KNON’s Mark Ridlen a.k.a. DJ Mr. Rid, on the Thrill of Vinyl

He’s known as “DJ Deluxe” at weddings and parties, and “DJ Mr. Rid” at local music gigs and at his rather cool all-vinyl Monday residency at the Double Wide. He’s known as Mark Ridlen when he co-hosts a radio show with Reid Robinson on FM 89.3 KNON called Sonic Assembly…

Six Bands I Would Fight if I Could

Press PhotoBuckcherry, who really should be on this list six times. Especially that second guy from the left, with the sociopatch on his face.In the most head-shaking article unleashed on the Internet in recent memory, it was revealed that rapper/necrophiliac/federal agent impersonator DMX has been in talks to fight George…

Dallas’ Incredible Shrinking Lakes

White Rock Lake, just for grins, is 1,015 acres. Based on what I heard yesterday, the Trinity River lakes we voted for in downtown in 1998, when finally built, will be one lake, 20 acres, 10 feet deep. Shit. Oh, and the money for it is mostly gone. Even to…

How Should a Band Manage Its Finances?

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…

Should Rap Lyrics Be Used in Criminal Trials?

Legions of angry parents were already up in arms when gangster rap arrived on the scene. After the 1985 PMRC Senate hearings helped institute “Parental Advisory” stickers, albums by Ice-T and N.W.A. were among the first to be branded. Since then, rap as a musical form has continued to take…

Six Badass Flute Bands That Aren’t Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson: Hero to flute-rock enthusiasts everywhere.I remember in the sixth grade when we were all arbitrarily assigned instruments to learn. It was hell for broke parents who were now forced to buy or rent instruments they knew were just going to collect dust in a broom closet. And it…

On Pop Music and Violence Against Women

Jaime LeesMy R. Kelly necklaceI can’t stop thinking about Rihanna. Her single, “Stay,” came out a year ago this month and it’s still omnipresent. I’ll hear it on the radio, in the grocery store and played on the jukebox at a bar by some sad bastard with no concept of…

Stephan Pyles Says Goodbye to Samar and Hello to More Boring

Well this sucks. It hasn’t even been a year since I wrote about the temporary closure of Samar and its potential impact on the sandwich scene here in Dallas. Samar earned four stars in the Dallas Morning News, and it was arguably one of owner Stephan Pyles’ most exciting restaurants…

Mixing Politics and Pensions

We have come to a point of crisis in the matter of the sunburned sculpture garden and the pension fund. The clear appearance is that the mayor is injecting politics into the management of the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund. It’s not exactly how the mayor of Detroit and…

Stuck in the Middle

Dear Mexican: Why is it that many first-generation Latino students are so quick to judge and alienate second-generation students just because their parents went to college and are able to afford a little more? Pocha Pero No Pendeja Dear Wabette: I turn the columna over to Jody Agius Vallejo, sociology…

Pleasure Doing Business: An Ode to the Nordstrom Bathroom

You’ve been there: You’re walking through Nordstrom in NorthPark because it’s on the way to the rest of the mall, and some cute plastic watch in the jewelry case catches your eye and so you ask the nice saleslady if you can “Check that sucker out,” and the nice saleslady…

33 Ways to Tell You’re Spending Too Much Time in Oak Cliff

In many ways Oak Cliff is the soul of Dallas — home to several of its best restaurants and most vital residents. Its finest music venue, The Kessler, is the great counter-argument to all those who would accuse Dallas of worshipping only the new and shiny. The theater is an…

How Does a Band Rebound After a Bad Tour?

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…