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…
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…
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…
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…
You may not know the the name Transmission Events, but you sure know the work that they do. Based in Austin, Transmission are the folks behind Fun Fun Fun Fest, the music festival held each fall at Auditorium Shores in the capitol city. They also do all the booking for…
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…
As a child growing up in the tiny town of Niceville, Florida, McKinney transplant and country singer-songwriter Crystal Yates couldn’t avoid the twangy sounds of country music even if she had wanted to. “My mom says I could sing ‘Why Don’t You Love Me’ by Hank Williams before I could…
The combination of motorheads, good food and great live music probably is probably, well, music to some peoples’ ears, and it’s one that has worked really well for the brains behind Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill. Outside of serving some really stellar brisket and other delicious food, Gas Monkey has…
Some songs pop out of a writer’s mind and onto tape in mere minutes. Other songs, however, require a journey with several stops in order to develop into the fully formed statement they need to be. Almost three years ago, during the Christmas season of 2011, popular sports-talk radio host…
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…
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…
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,…
This past weekend, a young Dallas impresario played a major role in the second annual National Cassette Store Day. It might have slipped by you, as it did me. But Evan Henry, founder of Dallas Distortion Music, was totally dialed in In fact, Henry’s DDM label was one of a…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This weekend, the minds behind The Double Wide are planning a seriously fucking epic party to celebrate 11 years of bringing trailer-trash kitsch and a lot of great bands to Exposition Park. Outside of the fact that they’ve gotten permission from the City of Dallas to host their party across…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
