Critic's Notebook

If you were up late last night Googling that weird rash on your foot or reading conspiracy theories, you already know what we’re about to tell you: Google Doodle is all about iconic Mexican-American pop singer Selena Quintanilla. Twenty-eight years ago, Quintanilla — who grew up in Lake Jackson and…

For many people, landing a job at Google is the job of a lifetime. Steven Markowitz left his job at Google in 2011. Markowitz, who goes by the stage name Hoodie Allen, has since had a No. 1 album on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart, and he released his third studio…

Dan’s Silverleaf hosted the 20th Rock Lottery on Saturday night in Denton. The concept has remained consistent for two decades, but it has taken place in a number of cities. Musicians met at Dan’s on Saturday morning for breakfast and to throw their hats in the ring for a lottery that…

A Dallas artist has helped the Toadies create a new animated music video a month after the release of their latest album, The Lower Side of Uptown. When The Toadies approached Clay Stinnett to illustrate the track “Broke Down Stupid,” the band’s singer, Vaden Todd Lewis, had an idea in…

Joan Baez and others play the Majestic Theater on Sunday, Oct. 15.  At 76, Joan Baez remains a vital voice in music. A pioneer in the folk genre, she’s been open about her political leanings since the early ’60s. She’s on a joint tour with Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, James…

The drum and bass scene in Dallas has a fire underneath it, and Jumbii Soul is just one example. Jumbii Soul is a collaboration between DJs and producers BigESoul and Jumbii. For this week’s Observer mixtape, they’re in full-blown drum and bass mode although their music backgrounds have led them to…

While Denton music fans mourn Oaktopia’s move to Deep Ellum, a group of local musicians and music lovers is preparing to bring a new festival to town. Backyard Block Party is set for Nov. 17-18 at popular bar and music venue Backyard on Bell. “The Denton scene is banding together…

Dallas rapper Jui$e Leroy saunters through the corridors of Arlington’s Ben Thanh Plaza and Asian Market, backed by dusty piano keys and crunchy snares, and draped in a royal blue tunic suit and shimmering chains. This is the setting of Leroy’s latest music video, “Exquisite,” which doubles as the lead…

Spoon plays House of Blues on Thursday, Oct. 12. You probably think of Britt Daniel as an Austin guy. After all, it’s where he co-founded the longstanding indie-rock band Spoon with drummer Jim Eno in the ’90s. But Daniel has just as many ties to Dallas. Not only did Spoon find…

After Sound on Sound lost a major investor, talent buyer Graham Williams was forced to pull the plug on the second year of the Austin music festival just five weeks before 73 acts were scheduled to descend upon the Sherwood Forest. “We are extremely saddened to announce today that Sound…

If your itch for hard rock was to be scratched Thursday at the Toyota Music Factory, we have some bad news. Due to “severe laryngitis” suffered by Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine, the band has canceled the rest of its Crazy World tour with Megadeth. And that includes Thursday’s show at…

During live tapings of Ja’Cory King’s podcast, things can get a little tense. King, who goes by Hollywood Kas, recalls a particularly impassioned debate during a taping at Deep Ellum’s Drugstore Cowboy. “I remembering thinking, ‘This feels like a fight,'” he says. The source of the conflict was King’s assertion…

We’re in the midst of the busiest season of the year for live music. If you’re prone to heading out multiple nights a week to see concerts, you’re faced with difficult choices; Dallas clubs and theaters have been packed with great acts. Despite a dip this week in the number…

An offer to audition for the role of Prince in a movie would be a dream come true for any funk aficionado, but when Dallas-based musician Ronnie Heart got the email, he didn’t respond at first. A friend had seen an open call for actors by AMS Pictures and tagged…

If you ever danced at the early ’90s hotspot S.O.A., you may remember Dee Empty; he’s been behind decks in Dallas for more than two decades. In recent years, Dee Empty has been a member of Tree House Collective, with which he spins bass-heavy house music. As a DJ, he…

Dead Flowers play Three Links on Saturday, Nov. 4.  When Dead Flowers released their second LP, His Blues, in 2014, they planned to keep releasing a new record every year. That scheduled proved a bit too ambitious, but the four-piece rock band’s third record is finally coming out, with a…

South Dallas’ Pearl C. Anderson middle school has been closed for more than four years. Its abandoned, vandalized state serves as a picturesque backdrop for the new music video for Dallas rapper Buffalo Black’s single “American Colors.” The video, directed by Nick Melita of Cinderblock Studio, poignantly illustrates Buffalo Black’s…

Dallas-based artist Myloh Remora dropped something special last week: a 27-minute hip-hop track containing an astonishing 776 bars of rapping. “Strictly 4 My Loved Ones” is a statement that introduces listeners to one of the city’s great unknown talents. Remora raps about the cruel march of time, the psychological burden…

It’s officially training season. Pre-sale for tickets to the 2017 Dallas Observer Music Awards showcase went on sale at 10 a.m. here, and the means it’s time to start stretching. We all need to be in fighting shape so that come Dec. 2, we can keep up a steady pace…

Marilyn Manson’s sweet dreams turned to nightmares Saturday when a large prop from the rock singer’s touring stage show fell on him during a performance at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, bringing an abrupt end to the show. As news of the accident spread, some Dallasites wondered if Manson…

Texas country musician Josh Abbott was among the performers on the Sunday lineup of Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas. Around 4 p.m., Josh Abbott Band played a set promoting its new album, Until My Voice Goes Out. Afterward, Abbott, who is from Lubbock, retired to a room at…