Sunday, January 20, 2013

a friday night in denton

a friday night in denton means trying to do it all and still be in bed with enough time to get five or six hours of sleep before work the next morning. a friday night means hitting the town with some of your best friends, a few cans of beer, and a vague plan to have a good time. a friday night in denton means seeing a hundred people you know. it means long walks and hitched rides. it means house shows and live music. it means bad beer mixed with good beer mixed with liquor mixed with endless cigarettes. it means making new pals and seeing old ones and going home much later than you ever intended, completely exhausted. that's just how it works and i kind of dig it.

so here's a small mess of denton things from Friday [1/18/13] for you to relive with me, internet.


808 Elm - New experience for me. A small house turned DIY music venue. People arrived slowly and hesitantly and it took us a minute to grasp our bearings when we arrived- the house had no number outside and no designation that it was indeed the correct house. Only a handful of folks were there when we showed up so we awkwardly shook hands with some nice folks who seemed at ease and waited for something to happen. The show started nearly 45 minutes after advertised, but we can't be mad because, after all,  here in denton we are not known for our punctuality. Our main purpose for this venture was to see Tiger Tooth and Paw, the solo project of an old friend of mine. Utilizing a cleverly arranged pedalboard stacked on a oversized text book I'm pretty sure was entitled The United States Constitution, he played five songs, looping guitar tracks of varying intensities. I quite enjoyed the newest songs and I would recommend checking out some of his stuff especially if you have inclinations toward the wistful yet rollicking sounds of The Walkmen or Arab Strap.


Greenhouse - After five years this place is still one of my favorite restaurants in town. Sure, it's a little pricey but it makes it all the more special when I do scrounge up enough tips to take a trip. After the show at 808 we were starving and luckily this place was right around the corner. The half-hour wait ended up only being about ten minutes, which was nice. We met up with a few more friends, ordered some drinks and a bunch of their signature jalapeno "bottlecaps,"and goofed around with the very pleasant waitress. One of the specials this month was calling my name: a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with corn, zucchini, and sweet potatoes. It ruled. Dear Greenhouse, if you're reading this, would you please put this entree on the menu forever? Thank you.


Macaroni Island - A venue that is yet to disappoint me. This particular night they were showcasing a number of acoustic acts that really suited the space. It was intimate and charming, a lot of folks felt comfortable enough to sit on the floor and gather around whoever was performing. Like story-time. Unfortunately, bouncing around town all night did not allow me to be in two places at once so naturally I didn't arrive on time for the first few performances, though I'm sure they were lovely. As I arrived, George Neal of Hares on the Mountain was stirring the room with his unmistakable hollar-time folk songs. I particularity enjoyed the song about Laika [Лайка], a Russian dog who was shot into space in 1957. I've always been a fan of George's musical projects, and seeing him perform solo holds no exception for me!
Next up was Dale Jones of the rowdy local group New Science Projects whipping up his unique take on twenty-something angst. Several musicians joined him throughout the set, including a clarinet solo by Scarlett Wright, also of NSP, and a beautiful cello accompaniment by Daniel Folmer. I enjoyed the harmonious compliment that the crowd would offer up in choruses throughout the set. After this, I had enough time to stick around for one more set, kind-of, sort-of, technically speaking. Ryan Becker of RTB2 was up next, playing a collection of songs [mostly] familiar to my ears. A beautiful and peaceful end to my evening, as the barista lifestyle beckoned me once more to get enough rest to serve the hungover citizens of denton come morning.

i hope you enjoyed this edition of a friday night in denton. see you later. probably.