Pete Freedman
Maren Morris Tops The Charts And Gives Birth, Power Trip Smacks Down Trapt, That Vaughan Brothers Monument Is Finally Up In Oak Cliff And Much More.
Lest anyone needed the reminder: The show goes on.
Always.
What? You thought a measly global pandemic could stop the Dallas music scene from making a little noise these past few weeks? Hogwash. Very little has slowed in this realm over this stretch.
To that end, let’s catch up on all that we missed. Yes, all of it. It’s a lot! So much so that we’re foregoing our usual White Noise format and breaking this here edition down into three somewhat digestible chunks: News, videos and new music.
First up, the news, which is thankfully almost exclusively positive stuff this time around!
News!
- Arlington’s Own Maren Morris has had herself a pretty remarkable month. First, it was revealed that the 29-year-old country sensation had earned a whopping five separate 2020 ACM Awards nominations, including nods for Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year (Girl). Then, her song “The Bones” hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart — a feat no other solo female act has accomplished since 2016. Oh, and then to top it all off? She gave birth. On March 23, she and husband Ryan Hurd welcomed their first-born child, Hayes Andrew Hurd into the planet. Morris was also quite forthcoming about the birthing experience on social media.
- Right before the world went to hell in a hand basket, the surprisingly North Texas-based Danish metal icon King Diamond pulled out of a concert slated to take place in Mexico because his recovery from a surgery he’d undergone was taking longer than anticipated. Sure, then-growing fears over the coronavirus pandemic might’ve played a factor in the cancellation as well, but at least the legendary Mercyful Fate vocalist now finds himself with plenty of time to fully recover from whatever was ailing him.
- In its April issue, Texas Monthly takes a look at the statewide music landscape with a package it’s calling “The Stories Behind The Music,” which includes an essay from North Texas’ own Charley Crockett in which he details Freddy Fender‘s influence on his career.
- Speaking of stories behind music: A new documentary promising a behind-the-scenes look at the Dallas punk scene throughout the years called Everything Is A-OK dropped a proper trailer for what’s to come once it earns its release this summer:
- Even with the world in turmoil certain traditions — including the annual XXL Freshman list for 2020 — are going on as usual. This year, five North Texas rappers are up for the open-voting portion to earn the coveted tenth slot in the annual feature on rap game up-and-comers: 10k.Caash, Asian Doll, Cuban Doll, Lil Loaded and Splurge.
- TV remains broadcasting through all this too, which is good news for Dallas rapper David Morgan, who recently had a song used in an episode of The CW‘s Catwoman.
- Out in Oak Cliff, meanwhile, the long-awaited monument to Dallas blues icons (and brothers!) Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan is finally getting erected in Kiest Park.
- Speaking of tributes, North Richland Hills brewery Brutal Beerworks has unveiled a new coffee-flavored imperial milk stout honoring Grapevine’s own Post Malone. Dad jokers everywhere will appreciate the beer’s name: Roast Malone.
- Speaking of things you didn’t know you needed in your life, the below footage of Dallasites doing their best Italy-in-quarantine impressions by singing Bill Withers‘ “Lean On Me” out their windows at the Southside on Lamar apartments in The Cedars has gone viral. NPR has more if you want it.
- Meanwhile, Dallas rockabilly trio Reverend Horton Heat caught all sorts of national flack earlier this month for dismissing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and calling out municipalities where shutdowns forced their touring gigs to get postponed. Those social posts have now been deleted.
- What we hope goes on into perpetuity, however, is Dallas trash heroes Power Trip‘s continued dismantling of the one-hit ’00s nu-metal band Trapt. It started when Trapt defended President Trump’s handling of the pandemic, then featured Power Trip frontman mocking their efforts and eventually saw the two arguing over who would outdraw whom in Trapt’s Southern California stomping grounds. Consequence of Sound has a blow-by-blow recap.
- Shortly after we featured her new “LazyEaterBetsOnHerLikeness” single in our Song of the Day feature here on Central Track, Dallas R&B vocalist Liv.e received a little shine from the tastemakers over at Lyrical Lemonade. Repeating what we’ve said previously: She’s in store for a big 2020.
Videos!
Onto the new music video portion of the proceedings!
Starting things off is the HalfpintFilmz-directed clip for Lil 2z‘s “On My Own,” which may have dropped middle of last month but is still worth your watch.
Former Pleasant Grove frontman Marcus Striplin, meanwhile, released a visual for his latest politically charged single under his Margaret Chavez moniker.
Dallas R&B performer Dezi 5, on the other hand, saw his Jeremy Biggers-directed new clip premiered by Billboard, which is a nice coup for the performer.
No less dramatic is the new visual for Starfruit‘s wild “Barbarians of Grey Fire” single.
Oh, and the aforementioned David Morgan? The rapper we already told you had a placement on Catwoman earlier this month? He dropped a new video, too.
The Ottoman Turks also dropped a new video — this one for their single “Red” — that was shot by the band itself, entirely on their iPhones.
Meanwhile, fast-rising Dallas R&B singer KAYWHT took to the Belmont Hotel (among other locations) to film the new video for her keeper of a single, “Pity.”
Dallas rapper Devy Stonez is also a man about town in the visuals for “Beep,” the lead single off his forthcoming Vol. II: Forever Chillen project.
Then there’s Tay Money, who somehow keeps managing to win us over with the release of the video for her latest, “Bussin (Whole Brand New).”
Another powerful Dallas female — Rosegarden Funeral Party frontwoman Leah Lane in this case — has a new Erin DeVany-directed clip for a solo track she recently released.
Then there’s young singer-songwriter sensation Remy Reilly, who goes on a little solo jaunt around her neighborhood for her new “Little Things” video.
The new video from blues rockers Holy Roller Baby is, on the other hand, a somewhat darker look at social distancing. Check out “Leper Blues” below.
None of the above surreal enough for you? Fine. Let’s end the video portion of this post with a look at RodricksLogic‘s Jordan Peele-inspired “Us” clip featuring lyrical Dallas emcees 7 Tha Great, Que P, Rakim Al Jabbaar and N’dygo Jonez.
New Music!
You thought we were just going to share fully produced music videos and not use this space to also hype up some of the more interesting audio-only releases from around the region of late?
Shame on you. I mean, shit, we already told you at the top of this post to expect this portion and everything!
Starting things off here, we’ve got North Texas pop-punk heroes Bowling for Soup, who checked in with a bouncy cover of The Eagles‘ “Already Gone” seemingly just because.
Venerable North Texas Americana performer Jacob Furr, meanwhile, has a new EP to share.
Also with a new project out is the upstart metal outfit Maldevera. Honestly, we’ve barely listened to this one, but we have to include them just for the cheeky album name they’ve released this material under. They call it Eat A Dick, Dallas.
Los Angeles-based, Dallas-sprung rapper Matt Swagnew, on the other hand, has nice things to say about our fair city in a song honoring his hometown off his new Layered LP.
The math-y Fort Worth hardcore outfit Unspell is a little more open to anyone‘s ideas in their new Believe In What You Want EP.
As one might expect, Dallas indie rock outfit Cool Jacket plays things even more relaxed in their pleasantly accessible new EP, simply called 2.
Denton’s The Hope Trust adds a little synth to its previously roots rock-focused stew on new single “Gonna Find Out.”
The snotty Hoaries are still paranoid as ever in their newest single, “Ritualized Cloning.”
The futurists in LLORA, meanwhile, are the latest North Texas act to team up with Austin’s Holodeck Records, which is pushing the band’s new, ’80s-recalling “Bad Behavior” single.
Mining similar territory to different, more anthemic results is synth pop act Pleasure Crisis on its new We’ve Got It All EP.
Speaking of dualities, Nathan Allen (of Seryn) and and his brother Timothy Allen (of Shane Smith & The Saints) have a project called, fittingly, Brother Band, which just released their debut Vol. 1 LP.
Sticking on the brotherly band tip, the Rimach family band Mayta has a new four-song EP called Rej Karuta out now.
Fort Worth Southern Gothic Psych rockers Picnic Lightning also have some new material in the form of a new single called “Six Feet Under.”
Dallas rapper SadFaceThuggin has gone a littler farther with his new single, “My Addiction,” which dropped with a lyric video this week.
Not to be outdone, the aforementioned singer-songwriter Remy Reilly — we shared her new music video above — dropped a new, Jason Burt-produced single about domestic abuse called “Just Stop.”
On the other hand, new Dallas indie band Cryptolog might not have many skins on the wall, but its new “Drink Deeply” single shows some serious promise.
Fort Worth’s Henry The Archer is similarly reaching for the stars with its new “Venus” single.
And, though it was released back in January, we figure now’s as good a time as any to highlight Bayleigh Cheek‘s impressive “Release Me” single.
More timely is this new single about the pandemic from Dallas rapper Clay Perry called “Viral.”
Dallas singer-songwriter Court Hoang is going a more heartfelt route — par for course with him, frankly — on his new “I Make No Promise” single off his forthcoming Make or Break EP.
Former Yung Nation member Fooly Faime is letting his actions do the talking on his new Tay Money-featuring single, “Talk Less.
Up-and-coming country rockers Texicana, meanwhile, are also pro-action on on their new single, “A Little Bit Of Love.”
Meanwhile, here’s hoping that Fort Worth rapper Prestonn Peacock new single “OMG” is just the start of things to come and not the climax.
And, finally, to close out this massive collection of new area releases, we present you with a guy who knows a thing or two about taking his time: After years of maintaining a presence in the scene, producer Capshun finally — borderline mercifully — dropped his debut Okami EP this month. It’s absolutely worth your time.
Till next time!
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