For Dallas’ Tofu Carnage Records, running a record label means much more than putting out albums. For starters, the albums they put out are true works of art, exquisitely detailed vinyl with colorful designs and elaborate packaging. Each record they put out is a commitment to the artist who recorded…
If you regularly listen to 106.1 KISS-FM on your daily commute, you may have noticed that something was a little bit different about your favorite radio station earlier this week. In tribute to a teenaged listener who succumbed to complications from cystic fibrosis, the city’s most popular radio station changed…
Diana Ross Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie Thursday, February 26, 2015 Talk about flawless. If you want to know what makes an absolute, no doubt about it, bona fide diva, look no further than Diana Ross. She’s been at it since before the Beyoncés of the world were born — hell,…
People of a certain age, the millennial bunch, will always remember Sarah McLachlan for her contribution to Myspace. She was the one who made “Angel,” the sad-as-shit song that played during all of the videos about animal abuse. Well, she’s at Winstar World Casino this weekend, which means you can…
Former Pearl Jam member Dave Abbruzzese’s mugshot popped up on Denton County’s Crime Stoppers website this week, thanks to two outstanding warrants on drug-related charges. Abbruzzese, a former drummer for the Seattle-bred grunge band, is wanted in connection with a Class A misdemeanor charge from last September for possession of…
A job is a job for most teenagers. Whether it’s waiting tables or working as a life guard, having a job is a way to kill time and make some money. Not many high schoolers are already pursuing their life’s passion, and they’re probably not interested in squirreling away for…
There’s a new sheriff in Dallas, and he comes in the form of a long-haired, pierced and tatted drummer from Canada. For Messer’s Kenny Youngar, his first day as an Uber legend began just a couple weeks ago, on Valentine’s Day. “It’s taken on a life of its own,” says…
Dalton Kane can’t sit still. Or, better put, he can’t stop writing. Performing under the pseudonym “Chinaski, the Fury,” he has a colossal catalog of work squirreled away on his hard drive, featuring over 300 tracks that he insists he can’t ever release. Even in his live performances he improvises…
Jonathan Richman Rubber Gloves, Denton Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Not liking Jonathan Richman is a bit like not liking Mr. Rogers. The Boston-bred singer radiates kindness and joy with a disarmingly naive charm. Once a forerunner of punk music with his band the Modern Lovers in the early 1970s, Richman’s…
Chase Dugger a.k.a. Space Chase was a key figure in the short-lived but highly influential Denton Dance Collective. He curated the Subsonic Indulgence residence bringing a wide variety of the region’s best DJ talent to Denton, a town not exactly known for welcoming dance music. Denton Dance Collective even had…
“Have you no pride?” If the answer to that question is a proud, confident, “Of course I don’t,” then this list is for you. Depending on where you come from — say, any small town in America — dive bars aren’t necessarily unique so much as they are de rigueur…
The Cedars neighborhood is on the rise. With art galleries and studios like RE Gallery and the Homeland Security art collective, it’s increasingly known for visual arts. Just south of downtown, The Cedars is a place where many local artists live and work. Take filmmaker Frank Darko and painter Joshua…
Asleep at the Wheel Kessler Theater, Dallas Friday, February 20, 2015 What to say about Asleep at the Wheel? The band is both a tribute and throwback to Texas Swing music, that glorious mash-up of country music and big-band jazz. And the band — well, leader Ray Benson, anyway –…
Most people don’t know about the harmonica player. Long gone are the days when a first-rate blues harp player could be the star draw of a band. Today it’s an increasingly rare art form, its practitioners content to take a side role in their band or may even be a…
Taking Back Sunday With Letlive and the Menzingers South Side Ballroom, Dallas Saturday, February 21, 2015 The scene at South Side Ballroom on Saturday night for the fourth stop of Taking Back Sunday’s 2015 tour looked like a combined high school reunion for the classes of the 2000’s. The room…
Have no fear, Dallas; as soon as this dreaded icepocalypse ends, we’ll have plenty of concerts to revive our flagging social lives. In one of the most left field choices in recent memory, Meghan Trainor is taking all of her bass to the Granada Theater. Jonathan Richman keeps his recurring…
Slim Gravy is a man in transition. For years he’s been known as one half of Dallas’ most popular rap group, A.Dd+. Tall, lanky and not afraid to spit fire, Gravy has always brought a special attitude to his music, a swagger and determination that helps drive the group. But…
The guys at The Ticket really like music. It’s not even close to being a secret, even if it is technically a sports talk radio station. But they’ve always tended to keep their passion for music at arm’s length — say, with funny segments on the radio, or with performances…
The Coathangers With Nothing and Cutter Trees, Dallas Thursday, February 19, 2015 By Anita Riot The Coathangers are no strangers to Dallas. The ladies in the Atlanta-based punk trio (formerly a quartet) pass through town often enough that you could almost set a watch to it, but that never seems…
It may not be Valentine’s Day anymore, but fret not; there’s still plenty happening in Dallas this weekend, folks. The Thin Line Film Fest takes over Denton. Buffalo Black plays a show to celebrate the release of a Spike Lee film that features his song in the trailer. Jamaican Queens…
Vanilla Ice has played a lot of different roles over the years. He was, of course, once a rapper, and in fact still the most successful one that Dallas has ever produced. But he’s also been a nu metal singer, a movie star (well, he’s been in movies anyway), a…
When it comes to dub music in Dallas, there’s no one else who does it quite like Sub Oslo. Their live show blows away all conceptions of the typical band in a club experience, a sensory overload of sights, sound and vibrations. Bass sounds shake and rattle the room like…
