Selena Gomez WIth DNCE American Airlines Center, Dallas Saturday, June 18, 2016 What makes a pop star? There are plenty of young people who have talent. We see them each season on The Voice and American Idol. They audition, make a name on the show, release an album, and most…
The Avett Brothers Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Saturday, June 18, 2016 On Saturday night, the Avett Brothers used every bit of their North Carolina roots and hellbent-leather-explosiveness to whip their Dallas fans into a steamy, hour-and-a-half-long frenzy at Gexa Energy Pavilion. Scott and Seth Avett, front and center, were flanked…
Cover bands are the pinnacle ideal for music super-fans and subversives alike, allowing them to feel closer to their favorite bands or play the songs the way they should’ve been played in the first place (in their minds, at least). What better way to spend a night than getting a…
Frank Campagna Jr., known as Frankie or simply by the name of the Dallas punk band he fronted, Frankie 45, committed suicide more than five years ago. Just a few months later, Frankie 45 bassist Adam Carter also took his life. Foundation 45 is a nonprofit organization ran by the…
It creaks, it squeaks and sometimes it leaks. The basement of J&J’s Pizza in Denton certainly has its odd charm, but after 15 years of hosting live music it’s about to get a facelift. Affectionately known as the Old Dirty Basement, J&J’s will be closing the room through the end…
You’re heading to Las Vegas with more than 100,000 of your closest friends for the greatest EDM show on earth, Electric Daisy Carnival. We hope you packed sunscreen and water. We already know you don’t plan on wearing much — an EDC tradition. Temperatures are expected to soar this weekend, according…
Omar Mustafa represents the brighter side of Dallas’ younger-generation DJ culture. He’s dedicated to the art of the mix, but as an audience member he’s a staple on the dancefloor of many other DJ’s dance nights. If you go out to see club DJs often enough, you are more than…
Vinyl is back, baby. With artists like Jack White, Adele and Taylor Swift selling tens and even hundreds of thousands of albums in the old-fashioned physical format, vinyl is enjoying a true renaissance. In Dallas, however — in fact, in all of Texas — there is but one plant that…
It may be best not to try and define Wheeler Walker Jr. beyond what you’re getting from him in the moment. In a previous incarnation he was an edgy Hollywood sketch comedian named Ben Hoffman, who mysteriously disappeared from the public appearances. But in this moment, he is a classically-influenced country…
To the outside world, Richard Haskins exists only on video. Pay $10 and you can see him for a half-hour, broadcast live in his orange jumpsuit from the confines of Denton County Jail. The closest you can get is a video call from a building across the street from the…
Prince is in demand these days. Ever since the iconic musician and actor died unexpectedly at his home in Minnesota on April 21, everything he touched has become priceless. In the week following his death, he sold four million songs and albums. But his memorabilia is an even hotter property…
It’s been a bit of a weird year for Kanye West. Like, weird even for Yeezy. There was the whole bankruptcy thing, plus, of course, the album that we’re still not quite sure he’s done with, even though it’s been out for four months. So, hey, sounds like it’s about to…
Tensions were high in Oak Lawn on Sunday night. Afternoon thunderstorms had left the skies overcast and bleak, and all along the streets and in the doorways of the clubs there was a hard-to-miss police presence. Only hours before, a shooter had opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando,…
The Quaker City Night Hawks play filthy blues rock that sounds perfect for a seedy Texas bar out in the middle of nowhere. But the band is getting attention from the industry peers — and you may even see them on the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. In 2009, Sam…
Wanz Dover is a veteran musician, producer and DJ in Dallas, and a regular contributor to the Dallas Observer. He hosts his own residencies at venues like Double Wide, Midnight Rambler and Off The Record. Dallas is overflowing with DJ residencies. Musical curators, turntablists and mixologists representing a wide number…
If you didn’t know to look for it, you’d never know RBC was there. The club is tucked away at the end of a long walkway behind Twisted Root Burger Co. on Commerce Street, in Deep Ellum. But the unobtrusive location belies this venue’s backstory, one full of ambition, failure,…
At this point, it’s obvious that the Walt Disney Company knows what it takes to crank out pop stars. The latest Disney child star-turned-pop princess is Selena Gomez. Along with her music, she acts and even has her own fashion label. This week, Gomez comes home to North Texas with her…
I Love the ’90s Tour With Salt-N-Pepa, Coolio, Rob Base and more Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie Saturday, June 11, 2016 The Verizon Theatre drew a throng of 30 and 40-somethings on Saturday night as the I Love the ‘90s Tour descended on North Texas for a one-night show. The show…
Untapped Fest With Built to Spill, Hayes Carll and more Panther Island Pavilion, Fort Worth Saturday, June 11, 2016 It’s not easy to hold a music festival beneath the heavy Texas summer heat, much less in Fort Worth — where bringing out a large crowd for live music can be…
Chris James spends nearly every night of the week in recording studios. He’s got recording down a T. Fellow rappers in Dallas call on James — who raps under the name G.U.N., for Geeked Up Ni**a — because they know he’ll always throw down. Better yet, he can do it…
Lorenzo Zenteno, also known as Fort Worth hip-hop artist Smoothvega, launched a concert promotion company, Premier Live Experience, in February. He sold out Trees right out of the gate, put together regional tours and formed some strong alliances. Zenteno has always wanted to be “the guy,” but these days he…
When Oaktopia first got its start in Denton back in 2013, it was built on a genre that hadn’t exactly been the backbone of previous festivals in the area: hip-hop. Booking headliners like Del the Funky Homosapien and Aesop Rock in its first two years, the young festival strayed off…
