The act of looting cultural property such as art has been regarded as a significant problem during times of war, but most people don’t know that the practice also festers on a peaceful front. Case in point: Erin L. Thompson, professor of art crime ( by the way, imagine the…
This Sunday, the event that the Recording Academy calls “Music’s Biggest Night” took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and while DFW artists enjoyed a gratuitous spotlight just like last year, actual Grammy recipients from our neck of the woods were few and far between. The most prolific of…
Over the span of a three-decade career, progressive metal juggernaut Tool has, from a commercial and artistic standpoint, become the envy of almost every contender in the genre. In a 13-year stretch, Tool belted out four entries in a timeless discography that serve as metal benchmarks: Undertow, Ænima, Lateralus and…
In case you’ve been detached from the music industry gossip of late, Justin Bieber tried to get his new single, “Yummy,” to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but unbeknownst to the Biebs and his team, a California rapper by the name of Roddy Ricch took the…
“Zoomers,” as members of Generation Z are so often called, have been taking to Twitter with jokes about the imminence of a military draft, and something tells us these posts are a coping mechanism, almost as much as satire. Why do we say this? Well, because last Friday, The Washington…
Typically, complaints lodged against music in the mainstream would make someone look like a miserly old-timer stuck in his or her glory days, but when people take issue with artists glamorizing drug abuse, they actually raise a legitimate point. However, as much merit as these grievances have, reasonable propositions to…
On Thursday, the Dallas Museum of Art will honor the life and legacy of the Thin White Duke himself, Mr. David Bowie. Every second Thursday, the DMA hosts an event titled “Second Thursdays with a Twist,” an occasion during which the Arts District staple modifies its programming and interactive experience…
Two years ago, I got out of an 8-year relationship with my high school sweetheart, and because I’ve since been in the Darwinist wasteland that is the dating world, I’ve signed up for apps like Tinder, Bumble and Coffee Meets Bagel. I even downloaded an app called Hater that matches…
Music festivals are a tough racket, and as conventional wisdom has it, they must incur serious financial losses before they reach a plane of success and longevity. As such, it should go without saying that when festivals don’t rake in the ideal numbers, many organizers and/or their financial backers get…
Donald Trump’s cameo in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was reportedly omitted from the Canadian Broadcast Company’s Thursday broadcast, which the station stated was “to allow for commercial time within the format.” Even though Trump’s only line in the entire film was, “Down the hall and to the…
We’re just mere days from bidding this year and decade adieu. It’s tempting to prematurely publish a “Best Albums of 2019” list at the end of November or beginning of December, but every once in a while, some quality releases are missed because they are released right at the cusp…
In the spirit of our “Top 10 Best Songs by Really Bad Artists” piece that ran earlier this week, we thought it was only fair to point out that some indubitably fantastic artists also have songs that are rather terrible. Yes, it happens to the best of us, and as…
On Dec. 12, Megan Thee Stallion was given a Powerhouse Award at the 2019 Billboard Women in Music event at Los Angeles’s Hollywood Palladium. As Billboard reports, she arrived late because she had a final exam due. The next day, she flew to Dallas to headline the sold-out My Mixtapez…
One crucial tenet of music criticism is being able to see a piece or performance as the multifaceted work it truly is. Seldom are songs, albums or concerts ever completely without blemish, and in that same vein, seldom are they ever irredeemably bad and devoid of any favorable characteristics. If…
In June, I had the pleasure of reviewing one of Juice WRLD’s two Bomb Factory sets, and I noticed something about him that was rare. He was popular enough to do a two-night stand at a 4,300-capacity venue, but at the same time, he was everyone’s little secret. You may…
iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Ball (or 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball, as far as DFW is concerned) made its way through Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena on Tuesday night, and as tradition has it, half a dozen of the hottest names in pop music played 20-30 minute sets with five minute intermissions…
Contrary to popular belief, we at the Observer actually don’t sit in our ivory towers, looking down at all the lay folk with scorn and disapproval as we kick it with George Soros and other members of the Deep State. We’re all just regular people like you who are simply…
Many contemporary DIY artists and labels owe much of their success to Bandcamp for providing a popular, user-friendly platform with one of the most acclaimed payout models in the music industry. Artists such as Car Seat Headrest and Soccer Mommy used the streaming service as a launchpad, and it is…
Tom Waits once said: “This whole division between genres has more to do with marketing than anything else. It’s terrible for the culture of music. Like anything that is purely economic, it ignores the most important component.” Progress. The “important component” the venerable Waits was referring to in the above…
Dallas Observer Music Awards season is upon us yet again, a time when we reflect on the achievements made by local artists, promoters, DJs, radio hosts, producers, etc. We truly have something special with the music scene here in DFW, and while we certainly take pride in the artistic community,…
Chicago-based industrial supergroup Pigface recently kicked off their first tour in 14 years, and this run sees the band playing Granada Theater on Sunday. It will be Pigface’s first Dallas show since their 2003 appearance at the Bronco Bowl’s Canyon Club room (where the Home Depot on Fort Worth Avenue…
The nominations for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards are finally here, but before we dive into that, a mea culpa is in order. When we documented some possibilities yesterday, we predicted that Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding and The Highwomens’ self-titled album would make the cut for some nominations. The prediction…
