Prolific Scottish pop band Trashcan Sinatras’ first big single in the States, 1991’s “Obscurity Knocks,” was prophetically also their last. During the 20 years that followed, the group released four studio albums, a few novelty records and more than a handful of EPs. But none made the stateside splash of…
Hype can be a double-edged sword in the music industry. If you don’t have enough of it, your music, no matter how good it is, will go unheard before fading away into obscurity. Too much hype, though, and you’ll find it increasingly difficult to live up to it. That’s a…
As time goes on, the list of venue casualties in Denton grows. Really: The places where one can go expecting to hear live music in the city have dwindled to a handful, and the Abbey Inn Underground, although by no means free of live music, has similarly been forced to…
For a 6-4 guy who spends most of his time crammed in a row of a 15-passenger van, Hamilton Leithauser sounds surprisingly jovial on the phone. Perhaps it’s because his band, The Walkmen, is on a short break between tours. More likely, it’s because of how his band’s new album…
Alejandro Escovedo sounds happy. And he should be: After nearly succumbing to Hepatitis C in 2003, the Austinite is touring steadily, writing songs with friends such as Chuck Prophet, recording them with heavy hitters such as producer Tony Visconti, working with Bruce Springsteen’s management company and making some of the…
It’s a busy Wednesday evening that features a rescheduled arena show, two great club performances and a local bill that will definitely have the oddest fashion sense out of all of these options…..
Whether they’re deeply heartfelt tributes to the Lone Star State or commercial jingles burned deep into our memories that remind us where we’re from, certain songs just seem very Texas to us. Some are by Texans that just seem to fit the Texas state of mind. Others are about Texas…
During last night’s showing of the Top 12 gents, it bame abundantly clear: This competition is unbelievably tough. And it’s not just because there’s a great deal of talent on this season of American Idol. Rather, it’s because the judges and the show have included some niche performers who, in…
Just a few minutes ago, local producer John Congleton confirmed to DC9 that he is indeed currently producing St. Vincent’s third, as-yet-unnamed album at his Elmwood Recording Studio in Oak Cliff. No surprise there: Congleton played a major role in Dallas native Annie Clark’s sophomore album, Actor, earning all the…
Welcome to My First Show, where we give bands a chance to talk about the first shows they ever attended — no matter how uncool and embarrassing those tales may be. If you were involved with a college radio station in the 1990s, or casually listened to “The Adventure Club”…
Yesterday, we passed along some information about this summer’s upcoming, fourth annual Dia de Los Toadies Festival — one that looks to be as big, if not bigger, than past offerings from the band, thanks to the first bands announced to perform at this year’s ordeal. But let’s not discount…
It’s been three years since local slow-grinding act True Widow released their self titled debut album to local acclaim. But their debut grabbed the attention of Kemodo Records, who signed the band just last year. And now they are poised to release their follow up, the ridiculously titled As High…
EisleyMarch 1, 2011Good RecordsBetter than: paying full-price to see the same set in a more traditional venue. After four years of struggles both personal and professional for the Tyler-based DuPree family and their musical entity Eisley, yesterday indeed proved a cathartic one for the group. And why not? It was…
Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise ShowMarch 1, 2011The Loft Better than: trying to make your own music out of tools you found in the garage. It’s hard to believe that The Loft’s small stage would host such a huge act, but indeed that is what happened last night, with the venue…
A very eclectic Tuesday evening of music is on hand tonight — one that features some serious old-school rap and an all-star band nearly too big for its venue, along with a local favorite playing a free show and a quality Nashville songwriter stopping by for the night…
Speaking of free music, Fort Worth favorites The Orbans reached out to our inboxes this week with a little treat: Seems there was some leftover material from the band’s super-awesome 2010 release, When We Were Wild, and the band couldn’t figure out what to do with it. So they passed…
There are a few reasons why the folks behind Gutterth Productions are perennial nominees in the Best Music Advocate(s) category of our annual Dallas Observer Music Awards — the shows they put on, the records they put out, their general fandom of all things local music.But, surely, this too comes…
Back in January, the Toadies announced that, for the fourth year in a row now, they will be hosting another Dia de Los Toadies affair this summer on August 26 and 27. Then, in February, the band announced the location: This year’s event will be taking place this year at…
If only from a commercial standpoint, today figures to be one of the bigger local release dates of the years, thanks to new albums from Eisley and Forever the Sickest Kids, both of which have formally released new LPs today. And, well, that much you should already know, as we’ve…
There’s been a lot of talk about the upcoming Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Show that’s going on at The Loft tonight — and most of it is about the possibility of Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Magnum showing up and adding to the “surprise” factor, a rumor that’s persisted in light…
A sold-out show at the Granada and a punk show up in Denton highlight tonight’s kickoff to the work week…
… then allow us to point you in the direction of this new Tumblr account we just found: Fuck Yeah, Alan Palomo. Yes, it’s real. And no, we had nothing to do with it. But, hey, it’s a pretty awesome site if you want to see photos of the Neon…
