Oil Boom

Oil Boom’s Gold Yeller EP was one of our favorites last summer, and the handclaps of single “Great American Shakedown” soundtracked many a late night. The Dallas trio hits up the Sundown at Granada’s free local concert series on Thursday, so you’ll have a nice, warm place to shake that…

Unconscious Collective and Terminator 2

Unconscious Collective — the rhythm section of Stefan and Aaron Gonzalez plus guitarist Gregg Prickett — landed on our best albums of 2012 list, on the strength of their self-titled debut full-length album on Dallas’ Tofu Carnage Records. Straddling the underworlds of free jazz and progressive metal, the trio is…

Lucky Peterson, Jim Suhler and Hunter Hendrickson

This is a triple threat of a blues show, as two generations of Dallas guitarists gather to blow open some ancient seals. Lucky Peterson and Jim Suhler are the vets who’ve laid the foundation across dozens of albums and club gigs, and the young phenom Hendrickson represents the new guard…

The Gritz Sunday

What, you haven’t been to Sandaga 813 or seen the Gritz yet? Best get yourself familiar with RC Williams, of the famed Wednesday night Prophet Bar jams, and his R&B/funk/soul band, who can be found from 6 to midnight every Sunday night at the Expo Park club. Free before 8…

(Im)Perfect Sound Forever

Robby and Jennifer Rux greet me at the front door of an old brown fourplex, nestled comfortably on a tree-lined street in Fort Worth’s Fairmount Historic District. Their apartment, covered in posters, tapestries and age-old vinyl, serves as one of the few exclusively analog recording studios in North Texas. Together,…

Colette, DJ Heather

You’ve most likely had an ambient awareness of Colette’s track “Feelin’ Hypnotized,” but the DJ and singer got her start back in the early ’90s with her DJ group Superjane, which featured the talents of fellow Chicagoan DJ Heather. They reunite at It’ll Do, and DJ Red Eye will be…

Holy Ship!! Wrap-Up: It Was the Best of Times….

There were a lot of grim faces on Monday morning as the electro-loving masses emerged off the MSC Poesia — a.k.a. the EDM party boat Holy Ship!! — and did a slow zombie shuffle through U.S. customs and back into the real world (a.k.a. Fort Lauderdale). Here in the industrial…

Fort Worth’s Dreamy Soundz Revive the Analog Arts

Robby and Jennifer Rux greet me at the front door of an old brown fourplex, nestled comfortably on a tree-lined street in Fort Worth’s Fairmount Historic District. Their apartment, covered in posters, tapestries and age-old vinyl, serves as one of the few exclusively analog recording studios in North Texas. Together,…

A Dude’s Dream Comes True Aboard the Holy Ship!!

Katie BainA-TrakAboard the Holy Ship!! one gets to mix and mingle with the slew of name DJs. “Hey there’s Zedd in line for pasta salad. Oh wow, there’s Dillon Francis in the elevator. Oh damn, Diplo is out on the beach swimming with all the fans. “Jackbeats just bought all…

The Five Best Concerts In Dallas This Week, January 7-10

The Growlers, The Vacant Lots Thursday, January 10, at Dada, $13/$15 Since 2006, Orange County has claimed a band of revved-up boys looking to start a fire, although more often than not they stick to creating the experimental surf sounds that mimic California’s beachy landscape and add a twist of…

Holy Ship!! Day One: A Surprise Guest Whose Name Rhymes With Drillex

Katie BainOn Friday afternoon, nearly 3,000 raver chicks, dude guys, scenesters, club kids and DJs assembled at a port in Fort Lauderdale and boarded the MSC Poesia, a.k.a. Holy Ship!! (There are two exclamation points because this is the second edition of the EDM party cruise put on by L.A.’s…

Remembering Levon Helm

Last Friday, Voice Media Group announced the winners of their first music writing awards. This winning piece by Jesse Sykes first appeared in Seattle Weekly’s print edition. By Jesse Sykes As I was growing up in New York state–where the residents want you to know they don’t live in “The…

Here Are the Songs They Play at a Middle School Dance

Last Friday, Voice Media Group announced the winners of their first music writing awards. This winning piece by Shea Serrano first appeared on L.A. Weekly’s West Coast Sound music blog. By Shea Serrano 1:04 pm: In about 25 minutes, I’m going to be chaperoning a middle school dance. The dance…

The Five Best Concerts In Dallas This Weekend, January 3-6

Night Game Cult, Shiny Around the Edges Saturday, January 5, at New Media Recordings House, $5 Shiny Around the Edges and Night Game Cult soundtrack this night dedicated to the legend of Bozo Texino. Texas filmmaker Bill Daniel’s 2005 documentary on the rail-car graffiti, which has appeared on trains across…

At Night on New Order, and Why Music Sounds Better at Night

We caught up with the relatively new At Night, who opened for George Quartz a few weeks ago, and asked about their musical firsts. Who inspired you to pick up a musical instrument? Was it a parent, sibling or band? Jack Gallegos (vocals/guitar): For myself, I would have to say…

Warbeast Split EPs, Skulls in 2013

When Arlington thrashers Warbeast flew overseas to co-headline a tour with legendary Pantera/Down vocalist Phil Anselmo, the band’s pulverizing riffs and grueling lyrics slew metal fans across Europe. A joint album seemed like another one of the devil’s pipe dreams until the two entities announced their upcoming split EP release,…

Love Inks

It was roughly a year ago that I saw Austin trio Love Inks one cold, wet night at Canton Co-op, when they warmed up the small crowd with their dreamy pop. Since then, they’ve gotten quite the workout touring the country, and are currently putting the finishing touches on a…

Taylor Thrash, SoMo

Dallas’ Taylor Thrash and Denton’s Joseph SoMo have a similar work ethic. Thrash just released his Vacation Mixtape, which features a reinterpretation of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” and a tribute to Frank Ocean, among other bits. SoMo, who has re-imagined songs by Ocean and Drake, released in late fall…

Night Game Cult, Shiny Around the Edges

Shiny Around the Edges and Night Game Cult soundtrack this night dedicated to the legend of Bozo Texino. Texas filmmaker Bill Daniel’s 2005 documentary on the rail-car graffiti, which has appeared on trains across the country for more than half a century and consists of a character wearing a cowboy…

Leftover Crack

Every once in a while, NYC punks Leftover Crack come to town and remind you that yes, they are still a band. They haven’t released a proper album in a decade, but songs like “Nazi White Trash” never really go out of style, do they? In fact, in a strange…