OPENING SHOT
Earl Bates performs Celtic guitar at the Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub on Jan. 25. Photo by David Minton
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Little d After Dark
March 2012
MARCH 2012 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7
Courtesy photo
The year 2008 was, in many ways, a watershed year for both Denton rock music and the national hip-hop scene. The rise of “hip-hopreneurs” prompted Forbes to create its yearly “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list and note that “rap’s focus has shifted from beef to cake — making money, that is.” But as hip-hop’s profile increased nationally at a seemingly exponential rate, and even as the Denton rock scene received a great deal of exposure with a flagship music festival now entering maturity, the city’s equally eclectic hip-hop community has been growing and developing a voice of its own, and is only just now beginning to be noticed. Story by Dave Sims
C O V E R S T O RY
940-566-6879 | dcobb@dentonrc.com
Features Editor Lucinda Breeding 940-566-6877
F E AT U R E S >>
Publisher Bill Patterson Managing Editor Dawn Cobb
cbreeding@dentonrc.com
keyes unlocked Houston native Eric Keyes made his way to Denton in the early ’90s to
study music at the University of North Texas. It’s clear that music has been the constant in his life from a very young age, and whether he developed his unique take on sound on his own or at UNT, Keyes certainly plays on his own terms.
Courtesy photo/Eric Keyes
Advertising Director Sandra Hammond 940-566-6820 shammond@dentonrc.com
Advertising Manager Shawn Reneau 940-566-6843 sreneau@dentonrc.com
their mighty pen If anyone still thinks of Baruch the Scribe as the folky, twangle-dangle group of kids from next door, they’ve got it all wrong. The group’s newest album, Intentions — scheduled for release March 2 at Dan’s Silverleaf — is all grown up.
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THE ELEMENTS opening shot good dates
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editor’s note
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the alchemist A bonny wee glass of Irish coffee.
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try this at home Homemade stompbox from an old cigar box.
sketchy stuff
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flavor junkie Cardo’s Farm Project gives us some steady beets.
bargain bytes
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Classified Display Julie Hammond 940-566-6819 jhammond@dentonrc.com
Contributing Writers Cody Robinson, Alyssa Jarrell, Megan Radke, Dave Sims, Rachel Watts Photographer David Minton Designer Rachel McReynolds On the cover Bun B. Courtesy photo. The contents of this free publication are copyrighted by Denton Publishing Co., 2012, a subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corp. (www.ahbelo.com, NYSE symbol: AHC), with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Little d After Dark is published monthly by Denton Publishing Company, 314 E. Hickory St.
have your people call our people
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to submit an event for little d’s calendar, e-mail rmcreynolds@dentonrc.com
THURSDAY
MARCH 2012 MUSIC at Denton venues STAGE & SCREEN
SUNDAY 4
Lucia di Lammermoor, 3 p.m. $15-$35. UNT’s Lyric Theater. Flogging Molly, the Devil Makes Three, Sean Wheeler, Zander Schloss, 7:30 p.m. $32$39.50. House of Blues.
11 35 Denton. Lucia di
Lammermoor, 3 p.m. $15$35. UNT’s Lyric Theater. Dr. Dog, Givers, 7 p.m. $17. Granada Theater. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective. Boyz II Men, 8 p.m. $21.50-$55. House of Blues.
MUSIC at UNT
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Foxtrot Uniform, 8 p.m. Cost TBA. The Basement Bar.
12 Jukebox the Ghost, Speak,
the Elwins, 7 p.m. $10$12. Dada. Kasabian, 8 p.m. $20. Palladium Ballroom. Kaiser Chiefs, 8 p.m. $15-$25. House of Blues.
Daylight saving time begins 18 Bro Fest 2012: The Men,
Sleepy Sun, Titus Andronicus, Prince Rama, Narrows, and more, noon. $17-$25. Dada. Lights, Ambassadors, 7 p.m. $15. Granada Theater. Delicate Steve, Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang, Pujol, 9 p.m. $10-$12. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
19 Astronautalis, Busdriver,
Ceschi, Rickolous, 7 p.m. $13-$15. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Jonny Corndawg, Shovels and Rope, 9 p.m. $7-$10. Lola’s.
Spring break
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26 Perfume Genius, 9 p.m.
Mister Joe and Friends, Le Not Quite So Hot Klub du Denton, 8 p.m. Banter. Agent Orange, 9 p.m. $10$15. Hailey’s Club. Brian Clancy Group, Roberto Verastegui Quartet, 9 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf.
13 More Than a Game screen-
ing, 7 p.m. Free. UNT. Neon Indian, Purity Ring, 7 p.m. $20. Granada Theater. Good Old War, the Belle Brigade, Family of the Year, 8 p.m. $17-$19. House of Blues. UNT Concert Choir and Jazz Singers, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Winspear Performance Hall. Deafheaven, Whirr, Marriages, Dead to a Dying World, 10 p.m. $8-$10. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
20 Astronautalis, Busdriver,
Sole, Blue Bird, 7 p.m. $13$15. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. The O’s, Woodenbox, 9 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Spring break Spring begins
27 A Boatload of Wild Irishmen screening, 7 p.m. Free. UNT.
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Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free. Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Comedy show: Bug Fight!, featuring Max Brown, Roman Brown, Ben Farmer, Katie McCann, Jenna Snavely, 7 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf. Me Gusta with Yeahdef, 10 p.m. Free. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
14 More Than a Game screen-
ing, noon. Free. UNT. George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat, 8 p.m. $15$55. House of Blues. Mexican Lions, voltREvolt, the Purl Snap Shirts, 9 p.m. $3-$6. Hailey’s Club.
21 Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free.
Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Me Gusta with Yeahdef, 10 p.m. Free. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
Spring break
28 A Boatload of Wild Irishmen
International Waffle Day
screening, noon. Free. UNT. Hot Chelle Rae, Cady Groves, Electric Touch, 8 p.m. $16.50-$18.50. House of Blues. Ops Espanoja, Psymatic, Afro Deezy Axe, the Pajamas, Faces in Clouds, 9 p.m. $5$7. Hailey’s Club. Me Gusta with Yeahdef, 10 p.m. Free. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
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$10-$13. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Six O’clock Lab Band, noon. Free. UNT. Big Head Todd and the Monsters, 8 p.m. $25-$50. House of Blues. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective. Grimes, Born Gold, Peopleodian, 9 p.m. $8-$11. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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Lucia di Lammermoor, 8 p.m. $15-$35. UNT’s Lyric Theater. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective. Mazy and the Mob, 9 p.m. Cost TBA. Andy’s Bar. Final Club, Horse + Donkey, Diamond Age, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Baruch the Scribe (CD release), Bosque Brown, Gold Beach, Botany, 10 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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35 Denton. Jenny Owen Youngs, 7 p.m. $10-$12. Dada. One O’clock Lab Band with UNT jazz faculty, 8 p.m. $10-$15. Winspear Performance Hall. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective.
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35 Denton. Girls, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, 7 p.m. $16. Granada Theater. Hayes Carll, Travis Linville, 7 p.m. $22.50. The Kessler. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective. Lucia di Lammermoor, 8 p.m. $15-$35. Lyric Theater. Heartless Bastards, the Fling, the Cush, 10 p.m. $13-$20. Lola’s. Cory Morrow, 10:30 p.m. $12$16. Billy Bob’s.
10 35 Denton. Matt Dunn, noon.
Johann Wagner, 8 p.m. Banter. UNT Fine Arts Series: Henry Rollins, 8 p.m. Free-$20. Murchison Performing Arts Center. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective. Summer of Glaciers, Small Spaces, New Fumes, Melting Spaces, Fuve, 9 p.m. $3-$5. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Petty Theft, 10 p.m. $10. Dan’s Silverleaf.
WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY 6
SATURDAY
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MUSIC elsewhere
MONDAY
FRIDAY
15 Suzy Bogguss, 7 p.m. $25.
The Kessler. Toki Wright, F. Stokes, Infidelix, Matt B., 9 p.m. $10-$12. Hailey’s Club. The Depaysement, 9 p.m. Cost TBA. Andy’s Bar.
22 People on Vacation, Little
Black Dress, Andrew Tinker, 7 p.m. $10. The Kessler. Cowboy Mouth, 7 p.m. $20$35. Granada Theater.
Spring break
29 Two Tons of Steel, 8 p.m.
$10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Big Gigantic, 9 p.m. $15-$18. House of Blues.
16 Andy McKee, Antoine
Dufour, 7 p.m. $18. The Kessler. Larry Joe Taylor, 7 p.m. $15-$32. Granada Theater. Hunter Hayes, 7 p.m. $16-$20. House of Blues. Sincerely the Reaper, 8 p.m. Cost TBA. Andy’s Bar. Housse de Racket, 8 p.m. $10-$12. Dada. Somebody’s Darling, Samantha Crain, Nicholas Altobeli, 10 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf.
23 Colin Hay, 7 p.m. $20-$42.
Granada Theater. David Mayfield Parade, Wheeler Brothers, 9 p.m. $19.75. Palladium Ballroom. 11:40, Richard Gilbert, 9 p.m. $2-$5. Hailey’s Club. Bobby Jealousy, Church Shoes, Adult Books, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
Spring break
30 Green River Ordinance,
Graham Colton, 9 p.m. $13$15. House of Blues.
Free. Love Shack. Wayne “The Train” Hancock, 7 p.m. $15-$24. Granada Theater. Macbeth by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Green Space Arts Collective. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, 9 p.m. $20-$45. House of Blues. Me Thinks, FTW, Wofat, Mothership, 9:30 p.m. Cost TBA. Lola’s. Randy Travis, 10:30 p.m. $15-$35. Billy Bob’s.
17 Band of Skulls, We Are
Augustines, 7 p.m. $16. Granada Theater. Ruthie Foster, Daphne Willis, 7 p.m. $20. The Kessler.
St. Patrick’s Day
24 Bone Doggie, 5:30 p.m.
Banter. Paula Cole, Damon K. Clark, 7 p.m. $20-$25. The Kessler. Dovetail (CD release), Salim Nourallah, Menkena, RTB2, Wesley Geiger with Nik Lee, 7 p.m. $15. Granada Theater. Amanda Shires, 8 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf. Mindless Self Indulgence, 8 p.m. $25. Palladium Ballroom. Josh Turner, 10:30 p.m. $20$40. Billy Bob’s.
31 Sayonara, Fair to Midland, 8 p.m. Cost TBA. Andy’s Bar. Jamey Johnson, 10:30 p.m. $15-$30. Billy Bob’s.
March 2012
It takes all kinds
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n 2010, at a panel discussion during the festival then known as North by 35 Conferette, a local musician said the festival craves more diversity — and so do the local clubs. There it was, out on the table — at once not news and a transgressive admission of the public profile of The Denton Indie Musician™. When you think about Denton music, you think of a mild-mannered white guy age 25 to 40-something who wears skinny jeans, some kind of beard, thick-rimmed glasses and a graphic T-shirt. The musician who gets (and books) downtown gigs is a white guy who plays guitar, bass or banjo. He leans to the left ideologically. He knows there’s a hip-hop scene in Denton and Southeast Denton (read: the part of town where artists such as Smitty and J-Whoa hone their craft). But in practice? Let’s just say that reaching across barriers is never easy.
35 Denton isn’t far away, and contributor Dave Sims found that while hip-hop has earned more heft at the fest, local hiphop acts have voiced alienation or ignorance of the festival. Some of them migrated to 35 des Refuses, an official protest of the fest made up of musicians who paid an application fee to 35 Denton but didn’t make the cut. We’re not disparaging the likes of Bun B and G-Side, the hip-hop acts that are sure to pack their showcases. Bridge building takes some finesse and a lot of persistence. Festival planners can’t accept acts that don’t apply. Our advice? Hip-hop talent in Denton should invest the time and the $30 fee in 2012. And festival organizers should revisit the worthy conversation about diversity they started in 2010. It wouldn’t be Denton without the banjos and beards. But it also wouldn’t be Denton without the beats. — Lucinda Breeding
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Little d After Dark
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irish coffee
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by rachel mcreynolds and lucinda breeding
The drink one part Irish whiskey three sugar cubes strong black coffee heavy cream, lightly whipped (don’t use whipped cream, which isn’t even slightly authentic; just handwhip heavy cream to a light froth with a metal whisk or fork) Preheat a 6-ounce cup with boiling water. Pour out the boiling water. Add one jigger of good Irish whiskey. Add three sugar cubes, mixing well. Pour in coffee. Leave an inch below the top. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Gently pour the very lightly whipped heavy cream — over the back of a spoon, so it doesn’t dissolve in the coffee — to the cup’s brim. Careful not to stir after adding the cream. Drink through the cream, to achieve maximum Irish-ness. Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye; That’s all we shall know for truth Before we grow old and die. I lift the glass to my mouth, I look at you, and I sigh. — A Drinking Song, W.B. Yeats Sigh indeed, but first, drink up. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, press your luck and soften your focus with this close-as-you’ll-get Irish coffee. But don’t get sloppy. We’re convinced Yeats wouldn’t approve.
The tunes While you’re sipping, listen to these Irish charmers: The Jakeys (Celtic folk-rock’s tortured soul, which shows up with abrasions, chipped teeth and glory), County Rexford (traditional Celtic rock with a blend of Irish influences and the trio’s gut instincts), The Cranberries (jangling, mournful guitars and vocals). Photo by David Minton
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March 2012
but please don’t sue me
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by cody robinson
Ready your drummer jokes Keep the beat with this stompbox made from an old wooden cigar box
C
igar box stompboxes are a quick and easy way to get into the world of building your own instruments, and they’re a handy way to keep the beat when you just can’t seem to keep a drummer around. (Hey, we’ve all been there.) The fun part of this project is the fact that you can use any of a million things to make it, and each variable can change the sound dramatically. Even if you bought all of these parts new, it would be difficult to spend more than $10, and it’s such a simple design that you could keep changing it until you find the sound you want. A different box? Different padding materials? A rubber mat to place underneath the box? That’s the part of the project that is up to you. It’s meant to encourage you to explore the possibilities, and I hope it does. Otherwise I totally wasted an afternoon. That was quality Facebooking time I’ll never get back. CODY ROBINSON is the production director at the Denton Record-Chronicle as well as a local musician. He’s never met a power tool he couldn’t use or a warranty he couldn’t void. His e-mail address is cbrobinson@dentonrc. com. Amp and used sneakers not included
Materials
Directions
small cigar box piezo buzzer 1/4-inch mono input jack drill and a 5/16-inch bit electrical tape flathead screwdriver soldering iron (optional) facial tissues
1. Remove the lid from the box. Most are held on by small hinges that are nailed into the body of the box. You should be able to pry these hinges off with a flathead screwdriver. Just be careful not to damage the box; it’s likely made of very soft wood. 2. Once you have the lid removed, decide where you’d like to mount the input jack. The side of the box usually works best. 3. With your 5/16-inch bit, carefully drill a hole for the jack. The hole should be slightly smaller than the jack, allowing the threads of the jack’s sleeve to screw into the soft wood for a stronger hold. If it’s a
March 2012
tight fit, widen the hole a little by inserting a rolled up piece of sandpaper and twisting it around to clean up the rough edges. 4. When you’re ready to mount the jack, remove any washers or nuts from the jack and screw it into the hole from the inside of the box. Once it’s installed, twist the retainer nut back onto the jack from the outside. 5. Connect the two wires on the piezo to the terminals on the 1/4-inch jack. There should only be two terminals on a mono input jack, though some come with three. If yours has three terminals, leave the one in the middle empty. For this application, it doesn’t matter which wire goes to which of the other two terminals, just that each wire goes Little d After Dark
to a separate one. Test that you’ve made the right connections at this point by plugging a 1/4-inch cable to the jack and connecting the other end of the cable to an amplifier. 6. Once you’re certain it’s wired correctly, disconnect the cable you used to test and solder your connections in place. If you’re not comfortable with soldering, twist the wires onto the terminals and tape them. 7. Now it’s time to mount your piezo to the cigar box. For the sake of simplicity I’ve found the following method to be the easiest for a beginner: Fold up a facial tissue (or TP, or a whatever soft paper or foam you might have) to a square that’s about a quarter-inch thick and
roughly the width of your piezo. Place it against the surface of the bottom of the box and put the side of the piezo with a single hole in center against the padding. Make a second square of tissue the same way and place it on top of the piezo, so that it is sandwiched between the two squares. Holding it securely in place, and tape it all to the surface of the cigar box. If all goes well, you should be able to flip your box over, plug it into an amp, and suddenly, just by tapping your foot on the box, you’ve become your own drummer. Go ahead and insert your own drummer joke here. I’ll wait.
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March 2012
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March 2012
Little d After Dark
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by dave sims
southeast denton’s hip-hop artists dropping tracks — and crossing them, too
T
he year 2008 was, in many ways, a watershed year for both Denton rock music and the national hip-hop scene. Of course, in the larger scheme of things, the national recognition Denton received that year for its independent music community didn’t register quite as visibly on the cultural radar as did the emergence of a number of highly lucrative hip-hop empires, overseen by impresarios Jay Z, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Sean “Diddy” Combs. The rise of these “hip-hopreneurs,” who collectively raked in upwards of $250 million that year alone, prompted Forbes to create its yearly “HipHop Cash Kings” list and note that “rap’s focus has shifted from beef to cake — making money, that is.” With hip-hop clothing lines and liquor brands, a vast increase in radio and video airplay as well as massive record sales, one could say that 2008 was the year that the mainstreaming of hip-hop was truly complete. >> Continued on 12
by dave sims
Top row: D. Smiley and Chris “AV the Great” Avant. Bottom row: DJ Yeahdef and Bun B.
Courtesy photos/staff illustration
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Little d After Dark
March 2012
11
Continued from 11 >> That was also the year that Baptist Generals frontman Chris Flemmons began making plans in earnest to promote the festival now known as 35 Denton from its status as a low-key South by Southwest day party in Austin to a full-fledged music festival Denton could call its own. After an exhilarating and occasionally tumultuous first few years, the event now shows all the signs of a maturing operation. Organizers have secured crucial backing from local businesses, settled once and for all on a name, developed a focused and highly creative marketing and booking team, and in general are exhibiting a level of organization and professionalism that, as anyone who has ever attempted to run a conference can tell you, only comes with experience. But as hip-hop’s profile increased nationally at a seemingly exponential rate, and even as the Denton rock scene received a great deal of exposure with a flagship music festival now entering maturity, the city’s equally eclectic hip-hop community has been growing and developing a voice of its own, and is only just now beginning to be noticed. In a 2010 festival day panel, Shiny Around the Edges frontman and unofficial Denton music advocate Michael Seman remarked how the festival could certainly do more to promote local hip-hop, partic-
even though it boasts a number of active DJs and MCs, such as Chris “AV the Great” Avant; Smitty, aka Lil Ben; J-Whoa; Buk Baby; DJ Spinn Mo; and a collective known as the Dream Team. Although not for any apparent lack of desire for collaboration between the core Denton music community and Southeast Denton hip-hop artists, there appears to be a dearth of awareness on both sides of Bell Avenue, which divides Southeast Denton from the main area of downtown, and serves as both a geographical and metaphorical boundary between two music communities that, as it turns out, are eager for more cooperation. “I wish there wasn’t [a gap between the two communities] but it’s a simple fact that I’ve never seen anybody from Southeast Denton at the same party, or at a Fab Deuce show or an Xegesis show, or any one of the number of hip-hop shows,” says local DJ Joey Leichty, otherwise known by his nom de turntable Yeahdef. “Or they haven’t made themselves known.” With his long straight hair, a subtle but distinctively Texan drawl, and an intelligent demeanor that veers toward downright nerdiness, Yeahdef has become an unlikely spokesman for Denton’s hip-hop community. He says he got hooked on the music during rehearsals for a high school musical, where a defective CD player essentially forced him to listen to one of the most influential hip-hop records of all
‘Hey, it’s me, I’m rapping, here’s my Twitter link, let’s link up,’ or something. I guess the handshake’s never been made.” Fab Deuce’s Pudge Brewer agrees. “For the most part when booking shows everyone seems to stick to booking with the bands and groups they are closest to.” Brewer, who grew up in Denton, has kept up with hip-hop developments east of Bell Avenue. “I’m a fan of the Southeast Denton movement,” he says. “I grew up with a lot of those guys within the Denton public school system. A lot of those MCs have been making hip-hop around here for as long as I can remember.” The boundaries that define the city-within-a-city known as Southeast Denton (it even has its own “Welcome to” sign) couldn’t be more stark. Sitting not only across literal railroad tracks — as many as seven on its west side along Bell, elevated by what might as well be a 20-foot wall of dirt — and bounded on the northeast by the Denton County Courts Building, a large county jail complete with encircling barbed wire, a juvenile detention center and a dog pound, the area is enclosed by a set of visual associations that to local hip-hop artist and Southeast Denton native Chris Avant have been, to put it mildly, forbidding. “The city jail’s right there,” he says. “Go down farther on the corner, you got the courthouse. Look to the right of it, you got the county jail. Look to the right of that, you got juvenile. Go to Fred Moore Park,
But as hip-hop’s profile increased nationally at a seemingly exponential rate, and even as the Denton rock scene received a great deal of exposure with a flagship music festival now entering maturity, the city’s equally eclectic hip-hop community has been growing and developing a voice of its own, and is only just now beginning to be noticed. ularly what’s coming out of the vibrant Southeast Denton scene. So two years later, where does hip-hop stand, with regards to the festival as well as the broader Denton music community? This year, 35 Denton organizers have tapped underground rap artists Danny Brown, Devin the Dude and Main Attrakionz and high-profile Houston performer Bun B. A small number of local Denton hip-hop acts are also on the bill, with longtime Denton resident and accomplished DJ Yeahdef, as well as homegrown Denton hip-hop collective Fab Deuce both getting the nod. However, Southeast Denton remains unrepresented, 12
time. “I had a CD player that was broken ... and the CD that was in there was [A Tribe Called Quest’s] Midnight Marauders. During rehearsals I would just listen to that. Probably 1,000 times I heard that record. Ever since then I was feverishly searching for other hip-hop tracks like that.” As far as cross-community collaboration goes, Yeahdef admits he may have simply missed meeting Southeast Denton rappers, and would genuinely like to see more interaction develop. “I mean I can’t see everybody,” he says. “Maybe I don’t know who they are. I wish that after a show or something or after a DJ gig they’d be like,
you got two big cemeteries. So when you’re growing up, this is all you see. You got the school where dropouts go, Fred Moore. This is what I saw growing up.” But the community inside those borders, says Avant, was close, and his description of life growing up in Southeast Denton sounds more like an episode of The Andy Griffith Show than The Wire. This is Denton, after all, not Baltimore. “It’s a small, close-knit community,” he says. “It is kind of cut off once you cross those tracks. ... Everybody knows everybody. Mommas went to school together, grannies went to school with each other, go to church with each other. Church is a big
Little d After Dark
part of the community.” The fact is that once you get past the somewhat ominous boundaries that define it, Southeast Denton is, well, quaint. The houses are older but generally well kept. There are churches in almost every direction, always bustling any Sunday you find yourself driving down Morse Street, which bisects the area from Bell to Audra Lane. There are small restaurants, a community center, a large park and a new elementary school, all landmarks of a community that few residents of Denton ever see, even though they probably drive within less than an eighth of a mile of them every day. Avant, who is studying radio, film and television at the American Broadcasting School in Arlington, would like to see the two communities come together, and seems as committed as anyone to helping Denton’s music scene thrive. “I’m totally dedicated to getting this area noticed, period,” he says. “We all try to support each other as much as we can. It’s very eclectic. We’re a city of our own; we’re not a suburb of Dallas. If they like Brave Combo, then they’ll like what’s going on [in Southeast Denton].” Meanwhile, hip-hop continues to be made on both sides of Bell. Yeahdef says the scene is constantly changing, constantly surprising him. “It’s been morphing, there’s been people coming on that I didn’t expect that are doing their own thing and they’re not trying to fit in.” He mentions in particular a young MC he met just over a year ago, Dontae Smiley, who goes by the stage name D. Smiley. Like Fortune’s “Hip-Hop Cash Kings,” Smiley’s entrepreneurial instincts are as sharp as his rhymes. Smiley is “very motivated around creating his own circle,” Yeahdef says. “He’s really progressing fast. He’s ready to go.” Smiley came on the scene not only as a talented MC, but as an organizing force for local hip-hop. A native of Dallas now living in Denton to attend the University of North Texas, Smiley has been putting together successful bills around the area, like a recent show at Andy’s Bar consisting of himself and a number of mostly Dallasbased hip-hop acts. Smiley says Dallas seems to be more focused on lyrics than the kind of “party rap” that rap scenes like Atlanta are known for. “What Dallas used to want to see is the club music, party music and dance music and that stuff,” he says. “But this younger generation is trying to get the lyrical [side] going and try to make something of itself. We’re trying to get off that dance stuff and write.” Smiley doesn’t exactly see himself as part of the Denton scene. “I don’t plan on staying here,” he admits. “I’ll still do shows >>
Continued on 17 March 2012
baruch the scribe
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by rachel watts
Synth and sensibility Baruch the Scribe wants to leave listeners feeling haunted, hunted
Track for track: Intentions
ON THE LAND OF EDUCATION This seven-minutes-plus track wakes you up to the album with the stark sample of a man voicing themes of religion and betrayal, descending into desertlike sounds that are overlain by distant vocals and twangs of sporadic guitar and synth. The bridge, if you can call it that, is saturated with eerie pedal effects and a chorus of low vocals, eventually building up to heavy beats and synth, before gradually fading into a persistent reverb. Because of the song’s strong message and ethereal vibe, it’s easy to see why the band chose it as the album’s first single.
INTENTIONS For lack of a better description, “Intentions” sounds like you’re on a mission — perhaps to Mars. A bassdriven intro with experimental, metallicsounding loops keeps you guessing until drums and background guitar riffs enter the scene. Robotic vocals back up deeper, more sinister vocals. This builds into an eventual outcry, just before winding down to a single, steady tone that fades directly into the next song.
INVENTIONS A tune that starts out like echoes in a chamber until it seamlessly morphs into Kristen Bryant’s voice, which dances on the harmony line like a black swan, eventually bursting into a seductive, one-woman show. Suggestive lyrics like “just this one time” and “give in” haunt you in the best possible way. By the time the song is over, you can’t believe how much you wish it weren’t.
March 2012
Courtesy photo
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THEY’RE WITH THE BAND
f anyone still thinks of Baruch the Scribe as the folky, twangle-dangle group of kids from next door, they’ve got it all wrong. The group’s newest album, Intentions — scheduled for release March 2 at Dan’s Silverleaf — is all grown up, and is breaking away from the easylistening cycles of the past to venture into an experimental sound that is more true to its feelings. With heavy synth, effects and haunting lyrics, the band is gaining inspiration from a special darkness within. Part of the foursome’s latest revamp came about because they recently began writing new material as a unit, apart from original band member Judson Valdez’s past incarnations of Baruch the Scribe. “We all love the songs we were doing from the first EP, but they weren’t songs that we had necessarily written together,” said Kristen Bryant, vocalist and general
Judson Valdez — vocals, guitar Kristen Bryant — vocals, synth, keyboard, organ Travis Oliver — bass Chance Maggard — percussion
synth queen. “So once we were a band and got to know each other and our musical styles, it was like, OK, now we know what we all want to do together, so let’s just do it.” The band’s sound incorporates many recorded samples sprinkled throughout the album. The samples on Intentions are recorded snippets of real conversations that guitarist Valdez captured going on around him. The samples help contextualize the emotional climate of the album, as well as convey a feeling of struggle that Valdez said he felt when he began writing material. “When we decided to sort of change our sound, one of the things we did was say,
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‘We’re just going to do what we want to do, and just assume that no one is going to like it,’” he said. “It’s totally different. It’s really weird; it’s not necessarily easy to listen to sometimes, but this is what we want to do, so we’re just going to do it.” More than a year and a half in the making, the release of Intentions comes just in time for the 35 Denton and South by Southwest music festivals, which the band says it is looking forward to playing. “I want to say that my intention is to make people uncomfortable,” Bryant said, “but not in a bad way. I want people to drink and have fun of course, but when we play the album, I’d like for it to be an almost spiritual experience.” RACHEL WATTS is a UNT journalism student who lives in Denton. She enjoys participating in the local music scene and co-owns a small independent record label called I Love Math Records.
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eric keyes
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by megan radke
Into the ‘Blue’ Keyes revs up new band, proving he plays well with others
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ouston native Eric Keyes made his way to Denton in the early ’90s to study music at the University of North Texas. It’s clear that music has been the constant in his life from a very young age, and whether he developed his unique take on sound on his own or at UNT, Keyes certainly plays on his own terms. “I think the guitar sounds a lot like a piano,” he said. “They’re both stringed instruments. I wanted to make it sound like a piano when I was playing chords and like a singer when I play solo.” Keyes grew up playing the piano, a talent he found rather lonely. Though wary at first of playing with others, he eventual-
ly forced himself to face his fear and join up with some fellow musicians and friends in an effort to really make some noise. That’s when he picked up a guitar. “I saw a guitar player from Sweden when I was 16. The music was different and I figured the one way to be successful was to differentiate yourself from others,” Keyes said. “That day, I left there knowing what I’d do for the rest of my life.” Keyes’ last album, Mind on Fire, is a collection of various songs that didn’t find their way onto previous records. In March, Keyes will release Back in Blue, an album that promises to deliver rocking tunes that display not only Keyes’ talents, but those of his new band, too. “Always try to be the worst guy in your >>
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Little d After Dark
March 2012
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cardo’s farm project
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by alyssa jarrell
Amanda Austin of Cardo’s Farm Project. Courtesy photos/Chris Newby
We got the beets Dedicated farmhands coax sharp flavor out of the vegetable world’s dark denizens CARDO’S FARM PROJECT
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efore spring and summer fill our kitchens with a bounty of fruits and vegetables from the community market or our neighbor’s backyard, Amanda Austin and Daniel Moon are hard at work cultivating hardy winter produce and preparing the beds for the next growing season at Cardo’s Farm Project. Amanda’s dreams of working on a farm have evolved from a romantic idea based on her grandmother’s childhood stories to her current reality of living and working on a sustainable farm that provides organic produce to the community of Denton. When she was in college, Amanda March 2012
cardosfarmproject.com
Farming is not romantic, but is instead difficult and tiring work.
Austin had an idealistic vision of farm work. Full of her grandmother’s stories of growing up on a farm, Amanda was in love with the idea of farm living. She enjoyed the idea of familial dependence, each person being necessary for survival and each person having a functional role on the farm that affected each other. Her grandmother told her about being a woman on the farm — the hard work and the great payoff — how nothing was taken for granted but you cherished each bite you took because the food was grown in the ground worked with your hands. Those are the ideas that filled and flooded Amanda’s thoughts as she began
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to learn what it meant to do the backbreaking work of farming. She quickly learned through working on sustainable farms in California and New York that farming is not romantic, but is instead difficult and tiring work. However, at the end of her internships, she was more sure that she absolutely wanted to be a farmer. What I love about Amanda is that while I focus on the slow food movement — the value of local produce, and sustainable farming practices for flavor and health reasons — she sees those as great secondary outcomes to farming. Her true focus in farming is education. She has a passion and understanding of the values learned when put through the trials of life on a >>
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Courtesy photo/Chris Newby
Continued from 15 >> farm. Valuable life experiences like how to work well with one another, caretaking, problem solving, self awareness, achievement and accomplishment are all taught naturally through farming. After working elsewhere, she returned to Denton and started Cardo’s Farm Project with friend Daniel Moon, where they provide fresh, sustainable produce to local businesses and households through their CSA and teach the community sustainable growing practices through workshops and internships. I love the fact that she is so utterly passionate about farming — and enjoying the work of her hands. While there are still dreams to see through, like adding some chickens for eggs and expanding Cardo’s produce selection, she absolutely savors
She absolutely savors each bite that comes from the hard-worked ground. each bite that comes from the hardworked ground, just like her grandmother taught her. Amanda didn’t even eat beets until she was in college and they were introduced to her by her roommate, but her grandmother’s recipe for pickled beets has become a year-round staple.
Grandma’ s pickled beets 1 gallon of beets 3 cups white vinegar 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 cups beet juice (from cooking) 1 cinnamon stick 6 whole cloves 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
out here but I’ll be back out in the D-FW, Dallas area — that’s where I came from. “Although my music grew up with my Denton family, I’m not a Denton artist. I’m out here for college and that’s it,” he says with a laugh. “I’m definitely a Dallas artist.” But for Yeahdef, the Denton hip-hop scene retains a distinctive appeal. “There’s certainly a difference if you went region to region and you said Fort Worth, Dallas, Denton, tell me attributes for each scene as far as hip-hop goes. As far as Denton, I think, it’s just come from a lot of house party vibes. Like a couple years back in Dallas, everybody was trying to get their dance craze pumped up after ‘Ice Cream Paint Job’ [and] all that stuff came up, but there’s never been any kind of magnetism towards that in Denton. [Here,] it’s just all about pumping your fist and shouting. A little bit more bawdy — I don’t know, ‘rascal rap,’ I guess you could say. Being belligerent, which has it’s place and I enjoy it. It’s very DIY.” Yeahdef also seems excited about Denton’s recent movement toward “beatmaking,” a style of mixing that focuses on the sound and composition of pure beats, as practiced by artists like Denton DJ
DAVE SIMS is a former contributing editor at Paste Magazine and current freelance music writer and musician. He lives and works in Denton.
Scrub beets. Leave on tails and 2 inches of tops. Boil in tall pot until fork tender, for one to two hours. Drain and set aside beet juice. Remove skin by running under cold water and slice. Combine vinegar, brown sugar, beet juice, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large pot. Add beets and boil for three to five minutes. Cool. Jars of pickled beets can be refrigerated, unsealed, for four to six weeks or sealed in sterilized canning jars.
Pickled beets with ricotta 2 cups of fresh whole milk ricotta 1 jar of pickled beets, drained 1 bunch of fresh dill, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar freshly ground salt and pepper Spoon ricotta in shallow dish. Season generously with dill, salt and pepper. Top with beets and splash with balsamic vinegar. Dig in and enjoy.
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ALYSSA JARRELL is an adventurer in the kitchen who enjoys giving her culinary creations to family and friends. Her website is pinkantlercakes.com. March 2012
Juicy the Emissary, as well as a host of creative young kids that Yeahdef says are constantly sending him interesting new tracks. “There’s this weird groundswell of beatmaking,” he says. “There’s these kids now doing J Dilla better than J Dilla, and their beats are insane. Even more than kids wanting to become dubstep producers, they want to make insanely good beats.” Pudge Brewer thinks collaboration is the key to this resurgence of local hip-hop creativity. “There are some of us who started rapping at Denton house parties just because it was fun. Now me and some of those same guys leave the state on a regular basis just to rap,” he says. “Talent has never been an issue in Denton, but I feel right now the hip-hop scene is more productive than it has ever been. The artists who have been doing stuff here for a while are finally all starting to combine weapons to create the best product possible.”
www.danssilverleaf.com 940-320-2000 103 Industrial St. Little d After Dark
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new releases
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by lucinda breeding
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enton musicians have a new crop of albums, singles and videos for your ears and eyeballs. Denton singer-songwriter Matt Dunn released an EP, The Hope, on Feb. 6. The five-track EP is an appetizer for the album Dunn is planning after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Dunn mixes the indie-folk sound Denton is known for with a slight Red Dirt twang. The Hope is a simple affair, with Dunn on acoustic guitar and some plugged-in guitar accompaniment. Dunn’s songs are also simple — reflections on the past along with easy-does-it observations about life in the present. Guitarist Kevin “Frenchie” Sciou (of Jack Ingram’s Beat-Up Ford Band) will join Dunn in the studio for Dunn’s fulllength. Check out tracks on his Facebook fan page by doing a search for “Matt Dunn.” His EP is available for purchase through iTunes and on Amazon.com. Texas music fans are already hearing North Texas country singer-songwriter Deryl Dodd’s latest single on regional radio, “Anybody Out There,” from his eighth and latest studio album, Random As I Am.
Come try the
“This song is about helping those who are hurting and reminds us that we are not alone,” Dodd said in a statement. “That’s powerful if you’ve ever been that far down for whatever reason. There are a lot of people hurting these days. “My wish is that this song helps lift people up simply by knowing that you are never alone. Someone out there has been where you are and knows exactly how you feel.” Random As I Am is available for purchase through iTunes and on Amazon.com. Nothing peps up the boys at a rundown roadside gas station like a leggy nymph with big breasts and long pink hair. That’s the premise of the video for Neon Indian’s single “Fallout.” This second video from the chillwave band’s Era Extrana was produced by Adult Swim, the cable TV animation outpost that has created cartoons for grownups since 2001. Neon Indian, the brainchild of onetime Denton musician Alan Palomo, makes synth-heavy and hook-laden songs that recall the 1980s through a dirtier lens. The video for “Fallout” is reminiscent of ZZ Top’s “Legs” video, only with much more double entendre and a Rainbow Brite color palette. Check out the video at adultswim.com by searching for “Neon Indian.”
SINGLE TX SLIDER HELL SAUCE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER ONLY SIGNED WAIVER REQUIRED! 113 INDUSTRIAL, DENTON
940-382-4227
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eric keyes
Continued from 14 >> band,” Keyes said. “Try to get guys who can do things that you can’t do.” Keyes said he has great respect for those he plays with, as well as anyone he works with. Keyes said that with his guys, he takes a cue from Duke Ellington. “Sometimes you get musicians that just show up for the gig, but I believe in what Duke Ellington used to say: ‘Well, I pay ’em,’” Keyes said with a laugh. “I pay my guys, but I also wanted to find some guys that wanted to be part of a creative unit.”
Keyes is currently working on a video for a new single and putting the finishing touches on Back in Blue. Though Keyes said he’s been playing in Austin, he recently played The Kessler in Oak Cliff and hopes to grace North Texas venues more often. MEGAN RADKE is a University of North Texas journalism graduate who’s obsessed with music. She lives in Dallas.
Life is short. Have a taco. Or t wo. Baja Style Mexican Food
Music here, there and everywhere else The Abbey Underground 100 W. Walnut St. 940-565-5478. Andy’s Bar 122 N. Locust St. 940-565-5400. Art Six Coffee House 424 Bryan St. 940-484-2786. Banter 219 W. Oak St. 940-565-1638. Cafe Du Luxe 3101 Unicorn Lake Blvd. 940-382-7070. Cool Beans 1210 W. Hickory St. 940-382-7025. Dan’s Silverleaf 103 Industrial St. 940-320-2000. Fry Street Public House 125 Ave. A. 940-323-9800. Fry Street Tavern 121 Ave. A. 940-383-2337. The Greenhouse 600 N. Locust St. 940-484-1349.
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Mon - Tues 6:30 am - 10 pm
Hailey’s Club 122 W. Mulberry St. 940-323-1160. J&J’s Pizza 118 W. Oak St. 940-382-7769. The LABB 218 W. Oak St. 940-293-4240. Love Shack 115 E. Hickory St. 940-442-6834. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios 411 E. Sycamore St. 940387-7781.
Simone Lounge 222 W. Hickory St., Suite 104. 940-387-7240. Sweetwater Grill & Tavern 115 S. Elm St. 940-484-2888.
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Little d After Dark
March 2012
oak street drafthouse
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by lucinda breeding
Don’t dodge this drafthouse New bar opening doors to Denton partiers — and their little dogs, too
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ood, cold beer and an inviting patio. Those are the two big selling points John Williams is hanging his hopes on for downtown’s newest watering hole, Oak Street Drafthouse. The drafthouse is tucked inside a Victorian-era house at 308 E. Oak St. “I started working at a bar when I was 18, and I really loved it,” said Williams, a Denton native and Class of 1998 Ryan High School graduate. “I always wanted to open my own place. That was pretty much my dream, to have my own bar by the time I was 30.” Williams has been the general manager at Lucky Lou’s on Fry Street for 10 years, and is a partner of a bar opening in Austin. He found the old house as he drove around the downtown Denton busi-
OAK STREET DRAFTHOUSE 308 E. Oak St., Denton. facebook.com/pages/Oak-StDrafthouse/194872583926791. Hours: noon to 2 a.m. Grand opening targeted for early March.
said is friendly to high heels and the unpredictable Texas weather, draining quickly. Patrons will be able to play games on the patio, including washer toss and possibly outdoor skeeball. Williams is considering stealing Chicken Shit Bingo from a popular Austin joint. Players cover a pool table with a plywood bingo board, then put a caged chicken on top of it. They buy a bet on where the chicken droppings will land, and then bend to fate — and the chicken’s bowels. As far as music, future patrons can expect “honky tonk, Texas music” and maybe the occasional live acoustic act.
Comfortable and vintage-style furniture in several rooms will invite customers to sit and chat while drinking. A cast iron antique bathtub just might get turned into a water fountain. ness district. The location was previously a boutique named Time Bandits. “I saw this place and contacted the landlord to see if they’d consider renting it, and if I could do some commercial things to it,” Williams said. “She said yes.” Williams has built a modest bar in the house’s “great room,” complete with shelving and space for taps. Comfortable and vintage-style furniture in several rooms will invite customers to sit and chat while drinking. A cast iron antique bathtub just might get turned into a water fountain, and random vintage photographs Williams finds at local antique spots will line the walls. Williams has replumbed the bathrooms, and plans to level the backyard with crushed granite, a material the proprietor March 2012
Williams said he doesn’t have immediate plans to host regular live music. He does, however, plan to accommodate Denton’s character. He’s planning to have bicycle racks on site, and said his patio will be dog-friendly. “I’m thinking about having dog treats out here, and maybe some bowls out for water,” he said. “I really want this to be a place people can come, relax and have a good time.” Williams said he didn’t always have his eye on downtown Denton as the location for the bar he dreamed of opening. “After [Dan’s Silverleaf owner] Dan Mojica moved down here, everyone thought he was nuts, because there was no one else on Industrial,” he said. “We were all like, ‘Man, you’re crazy.’ Then Fuzzy’s
John Williams at Oak Street Drafthouse. Photo by Lucinda Breeding
[Taco Shop] came along and now look at it.” Williams hopes to open the bar on March 1. He said he’ll likely celebrate the opening with a Texas brewery party. The bar plans to have 50 beers on tap, with about 24 from Texas brewers and 24
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domestic and imported brews, along with mixed drinks. LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877 or cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
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