Cory Graves
One Thing I Do Know Is That Justus Is No. 1 This Week.
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 third straight week — and fourth time overall — Garland expat Justus tops our weekly, local music power rankings.
It's not much of a surprise, either, as Straight Outta Compton and its unofficial soundtrack are about all anyone's talked about these past few weeks.
After writing a significant portion of that record, Justus looks to have some staying power. It's the reason we also interviewed him this week about what life's like now that he's on one of the hottest albums in the country.
Similarly, that same movie also helped remind everyone about The D.O.C. and the role he had in N.W.A.'s career. True to his legacy, only a few local artists did it better, so to speak, in this week's hype game.
A close second on this week's list was Neon Indian, who ended last week with a whole slew of announcements, including a new single, a release date and track list for his upcoming LP, and a new tour schedule which, coincidentally enough, includes a stop at The Bomb Factory as part of October's Sound Select event.
Other acts with big shows this week: Snow tha Product, who destroyed Trees over the weekend; Lord Byron, who held a release event for what some are calling the best local rap album of the year; Riverboat Gamblers, which will play a free show in Denton this weekend; Old 97's, which will play Lone Star Beer's free Texas music festival at the Gilley's this weekend; and Delta Maze and Pink Smoke, which will each release new albums over the weekend.
Elsewhere, Spector 45 played a reunion show, DSR released a new video, Rat Rios wrote a play and Erykah Badu was given some presidential shine when POTUS included her on his Spotify playlist.
(Also receiving votes this week: Catamaran, Pink Smoke, Bobby Patterson, Nervous Curtains, Crit Life, Jonathan Tyler, Jessie Frye, Pat Green, Nicholas Altobelli, House Harkonnen, DJ Sober, Quaker City Night Hawks, War Party, Telegraph Canyon, Sealion, Spencer Kenney, Danny Diamonds, Maren Morris, Luke Wade, Claire Morales.)
