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LIVING TEXAS | DALLAS
North Texas Town Rocks
By Betsey McCaul
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i s t o r i c . Q u i rk y. A c a d e m i c . Equestrian. Denton is certainly all these things, but this two-college town is also known for its homegrown musical talent. The majority of Denton’s musical roots sprout from the long-respected, thriving music program at the larger of the city’s two colleges, the University of North Texas (UNT). The Denton-based five-piece Vince Lujan Project formed in 2002
“You have kids from all over the country bringing their talents and culture to Denton, so you end up with a very eclectic and organic melting pot,” says North Texas singersongwriter Jon Christopher Davis. Davis’ downtown burger joint, LSA Burger Co., fills its rooftop stage several nights a week with Denton-based musicians. Here's our selection of Denton and North Texas-based musicians appearing around town.
VENUES LSA Burger Co. TOMKAT, formed by four University of North Texas alums, at Denton’s Thin Line Fest
MIDLAKE – One of the earliest-established bands to be firmly entrenched in the Denton music scene, Midlake is a folksy and progressive rock band formed in 1999 by a group of UNT jazz students. They were among the earliest performers at NX 35, a music festival that started as part of SXSW, moving to Denton in 2009 when it was renamed 35 Denton.
JOEL CROSS – Joel Cross, another product of the UNT jazz department, is a singer-songwriter with a voice compared to Bill Withers and John Legend, with an acoustic bluesy sound. Cross has come a long way from his start in gospel music at age 12—recently his performance of a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” went viral on YouTube.
TOMKAT – Four UNT music grads seeking a new outlet for their eclectic musical tastes and talents formed TOMKAT. By mixing pop, rock and R&B with technology, the quartet produces a unique electronic sound that makes TOMKAT a popular act both in Denton’s live music venues and on Dallas-area radio stations.
VINCE LUJAN PROJECT – The Denton-based, fivemember Vince Lujan Project fuses funk, Latin, pop and soul to create their own brand of Texas sound, shared with audiences across Denton and Collin counties and points south since 2002.
J.R. BYRD – Born in the Pacific Northwest, singersongwriter J.R. Byrd became a part of the Denton music scene by way of a high school musical production of “Grease” and his studies in the jazz department at UNT. J.R.’s talent playing acoustic guitar and writing witty lyrics earned him a spot among the handful of mainstays in North Texas venues and especially around his Denton stomping grounds.
16 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Fall 2016
Singer-songwriter J.R. Byrd, who came to the local music scene via the University of North Texas
CRYSTAL YATES – One popular Denton performer who isn’t a product of UNT is Crystal Yates, a Florida native now based in McKinney. Winner of the $100,000 Texas Country Showcase in 2014, the singer-songwriter’s soulful voice infuses country and Christian themes into her bluesy performances from Collin County venues to downtown Denton’s LSA Burger Co., as well as Cross Timbers Community Church in neighboring Argyle.
Harvest House And more...
EVENTS 35 Denton March 2017 Denton Arts and Jazz Festival April 28-30, 2017 Denton Blues Festival September 17-28, 2016 Twilight Tunes on the Downtown Square (weekly from April-June) Thin Line Fest April 19-23, 2017
-Jon Christopher Davis
Courtesy photo of Vince Lujan Project; J.R. Byrd photo courtesy of Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau; TOMKAT Photo by Rudy Cervantez
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