DC9 at Night Mixtape with Bon Spengler

Bon Spengler is a mainstay in the underground house and techno scenes in Dallas. Along with her husband Corey Spengler (of the electronic duo Opencloud), she has been responsible for a series of notable parties featuring local and touring techno, tech house and house talent that are not usually known…

The Jayhawks Reform Their Late ’90s Lineup Tonight at the Granada

For most bands, whenever they cut a few records without a founding member, those records are almost forgotten about when that founding member returns to the band. Whether it’s Van Halen, Iron Maiden or Bad Religion, this happens all the time. With the Jayhawks, they cut three albums without founding…

Dallas’ Johnny Stimson Has a Road Map for Stardom

When Dallas-based singer and songwriter Johnny Stimson graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in finance, he had his dreams for a music career all planned out. He made, as he refers to it now, a “two-year, thought-out decision to move to New York,” where he spent a few months…

Michael Briggs Has Built a Hub of Denton Music in His Own House

If Michael Briggs wants to see a show, record a band’s EP or film a podcast, he doesn’t have to step outside his own door. It is, shall we say, a bit of a luxury. In Denton’s independent music scene, Briggs is absolutely crucial in the booking, recording and promotion…

Tickets On Sale for the Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase

It’s been a little over a week now since voting opened, so we’re just going to go ahead and ask: Have you filled out your Dallas Observer Music Awards ballot yet? If yes, congratulations. You’re a champ. If not, it’s okay; we understand what it’s like to play the long…

Dallas’ Bryan Fajardo May Be the World’s Best Grindcore Drummer

Perfectionism, particularly in a musician, is most often viewed as a liability. Rather than focusing on the life-affirming qualities inherent in the struggle for perfection, many attribute negative personal characteristics — difficult, hardheaded, intractable — towards those with a desire for self-improvement. But there exists a rare breed that uses…

DC9 at Night Mixtape with ill76

ill76 has been floating around the DFW DJ scene since the ’90s. In a town where actual techno DJs are a rare breed, ill76 is a cut above the rest. He used to run the beloved local DJ shop Illmatic Records, a store that was a cornerstone of the local…

Taylor Phelan Chases His Musical Destiny on NBC’s The Voice

Luke Wade isn’t the only North Texas contestant on the new season of NBC’s The Voice. No, competing alongside him is Taylor Phelan, who hails from Dallas. And the two have more in common than just geography: They’ve both chosen to work Pharrell Williams on the show. But for Phelan,…

Son of Stan Mines Nostalgia on New Georgia EP

It is a frigid Sunday morning, and Jordan Richardson is checking out of his hotel in Harrison, Ohio. Today marks day five of his band Son of Stan’s two-week tour, and it is too early, even though it is noon. With a new EP set to drop on Tuesday, October…

July Alley Has Closed

And at long last, the will-it-close-or-won’t-it saga of July Alley has reached its end. The Deep Ellum bar had been plagued by rumors of its demise for a years, culminating in a temporary shutdown over the Fourth of July weekend this past summer. Yesterday afternoon, the speculation was finally confirmed…

An LBJ Experience Seeks to Cross-Pollinate Dallas Music

What’s in a name? Well, if you ask the three founders of the new local music series, An LBJ Experience, a lot of things. Take the name of their new organization: For starters, it’s the acronym of their first names, Lee, Billy and Jesse. But its also, more obviously, the…

Jenny Robinson Brings a Fiery Attitude to Dallas Hip-Hop

Dallas rapper Jenny Robinson and her partner 8earcub’s performances are unlike any other live experience in town. Jenny Robinson is notorious for enacting orgasms on stage and for rolling around on the ground. 8earcub, whose real name is Gerardo Cortez, wears a brown faux fur bear coat/cape that has a…

Here’s a Video Recap of Last Weekend’s Index Music Festival

Well, that was a hell of a weekend, wasn’t it? In its third go-around, Index Festival spread out to three days of music with nearly 100 bands, all situated on its new, larger festival grounds between Cesar Chavez and Elm St., directly across from Epocha and The Prophet Bar. There…

DC9 at Night Mixtape with Marcos Prado

For the past decade Marcos Prado has been at the center of The Smoke, one of the longest-running DJ residencies in Dallas. The Smoke is the only DJ weekly in the area (possibly the state) that focuses exclusively on northern soul, a particular brand of soul music popularized in northern…

Voting for the 2014 Dallas Observer Music Awards Is Now Open

Hold onto your butts, Dallas; it’s that time of year again. Dallas Observer Music Awards time. DOMA time has moved back to its latest time of year ever, but we couldn’t be more excited about it. This year, our annual music awards showcase — Chevy Music Showcase North Texas Presents…

KNON’s Eric Schwartz Has a Goldmine of Classic Rock Photos

“Where am I gonna end up? There’s so much notoriety today, it’s astounding,” says retired photographer, Jeffrey Kliman. “It’s worse than Andy Warhol’s statement. You’re gonna be famous for 15 minutes. Now you’re gonna be famous for a nanosecond. Or three pixels.” Kliman’s lens has been capturing small portions of…