During Julieta Venegas’ 20-year artistic career, the Tijuana-via-Long Beach songstress has been described as both “mainstream” and “alternative,” but both are been misguided ways to describe Venegas. After finding cult-like support with her first two releases, Buenviento and Aqui, both of which forever shook the Mexican pop/rock landscape, Venegas started…
Anything, absolutely anything, can now happen in Dallas. I know that’s true because I witnessed this miracle on Friday night. Performing underneath Dale Chihuly’s “Hart Window,” a wreath of blown glass platters that rises majestically north in the DMA’s grand Atrium, A.Dd+ refused to give up and call this set…
Often erroneously lumped into softer, newer corners of the heavy music world, California’s Avenged Sevenfold are much more influenced by the old school metal of Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy than some realize. And that was on display Saturday night at the American Airlines Center as the band (plus a…
“I just feel like I’m fucked, haha. Everything is going wrong.” My phone lit up with a text from Lord Byron as I was heading out to day two of Index Fest 2013. The day ahead was going to be a long one, ending with Boiler Room’s local rap showcase,…
The scene at First Unitarian Church of Dallas may have seem a little eerie for some rock show regulars, compared to the usual whiskey soaked, smoke filled concert halls their clogged respiratory systems are used to by now. It may have seem like an odd choice, but not for Annie…
Here we are, at four different DFW music festivals in one weekend. What is this? Are we Austin now? Is that what we’re trying to do? We’ve got Index Fest out in Deep Ellum, Lolaspalooza in Fort Worth, Texas Veggie Fair in Reverchon Park, and The Lamar Street Festival on…
Once upon a time on Routh Street, Renfields Corner used to offer local bands a fun place to play filled with people who were filled with happy juice and aching to hear music that didn’t come from an overpriced jukebox. “Everybody in the bar, including the owners, is really into…
The BET Hip-Hop Awards cyphers are now the last remaining reason to watch the show every year. You can’t dilute the integrity of the cypher. It’s tradition of the craft that forces the artist to put up or shut up. You cannot feign talent in this format. You can’t turn…
Uninsured persons with serious medical conditions are already fighting against the odds of the hand they were dealt. Treatment and support are the only two things necessary for recovery, and for those who lack insurance, support is the lifeline that must come first, and can be found through surprising means,…
Matt Berninger moved through a sold-out crowd at South Side Ballroom Saturday night, and you could trace his path only by following the outstretched arms holding up his microphone cord. Even as he was thronged by a respectful audience, he stroked a grown man’s face with something like love, guided…
“Hello! Here we have calf-fries with a touch of Tabasco, would you like one?” asks an attractive female server wearing tighter-than-tight jeans and boots. For the first time in this Texan’s life, the answer was yes, and it’s a good thing it was (spicy wild boar meatballs and juicy shards…
The temperature is dropping and the changing of the season is finally within reach. Gone are the days of triple digits, at least until next year, and sweet relief has arrived. It feels amazing outside, but there’s always those weirdos who insist it’s “so cold” once it starts to hit…
With a concert ticket in hand to see a notoriously reclusive legend of the past, one never really knows just what to expect. An artist like Shuggie Otis is an especially curious case. After creating some of the most singularly influential albums of the early seventies, the psychedelic R&B pioneer…
Have you ever walked into the Travis? It’s one giant flash-bang, a sensory blitz of polished stone, metal pillars, and wall-to-wall mirrored glass, which when paired with the club’s retina-shattering strobes, imparts a sense of infinite dimension. One 360 look around, and you feel like an insignificant speck, a small…
Well people, this is not a drill. We are in a full-fledged government shutdown, for the first time in 17 years. Have you noticed how people keep saying that like 17 years is a really long time? Seventeen-year-old people were born in 1996. Think about that, lamestream media. We were…
Every week more and more shows are added to the Dallas Observer live music calendar –here’s how to make sure your show is included. And you can always peruse every upcoming concert on our calendar. Below are this month’s additions. The newest are in bold…
Legend has it that Stephen King once called James McMurtry: “The truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.” Taking the stage this weekend at the Granada Theater in Dallas, McMurtry proved that he deserves such a title, as the Texas songwriter took fans deep into the heart of the Lone Star…
A friend of mine, on hearing that I was to see Daniel Johnston perform live, said, “his stuff is rough, but he is plugged into a scary truth.” That is a brilliant summary of Johnston’s music. His style is raw and unsophisticated, but also hyper-direct and fiercely penetrating. His lyrics…
Another Texas State Fair is upon us and when you’re not trying to stuff as much fried, doughy goodness into you or riding any number of spinning rides hoping said dough won’t unexpectedly leave your body, you might want to take a breather and listen to some music. It’s just…
With Fall Out Boy and Yellowcard both in town this week, there are plenty of opportunities to get your early aughts nostalgia on. You might as well make a thing of it and watch Mean Girls, or go searching the depths of your closet for that old first generation iPod…
Following an understated introduction, Black Milk’s band appeared on stage and began to play, starting with an actual drum roll. Those drumstick snaps seemed to stretch for an impossible duration, each thump another block stacked atop a mounting tension that felt like it could topple at any moment. And then…
On July 17, 2001 my mom took me to see Depeche Mode. I had just turned 12 years old, and it was my first concert. By the time we walked up First Avenue to what was then called the Smirnoff Music Center, my palms were already sweaty and my feet…
