Curren$y With DJ Fat Tony Trees, Dallas Tuesday, July 8, 2014 Last night red and blue lights lit the hazy stage at Trees, and the smell of incense was in the air with the attempt to cover the smell of marijuana. The Dallas crowd was rebellious last night, people of…
For a decade now, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen, along with their trusty band mates, have become A-Listers in the nebulously defined, increasingly lucrative world of Texas Country Music. The reason for each artist’s ascendency isn’t a secret. Rogers, a native of Cleburne just outside of Fort Worth, and Waco…
For most of her life, Lindsey Stirling’s pursuit of music has been an exercise in taking risks and breaking down barriers. A classically trained violinist who grew up surrounded by classical music, Stirling has also long enjoyed EDM music. Finding a way to reconcile those two loves was not easy,…
Last week was a bad week for anyone who loves Death Grips. The band’s break-up announcement was at once a surprise and not a surprise, given the band’s history of no-showing its own concerts. (Granted, fans of Death Grips probably also like getting stood up, so who knows, their demise…
The DFW punk scene has just gotten one band shorter in its ranks. Fort Worth trio Special Guest announced on their Facebook page right before the holiday last week that they had decided to call it quits. For anyone familiar with the bands that frequent 1919 Hemphill, this undoubtedly came…
You gotta hand it to Denton artist Jessie Frye: she’s never once shied away from being sultry. She turned her Main Stage performance at this year’s Edgefest into a a sweaty, energetic mess that impressed local critics and earned her quite a few new fans. Impressing people with her performances…
Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic Forth Worth Stockyards Friday, July 4, 2014 “Hey man, this is the wrong place to be wearing that,” slurred an older concert attendee, pointing at my black Pantera T-shirt as I made my way through the crowd. “This is a Willie Nelson concert.” It…
Wye Oak With Pattern is Movement Trees, Dallas Saturday, July 5, 2014 About a quarter of the way through Wye Oak’s set at Trees on Saturday night, a mother led her three children through the crowd carrying a pizza. They retreated to the upstairs segment of Trees, sat down and…
Sometimes the only thing that’s worse than a Monday is the Monday after a three-day weekend. Honestly, what does anyone have to look forward to now? Aside from, you know, some real summer heat finally starting to creep in. Fortunately the start of any new week in Dallas also means…
Open Carry Guitar Rally Trinity River Walking Bridge Friday, July 4, 2014 A miraculous “Open Carry” tradition started over the weekend on Fourth of July right here in Dallas. The miraculous part is that it didn’t involve needless public displays of heavy firearms and another reason to wonder if Kevlar…
Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band WinStar Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma Saturday, July 5, 2014 It could be said that there are two types of Beatles’ fans: those who revere them as enlightened mystical geniuses for their revolutionary experimentation in music, and the other type which prefers the cartoonish, suited-up figurine…
Oak Cliff has undergone quite the reinvention over the past half-dozen years or so. The Bishop Arts District has blossomed with coffee shops, art boutiques, restaurants and bars. Further down Main St., the iconic Kessler Theater has experienced a full-on revival. And now, thanks to David Grover and his upstart…
We’ve spent the past week looking back at all our favorite parts of Dallas (and greater North Texas) music from the first half of 2014 — our favorite concerts, videos, rap albums and country albums. Now, on the eve of America’s birthday, we’re capping it all off with what we’d…
Last night, just before his scheduled performance at the Gas Monkey Bar and Grill in Dallas, so-called “outlaw” David Allan Coe packed his rebel flag-adorned equipment and hit the road, leaving venue staff angry and fans perplexed. According to a message from Gas Monkey’s GM Alex Mendosa posted to the…
While Willie Nelson is a legendary artist from Texas (and we certainly love that fact), he’s long since transcended simple regional borders. It’s almost too limiting to even refer to him as an American icon, though he is obviously that without question. The man is a survivor, an activist and…
Say hello to July, everyone. While we’ve been taking special care to celebrate the wide bevy of versatile shows to visit the DFW in the past six months, it’s been important that we highlight some of the great shows of the future. Although plenty of rap and hip-hop favorites will…
“Do you wanna hear some Slayer?” a very disappointed Craig Welch says, queuing up the next track at his turntable setup. Pumping his fists, palm up (indicative of frustration), Welch is engrossed deep into a combination of disappointment of the U.S.-Portugal game result and general agreement with the heavy metal…
In the back of a sleepy Starbucks, Buffalo Black smiles knowingly when I ask him about songwriting. As a rapper whose everyday self, Jamil Kelley, is an avid reader of poetry, he knows a thing or two about the topic. He was responsible for some of the most buzzed-about hip-hop…
We’re halfway through the year and for most of the past week we’ve been turning our gazes back at these six months past, taking stock of all the fine music that’s been released in North Texas since the start of the year. It’s been a fun trip, boys and girls,…
In the back of a sleepy Starbucks, Buffalo Black smiles knowingly when I ask him about songwriting. As a rapper whose everyday self, Jamil Kelley, is an avid reader of poetry, he knows a thing or two about the topic. He was responsible for some of the most buzzed-about hip-hop…
On their way to reaching professional status, musicians go through many stages of sex, drugs and open mic nights. The latter, among other things, empower the aspiring artist with the means to project confidence on stage while getting immediate feedback on their writing. The famed Apollo Theater in Harlem was…
July Fourth is upon us, and no doubt you’re looking forward to a Friday filled with hot dogs, apple pies and a good ol’ fashioned three-day weekend. Thankfully, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate the red, white and blue in DFW, and we’ve put together a handy list…
