Pete Freedman
This Week, Maren Morris Was Still There.
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.
Earlier this week, we marveled at the fact that two North Texas-sprung country singers — Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert — really cleaned up in this year’s CMA Award nominations.
But, with the reveal that one of them will also be tackling the national anthem duties ahead of tonight’s 2017 NFL kickoff game, one of them finally took a leg up on the other.
And, as the second North Texas singer to tackle the anthem ahead of a major sporting event in just as many weeks, that honor lifts Maren Morris up into the top slot in this week’s North Texas music rankings. It’s Morris’ 15th time atop this weekly heap since we started compiling it some five-and-a-half years ago.
So how come Miranda Lambert didn’t come in second place? Well, because a couple of other powerhouse North Texas women also had killer weeks — Selena Gomez earned herself the cover of Time magazine for becoming the first person to crack 100 million followers on Instagram, and St. Vincent continued her clever roll-out for her new album and dropped a rad new single.
Coming in fifth place behind the four leading ladies this week is a trio of North Texas men with some new tricks of their sleeves. That, of course, would be the fellas of The Outfit, TX, who just dropped their latest Dallas-themed album — this one called Fuel City — which they’ll celebrate at Beauty Bar tonight, complete with tacos from the famed area gas station taqueria, as their close friend DJ Sober hosts his weekly Big Bang bash.
Lower down on the top half of the list, Leon Bridges and Erykah Badu both made it onto D Magazine‘s 10 most stylish people in Dallas list, Demi Lovato got political and Carlyle was the sole local announced in the first round of performers revealed for this year’s Lights All Night festivities.
Elsewhere: Edie Brickell made a big donation ($1 million) for Hurricane Harvey relief; Zach Witness, Lizzie Boredom, Curtis Mayz, Sealion and Blindwish all dropped new music; and Hall Johnson revealed their Spotify secrets to the Observer;
(Also receiving votes: Tay Money, Pearl Earl, Blake Ward, These Machines Are Winning, TYE, FXXXXY, Loafers, War Party, Toy Gun, Bulls, Old 97’s, A. Savage, CardiacTheGhost, Garrett Owen, Devy Stonez, Dizzie The Wizard, Clifffs, Acid Carousel, Jon Bap, SuperSonic Lips, Native Fox, Monoculture and Doug Burr.)