Brandon Curtis always stood by his little brother’s side. Going all the way back to the 1990s, Brandon and Benjamin shared the stage in bands like UFOFU and Secret Machines. Brandon was also at his brother’s side when Benjamin was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma in 2013. He stayed there…
One of Texas country’s biggest stars is in some serious trouble. As News 9 in Oklahoma City first reported, Stoney LaRue was arrested on Monday, July 20 for domestic violence. According to Oklahoma City police, LaRue (whose real last name is actually Phillips), threw his girlfriend down a flight of…
It’s far too easy to get stuck in the bubble of Dallas’ hippest bars, to never leave the comfort of Deep Ellum, the Square in Denton or a bar named after a bird in Fort Worth. By doing so, we neglect the sheer number of unique locations that we’re afforded…
Yesterday, Robert Wilonsky ruined all our mornings in short order. The Dallas Morning News reporter had decided to head to Ships Lounge on Lower Greenville for a morning-beer, and via a quick discussion with owner Charlie Red, learned that the bar would be on a short hiatus. Wilonsky reports that…
There’s a concerning strain touring America’s music scenes spreading an invasive bacteria that digs its way through the ears and eyes of its hosts. It can’t be stopped with inoculations, antibiotics or even just basic hygiene. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization refuse to…
You hanging in there, champ? Last week we had Judas Priest, the Smashing Pumpkins and Nicki Minaj all roll through Dallas. Wouldn’t blame you if it had all but leveled your bank account and/or physical constitution. But alas, the impetuous concert thresher grinds ceaselessly forward, with everything from the Confederate…
Imagine Dragons With Metric American Airlines Center, Dallas Friday, July 17, 2015 Judging by the crowd who showed up at American Airlines Center on Friday night, Imagine Dragons have done more for sales of Cialis than any ad campaign run with any sporting event ever. The number of aging members…
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Erykah Badu must be blushing right now. Back in 2007, she released a music video for the song “Honey” in which she peruses a record store, pulling iconic records off the racks in which she’s worked herself into the cover artwork…
Nicki Minaj With Meek Mill, Tinashe, Rae Sremmurd and Dej Loaf Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Friday, July 17, 2015 Watch out, world: The title of Best Hip Hop Power Couple may be about to change hands. As Nicki Minaj entered the homestretch of her marathon 38-song tour kickoff at Gexa…
At first glance, Shy Guy’s family history wouldn’t seem to have set him up for a life in music. A snack food executive, perhaps, but not a hip hop producer and not a vintage fashion trendsetter. See, Shy Guy’s grandfather invented Fritos. But that just wasn’t the life for him…
The Observer needs a part-time clubs editor. The job includes: — Data entry to keep our clubs listings current and managing the Dallas Observer concert calendar. — Processing reader-submitted calendar items. — Writing brief descriptions for notable concerts. Ideal candidates will be familiar with local concert venues, but all talented…
Renato Rimach can still remember what it was like to grow up in a civil war. “Car bombs were going off everywhere,” he says. “One was so close to our home that it blew all the window glasses in our house.” It was the late 1980s, and his family was…
Smashing Pumpkins With Marilyn Manson Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Wednesday, July 15, 2015 There were two camps at Gexa Energy Pavilion on Wednesday night: On one side were the fans wearing black lipstick and on the other were those with “Zero” T-shirts. It was a night where two titans of…
Bryan Keeling’s got a busy day ahead of him, and it’s already 7:30 p.m. He’s sitting behind his drum kit in Minneapolis, and his next eight hours will be a marathon practice session with his new band before kicking off a tour. The catch? He has to learn the drum…
We were getting a little bit testy. Last winter, country mega star Garth Brooks announced that he was finally heading out on the road after a 15-years hiatus from touring. Except there weren’t any dates in Dallas. Then he changed his mind and came to Dallas anyway — but only…
A young woman, visibly pregnant, steps up on stage at the Crown and Harp. It’s her birthday and she’s dressed in a sun dress, here to celebrate with friends and sing karaoke. Mic in hand, the music starts playing: “I’m a pipe, she like a crack addict,” she raps, belting…
For almost a decade and a half, Chris Rodriguez — better known as C Rod — has been a staple in the local music scene as a musician, producer and DJ. C Rod is most often aligned with Dallas house music, but his depth of knowledge casts a wider net…
Charley Crockett was destined to be an outsider. A mixed-race kid born into poverty in the Rio Grande Valley, he found refuge in the in-between spaces, first among the squatters of New Orleans and then as a busker in New York’s subways. He couldn’t have been anything but a blues…
Thank god for El Nino. Every now again it shows up like Superman to save us from Lex Luthor’s evil summer heat death ray, and thanks to it we’ve had a pretty mild one so far. We’re still in Texas, though, so peak heat or not it’s of the utmost…
Judas Priest Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie Monday, July 13, 2015 Mull this fact for a minute: The 2010s mark Judas Priest’s fifth decade as a band. Of all the metal acts that rose to prominence during the 1970s, Judas Priest is one of the few to have stayed enduringly popular…
On her 30th birthday, Callie Dee went to an open mic that changed her life. At the time, she was an office manager with three children. That night at The Where House, a then-unknown Leon Bridges was one of the performers. The place was practically empty. “He did a song,…
SZA With YG Tut, Raw Elementz and Tommy Swisher South Side Music Hall, Dallas Saturday, July 11, 2015 If you headed to SZA’s show at South Side Music Hall on Saturday hoping to figure out what musical category she belongs in, you probably came away disappointed. The short answer: SZA…
