You may have seen her name dropped a few times over the last year thanks to her tireless efforts creating visuals for shows, photographing bands and putting together music videos for Rosegarden Funeral Party’s “Ill and Getting Worse” or just a few days later, Upsetting’s new video for “Form/Foul.” Who…
For nearly a decade, Fort Worth duo Pinkish Black’s music has been hard to categorize. Some have called it “doom rock.” (We labeled it heavy metal.) Kerrang! referred to it as “sci-fi synth doom,” like a collaboration between John Carpenter and Rush. Their latest album, Concept Unification, sounds like a…
Denton-based psych rock group Pearl Earl is back with a new single and a music video to go along with it. The video is a collaboration between Pearl Earl and videographer Kylie McLaughlin. The single, “Something’s Gotta Change,” is about knowing a certain lifestyle can’t continue as it is, but…
Danny Tenaglia has a yellow sticky note on his refrigerator, “3 p.m. interview with Elvis from Dallas Observer.” A 3 o’clock call to Tenaglia is unanswered. A text from Tenaglia comes over about 45 minutes later, “Hey Elvis, so sorry, I’m just waking. Had an unexpected marathon in the studio…
Under a sweltering midafternoon sun one day in late May, a backhoe digs at the earth where Dallas’ Brewery Building once stood on the edge of Victory Park. Traffic snakes along the nearby Woodall Rodgers overpass, circling the parking lot and rail yard at its far end. A dull, gray…
Oppressive Texas summer temperatures may already be bearing down on us, but on the plus side, if we survive for the next 100 days, we’ll get to visit our favorite perennial event. That’s when the State Fair of Texas opens. We can’t wait to consume copious amounts of fried-whatever-the-hell-we-want as…
The demise of a three-year relationship, marred by physical and emotional abuse, fueled Rosegarden Funeral Party’s newest release. The rock band is unquestionably one of Dallas’ best, and Leah Lane serves as an enigmatic bandleader as lead singer, guitarist, songwriter and the force steering the group’s creative direction. The tumultuous…
Main at South Side is brimming with fans for its two-year anniversary celebration as Polydogs take the stage. The Fort Worth rock band — consisting of frontman Matt Tedder, bassist Kris Luther, drummer Matt Mabe and rhythm guitarist Nick Tittle — has recently released a self-titled debut album and is…
A year after going dark, Mattie Michelle is back with a new track meant to make you plumb the depths of your soul. Michelle, a hairdresser by day and a musician by always, says her new track “Running” reflects her growth as a person, and creating it took her all…
A comedian, a musician, an emcee and a rapper/magician walk into a bar and order sparkling water. There is no punchline. This is a true story based on four of our local performers from different parts of the entertainment scene who have one thing in common: sobriety. Staying sober may…
Hip-hop album sales reached commercial supremacy in the mid-’90s. It was the most decadent era in hip-hop culture, and music producers took home a substantial share of profits. It’s the era that made Kanye West, Just Blaze, The Neptunes and Swizz Beatz household names and filthy rich. Even the original…
When thinking about how significant a length of time 25 years is in the music industry, Bowling for Soup lead singer Jaret Reddick points to the evolution of how their music has been released since it began. “We released out first album on cassette tape,” he says over the phone…
Ramon Mallow is a self-proclaimed hippie who says he’s been living like a 19-year-old for the last 50 years. People know him as Mr. Troll in the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene, a moniker from his biker days. Faye Price, his sister, says that family calls him Danny, after his middle…
Seventeen artists from nine countries came together to record Song Dynasty’s debut album Searching. The band’s music blends American jazz with Chinese influences to create a sound that’s out of this world. Sharp notes burst from a three-piece brass section. Electric guitars scream and whistle, floating over roaming lines on…
It’s been about a decade since the disbandment of Ghosthustler and the beginning of Noah Jackson’s solo career. We haven’t heard much from him since then, but now, after years of reinventing himself and searching for his sound, Jackson says he’s found it and that a new EP is just…
When the 16th season of NBC’s The Voice came to an end, a local singer won her shot at the big-time. North Texas added another notch to its reality show winner belt last week when Frisco’s Maelyn Jarmon won the 16th season of the NBC singing competition The Voice along…
Last year, if you followed the social media activity of Dallas rapper-by-way-of-Waco DQ Hampton, you probably noticed his regular use of the phrase “The Build Up 2018” as a mantra and/or hashtag. This referred to a series of activities he planned for himself to further his career: honing his craft,…
Mr. Pookie, author of “Crook 4 Life” and “Smoke One,” a couple of ’90s-era megahits that lent hip-hop cred to Dallas — North Dallas, at that — when conventional wisdom deemed South Dallas the origin of all our rap. Before speaking to us on the phone, he apologizes and asks…
Jade Nickol hated her first single. Looking back on the song, titled “Best Friends,” the 19-year-old singer-songwriter seethes with palpable frustration. “Even my mom didn’t like it,” Nickol says. “And when your mom doesn’t like it, that’s like, damn.” “Best Friends” is a country song Nickol felt forced to make…
The hip-hop scene in North Texas is as vibrant as ever. In terms of skill and diversity, local artists can hold their own against any major market. Rappers are signing with major labels, producers are winning Grammys and are sought after by A-list figures in rap and R&B. It’s no…
Hailing from Louisiana, Dallas-based rapper and R&B singer Topnotch4real is on a mission to bring his brand of soulful R&B sounds to the forefront. Born Louis Taylor, Topnotch4real is multi-talented, but he focuses his time on writing songs and producing his own instrumental tracks. This summer, he plans to share…
Tucked away on the far west side of an old Dallas office building is a spot where the Deering family helps bring music to life, through a space called Acoustic Kitchen Studios, fit for small live shows and recording sessions. The studio itself is in stark contrast to its own…
