Music News: Norah Jones Gets Presidential, Coolio Gets Arrested & More

There were a few ups and downs this week on the Dallas music front. Well, fortunately the main "down" didn't happen here, and didn't even involve a Dallas musician, but it did involve a missed appearance. With a celebrated homecoming for Norah Jones leading the week's other news, though, there was a lot more positivity to be found.

Norah Jones Receives UNT's Presidential Medal of Honor

This is a big week for Norah Jones. On Tuesday, the nine-time Grammy winner released a new single, "Flipside," from her upcoming album, Day Breaks. This weekend, she plays her first show in over a decade on her old Denton stomping grounds as she headlines Oaktopia. On Wednesday, though, she made a detour through her alma mater, UNT, where she did a Q&A with students — and received the school's prestigious Medal of Honor. It's so prestigious, in fact, that she's only the second person to ever receive it. The other is sports broadcaster George Dunham.

Cinderblock Sessions Teams Up With Granada Theater

Earlier this year, the duo behind the Cinderblock Sessions found themselves falling afoul of the apparent Dallas villain of 2016: the fire marshal. But the local video series curators have found a way to zig instead of zagging by teaming up for a new collaboration with Granada Theater. The Granada announced the news via a press release explaining that Cinderblock will be doing recordings of select shows at the venue: "It was an easy decision to build a partnership that will have an impact not only on our venue, but the entire Dallas music scene over time," said the Granada's marketing manager, Mark Kennedy.

Dallas Gets a New Contestant on The Voice

Dallas is never short on reality show contestants, so with a new season of The Voice underway it shouldn't be a surprise to see another local in the mix. But this one isn't coming out of nowhere: Dana Harper is the daughter of Derek, a former NBA player who spent a decade playing for the Mavericks. Harper made it through her audition on Monday night, getting three judges to turn their chairs around, and ultimately chose Blake Shelton.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Kick Off Tour in Texas (But Not Dallas)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are kicking off their new world tour in Texas early next year, and they'll be playing Dallas — just not on opening night. But close. The Getaway Tour, so named for the California vets' newest album, The Getaway, kicks off Jan. 5 in San Antonio, then hits Houston before making its third stop in Dallas on Jan. 8. First stop or not, it will be the Chili Peppers' first stop in Dallas since 2012.

Coolio Arrested on His Way to Dallas Show

One person who was scheduled to make a stop in Dallas was Coolio, who missed his opening set for Vanilla Ice's YO! '90s Hip-Hop Party at The Bomb Factory last Saturday. The cause? He got arrested, while at the airport in Los Angeles the morning of the show. In what Coolio later described as a "misunderstanding," a loaded and allegedly stolen gun was found in his bag at security. Whether authorities agree on that analysis of things remains to be seen, but Dallas didn't have to go without the "Gangsta's Paradise" singer this year: He already played another '90s throwback show, the I Love the '90s Tour, back in June.