Out & About

JAN. 5

BUILDING WITH LEGOS

Recreate the Chicago and London skylines with LEGOS that will be displayed in-store. The hands-on event begins at 7 p.m. and gives participants the chance to create their own masterpiece.

Barnes&Noble, 5959 Royal Lane, suite 616, 214.363.0924, barnesandnoble. com, free

JAN. 12

HATE SPEECH

“The Impact of Hate Speech” analyzes modern forms of hate speech and provides strategies to speak against it. Cheryl Drazin, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, leads this event at 7 p.m. Jewish Community Center of Dallas, 7900 Northaven Road, 214.239.7178, jccdallas.org, free

JAN. 13-JUNE 30

POSTER CHILD

The historical poster exhibition, titled “A Place for All People,” examines African American culture. The exhibition is one of several nationwide events that celebrates the opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Frontiers of Flight Museum, 6911 Lemmon Ave., 214.350.3600, flightmuseum.com, free

JAN. 19

MONEY TALKS

Learn about the seven pitfalls of estate planning from 6-7 p.m. Lisa Sharp, estates and elder law attorney for the McGee Law Firm, leads the discussion.

Preston Royal Library, 5626 Royal Lane, 214.670.7128, dallaslibrary.org, free

JAN. 19

SURREAL

Uruguayan artist Rafael Barradas coined the term Vibrationism and inspired artists such as Salvador Dali and Joan Miró. Jed Morse, chief curator of the Nasher Sculpture Center, leads the discussion at 6 p.m. about Barradas’ life in the 20th century. Meadows Museum, 5900 Bishop Blvd., 214.768.2516, meadowsmuseum dallas.org, free

JAN. 27

Economic Outlook

The North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Economic Outlook Forum includes several guest speakers who will examine the future of business in the metroplex. Mary Frances Burleson, president and CEO of Ebby Halliday Companies, moderates the event from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Cooper Hotel and Conference Center, 12230 Preston Road, ndcc.org, $40-$450

By ELISSA CHUDWIN

The O’s never set out to be a local band, but that doesn’t mean their hometown hasn’t been instrumental to their indie circuit success.

Before Preston Hollow native Taylor Young grabbed an acoustic guitar to craft rock-infused folk tunes with fellow Dallas musician John Pedigo, their resumes included stints in several local bands like Polyphonic Spree and Young Heart Attack.

Since then, The O’s have traded high-intensity alternative for a raw, low-key sound often compared to folk sensations Mumford & Sons or The Avett Brothers. But the duo says they weren’t hopping on a bandwagon when they formed in 2008. It just was the most pragmatic way to continue recording and touring without watching their bank accounts dwindle from the high cost of tour buses and elaborate equipment.

Their sound has been simplified, but The O’s are a culmination of the band’s previous projects, Pedigo says. He and Young make a conscious effort to record each song how it would be performed live, and they also have a knack for multi-tasking with multiple instruments.

“It’s like our legs and our arms are other individuals,” Young says. “We really have a 10-person band with both legs and arms and brains included.”

Young’s lifelong interest in music is a typical tale fueled by MTV music videos and childhood boredom.

“If you look up a little video — ‘Here I Go Again’ by Whitesnake — that’s when I was like ‘Man, I think I want to be a part of this,’ because there was loud music and cars and girls,” Young says. “I was stuck at home with a babysitter watching MTV a lot, and I think that guided what I wanted to do with my life.”

Both Young and Pedigo never outgrew their aspirations of becoming rock stars, although Young jokes that being a rapper could have been more lucrative. They spent their free time performing and watching local bands in Deep Ellum during the late 1990s, when Young attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas while Pedigo was a student at Woodrow Wilson High School in East Dallas.

“It went to its dark ages in 2003, but it’s revamped,” Pedigo says. “It’s a pretty cool time in Dallas, because the city’s growing incredibly fast. Deep Ellum is basically a Starbucks away from being the coolest place in town.”

The duo has watched Dallas progress in between national and international tours, and they’re content with the area’s ever-changing dynamic.

“I think everybody expects that these days,” Pedigo says. “It’s a certain thing people want. They want craft beer and artisan bread and local chickens.”

The support and praise they’ve received here has allowed them to tour nationally and internationally, and that’s what makes them inclined to stay.

“It’s a wonderful place to call home,” Young says. “I was born, raised and slightly educated here. People are always like, ‘Why don’t you move to Austin or Denton, where all the music people are?’ and I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t only like music people.’ ”