From Houston to Lebanon, Seeking Truth and Music
Meet the DJ and journalist behind Houston’s Ice House Radio, who has mingled with jazz legends and reported abroad—and for whom recent violence in the Middle East is personal.
Music
Rahim AlHaj, Iraqi Oud Virtuoso, on How Music Crosses Cultures
AlHaj, who performs in Austin on Friday, is a former political prisoner whose music fuses Eastern and Western influences.
Janis Joplin’s Inimitable Voice
An authoritative new biography explores what drove the iconic Texan singer.
The Symphony Comes to South Dallas
Music education and enrichment opportunities are scarce in my neighborhood, but the Dallas Symphony aims to bridge the gap.
‘Texas Flood’ is a Soulful Portrait of Stevie Ray Vaughan
A new biography captures Vaughan’s journey from record-obsessed Dallas kid to all-time guitar god, taking care to convey what made his music transcendent.
Professor Trill
Rapper Bun B on Port Arthur, resilience and the meaning of trill.
‘I Can’t Date Jesus’ Chronicles Growing up Black, Queer and Catholic in Houston
Michael Arceneaux’s first book is a logical extension of the polemic, confessional style he’s perfected online.
The Encyclopedic ‘Country Music USA’ Tells (Almost) the Whole Story
Laird does a masterful job of showing how, for many performers, the whole question of authenticity has become ridiculous.
In ‘Without Getting Killed or Caught,’ Guy Clark Defies Categorization
Clark’s acoustic, finger-picked Southwestern-flavored songs were too countrified for folk and too folky for country — and the Nashville hit factory never knew what the hell to do with him.