While unashamedly fame-friendly bassist Pete Wentz hogged the headlines, it was Patrick Stump’s savvy songwriting and supple, soulful vocals that propelled Fall Out Boy clear of their emo peers. When FOB failed to build on the sometimes near-perfect pop of Infinity on High with Folie à Deux (and with Wentz…
Nicholas Thorburn, leader of the indie-rock band Mister Heavenly, is one of those classic West Coast slackers. His answers to the simplest questions are all bathed in tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. “I don’t really live in Los Angeles as much as I reside here,” Thorburn says over the phone from his, well,…
Formed in 2006, the Handsome Furs have released three albums, each one a bit more seedy that the last. The recently issued Sound Kapital is by far the darkest and most depraved of the band’s career. But Alexei Perry says things are going according to plan. “It’s important for artists…
There are times when Selena Gomez sounds like your average 19-year-old — like when she giddily (and unprovoked) geeks out over Instagram, the photo app she recently downloaded onto her iPhone. Then there are the times when she sounds far more hardened, like the seasoned show-business veteran that she is,…
Late last month, hordes of electronic dance music fans took to the streets outside Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater for the premiere of the music documentary Electric Daisy Carnival Experience, which takes an in-depth look behind the scenes of Los Angeles’ popular EDM-centric music festival. The masses showed thanks in large…
Stumbled across this while looking for something else entirely today. Sure, it’s a week old, but the Billboard piece, published just a day after the Denton-sprung Eli Young Band’s Life At Best earned its release last Tuesday, is fairly telling. In short: The early returns on the album’s sales were…
As hip-hop goes, it’s very much been the summer of Watch The Throne. But you already knew that. Regardless, two and a half weeks after its release, the collaborative Jay-Z and Kanye effort remains very much the talk of the rap world — and not because it’s so great or…
In the past few years, music critic Stephen M. Deusner hasn’t exactly made a new gaggle of friends here in the North Texas. Sure, the Chicago-dweller’s reviews for Pitchfork, Paste Magazine, and ABC News are insightful and well-organized, but he just seems largely unimpressed with North Texas music. If nothing…
Local dubstep duo AFK has received plenty of recognition in the past year — an original song remixed by United Kingdom DJs Rusko and Supreme and two label record deals, which include two EPs that will soon be released. But perhaps the most esteemed of their accomplishments came earlier this…
Let’s just be clear about this from the start: We’re pretty excited about the Identity Festival, which comes to Dallas’ Gexa Energy Pavilion on Sunday, August 28.Earlier today we posted a Q&A with co-organizer Steve Aoki. As the week goes on, we’ll be posting pleas from Identity artists on why…
There’s been a little bit of a debate in-house here at DC9 HQ ever since we first heard the song “Fallout” off Neon Indian’s upcoming, full-length Era Extraña release, due out in, oh, about three weeks: Could it be that the song is — just maybe — a reference to…
On Sunday night, the Identity Festival — billed as the first-ever touring festival exclusively featuring EDM (electronic dance music) artists — will make a stop in Dallas at the Gexa Energy Pavilion in Fair Park. The EDM extravaganza showcases some of the biggest names in the genre, including The Crystal…
It’s hard to deny the impact that Animal Collective has had on the blogosphere over the last half-decade or so — and not just as a whole, either, but individually with each of its members.One such member, Panda Bear, is coming off of the release of his second full-length record,…
Musicians are undoubtedly influenced by the music they listen to. An artist’s musical selection can sometimes even foretell what a next album might sound like. So if you’ve ever wondered what the artists who grace your stereo are getting funky to, here’s your chance to find out. Every week, I’ll…
It’s that time of year again, folks. Yes, yes: It’s Dallas Observer Music Awards season! Our 23rd attempt at it, even! As you may recall, the whole shebang is taking place a little bit later this year. But it’s still the same old celebration you’ve come to know and love…
Jerry Leiber, half of the famed songwriting duo Leiber & Stoller, died today of cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78.The lyricist to Mike Stoller’s composing half, the duo was responsible for penning some of the earliest, biggest crossover hits in rock ‘n’ roll’s infancy. Among their more memorable contributions to the…
Two shows going on tomorrow night will help with the back-to-school blues: The Dear Hunter at the Prophet Bar and Life On Repeat at Eisenberg’s Skatepark. The Dear Hunter is the brainchild of Casey Crescenzo, formerly of The Receiving End of Sirens. The band is touring behind The Color Spectrum,…
Elm Street Bar is going for a record. If it can stay in business for six months straight after it re-opens on Monday, August 29, it will be the longest run the place has had in years. Some say it’s cursed (we may or may not be guilty of that),…
Will Johnson, as you no doubt know by now, is one talented dude. The guy’s released like a bajillion records (be they solo, Centro-matic or South San Gabriel releases), he’s appeared on tons of others (Drive-By Truckers, The Paper Chase, Little Grizzly), produced a handful (Telegraph Canyon, Collin Herring) and,…
Remember back in 2010 when the Toadies finally released that decade-old record called Feeler? It was supposed to be the follow-up to their classic Rubberneck, but Interscope canned it back in 1998. Eventually, the band went on to release Hell Below/Stars Above — but, before that, fans were scratching their…
Welcome freshmen! And everyone else, too, I guess.Point is: School’s back in session. And we here at DC9 are once again accepting internship applications. As always, the rules:You need to be a college student. You need to convince an advisor on campus to give you the go-ahead on taking an…
Who would have thought when Clint Barlow and his wife reopened Trees in 2009, that they’d make it to their two-year-anniversary? We’re kidding, of course, but this weekend marks that milestone nonetheless, as the club continues going stronger than ever. Drowning Pool, Overscene, No Scope and Fantasma have all signed…
