Leading up to our November 10 showcase, we'll be getting you familiar with some of our Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees, either via past features we've done on them, or new ones. You can vote for your favorite acts, venues and more right here.
This piece originally appeared in our March 1 issue.
The No Walls Ministry sits on the back side of a long strip mall in South Dallas, the hum of the overpass competing with the streetlight buzz peppering the massive gray parking lot. No Walls' windows are decorated with signs that read "Jesus Paid It All" and "God Loves You." Next door sits Charisma Bundle of Joy Childcare, the bars on the windows betraying the name and primary color scheme.
Inside, Relatives vocalist the Reverend Gean West, his younger brother and co-vocalist Tommy West, drummer Earnest Tarkington, bassist Dale Burns and guitarist Jimmy Hall run through some song parts. The church stage is decorated with vases of fake flowers, and paintings of women in Sunday crowns adorn a wall to the left. A fish tank gurgles softly on the back wall, filling gaps when the Relatives are talking through a chord or verse. Behind the stage is a framed poster that relates, "Relax. God Is In Control."