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Articles by Molly Mollotova
Day 1 of Re:SET Festival Was Wholesome, Inclusive and Filled With Abbott Hate Original
Despite the very on-brand Texas weather, Friday night turned out to be one of the most wholesome, inclusive concert experiences we’ve witnessed in awhile — and in a state running low on safe spaces, boygenius + friends delivered something Shortly after 5:00 p.m., indie experimental artist Bartees Strange kicked off the show with his compelling brand of unconventional jams.
10 of the Best Recording Studios in Dallas-Fort Worth
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Which Drug Goes With That? A Pharmaceutical Companion to Coachella's Lineup Original
At first glance, the lineup is diverse, both musically and culturally — which, when considering the festival owner’s anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ history, is interesting, to say the least. At any rate, if you’re dead-set on attending the Chick-fil-A of music festivals and you hate fascists, make the most of the lineup with our handy pharmaceutical companion. Here's a list of which substances go best with each act.
10 Songs From North Texas Artists For Your Sex Playlist
"If I was your Girlfriend" remix – Doc Strange Music should evoke something. That is the magic of its design. It manifests a real feeling out of thin air. Prince's second single from the double album Sign O' the Times was "If I Was Your Girlfriend." The song sounds, smells and tastes like sex. Sparse drum and bass combined with a slinky synth line creates an audio bedroom where Prince Roger Nelson becomes man and woman combined.
Warped Tour Founder Kevin Lyman Is Ready To Move On as Tour Comes to a Close
Friday marked the last appearance of Vans Warped Tour in Dallas. The 24-year-old music extravaganza is the longest-running music festival in U.S. history. But aside from that, Warped always seemed to find a way to bring loads of bands, brands and important causes to the masses, consistently and affordably.
Rapper Alsace Carcione Is Figuring out Her New Normal After Deaths of Mother and Grandmother
DFW rapper Alsace Carcione flew into 2017 like a bat out of hell. The original winner of the Master of the Mic has already won multiple awards, written loads of new material and was gearing up to release several new projects. All of that was put on hold when her mother and grandmother died within weeks of each other. It was then, for the first time in the artist's life, that she fell into dark place — one where music, the thing she loved most, became a chore.
Watch Texas EDM Duo Swanbeats X Evolsi Cover Drake's 'Passionfruit'
Last month we alerted you to a few Texas EDM artists to watch, including Lubbock's Ryan Scott, who goes by the name Swanbeats. This week he's given us a first look at an electronic duo he's formed with Austin's Kelly Bergeron, aka Evolsi, by way of a cover of Drake’s “Passionfruit." The pair have already seen success together. Earlier this year, "So Young," an original track by Scott which featured Bergeron, went viral on Spotify with nearly half a million plays.
SXSW Panelist Seeks Apology After He Says a Bouncer Shoved His Girlfriend and Stole Her Badge
Justin Rhodes was filled with excitement as he made the drive from Dallas to Austin a couple weeks ago with his girlfriend Adriel Sims. The occasion for the trip was SXSW; for the first time, Rhodes, an award-winning producer, had been invited as an official festival panelist. But what he thought would be a landmark weekend in his career ended with a case of alleged assault and theft.
10 Texas EDM Artists On the Rise
You might think electronic dance music, or EDM, is all about glowsticking and furry boots. The glow sticks are pretty cool, it's true, but the genre is also about a lot more than that: The combination of deejaying, audio engineering, production and songwriting requires real artistry. Over the last few years, EDM has erupted in popularity; artists like the Chainsmokers, Flume and Skrillex dominate the charts. Their community of fans has grown too large to ignore, and Texas is their new mecca.
7 DFW Rappers to Watch, 2017
For the last few years, we have put out a list of up-and-coming rap/hip-hop artists who we think warrant your attention. This year we’ve returned with seven more artists from DFW who bring the fire. Give them a listen and keep your eyes on them, too. Trust us, these folks are doing big things and you do not want to be caught sleeping.
10 Best Pop-Punk Bands in Dallas
The term “pop-punk” has found its way into the same generic wasteland as “indie rock” and “alternative rock.” What does it even mean? To us, pop-punk is the product of post-hardcore, emo, screamo — and, really, any of the “core” bands — mishmashed together with all of the emotions we felt in our late-teens and early 20s. That’s not to say the genre is specific to that age group by any means.
Watch Charlie Crocket Busk and Talk the Blues
If there's one thing Charley Crockett knows about, it's busking. Arguably our city's most rambling artist, Crockett has a reputation for hopping on trains and crossing borders to find his next pop-up venue. He's played the streets everywhere from New Orleans to Paris. That said, it should surprise no one that he's being featured on the 33rd episode of the Dallas Observer's busking series. "I lived in Denmark for a couple of months and played music there until I wore out my welcome,” Crockett says.
Paul Cauthen Releases My Gospel and Gets a Load Off his Chest
In the early morning hours of Paul Cauthen’s eighth birthday, he was fast asleep in his bunk bed when he was awakened by his grandfather, Jim Paul, who was singing Johnny Cash’s “Walk The Line” and playing his old acoustic guitar. Jim Paul was the band leader for the local Church of Christ and also a big country music fan, so this was nothing new for his grandson. What was new was an unfamiliar second guitar in the room. “Happy birthday, son,” Jim Paul said as he handed Paul his new instrument.
The 5 Best Male Vocalists in Dallas, 2016
With the 28th annual Dallas Observer Music Awards just around the corner, we will spend the next several weeks highlighting some of the nominees for this year’s awards. And when we say these artists are the “Best,” don’t just take our word for it: We polled 200 local music experts to pull together the nominees this year, so they come on pretty good authority.
Matt Tedder to His Blues to The Voice, But Feels Most at Home in Dallas
Before making his season 10 appearance on NBC’s The Voice, Matt Tedder had been on a mission to broaden his horizons. Shortly after graduating from Aledo High School in 2013, the blues enthusiast packed his bags and headed to Nashville.
The 10 Best Recording Studios in Dallas-Fort Worth
^ I Support Local Community Journalism Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free. Behind every great record there's a recording studio, and in the sprawl of Dallas-Fort Worth, musicians have plenty of options to choose from. In fact, as the local music scene has enjoyed an upswing in recent years, its been powered in part by a host of new studios — as well as time-tested veterans.
With Rubber Gloves Free Week Gone, How Does Denton Get UNT Students Out to Shows?
This week marks the first week of classes for University of North Texas students in Denton. For years, the first week of school has gone hand-in-hand with another occasion, Free Week, the annual fall semester kickoff extravaganza of free shows at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. But not this year. Rubber Gloves closed its doors in June, and two of Denton's other most important venues, J&J's Pizza's Olde Dirty Basement and Hailey's Club, followed suit.
Jonas Martin Deals With Grief and Heads for New York With the Help of The Color Scheme
After his father passed away two years ago, Jonas Martin says he fell into a deep, dark depression. Rather than allow it to consume him, he redirected that energy into passion projects. He made an album. He won awards. He got married. And now he's getting ready to leave Dallas to go to New York City. “I think of [making music] as a job. I set goals for myself in that way. As far as subject matter, that is all over the map.
The Kitchen Recording Studio Has Played Host to Pimp C, Erkyah Badu, and At Least One Uzi
Some businesses don’t need to advertise. The Kitchen Studios over in Lakewood has a well-earned reputation as a full-service recording studio, earned since opening in the 1990s. The low-key creative suite is almost always solidly booked from open to close, based solely on word-of-mouth and good old-fashioned networking. Their client list crosses genres, and includes Erykah Badu, Pimp C and Betty Wright.
Ignatius Was a Twin Peaks Extra, But He's Still Never Played a Live Concert Before
For the last five years, Dallas-based R&B/electronic artist Ignatius has been in and out of The Kitchen Studios, creating new music with the help of his engineer O.Z. During that time, he’s garnered thousands of plays on his SoundCloud page, gone to film school, took a month off to follow Iggy Pop around the country, was an extra on Twin Peaks and became a dog walker. But you’ve probably never heard of him — and that’s probably because he’s never stepped foot onto a performance stage.
J. Rhodes To Unveil a Web Series in August
Last Monday afternoon, a trailer appeared on Facebook. The video, set to the raspy realness of Bibi Bourelly’s “Ego,” starts with a wide-pan shot over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Viewers are then taken on a ride-along with Dallas producer J. Rhodes as he makes his way from Oak Cliff to his Deep Ellum production studio. As Rhodes enters his studio and shuts the door behind him, the camera zooms out abruptly, the screen fades to black and the words “These Beats Ain’t Free” pop into view.
Southlake Wedding Singer Dan Quinn Leads New DJ Camp for Kids
At first glance, you might not expect Dan Quinn to front a DJ camp for kids. On top of being a full-time, one-man-band wedding singer, Quinn is also a dad. So in between belting out cover songs for corporate events, dropping the latest David Guetta track for prom kids and coaching his daughter’s soccer games, Quinn decided to branch out into teaching deejaying to the next generation. His camp takes place this week in Southlake.
Sikwitit Gets Chosen to Produce Two of the 2016 XXL Freshmen Class Cyphers
Every year since 2009, XXL Magazine has dished out its picks for the most promising rappers of tomorrow in the form of its XXL Freshman Class. Over the years, the quarterly mag has predicted the rise of the likes of Kid Cudi, Future and Vic Mensa. With shiny new up-and-comers like Anderson .Paak, Lil Dicky and Desiigner, this year doesn’t seem much different. What's surprising, however, is Dallas producer Sikwitit has a hand in all three of these Freshmen.
DDFW Master of the Mic was a Hit in 2015, But Did It Do What It Set Out to Do?
When DDFW Master of the Mic launched in 2015, its aims were ambitious: bring unity, collaboration and healthy competition to North Texas’ hip-hop scene, while finding its next great undiscovered talent. The result was impressive enough, finishing off with a packed house at Trees, celebrity judges and plenty of memorable performances. But with the series now in its second year, one question remains worth asking: Has Master of the Mic actually achieved its lofty goals?
Dallas Rapper EB Rebel's "Don't Care" Landed Her on a BET Documentary About Black Lives Matter
EB Rebel will be the first to admit she's still new to the rap game. Until a few years ago, the real-life Ebonie Tave was on the fast track to law school, but thanks to the combination of a floundering economy, shortage of jobs in law and an overwhelming urge to create, EB put her legal dreams on hold to focus on her music.
Cinderblock Sessions Raise $10,000 Via Telethon After Getting Shut Down By the City
Some offenses are worse than others. But when Cinderblock Sessions co-founders Jake Ryan Hull and Nick Melita hosted one of their recurring live music and interview recording sessions at their warehouse in Jubilee Park on April 30, they didn't realize they were committing one of the absolute worst: They let people park in the grass.
DEFDISCO's Cliff Simms Loves Dallas So Much He Brought His Record Label Here From England
Cliff Simms has some big ideas for the music industry. While that name might not yet ring a bell, his title might: co-founder and vice president of creative services for the British label DEFDISCO. And that is a name that has been on our radar thanks to their signing of M83’s Kaela Sinclair and Kirk Thurmond, both North Texas-grown talents. In fact, Simms is such a fan of the Dallas music scene that he actually moved here.
Dallas Soul Singer Kirk Thurmond's Road to a Record Contract Started With a Borrowed Guitar
Early last week, Dallas soul singer Kirk Thurmond was quietly signed with British record label DEFDISCO. This announcement comes on the heels of Kirk Thurmond & the Millennials' debut single “Break Free” from their upcoming album People Change and Thurmond’s first-ever solo tour, which included a couple of dates with the legendary Lee Fields & the Expressions. But Thurmond’s recent success is no mere flash-in-the-pan. Thurmond says he could always find comfort in music.
Hall Music Productions' Students Learn from Dallas Artists Like Jessie Frye, Sudie and More
When David Hall graduated from the University of North Texas in 2001, he didn't know what the future had in store. Armed with a shiny new bachelor’s degree in jazz guitar studies and not much else, Hall began teaching guitar lessons to make ends meet. By 2004, he had scooped up some office space, put up a sign and with that he founded Hall Music Productions.
Kaela Sinclair Hits the Road With M83, With a Visit to The Bomb Factory in Store This Week
A little over a month ago, Kaela Sinclair's world got turned upside down — in the best way possible. Anthony Gonzalez, the mastermind behind French synth-pop band M83, announced via Twitter that he had handpicked the Denton musician as the band's new female vocalist and keyboardist. Now, after weeks of rehearsing in Los Angeles, Sinclair and company will kick off the Junk Tour in New Orleans on Wednesday, with the second stop being right here in Dallas.
Pleasant Grove Rapper $kaduf Francais Chases the Woman of His Dreams in Paris
Finding true love has never been easy. These days though, some would say dating has never been more treacherous. But for Pleasant Grove’s favorite bus-riding rapper, $kaduf Français, finding the one was as simple as posting one of his music videos to YouTube. And now, over a year later, he’s hoping to crowdfund their first real date. Early last year, $kaduf was sifting through comments after posting a music video online when feedback from a pretty young woman in France named Bella caught his eye.
Pleasant Grove Rapper Mac Rockstar Drops Dallas Diss Track, "Letters to Hyrdo"
Rappers talking shit is nothing new. It's a core part of hip-hop. Rappers talking shit about their own music scenes is nothing new, either. But it's still a rare thing to see a rapper release a song that takes aim squarely at his own city. You can call Mac Rockstar, and his track "Letters to Hydro," something of an exception to the rule. Mac, otherwise know as 23-year-old Cameron Thornton, has only been rapping since 2014.
Dallas Musicians Share South by Southwest War Stories
For musicians, South by Southwest can be life changing. The exposure that comes with playing during Texas' biggest festival can catapult an artist's career. But no one ever said it would be easy — or profitable. Dallas' own Fat Boogie is looking forward to this year's SXSW. Festival officials named the "Dirty Sprite" rapper an official showcased artist. After working the festival for two years, he's made a big enough impression to make the cut.
The 10 Best Irish and Celtic Bands in Texas
St. Patrick's day is known for lots of things: funny hats, fake Irish accents and killer concerts. So, as we find ourselves on the verge of everyone's favorite excuse to drink green beer, we wanted to help get everyone in the mood by highlighting some of the best Irish- and/or Celtic-themed bands in Texas. The North Texas Irish Youth Band are a rotating ensemble of students from McKinney's North Texas School of Irish Music.
The 10 Best Irish and Celtic Bands in Texas
What would happen if you crossed a hair metal band with Irish punk? You'd probably get something that looks a helluva lot like Houston's stout Irish rockers the Blaggards. Fronted by Irishman Patrick Devlin, who falls somewhere between Lemmy and Brett Michaels on the rockstar spectrum, the Blaggards might just define Texas' contribution to Irish rock 'n' roll.
Denton's Kaela Sinclair Talks About Becoming M83's New Keyboardist
When French synthpop band M83 announced last month that they were searching for a new female singer and keyboardist for their upcoming tour, Kaela Sinclair's friends and fans all seemed to be in agreement: she would be the perfect fit.
Masked Rap Duo Whyte Noyze Want to Bring Together Dallas Hip-Hop
Hang around Dallas' music scene long enough and you'll soon be familiar with the regular players. Lately though, a formally clad, masked rap duo by the name of Whyte Noyze has been popping up just about everywhere. And they're not just showing up — they've managed to join forces with some of DFW's biggest creative heavy-hitters for their projects. So, just who are these guys? And what's up with those masks?
Bands Like Black Pussy and Viet Cong Forced to Reconsider Their Controversial Names
The line between art and obscenity has always been a thin one. But as bookings of artists like Viet Cong and Black Pussy in the past year have shown, it's a question that even promoters in North Texas find themselves having to deal with — and, more important, the bands themselves. Calgary-based rockers Viet Cong took their name from a moniker that the Europeans and Americans gave to the National Liberation Front, communist Vietnamese guerrillas.
How to Get Your Band Publicity and Not Be Annoying
As music journalists, we come into contact with every industry stereotype imaginable. From the most humble rockstars to the divas to the wannabe music bloggers and the overly confident promoters — we've seen them all. It's tempting to feel cheated when you pour so much of your energy into creating something and feel like the results go overlooked.
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