For 12 years, DJ Lord Byron has provided a Friday night refuge for the goth-industrial dance scene with his weekly party, Panoptikon. The event began in 2006 at the now-defunct Club One in Deep Ellum. Panoptikon has survived several venue shifts and the ever-changing landscape of Dallas nightlife. At 9:30…
On Twitter this weekend, Dallas native Demi Lovato tweeted about pranking her bodyguard with a “lady of the night.” During a Twitter Q&A, Lovato said it was the “funniest prank ever.” “She walked into his room without permission and grabbed him in his ‘area’ and he freaked the fuck out…
Creed Bratton is best known for his role as the idiosyncratic quality assurance director at Dunder Mifflin on NBC’s long-running show The Office. Fans of the show may not realize that Bratton’s talents extend far beyond the non sequiturs and bizarre stories of his on-screen persona. Bratton’s career as a…
If you’re a huge fan of the 2011 remake of Footloose starring Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald and you follow Wormald on Instagram like us, then you know Wormald is an extremely talented dancer and choreographer. Lately, he’s been posting videos of himself at Playground LA, his dance studio, dancing to…
Sometimes it’s hard to say if farewell tours are just publicity stunts or if some of music’s biggest icons long for the simple life only to realize that arenas filled with adoring fans paying lots of money aren’t so bad. Either way, we’re reaping the benefits as country music superstar…
Dead Sullivan’s Boone Patrello has always preferred to be felt rather than seen. To him, the only thing tantamount to success is his music. There’s no persona, no ego. Just his songs. So far, his methods need not be questioned. With three albums already out in the wild and a…
Spinster Records will host a tribute Friday to all things related to “sad dad” rock. Curator, event planner and all-around record-slinger Kate Siamro hosts the event and says the inspiration came after, “we noticed recently that our listening parties were doing as good as our shows.” The event is part…
Hot weather means some hot shows ahead on the concert calendar for music fans in the metro area. This week, we’ve compiled a mix of cool local acts, touring indie darlings and influential rappers. Check out all the details below. Ice Cube is perhaps the biggest show announcement this week,…
Kenneth Looking Glass, a Comanche Vietnam veteran from Apache, Oklahoma, makes the trek to North Texas and elsewhere to drum and sing when called upon. His drum, made of bull hide, is about 14 inches deep. Looking Glass’ son Jimbo, 40, also drums and sings. Both men have been singing…
Every June in Philadelphia, hip-hop-heads and music fans gather for the Roots Picnic. This Saturday will mark the 11th edition of the outdoor summer fest founded and hosted by legendary Philly group The Roots. In a conversation earlier this year with Roots drummer Amir “Questlove” Thompson, Dallas maestro RC Williams…
As places keep popping up around the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, the 500,000-plus square foot mixed-use entertainment and lifestyle complex has lost a large tenant. Word got out quickly late Tuesday morning that Big Beat Dallas was not reopening its doors after a rather rocky two months in business…
The Dallas Street Choir has found a vast amount of success since it was founded in 2014. One of its notable feats is performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City last year — the first concert by homeless musicians in the history of the venue. More national exposure is…
When we spoke to Ken Stringfellow last year, he was not in the head space to devote all of his creative energy to playing with his main band, The Posies, and doing the group’s best-known material. “I don’t want to give people the same thing again, exactly the same way,”…
It can be difficult for a young adult to find places to enjoy nightlife and good music after dark. Whether you’re in the city for the first time or were born and raised in the heart of Dallas, it helps to know of the best places to hear music and…
This weekend, days before Maya Piata’s EP release show at Independent Bar & Kitchen, the artist escaped to the Oklahoma woods to get her mind right. She places a high premium on emotional intelligence and spiritual alignment. Nothing could stop her from being the best Maya she could be for…
The great thing about the streaming video platform YouTube is the accessibility and chances it continues to give people with talent who may never get seen by the Hollywood machine. The bad thing about YouTube is that it made people like Jake Paul famous. The Vine maker turned YouTube vlogger…
Everything was sexier Sunday night. The moms were excited to be out of the house on a school night. You could hear every man in the city alone at home, happy they escaped a night at American Airlines Center watching the man who brought sexy back perform. Sunday night as…
Just outside of Joplin, Missouri, Mitchell Ferguson, a local singer-songwriter, and his band all sat on the side of the road. Smoke billowed out of a newly purchased 1992 Chevrolet G20 Van as the cellphones of Ferguson; drummer Michael Ferguson, his brother; and bassist Dawson Slaby began to die in…
Dallas venue The Dirty 30 had a break-in May 7 for the sixth time in a year and a half. Someone used a crowbar to open the door, broke the windows and took about $850 worth of alcohol. Although the club’s security alarms have sounded for all of the break-ins,…
This week, we see what is slated to be legendary folk singer-songwriter Paul Simon’s last concert in Dallas as he brings his farewell tour to American Airlines Center on Friday. If you missed Justin Timberlake last week, catch his second show Monday night. Poison plays Toyota Music Factory on Saturday…
“In Bed With” is a Dallas Observer series in which we delve into the homes and personal lives of Dallas music industry professionals. “I have a theory that all of our neighbors are swingers,“ says musician Jacob Metcalf as he walks up the stairs to the apartment he shares with…
Craig Wayne Boyd won The Voice Season 7, the show’s highest rated season, singing a song that hit No. 1 on Billboard’s American country music charts. The Dallas-bred country singer, who won the singing competition with Blake Shelton as his coach, is returning to his hometown Sunday for a benefit…
