Lights All Night

With its expansion to three nights this year, Lights All Night has become a legit electronic music festival, and is testing out Fair Park’s party limits. Tiësto, AVICII, Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, Ghostland Observatory, 12th Planet, Axwell, Diplo and more will perform over the weekend, and while there seems to be…

Big Freedia

When Big Freedia, the “queen diva of bounce,” was in town this past fall for Denton’s Hot Wet Mess, audiences saw a whole lot of ass-shaking from her and her crew. She gives it her all, which is why you can expect her to do the same for the New…

Ishi

Dallas’ electronic darlings Ishi won’t be dropping their second LP, Digital Wounds, until spring 2013, although they’re sure to play some new material from it atTrees. Check out the album’s single, “Disco Queen,” for a taste…

The Gorehounds and the Rich Girls

Don’t go broke this New Year’s Eve. For just $10, you can cover all your tribute band bases and ring in the new year with sexy Cramps cover band The Gorehounds, Hall & Oates tribute act The Rich Girls and retro-rock lover DJ Tigerbee…

Skeleton Coast, Daniel Hart

If you find yourself in Fort Worth, celebrate by checking out lo-fi dream-pop band Skeleton Coast, gritty rock ‘n’ roll group The Longshots and famed multi-instrumentalist Daniel Hart. DJs Databass and Ronnie Heart will be spinning to a full bar, provided by The Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge. Twelve…

Starparty

Electro-pop band Starparty will be busting out the laser lights and glow sticks at Hailey’s in Denton with psychedelic pop band H.I. Jr. If you’re in the mood to dance, this will be the spot to be. For just $5 you can expect a free Champagne toast at midnight, a…

Ten Concerts We Can’t Forget in 2012

There were too many great performances this year, in venues big and small, by acts local and national, to thoroughly cover within the confines of the page. This year’s Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase (self-indulgence alert!) provided some transcendent local sets; we had a wealth of great festival acts to…

Looking Back on 15 of Our Favorite 2012 North Texas Releases

In a year when Kickstarter efforts have ballooned from humble requests to egocentric slaps in the face, the recording, funding and distribution of albums has taken on a different hue, as the chasm between what you can do “yourself” and what labels are offering gets wider and deeper. A few…

Ask Fan Landers: Should My Weird Band Hire a Publicist?

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…

DC9er Mixtape, Vol. 49: Wanz Dover’s End of the World Edition

In honor of the supposed impending apocalypse, we reached out to DJ/musician Wanz Dover and asked for his ideal apoca-mix. Says Dover: “I went kind of cinematic with my end-of-the-world mix, complete with epic love story at the end of the world.” And it’s a pretty great mix, featuring This…

The 10 Best Fashion Moments Aboard the S.S. Coachella

Ian WitlenYes, this happened. Liz Tracy, Music Editor of our sister paper Broward-Palm Beach New Times, is aboard the S.S. Coachella cruise this week. Day one is here and day two is here. Most of the people we met on the S.S. Coachella had never been on a cruise before…

The Virgin Wolves Are Pretty Evil

Since 2009, the Denton-born Virgin Wolves have seen many incarnations, starting off as the husband-and-wife team of Chase and Jaimeson Robbins, armed only with a Macbook and a guitar. Three years and two EPs later, they have ditched the computer and added drums, bass and a second guitar, fleshing out…

Def Rain, Shiny Around the Edges, Cerulean Giallo, Secret Cakes

Everyone’s celebrating the novelty of the impending end of the Mayan calendar tonight with very tongue-in-cheek “apocalypse” parties, and this is one of the better lineups to be watching when a fireball turns us all into screaming skulls. (Or whatever is supposed to happen; I fell asleep halfway through that…

This Will Destroy You

Texas’ cinematic rock group This Will Destroy You will headline a show at Granada with local stoners True Widow and dark folk ensemble The Angelus. The San Marcos foursome has played several gigs in Texas after the release of their sophomore LP, Tunnel Blanket, which digs into the darkest and…

Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s Creole Christmas

Since 1961, Preservation Hall has been a cultural hub for the brass band jazz sound of New Orleans, and since its inception in the French Quarter, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has had a steady roster of rotating members. On December 21, the legendary ensemble will make the Texas stop…

Zhora, Ice Eater, Missions

Zhora headlines this electronically informed night, and hopefully we’ll be hearing some new songs from a potential full-length. We sure liked the mellow sounds of their four-song EP this year. Fort Worth’s Ice Eater add some mood to the mix, a nice tandem with Austin’s dark stars, Missions…

Gift Rap

WAAS Gallery is extending its reach from the art side of things to present this collaborative music event. Brain Gang’s Bobby Sessions and Denton’s Jenny Robinson, two emcees on our “Five Local Rappers to Watch in 2013” list, will pair up with Ynfynyt Scroll and Air DeeJay from Dallas’ Track…

How to Start a Record Collection, Part Two

It was Fourth of July weekend in Austin, 2011, the near-constant pop-tat-tat-tat-pop of fireworks in my neighborhood no doubt masking the sound of my driver’s side window being smashed. I had just moved into a new place, and my backseat and trunk were full of CDs that I had no…

The Virgin Wolves are Pretty Evil

Since 2009, the Denton-born Virgin Wolves have seen many incarnations, starting off as the husband-and-wife team of Chase and Jaimeson Robbins, armed only with a Macbook and a guitar. Three years and two EPs later, they have ditched the computer and added drums, bass and a second guitar, fleshing out…

S.S. Coachella Day Two: Stalking Jarvis Cocker, Avoiding Pool-verts

Photo by Liz TracyIs that Jarvis Cocker? Nah … Just Gaslamp Killer. Liz Tracy, Music Editor of our sister paper Broward-Palm Beach New Times, is aboard the S.S. Coachella cruise this week. Day one is here. No one’s really interested in reading about the actual performances taking place on this…