In a week, you will be at FrontRow Live Presented by Chevy at the Dallas Contemporary listening to STRFKR, Onra, and DJ Ben Aqua, happening upon pop-up theater by Upstart Productions, checking out the current installations at the Dallas Contemporary, as well as some surprises from Oliver Francis Gallery, and enjoying free drinks and food from an array of food trucks. Surely you’ve already secured your spot at the event by purchasing tickets. But if you are like me and ..read more

I promised a live blog last week of Christopher Mosley’s guest KXT DJ set, forgetting the fact that I’m traveling today and wont’ be near a computer during the program. That said, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments regarding set, which promises “songs by artists so big that critics and fans could never possibly stop debating their merit.” You can live stream KXT here.

The third annual Homegrown Music and Art Festival kicks off Saturday at Main Street Garden featuring a bill of artists hailing from Texas. We have two pairs of tickets to giveaway. For your chance to see Black Joe Lewis, Ben Kweller, Eisley, Centro-matic, and more, all you have to do is enter your information in form below. We’ll draw a winner after 3 p.m.

var z7p7w7;(function(d, t) { var s = d.createElement(t), options = { 'userName':'dmagazine', 'formHash':'z7p7w7', 'autoResize':true, 'height':'848', 'async':true, 'header':'show', 'ssl':true}; s.src ..read more

Over on the Atlantic’s “Cities,” Michael Seman, a doctorate candidate in urban planning and public policy at the University of Texas at Arlington, writes about how 35 Denton is serving a role as an urban catalyst, not only attracting music lovers who call the town home, but businesses as well. Says Kevin Roden, a Denton city councilmember:

“We are seeing an increased interest in the downtown area,” Roden says, adding, “It’s hard to remove what’s going on with 35 Denton and the energy it’s put into downtown venues that host music throughout the year.”

(h/t Art&Seek)

Radio UTD is giving away a couple of tickets to FrontRow Live at the Dallas Contemporary on May 31. Head to their Facebook page to enter.

THURSDAY

Nervous Curtains/The Blurries (The Common Table): The lack of cover charge merely adds to the increasingly (yet delightfully) inappropriate bookings at this deep Uptown establishment. It might be a hard sell for their usual fans, and apparently the sound can leave something to be desired, but what else are you going to do in this neighborhood? Well, besides pick up your designer baseball cap from the cleaners before you go to some bar that serves beer only. Next.

The Tony Cliftons/The ..read more

On Sunday, May 27, The Reading Room will feature a performance of experimental music by the Denton-based duo anteroom. Billed as a group interested in “the nurturing and delivery of text based scores,” it is difficult to describe the duo’s performances, which involve the two musicians sitting a rug in an intimate setting with various found objects and percussive instruments – from wooden xylophones to woks and alarm clocks – often to the accompaniment of projected imagery.

To whet your appetite ..read more

The KXT spring fundraising campaign kicked-off yesterday, and as the radio station has done in the past, a number of guest DJs will take to the airwaves with their own  sets of music. You can see a full list of the guest DJs here, but here’s the important date: Tuesday, May 22 at 2 p.m. when our own Christopher Mosley will bring to the station a program of music he describes like this: “Songs by artists so big that critics and fans could never possibly stop debating their merit.” And yes, look for us to live blog the Mosley set so that you can debate in the comments to your heart’s content.

Image via Facebook

The second edition of FrontRow Live, our one night blowout at the Dallas Contemporary that combines great music, art, theater, food, and free drinks, will take place on May 31. Get your tix here. Find out more about FrontRow Live here. And if you need some extra motivation, here’s Onra’s “High Hopes” to break up your Monday. Get your tix. Now.

Image via

It’s a striking tableau – tinged with irony – that in the basement of a chalet overlooking Lake Geneva in the heart of Switzerland, a country famous for enjoying centuries of peace, rests one of the most extensive collections of artifacts from one of the most iconic battles in world history: The Alamo. Completing the compelling disconnect, the home is owned by English rock star Phil Collins, a man who, like many Europeans in his generation, fell in love with ..read more

THURSDAY

Inflatable Best Friend/The Nitch Pickens/Year of the Bear/Doom Ghost (1919 Hemphill): This would be a perfectly expectation-busting lineup for those that think 1919 Hemphill is nothing but hardcore and pop punk, as two of the acts here are described as employing “bass-shredding and drum-beating technical jams,” (The Nitch Pickens) or playing “experimental pysch” (Inflatable Best Friend).

Baruch the Scribe/voltRevolt/Achtone (Dan’s Silver Leaf): Achtone recently passed along a new single entitled, “Symmetrie,” which is due for release in “the next two weeks,” ..read more

Earlier this week, in the wake of the release of Sarah Jaffe’s second LP, The Body Wins, and an album release concert last Saturday at the Granada, the Dallas Morning News ran a photo gallery on its website with the headline, “See Local Artist Sarah Jaffe Through the Years.” While the gallery was certainly, in part, an effort on the part of the paper to monger a few extra clicks on the back of a popular local musician, it also ..read more

This STRFKR cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Get your tix here. Find out more about FrontRow Live here.

Just days before sending me a copy of the new Brave Combo album, Carl Finch was busy trying to make a CD that will listen seamlessly, without any pauses to between songs, so that I can get what he calls “the flow of the whole thing.”  Extra efforts like this are at the core of what Finch is about: making sure people hear the music in the proper context and of the best quality.  He cannot control the reception, but ..read more

It feels like a belabored point, but Dallas is a city short on public space. We have few organic gathering grounds, places where strangers feel comfortable mixing and mingling, where people are watched and space is shared. Dallas is the kind of town that requires events to bring people together. And over the past three decades, one of the more popular events that did this kind of public gathering was the Dallas Museum of Art’s Jazz Under the Stars series. It was not a novel idea, plopping a stage near Ross Ave. in front of the museum’s entrance. But as a result, thousands plopped in front of it, every Thursday night from May through June, with blankets and chairs, picnic baskets and bottles of wine. The music was often good, sometimes mediocre. But the quality of the performances hardly seemed the point. Jazz Under the Stars was an excuse for an impromptu plaza, a functioning — if momentary — outdoor commons. It offered a rare chance to look at the faces of the people you share your city with.

And now the event is no more.

The Dallas Museum of Art announced via a brief news item on their website that they are canceling the program. Why? A spokesperson for the museum says that the museum will be exploring “the collaborative programming opportunity that Park offers with the City and our Arts District colleagues.” The website suggests you check out the AT&T Performing Arts Centers Patio Sessions, or the Arts District’s Summer Block Part on June 15, or the Thursday night Atrium concerts. And hold on, because the Klyde Warren Park will soon be our new venue for outdoor musical events — next year.

Still, it is too bad that the DMA feels like Jazz Under the Stars is redundant or potentially redundant. None of the events the museum cites as replacements quite capture the same kind of effortless popularity or diversity the museum’s outdoor music event achieved during its long existence. It’s rare that a public event works as well as Jazz Under the Stars actually did. Unfortunately it’s been  scraped before a real replacement is in place.

Image via

If you haven’t already noticed, we’re kind of into giving away things for free here at FrontRow. We’re also into things like music, art museums, food trucks, surprise theater performances, and free drinks by Bud Light Platinum.

Which is why we created FrontRow Live (the May 31st event we’re hosting where you’ll find all of the above mentioned + more), and why we’re giving you the chance to score a pair of tickets to the event before they all sell out. ..read more

THURSDAY

Death Cab for Cutie/Magik Magik Orchestra/Youth Lagoon (McFarlin Auditorium): The inexperienced emotionalism of Youth Lagoon could steal this show right out of Death Cab’s tired hands, if last year’s well-received set at Dan’s Silver Leaf is any indication. I’ve never heard so many people tell me they actually wept upon seeing a newer act. Please see our events page for more information.

Flying Turns (Rio Room): Austin’s successful disco house collective, Flying Turns, runs as many as six deep, so theoretically ..read more

Sarah Jaffe’s second LP came out this week, and this Saturday, she’s playing a record release show at the Granada. And yes, we’ve got a pair of tickets to her show.

If you’re new to her music (which probably means you haven’t turned on KXT in, oh, ever) then here’s a brief introduction:

“Her voice doesn’t sound like it could possibly belong to someone so young. It’s the instrument of a woman who’s seen more than she’ll admit, lost more than she ..read more

We told you a few weeks ago to save the date, May 31, for the second edition of FrontRow Live, and more than a few of you have been emailing and calling, asking when you get your hands on tickets. Well, good news. You can now purchase tickets for just $15 by following that link to eventbrite. But you better act fast.

What do you get when you by a ticket to FrontRow Live, presented by Chevy? Well, for one you get free drinks by ..read more

Stranger things have probably happened. Or  maybe I’m just crazy. But I was accidentally suffering through this:

When I realized where I’d heard it before. If *NSync smashed “Gone” and “Girlfriend” (the song “Boyfriend” has already been compared to ad nauseum, especially considering that Mike Posner, a hip hop producer, did “Boyfriend” and the Neptunes, also hip hop producers, did a remix of “Girlfriend” featuring Nelly and JT in a super badass beanie) together and those two songs had a high-pitched, swoopy ..read more

What do Bruce Springsteen, Mahalia Jackson, and John Coltrane all have in common? Well according to Dr. Hussein Rashid of Hofstra University  each bear witness to the Islamic Contribution to American Music. This was the title of his lecture at my law school alma mater, Southern Methodist University. The event was sponsored by the Aga Khan Council for Northern Texas. I received my invitation from my friend Hind Jarrah. Dr. Jarrah is on the board of Directors of Human Rights ..read more

THURSDAY

Stymie/The Anchor/No Heroes/Special Guest/County Lines/Half Truths (J&J’s Pizza): Austin musician Ian Barker performed in The Anchor, a group who had multiple ties to North Texas music, since Barker was originally from Grand Prairie. Tragically, the artist passed away in February, at the rather young age of 25, from complications due to diabetes. His friends in music have been kind enough to put on a benefit show for Barker’s family at J&J’s tonight, so donate generously.

Psychic Ills/Moon Duo/True Widow/Eyes, Wings & ..read more

When I reviewed Hares on the Mountain initial, self-titled release a year ago, I could scarcely envision what they have become now. Those first recordings were the product of scarcely more than George Neal, Ryan Thomas Becker and a four-track recorder. The mixture of traditional and novel tunes came out well, if grainy and meek. These days, Hares on the Mountain has evolved from the brainchild of Neal and Becker to a full band, brimming with some of Denton’s best ..read more

Reckless Kelly is coming to Granada on April 28th, and with a little bit of Good Luck & True Love (get it? that’s their album title), you’ll be there.

The Austin-based rock/country band has been making music together for 15 years, and their albums are known for dressing in some of the coolest cover art around. Their latest cover was even nominated for a Grammy. We’ve got a pair of tickets to give away that will give you the chance to pull ..read more

The Honey Brothers were supposed to arrive at Saturday’s VIP-ish Earth Day Dallas sponsor party in a Fisker. That’s the Porsche of enviro-conscious automobiles, by the way, for those of us who haven’t quite come up with the cash to install solar panels or invest in a zillion-dollar zero emissions vehicle.

Instead, their arrival at the House of Blues-gone-green went like this: members Ari Gold (yes, that’s his real name—he actually inspired the fictional Ari Gold on Entourage) and DS Posner ..read more