Over on Unfair Park this afternoon, Observer intern Alex Wolens has a quick recap of how today’s American Idol tryouts have been going out at the ol’ spaceship in Arlington. Hell, she even took some video of the would-be Idols standing and performing in line. And she put together a…
Starlight Mints, Evangelicals, Matthew and the Arrogant SeaGranada TheaterJune 25, 2009 Better than: being stuck at home finishing another week’s installment of “North of the Dial” (as I am every Thursday night). A solid lineup on last night’s bill made for a solid evening of great music as all three…
Greenville’s own Ben Kweller brings his recently cocuntry-flavored jams (and, no doubt, some of his older, less country fare, too) to town tonight for a performance at the Granada Theater. But before that–at about 2 p.m., I’m told–Kweller will participate in the theater’s first “Tweet Up,” in which, I believe,…
Fresh off her amazing solo performance and crowd-thrilling guest appearance with Snoop Dogg at Bonnaroo, Erykah Badu will make a “surprise” appearance tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She’ll be playing in and with Kimmel’s Fallon’s house band, The Roots, according to publicist Paul Levatino. No word on which or…
Your daily dose of national music news for Friday, June 26, 2009… Have you ever wished you could ask Billy Corgan why he’s such an asshole to his face? Well, now is you chance! (Provided you want take part in an auction to have lunch with him.) Frank Black has…
Singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson (aka The Tallest Man on Earth) may hail from Dalama, Sweden, but his debut album—last year’s Shallow Grave—sounds straight out of Greenwich Village, 1963. Obviously, Matsson has heard a Dylan record or 10, but live he also nails the legend’s early swagger, singing through a smirk as…
When Ben Kweller came charging onto the scene with his 2002 debut, Sha Sha, a light, listenable pop album rife with mainstream potential, no one predicted that the Texas-bred indie-pop kid would eventually come around to his country roots. So it’d be easy to write off the twangy lilt of…
A quick history of Cryptacize: Chris Cohen, former Deerhoof guitarist, met Nedelle Torrisi while recording as The Curtains, plucking Torrisi from obscurity as a back-up singer. The two began collaborating in 2007 and, shortly thereafter, released Cryptacize’s first studio album, Dig That Treasure, after they’d recruited percussionist Michael Carreira. The…
Brought to you by the folks at New York’s downtown style mag Nylon, this hipster-bait quadruple bill brings together four acts who don’t have much to do with one another but who are all fairly awesome in their own ways. English art-pop eccentric Patrick Wolf has a new one out…
Eleven months ago, the local blues-, roots- and Southern rock-influenced Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights was just starting to come into its own. It had released a 10-track debut, Hot Trottin’, a disc even the band now admits was of fairly low production quality, and found itself becoming quite…
Considered by many to be the best Americana songwriter, living or dead, Townes Van Zandt certainly never made it the way Steve Earle has. But on Townes, Earle mines Van Zandt’s prolific songbook to pay homage as only a true student of the master could. Shrewdly observing that Van Zandt’s…
With its harried shouting and hurtling, Nintendo-sounding synths, New England duo Math the Band crafts ultra-geeky, ultra-poppy geek-pop that’s part Matt & Kim, part Atom and His Package. Kevin Steinhauser and girlfriend Justine Mainville spit out this second album in less than 25 minutes with the intensity and expediency of…
Even after 30 years as the leader of legendary area polka act Brave Combo, Carl Finch sounds like he’s just getting started. “Every year, there seems to be some kind of new carrot dangling in front of this band,” Finch says from his home in Denton. “Some sort of new…
Unlike many fledgling record labels, Denton-based Play Pinball! Records isn’t testing the waters by starting things off slowly, releasing a 7-inch every now and again. Though only just recently founded, the label is taking the plunge and joining the ranks of other local (mostly) vinyl imprints by launching things with…
Million-selling DJ and renowned remixer Paul van Dyk doesn’t ask for much. On tour, van Dyk brings his own computers and various paraphernalia in order to recreate his dense and danceable compositions in front of a sweaty crowd. All van Dyk wants, really, is a sound engineer who knows his/her…
Tori Amos’ previous album, 2007’s American Doll Posse, brought back the rebellious-outsider attitude that attracted her legions of fans in the first place. And, on this record, Amos throws a full-on middle finger in the face of her suspected post-childbirth mellowing (2005’s The Beekeeper). There’s not a weak track until No…
Zac Crain’s favorite “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott story isn’t about Dimebag, actually. Rather, it’s about one of the late guitarist’s pets. “He had a goat and had dyed its beard like his, so it was a little Dime goat,” Crain says during a recent phone interview. “And it was a real…
Carting a crate of used CDs to your local record store so you can make rent is a rite of passage as ancient as it can be tearful. But what about those MP3s and iTunes songs you’re ready to unload? Is there a way to sell those off too when…
So confirms The Los Angeles Times, and on the same day Farrah Fawcett dies, no less. While we and the rest of the known universe gather our thoughts and Jackson Five greatest-hits collections, here, from the Victory Tour, is Michael in his prime. Locals will recall well the three days…
This week’s featured poster advertises a show with The Fox And The Bird tonight at the “hoffice” (house/office) of Switch Creative Group; if you’ve looked at a Pluckers menu recently, or seen that “Body By Pluckers” billboard with all the schlubs in tighty-whiteys, you’ve seen Switch’s work. This poster, too,…
If you head over to THe BAcksliders’ web page, you can go ahead and download the band’s latest disc, Thank You, for the inarguable price of zero dollars. Just drag your mouse over the picture of the new album cover, click and download. It’s literally that simple.But beyond that, the…
Not that you needed the reminders, I’m sure, but, seriously, check out tonight’s schedule:Tallest Man on Earth and John Vanderslice at the House of Blues’ Cambridge Room. (Which, hilariously enough, is no longer called the Pontiac Garage. Shocking, I know.)Paul van Dyk at the Lizard Lounge.Starlight Mints, Evangelicals and Matthew…
