DC9 at Night Mixtape with DVK

Dallas’ DVK, known as Dustin Van Kleeck when he’s not performing, loves house music and his energizer rabbit level of enthusiasm reflects that. The mix he submitted for the DC9 mix has his personality written all over it. It’s an upbeat and high-energy house mix that features the work of…

5 North Texas R&B and Soul Acts You Need To Hear Now

Dallas, you’re hard to understand. It’s hard to contextualize a lot of your actions. How is it that even though Erykah Badu is from these parts, you don’t give much attention to R&B and soul music. Badu is perhaps the greatest R&B/soul act since the Chitlin Circuit cooked its way…

Melissa Ratley’s Stolen Guitar was a Story with a Happy Ending

In the early of hours of last Wednesday morning, after playing a Tuesday night set at Adair’s in Dallas, someone broke into the car of local country singer-songwriter Melissa Ratley and stole her beloved acoustic guitar. While a few other personal items from her vehicle went missing as well, it…

12 Highly Entertaining Indie Musicians To Follow On Twitter

By Ivan Guzman Way back in 2006, I bet the founders of Twitter had no idea the social-media platform would become the force it is today. Sure, you can interact with your friends and whatnot, but perhaps the coolest, most intriguing part of Twitter is the way it makes us…

Wild Detectives Embrace the Culture of Oak Cliff with Chicha Concert

About six months ago, The Wild Detectives opened its doors with the intention to be more than just a bookstore. So far they’ve hosted readings, wine tastings and book presentations as well as their backyard shows. As an aspiring member of the Oak Cliff community (and not just another fixture of…

Bethan Announce Debut Time Gone By, Due Out October 7

This one’s been a long time coming. Really. (No pun intended.) Bethan’s debut album, Time Gone By, could be traced back about four years, to when husband and wife Daniel and Jessi Hall (then Jessi James) first started a recording project together. There have been some recordings released along the…

TEAM*’s Unique Chemistry Has Led to Surprise Brushes with Stardom

When guitarist-turned-drummer Rico Garcia of TEAM*, practitioners of warm and energetic indie-rock, was approached by the corporate behemoth Verizon to use one of their songs from their debut EP for a televised ad, it was not exactly earth-shattering news. In fact, many bands receive similar interests that yield no follow…

DC9 at Night Mixtape with TXConnect

Gavin Guthrie a.k.a. TXConnect has made quite a splash over the past year. He released 12-inches for a few notable international labels like Adelaide Soundworks, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Bad Mums club and, most impressively, the taste-making Long Island Electrical Systems. His debut album under his own name recently came…

Oaktopia Is Back, and It’s Way Bigger

Last year, first-time Denton festival Oaktopia delivered on content but not so much on attendance. As Aaron Ortega reported in November, the largest crowd was 200 or so, for the mighty Del the Funky Homosapien. You might suppose a festival that drew such a modest crowd last time would scale…

Good Luck Karaoke Revives Autotune Karaoke Tonight at Twilite Lounge

From the ashes, Good Luck Karaoke rose out of Twilite Lounge, having lost its long-time home at the Doublewide last spring. But its new Deep Ellum base is, according to host Josh Hammertimez, a perfect fit. Tonight, Good Luck will be offering another unique layer to their eclectic shows: all…

Death Cab for Cutie Turn a New Page as They Headline KXT’s Summer Cut

Hooking up on the phone Tuesday afternoon, Nick Harmer is happy to report that life as the bassist for Death Cab For Cutie remains “a gravy train with biscuit wheels”. Harmer is an animated conversationalist, and rattles off his rationale without pause. “We’re still getting along, we’re making music we…

Two Bronze Doors Is a Pillar of Dallas’ DIY scene

The thing about house venues is that they’re always more interesting than public ones. Idiosyncrasies are the décor. Little trinkets here, deliciously askew lighting there — tonight it’s horror film reds and greens, like watermelons and glow sticks. The colors spill through the windows, out onto the creaky deck and…

Gas Monkey Live Makes Play For Mid-Size Dallas Venue Gap

The weird entertainment complex loop at the corner of I-35 and Northwest Highway is one of northwest Dallas’ stranger places to visit. Not quite Bachman Lake, not quite Harry Hines, and not quite Irving, it’s in a vortex all of its own. Technology Boulevard, as this loop is called, is…