For all of the lovely folks in the Dallas music scene, Christmas came a little early this year. Or to put it another way, the Dallas Observer Music Awards showed up a little late. But it wound up working out perfectly: We kicked off December in the best way possible,…
And the end-of-year celebrations roll on. Having started the month off with our biggest annual celebration of local music, the Dallas Observer Music Awards, we’ve continued to shine a light on some of our favorite goings-on from the year past over the last couple weeks: The best concerts in Dallas…
Being immersed deep within in a music community is not as glamorous as people make it seem. The connections you make with people are often not very deep and sometimes flimsy. People come and go so quickly that it is a never-ending revolving door of personalities. Sincerity and authenticity, despite…
A balmy August evening. Civil Recording studio in Denton. The unthinkable has happened to Denton band Power Objects: Lucy the cat has gone missing. Vocalist and guitarist John Gillespie describes it as, without a doubt, their darkest hour. But Michael Briggs’ notorious feline assistant was thankfully found. And Power Objects…
After weeks of nearly getting cut, then getting cut by his own coach, and then another stealing him back, Craig Wayne Boyd won season seven of The Voice Tuesday. Born in Mesquite, Boyd performed “The Whiskey Ain’t Working” during his blind audition, prompting coaches Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams to…
After almost 18 years as a group, the four gentlemen who make up Centro-matic are on their very last tour together. Scott Danbom, Mark Hedman, Matt Pence and Will Johnson are spending the brunt of December in a van, driving across the country to play farewell sets in venues they’ve…
There are veteran DJs and then there are guys like Michael Todd. Todd has been a constant force in the Dallas DJ community for 26 years. At one point or another, he has played almost every spot you can play in DFW thanks to a variety of guest slots and…
Just because we handed out some trophies last week doesn’t mean we’re done celebrating the best music that came out of our area this year. As a historical matter of fact, North Texas has long enjoyed a rich abundance of country music talent. In 2014, we’ve seen that many beloved…
Don’t call it a comeback, kids. After a year on the bench, Denton’s one-time premiere music festival NXNW — er, 35 Confederate — er, 35 Denton — is poised to jump back into the fray in 2015. It’ll be a slightly different landscape than when the festival last took place…
For Aviation Cinemas co-owner Barak Epstein, the Texas Theatre is an integral part of the Dallas film and music scene. And he has a pretty damn good point: The historic theater screens 35mm prints of cult-classic films, has a full-service bar that serves movie-themed drinks complete with a safe-room art…
It’s been an exciting year for Dallas music. If there were any room before to doube whether the local scene was on the rise, there should be none left after 2014. There are plenty of ways to judge that, from the reemergence of Deep Ellum to the artists who’ve gotten…
The band is called Narrow Head. You probably haven’t heard of them yet. You will. Formed in 2013 by guitarist and vocalist Ryan Hughes, bass player Jay Chary, Houston’s guitarist and vocalist Jacob Duarte and drummer Keaton Khonsari (since replaced by Houston resident Carson Wilcox), Narrow Head has become a…
15 years ago, Chad Davenport and Simon McDonald were working at the old Muddy Waters on Greenville Avenue and wanted to start a charity. It was near Christmas time, so a toy drive made sense. That first year’s event, which was held at Muddy Waters, was a success, and in…
2014 was a good year for Dallas metal. While it wasn’t as prolific as years past, the Dallas metal scene’s output still possessed a depth of quality. Death metal, thrash, hardcore-punk-influenced metal, heavy metal and sludge were all represented by this year’s class of Dallas metal releases. Some could be…
Fleetwood Mac American Airlines Center, Dallas Sunday, December 14, 2014 They say that as you get older, your passions get a little less intense. You gain perspective, and the emotions that make each of life’s ups and downs feel like the beginning or the end of the world smooth out…
This week, it’s time to say farewell to one of the most beloved bands in North Texas, Centro-Matic. They’ll play three sold out shows at Dan’s Silver Leaf, the last of which will be their final show, on Sunday. Red Bull Sound Select is closing out the year with two…
We know what you’re thinking: “Stop writing about St. Vincent.” “She doesn’t live in Dallas.” She’s not even from here.” Well blah, blah, blah. Annie Clark cut her teeth as a musician here in North Texas, she identifies as being from here and even still splits her time between here…
How’s this for an album release party? A band records a concept album about an elephant that was killed by Thomas Edison, and releases an accompanying “wordless graphic novel” that helps fill out the poor creature’s story. The band then decides to celebrate the release not at, you know, a…
Well, shucks. The Dallas Observer Music Awards are over. It was fun while they lasted, and now, a few days removed, we’re still recovering. We spent the past couple months highlighting some of the awesome North Texas artists that were nominated for this year’s awards in the run-up to the…
FACT: Thunder only happens when it’s raining; players only love you when they’re playing. These are very true words from none other than Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. You can see them this weekend at the American Airlines Center. there are a few other cool shows in Dallas this weekend…
It’s that time of the season: Time to stop and stock of all the great things we’ve accomplished in the past year, all the fun we’ve had and all the great shows we’ve seen. You know, end-of-the-year listicle season. But enough with all the cuddly bullshit. The end of the…
Ms. Lauryn Hill South Side Ballroom, Dallas Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Going into last night’s show at South Side Ballroom, no one had any clue what to expect from Ms. Lauryn Hill. There’s no denying HIll’s place as one of the most formative female R&B and hip-hop artists in history,…
