86 September 19 - 25, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER CONTENTS | READERS’ PICKS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | SPORTS & RECREATION Best Place to Sample Dallas’ Musical History Josey Records It’s easy enough to get lost in the Josey Records flagship location in North Dal- las. After all, you’re talking about a record store spread across 25,000 square feet, but tucked inside Josey Records is a journey to the past you can walk around in. As we noted earlier this year, the abundance of pop cultural artifacts salvaged by the Jo- sey Records crew from the late, great Bill’s Records practically qualifies the store as a museum unto itself — albeit one where you can grab another vinyl copy of Cowboy Carter on the way out. 2821 LBJ Freeway, No. 100 972-243-2039, joseyrecords.com Best Music School Pritchard School of Music Between AI and man-powered software, the art of music playing seems to be be- coming a noble pursuit. Nobody is doing it better than Dallas musician Kenneth Pritchard (Dead Mockingbirds, Frances Heidy) — winner and nominee of several Dallas Observer Music Awards. Pritchard, a longtime teacher with a degree in instru- mental performance from Columbia Col- lege Chicago, opened the Pritchard School of Music in Garland prepandemic, show- ing off students’ efforts through show- cases at venues such as Intrinsic Brewery. The Garland school is moving to a smaller space in Richardson, but the instruction remains just as expertly dedicated. Learn- ing an instrument has been proven to improve memory and combat stress, and hanging around rock musicians has been proven to make you cool. 777 S. Central Expressway, No. 7D, Richardson 469-298-0014, pritchardschoolofmusic.com Best Country Bar Adair’s Saloon Can we let you in on a little Best of Dal- las inside secret? We have a general rule here that we don’t give the same place the same award two years in a row be- cause we want to share the love and keep an eye out for new places. But the fact is that some places are simply the best, year in and year out, and in the case of Best Country Bar there is only one Adair’s Sa- loon. (We’d retire this category, but we’d hate for all those California transplants new to town to overlook it, particularly any from around Bakersfield.) Born on Cedar Springs in 1963 before moving to Deep Ellum 1982, Adair’s brings in musi- cians playing the best of outlaw country, and, according to the joint’s history page, “Jack Ingram, Deryl Dodd and members of The Dixie Chicks have graced the stage.” It also serves a great burger, sand- wiches and wings that won’t tap your wallet much. 2624 Commerce St. 214-939-9900, adairssaloon.com Best Out-of-This-World Local Music Trend UTA Planetarium Concerts What was once the province of grade- school field trips is now your favorite local musician’s favorite place to stage a unique live experience. The University of Texas at Arlington’s planetarium plays host on a semi-monthly basis to a concert series featuring North Texas talent such as Bosque Brown, Helium Queens and Brigitte Mena. Chemistry and Physics Building, 700 Plan- etarium Place, Arlington 817-272-1183, uta.edu/planetarium Kathy Tran Josey Records // BEST PLACE TO SAMPLE DALLAS’ MUSICAL HISTORY
