Critic's Notebook

Steve Aoki has been an icon in EDM for over two decades, as an artist, a promoter and a label executive. He’s also had plenty of critics, who’ve accused him of being a champagne-spraying, cake-throwing showman first and a DJ second. But what’s never been called into question is his…

Tripping Daisy play Club Dada on Thursday, May 11 and Homegrown Festival on Saturday, May 13 By now you’ve heard that after 18 years apart, Tripping Daisy are reuniting for six shows this year: the first at Club Dada this Thursday, and the second at Homegrown Fest on Saturday. But…

If you’re still looking for Cinco de Mayo plans, the fifth annual JMBLYA fits the bill. The one-day music festival features a strong lineup of hip-hop, dance and rap, headlined by Chance the Rapper. The Chicago native’s career has only grown since his last visit to Dallas in October. At…

Robert Taylor has been a key figure in the Dallas DJ scene since the 1990s. As one of the core members of the legendary Hazy Daze Collective, he helped set the bar for underground dance parties. Then he went on to a fruitful partnership with DJ Red Eye as Cold…

The New Pornographers play Friday, May 5, at Granada Theater The New Pornographers have been making power pop for two decades. Oddly, guitarist, vocalist and frontman Carl “A.C.” Newman attributes the longevity of the band to the fact that many of its members have other succesful projects that take time…

“Some people are driven to compete and others aren’t,” says Dr. Pamela Mia Paul, the regents professor of piano at the University of North Texas College of Music, says of graduate student Baolong Zhang. The graduate artist certificate student at the University of North Texas in the College of Music,…

In March, 2014 Mathew Vickers flipped his Scion four times, ejected from the vehicle. He was leaving his parents’ home but has no recollection of where he was headed since he says he was both drunk and high. One month later he awoke from a coma with a reconstructed pelvis…

Gabe Reed’s arrest was nearly as mysterious as the Dallas-based concert tour promoter’s business. According to business partners, he left a trail of musicians and promoters across the world bereft of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, fearing for their lives as heavy metal concerts fell apart. Reed, 46,…

Given the indie rock pedigree of the musicians playing in BNQT, it’s surprising that their first album is so steeped in the ’70s. Over the course of the album, Volume 1 pays lip service to Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, the Beatles, the Byrds and Electric Light Orchestra. The supergroup is backed by…

On the heels of a comeback in 2016, Ween announced they are visiting Dallas for a Halloween show at the Bomb Factory. Last year, the band reformed for a few shows and a festival, ending a four-year concert hiatus and supporting their first live album since 2008. They’ve not done…

Six Shooter is a recurring feature where we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians Sarah Jaffe – “Bad Baby” This month Sarah Jaffe announced her new album Bad Baby will be released July 7, and debuted the title track on NPR. “Bad Baby” continues Jaffe’s electro-pop stylings she’s…

Big news this week as the one and only Kendrick Lamar has made Dallas one of the stops on his hotly anticipated North American tour. Elsewhere, dates and artists for KXT’s Sun Sets series have been shored up, The Bomb Factory is busy adding new announcements, and a pair of…

After weeks of battling 20 other local Dallas bands to reach the final round of Metallica’s “Hit The Stage” contest, Messer and Mothership took to their social media accounts to lead for support. If enough fans voted for them, they would win the chance of a lifetime: to open for Metallica…

Junk Food has been making the rounds in Dallas with residencies at Candleroom and Nickel and Rye, and his own monthly gathering, Junk Food and Friends. As a DJ he explores an array of genres, but the common denominator is a funky, groovy sound that’s heavy on sub-bass. Junk Food…

There is a lack of stability when it comes to high profile, multi-genre music festivals in North Texas. Over the last few years, several festivals have tried to make it, without success. Suburbia in 2014 proved to be a one-and-done; the pug-themed festival Bulladora was rained out last year and…

Paul van Dyk plays Friday, April 28, at South Side Music Hall Paul van Dyk has been a legend in dance music since blonde highlights were a thing. Videos of him and his Sun-In streaks at ’90s festivals in Germany, such as Mayday and Love Parade, are #TranceFamily scripture. Neville…

At least two local business owners got a surprise on Wednesday morning as they started their day, and not the good kind. The owners of Double Wide bar and Good Records showed up to find the words “Gorillaz” and “Humanz” and the date “4.28.17” spray-painted on their buildings’ facades. The…

Gary Parks knows the power music has to tell a story. The veteran Dallas guitarist is also a film composer with credits including the 2006 HBO documentary TV Junkie, about a reporter’s addiction to crack. Now Parks is applying his auditory storytelling skills to something more personal. In 2008, Parks…

Like most people in the entertainment industry, Bucks Burnett used a celebrity’s name to wedge his foot in the door. His name is the Mister Ed. The world’s most famous talking horse had a primetime CBS sitcom from 1958-1966 and ran in syndication on UHF channels and cable networks like…

Jason Eady is sitting with a cup of coffee in the Fort Worth Stockyards, waiting for Chief Records to open. And beneath his black hat, pulled low, is the look of a man who just released an album he’s proud of. Eady grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, where he learned…

A Perfect Circle Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie Sunday, April 23, 2017 Standing atop a dais at the back of center stage at Verizon Theater on Sunday night, Maynard James Keenan put on an emotional show filled with dark rhythms and an occasional screaming rift that transported the sold-out crowd to…