Critic's Notebook

With so much going on this last weekend, we kind of spaced on some of the non showcase shows. So, we were pretty pleased to come across this video of the Panderers playing the Granada last Friday. — Chelsea Ide…

Often when I try to get others to listen to Pelican, the second I mention the word “instrumental” they bow out. I’m hoping some of you have continued reading. Pelican’s sound is sometimes ethereal, always heavy. Those who can handle longer instrumental songs will want to pick up the band’s…

Third String Productions, the folks who brought the emo-fest South By So What?! to Plano last month, have another huge day of music lined up for next weekend. The New Noise Music Festival looks a lot more promising than South By So What, as there is considerably more diversity in…

So we’re a little behind on this–by, like, a whole year. But we just came across this video, in which Big Al Dupree schools us on Deep Ellum in its heyday(s). According to the description, the vid was created 16 years ago–well before the entire hullabaloo going on now (but…

OK, so I’m not a struggling musician–but I’ve heard the story many times about how hard it is to make some bank in the local arena. Some places take this much of a cut; other places say they’ll only take that much of a cut–but end up paying shit. And…

Experimental act Negativland will perform what Mark Hosler, one of the group’s founding members, admits is a fairly out-there, challenging show tomorrow night. That not too surprising to those familiar with Negativland’s history. For years the band has made headlines for things only tangential to their musical output: copyright infringements,…

Art – both in graffiti form and in galleries like Kettle Art – continues to play a major role in maintaining Deep Ellum’s character. (Jonathan Finley) Deep Ellum is changing. Transitioning. You know this. The area has endured a rash of club closings, struggles with the city and the ongoing…

It’s distasteful to rip musical acts donating their time to perform for a worthy cause. So we’ll just say that this Sunday night, Naked Mom on the Lawn, GOAT, Imaginary Friends, Daddy Dub and Bill’s Clinton will light up the Torch Lounge, 5361 Sears at Greenville Avenue, and DFW NORML…

Bad news, Cat Power fans. Chan Marshall’s hurt her vocal chords and, as a result, Saturday night’s gig at the Palladium Ballroom’s been canceled. We’ll keep our ears open for details on a possible reschedule. –Pete Freedman…

Plexus Loom (Khurk) Sounds like local lo-fi gothic combo Plexus Gloom are breaking in a new bass player and thinking about a southbound move. Leader Jason Clyde Reed says the band has become disenchanted with the local scene: “After moving to Spain for three years where we performed regularly to…

On April 19, 1897, a great airship reportedly crashed and exploded in Aurora, TX, destroying a windmill. Among the strange debris, townspeople reportedly found the body of the ship’s pilot. Though it was badly disfigured, they determined that it was an extraterrestrial–and then buried it in the town’s cemetery. Because…

We’re sure you’re pretty amped up about Saturday’s Good Records party. We know we are. But we’re also pretty stoked about the event happening the next day: The inaugural Mokah Music Summit and Showcase (M2S2). Originally the two events were both scheduled for Saturday. But after some discussion, the Mokah…

The 31st annual Dallas International Guitar Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs through Sunday. And, lookie here, we’ve got two pairs of day-passes (individual cost: $40) to the Dallas Market Hall event to give away. The first two people to email me with “Guitar Festival Tickets” in the subject line…

The retro new wavers in Dallas’ Mahteo are undergoing several changes. Founding member Rene Espinosa recently filled us in: “We are getting a new guy who will dedicate himself to vocals and we are even changing the name of the band.” Rene, who formed the band with his brother, Raul,…

The Subchronicles Crew (Mark Zizzo) It’s been a while since local hip-hop heads actually had to decide between two shows going down at the same time. But tomorrow is one of those nights. As part of their whirlwind local Denglish CD release tour, PPT will perform with Chomsky vet Glen…

Wondering why DC9 blogger Quia Querisma called last weekend’s Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z show “best concert I’ve attended in my life”? Well, this video might help a little… …but I imagine it doesn’t quite do the show justice. Or so the rest of her lavish praise on the gig…

Well, is it well? John Spengler, the youthful mastermind behind local rockers It is Well is staying busy, recording new songs and trying to figure out exactly where his music belongs. “I get so caught up in the expectations of what genre I need to be that I lose sight…

The preliminary cuts of The Opposite Attract’s “Nervosa” video have been up on Vimeo since late February. But the video’s only been watched 45 times–which is a shame, since it looks badass: Nervosa from Vicious Symmetry on Vimeo. We’ll let you know when we catch wind of the final version…

Ozzy at last year’s Ozzfest.The gossip mill is grinding away about this year’s Ozzfest. First it was about an Ozzfest date in London. Then speculation on the bands (nearly every fan site claims Metallica will play). Now, word is there will be two-day festivals held in London and Dallas. That’s…

Freddie King. The Art Decade blog, which specializes in “music of the ‘long seventies,'” recently posted a couple of live tracks from a performance by local blues legend Freddie King in France in 1974. The tracks are pretty solid, too, so head on over and download ’em. –Pete Freedman…

We already told you about Jon Bon Jovi joining Bruce Springsteen on stage at the AAC over the weekend. Now we have news that Alejandro Escovedo joined Bruce on stage last night in Houston. Here’s the video… It looks like the Houston deal was more planned out; Bon Jovi basically…

Torn ACL fest? Austin City Limits announced its lineup today for its September 26-28 festival…and we’re a little underwhelmed by it. There are a lot of good bands on the bill, sure. But we’re most excited about the fact that both Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears and Sharon…