Atlantic Records co-founder Jerry Wexler and songwriter Jerry Leiber both relayed this anecdote: Leiber never went out to see live music — not even his own groups like the Coasters, Drifters or Elvis. But in June 1971, Wexler coaxed him to attend closing night of the Fillmore East, right around…
The summer doldrums have been especially unkind to Denton this year. With no legitimate house-show scene to speak of, the impact of the slow season has been intensified all the more. As such, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios’ Free Week could not have come at a better time. The event, which…
Active Child is harpist Pat Grossi, a former choir singer who grew up listening to rap and now makes gorgeous synth-pop. Grand, soaring soundscapes with haunting synths and crisp drum-machine samples lay the groundwork for Grossi’s exquisite angelic vocals, which recall Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Antony of Antony and…
As a general rule, folk music isn’t the sort of thing that lends itself to adjectives like aggressive and riotous, but San Francisco’s The Dodos have put their own distinctive stamp on the genre. Though they’re only a duo, singer-guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber bring a whole lotta…
Last year’s The Big To-Do was Drive-By Truckers’ most hard-rocking album since 2001’s Southern Rock Opera. On it, the Athens, Georgia, group told tales of four-day drinking binges, courtroom miseries and barroom brawls. The Truckers, who formed way back in 1996, have always been considered by many to be torch-bearers…
If you listen to one of Tim Kasher’s breathless indie-rock ballads and think to yourself, “That reminds me a little of Bright Eyes,” well, no shit. Like Bright Eyes chief emoter Conor Oberst, Kasher grew up in Omaha and attended Catholic boys school while honing his musical chops. Later, he…
Right around the same time that DMX was performing and blowing minds on the other side of downtown at the House of Blues, and just as Leagues was impressing a captivated crowd at Prophet Bar, iconic psychobilly act Nekromantix rocking out last night at La Grange. From the looks of…
This weekend out in Arlington at Cowboys Stadium, the Louisiana State University Tigers and the University of Oregon Ducks will “geaux” head-to-head in a feats-of-football competition, effectively kicking off the college football season. If nothing else, the game is giving an advantageous promotions company called Destination Entertainment an excuse to…
This past week saw the passing of two of rock music’s greatest unsung heroes, Nick Ashford and Jerry Leiber. Although maybe not household names, the songs written by Ashford, one half of husband-and-wife songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, and Lieber, one half of Leiber & Stoller, are instantly recognizable. Ashford…
Musicians are undoubtedly influenced by the music they listen to. An artist’s musical selections can sometimes even foretell what a next album might sound like. So if you’ve ever wondered what the artists who grace your stereo are getting funky to, here’s your chance to find out. Every week, I’ll…
Four of the biggest names in Dallas music over the past 20 years? All on one stage? Gotta say, you guys, we’re pretty freakin’ stoked about this one.No, we’re not knocking last year’s deal at all — our first Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase in Deep Ellum and our first…
Leagues, The Old Home Guard, Katie Caroll, Stephanie PolskiThe Prophet BarAugust 30, 2011Better Than: watching A League Of Their Own followed by Major League. The crowd at The Prophet Bar stayed pretty full for the pretty much the entire show — pretty impressive stuff considering that the venue had booked…
DMX, Charlene Renee, IcebergHouse of BluesAugust 31, 2011Better than: another stint in jail, among other things. Earlier this year, DMX wrapped up an eight-month stint in prison for violating his probation (he refused a drug test). He was released back in June. Then, just this past weekend, he got arrested again…
Remember the early aughts? When the punk-rock resurgence yielded acts like The Hives, The Vines, and The Sounds? Well, Swedish act The Sounds have managed to stay around long past their heyday, releasing three full-length records since their breakthrough album Living In America. And now they’re on tour again in…
Pardon us if we’ve been pushing the new Burning Hotels release a little too much. Consider it, if nothing else, a feeble attempt to get the band’s oh-so-catchy, recently new wave-influence material out of our heads. Really: “Beard,” the lead single off of the band’s new, self-titled, out-today affair just…
Hope you’re not sick of St. Vincent yet. Seems, as we approach the September 13 release of her third LP, the John Congleton-produced Strange Mercy, the one-time Dallas resident born Annie Clark is only going to be more and more visible. Already, she’s been on the cover of Spin. Under…
Back at the beginning of the month we passed along this fairly exciting, if also a little bizarre, news: Neon Indian helped create a synthesizer called the PAL 198X, and, if you buy the deluxe version of their new album, Era Extraña, you’ll get it as part of the package…
When I think of the name Cobra Starship, I think about a neat G.I. Joe toy I saw at a garage sale when I was seven. I was pretty disappointed when I heard that the band’s name was a tie-in to their first single “Snakes On a Plane (Bring It)”…
If you haven’t seen The Dodos play live before, do yourself a favor and check them out when they hit town again this week. Comprised of principals Meric Long and Logan Kroeber, the band plays folk, but with a kick to it. It’s no skiffle or twee — it’s just…
Leagues frontman Thad Cockrell has been writing and performing country music for well over a decade. All three of his albums, two of which (Stack Of Dreams and Warmth And Beauty) were released on Yep Roc Records, have been met with critical acclaim. His fan base has stayed loyal throughout…
After leaving Port O’ Brien, for which he formerly served as frontman, Van Pierszalowski traveled to a variety of locales, seeking a bit of sanity as well as for some personal and artistic regrouping. Following the demise of a band that had risen to indie-darling status after releasing three well-received…
Over the years, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios’ annual Free Week, which welcomes students back to the town’s University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University campuses each fall with a spate of free shows, has become something like the Denton music scene’s Chanukah. Really: The public is given a treat…
