Somewhere between a wall of guitar pedals and a suspicious number of vintage synths, Giovanni Alvizo and Carson Olivarez decided two people could sound like a full band, and mostly, they’re right. That’s Neon Swami: a Dallas indie duo built on reverb thick enough to lean on, chorus effects doing more emotional labor than most bands manage with a whole rhythm section, and synths that sound plucked straight out of a decade nobody in the room actually lived through.
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In the Cedars just south of downtown Dallas, Opening Bell is a music-forward café and bar that has managed to maintain its low-key charm while quietly becoming one of the city’s most respected listening rooms. The space, housed in the historic South Side on Lamar building, still feels like a well-kept secret. There’s a worn-in comfort to the mismatched furniture, exposed brick, and ambient lighting that makes it feel more like an artist’s living room than a venue. But the sound system is serious, and so is the lineup.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
