Mike Brooks

Will Badu choose you?

Red Bull's Sound Select program has announced a new set of shows in a handful of U.S. cities in late July. The program is designed to showcase local talent, and the Dallas show (on July 26 at Prophet Bar) is exemplary: Erykah Badu will be joined by Larry G[ee] and Dustin Cavazos.

This being Red Bull, however, there's more to it than just a great free show. This year, artists (or management or a Red Bull intern or somebody) will "curate" the audience. You can request a free ticket on the Red Bull Select site. You have from now until July 12 to prove your love for the Dallas scene via social media.

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Mike Brooks

How do you differentiate an Ariel Pink fan from others? Take a snap shot of any average street corner in your downtown area and pretty much anyone in frame would fit into last night's crowd at Trees. From the average goth kid to the plain-clothed middle-aged suburbanite, you cannot pigeon-hole a fan into one discernable category. That eclecticism is mirrored onstage by Ariel Pink and his backing band, and they effortlessly had the crowd swaying and mouthing the words to "Interesting Results."

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Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop doing it wrong. Send your problems to her -- confidentiality is assured, unless you want to use your drama as a ticket to Internet microfame.

Dear Fan,
I am a 40-something-year-old white guy. I have long hair, like rock music, etc. Basically I am into all things white dudes are into. However over the last few years I have really immersed myself into the rap world.

I saw a Jay-Z commercial last night and found it very inspiring. Well, inspiring enough to get me thinking that if I could make just ONE top 20 rap hit I could be set for life. Then I could start having babies and not worry about their future.

Could you tell me how to break into the rap game without a lot of effort?

I feel like my flow, were I to ever give this a go, would probably be a cross between Debbie Harry on "Rapture" and Pete Nice.

Thanks,
This is 40

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Just a normal band practice for Home by Hovercraft.

Here at the Observer, we come across hundreds of photos a week. You'd be surprised how often styles are repeated. You've all seen the cliche band in a wintered field photo, or the antique furniture set outdoors photo. Well, here are a group of photos that don't fit the mold; they're completely original, and they're only telling of the eclectic mix of artists we're surround by, who are shaking it up a bit. Here are their band promo photos.

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Chapman Baehler

Josh Homme cops a feel.

Pop sensations Queens of the Stone Age will play Verizon Theatre on October 5. Tickets for the show, which range from $42.50 to $49.50 before fees, go on sale this Friday, June 21 at 10 a.m.

If you missed this announcement when it came through, you're forgiven: The show still isn't listed wasn't listed on the QOTSA web site until late this morning or in several other generally-reliable sources.

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My Bloody Valentine: Kind of a blurry band, so it works out.

My Bloody Valentine will play Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on August 17. This is a big deal: The Greatest Shoegaze Band Ever released its third album (and first since 1991's spectacular Loveless) earlier this year. When MBV reunited in 2009, they played only five U.S. shows, at Coachella and in Seattle, Denver, Dallas and Austin. That tour sold out instantly.

This time around, the supply isn't much bigger -- a long string of 2013 dates includes only six U.S. shows, in basically the same places. But unlike last time, the Dallas show, for which tickets went on sale Saturday, is not yet sold out.

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Daniel Perez

This past Friday, Dallas rap fans got to experience a moment in pop culture together. In crowds upwards of 300, they took to the streets to watch Kanye West's latest experiment in new media marketing: guerilla public screenings of the video for his single "New Slaves."

Deb Doing Dallas & Vanessa Quilantan

The Dallas outing came almost a month after the initial worldwide screenings, when West performed on the season finale of Saturday Night Live. It also lacked a second video that debuted in various markets this weekend- a strange homage to the screen adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' American Psycho starring Keeping Up With The Kardashians regulars, Scott Disick & Jonathan Cheban. None of that seemed to tarnish the moment, however. Dallas' "New Slaves" debut would prove to be a memorable experience for the fact that it took place on the day West's sixth studio album, Yeezus, leaked onto the internet- and would carry over into the next day, as Kim Kardashian gave birth to the rapper's first child.

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Autumn De Wilde

When I first saw She and Him were playing at Verizon Theater, in Grand Prairie's desolate "entertainment district," I wondered why for the group's first ever stop in Dallas, they didn't play a venue like Granada Theater or Palladium Ballroom.

But once their set was done, and the almost all-couple audience begin to file out, it began to make more sense that this bland venue played host to bland, if still enjoyable enough, night of music.

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Courtesy of the University of Oklahoma

They can't all be Malcom Kelly, freestyle champion.

Anyone who has ever watched college sports has seen more than their fair share of those NCAA commercials emphasizing the 'student-athletes who are going pro in something other than sports.' After all, they're shown during every single commercial break.

So, I decided to look into some of the NCAA's student-athletes who have attempted (or are attempting) to go pro in the music industry - 'rapletes,' if you will.

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And on the fourth day, Yeezus walked onto the Internet. Kanye West's sixth studio solo album has officially leaked onto the Internet, preceding its June 18 release. The 10-track project titled Yeezus is here, and it is good. But that's not all for Dallas rap fans. West has announced a new installment of projections over various buildings throughout America will be taking place tonight. After being left off the list for the projected video debut for "New Slaves" a few weeks back, Dallas has been invited to the party this time around. There will be five screenings, each slotted for a half hour, of a yet-to-be-announced visual.

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