And then there’s Top Ten Records, the historically significant, volunteer-run outpost that’s as committed to serving the local community as it is keeping its doors open. The shop’s latest programming is a reflection of just that. Spirited Foo is a brand new monthly comedy residency, hosted and curated by comedian Hector Sifuentes.
It kicked off on Sunday, July 27, featuring Sifuentes alongside comedians Trey Mack and Fernando “Panda” Chacon. Admission to the event was completely free, made possible, in part, by the Sounds of Oak Cliff program from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture. As such, the record shop was packed to the brim by the time Sifuentes took the stage.
“I understand that to see your favorite comic is so cool, but sometimes it’s too expensive to go out,” Sifuentes says. “We want to provide a cool experience that’s helping us and providing joy to people. I know it sounds corny, but that’s really what it is.”
Sifuentes says the shows will remain free for the time being but might eventually charge a low door price, no higher than $10. For the comedians on stage, though, a listening audience to test material out on is priceless, especially an audience that might not be the typical comedy club crowd.
“We all have something we’re working on,” Sifuentes says. “I want to create a space where we feel comfortable honing our craft, because if we don’t do it for ourselves, then no one’s gonna offer that opportunity.”
Creating a space for unsung comics, especially those in the Latino community, remains most meaningful to Sifuentes.
“There’s a lot of clubs in the city,” he says. “I respect them and I love them, but only certain individuals get that opportunity because there’s not enough space for everyone. I’m creating something that we don’t see.”
The residency is set to run on the last Sunday of each month, with the next event scheduled for August 31. Sifuentes is working closely on the series with Top Ten Records director Rosi Linda Sanchez, who grew up in Oak Cliff herself.
“In our community, sometimes we don’t know what’s possible,” Sanchez says. “Especially in the arts and creative space.”
A Molina High School graduate and alum of Dallas College and the University of North Texas, she’s seen North Texas’ change firsthand. With a new Latin-focused comedy residency, the first of its kind in Oak Cliff, she could find herself at the front lines of a whole new wave of change.
“It’s so important that we create a space and have a platform for Mexican, Latino comedians,” Sanchez says. “We definitely want to continue doing programs like this, because right now our community is being threatened by what we feel is an erasure with the gentrification.”
Comedy Foo is as Oak Cliff as it gets, which is to say the exact kind of high-concept art show with deeply personal roots. The neighborhood is what it is for a reason, and through Sounds of Oak Cliff, Sunday nights at Top Ten Records will be yet another way it manifests.
“Our history is beautiful,” Sanchez says. “Some of us grew up in Oak Cliff at a time that was really hard, and now it’s facing this gentrification. The sounds [initiative] reminds everyone that we’re still here, and we’re gonna be here celebrating our sounds and our culture. That’s what Sounds of Oak Cliff is.”
