The word “hippie” has been used to describe the sound and style of the indie music phenomenon Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros so often in reviews and profiles that it’s now a suggested search term on Google. Of course, it’s too narrow a description for the freewheeling folk rock…
R.L. Griffin is standing outside his Blues Palace, a squat beige building a few tattered blocks from Fair Park. A sign in the parking lot touts “Blues Palace II: Live Entertainment,” and without it there would be no way to tell from the street what you might find inside, unless…
Spanning fifty years, the musical career of John Mayall has been as fascinating and influential as just about anyone in the history of rock. In late 1963, Mayall formed the first incarnation of the Bluesbreakers, a legendary outfit that featured a revolving cast of players that included the likes of…
Better Than Ezra hits town on Friday at the House of Blues. Sure, they’ll play a usual set, but beforehand, they’re hosting a casino night in the venue’s Cambridge Room. There, you’ll find an open table and buffet, casino games and an acoustic set by the band. It’s a charity…
As Nevada Hill paints a large mural on the eastern wall of Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, a giant heart in the middle whose many arteries extend all around it and each connect to its own building, he is coated in sunscreen and flecks of paint, and he is wearing a…
Who the hell is Danko Jones? “We’re just a hard rock band from Toronto,” he says. Yet, something in his radio friendly voice hints at a deeper meaning behind a man who shares a name with Danko Reproductions, a custom body shop; Emile Danko, a fictional Homeland security agent; and…
Twenty years ago, The Backstreet Boys were unleashed on an unsuspecting American public and the “boy band” phenomenon was officially under way. Inspired partly by the great doo-wop groups of the ’50s and partly by the R&B of the ’90s, Nick Carter and the rest of the boys were quickly…
Blazing through guitar riffs on stages across Texas isn’t something an average 15-year-old does. But Tyler Tallant of Keller/Fort Worth area isn’t your average teenager. He’s someone whose passion for music causes him to spend most of his waking hours mastering the craft of guitar playing. And his constant practicing…
Imagine a time in Dallas when Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, the Cars and Elvis Costello could all be found without sneaking past a team of security guards or purchasing a $200 VIP pass. It’s a time when every major record label in Dallas not only pushed records like drug dealers,…
Lance Lopez is a blues talent unlike any other working today. He spent much of his childhood here in Dallas before moving to New Orleans, where he launched a career that includes mentorship from Billy Gibbons. You can read more about Lopez in this week’s music feature, but we didn’t…
Dallas’s own locally-run ticketing company, Prekindle, is movin’ on up to the Deep Ellum side. The four-year-old company has officially opened their new headquarters at 2528 Elm St., in arts-and-venue-packed Deep Ellum. Since Prekindle’s founding by co-owners and former band mates Dave Howard and Pete Swulius, the company has started…
No other family of music artists like the forebears of this legendary name – Hank Williams – have captured the heart of what it means to be a country outlaw, a Southern rebel, a despicable bastard in the eyes of our more uppity brothers and sisters. Three generations of this…
It wasn’t long ago that live music shots were, while certainly appreciated by the bands, just a nice nuance for local musicians to get. With online socializing skyrocketing, photography as well as video have become crucial tools for a band at any level. We’re lucky to have a pretty good…
Today marks one month since I took over as your Dallas Observer Clubs Editor. Among other things, I maintain our extensive concert calendar, and I’ve learned very quickly what a big job it is. With so much amazing live music going on in this city every week, it can be…
Dallas is home to one of the richest religious music scenes in the country. Over the summer, we’ll be attending services, both big and small, of many denominations, as well talking to musicians , directors and pastors. Here at DC9 at Night, we’ve covered many churches this summer, but none…
Artists choose to write shockingly upsetting music for a number of reasons: To express extreme emotions or to provoke a visceral response in listeners or say something about a particular issue or for the shock itself. Sometimes, they’re presented as true story warnings, as in Bushwick Bill’s “Ever So Clear.”…
Kim Lenz and the Jaguars play old school rockabilly with a fire and passion that is often missing from the hordes of retro-shtick, dress up cover bands that plague many music scenes. With a campy sense of humor and a ferocious persona, Lenz is a visual and musical magnet. Although…
In 1996, Dallas’ Old 97’s played a few songs with Waylon Jennings in Nashville. Those songs never saw the light of day until Record Store Day this year, when they came out as a limited-release 7″. But now, Omnivore Recordings will be giving the two songs a wide release, along…
In July 2011, Fort Worth musician Josh Weathers dedicated a cover of Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” to his mother. It is world-class diva quality. Kessler Artistic Director Jeff Liles recorded it, and posted it on YouTube. This Tuesday, more than two years later, reddit user…
It’s time once again to start work on the Dallas Observer Music Awards — the city’s only opportunity to win a drinkable trophy*. This year’s award ceremony will be held on November 5, and the Music Showcase that accompanies it will be the Saturday before that: November 2. There will…
From Keith Richards and his swagger to Jimmy Page with his operatic solos, sexy guitarists have been dominating our minds for more than four decades now, causing fans to riot as if the guitarist itself exuded something magical. In the ’50s, Beatle-mania forced police to wear riot gear while thousands…
Earlier, we told you about the sudden, rapid expansion of Oliver Peck’s Elm Street festival. This year, Reverend Horton Heat is onboard and helping curate five days of music at three venues in Deep Ellum from September 11 to 15. Today, the full schedule has been announced. It’s below, with…
