La Rondalla, a free after-school music program for students in Oak Cliff and Dallas, suspended its operations last week because of a shortage of money. As founder Dennis Gonzales and his two sons, Stefan and Aaron, sought public donations, they received a private donation Thursday of $20,000, enough to keep the…
If you like big guitars, you are in luck. Lots of loud, noisy rock is coming our way in concert announcements for the Dallas area with hard-core, trash-rock and ’90s styles leading the way. Also, make room in your calendar for a couple of other big-ticket items that will surely…
Six Shooter is a recurring feature in which we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians. Leon Bridges — “Bad Bad News” March delivered all the news Leon Bridges fans have been clamoring for. Fort Worth’s soulful crooner will be releasing his sophomore album, Good Thing, on May 4. He…
Southern Methodist University’s Fondren Library was moderately quiet Wednesday afternoon as students mingled and worked on group projects near the building’s Starbucks. Further inside, the atmosphere was what one might expect in a library — silent. Then Dominic Harrison, aka Yungblud, crashed students’ study space with his three-piece band. Around…
One year ago, DJ Blake Ward had an idea partially inspired by the music of late seventies New York club culture as seen on the popular Netflix musical drama show The Get Down. Between the dominance of house music (affectionally nicknamed Disco’s Revenge) and hip-hop in modern Dallas dance clubs, it’s the perfect time to revisit the roots of these music cultures on…
The band Northern Faces loves Dallas. “We played our first real show of tour ever in Dallas,” says vocalist and guitar player Brian Shortell. “It was at The Door with Say Anything back in 2013. It was a 1,000-plus person sellout show, the venue was packed, and I’ll never forget the…
Remy Reilly is surrounded by her family, friends and fans in Modern Electric Sound Recorders. She made her way back to the place she recorded her first EP, Rattlesnake, for its release party. As she sits at the piano and sings about a rattlesnake of a boy — “Went through…
The inside of the John Lennon Educational Bus is filled to capacity. The air conditioner is pumping a cool breeze, but the lights and equipment and bodies packed together raise the temperature until it’s competing with the Texas heat outside. The lights and cameras are all pointed at a Berkner…
2018 is the year of women supporting women. Championing this movement in the Dallas-Forth Worth music world is Beats By Her, a digital platform and live music showcase that highlights independent female artists. “Beats By Her was created to support and celebrate the talent and hustle of women in music,” says…
If you’re a musician and are not worried that a court recently upheld the verdict on “Blurred Lines,” you should be. In 2015, after a couple of years of back-and-forth lawsuits, Marvin Gaye’s family won a copyright infringement lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. The Gaye family believed Thicke’s…
There’s been plenty of news about Grand Prairie’s groundbreaking year-round water park, Epic Waters, which opened in January, but the city has much greater plans for its recreation center. And musicians all around the area will benefit. The Epic Recording Studio is set to open by the end of the…
You might find Cassie Marin, a Florida native artist, bouncing around the U.S., from Dallas to New York to Los Angeles, all in an effort to pursue her craft. A decade ago, this would-be Olympian would have never guessed that injuries that would set her on a path toward musical…
Don’t shun hip-hop. Give local musicians some money. Help them figure out how to fill out city paperwork. Generally, behave less like bureaucrats. Those are some of the messages members of the Dallas music scene delivered to Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs as the city prepares to write its first…
Time preoccupied Beck at every turn Friday night. Whether it was the eclectic setlist slipping easily between moods, albums and moments in his career, or the singer-songwriter’s repeated remembrances of past North Texas appearances, the weight of years seemed omnipresent. Perhaps that’s merely a strong inference from someone who has…
Throw on your fringed leather jackets Monday night for a night of ’80s rock ‘n’ roll as Bon Jovi takes the stage at American Airlines Center. Not your scene? Check out locals Midnight Opera and Lorelei K as they play intimate sets at Wild Detectives on Friday night, or embrace…
Fort Worth’s Leon Bridges has undoubtedly become one of the biggest stars on the national stage in recent years. His 2015 debut album, Coming Home, charted in the Billboard top 10, scored a Grammy nomination and secured a spot on pretty much every critic’s best-of-year list. Now, with his follow-up…
We’re getting cool news this week as Dallas’ spring and summer concerts continue to roll in. The Bomb Factory adds some new shows with local flavor. Grand Prairie’s Verizon Theatre has reeled in some classic names. And the outdoor venues continue prepping for summer. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known as Shakey…
Every musician started somewhere. And that was most likely in a garage playing music with friends. It’s that first project that fuels the delusion that music is someone’s ticket to the big time or, more modestly, an excuse to just hang with friends. More often than not, someone’s first band…
It’s been 22 years since the death of Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla-Perez. But her legacy lives on, and although she never claimed Dallas as her home, the city and all parts of Texas claim Selena as theirs. Here are four ways to celebrate the Tejano superstar’s birthday next weekend: 214Selena…
Although he’s a hip-hop legend, Talib Kweli has a humble demeanor. That was apparent Tuesday night when he stopped by Spinster Records in Oak Cliff for a meet-and-greet session organized by producer J. Rhodes before Kweli’s performance at Trees. Those in attendance witnessed Kweli’s humility in real time as he arrived…
Amy Payan is the name on her birth certificate. She’s has been on the front lines of the vinyl resurgence, slinging vinyl at Josey Records since it opened its doors three years ago. In an environment surrounded by DJ veterans and librarian-esque music nerds, Josey Records has given Payan access…
The acronym is FUCK, but don’t call it FUCK Fest. Free Underage Cool Kids Festival is celebrating its second not-so-annual music and art show Friday through Saturday in Denton. “With the name, it all actually started as a joke,” says Justin Piel, one of the event organizers. “Gabe Thompkins [another…
