Since fronting the Sex Pistols in the mid-’70s and branding the nascent punk rock genre with its promise of “No Future,” John Lydon, once known as Johnny Rotten, has appeared on Judge Judy, hosted a show on VH1 and used his name and face in commercials for Country Life butter…
This pairing is an inspired one, and especially notable for fans of Lauryn Hill, who have been wondering where the follow-up to 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has been hiding. That (hopefully) comes with the release of her new album, Black Rage. And with that title, we can definitely…
Yes, the Halloween weekend is upon us, and with it comes myriad choices of where to go and who to see (and be). Because we care about your well-being, we always like to point you in the direction of free beer, so head to Good Records Saturday, between 7 and…
Last week, we put the spotlight on Playdough and J. Rhodes, two Dallas emcees with new albums out. Playdough’s Writer Dye: Deux or Die is a sample-heavy celebration of popular music and rap’s interpretative nature, whereas J. Rhodes’ Oak Cliff Huxtable reps the local scene a bit. Opener Ty City…
It was going to be one of those tough choices on Saturday, November 10: Do you go to the Observer’s Music Awards showcase, which will take place in Deep Ellum and feature more than 60 local bands? OR, do you head over to Art Conspiracy 8, which is happening the…
Glimpse 2012 Arts District Friday, October 19 After seeing the Dallas Chamber Symphony perform at Dallas City Performance Hall about a month ago, I started wondering who their audience was. Is it patrons who are already going to the see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra? Younger folks who want to enjoy…
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. We decided to add a Best…
The first Oak Cliff Music Festival – now called the North Oak Cliff Music Festival – has gotten a positive early response, so much so that the fest is now moving from its original Winnetka Heights location, near the Kessler Theater, to Lake Cliff Park, at 300 East Colorado Blvd…
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. If you’ve ever wanted to employ…
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…
Deep Ellum’s 45 Fund exists to promote mental-health awareness for artists and musicians and as a tribute to Dallas punk band Spector 45’s Frankie Campagna and Adam Carter, who both committed suicide last year. An art exhibit, Live Fast Die Slow, opens October 18 at Kettle Art and will feature…
Fort Worth’s DIY punk and hardcore venue 1919 Hemphill is celebrating 10 years standing this weekend. How many volunteer-run spaces can you say have done the same while strengthening the local music community in the process? Earlier this year, venue booker Rick Vandeveerdonk even stood in front of a gun…
Austin’s instrumental cabal My Education were here back in June, stirring the waters for the live score to Sunrise at Texas Theatre. They return to town on the Sound Mass Tour, an improvised collaborative effort with like-minded Salt Lake City group Theta Naught. That mash-up was caught on tape and…
Update, 1:15p.m.: Congrats to Seth Bohlman, who snagged tickets to Sunday’s show! In my preview of Afghan Whigs’ Sunday show at Granada, I perhaps remembered them a little too starkly. And though they were sort of a stark band, they had some genuine moments where they cleaved open greatness on…
Our friends at Riverfront Times reported today that rapper Nelly’s tour bus was pulled over in the West Texas town of Sierra Blanca last night, the same checkpoint town Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg were pulled over in. Only this time, besides weed, Nelly had a loaded .45…
Within the bowels of the ’90s reunion machine, Ohio’s Afghan Whigs are one of those bands you never really expected to be spat out again. Their 1993 LP, Gentlemen, was perhaps a high point, full of tightly wound guitar confessionals and singer Greg Dulli’s tortured lyrical jags, which perfectly mirrored…
R. Stevie Moore has been labeled a “lo-fi hero,” a DIY messiah for cassette culture hawks, but in reality, his music is pop in its purest sense. He has more than 300 releases to his name, and has managed to be more efficient in his 40-year-career than most acts backed…
Nick Curran passed away on Saturday, October 6, after a two-year battle with oral cancer. He was just 35 years old. After touring with Dallas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson when he was barely in his 20s, Curran moved to DFW from Maine to back Kim Lenz and the Jaguars. More…
Index Festival Trees Friday, October 5 & Saturday, October 6 Since the beginning of 2012, the music festival landscape has included 35 Denton and its Labor Day weekend Hot Wet Mess, Memorial Day weekend’s Homegrown Music & Arts Festival in the heart of downtown, KXT’s Summer Cut in early June,…
Late last month, Fun Fun Fun Fest hosted its Texas-wide scavenger hunts, in which teams checked off a list of “challenges” in order to win passes to the November festival. In Dallas, our intrepid intern Christian followed some Raving Lunatics around, as they dutifully got their nipples pierced and helped…
Last week, we alerted you to our 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees. Today, we’ve got the yankin’ lineup for our showcase on Saturday, November 10, which serves as the big ol’ drunken party in Deep Ellum before our November 13 awards ceremony at House of Blues. Take a look…
Welcome to Thunderdome. The 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards poll is now live, and you can go right here and do what America does best: vote on their computer. Or you could go “old school” and find a paper ballot, like the one in this week’s issue, then bring it…
