15 years ago, Chad Davenport and Simon McDonald were working at the old Muddy Waters on Greenville Avenue and wanted to start a charity. It was near Christmas time, so a toy drive made sense. That first year’s event, which was held at Muddy Waters, was a success, and in…
We know what you’re thinking: “Stop writing about St. Vincent.” “She doesn’t live in Dallas.” She’s not even from here.” Well blah, blah, blah. Annie Clark cut her teeth as a musician here in North Texas, she identifies as being from here and even still splits her time between here…
How’s this for an album release party? A band records a concept album about an elephant that was killed by Thomas Edison, and releases an accompanying “wordless graphic novel” that helps fill out the poor creature’s story. The band then decides to celebrate the release not at, you know, a…
Rungs of records balance on every flat surface, coils of electronic cables stretch every which way, threatening to snatch at your ankles. A studio’s worth of musical gadgetry frames the room, flirting with certain free fall. But I’m more concerned with what hangs on the wall. I try to shake…
Brain Gang, Dallas’ premier rap collective, has received a lot of press for their rowdy presence, charisma and ambition. Boasting eight members, its ranks were loaded with talent and the drive to make a real impact in the music world. 2014 has been a banner year for members of the…
Blake Ward is one of the busiest DJs in Dallas, with four different weekly events and recently taking up the management of his new Four Four Booking agency. He has a longstanding Saturday night Glamorama gig at Beauty Bar, plays every Friday at Boxwood or Zaza, hosts a newish party…
There you have it, folks. Yet another Dallas Observer Music Awards has come and gone, and hopefully it was a memorable one. We laughed, we cried, we even had a prom. Between the crowning of our prom king and queen and the ambush performance of the End of the World…
I stumbled on Avant Age in the unlikely hip-hop haven of a coffee shop open mic. That may not sound very promising to some, but bear with me here. The space was rife with comedians and folk-oriented musicians working to carve out a space for themselves in the Denton music…
Moshing is an art form. Like the heavy metal music it was intended to accompany, it’s a brutal, punishing art form, one built on the deliberate collision of bodies and the sweat, blood and bruises of concertgoers. And it’s an art form that gets celebrated each year here in North…
Grammys, shmammys. If any of us were still looking to hold the much-maligned Grammys in high esteem, the case got considerably weakened earlier this year when Macklemore no fewer than four awards, including beating out Kendrick Lamar’s excellent good kid, M.a.a.d city for three of those. The whole thing is…
And then there was one. The debate over which of Dallas’ two new classic hip-hop stations is the best has already reached its (perhaps inevitable) conclusion, just a lot sooner than most of us would’ve expected. HOT 93.3 FM, which suddenly started playing old-school hip hop early last month at…
Fort Worth experimental metal band Pinkish Black has signed with Relapse Records. This is a monumental achievement for the band, consisting of the Daron Beck and Jon Teague, as Relapse is a respected player in the metal world. (It also happens to have some local ties through True Widow and…
So apparently the suburban dream isn’t dead. It’s just that it’s moved from Plano to Irving. Last week, fans of the Suburbia Music Festival, which enjoyed a respectable and generally promising first year at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve in Plano, were dealt a blow when it was announced…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it? No, we’re not talking about the holidays, although those are OK too. We’re talking about the 26th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards, which kick off with a showcase this Saturday in Deep Ellum followed by the award ceremony and concert…
‘Tis the season for locally crafted holiday compilation records. That’s how it goes, right? Er, never mind. Dallas label Hand Drawn Records just put out a holiday-themed compilation album, The Holiday Record, that’s been getting more clicks than a Cyber Monday flash sale. Hand Drawn Creative Director Dustin Blocker organized…
This week’s mixtape brings the focus onto scene vet Josh Kynd. As a DJ, producer, promoter, label owner and vinyl retailer, he has been a cornerstone of the Dallas scene for two decades. Along with his partners Jason Ramirez and Johnny Leake, he runs the Our House Collective, which has…
It’s late on a Thursday evening in early November, and as the setting sun fills the sky, an old gray sedan glides down Interstate 35. Tiny Texas towns whisk by: Abbot, Milford and, home of the oh-so-famous kolache heaven Czech Stop, West. Get lost scrolling through your favorite social media…
In just a few more days, it all happens: The 26th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards. This coming Saturday, we’ll round up more than 60 of our favorite bands from North Texas and cram them all into venues around Deep Ellum for the Chevy Music Showcase North Texas Presents the…
One of the most challenging periods in the development of any musician is known as “the plateau.” It’s when the musician’s initial approach to his instrument leads to a dead end, a dearth of inspiration and progression that can be extremely frustrating. Some musicians get so fed up during the…
Tonight the Kessler Theater plays host to small bit of North Texas music history as Centro-matic embark on their last together as a band. As things stand, it’s set to be their final appearance in Dallas, and for the Kessler’s artistic director Jeffrey Liles it’s an important occasion, a bit…
If you spend much time at Crown & Harp these days, chances are you tend to associate the place with Moody Fuqua. He’s there pretty well every night, and while his job is technically general manager and talent buyer, you can often catch him slinging drinks behind the bar. Over…
Jason Vasilas has been mixing it up on the decks under the alias JV for almost a decade and a half. With over 20 releases, all on vinyl, JV is another local vet with a significant body of work, but who is known and played mostly far outside of the…
