During live tapings of Ja’Cory King’s podcast, things can get a little tense. King, who goes by Hollywood Kas, recalls a particularly impassioned debate during a taping at Deep Ellum’s Drugstore Cowboy. “I remembering thinking, ‘This feels like a fight,'” he says. The source of the conflict was King’s assertion…
We’re in the midst of the busiest season of the year for live music. If you’re prone to heading out multiple nights a week to see concerts, you’re faced with difficult choices; Dallas clubs and theaters have been packed with great acts. Despite a dip this week in the number…
An offer to audition for the role of Prince in a movie would be a dream come true for any funk aficionado, but when Dallas-based musician Ronnie Heart got the email, he didn’t respond at first. A friend had seen an open call for actors by AMS Pictures and tagged…
If you ever danced at the early ’90s hotspot S.O.A., you may remember Dee Empty; he’s been behind decks in Dallas for more than two decades. In recent years, Dee Empty has been a member of Tree House Collective, with which he spins bass-heavy house music. As a DJ, he…
Dead Flowers play Three Links on Saturday, Nov. 4. When Dead Flowers released their second LP, His Blues, in 2014, they planned to keep releasing a new record every year. That scheduled proved a bit too ambitious, but the four-piece rock band’s third record is finally coming out, with a…
South Dallas’ Pearl C. Anderson middle school has been closed for more than four years. Its abandoned, vandalized state serves as a picturesque backdrop for the new music video for Dallas rapper Buffalo Black’s single “American Colors.” The video, directed by Nick Melita of Cinderblock Studio, poignantly illustrates Buffalo Black’s…
Dallas-based artist Myloh Remora dropped something special last week: a 27-minute hip-hop track containing an astonishing 776 bars of rapping. “Strictly 4 My Loved Ones” is a statement that introduces listeners to one of the city’s great unknown talents. Remora raps about the cruel march of time, the psychological burden…
It’s officially training season. Pre-sale for tickets to the 2017 Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase went on sale at 10 a.m. here, and the means it’s time to start stretching. We all need to be in fighting shape so that come Dec. 2, we can keep up a steady pace…
Marilyn Manson’s sweet dreams turned to nightmares Saturday when a large prop from the rock singer’s touring stage show fell on him during a performance at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, bringing an abrupt end to the show. As news of the accident spread, some Dallasites wondered if Manson…
Texas country musician Josh Abbott was among the performers on the Sunday lineup of Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas. Around 4 p.m., Josh Abbott Band played a set promoting its new album, Until My Voice Goes Out. Afterward, Abbott, who is from Lubbock, retired to a room at…
Father John Misty Weyes Blood The Bomb Factory, Dallas Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 Josh Tillman isn’t quite the jerk that his detractors would have you believe he is, but he’s OK with having you think so. Tillman, better known by his musical alter ego, Father John Misty, played The Bomb…
Only 16 bikers showed up for the Remembrance Ride bike parade Sunday morning in Austin. It was the first year for it to be in the city, but it was billed as the 23rd year for the event. “It’s beyond terrible,” said Theresa “T” Barksdale, the event’s new president. “I…
The premise is simple: I met two strangers on Reddit, and we went to the 25th installment of the Dallas Ambient Music Nights showcase at RBC in Deep Ellum late last month. The strangers were vetted and questioned. They had to know little to nothing about ambient/noise music or underground…
You’ve heard Duke Ellington, but never like this. Richard DeRosa, Grammy nominee and professor of jazz arranging at the University of North Texas, co-produced an album of modernized works by Ellington, a jazz legend. It’s called Rediscovered Ellington. Fans of Ellington’s toe-tapping “Hey Baby,” which he recorded with Rosemary Clooney…
Game of Thrones aficionados will appreciate an addition to the AAC calendar this week, and one of the show’s most talked about guests will drop in to visit AT&T Stadium next year. Oaktopia is back, albeit in a different zip code. The Darkness continue to believe in a thing called…
Shams emerged as a new face in the Dallas DJ scene this year, regularly manning the decks on the rooftop of Lower Greenville’s Nora with his crew, House of Champagne. He also recently joined the Motif team. Like many of his techno and house peers, he has deep roots in…
In March, Oaktopia co-founder Matt Battaglia revealed to the Observer that his successful music festival, which Rae Sremmurd and Norah Jones headlined in 2016, was considering a move to Dallas. “Even though close to 40 percent of our social media following is from Denton, we only get about one-third of ticket…
In May 2016, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton closed its doors after almost 20 years of business. The all-ages venue had been a place for Denton bands to practice and build a following. Owner Josh Baish needed out because he was in the midst of a messy divorce, and…
Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 play Trees Wednesday, Sept. 27. A show at Trees tonight provides an opportunity to get close to late afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti when his youngest son takes the stage. Seun Kuti stepped in as lead singer of Egypt 80 when Fela died in 1997. Seun’s says he…
The Dallas Observer Music Awards are confronting their mortality. They’re finding new respect for the trials faced by awards ceremonies past. They’re contemplating quitting their 9-5, moving to the country and living off the land. In other words, the DOMAs are 29 this year. As in years past, the DOMAs will…
Arcade Fire plays American Airlines Center on Thursday, Sept. 28. Will Butler and his brother Win left the Lone Star State a long time ago for Montreal, where they formed Arcade Fire. The Butlers grew up in the Houston suburb of The Woodlands, a city built in a large forest…
Jordan Kahn had played more intimidating venues than Dallas’ House of Blues. But this was an introduction to his new band, the Jordan Kahn Orchestra. It was 2014. He was in the midst of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, and his career was hanging on this performance. He had rented the entire…
