Critic's Notebook

In the past few years, Decks in the Park has become a staple of the Dallas summer music schedule. Each free event brings thousands of people out to listen to music in the open air. Jeff Mitchell is the DJ behind the concept and the party. He grew up in…

Brett Eldredge plays Starplex on Sept. 23. Earlier this month, country superstar and heartthrob Brett Eldredge released his self-titled third album, a 12-song effort chronicling platonic and romantic love, heartbreak and his current outlook on love. He’s on tour with Luke Bryan, and they’ll be stopping in Dallas on Sept…

Last fall, we told you that Liquid Lounge, the small stage inside Curtain Club, was closing. Now we know what’s opening in its place: a bar called Will Call. Liquid Lounge has been a feature of the Main Street music venue since it opened in ’98, but the owners decided…

Buzz for local rapper Blue, The Misfit’s sophomore album, Perfect Night for a Funeral, began building last September after he hosted a listening party at the Alamo Drafthouse. Nearly a year passed before the album was delivered to the public — Blue said there were holdups with the nonmusic aspects of…

The Starfest Music Festival announcements just keep coming. Last Friday, the festival said Lone Star Park would be its new home after the city of Plano terminated its contract with the pop-up festival. Yesterday, rumors circulated that the Sept. 8 and 9 dates would have to be changed to accommodate…

Charley Pride’s career spans more than five decades and includes three Grammy wins and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, so it’s meaningful when he says that his most recent album is a crowning achievement. Music in My Heart, released last month, is Pride’s first studio album since…

Last month, when we looked at Spotify’s map of the most popular songs in our region, we kept seeing one name over and over again: Cody Johnson. In Richardson, three out of the top five songs belonged to Johnson: “Wild as You,” “Dance Her Home” and “Me and My Kind.”…

Starfest’s doom has seemed certain since news spread yesterday that the city of Plano had terminated its contract to lease Oak Point Park. Even if organizers were able to pull together a lineup last minute — missing contracts were the reason Plano backed out — they’d have to overcome a…

City and Colour plays House of Blues on Friday, Aug. 25. Dallas Green made the leap into performing full time in the city that shares his name. He was on tour with his metal-tinged hardcore band, Alexisonfire, and decided to do something impulsive to mark the occasion. “I got my…

Shania Twain is back! Katy Perry gets a Dallas opening act. Plus, The Bomb Factory brings some exciting news with new announcements from the worlds of hip-hop and emo. Three legendary singers and vital activists team up for a benefit concert at the Majestic Theatre. And the local clubs keep…

The city of Plano terminated its contract this morning with pop-up music festival Starfest, scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 8 at Oak Point Park, saying only that “the cancellation of this contract is in the best interest of the city and our community.” The Dallas Observer has obtained copies…

For the last two decades, Joe MxMind has been active in all aspects of DFW DJ culture: behind the decks, in front of the decks, promoting other DJs on the decks and broadcasting DJs by way of his active sessions.fm online radio station. MxMind is driven by a deep appreciation…

Ride for Dime has yet to announce its annual celebration and ride in memory of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, but it hasn’t stopped local bands from coming together to celebrate the late guitarist on his birthday this weekend at The Rail Club.

Seether plays House of Blues on Thursday, Aug. 17. South African rock band Seether has changed its sound more than once. When you’ve been around as long as it has — almost 20 years — you have to if you want to stay relevant. The post-grunge trio’s latest album finds…

“Mic check. Test one, two. Check one, two.” Mark Pirro’s voice squawks to life from the speakers at a workstation inside the workshop and factory where he designs, produces and distributes small-batch microphones. In the East Dallas building that serves as the home of Placid Audio, he and a handful…

Many talented recording artists call Dallas-Fort Worth home, but who sells best? We asked 10 local record stores which local artists fly off their shelves fastest. Chief Records 140 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth Since Laura Croy opened Chief Records in 2014, she has sold plenty of local music from…

Alice Cooper and Deep Purple play Starplex Pavillion on Saturday, Aug. 19. It’s been almost two years since the surviving members of the Alice Cooper group re-formed for an in-store performance at Good Records, and people are still talking about it. Two songs from the eight-song set came out on…

At Globe Life Park, just a couple of hours before the first pitch of the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers game, musician and baseball enthusiast Jack White announced he and his partners in baseball bat company Warstic are opening their first brick and mortar store in Deep Ellum. The store…

It began with a playlist and a goal to reduce reliance on antipsychotic drugs. Dan Cohen always believed that music could “open a back door” to the brain, but when he surveyed the more than 16,000 long-term care facilities in the U.S., he discovered that none utilized any form of…

Athus F. Delima was born in Brazil, but he considers Dallas home. That’s why he’s excited that the U.S. Navy Band Cruisers, for which he plays bass, has decided to make Dallas one of the 14 stops on its tour. The Cruisers visit the Arboretum this afternoon. “Performing in Dallas…

Six Shooter is a recurring feature in which we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians. Tay-K 47 – “The Race” In an odd turn of events, 17-year-old Taymor McIntyre has become an internet sensation because of the events surrounding the release of this video June 30. Before that…