Lone Star Grammy Noms

Texas artists score big in 2015 Grammy Award nominations

Texas was well-represented in the latest round of nominations for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 57th annual Grammy Awards. Beyonce, Miranda Lambert and Lecrae topped the list of 24 Texas-born or -based musical acts who earned 35 nominations for music released during the eligible period between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014.

Beyoncé's self-titled album Beyoncé earned nods for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary album. The Houston pop star's single "Drunk In Love" (featuring husband Jay Z) was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. She was also nominated for Best Music Film for Beyoncé & Jay Z: On The Run Tour.

Longview-born Miranda Lambert received four nominations, including Best Country Album for Platinum, and two nominations for the single "Automatic": Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. She was also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Somethin' Bad" (with Carrie Underwood).

Houston's Lecrae earned three nominations, including Best Rap Performance for "All I Need Is You"; Best Gospel Performance/Song for "Help" (with Erica Campbell); and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "Messengers" (featuring For King & Country).

Dallas-Fort Worth nominees
Dallas native Edie Brickell was nominated for Best American Roots Song for "Pretty Little One" (with Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers); Brickell and Martin performed in Dallas in October at the Winspear Opera House.

Dallas native and rising star St. Vincent was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for her self-titled album St. Vincent. Her climb to fame got a major boost when she performed with Nirvana in April 2014 during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dallas-residing producer Tim O'Heir received a nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for Hedwig and the Angry Inch (with Justin Craig and Stephen Trask). O'Heir also was nominated for a Tony.

Arlington a capella group Pentatonix was nominated for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, for "Daft Punk."

Austin nominees
Austin artists include a team who worked on The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27): Dean Blackwood, nominated for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package (with Susan Archie and Jack White), and Scott Blackwood, for Best Album Notes.

Ruthie Foster was nominated for Best Blues Album for Promise of a Brand New Day, and Eliza Gilkyson was nominated for Best Folk Album for The Nocturne Diaries. Craig Hella Johnson, conductor of Conspirare, was nominaed for Best Choral Performance for "The Sacred Spirit Of Russia."

Houston nominees
Robert Glasper Experiment received two nominations: Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Jesus Children" (featuring Lalah Hathaway and Malcolm Jamal Warner), and Best R&B Album for Black Radio 2.

Houston gospel acts included Aaron W. Lindsey, nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song for "No Greater Love" (with Smokie Norful), and the Walls Group, for Best Gospel Performance/Song for "Love On the Radio."

Houston jazz musicians included Everette Harp (with Jeff Lorber and Chuck Loeb), nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Jazz Funk Soul, and Jason Moran, nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for All Rise: A Joyful Elegy For Fats Waller.

Texas-born legends up for Grammy Awards include Johnny Mathis, a native of Gilmer, nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Sending You A Little Christmas; Johnny Winter, originally from Beaumont, nominated for Best Blues Album for Step Back; and Jacksonville-born Lee Ann Womack, nominated for Best Country Album for The Way I'm Livin'.

Mariachi Los Arrieros Del Valle of McAllen were nominated for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) for Alegría Del Mariachi. And Pepe Aguilar of San Antonio was nominated Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) for Lastima Que Sean Ajenas.

Two Christian acts received nominations as well. MercyMe of Greenville was nominated twice: for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "Shake," and for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Welcome To The New. And Waco act Crowder was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for "Come As You Are."

The Grammy Awards air February 8, 2015, on CBS.

Grammy Award nominees Edie Brickell toured with Steve Martin during the summer of 2014.

Paul Simon, Edie Brickell, Steve Martin at Houston Symphony concert July 2014

Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony

Grammy Award nominees Edie Brickell toured with Steve Martin during the summer of 2014.

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The Joke Has Landed

New comedy club at Toyota Music Factory in Irving gets set for laughs

Photo by Anna Dolmany

This is the fifth Punch Line location.

It's almost time for Punch Line Irving to open its doors, and Dave Chappelle is at the ready. The famous comedian will christen the new comedy club with four sold-out shows on December 17 and 18, but there's plenty more funny business in store for 2026.

First announced in November, this is Punch Line's fifth location — and second in Texas, the first opened in Houston in 2024 — and it's taking up residence at the Toyota Music Factory. The 240-seat club plans to host more than 350 shows and private events annually, featuring a blend of high-wattage celebrity and homegrown talent.

Its decor nods to the brand's belief that comedy is a sport, with feature wall showcasing punching bags and boxing bells signed by "heavy hitter" performers.

The menu also echoes the theme, with such cocktails as the Bellringer (bourbon, lemonade, and Liquid Death half-and-half iced tea), Ringside Ranch Water (blanco tequila, hibiscus, lime, and soda), and the Espresso All-Star, their take on the espresso martini. Food includes Punch Line favorites like the Mic Drop Burger, Punch Line Nachos, and Homemade Punch Pop Tarts in bourbon apple or strawberry cream.

There is also a second, more flexible space outside the main showroom called The Callback Bar that's designed to host smaller performances, as well as a furnished patio.

Punch Line Irving The Callback Bar.Photo by Anna Dolmany

Photo by Anna Dolmany

This is the fifth Punch Line location.

The talent gets treated as well as the audience, with a private comics lounge in place of a traditional dressing room. Designed as a shared gathering space, it sports a custom media wall showing the live-show feed, a dressing table, a private ensuite restroom, and a hospitality station.

Punch Line makes it a point to support the local comedy scene, and its Irving location will be no exception. Twenty-five cents from each ticket at participating shows benefits Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit organization providing financial grants and resources to stand-up comedians in need. The club also hosted its first open mic on December 9 to welcome the community, with participating comics donating nonperishable items to the North Texas Food Bank.

Don't fret if you didn't snag tickets to Dave Chappelle — big names like Leslie Jones, Tone Bell, Pete Holmes, and Christina P. all have shows scheduled in the first few months of 2026 and tickets are on sale now.

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