Music

While other MCs have created their own bogeymen to battle—Kanye has his ego, Eminem had Kim, Lil Wayne has those cough-syrup Martians—T.I.’s got real problems. Released from house arrest and currently in the midst of 1,500 hours of community service, he still has to serve a year in the clink…

Since rising to international fame in 2002 with the rowdy, inventive Original Pirate Material, British MC Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, has released a series of increasingly sincere albums. Starting with his 2004 narrative-heavy masterpiece A Grand Don’t Come for Free, he has turned his attention to simple, heartfelt odes…

Though his status as underground legend seems to grow year after year, Devin the Dude’s record sales will probably never be as high as his own state of mind seems to be at any given moment. The man raps about weed, pussy, weed, booze, weed and the odd bout of…

Uh Huh Her garnered immediate attention with its first EP, 2007’s I See Red, which was followed by this year’s equally acclaimed full-length debut, Common Reaction. Why the love? The group’s combination of buzzy guitars, electronica and catchy lyrics combine to create a sound that’s instantly appealing—and not dragged down…

Ingrid Michaelson’s tunes have been featured on Grey’s Anatomy so often the singer might as well be considered a cast member at this point. The self-made—no label, folks—singer-songwriter was launched into the limelight from MySpace obscurity last year when her hit “The Way I Am” was featured on Grey’s, as…

The first time I heard James McMurtry’s music, I groaned to myself, wished for some Hank Williams instead and dismissed it quite quickly. The second time I heard it, I actually started listening. The third time I came across his songs, I was hooked. The Austin-based McMurtry’s Steve Earle-like music…

Until late this summer, New Kids on the Block had pretty much been reduced to a regular rotation on VH1’s “Where Are They Now?” Jonathan Knight started selling real estate; Danny Wood did some work as a producer for a little while; Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre attempted solo careers;…

At 50 years old, Gibby Haynes, the man whose acid-fueled on- and off-stage exploits are the stuff of 1980s weirdo-rock legend, has settled into playing the familiar Butthole Surfers oldies. And, yes, he’s toured with the adolescent overachievers of Paul Green’s School of Rock. But, perhaps most surprising, despite an…

I can hear the boo-birds already… “C’mon, Pete! Enough of this Astronautalis guy!” I know, I know… “He lives in Seattle and was born in Jacksonville. How is he considered local?” Hey, I hear ya… “You suck.” Oh, c’mon on, now. That’s just uncalled for. “Can you—and Quick, too, for…

Was this show the turning point for Deep Ellum? (James Bland) A little over 22 years ago, the Butthole Surfers decided to tape their performances during a weekend-long stint at the Theatre Gallery in Deep Ellum. It was the first time Dallas-based producer David Castell had tried recording a live…

We’ve got quite a backlog of CDs we’ve never gotten around to, so we’re going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take four or five at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it. This…

Ray and Peter Lek A handful of local DJ’s – including One FM, James Warren and the house duo Beaters and Bowls – spun at clubs on Greenville Avenue over the weekend, and our after-hours lens crew was there to document all that went down. We’ve got a slide show…

It was a weekend of options, a weekend of tough choices, which you already knew if you read Pete’s column. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, because there were so many shows to choose from – but it’s Monday now and we’re all feeling…