Why can't every bathroom stall be full coverage? How much money is really being saved in that next 12 inches or so of wall? Deep Ellum Art C.,, the gallery/music venue/event space in ... duh ... Deep Ellum, has a hallway full of individual private stalls that emphasize the rest in restroom. Whatever else might go in there is none of our business.

Arwa Yemeni Coffee is the Benjamin Button of espresso. It opens daily at 10 a.m., forgoing the morning coffee rush to brew authentic coffee and tea from Yemen until long past sundown. The shop stays open until 11 p.m. on weekdays and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Late nights tend to be the busiest time for Arwa Yemeni, which serves large pots of its signature Adeni tea for groups of four or more. It's a great environment to socialize in or get some red-eye work done.

Alex O'aiza treats a crowd of 40 people like it's 40,000. The Mexican-American pop singer's effort for his live product is second to none. The Dallasite incorporates skits, choreography, vignettes and clever DIY stage design into a setlist that's guaranteed to keep people dancing. O'aiza is going to be a star, and he knows it. But once he becomes one, you won't notice much difference.

The back of Full City Rooster is a mini art museum for the admission price of one latte. Owner Michael Wyatt decorates the walls with artwork from some established regulars in his neighborhood. Recently, prints from award-winning photographer Byrd Williams IV covered the hallway, flanked by paintings from visual multi-hyphenate Mikki Mallow. At a writing desk against the back wall, stacks of poetry books, copies of SMU's Southwest Review and an open sketchbook for patrons to draw in are laid out for browsing.

Created and curated by photographer Destiny King, Tuesdaze Urban is an underground photography zine exclusively featuring Dallas lenses. Only on its second print issue, King builds the zine around exhibitions she hosts. She invites local photographers to showcase their work in person, then takes that work to design 100+ pages online and sends it to print. Physical copies of Tuesdaze Urban are limited and hard to come by, but photos are posted regularly to Instagram @tuesdazeurbanpress_

It's sort of grunge, kinda shoegaze, at times experimental. Death By Monkey is always great. Founded by teenagers Isaiah O'Keefe, Jayc Roberts and Spencer Frye, the band produces sound that can be soft, like on the Slowdive-esque "Streetlights" from the April 2024 EP The Past Few Weeks. They do their best Nirvana impression on "My Mind" from that same record. When Death By Monkey plays with heavier bands, it has to rip through the eponymous "Death By Monkey" track, which reminisces of early Helmet records. The three-piece is a blast from rock's dirty '90s past, and it's only just begun.

No worries. This is one bath where you won't get wet. With more new residents hailing from California and Arizona, Dallas has become a mecca for the popular "sound bath." This meditative experience is ultra-captivating, where soundwaves explore and travel through every cell of your body. From crystal bowls to Tibetan bowls and gongs, the symphony of sounds make for a magical, melodic meditation. However, no other is like that of Kenny Kolter, who boasts decades of experience and who goes so far as to use gumbo pots to create a unique sound bath oasis.

It's the fans who tell us who the best rapper in North Texas, and right now the people are championing BashForTheWorld. An original who blends a unique bilingual Southern rap style delivered in a signature lingo, he personifies self-made. During the first half of 2024, his music amassed more than 800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, driven entirely by a loyal fanbase, and he mesmerized as a featured artist at the biggest festivals. Then, he partnered with Live Nation to take over the nation with his sold-out "From Dallas with Love" tour. To show his love and respect for the city that made him a superstar, Bash brought two local artists on the 23-city tour to open his shows. Mundo, his third album, released in March, is a classic. On 11 tracks, Third Coast's representative tells an unconventional story about choices made for survival and their various results. It's his honesty that draws crowds. and his aura that makes them addicts

This Fry Street favorite encompasses everything a good college bar should have: cheap drinks, friendly staff and good vibes. Lucky Lou's is the perfect place for Denton 20-somethings to enjoy a post-class nightcap or weekend day drink. With a spacious indoor area and outdoor patio complete with plasma screens, foosball, pool tables and darts, Lou's is great for a night out with tons of old friends or a solo venture to make some new ones. Boozers on a budget can take advantage of drink specials every day of the week, including $3 frozen margs, Long Islands and doubles. We recommend stopping by on Tuesday Pint Nights, a fan favorite event where you can buy a select $5 beer and keep the glass. It's one of Denton's original craft beer bars, and the 75+ tap, bottle and can options leave plenty to be explored by both longtime beer snobs and hopheads-in-training.

Most of the music spaces in Dallas (and indeed, North Texas as a whole) are geared more toward having a good time than necessarily, y'know, hearing the acts performing for the gathered crowd. One exception to that rule — one that vigorously enforces its standards — is Oak Cliff's jewel of a listening room, the Kessler Theater. All manner of artists have passed across its stage since it reopened in 2010, from hip-hop to alt-country to rockabilly. It remains the only venue to frequent if you really want to appreciate — and hear — music performed at a peerless level.