Preston Jones

Dallas

Writer, Critic and Editor at Freelance

Music Writer at KKXT-FM (Dallas, TX)

Award-winning critic, editor and writer for hire. Bylines: @Dallas_Observer, @kxtradio, @oklahomatoday, @texasmonthly. @SMU & @UofOklahoma alum. Opinions mine.

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Articles

Dallas-based singer-songwriter Jackson Scribner unveils new single, "Depression Kids"

2 days ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

June 25, 2025 by When last we heard from Dallas-based singer-songwriter Jackson Scribner, he was bound for Europe and had just unveiled a new single. Now, Scribner is back with another fresh single, “Depression Kids,” which doubles as the title track for his forthcoming studio album, due out Sept. 19 on State Fair Records.
Dallas label Skylark Soul Co. invites you to listen up to its distinctive sounds at the Kessler

2 days ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

Skylark Soul Co., the Dallas-based record label co-founded by Jeff “Skin” Wade and Josey Records’ Luke Sardello, is as much a sensibility as an imprint. “Yeah, I agree,” said Danny Balis during a recent conversation.
Pete Yorn Makes the Years Melt Away at Sold-Out Show in Oak Cliff

3 days ago | dallasobserver.com | Preston Jones

“All right — what do you guys wanna hear?”Pete Yorn’s simple query unleashed a cacophony of voices inside the sold-out Kessler Theater Monday night, a blizzard of song titles hurled at the man who wrote them.To that point in the evening, the capacity crowd had been reverently silent as the 50-year-old singer-songwriter, making his first Dallas appearance in six years , worked his way through his catalog.It was faintly ironic that he met his invitation for requests with a brief medley of 1980s...
Out Her Mind, Just in Time: Erykah Badu Flows Into a New Era on Juneteenth

1 week ago | dallasobserver.com | Preston Jones

2025 marks the 15th anniversary of New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). There is a sense of flowing water about the woman born Erica Wright 54 years ago in Dallas — that deceptive sense of stillness, even as she’s rushing forward, changing and expanding and growing and becoming. Given that, the notion of looking back at Badu’s work feels a bit futile, as she herself has already moved well beyond whatever moment of inspiration conjured the song or record or concert in question.
Newly independent singer-songwriter Allison Ponthier comes home to Deep Ellum

1 week ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

Texas is never far from Allison Ponthier’s mind. Although the queer, Allen-raised singer-songwriter has called New York City home for the last few years, the 29-year-old returns often — literally and artistically — to the land of her birth. On the day KXT connected with Ponthier (pon-tee-ay), “Jesus and John Wayne,” a new single from singer-producer googly eyes featuring her vocals, alongside Joy Oladokun, had dropped.
Erykah Badu sets free concert in Deep Ellum on Juneteenth

1 week ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

Erykah Badu is taking Deep Ellum to the world this week. The Dallas icon announced late last week she would headlining a free performance — “Badu Presents: Echos 19” — at the Bomb Factory, sponsored by Amazon Music Rotation. Tickets are required, and admission is first-come, first-serve, subject to capacity. The concert, which will feature an opening set from Dallas rapper Tye Harris, will also be livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Longhorn Ballroom sets soft opening date for outdoor amphitheater | KXT 91.7

1 week ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

As the Longhorn Ballroom’s year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary continues, the venue’s future is also coming more sharply into focus. A long-awaited outdoor performance space is finally in sight, according to press materials. The final phase of the Longhorn Ballroom’s meticulous restoration ends with the opening of the 6,500-capacity outdoor amphitheater, dubbed the Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater.
Dallas-based Afrobeat artist Baba Kuboye wants everyone to feel good

2 weeks ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

Babatunmida (or, simply, Baba) Kuboye’s wish for anyone hearing his buoyant, vibrant, joyful music is a simple one. “Feeling happier, feeling lighter, feeling the good energy to spread good vibes to others,” said the Nigeria-born, Dallas-based Afrobeat singer-songwriter during a recent conversation. “I think good vibes make the world go around. Everybody always, usually, has some type of challenge or frustration — things going on in their world. Music helps to navigate that.
Before Wu-Tang Clan says farewell to North Texas, listen to these classic tracks

2 weeks ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

Wu-Tang Clan is calling it a career. For what’s being billed as “The Final Chamber,” all eight surviving members of the deeply influential East Coast rap group — RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa — alongside Cappadonna and Young Dirty Bastard, who is performing in the place of his father, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who passed away two decades ago, are touring one last time.
Jacob Metcalf among the local artists making collaborative for third annual Synergy

2 weeks ago | kxt.org | Preston Jones

When he was first asked to participate, Jacob Metcalf wasn’t sure what to make of Pegasus Contemporary Ballet’s multi-disciplinary performance series Synergy. “It seemed so out of left field for me, and I didn’t know what to think of it,” the Dallas-based singer-songwriter said during a recent conversation. “My first thought was, well, I have to at least see what’s up with this … I found it very intimidating at the beginning.