Debbie Sexxton Picks Her Dallas Bands to Watch Before The Eagle's BFD

Local radio disc jockey Debbie Sexxton knows local music talent when she hears it. As the host of Loud and Local on 97.1 FM The Eagle, which hits radio waves at 11 p.m. on Sundays, she listens to dozens of submissions for local rock and metal bands, searching for the magic that usually causes a band to rise out of the submissions pile. To Sexxton's ears, that could mean heavy guitar driven music igniting the magic or more psychedelic tunes that take her into another reality.  

So which bands does Sexxton think are igniting that magic in Dallas nowadays? With The Eagle's marquee summer event, BFD, due to take place this Sunday at Gexa Energy Pavilion, the timing was perfect to find out. These 10 bands were her picks:


Adakain

They have been around quite a while, Sexxton says. A couple of years ago, they switched their sound and if you see their show live, it is full of energy.  They are the best looking band in North Texas, she adds. "Usually, there is one ugly person in the band, but all of these guys are hot." Look for the guys playing on the Gas Monkey Live side stage at BFD on Sunday, May 29.


Murder FM

Sexxton called this band's music a mixture of industrial rock reminiscence of Marilyn Manson. Now the national spotlight is zeroing in on them as these rock stars line up to join their musical journey to the top of the charts. Their album Happily Neverafter even boasts a remix by Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee and a guest performance by Will Hunt of Evanescence. 


In Memory Of Man

This band is steeped in DFW rock 'n' roll history. Some of the members are from other local bands like Loaded Moses. They are so musically talented like a super rock group, she says.


Mothership

They’ve been making waves in North Texas for some time now, and the powers behind the music business have begun to take notice. They recently got off a tour with Corrosion of Conformity. What you see is what you get with them, Sexxton says. Just good ol' fashion rock 'n' roll, "like Motörhead meets Black Sabbath with a slash of ZZ Top." 


Hawk Vs Dove

"What I like about them is the heavy guitar riffs right in the beginning (of their songs)," Sexxton says. "If you like that hard rock-filled guitar riff, then this is the band for you. It makes you want to rock." It's hard for us to argue with that statement when you check out their music.  


Even the Dead Love a Parade

When she first heard this band's music, Sexxton didn't realize that one of the band's members was already well known in the national spotlight: Stevie Benton from Drowning Pool. "We really try to listen to the music that’s been given to us and not pay attention to who's in the band," she says. But don't expect their music to sound like Drowning Pool. "They are their own entity, much harder. I love their song 'Sex Tapes and Snuff Films.'"


The Orange

"I think a lot of people from DFW know of the Orange," Sexxton says. "They are like a neo-psychedelic band, kind of trippy." She calls Scott Tucker "a really cool dude," and the band recently played South By Southwest. "Dallas is really the place to be because all eyes are on us," she says. "I get people from California and New York asking about our bands." 


Secret of Boris

This band is another rock 'n' roll outfit, Sexxton says.  They've been around since 2012, and the local scene has begun to take notice. When they submitted their music, Sexxton says, "We were like, 'We’ve got to play this immediately.'" But she warns that before bands submit their music to the Loud and Local webpage, they need to make sure it's professional mastered.  


Dead Flowers

Sexxton says she loves this band because they play straight up rock 'n' roll — "especially if you want to hear a band that rocks and tells a story with their music." She plays their song "Dying in the Street" on her local show. "It tells a story," she says, "and you don’t hear that anymore."


Band Nerds

Sexxton compares this band to Rage Against the Machine and calls their music "organismic." "These guys really need to be out there on a label," she says. They are just now starting to play shows in Deep Ellum. "What is so cool is they really take in the Deep Ellum scene," she says, "They are very proud to be from the Dallas area."