In a scene that can easily become overrun with the same look and same sound repeated ad nauseam, Dallas-based band The Roommates breaks boundaries. The band consists of Mallory McAdams on lead vocals and guitar; Lonnie Shields on bass and backup vocals; Marisa Saltzgiver on drums; and Jesse Johnson on…
Oklahoma psychedelic rock behemoths the Flaming Lips have aged to be the envy of almost every artist within the genre, for reasons that vary between flawless albums like Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and the fact that the band has stayed in the mainstream eye for over 25 years. Given…
North Texas, along with the rest of the world, was rocked to its core on Sunday following reports of the untimely death of NBA Icon Kobe Bryant. The 41-year-old retired Los Angeles Laker, along with his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna Marie-Onroe Bryant and seven other passengers were killed in a Helicopter…
This Sunday, the event that the Recording Academy calls “Music’s Biggest Night” took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and while DFW artists enjoyed a gratuitous spotlight just like last year, actual Grammy recipients from our neck of the woods were few and far between. The most prolific of…
This week, K-Pop phenomenon BTS announced they will be making a stop in Dallas with a performance at the Cotton Bowl on May 5. It’s time to give the world of Korean pop, known as K-Pop, the recognition it deserves. Whether or not you’re a fan of the genre, there’s…
Remember those nights when you stayed up with your friends watching music videos on MTV? Kids today will never know the frustration of the pre-internet days, when we had to wait for our favorite songs to come alive on the big screen (well, a screen bigger than the one on…
One would imagine that looking out into the audience from the stage inside the Meyerson Symphony Center must be daunting, even for the most self-assured performer. The concert hall seats over 2,000 people who, on a sold-out night, would be spread out across four levels, all the way up to…
Robert Ellis — a singer-songwriter born in Houston, briefly situated in Nashville, now calling Austin home — is deeply fond of Fort Worth. Appreciative of the city’s relaxed pace and its cultural fixtures, like the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Ellis also cites Niles City Sound and his longstanding…
The sound of trap music is not going anywhere soon, but do you remember what hip-hop used to sound like with the mix of drums and soul samples? Dallas recording artist Samsonyte is here to flip the script on the “Hip-Hop Is Dead” era. The underground hip-hop and rap scene…
“Oh, my God! Thank you, Jesus! God is so good! I love God!” This is Taylor Morgan, recounting the jubilation she felt after planning a successful event. Morgan, who’s 30, plans jam sessions. She plans benefit concerts. Sometimes she sings. And she prays. She prays in her car. She prays…
In 2018, when Mac Miller (born Malcolm McCormick) passed away from an accidental drug overdose, I had been immersed in his fifth studio album, Swimming. I was teaching at the time, chasing around my own kids and, generally, carrying on in a mom-ish way, despite what my playlist might suggest. I…
In case you’ve been detached from the music industry gossip of late, Justin Bieber tried to get his new single, “Yummy,” to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but unbeknownst to the Biebs and his team, a California rapper by the name of Roddy Ricch took the…
The Monks are the best band you’ve never heard of. These trailblazers were serving up a visionary, singular sound back in the 1960s, but the world wasn’t ready for them yet. Sadly, three-fifths of the group have moved on to rock out in heaven, with this Friday marking the 12th…
For a couple of decades now, Eleven Hundred Springs has been one of greatest country bands in North Texas, if not the absolute best, that is. Winners of a fair share of Dallas Observer Music Awards through the years, the Matt Hillyer-led honky-tonk crew has yet another album, its ninth…
For two years, Dallas native Kitti Jones says she was subject to physical abuse, sexual coercion and emotional manipulation at the hands of R&B singer R. Kelly. Last January, Lifetime premiered Surviving R. Kelly, a six-part docuseries in which several of the disgraced star’s alleged victims came forward, detailing the…
You may not have heard of Jean Caffeine before, but you’d be a lot cooler if you had. Caffeine is a true punk rock original who earned her moniker slamming down cappuccinos in the office of San Francisco’s legendary fanzine Search & Destroy as she glued together its iconic layouts…
Tony Ferraro never stops. The prolific Denton-based musician delivers art at a dizzying pace, with a self-set goal to release between one and three records a year — either solo or as a contributor. And not even two weeks into 2020, he’s already announced the latest record to land in…
Magic is happening at Louie Louie’s Piano Bar where, every Sunday night, acts like Alessia Cara, Shaun Martin, Cure for Paranoia and many others hop on stage for an artist showcase that has rocked the venue for the last two years. In 2018, the man responsible for the showcase, Gino…
This past Friday, Bill Wisener, who owned the iconic Bill’s Records for over 40 years, died at age 75. Wisener was a venerable Dallas figure, a chain-smoking music connoisseur who had endless stories and meaningful pleasantries for customers. He died the way he’ll be remembered by most: sitting behind the…
In this day of constant change and endless expression, it can seem impossible to find the proper way to convey yourself through appearance in an original way. This can be especially true for musicians as they navigate the world of entertainment, and Dallas musicians in particular like to kick it…
As the Dallas music scene stumbled hungover and slightly disheveled into a new year, local producer and musician John Pedigo added a third hat to his collection: music manager. In partnership with local marketing agent Maureen Womack and lawyer Robert Jenkins, Pedigo launched Desperado Management on New Year’s Day. The…
It’s a chilly night on a quiet street around the corner from Top 10 Records in Oak Cliff next to Selena. Kenneth Everette Pritchard offers band mate Gabriel Jordan a cigarette. He lights one himself and begins talking about his latest project, Frances Heidy, which started as a small bedroom…
