In 2018, when Mac Miller (born Malcolm McCormick) passed away from an accidental drug overdose, I had been immersed in his fifth studio album, Swimming. I was teaching at the time, chasing around my own kids and, generally, carrying on in a mom-ish way, despite what my playlist might suggest. I…
For the last four years, Levi Weaver has been a name that fans of the Texas Rangers have become keenly familiar with. As the Rangers beat writer for The Athletic, the 40-year-old Weaver has been praised for his ability to offer insightful columns on even the most mundane games over…
Last year, Nathan Brown of Dead Media Tapes was contracted to make 40 eight-track copies of U.K. artist Mark Ronson’s album Late Night Feelings. As a gift, Brown made two reel-to-reels of the record for Ronson and whoever else the labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Columbia Records, wanted to give…
This week brings many different live music experiences to North Texas. The progressive alt-rock gods of Tool will melt some faces at American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Just when you think you’re recovering, punk-country acts The Yawpers and The Ghost Wolves might knock you into another universe at their Thursday Three Links…
In case you’ve been detached from the music industry gossip of late, Justin Bieber tried to get his new single, “Yummy,” to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but unbeknownst to the Biebs and his team, a California rapper by the name of Roddy Ricch took the…
It’s a banner week for concert announcements as nostalgia reigns supreme. Some of the past couple of decades’ biggest hitmakers have booked local gigs, a happening that should lead to many happy singalongs and love fests over the next couple of months. Elsewhere, there are some nice additions to the club…
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…
Manifest Destiny’s Child takes to the stage, with the letter “X” written on their hands and instruments bigger than their small frames. The group’s name is a clever play of words on the beloved R&B trio and the doctrine that justified colonization. Onstage, guitarist and vocalist Carol Gonzalez, 20, bassist…
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…
There’s never a shortage of good shows in North Texas. Here are a few shows to choose from this week if you don’t know where to start: Hip-hop artist Big Freedia, local singer-songwriter Jade Nickol, Houston act Lera Lynn and Dallas UK 82 mainstays The Scandals are all rocking stages in DFW…
St. Vincent plays well with others — very well. The enigmatic Dallas-raised performer has collaborated with a wide array of musicians, from pop princesses to indie rock titans to grunge gods. Just this week, she was invited to fill Kurt Cobain’s Converse at a benefit show with Dave Grohl and…
Late in the evening, long after a packed Canton Hall had lost itself in a blissful fog of sinuous grooves, searing guitar licks and soulful vocals, Black Pumas’ Eric Burton made a confession. “I’m embarrassed by how much fun we’re having,” the gimme cap-clad singer told the adoring, sold-out crowd…
This is more like it. As the new year is officially in swing, so too are the new concert announcements. This week, we have some shows scheduled from major pop acts, legendary stylized singers and some killer indie bands. Read on for the details and get your year started off…
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…
