With the 27th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards just around the corner — in fact, voting is open right now at 2015musicawardspoll.dallasobserver.com — we will spend the next several weeks highlighting some of the nominees for this year’s awards. And when we say these artists are the “Best,” don’t just…
Once he starts singing, it doesn’t take long for Dallas-based country singer-songwriter Troy Cartwright to sink his artistic simplicity into the listener’s consciousness. In his excellently galloping country noir tune “Next Flight Home,” the Berklee College of Music grad offers a simple, heartfelt image of longing. When Cartwright sings “I’ll…
Just in case you haven’t noticed, North Texas has an enormous and rich community of music studios. It certainly helps to have one of the best studio designers on the planet, Bob Suffolk, working tirelessly in the area. And we have countless local producers who keep drawing interest from the…
The D.O.C. With Erykah Badu, A.Dd+, Dorrough, Lil Will, Fat Pimp and Mr. Pookie The Bomb Factory, Dallas Saturday, October 17, 2015 Straight Outta Dallas was a gala event brought to The Bomb Factory that really seemed to bring the city together. The D.O.C. played his first local show in…
Hello? Is it shows you’re looking for? We can see it in your eyes, Dallas. We’re on the cusp of enjoying livable human being weather, giving you one less excuse for languishing on the couch when you could be out having good times with Young Thug or getting nostalgic with…
Taylor Swift With Vance Joy and Shawn Mendes AT&T Stadium, Arlington Saturday, October 17, 2015 Who is Taylor Swift? A lot of people. She’s a millionaire. The biggest pop star in the world. The girl next door. A singer. A songwriter. A goofball. And, as she made clear with a…
Before the original members of the Alice Cooper Group took the stage together earlier this month for a surprise reunion at Good Records, it had been 40 years since they played together. So when some high quality footage of the performance appeared on Rolling Stone’s website last week, the whole world was…
Garbage With Torres South Side Ballroom, Dallas Thursday, October 15, 2015 Nostalgia is a funny thing. Often, when you look back at the things that you enjoyed as a kid when you’re an adult, you’ll notice that they just aren’t the same. Like the radioactive orange powdered cheese that coated…
Don Henley With Shawn Colvin Verizon Theatre Thursday, October 15, 2015 Shortly into Don Henley’s two-hour, 24-song set at the Verizon Theatre, he said it was good to be home. As easy as that was to say to the crowd, the meaning meant a lot. Henley and his 10-piece backing…
At the tender age of 55, Gerald Williams’s weather-beaten face is dotted with gray hairs. Those gray hairs are the result of a life hard lived, one that saw him playing music alongside child prodigy Little Gary Ferguson, then fall into the deepest throws of addiction with crack cocaine that…
There are plenty of rappers who can name check encounters with their heroes — say the D.O.C., or Dr. Dre, or both — but J. Oliver’s are a little different. He’s been cussed out by Diddy and caught up in an epic water fight between A$AP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator…
The last time the D.O.C. performed in Dallas was back in December of 1989 at Fair Park. After working with N.W.A. and releasing a debut album that is an undisputed hip-hop masterpiece, it was a tragic homecoming show. Just a month earlier, the D.O.C. had severely damaged his vocal chords…
If you maxed out your credit card or sold your firstborn to buy tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour stop at AT&T Stadium, don’t feel too bad about it. It turns out you’re not alone. Apparently Dallasites are willing to do just about anything to see the reigning queen of…
David Bikowski produces and DJs under the name Hands Free and has caused quite a stir with his releases on labels like Audiophile Deep, Faceless and Motek. Part of a long tradition of punk rock ex-pats that find their way to dance music, Hands Free is a standout artist amongst…
The first time Smokin’ Joe Kubek ever spoke to Bnois King, it was at Poor David’s Pub in the early ’90s. Kubek asked him to play guitar. King agreed, joined him onstage and later said it immediately felt like they’d been playing together all their lives. No notes clashing together,…
With the 27th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards just around the corner — in fact, voting is open right now at 2015musicawardspoll.dallasobserver.com — we’re looking to spend the next several weeks taking the opportunity to highlight some of the nominees for this year’s awards. And when we say these artists…
Don Henley might have grown up in the Northeast Texas town of Linden, but Dallas has been his adopted home for many years. He spent time in Dallas playing with his formative bands and had a stint at North Texas State University (now known as UNT). As famous as he…
Look, if we’re being real about the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations, there’s probably no one more deserving than Chic, if for no other reason than that this is the disco superstars’ 10th nomination. Of course there are many other reasons — chart data, importance to a…
There are two types of people in this world: People with a rabid, undying adoration for Taylor Swift, and people who do not know what it feels like to experience joy. Fine, even if the Cult of Swift isn’t your thing, we’ve got bands that defined ’90s alt-rock (Garbage), artists…
You’d never suspect that Valley of the Kings was a recording studio from the outside of its building. Located on the fourth floor of an office building in Carrollton, it couldn’t be in a more mundane location. But the most surprising part of the studio is who runs it: Pat…
A$AP Rocky With Vince Staples, Danny Brown, Tyler, The Creator South Side Ballroom Friday, October 9, 2015 A$AP Rocky walked off the stage at the South Side Ballroom on Friday night a little too proud. His big smile and the laughs he shared with tour mate Tyler, The Creator on…
Weezer With Fitz and the Tantrums The Reunion Friday, October 9, 2015 In the midst of the Austin City Limits festival and Texas/OU weekend, Weezer provided a formidable concert on a breezy Friday night at The Reunion, proving they still have the magic after all of these years for power-chord…
