Texas Music News — August 1, 2026
Drakulas frontman Mike Wiebe brought his art-punk band home to Denton, Texas, on July 31 to release Midnight City.
Wiebe grew up in Denton and came of age in its house-show scene. Decades earlier, that same circuit shaped a young Ray Wylie Hubbard. He calls Denton a micro-Austin, a small city with an outsized creative pulse. That scene built Riverboat Gamblers, the Denton-born punk band Wiebe has fronted since 1997. He later moved to Austin, chasing club shows and cheap rent, but North Texas never let go.
Drakulas Built a City That Only Exists After Dark
Midnight City is Drakulas’ third album, a synth-soaked blast of proto-punk and new wave. Wiebe built it from home demos with co-writer Zach Blair during the pandemic. On record, Wiebe becomes Savage Lord Mic and Blair becomes Pink Rick. “Midnight City is a big city the way I imagined one growing up,” Wiebe says.
The album-release show landed at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, the venue that started it all. Wiebe returned as Savage Lord Mic, dragging an imaginary city behind him. For one night, Denton got to be its capital again.
Details at Dallas Observer
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