Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans, where we get to know the people behind the scenes in Dallas-Fort Worth music.
Veronica Navarro is an Internet radio host on Deep Ellum On Air, and her talk show, "Hungover with V," streams live Sundays at 11 a.m. It can be a pretty uplifting way to get through those bleary-eyed mornings.
In real life, V is a career court reporter and mother of three. Her work ethic translates in the tone of her show: She laughs it up, but doesn't dumb it down, and seems to be in love with what she's doing, one of our favorite traits.
How are things going at the station? Is it a combo of fun and growing pains? There's always growing pains but that's how we get better at what we do. The owner, Jantzen [Ray], has a real love for Deep Ellum and the local artists it supports. He's literally there for every single show. Most of us are on air for only a few hours a week, but Jantzen is always there to support us, 24/7. Deep Ellum On Air has a lot of wonderful shows and our family keeps growing. Deep Ellum is about community and that's what we want to help grow. If we can help support just one starving Dallas musician, I think we've done our job.
Speaking of community, it would seem there's a little unintended competition going on between this and another Deep Ellum Internet station. Why not all join together for the cause? There's another Internet station? I'm just kidding. Deep Ellum needs all the support it can get. It's awesome there's another group of people out there keeping the scene alive.
You mentioned starving musicians. Is there one in particular who comes to mind? Derek Comley is a local artist that DEOA has supported for a long time. He's a Dallas musician that sings, plays guitar and writes all his own music. I use his music during all of my intros and throughout my show. People should seek him out and hear his music.
Seems you might have a couple more you're itching to get out. There's a great local hip-hop group called Human Resources.Their lyrics are very socially conscious and uplifting. I hope to have them on my show soon.There's also a local named Sarah Michelle Gutierrez, who plays guitar and sings. She has the voice of an angel. No lie. You can find here at the open mic Monday nights at the Fallout Lounge or at Ten Sports Grill.
I understand you're also quite an advocate for Deep Ellum theatre. The absolute best thing anyone can do in Dallas is go to the Ochre House. It's a theatre on Exposition where they do live plays.They're absolutely brilliant. Also, the live music that they incorporate is magnificent. One of the musicians is from a local jazz band called Yells At Eels.Their band consists of two brothers who play stand-up bass and drums, and their father plays a horn. I've literally laughed and cried while sitting through the performances.
So, despite a career in court reporting and lot of time devoted to motherhood, you've had a passion for the local music community that's strong enough for you to carve time out of a very busy week. Sounds like some seeds were planted at an early age. I grew up around a very musical family. My grandfather supported my mother and the rest of his kids as a traveling musician. He played the violin, piano and the trumpet. When I saw the way the people of Deep Ellum began to band together to defend their piece of Dallas and keep their music scene alive, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
