“If I was your Girlfriend” remix – Doc Strange Music should evoke something. That is the magic of its design. It manifests a real feeling out of thin air. Prince’s second single from the double album Sign O’ the Times was “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” The song sounds, smells…
Texas country tunes, holiday DJ bashes and a slew of exciting club and small theater shows make up the happenings of this week’s concert calendar. If you live in Mesquite, or might be looking for a reason to travel to our area’s fine eastern ‘burb, then this calendar also provides…
Chris Esquivel, under his alias DJ Tums, is one of the special few among DJs who still loves the art of playing vinyl and is adept at the turntable. He’s skilled enough in his craft that he won the DMC regional battle this past July. He has been behind the…
Two days before the deadline to register to vote in Texas, the inaugural Buffalo Tree Festival will make one last push to encourage people to vote — especially if they’re Democrats — as well as enjoy an all-day music festival. Normally the Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas is the…
A prima facie view of Dallas might not present its electronic music scene as popular as those on the East and West coasts, but one does lurk within the city, expanding with Texas Recordings Underground, a record label founded by DJ-producer Gavin Guthrie in 2016. Abbreviated as TRU, the label…
Some people step on stage at local bars on karaoke night to sing their drunken interpretations of their favorite songs. Others karaoke to win. That’s what Mel Arizpe and Laura Carrizales did, along with 100 other soloists and 14 duet couples. This year, Arizpe and Carrizales left The Karaoke World Championships,…
Texas-born songwriter Daphne Willis will open up for one of her idols. She has been listening to Barenaked Ladies for as long as she can remember. As her career continues to grow, she feels increasingly humbled sharing the stage with artists she has looked up to throughout the years. She…
For the past two years, The Secret Factory has established itself as Dallas’ go-to techno cathedral. Literally. Some of dance music’s most respected DJs ran the controls from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. there, then the space was cleaned and reorganized for 8 a.m. church service. Artists such as Audiojack,…
A cancer diagnosis is one of the most profound experiences one can go through. Whether faced with courage or fear, it’s a moment that changes lives, both for those diagnosed and the ones who hold them dear. But change is inevitable and sometimes for the best. And the darkest moments…
Tip your hat to September with this week’s lineup of music – including ’80s metalheads to singer-songwriters to indie bands. Kicking things off is Ben Harper, who teams up with Charlie Musselwhite for an unforgettable show Monday night. The Mountain Goats play Canton Hall midway through, and rounding out the…
On Wednesday night, rock icons Def Leppard and Journey proved that even after 40 years, one can still tastefully rock out. Aging rock stars have to walk a fine line, because rock ’n’ roll was invented by the youth for the youth. Its essence is loud, its message rebellious, its…
Two original members of the 1968-era Byrds lineup are teaming up with Marty Stuart for an intriguing album commemoration show this fall. Elsewhere, two of rap’s biggest rising stars take local stages, while a jazz interpreter hits up Deep Ellum. All that and a little more in this week’s lineup…
You may not know Michael Cheney, but if you’ve been hanging around Dallas’ music scene, chances are pretty good that you’ve seen him — usually in the front and always digging the music. This Saturday, Cheney will host his 50th birthday party at Three Links in Deep Ellum, with some…
Earlier this week, the Texas GOP Twitter account tried to knock Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s past in the form of a couple of tweets. One was about an old DWI charge and the other was about O’Rourke’s time in the El Paso band Foss. With a young and lightly bearded O’Rourke…
Twenty years in, those who follow Jason Boland would unanimously agree that he and his band, The Stragglers, are putting out their best music to date. Two decades is a long time, maybe not long enough to use the term “legend,” but no doubt Boland is forever etched into red…
Sarah Sellers is re-inventing herself. She’s dropped a husband — and his last name — added an R to her first name, gained a fiancé, and through it all, she wrote an entire album about heartbreak, rock bottom and the love that comes after it. SARRA, Sellers’ new stage name,…
It’s a Monday night at The Rustic, and Frankie Leonie is waiting to get onstage. A schedule mix-up has resulted in the venue having no sound engineer for the night, and Leonie can’t perform until one of them drives in. Unfazed, she sits and eats with her mother and her…
Between all the fun, expensive rides and fried food at the State Fair of Texas this year, people might want to take advantage of what little free entertainment there is at this 24-day annual Texas tradition. There are 13 stellar musical acts ranging from Tejano music to hip-hop that will…
Bands that transcend the here and now of modern music are rare, and when they roll through town, they become bucket list shows that are worth stopping down to indulge and appreciate. Outside of festivals where one has to brave the elements and sweaty crowds, it’s almost unheard of to…
If a movie was made about The Free Man, a Deep Ellum cajun restaurant and live music venue, the soundtrack would be comprised of one band: The Free Loaders. Owner of the venue, and lead man of the band, John Jay Myers sits behind a drum set and microphone on…
Summer is winding down, but the party was still in full swing Saturday night at The Toyota Music Factory. The inaugural Texas Summer Jam featured the Randy Rogers Band and various regional acts. The live music kicked off at 3 p.m. on the Texas Lottery Plaza, and those who headed…
Here we are, finishing August with some great music. Funky Knuckles 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27, Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinksdeepellum.com, free The Funky Knuckles have been together for almost a decade. In 2014, the band’s second album, Meta-Musica, hit No. 1 on iTunes’ jazz chart the first day…
