Hayes CarllThe Double WideFebruary 22, 2011Better than: standing around, watching a show in a cramped space four times the Double Wide’s size. A little more than halfway through his two-hour performance at the Double Wide last night — the first of his five-day small-club jaunt through North Texas, which, in…
After last night’s hectic schedule, things get quite a bit calmer tonight. But there are still a couple of shows worth mentioning — good ones, too…
Looks that way, if Twitter is to be believed. And when has Twitter ever done us wrong? Oh. Never mind.But, hey, this actually seems fairly legit — that the North Texas-sprung Neon Indian and beloved New York City-based post-ironic hip-hop group Das Racist have worked on a song together. That’s…
A few times now, we’ve mentioned that beloved area folkie Sarah Jaffe seems fairly intent on moving her music into a new sonic direction — something that became especially clear during her recent Wyly Theatre performance, where she debuted some of her newest songs.The differences revealed by those new songs…
Last night, the cover for XXL Magazine’s fourth annual “Freshmen Issue” leaked, revealing a picture of Oak Cliff rapper Lil Twist along with 10 other young hip-hop artists that the prominent hip-hop magazine has its eye on in 2011. At 18, Twist is already the youngest member of Lil Wayne’s…
It was back in March of 2010 when we first stumbled upon the first-rising, confusingly named local hip-hop duo A.Dd+, impressed with the stylings of their Power of the Tongue mixtape and intrigued by the possibilities surrounding their planned full-length debut. But, much as we were ready to hear it…
It’s a busy musical Monday with both touring acts and local shows aplenty. Get out and enjoy some good music to go along with the good weather…
In this edition of This Week In Dallas Music History, Robert Wilonsky responds to the uproar caused by his 1995 review of “Arlington metal-lite band” ASKA’s then-new CD Immortal. Basically, ASKA fans and members sent in a handful of angry letters inquiring as to why Wilonsky was so harsh on…
SwansSouth Side Music HallFebruary 19, 2011Better than: a stirring live reading of The Ugly Duckling. Considering that its name conjures images of immense, flowing beauty, seminal New York City No Wave outfit Swans sure makes some ugly music. And painstakingly ugly music at that.Which is all part of the band’s…
Red Bull THRE3STYLE DJ CompetitionGranada TheaterFebruary 19, 2011Better than: sitting at home watching friends try to play DJ Hero 2. Saturday night’s Red Bull-sponsored DJ battle at the Granada Theater started promptly at 10, and it went pretty much as DJ competitions go, with each of the contestants given 15-minute…
Broken Social SceneHouse of BluesFebruary 19, 2011Better than: on a night of so many choices, that’s hard to say… This weekend provided music lovers in Dallas with an overload of great options. Commitment to any one performance left the nagging feeling early in the evening that one might have made…
The Pretty RecklessFebruary 19, 2011House of Blues’ Cambridge RoomBetter than: my Chuck Bass impression.It was easy to anticipate what the crowd at the House of Blues’ Cambridge Room was going to look like on Saturday night — moms dropping off their high school-aged daughters in minivans, no doubt. Only, uh,…
Tapes ‘n Tapes, Oberhofer, Les AmericainsFebruary 19, 2011The LoftBetter than: Seeing yet another mediocre opening band. At around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday night at The Loft, Tapes ‘n Tapes ambled onto the stage before a nearly packed venue, channeling the ’90s bands that inspired them. Clad in blue jeans, T-shirts,…
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern LightsHouse of BluesFebruary 18, 2011Better than: watching Almost Famous yet one more time. Sometimes, tour pairings just make perfect sense. And so it was that Dallas’ own Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights came to join Vermont’s Grace Potter &…
Beth OrtonDan’s Silverleaf in DentonFebruary 18, 2011Better than: the sore throat I’ve picked up since the show. It seems like two or three times a year, Dan’s Silverleaf gets a performer that causes one to double take. Bill Frisell, Daniel Lanois, any number of jazz luminaries in town to work…
Robyn, Diamond Rings, Natalia KillsSouth Side Music HallFebruary 18, 2011Better than: having a few drinks and listening to the DJ at S-4 spin Robyn tracks. The overhead lights dimmed, a whirling sci-fi-sounding effect filled the room and bright blue lights flooded the stage. It was plenty of notice.A wave of…
This weekend will be insane. And it all starts with Swedish pop star Robyn, who will be performing at South Side Music Hall tonight. She’s managed to find a nice happy medium with her highly credible, highly danceable, modern pop music, and tonight will afford her fans a chance to…
DJ Joe Vega has been spinning records for nearly 15 years, and he likes to keep an open mind when it comes to the records he spins. Reluctant to be pegged as anything in particular, the seasoned DJ admits that he has “a very wide range [of styles] ’cause [he]…
In 2005, after Heartless Bastards, the garage rock band lead by Erika Winnerstrom and her soulful, bluesy voice, caught the attention of Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney, they got the break of a lifetime, the chance to record and release their first album, Stairs and Elevators, for Fat Possum Records…
At this very moment, The O’s are somewhere in Europe, touring around and soaking up the Old Country’s adoration for all things American. But, before heading across the Atlantic, as part of the band’s whirlwind of promotion for their new album Between The Two, the twosome of Taylor Young and…
A year ago, Michael Gira, band leader of industrial and experimental rock outfit Swans, announced on his band’s Myspace page that, after a 13-year hiatus, “Swans are not dead.” And he wasn’t just spitting game: The band reunited and released their first studio recorded album since 1996 in 2010. And…
Dallas’ Hormones are still a relatively new outfit, having released their debut EP, Look Out Below, back in July. But, as tends to happen with bands that get called “erratic” yet “promising” early on, the band just now seems to be shaping its identity. Or at least that’s what the…
