While his fellow students spent a week recovering from their rowdy spring breaks, Oklahoma City emcee Damon Johnson spent that time recording his debut mixtape, titling it 7 Days, of course. “I got back from spring break and told everyone I was going to put out a mixtape in a week,” Johnson said. “Starting that […]
concert
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Evolution theory
Denton, Texas-based singersongwriter Sarah Jaffe broke through in 2010 with her first full-length album, Suburban Nature, boasting a beautiful sound, charming voice and lyrical wit, all evidenced by the single, “Clementine.” It won her spots playing shows with Norah Jones and The Old 97’s, so she could have just leaned on that sound for a […]
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The Moody muse
It only makes sense that Australian-born, Canadian-raised singer-songwriter Ruth Moody has enjoyed her illustrious career, filled with Juno Awards (Canada’s answer to the Grammys), Billboard-charting albums and more than a dozen appearances on A Prairie Home Companion. After all, she’s been groomed for it since birth. “When I was growing up, there was music everywhere. […]
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A crappy show
Austin, Texas-based garage musician Orville Bateman Neely stays busy. He produces records for the likes of The Strange Boys, drums for A Giant Dog, co-fronts Bad Sports and runs sound at Austin venue Beerland. Oh, and currently on its first national tour, his own band, OBN IIIs, plays 10 p.m. Saturday at The Blue Note […]
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Barry spritzer
Rock has The Beatles, jazz has Miles Davis, rap has Tupac, and adult contemporary has Barry Manilow. The man who became an icon for molding “Mandy,” “Copacabana (At the Copa)” and “Can’t Smile Without You” into chunks of pop-culture history is a natural showman with a gleaming voice, penchant for flashy stage attire and a […]
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Simply Red: Live at Montreux 2003
That was then; this is now. I no longer own Simply Red — in any format — so it’s only with sheer nostalgia that I gave the group’s Live at Montreux 2003 a spin. The Blu-ray presents a live concert of 18 tracks of jazz- and soul-inspired pop (and then seven more from a 2010 […]
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The SweetWater — Moonshine
The final product is ’90s rock in Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, something that fans of Taddy Porter and Kings of Leon will appreciate. Much like The Avengers, each member is given the chance to play the hero over the course of the 10-track effort. Singer Adam Banner lets his pipes roar in opener “Get […]
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District fine
Memorial Day weekend marks the 36th anniversary of what began as a small street market with a few devoted, if ragtag, artists. Today, the Paseo Arts Festival has grown into an attraction boasting more than 80 visual arts booths for fairgoers to peruse. Painters, sculptors, ceramists, jewelers and fiber artists are all represented in the […]
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Kindest cut
Credit: Anna Lee As leader of the local post-punk outfit Paperscissor, Evan Crowley gets a little metaphorical when describing his band’s intense live shows, which have become a sight to behold. “A painter might know what they want a painting to look like, but they have these happy accidents along the way. That’s how our […]
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Key master
Eliza Rickman’s songs sound like a music box that plays a blend of Florence + The Machine and Danny Elfman’s scores for Tim Burton films, all thanks to her accidental secret weapon: a white toy piano. “I actually started using it out of — debatably — either necessity or laziness,” Rickman said. “Most of the […]