Mixing graffiti and DIY basement shows feels about as right as peanut butter and chocolate. But Daniel Yanez has been working tirelessly to reclaim the stigmas of both subcultures, celebrating the beauty behind street art and, now, hosting shows at The Basement Gallery. After spending six years working on and…
About half of a bar’s atmosphere lies in the hands of the people who choose to occupy it. At the Drunken Donkey, to give you an idea, I overheard a woman at nearby table ask for “one regular beer.” When the waitress tepidly asked for a bit more specificity, the…
Purity Ring The Bomb Factory, Dallas Frida, May 22, 2015 It’s easy to forget the members of Purity Ring are human (at least, as far as we know). Between valkyrie-winged Megan James’ fey vocals and Corin Roddick’s construction of a cybernetic horde at her back, the guise of reality becomes…
Chris Pickering has spent his last weeks sliding around the pieces for Austin-based band Beth Israel’s winding tour through the Southwest. But when it came time to book the band in North Texas, there was no question: It would be at Rubber Gloves, the venue he frequently played alongside Parquet…
When you’re standing in Rob Buttrum’s packed living room, the word “claustrophobia” inevitably enters your mind. It’s not like an episode of A&E’s Hoarders — you don’t exactly feel suffocated or trapped — but every inch of available space is covered with records, VHS tapes and posters. And if you…
Michael Briggs had a bad feeling about this. Four days ago, he received the somber phone call that would ultimately bookend the lifespan of his beloved house venue, Macaroni Island. When news broke yesterday, Denton was stunned at the thought of this staple of the DIY community going silent after…
Two concepts, both alike in dignity. Denton: A bubbling melting pot for DIY punks, garage rock and metal. Juxtaposing it, hip-hop has long been at odds with the city, attempting to stake a claim at one of its venues. Though it isn’t exactly Montagues and Capulets, it’s a standoff in…
Almost exactly one year ago, there was a stealth invasion in Dallas. The “DoStuff Media” Mothership hovered over the metroplex and beamed down some brand or business or humanoid blend of the two called “Do214.” And since making first contact we’ve seen the alien entity spitting fire Drake jokes, giving…
Nick Bozas keeps himself plenty busy just playing his music. In his last semester of university study, he’s staked his claim as drummer for three Denton bands: Losing, No Touching and Goodboy, playing shows and recording with each to varying degrees. But that, surprisingly enough, is not the only passion…
Ah, Record Store Day. Can’t you just feel it in the air? The fresh-pressed vinyl, the excitement of exclusive releases, the pitter-patter of feet scurrying across a storeroom floor? It only comes once a year, an annual armistice between the hi-fi purists and the tepid collectors. The perfect blend of…
tUnE-yArDs With Son Lux South Side Music Hall, Dallas Thursday, April 9, 2015 Heavy times are upon us. Lyrics pleading “don’t take my life away” sound more locked and loaded than ever. The dangers that tUnE-yArDs frontwoman Merrill Garbus fearfully described four years ago on W H O K I…
Tonight, The Bomb Factory sets off its revival after 20 years of stage silence. But before we rush full-speed-ahead into considering its promising future, we decided to turn back one more time to its history to divine what made the place so iconic in its heyday. With that in mind,…
Spillover Music Festival With Liars, Iceage, King Tuff and more Deep Ellum, Dallas Sunday, March 22, 2015 Yesterday, Spillover Fest embodied the minimalist ideal. To paraphrase a quote, minimalism doesn’t mean a lack of something, but having exactly the right amount and no more. With three stages (well, four stages…
It’s been a long time coming, but the air is well and truly buzzing once again along Hickory Street in Denton. Harvest House opened up shop Thursday in preparation for 35 Denton, and nearly every day since they’ve been packed to the brim with patrons thirsty for libations and live…
The word prodigy comes from the Middle English word “prodigium,” which translates into “monster” — and that’s exactly what 11-year-old Logan Gladden is behind a drum set. In the J&J’s Pizza basement during the 35 Denton music festival on Sunday he’s already twirling his drumstick with one hand and pointing…
Jessie Frye stumbled on one of her greatest moments of inspiration in the haven of all grandiose ideas: a bar. In her company were two notable festival operators, Charlie Hunter and Dallas Guill, who work with 35 Denton and Thin Line respectively. Hunter was discussing the details of daytime programming…
It’s been a long and weary road for 35 Denton. They’ve been bludgeoned by nearly every possible obstacle that could befall a festival on the rise: they lost funding, they lost key bookers and they lost their location due to construction. For a while the future of the festival was…
Like most homes, Abe Hill’s residence vaguely reflects his lifestyle. At first look, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Drums and instruments are evidence of his life as a musician, and the video games and posters speak for themselves. Then you enter his room and see a savage, crooked baseball…
Dalton Kane can’t sit still. Or, better put, he can’t stop writing. Performing under the pseudonym “Chinaski, the Fury,” he has a colossal catalog of work squirreled away on his hard drive, featuring over 300 tracks that he insists he can’t ever release. Even in his live performances he improvises…
It’s still early going but already 2015 is shaping up to be a banner year for music festivals in North Texas. Much has changed in the past couple years, thanks in no small part to the recent hiatus of 35 Denton, which had led the way for local fests for…
Upon crossing the threshold to The Jagoe House, I detected a distinct feeling of otherworldliness. If someone had blindfolded me, spun me around and dropped me off at this doorstep I would’ve sworn I was in Austin. Here was a living room draped with technicolor christmas lights, packed with band…
Bands with a classically trained composer often add an element of avant-garde flair to the mix. Well, Pansy Moon has four of them, and it’s readily apparent in the conceptual and nontraditional pieces of work they generate. By juggling melodic motifs, contiguous story arcs and thoughtful themes, the group creates…
