Frank Sinatra would have understood. When Lady Luck blows on your dice, you have to take your shot. For Ricki Derek, good fortune came grimly on May 14, 1998, the day Sinatra died. The next night, Derek was debuting his new jazz lounge act at Club Clearview, performing the sort…
From a truck stop in western Pennsylvania, Peter Case runs down the route he’s traveling: “[I’m] just about to jump on Highway 81, down to Chattanooga, switch to 40 then jump on 75 and then I’ll be in Knoxville in about 11 or 12 hours.” Case knows the roads. He’s…
Dinosaur Jr.’s June 1991 tour was its most famous thanks to what’s now seen as a historical anomaly: The opening act was Nirvana. But in those days, no one looked askance at the billing. Although Nirvana’s early work (for a rising indie called Sub Pop) had inspired Geffen Records to…
Hailing from a small Oklahoma town just north of the Red River, John Lyle Williams makes it into the metroplex fairly consistently, performing his stylish country/folk/blues at open mics, coffee houses or just about any place that will let him set down his guitar case. Unsent Letters is his self-financed…
Sorry, ’80s nostalgists, but Duran Duran was never a great band or even a particularly good one. The Duranies gained fame as sleek, sleazy showmen with a strong visual sense and the ability to transform other people’s ideas into garish pop ready-mades. “Girls on Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf” and…
The Thrills’ 2003 debut, So Much for the City, was a fanciful homage to the California myth, as filtered through the Day-Glo haze of wistful ’70s euphoria. Its playful imagery summoned endless vistas of surf and sand, idealized and admired from a vantage point somewhat distant and distinct. It’s not…
The members of Clipd Beaks grew up playing in prog-rock, art-core and jam-type bands in their native Minneapolis. Bassist Scott Ecklein and drummer Ray Benjamin have known each other since grade school; guitarist and synth player Greg Pritchard joined the fold soon after; singer Nic Barbeln rounded out the lineup…
Just as Sandy Koufax pitched his way to baseball immortality in half a dozen transcendent seasons with the Dodgers, John Fogerty’s five meteoric years with Creedence Clearwater Revival earned him a spot in rock music’s pantheon. His output post-CCR has been spotty, in part owing to legal disputes with his…
There were tons of people at the Billy Joel show. Unfortunately, we sat behind them all. (Merritt Martin)Billy Joel December 4, 2007 American Airlines Center Better Than: Seeing Movin’ Out. My best friend has loved Billy Joel since approximately the age of 3. She even has a small bust of…
The onslaught of mass-marketed holiday drivel cast upon music consumers is usually enough to make even Santa jaded. It seems everyone and anyone gets to throw together a collection of those old Christmas chestnuts. Beating “The Little Drummer Boy” into all sorts of ugly guises seems to have become a…
We figured on a boring Tuesday we could all use new songs and show reminders, so here’s a handful of Dallas-related music tidbits for an afternoon snack. 1. Sick of hearing “Silver Bells” every time you step into a department store? Well, those looking for a new Christmas song to…
The folks over at SOHH Dirty are giving a little attention to Dallas’ Trap Starz Clik. While they don’t seem completely sure anyone recognizes the name, they are confident we’ve all heard the track “Get It Big” in the clubs. (Though, we think you might have seen it on 106…
It felt like there were tons of great things happening Friday night, including three of our favorites. We’re hoping next weekend will be a bit more even, so we can hit up even more. Lions at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios Things got just the right amount of rowdy (pictures) Friday…
Performing at Opening Bell tonight with Salim Nourallah will be Noted Regional Comic (if that title isn’t on his business card, it should be) Dave Little. The pairing makes perfect sense, of course. Who better to open for a heart-on-his-sleeve roots-rocker than a dry-witted smart-ass comic? Really, the combo makes…
Denton rockers Brake! Vegas took some time with DC-9 to answer some earth-shattering questions prior to their show tonight at The Door in Dallas. Why them? For me, it was the name alone. I just like saying it with that exclamation point. Not to mention they have some T-shirts with…
Austin-based Famecast is in its third season and asking Internet denizens to vote for the next band/singer/comedian that will possibly maybe get its 15 minutes. In the rock section, Dallas has some representation with the band End This All making the final five. The pressure is on this Saturday because…
Pikahsso seems to be whipping out videos faster than a pack of dogs on a three-legged cat. He’s just announced the world premiere of his latest video, Faleyuh, directed by Walter J. Archey. We love Pik’s ambitious artistry not only for the videos but for his willingness to evoke Pee…
Though over the years there had been much speculation about an Os Mutantes reunion concert, such an event would not happen until almost 30 years after the breakup of their final lineup in 1978. In fall 2006, three of the band’s original members (brothers Arnaldo and Sergio Dias Baptista, plus…
Dallas has no shortage of decent record stores, from Good Records to CD Source to CD World to Bill’s. (Though, honestly, I haven’t darkened Bill’s door since he charged me damn near $20 for a Pearl Jam single in 1994. I’ve always believed in price tags, after all, even at…
Fans of deafening reverb and swirling guitars rejoiced when enigmatic My Bloody Valentine frontman Kevin Shields announced this month that his band (which has been dormant since 1995) was reactivating to release a new album and play a handful of gigs. This announcement came only a few weeks after another…
When Electric Six released its first album, Fire, in 2003, the band hoped to indulge in-the-closet spastic dancers and record-store geeks with a blend of cock-rock guitars, Turbonegro humor and disco-synth beats. Much to lead singer Dick Valentine’s surprise, though, the Detroit rockers are worshipped as idols in the land…
Cary Brothers isn’t a household name yet, but it’s been pretty hard to escape his music ever since his acoustic ballad “Blue Eyes” appeared on the Grammy-winning soundtrack to 2004’s Garden State. In the interim, Brothers has released two EPs, and his folksy pop has served as the emotional backdrop…
