OPENING SHOT
Bug Chaser at Andy’s Bar on June 14. Photo by Ed Steele
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Little d After Dark
August 2012
AUGUST 2012 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 12
Courtesy photo
For 28 days, Robert Gomez and Anna-Lynne Williams shared a tiny adobe house in Marfa. They pledged not to leave until they’d made an album as a duo called Ormonde. Machine, the resulting album, confronts human intimacy — that fragile connective tissue of enduring relationships of every kind — and it confronts it with no net. No cushion. No first responders to mop them up should everything come crashing down. Nearly strangers when they arrived “in the middle of nowhere,” as both artists call Marfa. You’d never guess they were basically casual acquaintances when they agreed to hole up and write like hell. Story by Lucinda Breeding
C O V E R S T O RY
love for the live set Denton’s Birds of Night have shed the complicated audio equipment of their previous incarnation to better fit the new group’s love of live performance. And the results of the revamp? Snaps, a stripped-down debut album that gives off a half-Creedence, half-
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940-566-6879 | dcobb@dentonrc.com
Features Editor Lucinda Breeding 940-566-6877 cbreeding@dentonrc.com
Advertising Director Sandra Hammond 940-566-6820
opening shot
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good dates
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Advertising Manager Shawn Reneau 940-566-6843 sreneau@dentonrc.com
Classified Display Julie Hammond 940-566-6819 jhammond@dentonrc.com
THE ELEMENTS
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Publisher Bill Patterson Managing Editor Dawn Cobb
shammond@dentonrc.com
F E AT U R E S
Hendrix vibe.
Photo by David Minton
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editor’s note
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party people
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the alchemist In a cold sweat over the new school year? Here, have a Summer Breeze and a music fest. >>
work the room Hailey’s Club.
flavor junkie Boozy ice pops.
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the buzz Caffeine, jams and food.
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Contributing Writers Alyssa Jarrell, Rachel Watts Photographers David Minton, Ed Steele Designer Rachel McReynolds On the cover Courtesy photo.
The contents of this free publication are copyrighted by Denton Publishing Co., 2012, a subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corp. (www.ahbelo.com, NYSE symbol: AHC), with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Little d After Dark is published monthly by Denton Publishing Company, 314 E. Hickory St.
have your people call our people
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to submit an event for little d’s calendar, e-mail littledcalendar@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY
SUNDAY 5
Luke Wade, noon. Free. Love Shack. The Threepenny Opera, 3 p.m. $10. Murchison Performing Arts Center. Perdition, Red City Radio, How’s My Driving?, Fat by the Gallon, 8:30 p.m. $6$10. Lola’s.
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Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free. Banter. Greg Reichel, 6 p.m. Free. Love Shack. Stefan Prigmore, 8 p.m. The Basement Bar. Advance Base, New Science Projects, Hello Shark, Kaleo Kaualoku, 9 p.m. $7. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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Relient K, Hellogoodbye, William Beckett, House of Heroes, 7 p.m. $16-$20. House of Blues. Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free. Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub.
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Mike Calaway, 6 p.m. Free. Love Shack. Aesop Rock with Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz, Edison, Dark Time Sunshine, 7 p.m. $18. Granada Theater. Psyborg, DJ Don’t Know and Foolish 2, Soccer Mom, VJ Trek, $helby Woo, 10 p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf.
10 Stella Fest: True Widow,
11 Stella Fest: Ringo Deathstar,
Earl Bates, 6 p.m. Free. Banter. The Threepenny Opera, 8 p.m. $10. Murchison Performing Arts Center. The Flatlanders, the Orbans, 8 p.m. $25-$50. Cendera Center. Outernationals, Effinays, 9 p.m. $8-$10. Hailey’s Club. Sarah Jaffe, 9 p.m. $15-$20. Dan’s Silverleaf. Stella Rose, 10 p.m. $6-$10. Lola’s. Idler, 10 p.m. The Abbey Underground.
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TUESDAY
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Rad Company, Tight Bros, Talked Out, Special Guest, the Half Truths, 8 p.m. $3$5. J&J’s Pizza. Mister Joe, Le Not Quite So Hot Klub du Denton, 8 p.m. Free. Banter. Little Jack Melody, 9 p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf. Big Mike’s Box of Rock, 10 p.m. $2. Lola’s.
National Smile Week: Aug. 5-11
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The Threepenny Opera, 8 p.m. $10. Murchison Performing Arts Center. Bludded Head, Terminator 2, Akkolyte, Shiny Around the Edges, 9 p.m. $1-$3. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. The Memorials, the Mission Bells, 9 p.m. $8-$10. Hailey’s Club. Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Salim Nourallah, 10 p.m. $8-$12. Lola’s. Team Tomb, Sam Robertson, Savage and the Big Beat, 10 p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf.
County Rexford, 7 p.m. Free. Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Recycledpalooza: Hares on the Mountain, Kaleo Kaualoku, Shiny Around the Edges, Delmore Pilcrow, Willie Dees and Andy LaViolette, Forever Home, Mariachi Quetzal, 8 p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf. Bukkake Moms, Not Half Bad, the Pajammas, 9 p.m. Free-$5. Hailey’s Club. Frontier Brothers, Deadbeat Darling, 10 p.m. $7-$12. Lola’s.
MUSIC at UNT STAGE & SCREEN
MONDAY
SATURDAY
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AUGUST 2012 MUSIC at Denton venues MUSIC elsewhere
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
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21 Willie Nelson, 8 p.m. $50-
Sundress, Ronnie Heart, Cozy Hawks, Freak the Mighty, Goblins, Holy Wave, Blood Witch, Holy Mammoth, Ari Roar, 5 p.m. $5$10. Hailey’s Club. Acoustic Distortion, 8 p.m. Free. Banter. The Virgin Wolves, Kentucky Knife Fight, Mazy & the Mob, 9 p.m. Andy’s Bar. Dale Watson, 10 p.m. $12. Dan’s Silverleaf. Gary Allan, 10:30 p.m. $20-$80. Billy Bob’s.
Darktown Strutters, DJ Yeahdef, Soviet, Skeleton Coast, School of Rock Summer Tour, Gal Pals, New Science Projects, Sacco and Vanzetti, Terrestrials, Feather Face, 2 p.m. $5-$10. Hailey’s Club. Caterpillars, 8 p.m. Andy’s Bar. Dana Falconberry, Warren Jackson Hearne & Le Leek Electrique, Spooky Folk, 10 p.m. $7$10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Sara Evans, 10:30 p.m. $15-$35. Billy Bob’s.
15 County Rexford, 7 p.m.
16 Rudy Cervantez, 6 p.m.
17 Bobby Duncan, 6 p.m. Free.
18 Rod Balch, noon. Free.
22 Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free.
23 Big Mike Richardson, 6 p.m.
24 Lindsey Buckingham, 7 p.m.
25 Foxtrot Uniform, noon.
29 County Rexford, 7 p.m.
30 Greg Schroeder, 6 p.m.
31 Chris Watson, 6 p.m. Free.
Free. Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Langhorne Slim & the Law, Jessica Lea Mayfield, 9 p.m. $12-$15. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Free. Love Shack. Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free. Banter. Fang Island, 7:30 p.m. $11-$14. Dada.
Love Shack. Jake Dester, 6 p.m. Free. Banter. Shonen Knife, 8 p.m. $12$15. Dada. Blaggards, the Jakeys, 10 p.m. $7. Dan’s Silverleaf. Kopecky Family Band, 10 p.m. $7-$10. Lola’s.
Love Shack. John Mayall, Hunter Hendrickson, 7 p.m. $25-$50. Granada Theater. The Cab, Parachute, Katelyn Tarver, 7:30 p.m. $14-$16. House of Blues. The Black Dotz, voltREvolt, Bad Design, 10 p.m. $7. Dan’s Silverleaf Dwight Yoakam, 10:30 p.m. $20-$45. Billy Bob’s.
National Panini Month
19 Luke Wade, noon. Free.
Love Shack. Bad Veins, Stagnant Pools, 9 p.m. $7$10. Lola’s. Cafe Tacuba, 9 p.m. $25-$55. House of Blues.
$77.50. House of Blues.
Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Steve Nichols Band, 10 p.m. The Basement Bar.
Free. Love Shack. The 71’s (CD release), the Red 100’s, Johnny’s Boy, 10 p.m. $10-$14. Lola’s.
$35-$75. Cendera Center. Ottamar Liebert and Luna Negra, 7 p.m. $32-$47. Granada Theater. Nothing More, the American Tragedy, Paco Estrada, the Commotion, 8 p.m. Andy’s Bar. Old 97’s, Those Darlins, Rhett Miller, 9 p.m. $26-$49.50. House of Blues. Birds & Batteries, Chasing Kings, Señor Fin, 10 p.m. $7. Dan’s Silverleaf. Lee Brice, 10:30 p.m. $10-$15. Billy Bob’s.
Free. Love Shack. Telegraph Canyon, Birds & Batteries, Air Review, 10 p.m. $10-$13. Lola’s. Ted Nugent, 10:30 p.m. $20$40. Billy Bob’s.
National Radio Day: Aug. 20
26 Luke Wade, noon. Free.
Love Shack. Kottonmouth Kings, Big B, Pozak, 7 p.m. $20. Granada Theater.
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27 Terminator 2, Bludded Head, Forbes/Young/Gonzalez Trio, 9 p.m. $3-$5. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
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Free. Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. The Tallest Man on Earth, Strand of Oaks, 9 p.m. $20-$25. House of Blues.
Little d After Dark
Free. Love Shack. Reckless Kelly, the King Bucks, Collin Herring, 7 p.m. $15. Granada Theater. Bungled and Botched, 8 p.m. The Basement Bar. Afro Deezy Axe, 10 p.m. Abbey Underground. Brutal Juice, Dope House, 10 p.m. $15. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Love Shack. Babe Bash 3: Please, Please Me; Sol Tax; the Red Death, 9 p.m. $5$7. Hailey’s Club. Natural Child, Birdcloud, 9 p.m. $8$10. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Charlie Robison, 10:30 p.m. $12-$16. Billy Bob’s.
August 2012
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August 2012
Little d After Dark
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Mediating the Gainsbourg effect
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hat in the world does Serge Gainsbourg have to do with Machine, the debut album of Denton-Seattle band Ormonde? More than you think, as it turns out. Denton’s Robert Gomez, the party responsible for the conception of Ormonde, has a thing for the late French artist, composer, singer and filmmaker. Gainsbourg — father of actress and singer Charlotte — is well known and well loved in France. In the States, he has a cult following. At first blush, Gainsbourg’s music sounds like the stuff of Lawrence Welk — perhaps without the bubble machine and with that hard-to-define French attitude, that trace of depressive sense that every good thing in life is fleeting and always, always has a shadow side. But give Gainsbourg a shot and what emerges is a sadness shrouded in beautiful harmonies and dancing vocals. And
rude king at hailey’s club (july 7)
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Gomez — and Anna-Lynne Williams, his partner in Ormonde — has clearly marinated in Gainsbourg’s music. Machine tends to be melancholy and lonely, but is sweetened by the Gainsbourgian touches.
Gainsbourg’s music allowed him to be a provocateur. (His famous duet with Jane Birkin “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” in 1969 might make Eminem shift uncomfortably in his seat with its raw sexual buzz.) Gomez — and AnnaLynne Williams, his partner in Ormonde — has clearly marinated in Gainsbourg’s music. Machine tends to be melancholy and lonely, but is sweetened by the Gainsbourgian touches — Williams’ ingenue soprano, Gomez’s more worldly baritone and all the shuffling tempos throughout the record. The most blatant is the cover of Gainsbourg’s weird fatherdaughter love song, “Lemon Incest.” The influence is more subtle on the rest of Machine, but there nonetheless. Machine succeeds on its own, fleshed out by Gomez’s
studious devotion to song craft and lightened by Williams’ vocals and sage writing. Maybe Machine doesn’t have an easy single, but it’s unapologetically accessible while being intimate and thoughtful. Just as Gainsbourg would have like it. — Lucinda Breeding
photos by ed steele
Add us on Facebook and read our music blog: visit facebook.com/littledtx and littled.dentonrc.com. 6
Little d After Dark
August 2012
summer breeze
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by rachel mcreynolds
The drink 1 part Maker’s Mark bourbon 1 part ginger ale a splash of Cointreau 1 orange slice Muddle an orange slice in an old-fashioned glass with a splash of Cointreau. Add in equal parts bourbon and ginger ale. — recipe from cocktails.about.com Temperature-wise, summer won’t be over for at least two more months. But for many in (or headed to) our fair city, come Aug. 29, summer will be snuffed out, smothered under a pile of books, papers and campus parking tickets. That in mind, send your freedom off with a bang with this bourbon-ginger ale cocktail and a music festival that’ll broil your brain. Next month’s Hot Wet Mess music fest promises to be the one last hurrah you crave before the semester revs up. So slap on some sunscreen, squeeze into that too-small bikini and head to the North Texas State Fairgrounds on Sept. 1 for a day of water play and tunes. This festival comes from the same folks who bring us the noise bonanza 35 Denton, so you know it’s gonna be good. Mosey on over to prekindle.com and buy your $15 tickets while they last.
The tunes While you’re sipping, listen to these tracks by headlining Hot Wet Mess artists: the Black Lips’ “O Katrina!” (garage rock with few complicated riffs and even fewer worries), Reggie Watts’ “Get Your Shoes On” (Stream-ofconsciousness lyrics over dubstep beats? Check. A soulful vocal range from Michael Jackson falsetto to Barry White bass? Check. Squirrel jokes with no punch line? Check.), Big Freedia’s “Booty-Whop” (the Queen Diva of Bounce’s high-energy meld of hip-hop and electronica will leave you sweaty, smiling and satisfied — and in the right state for some cooling off).
Photo by David Minton
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Little d After Dark
August 2012
by lucinda breeding >> features editor
F
or 28 days, Robert Gomez and Anna-Lynne Williams shared a tiny adobe house in Marfa. They pledged not to leave until they’d made an album as a duo called Ormonde. Machine, the resulting album, confronts human intimacy — that fragile connective tissue of enduring relationships of every kind — and it confronts it with no net. No cushion. No first responders to mop them up should everything come crashing down. Nearly strangers when they arrived “in the middle of nowhere,” as both artists call Marfa. You’d never guess that Gomez and Williams were basically casual acquaintances when they agreed to hole up and write like hell. And yet Machine is a work between two relative strangers, a scrapbook of two platonic friends putting themselves on the line and harvesting 10 quiet songs in just four weeks. Gomez brought a lot of his last solo album into the project. Concepts and chords from the Denton musician’s Pine Sticks and Phosphorus make appearances on Machine in the form-ebbing guitar reverb, blunted percussion and Gomez’s vocals, which rarely rise above a whisper or groan. That same ephemeral sonic fleece that makes Pine Sticks a soft and brooding record is the batting of Machine. It’s not a sequel to Pine Sticks by any means. Williams, a Seattle artist performing as Lotte Kestner, gives Gomez’s less-is-more approach the weight it begs for. Where Gomez’s voice seeps into the floor, Williams’ soprano rings out plain. And somehow, this austerity is pleasing. Williams doesn’t go for baroque. Hers is a hint of reed-like vibrato, levitating over the fading percussion knocks. On much of the album, William’s voice is the real thing, while Gomez’s is its shadow. The musicians met in Denton when Williams traveled to Denton to lay some vocal tracks on John Grant’s Queen of Denmark.
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Little d After Dark
August 2012
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Continued from 8 >> “Robert showed up in the studio to lay down the guitar for ‘Chicken Bones,’” Williams says, “and after that we kept bumping into each other. Because, you know, Denton isn’t the biggest town. I kept seeing him at the shows I was going to at Dan’s.” Meetings turned into conversations, and conversations turned into an artistic simpatico. Back in Seattle, Williams invited Gomez to send her his album Brand New Towns. She wrote about the record for Identity Theory, a literary magazine where Williams is the music editor. Their friendship was firm, and a partnership wasn’t far off, the musicians said. “We’ve played with some of the same bands, and when you are in the same circle as other artists, everyone says, ‘We should fly to Europe and play some shows together,’” Williams said. “But people don’t follow through on that. But Robert did. He asked if we could work together and I agreed. Just a little while later, I get a call from him and he said he found a place in
where one person was familiar and the other was unfamiliar, I kind of wanted to go to a neutral place. I wanted to be someplace where neither of us was familiar.” At the time, around 2008, Gomez said he felt stuck. The monthlong stay in West Texas turned into a retreat. “It had been a while since I felt creative, and I was kind of worried. I wanted to get out of town,” he said. “Marfa was a really creative place. We didn’t know anybody. There were no bars. And even during the day, half the time my cellphone didn’t work. You have to realize that when you’re at home, there are so many distractions. “West Texas, it’s just magic. There’s something mysterious about it. Something haunting about it.” Gomez and Williams traveled to Marfa with one plan: to make the most of the time they were living in the little house. Gomez said he wanted to capitalize on Williams’ crystalline voice and musical intuition. Williams said she was eager to get out of Seattle, where a bad breakup sapped her strength. (And that was on top of a wrist injury that forced her to neglect
But there was no plan.” Williams said their contrasting styles were a wellspring for the record. Williams tends to write and record songs in a single sitting, without much second-guessing. Gomez’s approach is the opposite. “I write lyrics over and over. I’m always revising. I write a song and then work it and work it and work it some more,” he said. “I’m always revising, always looking for a better way to make the music.” There was common ground between them. Williams was on the mend from that soured relationship; Gomez was separating from his then-wife, painter Melanie Little. (The split was ultimately friendly.) They both discovered that Nabokov’s Lolita was one of their favorite books — Ormonde is Lolita’s slip of the tongue when trying to say or du monde. “I feel like she’s [Williams] inspired me to write better lyrics,” Gomez said. “And she’s a great singer, and because of her, I feel like I’ve become a better singer. She’s passionate and prolific. And then there was her sense of when a song was what it needed to be. I was ready for that.” Williams said the pair didn’t clash. There were differences, but they were always committed to making an album that would demand both share the songwriting, the singing and the editing. “If we ever disagree, I usually bend in his direction,” Williams said. “Which is weird, because I’m not like that in any of my other projects. In my other projects, when I feel like something is right — or if something needs to be done differently — I insist that that’s what needs to happen. So when differences came up, he would win. I think that’s fair, given that this project was his idea.” Machine is a lonely sounding record, full of craving for connection in spite of the risk. Williams said she wrote the title
Machine is a lonely sounding record, full of craving for connection in spite of the risk. Williams said she wrote the title track for Gomez. “I think at times I was even maybe a little desperate to connect with him,” she said. Marfa.” Williams knew nothing about the famous small Texas town, where fine arts are prized as much as the mysterious lights that can be seen on clear nights. Tourists can sometimes see the lights as they look southwest into the West Texas desert. Gomez said friend and musician Jason Reimer talked up Marfa as a cool little town with atmosphere conducive to creativity. The Chinati festival brought good bands through the city, too, Gomez said. “We were going into this kind of blind,” Gomez said. “Rather than be in a place
the guitar — which happens to be Gomez’s chief instrument.) The duo got to the adobe house and set up the mobile studio Gomez hauled from Denton. Williams bunked in the house’s only bedroom; Gomez camped out on the sofa. They got to work immediately. “We didn’t talk about how anything was gonna work out with any of this stuff,” Williams said. “At first it was tentative between us. We were kind of shy and even sat in different rooms. At one point, we were writing things down and passing notes to each other. I think each of us had written a song each before we got there.
track for Gomez. “I think at times I was even maybe a little desperate to connect with him,” she said. “I’m really super affectionate and Robert isn’t, and when we first got there he told me I was allowed to hug him once a day.” The title track is a revelatory song, with Williams singing, “The machine only works if all our parts give in.” “I told Robert, ‘This song is about you,’ and he didn’t really say anything at first. If anything, I was trying to impress him and win him over,” she said. And eventually, she did. Gomez has roomed with Williams both times he’s gone to Seattle for a change of scenery and a creative recharge. Williams learned some new chords from Gomez, and now her music collection includes a fair number of albums by the late Serge Gainsbourg, a French singer and songwriter who has influenced Gomez’s latest work. For his part, Gomez co-created a record one song at a time in the cool little house, which sounded like being “in a little mission.” He touched up the record slightly, with the help of musicians from Denton’s Midlake. A harpsichord here, drums there and even a mellotron were finishing flourishes. Machine comes out Aug. 7 through Hometapes, and Gomez said he and Williams will likely perform a CD release show in September, after he finishes a tour. For her part, Williams will release four records in the next six months. Still, Machine changed them a little. The risk yielded a reward. “I’ve known Robert so long now, and I think it’s the 28 days of being there in Marfa that really changed my life. Even a couple of the guys I met there, I still talk to them every day. Whenever Robert and I go somewhere together, good things happen. Maybe it’s him. Or maybe it’s something we have together. But we work well together.” LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached by calling 940-566-6877 or sending an e-mail to cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
Track for track: Machine
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LEMON INCEST
MACHINE
This French wordplay song is set to a Chopin etude, with lyrics about a slightly creepy father-daughter relationship. Ormonde translated the original Serge Gainsbourg song into English, then perform a cover that is raw without being rough, creepy without being shocking. Williams handles the part originally sung by Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of Serge, while Gomez covers daddy Gainsbourg’s part with a deep, throaty baritone that is kind of pretty, but mostly frightening.
Williams’ lyrics are universal enough, but the pleading quality of her vocals gives the listener that awkward feeling that he’s walked in on a couple in the middle of a tectonic relational shift. Her sincerity saves the song from what could be cloying sentimentality.
Little d After Dark
August 2012
hailey’s club
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by lucinda breeding
Downtown hideout Intimate Hailey’s Club packs a big punch in a little package
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HAILEY’S CLUB ou know how your friends move all of their furniture when they’re prepping for a
keg party? Hailey’s Club, a downtown Denton bar and music venue, pretty much follows that logic in the small club. Once you’ve stood in line, handed your ID to the staffer at the door and finally gotten your paper wristband, you’re at the long, curved bar where you can buy liquor, draft beer and mixed drinks. (Oh, and you can also help yourself to the scuffed cooler of water, too.) If you want to sit down at Hailey’s Club, you best get there early. There are only a few cushioned-seat booths across the bar,
122 W. Mulberry St. Doors open 8 p.m., earlier for special events. All ages. haileysclub.com.
and in the main room, you can find seating for 10 people — 15 tops. But the point of being at Hailey’s isn’t to relax and get a buzz. Well, it is, but the relaxing and getting buzzed is meant to happen while you’re on your feet, in front of the stage. Hailey’s Club is about getting funky on the floor when DJs spin dance tracks, or holding your ground, arms folded and face inscrutable when a band plays the serious stuff. Hailey’s main room can turn into a mosh pit in a split-second when the >>
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Revelers at Hailey’s Club in March. Courtesy photo/Eve Edelheit
Little d After Dark
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the birds of night
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by rachel watts
Courtesy photos/Chance Foreman
Back to the basics With ‘Snaps,’ Birds of Night decide not to sweat the little imperfections
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enton’s Birds of Night have shed the complicated audio equipment of their previous incarnation to better fit the new group’s love of live performance. And the results of the revamp? Snaps, a stripped-down debut album that gives off a halfCreedence, half-Hendrix vibe. Inspired by photography, Snaps is saturated with themes of growing up, the West Texas desert and “nonsense,” as lead singer Andrew Rothlisberger puts it. “We said, let’s just make an album that is snapshots, and let’s make them sound like moments that are real and that fit together, and sound like they’re actually captured, not produced,” he said. A longtime obsession of Rothlisberger’s, toy cameras and film photography played a big part in Snaps’ development. The band wanted to make a record that sounds the way a toy camera takes a photo, he said. “It’s never going to be perfect and you’re never going to get a super striking photo that is taken with a toy camera, just like you’re never going to get a clear record that’s not recorded in a recording studio,” he said. “But that’s part of 12
the charm, and that’s part of why you like it — because it’s not perfect.” The fact that there’s not much editing, automating or individual track mixing on Snaps was deliberate, the band says, and sort of the point for a group looking to simplify its sound. The musicians wanted the tracks to seem like they fit together in the same room — Rothlisberger’s room to be exact, where the recording was done on his Macbook. At a time when mixers, synthesizers and other sound manipulators are available to any band with an Internet connection, some can >>
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“You’re never going to get a clear record that’s not recorded in a recording studio. But that’s part of the charm, and that’s part of why you like it — because it’s not perfect.” — Andrew Rothlisberger Little d After Dark
Track for track: Snaps
BITE With its loosened drum heads, simple guitar riffs and happy, upbeat tempo, "Bite" sounds like the kind of jam you'd play over the backdrop of go-go dancers and an old Venice Beach video montage.
GREAT PLAINS Carried by persistent cymbals and rhythmic bass, this song is as stripped down as the vast expanse it suggests, with the exception of the projected cries of lead singer Andrew Rothlisberger's sometimes throaty, Fogerty-esque vocals.
LOVE YOU ON THE WEEKEND This slow indie love ballad is not only a refreshing one-off on the album, but it’s also like the modern-day “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. (You know, the song from the movie Ghost.) August 2012
hailey’s club
Continued from 11 >> metalheads and punk rockers hold court. Hailey’s is small, yes. But it’s been recognized as one of the best live music venues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by local music magazines. And it’s earned fans for its commitment to a rotating selection of 52 standard and rare beers (the club has also employed two beer sommeliers).
Music fans with wide-ranging tastes can keep Hailey’s Club on their radar, because the venue offers everything from dance nights to live classic rock, indie music, folk, hip-hop and rock ’n’ roll. On Mondays, DJ Questionmark spins classics of Motown and RCA. And Tuesdays are always ’90s nights. The weekends, though, belong to bands, be they local acts or touring groups with buzz in Rolling Stone,
Hailey’s is small, yes, but it’s been recognized as one of the best live music venues in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Spin and Paste. During the 35 Denton music festival in March, the humble club is reserved for electronic music. A word of caution: Don’t come to Hailey’s hungry — the bar doesn’t have a grill. But wear comfortable shoes (or suffer while working those platform heels) and be prepared to bust a move. LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached by calling 940-566-6877 or sending an e-mail to cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
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Main Attrakionz at Hailey’s Club in March. Courtesy photo/Eve Edelheit
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Little d After Dark
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boozy ice pops
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by alyssa jarrell
Courtesy photos/Chris Newby
Get smashed on ice Bored and hot? Make your own fun with liquored-up freezer pops
T
hese are officially the dog days of summer, friends. In this heat, I am drawn to the siren song of the ice cream truck, to the frozen treats waiting inside. But no matter how lured I am by the nostalgia-inspiring songs, I am not going to be satiated with those fruit-and-sugar sticks. So I’ve decided it’s high time to reclaim my favorite icy summer treat. I’m taking back frozen pops and making them more adult. You know what that means: alcohol. It’s time to trade in the post-work cocktail for something even more refreshing — something I can enjoy in the backyard while contemplating a run through the sprinklers. 14
The junkie herself, Alyssa Jarrell
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Since that bottle of vodka sitting in your freezer hasn’t frozen solid, how is it possible to make an alcoholic ice pop? Won’t I just be eating cocktail slush? But worry not, friends; I did the math. And lucky for you, my math was spot-on. Straight vodka doesn’t freeze, but when mixed with fruit and juice, it does. Just make sure your concoction is less than 20
percent booze, and you’re going to have a perfect, not-too-hard, not-too-soft icy treat. Twenty percent alcohol per pop may not sound like it would pack a punch, but don’t be fooled by the math, dear reader. While these frozen pops don’t taste like the $2 wells you drink at happy hour, they come with a kick. So, get hold of some wooden sticks, bust out the bourbon and start enjoying your new poolside snack. There is no end to the possible combinations of fruit, juice and liquor, but to start you out, I’m sharing two of my favorite boozy ice pops. ALYSSA JARRELL is an adventurer in the kitchen who enjoys giving her culinary creations to family and friends. Her website is thepinkantler.com.
Little d After Dark
Strawberry crush pops 1 pint strawberries, cut into halves 2 sprigs fresh mint 1/2 cup lemonade 3 shots vodka 3 shots elderflower liquor 1 cup ginger ale Put the strawberries, mint, lemonade, vodka and elderflower into a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the ginger ale. Pour into 6 ice pop molds. Freeze until hard (about 6 hours).
Bluegrass bourbon pops 1 cup lemonade 3/4 cup ginger ale 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 3 shots bourbon 2 shots amaretto Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour into 6 ice pop molds. Freeze until hard (about 6 hours). August 2012
where to find
music,
caffeine and
Around downtown THE ABBEY INN RESTAURANT & PUB 101 W. Hickory St. 940-566-5483. THE ABBEY UNDERGROUND 100 W. Walnut St. 940-565-5478. facebook.com/ theabbeyunderground ANDAMAN THAI RESTAURANT 221 E. Hickory St. 940-591-8790. andamanthairestaurant.com ANDY’S BAR 122 N. Locust St. 940565-5400. reverbnation.com/venue/andysbar BANTER 219 W. Oak St. 940-5651638. dentonbanter.com BETH MARIE’S OLD-FASHIONED ICE CREAM AND SODA FOUNTAIN 117 W. Hickory St. 940-384-1818. (second location at Unicorn Lake, 2900 Wind River Lane) bethmaries.com BURGUESA BURGER 214 E. Hickory St. 940-442-6113. burguesa.com CASA GALAVIZ 508 S. Elm St. 940-3872675. CELLAR 22 219 E. Hickory St. 940-4350149. thecellar22.com CRAZY HORSE SALOON 508 S. Elm St. 940-591-0586. THE CHESTNUT TREE 107 W. Hickory St. 940-591-9475. chestnuttearoom.com THE CUPBOARD 200 W. Congress St. 940-387-5386. cupboardnaturalfoods.com DAN’S SILVERLEAF 103 Industrial St. 940-320-2000. danssilverleaf.com DENTON SQUARE DONUTS 208
food/drink in denton
1932. NV CUPCAKES 118 E. McKinney St. 817-229-3031. nvcupcakes.com OAK STREET DRAFTHOUSE 308 E. Oak St. 940-395-1950. RAMEN REPUBLIC 210 E. Hickory St. 940-387-3757. ramenrepublic.biz RAVELIN BAKERY 416 S. Elm St. 940-382-8561. ROOSTER’S ROADHOUSE 113 Industrial St. 940-382-4227. roostersroadhouse.com RUBBER GLOVES REHEARSAL STUDIOS 411 E. Sycamore St. 940-3877781. rubberglovesdentontx.com SEVEN MILE CAFE 311 W. Congress St. 940-808-0200. sevenmilecafe.com SIAM OFF THE SQUARE 209 W. Hickory St., Suite 104. 940-382-5118. siamoffthesquare.com SWEETWATER GRILL & TAVERN 115 S. Elm St. 940-484-2888. VERONICA’S CAFE 803 E. McKinney St. 940-565-9809. VIGNE 222 W. Hickory St., Suite 103. 940566-1010. WEINBERGER’S DELI 311 E. Hickory St., Suite 110. 940-566-5900. weinbergers denton.com WINE SQUARED 110 W. Oak St. 940384-9463. winetimeswine.com YOGURT FUSION 209 W. Hickory St. 940-597-6367. yofusion.com ZERA COFFEE CO. 420 E. McKinney
Congress
Scripture
W. Oak
W. Oak
Carroll Blvd.
North Texas Blvd.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
Elm
W. Hickory
35
Bonnie Brae
August 2012
for more listings, visit wimgo.com
W. Oak St. 940-220-9447. dentonsquaredonuts.com EL CHAPARRAL GRILLE 324 E. McKinney St., Suite 102. 940-243-1313. EL GUAPO’S 419 S. Elm St. 940-5665575. elguapos.com THE GREENHOUSE 600 N. Locust St. 940-484-1349. greenhouserestaurant denton.com HAILEY’S CLUB 122 W. Mulberry St. 940-323-1160. haileysclub.com HANNAH’S OFF THE SQUARE 111 W. Mulberry St. 940-566-1110. J&J’S PIZZA 118 W. Oak St. 940-3827769. jandjpizzadenton.com JUPITER HOUSE 106 N. Locust St. 940-387-7100. jupiterhousecoffee.net KEIICHI SUSHI 500 N. Elm St. 940-3827505. THE LABB 218 W. Oak St. 940-2934240. thelabbdenton.com LA MEXICANA 619 S. Locust St. 940483-8019. LOCO CAFE 603 N. Locust St. 940387-1413. locodenton.com THE LOOPHOLE 119 W. Hickory St. 940-565-0770. loopholepub.com LOVE SHACK 115 E. Hickory St. 940442-6834. loveburgershack.com MAD WORLD RECORDS 115 W. Hickory St. 940-591-3001. MELLOW MUSHROOM 217 E. Hickory St. 940-323-1100. mellowmushroom.com MI CASITA 110 N. Carroll Blvd. 940-891-
Around UNT ART SIX COFFEE HOUSE 424 Bryan St. 940-484-2786. facebook.com/art sixcoffeehouse BAWARCHI BIRYANI POINT 909 Ave. C. 940-898-8889. BIG MIKE’S COFFEE HOUSE 1306 W. Hickory St. 940-383-7478. bigmikescoffee shop.com BULGOGI HOUSE 408 North Texas Blvd. 940-382-8060. CENTRAL GRILL 1005 Ave. C. 940-3239464. COOL BEANS 1210 W. Hickory St. 940-382-7025. facebook.com/coolbeans dentontx CROOKED CRUST 101 Ave. A. 940565-5999. CUPS AND CREPES 309 Fry St. 940387-1696. FERA’S 1407 W. Oak St. 940-382-9577. FRY STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 125 Ave. A. 940-323-9800. publichousedenton.com FRY STREET TAVERN 121 Ave. A. 940-383-2337. THE GARAGE 113 Ave. A. 940-3830045. thedentongarage.com KATZ’S HAMBURGERS 901-A Ave. C. 940-442-6200.
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35W N
35E
Eagle Drive Staff graphic
LUCKY LOU’S 1207 W. Hickory St. 940484-5550. luckylousdenton.com MR. CHOPSTICKS 1633 Scripture St. 940-382-5437. NARANJA CAFE 906 Ave. C. Suite 100. 940-483-0800. NEW YORK SUB-HUB 906 Ave. C. 940383-3213. OLD HOUSE BBQ 1007 Ave. C. 940383-3536. ORIENTAL GARDEN RESTAURANT 114 Ave. B. 940-387-3317.
RASOI, THE INDIAN KITCHEN 1002 Ave. C. 940-566-6125. dentonindianfood.com RIPROCKS 1211 W. Hickory St. 940-382 3231. ROCKIN’ RODEO 1009 Ave. C. 940565-6611. rockinrodeodenton.com SUKHOTHAI II RESTAURANT 1502 W. Hickory St. 940-382-2888. SUSHI CAFE 1401 W. Oak St. 940-3801030. TJ’S PIZZA WINGS & THINGS 420 S. Carroll Blvd., Suite 102. 940-383-3333.
Little d After Dark
Music here, there and everywhere else UNT College of Music music.unt.edu UNT Dance and Theatre danceandtheatre.unt.edu Winspear Performance Hall, Murchison Performing Arts Center thempac.com Texas Woman’s University Theatre twu.edu/drama Dada, Dallas dadadallas.com Granada Theater, Dallas granadatheater.com House of Blues, Dallas houseofblues.com/dallas Kessler Theater, Dallas thekessler.org Palladium Ballroom, Dallas thepalladiumballroom.com The Basement Bar, Fort Worth basementbarstockyards.com Billy Bob’s Texas, Fort Worth billybobstexas.com Lola’s, Fort Worth lolasfortworth.com Cendera Center, Fort Worth cenderacenter.com
the birds of night
Continued from 12 >> take it too far, Rothlisberger said. But that’s not what his Birds are about. “The album is a secondary product to our live show,” he said. “It’s tough to always measure how successfully you’re doing based on your album. To me, I measure our success by how people respond to our live shows.” Though it’s a young band, Birds has already received airplay for both Snaps and the group’s earlier work, Fulton St., on Mark Schectman’s Sunday night show, Local Edge, on KDGE-FM (102.1). That alone has generated a lot of attention for the band. “After he played us that first time, we had a show at the Liquid Lounge and we had people who drove out from Tyler who were like, ‘Yeah, we heard you on the radio and just wanted to check out your show,’” bassist Brooks Martin said. “It’s great having your friends and family at a show, but it’s awesome having repeat customers who you don’t know personally.” Brooks said that since the radio airplay, he and his fellow Birds have seen a spike in album sales and traffic to group’s website. But, he said, the group’s more focused on making sure the album and live show are connected and cohesive, not how many albums they sell. “Ultimately, nobody’s buying our album because of the masterful recording technique,” Rothlisberger said. “They’re buying it, hopefully, because we made them feel a certain way during our show and they want to feel that on their way to work.” RACHEL WATTS enjoys participating in the local music scene and co-owns a small independent record label called I Love Math Records. She lives in Denton. 15
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Little d After Dark
August 2012