Cory Graves
This Week, Play-N-Skillz Was Literally Buzzing.
Each week, we take a survey of the local music scene and try to determine which acts in town are really putting in work and seeing it pay off. Which bands have the most intriguing shows coming up? Which bands are getting the most press around town? Which bands have accomplished the most notable feats of late? Based off these criteria, our music writers submit a list to be weighted and compiled into a master list revealed each week in this here space. We like to think it's fairly revealing. Check out our previous Buzz Rankings here.
For the many of you that gloss over the italicized intro that accompanies this piece each week, let us remind you that there are indeed many factors in determining who the week's most buzzing-est artist in North Texas is. Some of those factors include who is receiving the most press coverage and who has turned in the most notable accomplishment.
And, after the notable accomplishment of releasing what most critics and laymen alike are calling the worst song of 2014, Dallas production duo Play-N-Skillz earned itself boatloads of press from all across the globe.
Sure, thanks to the kinda aggressive nature of the lyrics of the duo's new “I Literally Can't (STFU),” most of that press was negative. But buzz, as they say, is buzz. Good or bad — and for the first time since we've been keeping track — Play-N-Skillz was definitely the most buzzing act in town this week. And for his own verse in the song, local rapper Enertia McFly makes the list for the first time ever, too.
Close behind Play-N-Skillz this week was the Eli Young Band, which packed out Globe Life Park last weekend — and at one point was even joined on guitar by Rangers pitcher Derek Holland — for one of the biggest live shows of the week, even in spite of how many Fun Fun Fun Fest spillover acts were in town. Fun Fun Fun headline performer King Diamond, for his part, also turned in a local set before heading down for that fest.
Then there was Erykah Badu, who went viral yet again after posting a video in which she and her daughters sang Colbie Caillat's “Try.” Likewise, tons of eyeballs were on The Voice's North Texas performers Reagan James, Luke Wade and Craig Wayne Boyd, each of which survived the first week of the show's live playoff round.
Meanwhile, The Jack Kerowax, Mothership, Ronnie Fauss each received press for their upcoming new albums, and a track from Oil Boom's forthcoming album has been getting lots of love from NPR.
Elsewhere: The Polyphonic Spree announced its 12th annual holiday extravaganza, which looks like it might be the last-ever show at Lakewood Theater; Leon Bridges got a nice shout out from NME; Wizards of Gore presided over a wedding at its most recent show; and Yung Nation released a new, Riff Raff-featuring single.
(Also receiving votes this week: Black Dotz, Power Trip, The Longshots, Tunk, Eat Avery's Bones, Sam Lao, Fishboy, Taylor Phelan, Booty Fade, Happy Bullets, Doug Burr, Jetta in the Ghost Tree, The Paychecks, War Party, Riverboat Gamblers, Nick Seeley, Natural Anthem, Brandon Marcel, Donny Young, Sun Books, Bitch Bricks, Dark Rooms, Jonas Martin, Old 97's, Crit Morris, Quaker City Night Hawks, The Mohicans, Lily Taylor, Sexual Jeremy, Bukkake Moms, Moth Face.)
