Taylor Swift surprised fans when she released her latest album, folklore, with barely any preamble. Working with The National’s Aaron Dessner, Swift wrote the album during her time in quarantine at home, and it’s a strong departure from her past style. The poetic lyrics, masterful storytelling and haunting melodies of…
New Ellum might be the latest Americana act to come out of Dallas, but the band’s singer Jason Michael is no stranger to the music game. “I’ve been around Dallas as an acoustic singer,” Michael says. “I also had a blue-eyed soul project in Los Angeles and here in Dallas…
Many of us swore we’d never download TikTok, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to reconsider most of our life decisions. The video-sharing app has the ability to bring us 15 to 60 seconds of temporary joy at a time, and we’ll take all we can get right now…
Ellen Once Again’s new single and music video, “Be Okay,” provides reassurance that these anxiety-ridden times are temporary. The pop-soul singer-songwriter, whose real name is Ellen Hinton, describes her artist name as a tongue-in-cheek response to the realization that she is not the only Ellen in the entertainment industry. While…
There was a Blue Lives Matter rally at Friendship-West Baptist Church in southern Dallas last weekend. On Sunday, of all days. The church has a prominent Black Lives Matter banner displayed on its facade, and its music department has longtime ties with noted soul artists such as Shaun Martin and…
It’s not as if Dallas needed another reality TV show. From Big Rich Texas, Most Eligible Dallas to its spinoff Courtney Loves Dallas and The Real Housewives, Dallas loves the small screen, piling on one show after the next over the last decade. It appears another show is in the…
In space, a “double star” is created when two stars circle each other and appear close to one another when seen from Earth. In Dallas, when two music scene stars circle each other through collaboration, that union is called “Velvet Dos.” The band name refers to the collaborative project of…
Last month, Dallas rapper Spencer Mahurt, better known as Uncle Skitz, died of unknown causes. Before he died, he was hard at work on his debut album, 1PLAYAWAY, which will be released posthumously Friday. Over the course of the past year, he had been recording Southern-inspired trap music infused with…
The latest Dallas-based artist to join Def Jam Recordings’ ever-growing roster is rapper MAJ. After releasing his debut EP Majestic this March, MAJ is still at work making music. Earlier this month, he released an ode to cars called “Supreme.” When making music, MAJ tries to stay away from topics…
Irving rapper Coach Tev has already become a playground legend in his hometown, and he has not even turned 30. The young man with shoulder-length dreadlocks decoded the African American matrix and went from the basketball court to paid performances and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas,…
If keeping the family indoors during a pandemic wasn’t excuse enough to start introducing your kids to good music, maybe the scorching summer heat will be. It’s July, live music is all but canceled (again) and most of our kids are likely feeling a little bored right about now. If…
LaVoyce’s LV Tape, Vol. 1, self-released in April, is a testament to her musical and lyrical expertise. With just nine tracks, the tape is a succinct portfolio of work that draws on sounds from funk, R&B and soul (she likes to think of her niche as “soul pop.”) It is…
People oversimplify music streaming. While it’s true that Spotify and Apple Music comprise an enormous chunk of the sector, YouTube has become a major platform for streamed music, and SoundCloud has launched many music careers. Every streaming platform worth its salt brings listeners with different tastes to the table, so…
What do you do when the world won’t let you play live and you just don’t feel the vibe from a livestreaming show? You release a video that showcases what your live set would be like in a normal world. That’s what the Dallas-based, psych-rock quartet Siamese Hips has done…
For years, Dallas-native singer Ariel Saldivar, better known as CAMÍNA, has supported local acts like The Polyphonic Spree and Broken Social Scene on their tours. With years of instrumental and vocal training accompanied by activism and a passion for contemporary social justice issues, CAMÍNA is ready to release a debut…
Deep Ellum’s AllGood Cafe would have been gearing up for a big celebration for its 20th anniversary in August, but the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into those plans. Last week, after an employee complained of fatigue and a backache, owner Mike Snider immediately sent him to get tested for…
Zach Youpa is stepping away from his band Light Horse Harry to pursue a dream that has been with him since he first started the band in Lakewood almost a decade ago. “I’d always played guitars, drums, bass and everything else, but in that band, I kind of had a…
Jui$e Leroy is one of the best showmen in North Texas hip-hop, an artist who displays pure ferocity when he performs, matched only by his prowess writing lyrics. Leroy labels his music “conscious trap,” a description he coined to describe reality rap filled with stories about the pros and cons of street…
Let’s get this out of the way: I am bipolar. I am on medication. I see a psychiatrist regularly. My psychiatrist is Black, and that matters. The first psychologist I regularly saw was white; she saved my life and that matters too. I called both of them Dr. A, and…
For more than three decades, Dallas group Absu has carved a space in the industry as a quintessential black metal band, but this reign came to an abrupt end in January when the band announced its dissolution on Facebook. “After meager deliberation and zero remorse, I have decided to dissolve…
Austin-based country artist Clayton Gardner was playing an acoustic set last Friday at Texican Court in Las Colinas when an audience member wandered up to him and asked if he could play a song by Lee Ann Womack. “You could ask that from 7 feet away,” said Gardner, whose bandana…
Houston-via-Dallas band Narrow Head is often classified as shoegaze, but as the band’s guitarist, vocalist and only original member Jacob Duarte puts it, “I don’t even think I like shoegaze.” He elaborates, “I like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Chapterhouse — all the main stuff — but when it gets too on-the-nose, it’s like, I…
