Midlake’s McKenzie Smith Officially Joins The Fieros

Just came across an interesting Myspace bulletin from The Fieros (formerly The Valentines), who recently left town for the bright lights of New York City. First, the band mentions that it’ll be heading out on a California swing later this month to showcase its tunes and shop them around a…

Doug Burr Offers Up A New Download Via Myspace

Doug Burr (Brian Harkin) In this week’s paper, Dave Sims uses his North of the Dial column to discuss the recording process for Doug Burr’s upcoming psalms-inspired effort. And on this past Saturday night at AllGood Cafe, Burr (and friends) went ahead and performed the results from those sessions. But…

Denton’s Zanzibar Snails Gets Wired

Denton noisemakers Zanzibar Snails got quite a nice write-up in The Wire, a U.K. magazine specializing in avant garde music. In his review of their Krakkatowiak 3” CD on Mayyrh, Byron Coley called the band “one of the region’s more interesting units” (heh) and compared its sound to The Dead…

DOMA XX: Best Funk/R&B Act Nominees

With our DOMA ballot online and ripe for your votin’, we figured we’d give you some help: a daily breakdown of each category’s nominees. Best Funk/R&B Act Bobby Patterson Shibboleth Erykah Badu Carmen Rodgers Cas Haley So…Erykah Badu and the Pips? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean Ms. Badu’s competition should…

Sean Kirkpatrick Offers Up Some Free Downloads

Sean Kirkpatrick, keyboard player for The Paper Chase, frontman for his own eponymous side project and DOMA XX Best Instrumentalist nominee, has two free downloads up for grabs on his Myspace page. There’s also a gloomy new song from Kirkpatrick up on the page (but just for streaming) called “Losing…

DOMA XX: Best Folk/Acoustic Act Nominees

With our DOMA ballot online and ripe for your votin’, we figured we’d give you some help: a daily breakdown of each category’s nominees. Best Folk/Acoustic Act: Doug Burr Sarah Jaffe Glen Farris Matthew and the Arrogant Sea Collin Herring This one’s wide-open, really, and features some pretty intriguing match-ups…

PlayRadioPlay Splits With Label

Less than four months after the release of Texas, Aledo-based PlayRadioPlay is no longer affiliated with Island Records or the label’s distributor, Universal Music Group. Dan Hunter, the man behind the bubblegum electro-pop, announced the release with a two-page letter outlining how things went sour between him and his label…

Nothing To Get Hung About: Strawberry Fields Reopens Tonight

Denton’s beloved independent music, books, movies and more store, Strawberry Fields, reopens tonight at its new location next to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. Last month, a rent hike forced the venue out of its former Oak Street location, which had been the home of many a DIY rock show. The…

DOMA XX: The Ballot Is Online…

…Finally. So, time to put up or shut up: The 2008 Dallas Observer Music Awards ballot is now up and running online. You know, vote or die. And all that jazz. –Pete Freedman…

See Doug Burr’s Newest Works Tomorrow Night at AllGood Cafe

Doug Burr, with Glen Farris in the background. (Robert Hudson) Next week’s paper will feature a running diary of sort from Dave Sims in his weekly Denton-focused North of the Dial column. The piece focuses on a recent weekend-long recording session from Doug Burr, his band members and a few…

Play-N-Skillz Get Some Love From The Source

Dallas’ Play-N-Skillz, a duo of half-Venezuelan, half-Argentinian brothers who both rap on their own songs and produce tracks for others, aren’t exactly newcomers to the national hip-hop game–they produced and co-wrote Chamillionaire’s huge hit “Ridin'”, and they’re the beatsmiths behind “Got Money,” one of the sure-to-be hits off Lil Wayne’s…

Dreamboat Soft Rocker Talks Rocker Film

Oh, to be that guitar! I never imagined this job would ever lead to opportunities like interviewing a former Hillary Duff tourmate and Seventeen cover boy, but Teddy Geiger was kind enough to tell us about upcoming Peter Cattaneo film The Rocker. Starring Rainn Wilson, Josh Gadd, Emma Stone and…

The Cavern Takes a Detour From All-Rock Lineups

Two weeks ago, The Cavern began hosting a new weekly Wednesday night series that showcases visual artists and DJs alongside live music performers. Called Detour, tonight’s take on the event features Black Tie Dynasty performing an acoustic set, local photographer Sally Glass showcasing her works on the venue’s walls and…