Theme Park Experience

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I went to three shows, two of which I reviewed for the Observer . You can read my thoughts on Eagulls' first time playing Dallas here  and read my review of the Journey show here . But the show that really impressed me was the show I didn't review: the Winery Dogs at the Granada Theater. I had the pleasure of interviewing  their drummer, Mike Portnoy, for DC9 as a show preview. He was friendly and open with me, making the interview flow very well. I didn't want to ask any direct questions about Dream Theater, but did share about his past while focusing on the present with the Winery Dogs. Coming into the show on Saturday night, I had a feeling I would enjoy the show. The tunes on the band's self-titled debut are enjoyable, bluesy pop rock songs. But I did not expect to see a crowd so charged by the band's set. People were going crazy at the sight of the band, with everyone raising arms and fists, yelling loudly, befo...

What happens when a trend in music reeks of terrible offenses to the audio and visual senses, yet is somehow still infectiously catchy? A trend in particular that's been on my mind lately is the one dubbed, "bro country." This trend has been perfectly mocked on  YouTube  and the best talk radio station in the DFW area . Essentially, these days, if you're a male artist and want to have a massive hit on the country charts, the song lyrics must include references to the following: 1. A truck 2. A girl 3. Alcohol 4. Driving on dirt roads 5. Farm equipment 6. Tight jeans on said girl  7. A small body of water 8. Sunset and/or moonlight 9. Summer 10. Guns 11. Fishing 12. Boots 13. God The more references the artist has in the first 60 seconds of the song, the better chances of it becoming a hit. Don't believe me? Just watch the clock as a song gets going.  Musically, bro country is more like hard rock with flashes ...

I'm a little behind in posting these links, but I've been pretty busy with articles for the Observer . In the last few weeks, I wrote about an Indiegogo countdown party , the Hold Steady returning to the Granada in fine fashion , had a fun little interview with Dylan from Tiny Moving Parts , and a did a brief interview with Eric Nadel, the great Texas Rangers broadcaster . After not doing much for the paper in the last few months of 2013, things keep popping up now, and it's still a lot of fun. I'm going on five years with this place, and I have some really cool interviews coming up in the next few weeks. Interviews with people I never thought I'd interview that I've long admired.

For years, I was not sure I was cut out for working a regular, nine-to-five job. Was I going to be happier working from a home office, away from the kind of nuances that Office Space  and The Office perfectly lampooned? Would I ever have weekends and holidays completely free of the fear a last-minute emergency would happen and I would have to work? Was I giving into The Man by wanting things like health insurance, a livable wage, and an opportunity to grow my professional skills? After years of working part-time jobs and full-time jobs in one industry, I have to say transitioning into a different industry has been an extremely positive change. Yes, I work in an environment that might, from an outsider's perspective, give way to Initech and Dunder Mifflin references, but there is nothing I find wrong with this environment. The office environment I had previously worked in (cubicles, offices, water coolers, copy machines) was not different from what I'm now. ...