Improvisation is a bold tool of the trade that some live performers would just as soon leave to jazz musicians or comedy troupes. Abandoning rehearsal and preparation for spontaneity could expose one’s true creativity, or lack thereof. But Kenny Withrow, guitarist of North Texas’ prominent Grateful Dead tribute act, Forgotten…
Being immersed deep within in a music community is not as glamorous as people make it seem. The connections you make with people are often not very deep and sometimes flimsy. People come and go so quickly that it is a never-ending revolving door of personalities. Sincerity and authenticity, despite…
A balmy August evening. Civil Recording studio in Denton. The unthinkable has happened to Denton band Power Objects: Lucy the cat has gone missing. Vocalist and guitarist John Gillespie describes it as, without a doubt, their darkest hour. But Michael Briggs’ notorious feline assistant was thankfully found. And Power Objects…
After weeks of nearly getting cut, then getting cut by his own coach, and then another stealing him back, Craig Wayne Boyd won season seven of The Voice Tuesday. Born in Mesquite, Boyd performed “The Whiskey Ain’t Working” during his blind audition, prompting coaches Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams to…
There are veteran DJs and then there are guys like Michael Todd. Todd has been a constant force in the Dallas DJ community for 26 years. At one point or another, he has played almost every spot you can play in DFW thanks to a variety of guest slots and…
For Aviation Cinemas co-owner Barak Epstein, the Texas Theatre is an integral part of the Dallas film and music scene. And he has a pretty damn good point: The historic theater screens 35mm prints of cult-classic films, has a full-service bar that serves movie-themed drinks complete with a safe-room art…
The band is called Narrow Head. You probably haven’t heard of them yet. You will. Formed in 2013 by guitarist and vocalist Ryan Hughes, bass player Jay Chary, Houston’s guitarist and vocalist Jacob Duarte and drummer Keaton Khonsari (since replaced by Houston resident Carson Wilcox), Narrow Head has become a…
15 years ago, Chad Davenport and Simon McDonald were working at the old Muddy Waters on Greenville Avenue and wanted to start a charity. It was near Christmas time, so a toy drive made sense. That first year’s event, which was held at Muddy Waters, was a success, and in…
We know what you’re thinking: “Stop writing about St. Vincent.” “She doesn’t live in Dallas.” She’s not even from here.” Well blah, blah, blah. Annie Clark cut her teeth as a musician here in North Texas, she identifies as being from here and even still splits her time between here…
How’s this for an album release party? A band records a concept album about an elephant that was killed by Thomas Edison, and releases an accompanying “wordless graphic novel” that helps fill out the poor creature’s story. The band then decides to celebrate the release not at, you know, a…
Rungs of records balance on every flat surface, coils of electronic cables stretch every which way, threatening to snatch at your ankles. A studio’s worth of musical gadgetry frames the room, flirting with certain free fall. But I’m more concerned with what hangs on the wall. I try to shake…
Brain Gang, Dallas’ premier rap collective, has received a lot of press for their rowdy presence, charisma and ambition. Boasting eight members, its ranks were loaded with talent and the drive to make a real impact in the music world. 2014 has been a banner year for members of the…
Blake Ward is one of the busiest DJs in Dallas, with four different weekly events and recently taking up the management of his new Four Four Booking agency. He has a longstanding Saturday night Glamorama gig at Beauty Bar, plays every Friday at Boxwood or Zaza, hosts a newish party…
There you have it, folks. Yet another Dallas Observer Music Awards has come and gone, and hopefully it was a memorable one. We laughed, we cried, we even had a prom. Between the crowning of our prom king and queen and the ambush performance of the End of the World…
I stumbled on Avant Age in the unlikely hip-hop haven of a coffee shop open mic. That may not sound very promising to some, but bear with me here. The space was rife with comedians and folk-oriented musicians working to carve out a space for themselves in the Denton music…
Moshing is an art form. Like the heavy metal music it was intended to accompany, it’s a brutal, punishing art form, one built on the deliberate collision of bodies and the sweat, blood and bruises of concertgoers. And it’s an art form that gets celebrated each year here in North…
Grammys, shmammys. If any of us were still looking to hold the much-maligned Grammys in high esteem, the case got considerably weakened earlier this year when Macklemore no fewer than four awards, including beating out Kendrick Lamar’s excellent good kid, M.a.a.d city for three of those. The whole thing is…
And then there was one. The debate over which of Dallas’ two new classic hip-hop stations is the best has already reached its (perhaps inevitable) conclusion, just a lot sooner than most of us would’ve expected. HOT 93.3 FM, which suddenly started playing old-school hip hop early last month at…
Fort Worth experimental metal band Pinkish Black has signed with Relapse Records. This is a monumental achievement for the band, consisting of the Daron Beck and Jon Teague, as Relapse is a respected player in the metal world. (It also happens to have some local ties through True Widow and…
So apparently the suburban dream isn’t dead. It’s just that it’s moved from Plano to Irving. Last week, fans of the Suburbia Music Festival, which enjoyed a respectable and generally promising first year at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve in Plano, were dealt a blow when it was announced…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it? No, we’re not talking about the holidays, although those are OK too. We’re talking about the 26th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards, which kick off with a showcase this Saturday in Deep Ellum followed by the award ceremony and concert…
‘Tis the season for locally crafted holiday compilation records. That’s how it goes, right? Er, never mind. Dallas label Hand Drawn Records just put out a holiday-themed compilation album, The Holiday Record, that’s been getting more clicks than a Cyber Monday flash sale. Hand Drawn Creative Director Dustin Blocker organized…
