There’s an event that’s happening on Wednesday that better sound amazing to you. And if it doesn’t sound amazing to you, we’ll wonder if you’ve lobotomized the part of your brain that acknowledges “awesome things.” (And if that really happened, I’m so sorry. Also, awkward.) Back in 2003, El Ranchito’s…
The scene set for Kiss of the Spider Woman is web-like: a Latin American prison where escape is impossible and being released is unlikely. In this pit prisoners are poisoned, tortured and berated. When that happens, lead character Molina mentally transports himself elsewhere: to the cabaret-styled films he watched as…
If I told you that there was a play that captured a cultural zeitgeist so perfectly, that it keenly married issues of sexuality, immigration and cultural identity, you’d be intrigued, right? And what if I told you it was written 20 years ago? Skeptical? You shouldn’t be. Guillermo Reyes’ masterful…
For 10 in days in March, Austin is transformed from sleepy hippie town to hipster mecca. March is more than a few months away, but registration for SXSW 2014 began August 1 and spots fill up fast. There’s a gazillion and one things to do during SXSW and sometimes badges…
Dumpster pools. Performance art. Local designers. Gallery openings. This weekend we celebrate local artists. The people who don’t fly off to summer homes and instead stay put, baking in Dallas’ concrete heat with the grackles. They’re performing at the DMA, selling their goods at the Dallas Contemporary and covering the…
In June 2011, Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse theater chain boldly transformed a customer complaint into a provocative piece of advertising. The ad in question became one of the no talking-no texting PSAs the chain runs before movies, and it features a profanity-laden rant from a female customer who was asked to…
A lot of us get nostalgic when we hear the words “Good/Bad Art Collective.” Back in Denton in the nineties (Yeah, I just said that.), it seemed there was always an Art vs. Rock, a fundraiser, a pop-up event before anyone said “pop-up”, or some weird interactive experiment at The…
Art is transformative. It can shift our perceptions of an area’s livability, remind us of a neighborhood’s history and even rebuild communities. None of that is lost on buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, the nonprofit dedicated to restoring the energy, joy and beauty of fallen neighborhoods through good design. The group has announced its…
Things are getting pretty crazy in Dallas’s art scene. Museums are handing keys over to inspired and innovative artists; houses are converting into galleries; one-off group and solo exhibitions are popping up in vacant Deep Ellum properties; and artists are adopting multiple roles as curators, musicians and publishers. We want…
Last Saturday the DFW Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence hosted their fourth annual Sister Pool Party benefiting LifeWalk and Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS. Here are some of our favorite shots from the event, and you can check out the full slideshow here…
The temperature was hovering somewhere in the mid-90s on Saturday afternoon when Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya, better know as Akirash, stepped out of CentralTrak. The temperature was significant because Akirash was wearing only Scotch tape and empty water bottles on his feet. As he splashed water around the concrete and onto…
The assemblage rests near the roots of an immature oak, whose thin branches grow in front of a recently updated, East Dallas apartment complex. The artist is unnamed, but because of the inherent structural deficiencies and late-season presentation, the suggestion of a dove’s handiwork is visible. The sculpture is domestic…
A $250 million lawsuit filed against American Idol by 10 black former contestants who got disqualified (including Dallas’ own Akron Watson) has the media asking if the talent show is racist. But considering the success many other black contestants have had on the program, that’s not the right question. In…
When we see you on the street and think you put some thought into your style, we may take your picture and ask you things. See previous installations in the Street Style archive. August 1 was National IPA Day, and we couldn’t think of a better place to spend it…
Last month we gave you “Your July Guide to Dallas’ Free Outdoor Movies. You’re Welcome, Cheapskate.” Well, July’s come and gone, and it’s effing hot. It’s time to move the free movie screenings indoors. With beer. But not free beer…
The commissioned public art project at Love Field, which contributing Observer arts writer Betsy Lewis has pointed out isn’t really public at all, has been the inspiration for much backslapping and many sweaty, congratulatory handshakes. Good for it. Some artists got paid and their names were circulated. Baby steps, people…
The members of Samurai Drunk, the comedy improv group from the Dallas Comedy House, have been hanging out at a nearby Cafe Brazil after almost every rehearsal since their first days together in the club’s “Level 1” improv training sessions. Founding member Brian Moody said they would spend two or…
We’ve all collectively scanned a block of text and clicked on the “agree” button before thoroughly reading through the terms and conditions for iTunes, Google, Facebook, and other massive corporations to whom we willingly give our personal info. What’s in the fine print and what happens after we click is…
There’s still plenty of summer left, so now’s the time to unstick your sweaty butt from the couch and get festive. Whether you’re searching for the perfect prom dress or in need of craft beer, culture or Jesus, August is full of cool (indoor) stuff to do. We’ve rounded up…
Get amped, Dallas! There’s about 20 ways to cool down this weekend — from weird sound art and throw-back movies, to a Revenge of the Nerds costume party, drag theater and a massive video game marathon. (Something in here is worth braving your blistering steering wheel for, I swear.) Share…
Today QuakeCon 2013 kicks off its 17th annual celebration of id Software, their legacy and the love of gaming. The BYOC (bring your own computer) party has grown into a music-festival-type atmosphere in which 3,000 gamers camp out to live and breath video games for four days. This year the…
With Alamo Drafthouse’s first DFW location opening this week, we talked to their creative manager, James Wallace. Those in the Dallas film community will know Wallace from Gordon & the Whale, a movie website that trafficked in reviews and advance screening, and following that, I Heart Cinema. He has also…
