The premise is simple: I met two strangers on Reddit, and we went to the 25th installment of the Dallas Ambient Music Nights showcase at RBC in Deep Ellum late last month. The strangers were vetted and questioned. They had to know little to nothing about ambient/noise music or underground…
You’ve heard Duke Ellington, but never like this. Richard DeRosa, Grammy nominee and professor of jazz arranging at the University of North Texas, co-produced an album of modernized works by Ellington, a jazz legend. It’s called Rediscovered Ellington. Fans of Ellington’s toe-tapping “Hey Baby,” which he recorded with Rosemary Clooney…
Welcome to October, the month of pumpkins, hoodie weather and, duh, Halloween. To get this most festive month kicked off, let’s take a look at some of the first week’s best concerts, including Wilco, Crystal Castles and Lynyrd Skynyrd headlining the third annual Laid Back Fest. Outward Bound Mixtape Sessions10 p.m…
You should never walk into a Lauryn Hill concert with expectations. It’s dangerous. Over the past few years, Hill has inched back into the spotlight. She had taken a lengthy reprieve following the success of her 1998 solo debut record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which turned her into an icon…
Arcade Fire with Wolf Parade American Airlines Center, Dallas Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 For a band that doesn’t play Top 40 standards, Arcade Fire fits remarkably well in an arena setting. The group commanded the American Airlines Center on Thursday night. The band is on its “Infinite Content” tour, promoting its latest…
Game of Thrones aficionados will appreciate an addition to the AAC calendar this week, and one of the show’s most talked about guests will drop in to visit AT&T Stadium next year. Oaktopia is back, albeit in a different zip code. The Darkness continue to believe in a thing called…
KISS Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Irving Wednesday, September 27, 2017 Three years ago, Kiss frontman Gene Simmons declared that rock was dead. “The death of rock was not a natural death,” Simmons told Esquire magazine in a 2014 interview. “Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered.”…
Shams emerged as a new face in the Dallas DJ scene this year, regularly manning the decks on the rooftop of Lower Greenville’s Nora with his crew, House of Champagne. He also recently joined the Motif team. Like many of his techno and house peers, he has deep roots in…
In March, Oaktopia co-founder Matt Battaglia revealed to the Observer that his successful music festival, which Rae Sremmurd and Norah Jones headlined in 2016, was considering a move to Dallas. “Even though close to 40 percent of our social media following is from Denton, we only get about one-third of ticket…
In May 2016, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton closed its doors after almost 20 years of business. The all-ages venue had been a place for Denton bands to practice and build a following. Owner Josh Baish needed out because he was in the midst of a messy divorce, and…
Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 play Trees Wednesday, Sept. 27. A show at Trees tonight provides an opportunity to get close to late afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti when his youngest son takes the stage. Seun Kuti stepped in as lead singer of Egypt 80 when Fela died in 1997. Seun’s says he…
The Dallas Observer Music Awards are confronting their mortality. They’re finding new respect for the trials faced by awards ceremonies past. They’re contemplating quitting their 9-5, moving to the country and living off the land. In other words, the DOMAs are 29 this year. As in years past, the DOMAs will…
Arcade Fire plays American Airlines Center on Thursday, Sept. 28. Will Butler and his brother Win left the Lone Star State a long time ago for Montreal, where they formed Arcade Fire. The Butlers grew up in the Houston suburb of The Woodlands, a city built in a large forest…
Jordan Kahn had played more intimidating venues than Dallas’ House of Blues. But this was an introduction to his new band, the Jordan Kahn Orchestra. It was 2014. He was in the midst of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, and his career was hanging on this performance. He had rented the entire…
When you were growing up, Mom said to be yourself. But musicians are finding that it pays better to be someone else. Local guitarist Mike Mroz will be the first to tell you there’s no question that performing in a tribute band is more financially rewarding than performing original songs. “Even…
Banks South Side Ballroom, Dallas Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 Jillian Banks, who goes by just her last name struggled to make her voice heard over the boisterous crowd at South Side Music Hall on Friday night. “Sometimes it’s still crazy that people know the words to my songs,” she murmured…
Brett Eldredge is a star. He’s also 31, unmarried and a heartthrob. Yes, he’s a single white male in country music, and that means he’s not an underdog by any means, but he should be headlining concerts. That became evident Saturday night when he opened for Luke Bryan at Starplex…
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the total value of the recording industry reached more than $15 billion last year. (We sure love our music.) And about half of that dollar amount came from online streaming of some kind. While Spotify and YouTube certainly offer convenience and the…
Ten years ago, voters in Irving agreed to finance a 16-acre, mixed-use entertainment complex off State Highway 114. It would have more than two dozen restaurants, an Alamo Drafthouse, and indoor and outdoor concert venues, along with retail and office space. That complex, originally called the Irving Music Factory, was…
Late Friday afternoon, word came down that Jason Isbell has postponed tour dates between Sept. 23 and Sept. 27, which includes his show with 400 Unit and Frank Turner scheduled for the Bomb Factory Saturday. Other cities affected are Oklahoma City, Baton Rouge and Mobile. The reason is a death…
Andrew W.K. plays House of Blues Wednesday, Oct. 4. If you’ve been to a party where doing a keg stand counted as the price of admission or sat through the loading screen of a Madden NFL video game, then you’ve heard Andrew W.K.’s music. The California-born Michigan native has been…
Susan Tedeschi talks about her mega-band, avoiding floods, and co-parenting rock and roll kids.
