The Monks are the best band you’ve never heard of. These trailblazers were serving up a visionary, singular sound back in the 1960s, but the world wasn’t ready for them yet. Sadly, three-fifths of the group have moved on to rock out in heaven, with this Friday marking the 12th…
For a couple of decades now, Eleven Hundred Springs has been one of greatest country bands in North Texas, if not the absolute best, that is. Winners of a fair share of Dallas Observer Music Awards through the years, the Matt Hillyer-led honky-tonk crew has yet another album, its ninth…
For two years, Dallas native Kitti Jones says she was subject to physical abuse, sexual coercion and emotional manipulation at the hands of R&B singer R. Kelly. Last January, Lifetime premiered Surviving R. Kelly, a six-part docuseries in which several of the disgraced star’s alleged victims came forward, detailing the…
You may not have heard of Jean Caffeine before, but you’d be a lot cooler if you had. Caffeine is a true punk rock original who earned her moniker slamming down cappuccinos in the office of San Francisco’s legendary fanzine Search & Destroy as she glued together its iconic layouts…
Tony Ferraro never stops. The prolific Denton-based musician delivers art at a dizzying pace, with a self-set goal to release between one and three records a year — either solo or as a contributor. And not even two weeks into 2020, he’s already announced the latest record to land in…
Magic is happening at Louie Louie’s Piano Bar where, every Sunday night, acts like Alessia Cara, Shaun Martin, Cure for Paranoia and many others hop on stage for an artist showcase that has rocked the venue for the last two years. In 2018, the man responsible for the showcase, Gino…
This past Friday, Bill Wisener, who owned the iconic Bill’s Records for over 40 years, died at age 75. Wisener was a venerable Dallas figure, a chain-smoking music connoisseur who had endless stories and meaningful pleasantries for customers. He died the way he’ll be remembered by most: sitting behind the…
In this day of constant change and endless expression, it can seem impossible to find the proper way to convey yourself through appearance in an original way. This can be especially true for musicians as they navigate the world of entertainment, and Dallas musicians in particular like to kick it…
As the Dallas music scene stumbled hungover and slightly disheveled into a new year, local producer and musician John Pedigo added a third hat to his collection: music manager. In partnership with local marketing agent Maureen Womack and lawyer Robert Jenkins, Pedigo launched Desperado Management on New Year’s Day. The…
It’s a chilly night on a quiet street around the corner from Top 10 Records in Oak Cliff next to Selena. Kenneth Everette Pritchard offers band mate Gabriel Jordan a cigarette. He lights one himself and begins talking about his latest project, Frances Heidy, which started as a small bedroom…
We open on a coffee shop two days after Christmas in a city clinging to the last vestiges of the season. Christmas music rises in the background as the camera centers on film composer Damoyee Janai, a songwriter with impeccable posture. Dance is one of the mediums she ditched in…
On Thursday, the Dallas Museum of Art will honor the life and legacy of the Thin White Duke himself, Mr. David Bowie. Every second Thursday, the DMA hosts an event titled “Second Thursdays with a Twist,” an occasion during which the Arts District staple modifies its programming and interactive experience…
If you were a season ticket holder for the Dallas Cowboys this year, you have my deepest sympathy. It may not have been the worst season in the franchise’s history, but the campaign to an 8-8 finish still felt abysmal and sad — like a wandering drunk who somehow finds…
While food and sex may be on different tiers on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, they are two things that most everyone loves. In pop culture, the movie 9 1/2 Weeks popularized the pairing of food and sex, while Seinfeld’s George Costanza nearly managed to turn us off from it completely…
It’s the last month of the year, but these North Texas artists are ending it with a bang — songs so hot you’ll forget it’s winter. Yella Beezy ft. Ty Dolla $ign, “Ay Ya Ya Ya” While his Chris Brown-featured “Restroom Occupied” soars to platinum status, Yella Beezy doubles down…
Counting from 2012, you’d be very hard-pressed to locate a more artistically ambitious project in the North Texas music sphere than These Machines Are Winning. Led by veteran Dallas rockers Dylan Silvers, Ryan Hartsell and Blake McWhorter, the group is really hard to define, at least in typically simplistic music…
Christmas music tends to generally fall along the merry and bright end of things. Songs of joy and happiness fill the airwaves, and everyone feels that fond glow of happiness nestled all snug in the soul. But it’s worth remembering — nay, embracing — the more melancholy sounds of the…
Let’s face it, Christmas music can be a real drag. It’s not so much about the songs themselves, it’s the fact that we’ve heard them all before, every year, for years and years on end. While there will always be a place for the nostalgia of those traditional Christmas songs,…
We all know Dallas is home to some pretty great musicians, but the rest of the country doesn’t always have the good sense to recognize it. But sometimes, word gets out. Here are 10 Dallas artists who made press appearances outside of Dallas: the good, the bad and the ugly…
The beloved Texas-based songwriter and artist, Daniel Johnston, left this world back in September. But the influence his work has had on music and art will keep him alive forever. This Friday, several acts will take the stage at The Kessler for a Johnston tribute show, ensuring the fire behind…
How far can you get by creating with your friends? This is the question that motivates the members of Medicine Man Revival. A belief in each other’s talents and those of their fellow Dallas musicians inspired them to start their eclectic, electrifying band in 2015, and has been driving them to…
In the spirit of our “Top 10 Best Songs by Really Bad Artists” piece that ran earlier this week, we thought it was only fair to point out that some indubitably fantastic artists also have songs that are rather terrible. Yes, it happens to the best of us, and as…
