As Dallas was covered in snow and ice last month, rap duo Wonder Gang coincidentally dropped an icy hip-hop banger. “Ice Cola” is a jolly, opulent trap track, filled with raunchy sexual innuendos and allusions to alcoholic drinks. Brothers T.K. Savage, 21, and Keith Wonder, 28, formed Wonder Gang in…
When Gov. Greg Abbott reopened the Lone Star State, many assumed Texans would raid Dallas nightlife spots like Black Friday shoppers overrunning a Walmart. They’re not. “It’s calmer than expected,” said DJ Inzo from his Volgswagen bus-themed DJ booth at the Backyard bar in Deep Ellum. Max, a doorman at…
Selena Gomez, an icon of young millennials and Grand Prairie native, recently implied to Vogue magazine that she’s done with her singing career. For a long time, Gomez has — whether by a calculated PR design or by accidental default — been perceived as a celebrity first and a star…
Perhaps the biggest story in local music news has to do with Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift the statewide mask mandate and open Texas back up entirely while the pandemic is still very much going on and this state is ranked 48th in vaccine rollout. The owners and operators…
Pinebox Serenade pretty much called it quits in 2016. It was around then that the wave of story-driven Americana music led by bands such as Fleet Foxes, The Decembrists and Bon Iver was broken apart over a groundswell for stomp & holler bands ho-ing and hey-ing the genre into radio-friendly…
Live music shows in crowded bars or music venues are soon due for a comeback, and the idea of maskless crowds gathering in indoor spaces is worrying one sector of the workforce: musicians. Following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement last week lifting the mask mandate and statewide restrictions for all businesses,…
Imagine a dystopian world where the government has become increasingly immoral and art is the only form of escape. Seven brave individuals come together to form a band and rise up as vigilantes, making music that moves people and preserves the craft. At least, that’s how one of Greyspot Syndicate’s members, Udon, imagines…
This pandemic season, Dallas-based rapper Gotti Mirano has chosen not to go to clubs. This abstinence from nightlife has given him clarity regarding the type of people he wants to be around. A self-described “empathic person,” Mirano can feel the emotional energy of the people around him. His new album…
Not all Texans were rejoicing at the chance to show their faces in public again after Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that businesses won’t be required to enforce face masking or limit their capacity come March 2. Abbott’s announcement set Twitter ablaze with backlash, including the trending hashtag RIPTexas,…
St. Vincent released the new single “Pay Your Way in Pain” on Thursday. Reminiscent of Young Americans-era David Bowie, the song mixes funk rock and soul with St. Vincent’s signature surreal songwriting style. The new video also brings to mind Bowie’s performance of “Fame” on The Cher Show in 1975 with…
When Ryan Berg thinks of The Voice, he thinks of coffee. Most mornings, the Dallas singer-songwriter and his competitors-turned-friends Jim Ranger and Ian Flanigan would grab some cups of joe and hang out at their hotel, taking a brief break from the surreal insanity of being on reality television. There…
It’s been a big year already for legendary rocker and producer Todd Rundgren with his nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the start of his 25-city Clearly Human virtual tour, which makes a digital stop in Dallas Sunday, March 7. The idea is simple. Rather than…
Hannah Jadagu’s mom is an OG Drake stan. In fact, one of Jadagu’s earliest memories is her mom dancing in the kitchen of their Texas home. Drake was on (“probably something from So Far Gone” Jadagu says) and her mom was cuttin’ it up while cleaning. “Do you know who…
Derek Tusing drives across state lines with his younger brother on a road trip with no agenda. Mere days after the disastrous winter storm wrapped Texas in its icy grip, temperatures are rising once again. In a car without A/C, the dream folk singer-songwriter feels “a little toasty,” but considering…
In February 2020, singer-songwriter Vanessa Peters was in Italy preparing for a European tour when the country went on a national lockdown. The tour was canceled and the recording sessions that had been scheduled in Texas after the tour were scrapped. Working instead in a farmhouse in Castiglion Fiorentino in…
John LaRue, the co-owner of the Deep Ellum Art Co., says his two biggest enemies right now are “mathematics and bureaucracy.” He and his wife and co-owner, Kari LaRue, have spent the better part of the last year fighting to keep their music venue and local art space “dedicated to…
The lights were still on at a North Texas bar during the state’s snowpocalypse, and a lightbulb went off in the owners’ heads. Soon, the venue would become a community center for neighbors suffering through power outages. “Everyone was out of power, so we decided to call the Rail Club…
Nostalgia is a tricky thing, but Daft Punk did it right. It already feels strange to refer to Daft Punk in the past tense, but when you think about it, the iconic house duo have always been primed for 20/20 hindsight. With Daft Punk announcing their breakup after what many…
When singer-songwriter Michael Sanchez lost his job of 10 years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he was devastated. He had been working as a youth development director for a local nonprofit since he graduated from high school, and he offered programs such mental health training to children. Now Sanchez advocates for…
The Dallas Observer is looking for a music and culture intern. Now, before you think about how internships mean you have to fetch coffee and face the icy cold bitchery of editors when you get the order wrong — and do all of this for free — know this: We are sunny-warm…
On Valentine’s Day, hip-hop artist Flower Child released her video for “Love Will Save the Day.” Walking in front of the boarded-up businesses in Deep Ellum with portraits from the Black Lives Matter movement prominently displayed, Flower Child raps about the need for love — not the love between romantic partners,…
When you meet someone as passionate as Mallo the Great, you feel it immediately. His energy exudes exuberance and charm, but his outgoing personality and experimental style are just the surfaces of his story. While he’s been rapping since he was a teenager, Mallo has expanded his artistic concept and…
