Six Shooter is a recurring feature where we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians. Quick, thank your lucky stars because it’s finally September. That means you can convince yourself that the weather’s about to be tolerable now that August is over. (It’s not, but still.) On the music…
A hiss of air pierced the night in the dim alleyway behind The Rail Club in Fort Worth. The pair of tires, the victims of a stabbing, were already flat before the white SUV screeched out of the parking lot. Inside the club, Texas Hippie Coalition (THC) had already begun…
This is poised to be a big year for Lights All Night. North Texas’ biggest EDM festival — the area’s biggest music festival, period — has already expanded from one day to two, and taken up residency at Dallas Market Hall for its annual New Year’s bash. This year will…
Who says the sky is falling? Well, maybe a few people. Some of them were in Denton on Monday night to wring hands over the state of the music scene, although they weren’t necessarily in the majority. There were none to be found in Deep Ellum, though, where, when folks…
Feezy has been a scene staple for over 15 years, grounded by his nearly decade-long residency at Candleroom. Feezy’s wealth of music knowledge stretches from the deeper roots of dance music to more mainstream fare. Where most DJs typically pick a side and stick to it, Feezy has been able…
The more Deep Ellum changes, the more it looks the same. A good part of that has to do with Clint and Whitney Barlow, who have made it their mission to reopen some of the neighborhood’s most legendary music venues. First, in 2009, it was Trees, then, six year later,…
Gerard Hanson does things at his own speed. The Dallas producer, better known by the name Convextion, hasn’t released an album since 2006. Of course, that namesake album just happened to be named one of the best of the decade by U.K.’s FACT magazine. This year Hanson seems to have…
Annie Clark, a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan? Yes, it’s true. In a new ad for the upcoming NFL season, the artist otherwise known as St. Vincent rips through a fireworks-worthy rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” while reminiscing about her childhood dream to join America’s Team. “My parents bought me a…
“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott would’ve been 50 this Saturday if a deranged fan hadn’t ended his life in 2004. Every year since, friends, family and fans have gathered for the Ride for Dime, which takes place this year on the Pantera guitarist’s 50th birthday. In honor of the fallen legend, the Observer…
This week has seen some real drama in Dallas music news, although none of it had to do with Kanye West. (Well, okay, some of the news did, but not the dramatic stuff.) No, the drama had to do with Grand Prairie native Selena Gomez. Fortunately, there was also some…
-Topic knows how to think outside the box. For the past two years, the Dallas rapper has turned his birthday into a giant party where all his friends play, called Cake Jam. He even made a mixtape and coffee table book to pay tribute to his favorite sweaters. But -Topic’s…
Cle Acklin is about as old school as it gets in Dallas DJ culture. As a member of the infamous Hazy Daze Collective in the ’90s, he laid down some of the basic roots for the scene we have today. Although largely associated with house, Acklin is versatile and consistently…
The bar and music venue formerly known as The Underpass, tucked under I-30 in Expo Park, is getting a remake. Now under new ownership, it’s set to reopen this fall as The Dirty 30, for the namesake highway above it. It’s the brain-child of long-time bassist for the rock band…
The last time Disturbed were in Dallas, things got a little testy. Well, singer David Draiman did anyway, when he called out a fan for being on her cel phone during the show. (She was calling home to check on a child.) So it’s probably a good thing that one…
Leon Bridges and Barack Obama — you know, the President of the freaking United States of America — go way back. Well, maybe not way back, but they’ve sure met before, and the president’s admiration for the Fort Worth singer’s music is well documented. Now Obama has given Bridges an…
Two years ago I approached the Dallas Observer about reviving a mixtape series for the paper. I saw this as an opportunity to create a historical document of what the Dallas DJ scene looks like from the street level. Not the wedding DJs or the Top 40 club DJs, but…
Allen Falkner is as Deep Ellum as they come, but his name is known around the world. He’s known as the father of body suspension, in which people suspend themselves in the air with the aid of hooks inserted in their flesh. Faulkner already owns the Fade Fast tattoo removal…
Pat Averhart believes Dallas’ underground music scene can become a flourishing, self-sufficient culture — it just needs a little help. That’s where Dallas Week comes in. Running today through Sunday, the second annual Dallas Week will include 15 local events that Averhart helped organize. He hopes to not only create awareness…
There’s no good way to say it: It hasn’t been a good year for Denton music venues. The first closure of 2016 had come virtually before the year had even started, as Hailey’s Club closed after one final night of business on New Years Eve. Then came Rubber Gloves, which…
Oaktopia is still about six weeks away, but it’s already shaping up to be a pretty good festival this year. What started as the little-hip-hop-festival-that-could just a few years ago has developed a pretty eclectic lineup of indie and emerging rap talent, from Rae Sremmurd to Andrew W.K. to the…
M3SA and Pintalabios recently started making the rounds of the Dallas party scene as a duo operating largely within the realm of techno, with added hat tips to classic industrial and synth pop. That crossover is a trend that has existed in club music for many years, but gained extra…
Football season is almost upon us, and with the kickoff of the Cowboys’ training camp Dallas football fans are one step closer to erasing the words “Blake Weeden” from their memories. Tony Romo will rebound. They’re still in the junk pile known as the NFC East. 9-7, here we come…
