Music

There’s just something about Arizona that brings out the weirdness. Whether it’s John McCain’s bizarre choice for a VP candidate or legendary sun-drenched oddballs like the Meat Puppets, the desert air just seems to produce some strange results.Add What Laura Says to the long list of loveable weirdoes that call…

So, we found Harry Potter’s iPod. We know it was Harry’s because it had smoke burns on the wheel, and the back featured an engraved lightning bolt. We found the device, and a set of headphones, when we were taking a walk in a dark forest. There it was–right next…

Three years after posting a few YouTube videos, 16-year-old Justin Bieber is embarking on a world tour—and he’s headlining the damn thing too. And let’s be fair: Having a world tour by age 16 is pretty impressive. But Bieber, who has dominated Top 40 stations as well as empty doodling…

Blazing summer heat? Check. A barren, dusty field for drunken revelry? Check. Hotter-than-the-astronomical-July-heat-index act Ryan Bingham? Sure. The Randy Rogers Band as the established, crowd-pleasing headliner? Absolutely. Alt-rock heroes Everclear? Uh, yeah, OK. MC Hammer? Wait, what? This should be more than a little interesting. In recent years, the festival…

Unlike many of their peers who rode New Wave to fame in the early ’80s only to end up as dusty, record-store memories, the Psychedelic Furs are still alive and touring. Thank John Hughes for that; after all, having the classic 1986 romantic-comedy/coming-of-age film Pretty in Pink named after the…

After a long day of playing in the old Starplex’s parking lot, bands on the Warped Tour—as well as their crew members—want to hit up just one venue: The Double Wide. It’s a perfect marriage: Since it’s not too far away from where these acts play during the day, there’s…

Listening to the new Hole record, Nobody’s Daughter, it’s impossible not to be distracted by the circular chorus of “Samantha,” the slow-burning rager co-written by Billy Corgan that substitutes curse words for handclaps: “People like you FUCK!/People like me FUCK!/People like you FUCK!/People like me!” It’s an odd offering from…

The opening riffs of Free Energy’s lead single, the self-titled “Free Energy,” sounds strangely familiar. But it’s not a Cheap Trick deep cut. Nor is it a Thin Lizzy cover either. It just sounds like one. “We’re trying to make our own version of what we like,” says Free Energy…

Before listening to the first downbeat, one could probably presume from name alone that The 1969s are deeply rooted in retro sounds. This is most definitely the case with their debut four-song Dirty EP, which they are currently offering for free download on their BandCamp site. The Dallas band describes…

Pasaporte, the third release from Dallas’ Lost Immigrants, is a pleasant, completely listenable album that fans of well-written country rock will quickly hoist their beers to. But that isn’t to say that this disc is much of a statement, or that it will propel the band into the vanguard of…

Sophomore efforts are generally marked with a feeling of familiarity, most often finding bands settling into a pattern of contentment, becoming comfortable with their newfound status as scene vets. This is not the case with Denton band The Primary, whose Days Among Giants is chock full of uncomfortable moments as…

Heading into 2010, we knew the year would prove a bountiful one. Hell, pretty much all of the region’s big names were slated to release discs in these 12 months. And, now, six months down in the calendar year, most of them already have: Neo-soul queen Erykah Badu, Denton folk…

Welcome to Staff Trax, the weekly feature here on DC9 where we shed some light on the music we’ve been enjoying of late, regardless of the touring or album release schedules that tend to bear the focus of most of our coverage. Consider it a chance for you readers to…

October is shaping up to be a pretty solid month for great acts passing through Dallas. Already, we’ve got Vampire Weekend, The National. And now we can add Ra Ra Riot to the mix. On Thursday, October 28, at Granada Theater, the bouncy, excitable indie-pop act will be passing through…