Charles Bradley at Trees, 4/27/14

Everybody loves a nice feel-good show every once in awhile to kick out the cobwebs and revive the spirit from the doldrums and disappointments of everyday life. However, it is rare and unique to see a concert so positively charged, fueled with such raw passion, and as spiritually and mentally…

Goblin at Texas Theatre, 4/27/14

Everybody that’s seen Suspiria has an opinion about Goblin, whether they realize it or not. The Italian prog rock greats have, throughout their career, created some of the most captivating and unnerving music ever put to film. With their work on Suspiria, though, they made what is widely considered the…

The 5 Bands Who Defined Edgefest 24

On Saturday, the bustling northern ‘burb of Frisco hosted many thousands of modern-rock lovers at Toyota Stadium for the annual, all-day Edgefest aural orgy (the 24th installment, no less). Saturday’s festival roster proved to be one that, maybe more than any recent Edgefest, bridged the generational gap of those who…

The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas this Weekend, April 25-27

This weekender contains a very rare occurrence in which the majority (six out of 10) of notable live music events listed are taking place on Sunday. Maybe Dallas promoters will one day stop their tried and true method of throwing a dart at a wall calendar to pick a concert…

James Murphy at It’ll Do, 4/24/14

Thursday night in a disco club in East Dallas, the DJ spun one record into another, floating the desperate lyrics of Ace’s “How Long” over a slick beat that bumped right into sexy European saxophones. As the music washed over the crowd, hundreds of people dusted off their souls and…

Future Islands at Three Links, 4/24/14

Future Islands are an interesting case. The North Carolina synth-pop darlings are easy enough to read on first impression. Yes, they obviously make records with some approximation of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance in mind. Yes, lead singer Sam Herring is clearly obsessed with Morrissey, between his dramatic stage presence and…

J. Cole at University of North Texas, 4/24/14

It might seem that J. Cole kind of rehashed the whole university tour thing, but after headlining a few tours dedicated to his degree-seeking fan base, the guy’s a pro at it. Headlining the University of North Texas’ spring concert, Cole along with his live band brought a minimalist experience…

The Truth About Charles Bradley’s Soul.

In the splendidly unflinching 2012 documentary Charles Bradley: Soul of America, the Florida-born, Brooklyn-based Charles Bradley openly shares the highs and lows of the point in his life when he has finally found an outlet, and an audience, for his heart-on-sleeve soul music. As a whole, the film is both…

Mogwai at Granada Theater, 4/23/14

Here’s every Mogwai song in a nutshell: A chiming keyboard or guitar pattern repeats. Instrumentation slowly builds around it. Then, it detonates into a searing fireball of noise. Sometimes it’s major-key, sometimes it’s minor-key. Occasionally there are vocals and the tempo varies, but just about every song executes this trajectory…

Richard Haskins is Out of Jail and Ready to Perform Once Again

Handing out flyers for your band’s show, that somewhat ineffective attempt to attract even a handful of people to attend, is one thing. Doing so under the nose of Denton County Jail officials is entirely another. “I was afraid they weren’t going to send them out. They read all of…

How Musicians Are Capitalizing on North Texas’ Craft Brew Bubble

It was late spring 2012, and a scraggly band clutched acoustic guitars and a washboard in the middle of Deep Ellum Brewing Company’s beer garden. As a hundred or so drinkers milled about, basking in the sunshine and sampling the young brewery’s beers, one simple, frantically delivered line caught the…

Odonis Odonis at Club Dada, 4/22/14

On an otherwise dead night, on the nearly vacant Elm Street strip, Toronto’s Odonis Odonis headlined an impressive night of experimental synths and heavy riffs. Though the turnout was low, and the show ran unusually late for a Tuesday in Deep Ellum, something special happened last night at Club Dada…

Mogwai’s 5 Best Biblical Songs

Scottish post-rock heroes Mogwai is the band most instrumental rock groups that have started in the past decade want to be when they grow up. Beginning with 1997’s epic Young Team and continuing with the release of the group’s eighth studio LP, last January’s Rave Tapes, Stuart Braithwaite, John Cummings,…

The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas this Week, April 21-27

It’s Monday morning after a holiday weekend, and we’re all just trying to get through the day. Whether you spent the weekend record shopping, bleeding from your eyes, or observing the Sabbath, you’re probably moving a little slow today. Get caffeinated, because this week is full of shows that are…