North Texas’ top 5 artists of 2012

by Jessica Harp, Brenna Rushing

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Some are up-and-coming while others are more established, but they all have one thing in common: They make music that moves us, and they do it in DFW. Here are Pegasus News’ best artists of 2012.

A.Dd+ and DJ Sober

What a year for the two hip hoppers and a DJ from Dallas: They embarked on their first nationwide tour with Paul Wall and launched right into multiple Texas festivals, including Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. They play SXSW in 2013. With Sober’s poignant beats and sharp ear to back them up, rappers Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy wreck the stage with their street-smart lines and tag-team swag. You won’t be able to help bouncing your head to the infectious beats when A.Dd+ starts flowing. We can’t get enough of their controlled confidence.

Mind Spiders

These Denton punk rockers know how put on a show. Their fuzzed out, eardrum-bursting sound is like an energy drink on steroids. With two drummers and Mark Ryan’s steady chords to guide them, the world is their garage. Most of the members come from other local bands including Bad Sports, Video, and Marked Men, which explains their rapid release of solid records. Look for a new album sometime in 2012.

The Phuss

This Fort Worth three-piece is raw and full of intense energy. The band caught the eye of fellow DFW rockers the Toadies and performed at the band’s annual Dia De Los Toadies music festival this year. The following month after the weekend long festival, The Phuss opened for the Toadies on a brief U.S. tour. The high-voltage rock and rollers’ second album was even co-produced by the famed band’s frontman Vaden Todd Lewis.

If Dallas rock legends like The Phuss, it’s time that everyone else stood up and paid attention as well. These gutsy punk rockers like to play – as they say – fast, dirty, and loud rock ‘n’ roll.

Ishi

Even though these booty shakers and music makers haven’t released an album this year (not counting the band’s Disco Queen album with remixes of the track of the same name), they’ve been working hard writing and debuting new tunes for the past few months. And their fans keep coming out to shake their dandelions, proof that a band can keep fans entertained without a new, full-length release. We said they "fell off the bandwagon" in 2010. Well, they're back on.

Salim Nourallah

Salim Nourallah is the go-to man to get a record produced and recorded. In 2012, he was busy writing, recording, and producing his own album at his recording studio Pleasantry Lane. Nourallah also aided in the recording of many local bands’ newest albums such as Marry A Stranger by Smile Smile, Mount Karma by Dovetail, and Nicholas Altobelli’s early 2013 release Without A Home. Any up-and-coming musician in DFW should seriously consider Nourallah. How does he find time to play music of his own?

Tune in Tuesday for our list of North Texas' best albums of 2012.

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