Michael Roos is not only a veteran of the DJ scene, but also the definition of a working DJ. Straddling that barrier between commercial DJ, working wedding and private parties, and club DJ, he makes a living and manages to push his craft by integrating the latest technology into his…
Last week, the results of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s “Bottoms Up” sting revealed that in at least a few bars across Texas, you might not be getting that top-shelf booze that you ordered. The operation, the first ever of its kind, identified that at least five Dallas-Fort Worth Bars…
Something tells us that in the not-too-distant future we’ll look back on 2015 as a vintage year for Erykah Badu. Dallas’ Queen of Neo-Soul has been riding a hot streak this year with some pretty memorable public appearances: ushering in the new era at The Bomb Factory, performing an epic…
In your face, Jerry Jones. The Cowboys owner may get to boast the biggest indoor concert venue in the state of Texas, but Garth Brooks can sell plenty of tickets in Dallas without it, thank you very much. His strategy? Play seven — yes, seven — shows at the American…
The Texas Musicians Museum has been more than a decade in the making. The brainchild of Tom Kreason and local radio legend George Gimarc, the privately run museum has previously been housed in Hillsboro and Waxahatchie, but this weekend it opens with new digs in Irving and an impressive collection…
Allen McDonald is a staple in the Dallas house and techno community mostly know for his affiliation with the Soundslike crew and one half of the DJ duo Dragonlazer. Dragonlazer was the first mixtape in this run of the Observer mixtape series almost a year ago. Allen is overdue for…
One of Texas country’s biggest stars is in some serious trouble. As News 9 in Oklahoma City first reported, Stoney LaRue was arrested on Monday, July 20 for domestic violence. According to Oklahoma City police, LaRue (whose real last name is actually Phillips), threw his girlfriend down a flight of…
Yesterday, Robert Wilonsky ruined all our mornings in short order. The Dallas Morning News reporter had decided to head to Ships Lounge on Lower Greenville for a morning-beer, and via a quick discussion with owner Charlie Red, learned that the bar would be on a short hiatus. Wilonsky reports that…
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Erykah Badu must be blushing right now. Back in 2007, she released a music video for the song “Honey” in which she peruses a record store, pulling iconic records off the racks in which she’s worked herself into the cover artwork…
The Observer needs a part-time clubs editor. The job includes: — Data entry to keep our clubs listings current and managing the Dallas Observer concert calendar. — Processing reader-submitted calendar items. — Writing brief descriptions for notable concerts. Ideal candidates will be familiar with local concert venues, but all talented…
For almost a decade and a half, Chris Rodriguez — better known as C Rod — has been a staple in the local music scene as a musician, producer and DJ. C Rod is most often aligned with Dallas house music, but his depth of knowledge casts a wider net…
What is a “Glorp”? The legends are hazy, but the story goes that Charles Knowles, in a state of alcohol-induced clairvoyance, sent a noble Snapchat message containing the mystic word. From there, it was only a matter of time before he and his roommate, Keelan Tollefson, named their home studio…
Lars Warn brings a wealth of deep track knowledge that is well beyond his ears to the production and DJ table. Warn’s versatility comes from an exploratory nature that has found him spinning in a variety of niche genres. From the earliest days of proper dubstep to the deepest reaches of…
Is Alex Trebek an Old 97’s fan? The jury is still out on that one, but this much we do know: Monday’s episode of Jeopardy! gave a shout out to Dallas’ favorite cow punk — uh, alt country — band, and it was a pretty cool nod to Rhett Miller and…
Oaktopia Festival is heading into its third year in 2015, which means it’s about time for things to get serious. Last year the upstart Denton festival upped its game in a serious way, bringing in artists like Aesop Rock, Immortal Technique and Neon Indian for three days of music in…
Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughan have had to do a lot of waiting. They had to wait 25 years for the blues guitar legend to be inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame — an honor that the late Texan finally received earlier this year. For fans in Dallas…
Kung Fu Saloon isn’t admitting it discriminated against anyone, but it has agreed to takes its lumps. The bar and arcade chain has been dogged by multiple accusations of ethnic discrimination over the past five years, including several at its Dallas location in Uptown. Earlier this year, the accusations led…
Quad Fifty is the techno/bass alias for Ernesto Izard. As a member of the DJ crew The Guild, Izard has been holding down sets informed by a deep knowledge of electronic and experimental music. His two decades exploring the outer edges of the electronic trenches gives him a distinct advantage in…
Erykah Badu can still remember when she first found the rhythm of music. She was four years old in South Dallas, watching her great grandmother play piano in church. It was an upright piano, and she would kick the bottom of it like a kick drum while she played. Almost…
Last week’s supreme court ruling on same sex marriage was a historic moment for the United States. It was a watershed ruling that generations of people fought hard to achieve, meaning society is just a little bit closer to equality. But here in Texas, where politicians are still trying to…
From the moment the Timescape Music and Arts Festival was announced, there was a touch of the dream world about it. The festival, slated to take place at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 18, was supposed to function as a sort of art installation, divided into three distinct…
Leave it to Erykah Badu to throw out a surprise like this. The last time we saw the high priestess of Dallas soul, it was on opening night at The Bomb Factory, where she played a marathon set for her hometown crowd to help christen the (sorta) new room in…
