It's now been over four years of gathering dirt and data in Local Music 'Mericans Q&As, and we figured it was high time to give you a fun retrospective of some quotes from some of the more recurring questions we've asked our local music luminaries in the column. Mainly......
What's one of the craziest things you've witnessed at a show in Deep Ellum?
Josh Robinson (Bartender, Recording Engineer): Gypsy Tea Room. Slayer at soundcheck, playing "Raining Blood" with the PA off, only amps and un-miked drums. Sounded like a stream of pure evil coming out of the coolest garage band ever.
Scott Beggs (Talent Buyer): Oh, man. There was the girl that fell from the crow's nest at Trees during a Course of Empire show many years ago. There was also a couple of Pimpadelic relatives that never made it past 9:30 on show night without getting tossed from the club.
Arthur Stephens (Live sound engineer): A not-so-funny memorable moment came when a good friend asked me to put his wife on the list at Deep Ellum Live. When he came later that night to pick her up, I had to explain that she got on the bus and left with the band Neurotic Outsiders. Talk about awkward.
Sean Wayne Leeseman (Doorman): One night, the guys from Fallen From The Nest randomly brought in Jared from the Subway commericials. I've also seen a clown get arrested! You never forget that.
Cat Hough (Entertainment Attorney): There were a good number of Brutal Juice shows where a certain patron often felt compelled to shed his clothes and rock out completely naked. I guess that could be said of Billy Goat shows, as well, but in those instances, the nudity was reciprocated by several of the band members.
Renee Benson-Short (Bartender): I've definitely caused my fair share of chaos as a customer. Floor dancing, chair dancing, general mayhem, yelling, harassing of employees and fellow patrons... guilty as charged. I've seen an old guy get his teeth knocked out by a crazy bitch half his age, a drag queen have her top pulled off while simultaneously having her weave pulled out and the employee that fought her kept the push-up insert that flew out as a trophy.
Scott Krakowski (Local Artist): I remember most of the great shows I saw at Trees, except for one in which I was apparently the unscheduled entertainment during a performance by Jeff Lile's DDT (Decadent Dub Team) on a bill with Whitey and Bad Mutha Goose. A girlfriend and I had decided to mix a little tequila into our Slurpees before the show. I suppose we were underage. She must have neglected to tell me that there was about half a bottle in mine so I proceeded to black out upon entering the club. I decided to get up on stage during DDT's set, hip-hop dancing the entire time and attempting to yell into the microphone. A minor rival from my school was onstage videotaping and I somehow managed to question his manhood on mic multiple times during all this. I must have been more entertaining than a nuisance as I was told that I received a handshake when I was booted off the stage. Ah, youth!
Carissa Hughes (Marketing/Events): Ha Ha Tonka killed it at ACL festival and then came to Dallas and wowed a packed La Grange crowd, and a seriously competitive game of H-O-R-S-E developed between myself and them that last until 4 a.m., fueled by a healthy amount of drinks and, somehow, fireworks. Perhaps I didn't come out victorious, but I had a strong showing.
Ken Evenson (Bouncer): The one that comes to mind the most happened years ago at Club Clearview. A female lead singer for a band was arguing with her jealous boyfriend in the parking lot, slapping him a few times. As I started heading over in their direction, she slapped him one too many times and he slapped her so hard she fell to the ground. Then he started to walk away. She was hollering obscenities at him as he walked. I caught up to him and informed him to keep walking, which he did -- until something she screamed struck a nerve and he spun around and tried to push me out of the way. I locked him up very quickly and lifted him off the ground in a very uncomfortable position and carried him to some police officers who were standing on the corner.
Chad Lovell (Live sound engineer): Fair To Midland's singer scared the crap out of me sometimes with his jungle-gym antics. Joe from Jibe was the same way. Zac from the Nixons would get into some hairy spots. Great fun, though. There was an all-out kung fu war at the Curtain Club many years ago. I have seen pretty much anything you can imagine at this point. Midget goat people with a tap dancing singer playing acoustic metal? Seen it.
We love you, Deep Ellum. We love you so hard.
Trust us, there's lots more where this came from, and every so often, we'll look back throught the LM'M archives and share up some of the greatness.
