Record Store Day 2018 is nigh upon us. Now in its 11th year, RSD is the musically drenched holiday when you and all your friends become John Cusack in High Fidelity. No matter your taste in music, odds are there’s a record coming out that day that will tickle your…
Bobby Sessions’ career as a major label artist at Def Jam has begun. Last week, the Dallas rapper released his first single, “Like Me,” and it has received rave reviews from NPR and Pitchfork. The track addresses the climate of racial injustice in America, both past and present. It’s a…
The bags of mulch in the front yard for new flower beds resemble any ol’ house in the suburbs. It’s a nice red brick home, and the subdivision has one of those typical names, like Canyon Lakes, Dove Ridge or Grand Oaks. Do not judge a book by its cover…
On Saturday, independent record stores worldwide will celebrate the 11th annual Record Store Day, a holiday aimed at crate-diggers and the overall record store atmosphere. It has become an opportunity for musicians of all kinds to do in-store performances while customers scour for hard-to-find exclusives. According to the 2018 Recording…
It is hard to overlook what The New Yorker once called “The Perplexing Whiteness of Country Music.” It’s nothing less than a phenomenon. Sometimes called “the white man’s blues,” country music has been influenced by many cultures. But, like most of history, its past seems whitewashed, keeping major influences hidden…
Pedro Gonzalez Jr. has been fighting the good fight behind the decks for over two decades under his alias, DJ PriestTD. Although his roots are deepest in hip-hop, he is versatile in a variety of genres, like any veteran DJ. Much of that versatility came from digging for the source…
During the past four years, Gavin Mulloy has been synonymous with Trees and The Bomb Factory. Doing marketing for two of the best venues in Deep Ellum, he seemed to be staying put, given the quality of the shows and their turnouts. But he dropped some big news Monday: He…
Everything seems to be falling into place for smooth-singing local country singer Jessica McVey. In the next month, you might see her playing her debut single, “John Deere in the Headlights,” at places like End Zone Bar in Deep Ellum or Z Grill in Flower Mound. Just a few years…
It’s been 15 years since Opening Bell Coffee, originally known as Standard & Pours Coffee & Stocks, opened its doors to the public. Pascale Hall, founder of the coffee shop and music destination, says the shop has made an impact on local artists and has given the community a place…
The DJ life is a tough haul for anyone. But as in most male-dominated professions, female DJs have to walk an extra mile that their male counterparts rarely — if ever — have to worry about. Despite the different standards, the industry is filled with powerful female DJs like Nina…
We’re not here to harp on someone’s age, but it can be sobering when a musician younger than 21 is kicking ass while we sit in our cubicles wondering where we went wrong in life. Here are some of the best. Caleb Lewis is the 20-year-old wunderkind guitar virtuoso and…
Alex Kidd is a globe-trotting DJ who recently moved to Dallas from South Africa. Kidd was lured to the area at a time when the international club scene is taking interested in Dallas. With a string of releases and a three-decade career, Kidd looks to make Dallas his new home…
The Dallas Observer is proud to premiere the video for Salim Nourallah’s “The Bullies Are Back.” His double-album, Somewhere South of Sane, will be released this fall on Palo Santo Records. Nourallah will also DJ the Palo Santo Showcase at the Armoury D.E. on April 28. As gun violence, political…
It takes a lot to make it in the music business. Sure, you need musical ability and stage presence and, you know, talent. But you also need to know how to self-promote. You need an image. That’s were Phantom City Records comes in. The Dallas-based record company wants to help…
Last week, XXL launched its Vote for the 10th Spot campaign, allowing fans to make the decision on who receives the 10th and final spot on the 2018 Freshman Class — the publication’s annual much-talked-about list of 10 up-and-coming rappers that XXL believes are the next big stars in hip-hop…
Six Shooter is a recurring feature in which we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians. Leon Bridges — “Bad Bad News” March delivered all the news Leon Bridges fans have been clamoring for. Fort Worth’s soulful crooner will be releasing his sophomore album, Good Thing, on May 4. He…
If you’re a musician and are not worried that a court recently upheld the verdict on “Blurred Lines,” you should be. In 2015, after a couple of years of back-and-forth lawsuits, Marvin Gaye’s family won a copyright infringement lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. The Gaye family believed Thicke’s…
Don’t shun hip-hop. Give local musicians some money. Help them figure out how to fill out city paperwork. Generally, behave less like bureaucrats. Those are some of the messages members of the Dallas music scene delivered to Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs as the city prepares to write its first…
Every musician started somewhere. And that was most likely in a garage playing music with friends. It’s that first project that fuels the delusion that music is someone’s ticket to the big time or, more modestly, an excuse to just hang with friends. More often than not, someone’s first band…
Although he’s a hip-hop legend, Talib Kweli has a humble demeanor. That was apparent Tuesday night when he stopped by Spinster Records in Oak Cliff for a meet-and-greet session organized by producer J. Rhodes before Kweli’s performance at Trees. Those in attendance witnessed Kweli’s humility in real time as he arrived…
Amy Payan is the name on her birth certificate. She’s has been on the front lines of the vinyl resurgence, slinging vinyl at Josey Records since it opened its doors three years ago. In an environment surrounded by DJ veterans and librarian-esque music nerds, Josey Records has given Payan access…
Musicians take gigs from almost anywhere. Want them to play in a dirty old bar? Of course they will. Need a musician for your company’s fundraising event? They will play it. What about a bassist who will show up on time to church service every Sunday morning to play songs…
