We often use an artist’s discography to map out their personal and creative evolution, and if we see an emerging artist encounter one of these pinpointed milestones in real time, it almost feels like we’re growing alongside them. This is especially the case of Denton artist Dahlia Knowles, who performs…
For anyone who may have walked past a Blot Out show at Three Links quickly on a weekend night to avoid the sound and spectacle of studded jackets and spiked hair, Zach Abrego doesn’t look the part of a hardcore punk: His black hair is too neat, his brown eyes…
Jesse Cohea, also known as Outlaw JACC, first noticed the gloom when he left Universal Rehearsal, a popular rehearsal and recording studio off Walnut Hill Lane, to buy cigarettes at the gas station around the corner. It was late evening on Sunday, Oct. 20, and he’d been staying at the…
Dallas gospel singer Kirk Franklin took to Instagram on Monday to explain his decision to stop attending the Dove Awards, a celebration of Christian music. Franklin describes the awards as “the Christian Grammys.” Franklin explains in the video that during the 2016 Dove Awards, he called out the “civil unrest”…
While the Cowboys may be doing rather … meh this season, there are still exciting developments in the world of Jerry Jones. This past June, Jones’ grandnephew Val Mooty released an EP called One Touch. Although he’s still in high school, Mooty is determined to create a legacy of his…
The last Kanye West lyric that got stuck in my head was “You’re such a fuckin’ ho, I love it,” from his 2018 track with Lil Pump, “I Love It.” So, like many West watchers, I was surprised to hear that he had become a born again Christian who did…
John Belushi was punk rock. Onstage in Chicago or on TV in New York, the doomed but talented comic binged, bellowed and blustered his way into the hearts of an America that recognized the danger of embracing such dangerous habits, but embraced them anyway. His middle finger to respectable behavior…
Novelty tunes have always been a part of Halloween, trading in dark and spooky for light and goofy. “The Monster Mash,” “Ghostbusters” and “The Time Warp” have been Halloween fodder for so long they’ve become passé. To freshen up that novelty playlist with something local, check out “Dracula Goes To…
It’s one of those nights that you hear about, but you never really see: Friday night at Tradewinds on Davis Street, miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Bishop Arts District, and The Infamists are playing to a house filled with bar staff and the other bands on…
At 7 a.m. on a cool November morning in 2009, KXT took its first breaths, barking out the initial notes of its first Morning Show, to become the first adult album alternative radio station (triple-A station) in Dallas-Fort Worth since the 1990s. This year, North Texas’ independent public music radio…
Kacey Musgraves gave a “smooth” and “studio quality” performance on back-to-back rainy nights at Toyota Music Factory last week, and the internet is talking. Unfortunately it’s not her vocal skills they’re discussing. On Friday, the Golden, Texas, native took the stage wearing an áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese outfit that…
The weather is finally getting cool in Dallas, and Brody Price is taking the opportunity to sit outside his home with his dog and reflect on the upcoming release of his new album Hoop Dreams. The record is not your typical country album, but then again, Body Price is not…
Clay Perry had never heard of Oscar Wilde’s comment, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” An aspiring hip-hop artist from Fort Worth, Perry found his poetry in the words and rhythms of street poets like Dr. Dre from N.W.A., Snoop Dog and local street legends D.O.C. and…
Across the nation, country music with a more classic sound, often labeled “Americana,” is making a comeback. Americana has come to describe a rising class of country musicians with an unornamented western sound and a penchant for storytelling and character-driven lyrics. In Dallas, that resurgence has many young faces.
Nya Marquez is fond of saying “period,” as in “end of conversation.” She says it when she is giving dating advice to her friends (which she does often) and when she concludes a rehearsal (which she does almost as often). On a sunny Tuesday at a barren shopping center in…
Regina Bugarin has become something of a household name in Denton’s music scene. At just 24, she is one of the most celebrated and active bookers in town, and there’s a reason people have lauded her work and practices. Bugarin has been booking shows in the college town since 2017,…
If you ask Bruce Robison whose idea it was to take legendary country singer-songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey out on the road for four dates for The Next Waltz Live tour, he’ll swear up and down that “he was the one that suggested doing some shows, but I think his idea…
To say we listen to music with our eyes would sound counterintuitive and foreign, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate. Think about it. How different would the live music experience be if we didn’t have eyes? How would record collectors listen to an LP in their living room if they couldn’t…
M3cca, “WTR pHiles” Denton sensation M3cca has built an astonishing catalog of soulful hip-hop music in the past few years. With a new album on the way, the vocalist unveils its lead single, titled “WTR pHiles” (pronounced “Water Feels”). The new song is a soul-cleansing metaphor about personal testimony that…
Chris Flemmons sits at a bench on the dimly lit, smoke-filled patio of Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton on a Monday evening, sipping a bitters and soda between tugs off his cigarette. He’s gearing up for an upcoming celebratory three-gig Texas tour with his band, the Baptist Generals, and the stress…
The Dallas Observer Music Awards, which reward the most accomplished, innovative and outstanding contributions to the local music industry, are on their 31st year. Thirty-one years, the age most of us consider becoming adults. In 1988, the year when DOMA first started, Reagan was president, the No. 1 song was George…
Quaker City Night Hawks drummer Aaron Haynes exploded onstage last week at the Big Velvet Revue showcase at the Basement East in Nashville. Well, exploding may be too strong of an image. His Fort Worth bandmates, David Matsler and Sam Anderson, weren’t actually finding pieces of their drummer strewn about…
