Post-hardcore band Chiodos battled a devastating lineup change in 2009 when singer and frontman Craig Owens was “let go” from his duties. But the band rebuilt with singer Brandon Bolmer, formerly of Yesterdays Rising, and released Illuminaudio in 2010, the follow-up to 2007’s Bone Palace Ballet, which debuted at No…
British soul singer Amy Winehouse was found dead on Saturday morning in her London flat. Even those people who follow pop music on a cursory basis were probably familiar with Winehouse, or at least her troubles; dubbed (almost too easily) “Wino” by the tabloids both in her homeland and around…
Jimmy Swan remembers burying his face in his hands when he got the word: The year was 1997, and Swan, then only 19, had just learned he’d lost $35,000 promoting Tooth and Nail Weekend 2, a music festival held only a few miles away from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort…
Kings of Leon used to complain that they only got to play arenas when they were overseas at big festival dates — even if each album released since 2004’s Aha Shake Heartbreak inched the band closer to full-on American rock stardom. But thanks to 2008’s Only by the Night, Kings…
Immediately after it was announced in January that Swedish alt-pop sensation Robyn would be joining California-adoring pop mogul Katy Perry on the North American leg of her California Dreams 2011 tour, buzz of conflict between the stars developed. As if it weren’t already awkward enough, this pairing of international pop…
Though it seemed unlikely at the time, the perky yet pensive Brits known as the Arctic Monkeys have lived up to (and even outlived) the critical drool fest over their 2006 debut. Their charming tension is built of contrasts: When the rhythm section is angular and angsty, the guitar might…
Philadelphia native Kurt Vile is a tough act to pin down, despite the fact that so many seem to think they have him figured out. To be fair to those quick-to-judge folks: Yes, a lot has changed for Vile in recent years. The artist, who started his mystical odyssey by…
Back in late June, you may recall, we shared with you an interview with actor Michael Rapaport, who has made his directorial debut with Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, his ode to the influential hip-hop group and an interesting look into the surprisingly chaotic…
Well this is cool: Today, Neon Indian and Astronautalis — two locally affiliated acts (not to mention Homegrown Fest ’11 performers) whose impending releases we’ve long been watching — have both gone and released songs off their upcoming albums as free download today. Neon Indian, whose cover art and September…
No, we weren’t exactly floored back in June when the news came down that the Granada Theater had booked ’80s new wavers The Fixx to play their annual anniversary party celebrating Mike Schoder’s ownership and management of the restored venue. Turns out, though, any sentiment at all was for naught:…
Dallas has always had a collective soft spot for cable-access weirdos. The Big D is, after all, the home base for the Church of the Subgenius, that irascible ’80s collective of local weirdos based out of a ramshackle house in East Dallas, who put out books, videos, and ‘zines (and…
Denver’s Breathe Carolina is definitely a love ’em or hate ’em type of band. Blending pop friendly electronica, dance beats and screamo metal, the duo of Kyle Even and David Schmitt makes music that practically defines the phrase “acquired taste.” Yet in spite of some backlash from critics, Breathe…
Jessica Lea Mayfield, Ferraby Lionheart and The Naptime ShakeDadaJuly 26, 2011Better than: the movie Lionheart. Jessica Lea Mayfield’s career has something a storybook feel to it, given that she was essentially raised on a tour bus (she started performing with her family’s One Way Rider band as an 8-year-old), started…
A few weeks ago, you may recall, we listed the top 20 concert photos of the year so far. But those photos were just the start of the visual evidence we’ve got of what a great music year its been in North Texas. July alone was insanely impressive. From Britney…
Last year, king of the hip hop mountain Kanye West topped year-end lists with the critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. When he wasn’t hyping his music, he was hyping his lifestyle, name-dropping luxury brands and photos of gold crowns and goblets on Twitter.Now it seems he’s taking his…
Our pal Preston Jones of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram broke the news yesterday: After eight years of operation under the Jazz by the Boulevard banner, the annual jazz-centric, Fort Worth-based fall music festival now has a new name. The festival, which will still carry a heavy jazz bent, will now…
Singer-songwriter Gary P. Nunn has been making music for nearly half a century. In that time, Nunn has played with a Who’s Who of Texas country musicians. Best known for writing “London Homesick Blues,” the theme song for Austin City Limits, Nunn has worked with, among others, Jerry Jeff Walker,…
Ronald La Tour very clearly remembers the first time he met Wiz Khalifa. It was a few years back at this point, when Khalifa was just starting to make a name for himself, releasing mixtapes at an impressive clip and earning endless praise for each. After some fruitful back-and-forth communications…
We’re kind of pot-committed to writing about Sarah Jaffe’s upcoming The Way Sound Leaves a Room EP at this point: We broke the news that it was eventually coming and that it would be called The Way Sound Leaves a Room; we told you that it would see Jaffe experimenting…
Cabe Booth’s name might not ring too many bells. But if you’ve ever been to the Curtain Club, you’ve seen his artwork. Creating stunning, life-like paintings of legendary bands, you might as well stare at them for hours.Booth’s birthday is coming up this week, and for his birthday party, he’s hosting…
Jessica Lea Mayfield is only 21 years old, but her songs feel like they’ve been around much longer than that. Dark and heartbreaking, Mayfield’s songs have a weight missing from many performers in her age group. Tell Me, Mayfield’s sophomore full-length effort, came out this past February and features a…
Dallas music scene lifer James “Big Bucks” Burnett is known these days as the creator and curator of Deep Ellum’s The Eight Track Museum. But, as those with some time in the scene have long known, he’s not just a music fan with long hair and a beard. He’s also…
