21 July 23 - 29, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed J. Isaiah Evans can simply steal your atten- tion. Fronting the Boss Tweed, this Dallas Americana force pairs swelling organ with guitar that knows exactly when to snarl, and his voice swings like a wrecking ball dressed in Sunday clothes. He pours everything into every note, the kind of full-body conviction that gets your foot tapping and your head nodding before you’ve even decided to. His poetry could knock down walls, and his songs move like weather, drifting quiet one moment and detonating the next. Want the full tour of that range? Cue up his 2025 al- bum “Americana Radio,” now a year into its life and aging beautifully. Start with “A Thing For You,” a track that captures his whole restless, roof-raising spirit. Then clear your calendar, because you’ll want the rest. Selûna Born in Arlington, blooming in Austin, Selûna is what happens when melody and muscle decide to share a stage. The band draws from the calmer, contemplative side of Thrice, then spikes it with the swagger of Arctic Monkeys and the barreling drive of Cage the Elephant. One minute they’re all shimmer and restraint, like the aching new single “Sometimes” or the wistful “Belonged Here.” The next, they’re loose and roaring, as their 2026 jam “Mona” proves without apology. Beneath it all runs a gorgeous lead voice, floating over experimental textures that turn hazy and Pink Floyd-ish when you least expect it. This is a band that refuses to pick a lane, and that’s precisely the point. Give them a spin now. They’re the kind of act you’ll want to say you heard early. Pierce Washington One of our favorite local album releases of the year so far is Pierce Washington’s “Bud- row,” a jazzy, atmospheric and rich union of R&B and hip-hop. The record is a blueprint of sorts for Washington’s own journey with grief, self-reflection and a desire to live in emotional honesty. Make no mistake, though; for all of the record’s exploration of the complexity that weaves in between love and sorrow, it’s still easy listening. It’s no sudden flashpoint among his artistry, either. Earlier this year, he was awarded the nod for EP of the Year at the Dallas Entertainment Awards for 2025’s “Folklore.” So, yes, we’re betting all-in on him as one of the artists next up in Dallas. We can attest, though, that to truly feel Washington’s flow at its most pure, you need to catch one of his live shows. In Dallas, that next manifests at Opening Bell in the Cedars on August 15. Gene Ross Screaming is easy. Screaming beautifully is a craft, and Gene Ross has it mastered. This DFW post-hardcore and metalcore outfit wields a voice that’s somehow honeyed and ferocious at once, capable of leveling a room and then gently pulling it back in. Their range is the real headline. One breath sends you thrashing across the pit, the next drops into a moody, aching hook you’ll be humming for days. There’s a 2000s punk melancholy threaded through it all, that bruised, big- hearted energy that made the era so easy to fall for. But the true test is live, where they don’t just play a room so much as own it, con- trolling the tension and release like seasoned conductors. If you like your music loud, dy- namic, and impossible to ignore, Gene Ross belongs at the very top of your watch list. Photo by Madeline Bullie Photo by Jared A. Moody Pierce Washington Gene Ross
