Sleigh Bells, Javelin, Elite Gymnastics Granada Theater Tuesday, April 17 Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells made a Tuesday night feel like a Friday, like you’ve seen Run-DMC, Katy Perry and Atari Teenage Riot all at once. At 15 minutes to 10 p.m., vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller came out with…
Hares On The Mountain Dan’s Silverleaf Sunday, April 15 “It’s Denton church,” Harlin Anderson, creator of the annual mini-extravaganza Lumberjack Fest, told me two months ago, when describing the weekly Hares on the Mountain residency at Dan’s Silverleaf. To be sure, one can draw many parallels between the earmarks of…
Frankie Rose Dada Friday, April 13 Just before Frankie Rose took the stage on Friday, openers Dive delivered an atmospheric set that was a talking point for the rest of the evening. Add Dive to the list of side projects associated with Brooklyn four-piece Beach Fossils, a fairly buzzed about…
Flight Facilities Rio Room Thursday, April 12 Last night was my first visit to Rio Room, and not for lack of interest. I’ve been wanting to get to their Thursday night DJ series for months now, but since Thursday has become “Little Friday” in Dallas, it’s been difficult. So I…
Bowerbirds, Dry The River The Loft Thursday, April 12 Phil Moore, the singer-guitarist and principal songwriter of Bowerbirds, has an extraordinarily supple, soothing voice. He’s has always been a joy to watch and listen to, but the Bowerbirds that performed last night at The Loft were the sum of their…
It’s been too long since Spoon has played Dallas, but tonight, they return to the Granada for a sold-out show. Keyboardist Eric Harvey lives here and you might have seen him at shows as big as Wilco at Fair Park Music Hall or as small as the final Annex House…
In continuation of its Future Series, Rio Room recruited enigmatic Sydney production duo Flight Facilities to perform in their celestial spaceship. Perhaps best described as nu-disco, Flight Facilities have made notable waves in the blogosphere as of late with sultry songs like “Crave You” and “Foreign Language,” which capture a…
Prior to the release of third and latest album The Clearing, Raleigh, North Carolina trio Bowerbirds were known for their arid country folk, fitting given singer-accordionist Beth Tacular and singer-guitarist Philip Moore came together watching birds on a nature preserve in South Carolina. The daily pressure of touring unwound their…
Well, here’s an all-local line-up you wouldn’t really piece together, which is the point of this night. Dallas hip-hop collective Brain Gang and punk duo Leg Sweeper certainly have a “party on” theme going on. Brain Gang even go as far as having a song all about it. Leg Sweeper,…
Even if you’re not the biggest fan of School of Seven Bells, the NYC duo featuring former Secret Machines guitarist Benjamin Curtis and Alejandra Deheza, seeing them in the museum setting might be worth the trip. The Modern is possibly the loveliest art museum in North Texas, and this Modern…
Expect a few angular pop nuggets from Cursive’s oeuvre, including Domestica, The Ugly Organ and Happy Hollow, as the Omaha band unveils material from their latest semi-concept record, I Am Gemini. Definitely bring the earplugs because front man Tim Kasher will wail in his special way and drummer Cully Symington…
Something, the new LP from Brooklyn duo Chairlift, sounds more energized than 2008’s Does You Inspire You, mixing a bit more funk, pop and psych into their ’80s synth palette. No doubt the four years between albums gave them a little artistic kick and room to experiment. That era’s excesses…
Terminator 2, Lechuguillas, Bludded Head Rubber Gloves Tuesday, April 10 Denton label and all-around art/music enthusiasts Gutterth put together a furiously energetic noise show last night at Rubber Gloves. Brent Best of Slobberbone fame and Batey Ray of popular Denton punk trio The Swedish Teens were drink-slinging behind the bar,…
At the Drive-In, Zechs Marquise Trees Tuesday, April 10 The last time At the Drive-In graced the stage at Trees, they looked like a band falling apart. Vocalist Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez stayed on stage right, bouncing off each other while guitarist/vocalist Jim Ward, bassist Paul Hinojos and…
2 Chainz Main Event Center Friday, April 6 Friday night, precipitous persona 2 Chainz arrived in a white stretch Hummer limousine, packed full of women and choice entourage at the Main Event Center. With a wingspan rivaling most NBA power forwards, 2 Chainz’s menacing frame appeared not a moment too…
These three bands have been rolling around Texas on a mini-tour: They just got in from Beaumont, did last night’s show in Denton, spent a couple hours in their own beds, then off to Abilene. The Toadies/Phuss collaboration goes beyond this small tour, as Toadie Vaden Todd Lewis helped produce…
White Denim, Hundred Visions, Soviet The Granada Thursday, April 5 White Denim has a history of stealing the show for me. I first saw them what feels like one million years ago at Pastime Tavern. The Internet tells me this was actually 2009: I got there early to catch openers…
Tauheed Epps, otherwise known as 2 Chainz, came up in the independent hip-hop world before the days of Twitter feeds, Soundclouds and blog buzz. As one-half of late-’90s Atlanta duo Playaz Circle, 2 Chainz and pal Dolla Boy funded their own first release, United We Stand, United We Fall. Some…
The obsession with keeping it real and demonstrating player status overshadowed hip-hop’s early wit, but these two artists mark a return to the boasting that made Straight Outta Compton a classic. Childish Gambino, the project of Community star Donald Glover, is long on pop-culture references and swagger. Across his half-dozen…
If you missed The Relatives last month as part of Bridge-o-Rama, you’ve been granted another divine chance to see the light. The West Dallas gospel-funk group put on a marathon set that day, filled with songs from 2009’s Heavy Light Records retrospective, Don’t Let Me Fall, as well as a…
Drummer Alvin Fielder has one of those origin stories that makes your jaw drop, having played with the likes of Sun Ra and Kidd Jordan. His technique is something to behold as well, bobbing and weaving and defying gravity. Most recently, he collaborated with Oak Cliff free-jazz patriarch Dennis Gonzalez…
Although New Jersey’s Real Estate do not possess a great name, the four-piece makes up for it with rock and roll that’s engaging and reflective. The band’s 2011 sophomore effort, Days, refined their sound just enough to earn them critical acclaim and, like fellow New Jersey outfit The Feelies, Real…
