How Will The Happy Bullets Make Out?

Yesterday, over on FrontBurner, we saw a post by former Observer music editor Zac Crain, purporting that The Happy Bullets (who have a history of making some great videos) were going to attempt to break the world record for most people making out in one place at one time during…

Swim Swim is is Back Back… Maybe Maybe

Early in 2007, a group of young men out of Plano formed a band called Swim Swim and released I’m So Glad That I’m an Island, a wonderful, but grossly neglected collection of indie pop that should have made local heroes out of Jeremy Aulden, Mike Brady and Jason Bailey…

Florene’s ‘Transphysic Galactic Jam’ Gets Trans-Atlantic Plug

Another Denton-reppin’ experimental band got some love from overseas. This time it’s Florene, which caught the ear of No Pain In Pop, a London record label and music blog. The duo’s “Room 5” was yesterday’s featured download track. NPIP’s Tom King described the group’s music as “soothing and balming, melting…

David “Fathead” Newman Has Died at 75

Josh Alan Friedman, who penned an amazing piece about the Texas Tenor for the paper version of Unfair Park long ago, brings sad news today: Corsicana-born, Dallas-raised sax great David “Fathead” Newman died yesterday. There’s only been one obituary, but a call to David’s wife and manager Karen offers further…

Hey Hollywood Is Now Companion

Jonathan Goetsch As I alluded to last week in Good Friday, Hey Hollywood has, in fact, officially changed its name. The new name, which comes with some new-ish players on bass and guitar (and, with them, a new sound) is Companion. And what of the new sound? Well, it’s still…

Today In Music News: 50 Cent Mocks Kanye, Daft Punk Loves Obama

Your daily dose of national hip-hop news for Wednesday, January 21, 2009… Hip-hop beefs are nothing new–they’ve been around for years. But it seems that 50 Cent has now taken to creating controversies as his promotional tool. He still seems to think that Kanye West is his adversary for some reason,…

Doug Burr To Tour Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas With Son Volt

Just got word from Lance Yocom at Spune Productions that Denton’s own Doug Burr has been tapped to open up for Jay Farrar’s Uncle Tupelo offshoot, Son Volt, on a five-day, five-city swing in February that will take Burr and the alt-country legends to Houston, Austin, Denton, Oklahoma City and…

You Can Blame Barney For The Area Tween Star Glut.

Or so one can glean from the Associated Press piece, datelined in Carrollton, that ran in the Morning News and in countless other outlets this past weekend. (No big deal, but we’ve already covered this ground, AP! Only, well, not so gushingly…) This piece, which compares Barney to The Mickey…

The New York Times Runs An Obituary On Clint Ballard, Jr.

The New York Times has an obituary today on Clint Ballard, Jr., who died on December 23. 2008.Ballard, a longtime Dallas and Denton resident, wrote a number of hit songs, including Linda Ronstadt’s No. 1 hit single, “You’re No Good.” His death comes two and a half years after he…

Angela Morley Dead At 84

Morley didn’t pen the Dallas theme–that was this guy–but the transexual composer and conductor (born Wally Scott) did receive an Emmy nomination for scoring a few Dallas episodes, says this Variety obituary…

Wanna Have Dinner With Ben Kweller?

It’s cool if you do–the Greenville native is quite willing to join you, actually. Pre-order his new Changing Horses disc, and, in addition to getting some autographed merch just for doing so, you’ll also be entered into a competition where you could either earn more free merch or, potentially, a…