Music

Tears of Silver plays Good Records on Tuesday, Sept. 19.  Ken Stringfellow has pretty much done it all. He’s played stadiums and festivals as a co-founding member of the power pop band the Posies and a touring member of R.E.M. and Big Star; he’s also worked as a solo artist…

Sturgill Simpson with Fantastic Negrito Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie Friday, Sept. 8, 2017 First things first: Sturgill Simpson is a great lead guitarist. Letting the audience know that he doesn’t need hotshot Estonian Telecaster master Laur Joamets seemed to be Simpson’s primary concern at Friday night’s show. Joamets and…

Laurence Scott had low expectations when he contacted the Kessler Theater artistic director Jeff Liles asking if his alt-country rockabilly band could play a show there. “We said, ‘We have a new album coming out, can we play a show for you.’” It was a bold move. After 30 years,…

Tim Kasher plays Alamo Drafthouse Cedars on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Whether it’s with his indie rock bands Cursive or the Good Life or in his solo work, Tim Kasher writes lyrics that have a cinematic quality. Now he’s taken a step into the film world with his first feature, No…

This week in concert news, the Granada Theater offers a bevy of concert showcases from some top local performers while welcoming in a jangle-pop favorite. The Kessler Theater loads up with a trio of not-to-miss shows. A Christian-rock-themed Harvey benefit comes to Grand Prairie, and James Mercer brings his latest…

Ben Folds plays House of Blues on Friday, Sept. 15. Throwing a paper plane during a piano performance would normally be bad etiquette. But at Ben Folds’ concert next week, it’s expected. The singer will spend half of the show taking requests written on slips of paper and thrown onto…

The 200 to 500 block of Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff possess some of the most familiar sights in the city of Dallas, such as the giant, plastic cow on top of the Charco Broiler Steak House, the black raven on the former home of Raven’s Pharmacy and the star-studded…

Brian Knolley has spent nearly three decades in the trenches of Dallas’ house music scene. He can be seen laying down sides as part of the Our House crew or as a guest at parties all over the city. Knolley’s experience comes through with every needle drop, every mix, every…

Hall Johnson is a fledgling indie rock band from Colleyville, but if you visit its Facebook page, you’ll see that its local presence is pretty small. It has 82 “likes” and no upcoming shows announced. On Spotify, though? You get the idea it’s one of DFW’s hottest new bands. Hall Johnson…

Bucks Burnett has met most of his music idols. In this column he shares tales from the front lines and backstage. On July 13, 1973, I discovered my new favorite band, Queen, when I purchased its first album at Hit Records in Oak Cliff. For three months, Creem magazine had…

A year ago, local musician Kirk Thurmond was working on an album for his label, DefDisco. In May, it all came to a sudden end when the label severed ties with its Dallas office. Thurmond isn’t bitter, maybe because he’s not short of work. He’s prepping to release a new,…

Before the Hurricane Katrina hit, Marla B. Spirit was a successful musician in New Orleans, performing a blend of hip-hop and soul with a band called Soul Remedy. The city accommodated her ambitions to earn a degree and focus on her son, who was 1 1/2. When the storm came 12…

Being a DJ has become such a routine aspect of Blake Ward’s life that he can’t pinpoint the exact moment he began doing it. The 31-year-old is an established staple in Dallas’ dance music scene. His schedule is packed, but since March, he has primarily served as the regular DJ at…

Three years ago, it was Leon Bridges. Now it might be another old soul’s turn to put North Texas on the map. Local bluesman Charley Crockett announced on Facebook last night that he’s been signed by Thirty Tigers, a Nashville-based entertainment company that boasts heavy-hitters such as Sturgill Simpson as…

It was a light week in terms of new concert announcements for the Dallas area, but a couple of ace indie bands found their way to the calendar for club shows. A newish venue in The Colony broke out a lengthy lineup of shows, and a revered alt-rock group is…

If you still harbored some dim hope that Starfest would take place next weekend, it’s been officially dashed. The festival’s website ran a statement Wednesday that said the two-day event will take place in November, with the precise dates to be announced “soon.” It did not hint at a venue…

For the eighth year in a row, Lights All Night is inviting you to ring in the new year with two days of EDM-infused debauchery. And if you’re having second thoughts about walking into 2018 a hedonist, you can feel good about the ticket options the festival announced today, along…

Wade Hampton has seen it all. As DJ Wish FM he manned the storied dance floor of the Starck Club and was a guiding light of the original rave scene. Now he’s settled in Dallas, where he was involved in Ghostbar and now Uptown hotspot Sisu. He’s been helping club…

Miranda Lambert to the rescue. On Wednesday, MuttNation Foundation, an organization working to end pet suffering and homelessness, announced on its Instagram that its founder, Texas native country artist Lambert, and its team are heading down to Houston to transport any shelter animals to make room for displaced animals from Hurricane…

Six Shooter is a recurring feature in which we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians Buffalo Black — “Hustle” For years, Buffalo Black has been heralded as one of Dallas’ most thoughtful lyricists, but his music sometimes suffers from its intensity. Good for him for taking on socioeconomic and political…