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No matter where you are in the state, it\u2019s always fun to discover new music \u2013 someone who\u2019s going to be the next big thing or at the center of a scene that takes music in a completely unexpected direction.<\/p>\n
North Texas is home to a growing music scene, one being watched closely by Amy Miller, on-air host for public radio station KXT<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of musicians move here recently, from places like Austin where they\u2019re maybe getting priced out a little bit, and tons of venues to play here,\u201d Miller said. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s a great music school in Denton, UNT, a lot of great talent coming out of there. It\u2019s a lot of house shows that people are playing there, but also traditional venues all throughout the North Texas metroplex and a lot of new venues popping up as well.\u201d<\/p>\n As KXT celebrates Homegrown Music Month<\/a>, Miller shared some of her hot picks from North Texas.<\/p>\n Slow Joy \u2013 the one-man band of Esteban Flores \u2013 is one of Miller\u2019s favorites at the moment. She describes the music as a mix between emo and indie rock.<\/p>\n \u201cLast time I saw them was at a small club in Deep Ellum, and the place was completely packed out. The crowd knew the lyrics to most of his songs already,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I believe it was the Dallas Observer<\/a> the next day [that] compared it to like this legendary show that Nirvana played in the \u201990s at a small club here, right when they were blowing up, that if you talk to any music fan in Dallas, they still talk about it to this day.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it just had that vibe. There was an energy in the room that I hadn\u2019t seen in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n Denton band Midlake has been around for over 20 years and has a new album, \u201cA Bridge To Far,\u201d out Nov. 7.<\/p>\n \u201cThe band is just a group of incredible musicians. The singer Eric Pulido, he started a side project called E.B. the Younger, who we\u2019re huge fans of at KXT,\u201d Miller said. \u201cAnd then the guitarist [Joey McClellan], seriously one of the best guitarists I\u2019ve heard. He\u2019s played with everyone from Elle King to Rufus Wainwright to Daniel Johnston.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n The singer-songwriter does a lot of covers on social media, Miller said, and also has a new album coming out next month.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is just an amazing artist. Her recorded music, I just love the sound,\u201d Miller said. She \u201calso incorporates some indie pop and a lot of synths into her music.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n The Dallas hip-hop collective incorporates a lot of different genres, including jazz, funk and R&B, Miller said.<\/p>\n Frontman Cameron McCloud is \u201csuper prolific with his lyrics. He\u2019s actually doing something this year where he\u2019s dropping a verse a day every day,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd if you head over to his social media<\/a>, you can watch some of those. I mean, you can go down a major rabbit hole doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n Jackson Scribner, raised in Melissa, Texas, has a new album out, \u201cDepression Kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been excited about this guy. Such a great songwriter, you know, just kind of straight up singer-songwriter, folk music,\u201d Miller said. Alexander got his start with fellow North Texan Leon Bridges, Miller said, and sang backup vocals on Bridges\u2019 2015 debut album, \u201cComing Home.\u201d His collaboration with Adrian Quesada on the song \u201cLike A Bird\u201d from the movie \u201cSing Sing\u201d earned an Oscar nomination this year.<\/p>\n \u201cAbraham\u2019s had an amazing year. He was nominated for an Academy Award, Best Original Song, performed on Jimmy Kimmel,\u201d she said. \u201cI know that he is almost done with his new album, which will hopefully be released at some point in 2026. But he always has something going on and really looking forward to hearing more from him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on\u00a0<\/em>texasstandard.org<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>KUT.org<\/em><\/a>. Thanks for donating today.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\nSlow Joy<\/h3>\n
Midlake<\/h3>\n
Corina Grove<\/h3>\n
Cure for Paranoia<\/h3>\n
Jackson Scribner<\/h3>\n
Abraham Alexander<\/h3>\n