Four years ago, local musician Barry Huebner had an idea to have Dallasites wield guitars in public. In a tongue-in-cheek protest of Texas’ open-carry gun laws, he called it an Open Carry Guitar Rally. Four years later, the event is still drawing support. The next Open Carry Guitar Rally takes…
Theresa “T” Barksdale considers herself a diehard Stevie Ray Vaughan fan. Her back is decorated with a mural to the late Texas guitarist. The ink has personal significance: She and her older brother, who died last year, designed it. She still remembers him sharing the recordings of Vaughan igniting his…
Frank Turner opens for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit at the Bomb Factory on Saturday, Sept. 23. Fort Worth recording studio Niles City Sound, founded in 2014, is best known for launching local talent Leon Bridges into the celebrity stratosphere when it recorded his debut LP, Coming Home. But…
Texas Theatre and the Wild Detectives are bosom buddies. Which is why it could have been awkward when the Oak Cliff venues found out they were both planning concerts on the same night and vying for the same opener, local psych pop band Midnight Opera. Instead of hosting competing events,…
Harvey relief efforts continue with a statewide benefit event that makes a couple of local appearances. A November event will discuss and celebrate Texas innovators as local musicians provide the tunes. The Grateful Dead machine rolls through town right before the holidays, and club venues lock in some nice additions…
September is a busy month for the Toadies. The Dallas-based band kicked off a 47-date, 29-state tour Sept. 6 that has them crisscrossing the U.S. until early November. Two days later, they released their new album, The Lower Side of Uptown, via Kirtland Records. It’s the follow up to 2015’s…
Jason Isbell plays Bomb Factory on Saturday, Sept. 23 Jason Isbell lived in the blood-red South for all of his 38 years and has no plans to leave, even though he’s a Democrat and the father of a mixed-race daughter in a “white man’s world,” to borrow the title from the…
Yung Cloud is part of a new generation of DJs and promoters who have been making waves in Dallas. He’s affiliated with Prime, a local club promoter, and frequently appears at residencies showcasing local artists Sugar Free and Lolo. He’s an admitted bass music junkie always searching for the latest…
The life and legacy of Bill Ellison will be honored tonight at the Granada Theater, where Ellison spent many nights capturing performances with his camera. Ellison died last month after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64. He left a vast collection of his photographs on his Flickr…
After taking a few years off from recording, Dallas native Annie Clark announced last week that she will release her fifth solo album as St. Vincent, Masseduction, on Oct. 13. It will be her second pop-rock album for label Loma Vista, also home to icons Iggy Pop and Marilyn Manson, and…
Mable Peabody’s Beauty Parlor and Chainsaw Repair, Denton’s only LGBTQ+ bar, shuttered its doors and windows after a final night of drinks and music Sept. 4. The bar owners made no official announcement before closing. Rumors that the small bar with a big personality would cease operations appeared on Mable…
Skate or Die Fest is from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at Gas Monkey Live. With all of the local music festivals — Homegrown, IndexFest, Spillover, Fortress Fest, Oaktopia and JMBLYA, to name just a few — it’s possible that North Texans have too many to choose from. Organizers…
Tears of Silver plays Good Records on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Ken Stringfellow has pretty much done it all. He’s played stadiums and festivals as a co-founding member of the power pop band the Posies and a touring member of R.E.M. and Big Star; he’s also worked as a solo artist…
Sturgill Simpson with Fantastic Negrito Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie Friday, Sept. 8, 2017 First things first: Sturgill Simpson is a great lead guitarist. Letting the audience know that he doesn’t need hotshot Estonian Telecaster master Laur Joamets seemed to be Simpson’s primary concern at Friday night’s show. Joamets and…
Laurence Scott had low expectations when he contacted the Kessler Theater artistic director Jeff Liles asking if his alt-country rockabilly band could play a show there. “We said, ‘We have a new album coming out, can we play a show for you.’” It was a bold move. After 30 years,…
Tim Kasher plays Alamo Drafthouse Cedars on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Whether it’s with his indie rock bands Cursive or the Good Life or in his solo work, Tim Kasher writes lyrics that have a cinematic quality. Now he’s taken a step into the film world with his first feature, No…
This week in concert news, the Granada Theater offers a bevy of concert showcases from some top local performers while welcoming in a jangle-pop favorite. The Kessler Theater loads up with a trio of not-to-miss shows. A Christian-rock-themed Harvey benefit comes to Grand Prairie, and James Mercer brings his latest…
Ben Folds plays House of Blues on Friday, Sept. 15. Throwing a paper plane during a piano performance would normally be bad etiquette. But at Ben Folds’ concert next week, it’s expected. The singer will spend half of the show taking requests written on slips of paper and thrown onto…
The 200 to 500 block of Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff possess some of the most familiar sights in the city of Dallas, such as the giant, plastic cow on top of the Charco Broiler Steak House, the black raven on the former home of Raven’s Pharmacy and the star-studded…
Brian Knolley has spent nearly three decades in the trenches of Dallas’ house music scene. He can be seen laying down sides as part of the Our House crew or as a guest at parties all over the city. Knolley’s experience comes through with every needle drop, every mix, every…
Hall Johnson is a fledgling indie rock band from Colleyville, but if you visit its Facebook page, you’ll see that its local presence is pretty small. It has 82 “likes” and no upcoming shows announced. On Spotify, though? You get the idea it’s one of DFW’s hottest new bands. Hall Johnson…
Bucks Burnett has met most of his music idols. In this column he shares tales from the front lines and backstage. On July 13, 1973, I discovered my new favorite band, Queen, when I purchased its first album at Hit Records in Oak Cliff. For three months, Creem magazine had…
