If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Erykah Badu must be blushing right now. Back in 2007, she released a music video for the song “Honey” in which she peruses a record store, pulling iconic records off the racks in which she’s worked herself into the cover artwork…
The Observer needs a part-time clubs editor. The job includes: — Data entry to keep our clubs listings current and managing the Dallas Observer concert calendar. — Processing reader-submitted calendar items. — Writing brief descriptions for notable concerts. Ideal candidates will be familiar with local concert venues, but all talented…
For almost a decade and a half, Chris Rodriguez — better known as C Rod — has been a staple in the local music scene as a musician, producer and DJ. C Rod is most often aligned with Dallas house music, but his depth of knowledge casts a wider net…
What is a “Glorp”? The legends are hazy, but the story goes that Charles Knowles, in a state of alcohol-induced clairvoyance, sent a noble Snapchat message containing the mystic word. From there, it was only a matter of time before he and his roommate, Keelan Tollefson, named their home studio…
Lars Warn brings a wealth of deep track knowledge that is well beyond his ears to the production and DJ table. Warn’s versatility comes from an exploratory nature that has found him spinning in a variety of niche genres. From the earliest days of proper dubstep to the deepest reaches of…
Is Alex Trebek an Old 97’s fan? The jury is still out on that one, but this much we do know: Monday’s episode of Jeopardy! gave a shout out to Dallas’ favorite cow punk — uh, alt country — band, and it was a pretty cool nod to Rhett Miller and…
Oaktopia Festival is heading into its third year in 2015, which means it’s about time for things to get serious. Last year the upstart Denton festival upped its game in a serious way, bringing in artists like Aesop Rock, Immortal Technique and Neon Indian for three days of music in…
Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughan have had to do a lot of waiting. They had to wait 25 years for the blues guitar legend to be inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame — an honor that the late Texan finally received earlier this year. For fans in Dallas…
Kung Fu Saloon isn’t admitting it discriminated against anyone, but it has agreed to takes its lumps. The bar and arcade chain has been dogged by multiple accusations of ethnic discrimination over the past five years, including several at its Dallas location in Uptown. Earlier this year, the accusations led…
Quad Fifty is the techno/bass alias for Ernesto Izard. As a member of the DJ crew The Guild, Izard has been holding down sets informed by a deep knowledge of electronic and experimental music. His two decades exploring the outer edges of the electronic trenches gives him a distinct advantage in…
Erykah Badu can still remember when she first found the rhythm of music. She was four years old in South Dallas, watching her great grandmother play piano in church. It was an upright piano, and she would kick the bottom of it like a kick drum while she played. Almost…
Last week’s supreme court ruling on same sex marriage was a historic moment for the United States. It was a watershed ruling that generations of people fought hard to achieve, meaning society is just a little bit closer to equality. But here in Texas, where politicians are still trying to…
From the moment the Timescape Music and Arts Festival was announced, there was a touch of the dream world about it. The festival, slated to take place at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 18, was supposed to function as a sort of art installation, divided into three distinct…
Leave it to Erykah Badu to throw out a surprise like this. The last time we saw the high priestess of Dallas soul, it was on opening night at The Bomb Factory, where she played a marathon set for her hometown crowd to help christen the (sorta) new room in…
As a member of the Our House Crew, Johnny Leake is at the forefront of the house music scene in Dallas. DJing sets around town on fairly regular basis, Leake and his cohorts have thrown some of the better underground parties in Dallas. Driven by a deep love of house music, Leake plays…
Leon Bridges has had a lot of big weeks in the course of the last six months or so, but this one has been one of the biggest. Today, in fact, is a particular milestone day for the Fort Worth singer, as his debut album for Columbia Record, Coming Home,…
That escalated quickly. Early last week, North Carolina rapper J. Cole announced a new run of his Dollar and a Dream concerts, whereby fans can see him play for only $1. The kickoff for the tour would be none other than Dallas. The only catch? The location of the show…
Jantzen “Jedi” Ray is nothing if not resilient. His Internet-only radio station, Deep Ellum on Air, has gone through several changes of scenery in its five years of existence, including a run that forced his girlfriend to hide in a closet. (We’ll explain that in a bit.) But he’s always…
Believe it or not, J. Cole is one of the most sought after rappers today. His latest album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, sold over 350, 000 copies in its first week after being announced just three weeks prior with a minuscule amount of promotion in terms of what you’d expect…
Aleah Axiom’s passion for techno is intoxicating. As a music blogger, college radio DJ and club DJ she has spread the word of the technology laced genre to any and all that will listen. Outside of performing, that passion has manifested itself through her writing and interviews on the Robotic…
Since its founding, Billy Bob’s Texas has been known around the globe as the world’s largest honky tonk. It has always been a place to drink beer, do a little line dancing and catch a show, but only Texans and the artists that play at this legendary venue know its…
It’s been a while. It’s been a long while. The last time that Belle and Sebastian played Dallas was even longer ago than the last time Jack White played here — which is saying something. By our count, it’s been almost a decade. But that’s about to change this August,…
