If you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media’s…
SXSW soldiers on through Sunday, of course, but before our minds go supernova from the the plethora of great music, we’d like to share a few important things learned after Day One in the Chaos Machine. Also, our feet are like blood balloons so we need to sit down. That’s…
Murder by Death started in Bloomington, Indiana, but bassist Matt Armstrong is a local who grew up in University Park. He took some time out and shared his first show experiences with us, told us why MBD is not playing SXSW and revealed a little about their forthcoming John Congleton-produced…
Hey, remember when it rained? Good times. The sock-soaking, ceaseless rain (not exactly complaining). No matter, 35 Denton soldiered on in cold wetness followed by much less cold wetness; Girls played the Granada; and Vanilla Ice sprayed water on people at Zouk. As he does. Anyway, our contributing photographers Taryn…
Heartless Bastards Lola’s Friday, March 9 Before a sold-out Lola’s in Ft. Worth on Friday night, Austin’s Heartless Bastards simply dazzled, playing almost every song from their excellent new release, Arrow, as well as a few standouts from 2009 breakthrough The Mountain. While Wennerstrom was understandably the star, the band’s…
Girls, Unknown Mortal OrchestraGranada TheaterFriday, March 9Back behind the Granada Theater on Friday night, just before Girls went on stage, a stream of fans passed by the fenced-in artist’s section with gifts for Girls singer Christopher Owens. One young fan brought flowers and called them “a token of appreciation.” Another…
See also: The Thursday night fans . “Holy fuck it’s cold” was a common refrain last night, the first night of 35 Denton, as temperatures dipped into the 40s and winds whipped at our faces indiscriminately. There weren’t a whole lot of people on the square, which could be chalked…
Crushed Stars’ newest record, In the Bright Rain, came out this week, and to celebrate, we asked band mastermind Todd Gautreau and drummer Jeff Ryan about their first shows. What was the first show you remember seeing? Were you with your parents? Todd Gautreau: My first show was KISS. I…
Oh, the odd celebrity of Adam Lambert. The runner-up on season 8 of American Idol has gone on to sell over 4 million records world wide. A couple dozen listeners of local radio station i93 were treated to an up close and personal set with Lambert at the Hard Rock…
Radiohead American Airlines Center Monday, March 5 Around 9:30 last night, the sold-out American Airlines Center was singing along to the climactic roar of Radiohead’s 2003 single “There There”: We are accidents / waiting to happen Here’s the question: Who is Radiohead? Are they rock music’s most consistent critic of…
Iowa’s comedic pop act Leslie and the LY’s packed out the back room of Bryan Street Tavern last night. Leslie Hall and her backing band, clad in leotards and Day-Glo accessories, bedazzled the crowd with catchy pop songs and gauche pelvic thrusts. The hour-long performance was followed by a makeshift…
Flogging Molly House of Blues Sunday, March 4 Sunday night’s Flogging Molly show more or less served as the triumphant closing ceremony for what might have been the most Irish-intensive week in recent Metroplex history. Last Monday, Boston shamrockers Dropkick Murphys kicked things off, while the North Texas Irish Festival…
Dear Zouk, Friday, I had the strange pleasure of gracing your door, though I did have some idea of what I might be in for. Moments after I posted the announcement that you were hosting Drake, not just for an after-party but a ticketed club performance, my Twitter feed received…
Baruch the Scribe Dan’s Silverleaf Friday, March 2 In what seemed like a battle for most effects processors and pedals, Denton’s Baruch the Scribe headlined Dan’s on Saturday night with the Coves, Botany and the very slick, very talented Gold Beach out of Austin. Their new seven-song LP, Intentions, is…
The Relatives Ben E. Keith World Stage Saturday, March 3 The headline of Wilonsky’s opening night post sort of summed it up: The Margaret Hunt Hill bridge to-do, for many, was about back-patting and drinking and essentially celebrating an unfinished project that’s cost the city seven years and close to…
Megadeth,Volbeat and Lacuna Coil The Palladium Ballroom Thursday, March 1 Not better than: Seeing Motörhead on this bill. So, if a ticket for a hot co-headlining tour with two legendary metal acts costs $50, wouldn’t it make sense for the price to be lowered if one of those bands couldn’t…
Grimes Good Records Thursday, March 1 Was it just me or did Grimes seem a a little nervous to be playing at 4 p.m.? There was a hesitancy to the daylight set, as well as vocal and sound issues, which could have added to the feel. And she could apparently…
Country four-piece Somebody’s Darling has a new record ready to go called Black Eyes and Alibis, but we have to wait until the summer to hear it. As a preview of what’s to come, the band headlines Dada on Friday night. Frontwoman Amber Farris and guitarist David Ponder took the…
John Anderson, Tim DeLaughterKessler TheaterTuesday, February 28Tim DeLaughter took to the Kessler Theater stage on Tuesday night like a guy about to meet his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. He was struggling to keep himself together in front of a sold-out crowd of mostly grey-haired dads — odd for…
Dropkick Murphys House of Blues Monday, February 27 A Dropkick Murphys show isn’t one to hold surprises, nor is it one to attend when you’re just looking for a decent night of music. Don’t get me wrong, the beloved Celtic punk band’s performance last night at House of Blues was…
Big K.R.I.T. Trees Saturday, February 25 Big K.R.I.T.’s tour supporting his upcoming 4evaNaDay had longtime loyalists packing out Trees once again for Scoremore. I only caught the last few songs from Dallas-based opener Lu Sloan, but the assembled crowd was enthusiastic and responsive to clear crowd favorite, “In Luv Wit…
Dave Bazan Saturday, February 25 In case you forgot how cool the town of Denton is, Saturday night, Denton city councilman Kevin Roden hosted an intimate evening with Dave Bazan at his home on Texas Street, right across from TWU. “[Bazan’s] management team put out the call that they were…
