As far as rock star entrances go, it was unorthodox. On Monday night at the American Airlines Center, Phil Collins entered leaning heavily on a cane. His feet shuffling steadily forward, the 68-year-old Collins made a beeline for a swivel chair. The affectionate roars from the sold-out room greeting the…
For a Swedish triple-threat pop sensation ready to rule the world, Zara Larsson sounds more like the all-American girl next door while chatting on the phone. She’s funny, self-deprecating even, apologetic when betrayed by her cellphone connection, opinionated, eager to answer any question thrown at her, even just after hitting the…
To say we listen to music with our eyes would sound counterintuitive and foreign, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate. Think about it. How different would the live music experience be if we didn’t have eyes? How would record collectors listen to an LP in their living room if they couldn’t…
M3cca, “WTR pHiles” Denton sensation M3cca has built an astonishing catalog of soulful hip-hop music in the past few years. With a new album on the way, the vocalist unveils its lead single, titled “WTR pHiles” (pronounced “Water Feels”). The new song is a soul-cleansing metaphor about personal testimony that…
After his February announcement that he will be retiring from touring due in part to his inclusion body myositis diagnosis, Peter Frampton made one last stop in DFW on Sunday night at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory. Kicking off the night was Led Zeppelin Evening, who ran through Zeppelin’s…
It’s been over a decade since avant-pop juggernaut Stereolab toured in the States, and anticipation of their return was apparent in the mere hours it took them to sell out the Granada Theater. Those lucky enough to grab a ticket to Saturday night’s show were privy to why the band…
If you follow this list, you’ll have some hard choices to make come Friday. The Bralettes, Big K.R.I.T., Of Antigua, Atlantis Aquarius and The Who are all playing that night. But, for every good show you might miss on Friday, you can make up for it throughout the week. You can also…
Celebrating their 45th anniversary as a band, Squeeze brought their Songbook tour to The Bomb Factory Thursday night with the foundational punk band X as their opening act. Once heralded by Rolling Stone as the heirs to the throne left vacant by The Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the…
When an editor gives one of their writers the task of covering a concert fronted by a celebrity who isn’t known for their musical talents, it’s either because they know that it will suck and the writer can turn such torture into something hilarious or the writer did something wrong…
The time to plan ahead into 2020 is officially upon us when it comes to concert season. Venue calendars continue to fill up several months before the calendar officially flips. This week, we’ve got announcements from Grammy winners, local and revered songsmiths, and sharp up-and-comers on the docket. Read ahead…
Houston-based soul and R&B outfit The Suffers had some abysmal luck following a set at this year’s Homegrown Fest. As we reported back in April, the eight-piece band lost about $33,000 worth of equipment when thieves took off with the band’s detached trailer, which stood in the parking lot at…
Chris Flemmons sits at a bench on the dimly lit, smoke-filled patio of Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton on a Monday evening, sipping a bitters and soda between tugs off his cigarette. He’s gearing up for an upcoming celebratory three-gig Texas tour with his band, the Baptist Generals, and the stress…
The Dallas Observer Music Awards, which reward the most accomplished, innovative and outstanding contributions to the local music industry, are on their 31st year. Thirty-one years, the age most of us consider becoming adults. In 1988, the year when DOMA first started, Reagan was president, the No. 1 song was George…
Quaker City Night Hawks drummer Aaron Haynes exploded onstage last week at the Big Velvet Revue showcase at the Basement East in Nashville. Well, exploding may be too strong of an image. His Fort Worth bandmates, David Matsler and Sam Anderson, weren’t actually finding pieces of their drummer strewn about…
Let’s go back in time for just a moment. Word War II is over. We all have tons of extra money because America is in the midst of an economic boom. We like Ike. Elvis, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers are filling the airwaves with a new…
Lizzi Trumbore walks into a McDonald’s and confronts an internal conflict. “I had to ask myself, ‘Should I buy something?’” she reflects later, sitting in that same Mickey D’s. “On the one hand, McDonald’s is this big corporation. They don’t need my money. On the other hand, I feel weird…
His songs have been performed more than 100 million times worldwide. His LP and single sales number more than 90 million. He’s sold 10 million albums worldwide, and got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Canadian one, too. With more than 500 songs to his credit,…
There is only one certified diamond-selling dance hall reggae artist, and he will be performing at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving on Saturday. His name is Shaggy. Yes, the artist who wrote “It Wasn’t Me,” the got-caught-cheating-red-handed record that sat in that No. 1 Billboard spot for three weeks and…
First of all, shut up. We get it. Yes, Greg Ginn is the only original member of Black Flag left in the band. No, Henry Rollins does not have nice things to say about Ginn or the current iteration of the band. Yeah, pro-skateboarder Mike Vallely is not the lead…
In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard admitted that a friend of his has nicknamed him “Earnest Strum,” due to his penchant for “the type of exceedingly sincere, traditionally-rooted folk that Hansard has mostly been making for the past dozen years,” the article reads. The soft, somber,…
If you’re on a budget, which, unless you’re Mark Cuban or Bill Gates, is pretty much all of us, this list of shows is for you. Seeing one of these top-notch local acts like Paul Slavens & Friends and Cure for Paranoia, as well as bigger bands like Iron Maiden…
Say what you will about Kenny G, but the guy is one of the most disarmingly nice people you will ever have the pleasure to talk to, and he doesn’t really care if you have anything negative to say about him. “I may not be a person like Taylor Swift…
