Looks like the 2012 apocalypse predicted by the Mayans is taking a completely unexpected form. That’s right: Creed has announced a tour that will come to Grand Prairie’s Verizon Theatre on Wednesday, May 12 — right around the time their forthcoming record is rumored to be released.Ticket prices range from…
If I had to explain Madonna’s Super Bowl performance in one word that isn’t followed by question marks and exclamation points, it would be synergy. She was in a commercial before the event, and her new song, “Give Me All Your Luvin'” was featured afterwards. OK, fine, the Super Bowl…
Well, the weekend is over and I am still trying to remove my neon pink lipstick from the super fun wedding reception the Observer staff ingested too many jello shots at. All in the name of art, we are cultural consumers around these parts. Be it a new pop-up bar…
This morning our inbox had a note about yet another North Texas act given the Daytrotter treatment. Fort Worth’s Whiskey Folk Ramblers recorded a four-song-session for the website, including tracks “Pies of Old Kylene” and “Leavin’ Here.” The session highlights the band’s sinister gypsy — and, at times, klezmer — folk…
Denton’s Boxcar Bandits have been playing their warped version of Americana for just over half a decade. In that time, they’ve played countless shows and produced two albums: 2008’s Smells Like Grass and the recently released Live at Dan’s Silverleaf. And while live efforts are often perfunctory product issued to…
If you’re like me, you wondered what exactly Shepard Fairey would spin at Saturday’s Dallas Contemporary Phenomenon event. Sadly, Tuvan throat singing and Icelandic death metal were not in the cards. Instead, it was sort of like being at a really fun wedding reception: House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” Young…
This weekend is a big one for Sore Losers, who are celebrating the release of their new EP, We Are Sore Losers, at Trees on Saturday night. Joining them on the bill is Dallas Cowboy Martellus “I Love Cap N Crunch” Bennett, as well as a host of other local…
Mat Kearney is a crossover human. He’s had one foot in pop music (see 2006 pop hit “Nothing Left To Lose”), and another in hip-hop. His most recent album, Young Love, sees him incorporating more of a hip-hop/spoken word element than ever before. And so far, it’s been his biggest…
Thursdays in Dallas are getting unruly, reworking my school night routine a bit. I make sure the laundry, nails and hair are did a day or two early since we are all bound to run into each other once the sun sets. Last night, Dallas overfloweth. I love Parks and…
If you know the name Ryan Bingham, it might be because he was partially responsible for “The Weary Kind,” from the soundtrack to 2009’s Crazy Heart, which won him an Golden Globe in 2010 and released many tears from eye jail. Bingham and his band the Dead Horses have that…
I’ve paid entirely too much attention to Madonna since the age of six, when I stood in front of a neighbor’s TV, captivated by the “Lucky Star” video. And, no matter how annoying and schoolmarmish the artist has become in her 40s and 50s, part of me will always stop…
Neon Indian is back with a new single, “Fallout,” from 2011 album Era Extraña. The song is accompanied by a video, directed by what looks to be the makers of Heathcliff lilfuchs.Watch as a totally hot cartoon babe cruises the desert in an ’80s Corvette. She pulls up to a…
They Might Be Giants Granada Theater Thursday, February 2 When nerds sell out a show, you know you’re in for it. Scanning the crowd at the Granada last night, I could tell there were quite a few folks paying babysitters until 11 p.m., who were maybe a bit pudgier than…
Electro house musician Steve Aoki is much more than your run-of-the-mill remixer. Besides running the influential Dim Mak record label, Aoki also owns two restaurants, works with artists as diverse as Duran Duran and Drake, has a clothing line, invented his own brand of headphones and plays more than 250…
The new Doc’s Records & Vintage in Fort Worth has been open for a couple months now, but they’ve no doubt been letting all that vinyl smell settle in. Good news for record nerds and fans of that smell: They’ve finally set a date for their grand opening. On February…
Among the electronic music producers who have cashed in on dance music’s popularity in the States, I’m most ambivalent about French DJ/producer David Guetta. Last year’s album, Nothing But the Beat, took its title pretty literally with two discs of beat, and a couple cameos to keep things interesting. Guetta’s…
Bravo, Max! has been through a tumultuous few months. After releasing Dog’s Light, the band’s fantastic debut full-length, they suddenly lost two members. Johnny Beauford, Ben Gastright and Jonathan Jackson decided to charge ahead as a three-piece and, judging by recent songs such as “Sleepy Simon,” the move is already…
This Saturday night at 2826 Arnetic, The Beat Factory takes five hip-hop producers/electronic artists out of the studio and lets them work their magic live. It’s a stacked lineup, featuring Denton’s Juicy the Emissary, Dallas’ Datahowler, Remode and Slago, and Austin’s Boom Baptist, with turntable work by Yeahdef and Danjah…
Craig Finn, Mount Moriah, Beau Jennings & the Tigers Dada Wednesday, February 1 Craig Finn stepped on stage with his four bandmates and declared, “I’m Craig Finn. This is my band. We need a name.” Serving as the opening date for a two-month tour ahead of them, the erstwhile Hold…
This week, Nic Hernandez plots the evolution of Dallas hip-hop collective Sore Losers. Eric Grubbs checks in with Denton’s Bad Design about their first show experiences. Plus new albums from Exit 380 and Eleven Hundred Springs, recommended shows from King Khan & the Shrines, Fate Lions, Doomtree and more…
Hey, swamp thing. Phoenix Project is now 406 Arts, and they’re throwing an appropriately crusty punk-rock house party. Dallas duo Legsweeper, fresh off their star turn covering Bun B’s “My Block” for 35 Denton, will rattle the windows along with hardcore heads Guiso and Cleric, Austin’s Cabra and hip-hop act…
Forth Worth’s Fate Lions just dropped some hot wax on Plano’s 7-inch-centric Tree Fall Sounds to follow up their 2009 full-length Good Enough For You, and the three songs pick up where they left off. Lead Lion Jason Manriquez has a way with a melody, and “Natural Champion” showcases that,…
