Walking toward Denton’s Courthouse-on-the-Square on the first night of this year’s 35 Conferette, there was little way of knowing what surprises were to come over the course of the fun-filled, and, at times, aggravating, opening night.At around 7:15 p.m., which was well after dark, an eerie ambiance enrobed the areas…
Mavis Staples8 p.m. at Main Stage OneGospel soul legend Mavis Staples took the stage to the whoops and hollers of several hundred people Thursday night in the parking lot behind Wells Fargo, and from the opening notes of the harmony-rich “Wonderful Savior,” it was clear we were all in for…
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart7:15 p.m. 7:55 p.m. at Main Stage TwoIf all had happened accordingly, last night’s performance from New York’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart would have gone over exceedingly well, with crowds swaying back and forth and Molly Ringwald-ing to the band’s equally…
Cut Chemist1 a.m. at Hailey’s ClubBilled as the first hip-hop event of the 35 Conferette, Thursday night’s show at Hailey’s was the most illustrious lineup Denton has seen in the genre for a very long time.And, given the festival’s proclivity toward indie rock and folk music, it was possible that…
It’s not always a glamorous life in the music industry. In fact, it rarely is — because, like any other industry, it’s closely tied with many legal practices and issues. During yesterday’s daytime panel conference, “Music Business Legal Check List: Five Things You Better Think About and Do,” conference-goers were…
35 Conferette kicked-off last night in Denton with Sarah Jaffe, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Mavis Staples. Steadfast (and midterm exam-exhausted) photographers Danny Fulgencio and Stephen Masker grabbed a series of great opening day and night photos for you over in our slideshow section, which–of course–including some…
Noah Bailey will be along tomorrow with a review from Mavis on the main stage, but we thought we’d tease a few photos from 35’s opening night festivities. Much more to come — we promise. Follow @DC9atNight and @dallas_observer from for updates from 35 Conferette (and make the jump for…
A few minutes ago, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart finished up their slightly-delayed set on Main Stage Number Two. It’s crisp out here, folks. Crisp.So the night’s getting started out here, and we thought we’d kick off 35 Conferette by posting some photos from the recently-exited Main Stage…
Even though a lot of attention is (deservingly) aimed at the 35 Conferette starting tonight in Denton (see our picks for must-see shows happening this weekend at the festival here), there are still quite a few interesting musical happenings occurring at other area night spots…..
There’s more to this weekend’s 35 Conferette than the scheduled shows, as this poster for one unofficial showcase in particular shows — and rather beautifully at that…
A funny thing happened last week when Dallas pop-punk outfit Forever The Sickest Kids released their self-titled, second full-length album — namely, that the response to the album was huge, with sales figures placing the band’s album in the iTunes top 10 sales chart almost immediately. Even more surprising, though,…
Dallas-based hip-hop super-producers Play-N-Skillz have wasted no time making good use of their G4 Muzik label’s freshly created blog. Over the past few weeks, they’ve shared some new music, revealed that they’re shooting a music video with Bun B in town today, and, well, revealed some even bigger news, too.Most…
This weekend is pretty amazing as live music goes. There’s, of course, the 35 Conferette going on up in Denton (and starting in, oh, about two hours or so). And then, right here in Dallas, there’s our very own annual St. Patrick’s Day affair on Saturday, which will feature performances…
Turns out it pays to be nice: This week, Dallas power pop trio American Werewolf Academy has released a new seven-inch record (in blue vinyl, even!) through the UK-based label Damnably Records — the benefit, it seems, of a relationship the band established with the folks behind the label a…
Traditional country music champion Marty Stuart hasn’t been a major force on the Billboard country charts for some time now. But don’t confuse that absence as a sign of Stuart having slowed down in the least. In fact, the man’s arguably more relevant today than he was during his wave…
Here’s the thing about Katy Perry: She tries write songs that are thematically diverse, which is nice. Unfortunately, very few of these themes pay off into complete ideas. Take, for instance, her latest single, “E.T. (Futuristic Lover),” which features one Kanye West and tries for a dark, mysterious theme, replete,…
In 2001, after surviving for more than a decade as one of North Texas’ most commercially successful rock outfits of all time, the Toadies called it quits. The band’s time had simply come; bassist Lisa Umbarger wanted out, and the rest of the band’s members were ready to focus on…
On a busy Friday night on Denton’s Courthouse-on-the-Square, just two weeks before the kickoff of the four-day 35 Conferette, Mark Burke was holed up in his yet-to-open independent record shop, Mad World Records. “I know I have to open before [35 Conferette] starts,” he says, pausing from a day spent…
Over the past few years, North Texas has been a model of consistency at the annual South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin. It’s the same, it seems, every year, as the region has seen somewhere between 30 and 40 bands score official showcases at the mid-March affair for much…
Lady Gaga played back-to-back sold-out shows last summer to hordes of enthused fans at the American Airlines Center, and after another massive year, she returns to the region this week, again as part of the same massive world tour in support of the pop star’s second album, 2009’s The Fame…
DeVotchKa went from being Dita von Teese’s burlesque backing band to the Billboard-charting, most-popular-gypsy-rock-band-in-America that they are today in large part thanks to the movies. Their songs’ inclusion in films like Everything Is Illuminated, I Love You Phillip Morris and most notably Little Miss Sunshine won the Denver quartet massive…
If known solely for his work with the legendary punk rock trio The Minutemen, Mike Watt’s rock ‘n’ roll reputation would be secure. But after the death of guitarist D. Boon brought The Minutemen era to a close in 1985, Watt persevered and eventually formed another acclaimed trio, Firehose. And…
