Led by the energetic and enigmatic Riley Gale, Dallas metal-punk trio Power Trip has been stuck in a creative lull since releasing the killer Armageddon Blues EP back in 2010. However, since changing drummers and getting the guitarist to commit full time, Power Trip is once again forging ahead, having…
Tauheed Epps, otherwise known as 2 Chainz, came up in the independent hip-hop world before the days of Twitter feeds, Soundclouds and blog buzz. As one-half of late-’90s Atlanta duo Playaz Circle, 2 Chainz and pal Dolla Boy funded their own first release, United We Stand, United We Fall. Some…
The obsession with keeping it real and demonstrating player status overshadowed hip-hop’s early wit, but these two artists mark a return to the boasting that made Straight Outta Compton a classic. Childish Gambino, the project of Community star Donald Glover, is long on pop-culture references and swagger. Across his half-dozen…
If you missed The Relatives last month as part of Bridge-o-Rama, you’ve been granted another divine chance to see the light. The West Dallas gospel-funk group put on a marathon set that day, filled with songs from 2009’s Heavy Light Records retrospective, Don’t Let Me Fall, as well as a…
Drummer Alvin Fielder has one of those origin stories that makes your jaw drop, having played with the likes of Sun Ra and Kidd Jordan. His technique is something to behold as well, bobbing and weaving and defying gravity. Most recently, he collaborated with Oak Cliff free-jazz patriarch Dennis Gonzalez…
Although New Jersey’s Real Estate do not possess a great name, the four-piece makes up for it with rock and roll that’s engaging and reflective. The band’s 2011 sophomore effort, Days, refined their sound just enough to earn them critical acclaim and, like fellow New Jersey outfit The Feelies, Real…
Rumors of the deaths of The New York Times and Warner Bros. are exaggerated. Yes, artists and bands have online services like iTunes, Bandcamp and Onesheet to control their image, music and distribution, now more than ever. But that’s not all that’s needed. In this ever-changing landscape, the fate of…
Spring Fever is casting her spell and I can already see the telltale signs. We all find excuses to quit a little earlier and our patio-dwelling hours get a little longer. But there is more to the Art of Patio than a nice deck and outdoor seating. Indeed, you can…
The members of White Denim are in an Austin recording studio, where, after years of recording in drummer Josh Block’s home studio (a trailer on the outskirts of the city), they have finally learned to be comfortable around high-tech equipment and a limited amount of time. They aren’t working on…
“I’ve been in bands since I was 17 and I’m now 34. My self image is that of a jammer. A scroungy jammer. If I don’t have a band and don’t play shows, am I still a jammer? If not a jammer than where do I fit in?” That’s a…
Remember when the city was divided into two sides and it was all East side versus West side? Just when you thought that violent feud was over, BAM, East Dallas hits hard with the first ever East Dallas Indie Crawl. The bar-hopping event starts at the AT&T Performing Arts Center,…
It’s been nearly a four-year wait on the new Santigold album, Master of My Make-Believe, which is set to drop on May 1 via Downtown Records. On the new album, Santigold’s impressive blend of hip-hop and dance music has been bolstered by production from Diplo, Dave Sitek of TV On…
Waaaay back before the twin forces of 35 Denton and SXSW happened, we at DC9 had the idea to snap photos of what was in fans’ bags, to see what people brought with them to festivals and hopefully not come off as creepy purse-peepers. The idea came to me years…
As someone who didn’t grow up in Texas, I’ve been looking through Jeff Liles’ recent Dallas concert video postings and feeling oddly nostalgic. Skinny Puppy at the Bronco Bowl in 1992, The Dwarves at Club Clearview in 1991, Throwing Muses and KMFDM at Trees in 1991.These were shows I was…
Tatsuya Nakatani Smoke and Mirrors Art Gallery Tuesday, April 3 Drummer Stefan Gonzalez and saxophonist Mike Forbes opened last night’s intimate gig at Smoke and Mirrors, which I was bummed I missed, but Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani more than made up for it. He is a natural force, and it…
Four-piece Jonquil hails from Oxford, England, and while they’ve played the states before, they’ve never played Dallas.They land at The Prophet Bar on Monday, April 9, opening for Keep Shelly in Athens, and touring behind their debut LP, Point of Go. Drummer Dominic Hand took some time out to share…
Just as I pressed play on Pinkish Black’s new track, “Bodies in Tow,” which debuted on Pitchfork today, we at the Observer were ordered into the stairwell. So the track was just playing over the WFAA coverage I was watching of flying trailers and lightning strikes and darkening skies, creating…
I’ve been jamming this new, uh, jam from Ynfynyt Scroll, one of the DJs and producers behind the decks of DFW’s Track Meet collective, all morning. You may have heard his Bill Nye remix, in which he chopped up the theme song from Bill Nye the Science Guy, last month…
“Three weeks prior to the April 24 release of his debut album Blunderbuss (Third Man Records/Columbia), Third Man Records has premiered the as yet unreleased Jack White album track “Freedom at 21” exclusively via 1000 flexi-disc records attached to helium balloons launched from the label headquarters in Nashville on April…
I know it’s only Tuesday, but this poster from Justin Blanks for White Denim’s Thursday show reminds me of one of those coming-of-age movies from the ’80s where a boy has a mythical, imaginary friend that helps him defeat a bully and learn the value of being himself. Let’s ask…
There are quite a few notable local albums coming down the mountain, either now or in the near future. Look, I even made a short list: Power Trip, “Brainwave” Dallas’ finest thrash mechanics just released their three-song EP on Lockin’ Out Records, and one of the songs is a Prong…
Final Club’s 2011 LP, Blank Entertainment did that neat trick of forging an old sound into a new sound, which there’s nothing wrong with, as long as it advances your art somehow. The Denton quartet recently got back from tour, so they’ve no doubt been able to work out that…
