Praise Music: Who moves to Dallas for the music scene? Fred Hammond, for one. The gospel veteran (Commissioned, Radical for Christ) tells The Dallas Morning News he left Detroit and found a fresh start here, thanks to T.D. Jakes and the Potter’s House, as well as the “fluid” nature of Dallas. Hammond’s been around – his 30-year-career leaves him feeling like the “Frankie Beverly of gospel.” But after a divorce, he says he picked Dallas over Atlanta, and Orlando, in part because  “you can go anywhere here… and the musicianship and artists here are really on the top of their game.”

Gallery Graze: Kenneth Craighead of Craighead Green Gallery tells the Dallas Voice that the Dallas Arts District is throwing some light on local galleries, and that “people from out of town are asking what’s going on in Dallas.” The piece focuses on the Dragon Street scene, also mentioning Holly Johnson Gallery and Artisan Style and its owner Brandon Lynch.

Hill Country Weekend: Perhaps you missed the daily round-up during the holiday. Maybe you’ve checked back  because Stephen blithely excused his admittedly thin third item in Wednesday’s roundup with a promise that today’s would be chock-full of a half-week’s worth of local news. Easy for him to say as he slunk out of town. Problem is, so did I. But here are a couple of finds from points south:

If you happen to be in Wimberley over the holidays, check out The EmilyAnn Theatre for its homespun -and huge (7 acres) – festival of lighted holiday displays, each sponsored by a different business, church or family from town.  If you’re there later in the year, try the performances, or send your kids to the camp that produces, Shakespeare Under the Stars.

Another spot worth a visit: Blue Rock Studios, a home and recording studio built by Billy Crockett, a successful Christian musician, and his wife Dodee, an exec at Merrill Lynch in Dallas.  Saturday’s open house at the studio included performances by Kevin Welch, Sam Baker and Larry D. Thomas, a poet laureate of Texas.  It was also the debut of the most recent Blue Rock Review, an annual themed journal featuring the work of visual artists, writers and musicians who’ve performed, recorded or hung out at the studio and art gallery in the previous year. This year’s topic: Play.

Did you discover any interesting art in your holiday wanderings? If so, please share with us.