Gig Alert: Dem Southernfolkz, The Fox & The Bird and Jacob Metcalf to Perform at Murray Street Coffee's Grease Aid Event

Full disclosure here folks: Murray Street Coffee Shop is my favorite coffee place in town. Has been since I moved to town almost two years ago now. Great coffee, excellent sandwiches, good people--the whole lot, really. Which explains why I spend a lot of time there. And, in that time spent there, I eventually met the Davises (Doug and Liz), who own the spot, and to have gotten to know them well enough where I count them among my friends. And, through that friendship, I learned of Doug's interest in music and music criticism, and, these days, Doug counts himself among the many contributors here at DC9 and in the print section, where his efforts have been much appreciated, and, more than that, impressive. (Read his great review of Hope Sandoval's performance at Sons of Hermann Hall here.)

Anyway, that lengthy preamble leads us to this: Last month, the city went around Deep Ellum, checking restaurants to make sure their grease traps and whatnot were up to code. Murray Street, which humbly uses no more than the equivalent of a modest counter-top to prepare its food offerings, didn't have a grease trap installed and, sure enough, the city forced the space to have one put in, regardless of whether it would really be of much use. Trick is, them suckers ain't cheap--and, as Doug explains in this facebook event invite, as an independent coffee shop, Murray Street has a hard enough time keeping its doors open as it is.

So, tonight, to help assuage the cost of the installation, the Davises have put together an event they're calling Grease Aid, which will take place tonight at 8 p.m., just down the road from the coffee shop at 404 Exposition Ave. And--trust me, here's where it gets music-related--the event will feature performances from DC9-approved acts Dem Southernfolkz, The Fox & The Bird and Jacob Metcalf. There will also be an auction of art pieces and photos from the likes of popular area artistes Allison V. Smith, Darren Braun, Guy Reynolds, Justin Clemons, Eduard Setina, Tania Kaufman and someone who bears the impossibly cool name of Diablo Texas. Suggested donated entry at the door is $10. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.