To the Arctic Monkeys a festival like Austin City Limits is old hat. (Merritt Martin)So, the whole festival thing is such a mixed bag. There are the hassles you know about that I won’t really detail too much here — expense (admittedly, the beer and food prices are reasonable here),…
We can’t help but smile at the Spinal Tap-esque shirt rocked here by Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke. (Merritt Martin)So, something about blogging about ACL just makes me want to make funny lists. This will probably piss off all the music purists who desire set list details and various musical…
“So, Elaine said to me, ‘You get those people on those buses and you get them there, regardless of whether they can read!'” — Lady trying to get drunken festival-goers aboard shuttle buses efficiently, speaking to other shuttle lady. “I like the Smashing Pumpkins and marijuana.” — Dude to his…
Anyone with a crush on Luis Dubuc, a.k.a. The Secret Handshake, may want to pre-order the new Secret Handshake disc through SmartPunk. By requesting the disc, One Full Year, be at your door on Sept. 25, you’ll get a bonus signed poster of Dubuc. DC-9 hasn’t heard the new disc…
Last night’s The National and St. Vincent show drew hundreds of people down to the Granada. As promised, our photographer Melanie Gomez hit up the show. Her pictures will make you feel like you were there, and help prep for St. V’s ACL performance this weekend. — Chelsea Ide…
Sometimes, words aren’t enough. We know. If you’re aching to see what the first day of Austin City Limits was like — and not just the fire — hit up our slideshow. We snapped pictures of your favorite bands — from Pete Yorn to M.I.A. to Kaiser Chiefs (pictured) –…
Spoon managed to bore us at Austin City Limits. (Merritt Martin) Best moments of ACL Day One, in order of awesomeness: 5. Goddamn, the hot dogs are good. All burnt on the outside and juicy on the inside. 4. Beer ain’t too expensive. Four bucks for a small. 3. The…
So, before we get into the thick of it, let’s talk about the fires, shall we? Yesterday, the fest kicked off with, um, a near the AT&T stage where Pete Yorn was performing. Sources say it was a combination of the 90+ degree heat and the high grease factor of…
We’re headed out to the Austin City Limits festival this weekend, and before seeing any bands, we’ve got big news. There is a massive fire at the festival. Our writers can see an overwhelming plume of smoke from their car on I-35. Reports say several propane tanks exploded at a…
For this week’s paper version of DC-9, I interviewed the National’s frontman Matt Berninger. Now, it’s no surprise that an experienced lyricist like himself would offer up good answers, but Berninger wins for Best Answers Off the Top of One’s Head (like, ever) and, possibly, Most Eloquent Interview 2007. Unfortunately,…
The Cure has rescheduled its Dallas tour date at American Airlines Center to June 6, 2008. If you’re already snagged tickets, thinking you’d see them in 2007, the venue will be honoring your tickets at the show next year. Those who feel a little cheated for having to wait almost…
Swedish metal band Arch Enemy is known for having a female lead singer who growls like a dude. Or so I thought. Walking into the band’s Thursday night show at the House of Blues in downtown Dallas, a bald-headed 20-something man told me, “Don’t bother. There’s some chick on stage,…
Tonight, the Pleasant Grove boys continue with their Thursday night residence gigs at the Double Wide under the moniker of Pleasant Grove Preservation Society. Joining them is JD Whittenburg and the Observer’s own Noah W. Bailey with his band The Naptime Shake (which includes two current and one former member…
Welcome to DC-9 at Night, the Dallas Observer’s new music blog. A little background about our raison d’etre: We began this endeavor by asking ourselves the following question: Why does Dallas need yet another contribution to the already overloaded music bloggery that exists concerning our fair burg? Our answer? Well,…
We might as well give up the dream right now: There’s no way any of us could ever be cooler than Marc Bolan. Even in our skinniest purple girl jeans and best ironic hairdo, compared to Bolan, we might as well be bovine public school teachers wearing dresses from the…
This Is incredibly weird: It turns out the fellow who accidentally shot popular local musician Carter Albrecht once worked here at the Dallas Observer. Will “Smokey” Logg, himself a blues musician, worked in the Observer circulation department for about five years, according to current circ director Carlos Garcia. More oddities:…
Known for his chiseled physique, countless tattoos and blustery personality, singer/actor/writer Henry Rollins is a surprisingly painless interview. Speaking from his Los Angeles office prior to the start of yet another spoken-word tour, Rollins is polite and easygoing as he recalls his days fronting the legendary Black Flag, his noted…
Ataris main man Kristopher Roe may have named his band in a bout of videogame nostalgia, but there’s nothing bloopy about the music he makes. It’s dream-pop with fuzzy, melodic guitars and a sweetly crooning falsetto served straight up. Unfortunately for Roe’s celebrity dreams, it’s a sound made far more…
Sometimes it’s not so much the music as the spirit behind it. When it comes to the North Carolina band Bourbon Crow, the spirit is all about, well, spirits. Not the ghostly kind, unless you count the fact that Crow channels the voice and attitude of country’s long dead musical…
Two shows into The National’s tour supporting their fourth full-length release, this year’s acclaimed Boxer, Matt Berninger is energetic and excited despite a burgeoning cold. In preparation for the upcoming Granada and Austin City Limits performances, the master lyricist gives insight into his writing process, influences and playing live. And,…
How twee is too twee? If you listen to “Stereo (Mono Mono),” the second song on The Brunettes’ new album, Structure and Cosmetics, you may have your answer. Whereas some might be mildly amused or charmed by the kitschy pillow talk found at the beginning of this track, others will…
Dunno if it’s the fairly recent full moon, the shifting seasons or that freaky transformer explosion that happened a few days after Labor Day, but something is in the air, friends, and the wack factor is high. There’s no better evidence than the citywide musical lineup for the next seven…
