” But the Bard of Avon failed to include one more group: those who have decided to thrust themselves upon greatness, regardless of the outcome. Then again, he never would’ve accounted for…
John Tipton is a familiar figure in the music scene, and a towering one in person. The 6’5″ Dallas native has been in and out of musical projects for the last few years, but Tipton has settled, for the last couple of years, into a band called the Heavy Hands. He…
There are oodles of bars and restaurants in DFW with dog-friendly patios, but the Texas heat can be a struggle for our four-legged friends. And don’t even think about taking Fido out when it rains, because he’s sure to turn into a sopping ball of sad-eyed mush. So that leaves…
The more Deep Ellum changes, the more it looks the same. A good part of that has to do with Clint and Whitney Barlow, who have made it their mission to reopen some of the neighborhood’s most legendary music venues. First, in 2009, it was Trees, then, six year later,…
Gerard Hanson does things at his own speed. The Dallas producer, better known by the name Convextion, hasn’t released an album since 2006. Of course, that namesake album just happened to be named one of the best of the decade by U.K.’s FACT magazine. This year Hanson seems to have…
Explosions in the Sky With Preoccupations The Bomb Factory, Dallas Monday, August 22, 2016 Before Monday night, it had been five years since Explosions in the Sky played in Dallas. Their last show here had been at the Winspear Opera House, and since the much has changed for the band,…
Daniel Driensky and Sarah Reyes, the creative pair behind local photo and video outlet Exploredinary, recently starting shooting videos for the Dallas Observer. Their first was with about as big of a name as you’ll find in DFW music right now: Leon Bridges. He even showed them around his surrogate…
Summer is officially over in exactly one month, but that’s not saying too much for Texas. The oppressive heat should linger for several more months. There’s been a lot of wet weather lately, however, which means an outdoor show this week may mean trudging though a little mud — but…
Dallas hip-hop owes a lot of the Brain Gang. The influential punk-rap group helped the scene move past its early 2000s ring-tone rap phase, and produced some of today’s biggest names in DFW music: Blue, the Misfit, Sam Lao, Bobby Sessions and Dr. Dre protege JUSTUS. But one member is…
Snoop Dogg With Wiz Khalifa, Kevin Gates, Jhene Aiko and Casey Veggies Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa are hip-hop’s Cheech and Chong. It’s official. They already call themselves that, and on Friday night their High Road Summer Tour at Gexa Energy Pavilion…
Annie Clark, a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan? Yes, it’s true. In a new ad for the upcoming NFL season, the artist otherwise known as St. Vincent rips through a fireworks-worthy rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” while reminiscing about her childhood dream to join America’s Team. “My parents bought me a…
“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott would’ve been 50 this Saturday if a deranged fan hadn’t ended his life in 2004. Every year since, friends, family and fans have gathered for the Ride for Dime, which takes place this year on the Pantera guitarist’s 50th birthday. In honor of the fallen legend, the Observer…
Heart With Joan Jett and the Black Hearts and Cheap Trick Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Thursday, August 18, 2016 Everyone and their mom was at Gexa Energy Pavillon on Thursday night. That’s not just a bad joke. (OK, it is a bad joke, but it’s not only a bad joke.)…
After his father passed away two years ago, Jonas Martin says he fell into a deep, dark depression. Rather than allow it to consume him, he redirected that energy into passion projects. He made an album. He won awards. He got married. And now he’s getting ready to leave Dallas…
This week has seen some real drama in Dallas music news, although none of it had to do with Kanye West. (Well, okay, some of the news did, but not the dramatic stuff.) No, the drama had to do with Grand Prairie native Selena Gomez. Fortunately, there was also some…
-Topic knows how to think outside the box. For the past two years, the Dallas rapper has turned his birthday into a giant party where all his friends play, called Cake Jam. He even made a mixtape and coffee table book to pay tribute to his favorite sweaters. But -Topic’s…
Cle Acklin is about as old school as it gets in Dallas DJ culture. As a member of the infamous Hazy Daze Collective in the ’90s, he laid down some of the basic roots for the scene we have today. Although largely associated with house, Acklin is versatile and consistently…
