Let’s not mince words: 2020 sucked. It sucked for everybody. And it especially sucked for music fans, musicians and live music venues. As a whole, the music industry makes 50 percent of its annual revenue from live music performances, and the other half, it makes from recorded music in the…
There is a rather ignorant assumption in the world that within the last 25 or so years, only one modern-day Christmas song matters. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” is a pop masterpiece that further solidified Carey’s rightful place in pop culture history and is certainly the…
After spending nearly an entire year in isolation, we’re heading into a dark and lonely winter season. The usual holiday parties are out of the question, and as the pandemic rages, we’ve been strongly encouraged not to fraternize with anyone outside of the household. Needless to say, Christmas songs feel…
Margin Walker Presents, Texas’ largest independent concert promoter since its start in 2016, announced that they were closing down this week. In a statement released on their social media on Monday, the company cited “the uncertainty and lack of resources [that] have hammered down on those working” in the music industry…
With country legend Charley Pride’s death on Saturday has come a renewed appreciation for his revolutionary career. Born in Mississippi in 1934, Pride lived in Colorado, Montana and Tennessee before settling in Texas in 1969, and his Southern roots came to define much of his music. In celebration of his…
Country music trailblazer Charley Pride died Saturday at the age of 86 of complications of COVID-19. News of Pride’s death was first announced through the singer’s website. Known for breaking systemic racial barriers in the country music industry, Pride became a celebrated name in a predominantly white genre. Hits such…
We’re not going to sugarcoat it: There wasn’t a whole lot going on in music news this year that wasn’t actually bad, sad and sadder news. Music coverage in 2020 consisted largely of pandemic trends, venue updates and obituaries. Some prepandemic stories, however, were reader favorites throughout the year —…
It’s almost like he knew it was coming. Last Valentine’s Day, as couples around the world were celebrating many forms of romantic bliss, others gathered around their speakers or donned headphones in anticipation. After five years, Tame Impala had finally released The Slow Rush, the follow-up to their decade-defining 2015 album…
Since the earlier part of the century, the sound of saxophones and soul-heavy vocals have been heard coming out of Deep Ellum bars. In the history of Dallas’ music scene, funk and R&B have always enjoyed a prominent position. The nominees for Best Funk and R&B for the 2020 Dallas…
Gas Monkey Bar ‘n’ Grill announced this week that it will be closing its doors through the winter in response to the ongoing pandemic. According to the venue’s website, “Ticket buyers for any show that will be canceled will be contacted through email and fully refunded.” The venue intends to…
Bob Dylan is back in the news. The 79-year-old music legend recently sold his entire catalog of work to Universal in a record-breaking deal that reportedly cost over $300 million and included over 600 songs. Even that much might even feel a bit low when considering the unparalleled impact Dylan…
Dallas police said Wednesday they have made an arrest in the fatal shooting of Dallas rapper Mo3, who died on Nov. 11. The artist, whose real name was Melvin Noble, was shot by a man who had chased him on Interstate 35 near Marsalis Avenue in Oak Cliff. When Noble…
The first time Dallas-born rapper Vanilla Ice’s one-hit-wonder “Ice Ice Baby” reached the airways was by mistake. A DJ in Atlanta had meant to play its A-Side counterpart, a cover of “Play that Funky Music.” But, what was done was done and afterward the request lines lit up. By November…
This year has taken far too much from us: lives, livelihoods and the ability to hug our loved ones, not to mention the shouted conversations with friends over the soothing noise of music at our favorite bar s. The last thing we need is to cede our chance to honor…
Last year, conservative influencer Bryson Gray launched a Twitter campaign called the #MAGACHALLENGE, in which President Donald Trump’s supporters showcase their musical chops (or lack thereof) by sharing videos of themselves spitting chauvinistic rap verses. This challenge generated so much steam that the president himself tweeted, “I will be announcing…
Trey Lewis’ song “Dicked Down in Dallas” — about an ex-girlfriend getting, well, dicked down in Dallas — is sitting at No. 3 on the iTunes chart. Yes, “Dicked Down in Dallas” is a real song with lyrics like, “Railed out in Raleigh, tag-teamed up in Tennessee, anal-ed in Austin,…
When Dallas native Taylor Crumpton received the opportunity to write about an album for a book series by New York Times-best selling author Shea Serrano, she knew she had to document Dallas’ influence on hip-hop. Serrano selected five journalists from a pool of applicants to each write a 3,000-word essay…
The opportunities for bands have been severely limited this past year because … do we really have to explain why at this point? It’s 2020. It’s what would happen if sadness broke the laws of quantum mechanics to become a measurable space in time. One annual showcase that hasn’t been…
When we talk about all the challenges 2020 has brought to livelihoods, few have faced bigger professional roadblocks than DJs. Takeout, delivery or curbside pickup doesn’t work for dance parties. Six feet of social distance channels a junior high dance, which was awkward enough the first time around. Virtual shows…
The holiday spirit is certainly in the air. Jaret and Kelly (Jaret Reddick from Bowling for Soup and Kelly Ogden of The Dollyrots) have released their new holiday song “Get this Christmas Right” along with a South Park-inspired video. The song captures all the fun and heart of Christmas with…
November was a quiet month for new music releases, but we did get a few surprise singles and albums from some of our favorite local acts. Country singer Bill Brimer’s debut album and Bobby Sessions popping up on Statik Selektah’s new album were just a couple of highlights during the…
What better time is there for us to celebrate the darkness than in 2020, the darkest year of them all? Halloween marked the release date of Dallas darkwave band SEVIT’s debut On the Edge of a Darker Place — an album that boldly declares the band’s place in the lineage…
