OPENING SHOT
Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival takes to Hickory Street on Oct. 27. Photo by Ed Steele
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Little d After Dark
December 2012
Courtesy photo
DECEMBER 2012 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3
Getting real is perhaps the most problematic cliche in all of hip-hop. Hip-hop is, after all, the domain of preening macho fantasy, shopped to the kids with a side of easy sex, gold-plated guile and designer labels. For AV the Great, emerging Denton hip-hop artist Chris Avant, “getting real” means dropping the ego and using the mic as a confessional. Poetry, AV the Great’s latest album, is the artist’s open journal. Like the form itself, Poetry the album is free of frills. It’s all essence, staking a claim for the rapper’s hopes and dreams and speaking truth to power. Story by Lucinda Breeding
C O V E R S T O RY
THE ELEMENTS opening shot
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good dates
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editor’s note
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5
try this at home
F E AT U R E S
Courtesy photo/Gutterth Productions
b-side beat
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6
8
lights and sound For
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David Pierce, the first Denton
ful noise of Denton’s Shiny
the alchemist Everything’s coming
Holiday Music Spectacular was a
Around the Edges hasn’t been
up bacon; it’s just a fact. Exhibit A: this
laboratory. Pierce is giving the
dulled in the past two years,
rich hot chocolate.
spectacular a tune-up for this
between the release of 2010’s
year’s Denton Holiday Lighting
Denton’s Dreaming and its third
Festival on the Square. And this
full-length album, The Night Is a
year, he has his sights set on a
Disco. But though the sound
new accomplishment: giving holi-
harkens back to the old Shiny, the
party people Ed Steele’s photos
day lighting revelers something
process of making the album was
take us on a visual trip through the musi-
slightly different this time around,
cal year.
to dance to.
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18
silver linings The beauti-
2
>>
9
flavor junkie Glen Farris’ Santa-like ways inspire the tastiest holiday cake this side of the North Pole.
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16
19
says guitarist Michael Seman. Publisher Bill Patterson Managing Editor Dawn Cobb
Advertising Director Sandra Hammond
940-566-6879 | dcobb@dentonrc.com
Advertising Manager Shawn Reneau
Features Editor Lucinda Breeding
940-566-6843 | sreneau@dentonrc.com
940-566-6877 | cbreeding@dentonrc.com
Classified Display Julie Hammond
940-566-6820 | shammond@dentonrc.com
940-566-6819 |jhammond@dentonrc.com
Contributing Writers Alyssa Jarrell, Megan Radke, Cody Robinson Designer Rachel McReynolds Photographers David Minton, Ed Steele On the cover Glen Farris. Photo by Chris Newby
The contents of this free publication are copyrighted by Denton Publishing Company, 2012, a subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corp. (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 Co., 314 E. Hickory St.
have your people call our people
>>
to submit an event for little d’s calendar, e-mail littledcalendar@gmail.com
SATURDAY
DECEMBER 2012 MUSIC at Denton venues
SUNDAY
MONDAY
2
Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, 7 p.m. $20-29. Granada Theater. David Bazan Band, Stagnant Pools, 8 p.m. $14-$18. Dan’s Silverleaf.
3
9
It’s a Wonderful Life, 2 p.m. $10-$20. The Campus Theatre. The Nutcracker, 2:30 p.m. $10-$35. TWU’s Margo Jones Performance Hall. Denton Bach Society: Bach Christmas, 3 p.m. $12-$20. Winspear Performance Hall. Oil Boom, Secret Ghost Champion, Siberian Traps, 10 p.m. $6-$10. Lola’s.
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MUSIC elsewhere
MUSIC at UNT
TUESDAY
Big Eyes, Audacity, Sin Motivo, Further Instructions, 9 p.m. $8-$10. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Jeremy Smith, 10 p.m. The Greenhouse.
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Christmas Vacation screening, all day. Free. UNT. The Mountain Goats, Matthew E. White, 7 p.m. $20-$41. Granada Theater. Mister Joe & Friends, Le Not Quite So Hot Klub du Denton, 8 p.m. Free. Banter. Paul Slavens and Friends, 10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
11 Bloc Party, 8 p.m. $30-$35. House of Blues. Paul Slavens and Friends, 10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Earl Bates’ “Celtic Sessions,” 7 p.m. Free. The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Of Montreal, Ishi, French Horn Rebellion, 7 p.m. $15. Granada Theater. Jason Boland, Cody Canada, Chris Knight, 8 p.m. $16.50-$20. House of Blues.
$10-$20. The Campus Theatre.
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18
8
The Nutcracker, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. $10-$35. TWU’s Margo Jones Performance Hall. The Allmost Brothers Band, 5:30 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf. Requiem screening, 7 p.m. $8. Fine Arts Theater. It’s a Wonderful Life, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. The Campus Theatre. H.I., Jr.; Map of the Earth, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club. Seth Sherman, Daniel Francis Doyle, Pageantry, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
FRIDAY
THURSDAY 6
Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free. Banter. Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters), Amy Cook, 7 p.m. $24-$32. Granada Theater. Granger Smith, Earl Dibbles Jr., Tyler and the Tribe, 8 p.m. $10. Rockin’ Rodeo. Odd Future, 9 p.m. $30. Palladium Ballroom. The Dirty River Boys, 9 p.m. $10. Billy Bob’s. Big Fiction, Cabra, Spacebeach, 10 p.m. $5-$9. Lola’s.
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It’s a Wonderful Life, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. The Campus Theatre. The Nutcracker, 7:30 p.m. $10$35. TWU’s Margo Jones Performance Hall. Savage and the Big Beat, Big Round Spectacles, Mary Walker, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club. The Bird Dogs, 9 p.m. $8. Dan’s Silverleaf. RTB2, Daniel Markham, 10 p.m. $7-$11. Lola’s. David Shabani, 10 p.m. Andy’s Bar. Jaye Muse, 10 p.m. The Garage.
12 County Rexford, 7:30 p.m.
13 Mingo Fishtrap, 8 p.m. $10.
14 It’s a Wonderful Life, 7:30
15 Charlie Robison, Rodney
19 Earl Bates’ “Celtic
20 Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free.
21 End of the World Party: The
22 The Atrocities, Snatch
Free. The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub.
Rockin’ Rodeo. The Mastersons with Bonnie Whitmore, 8 p.m. $10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Holy Moly, 9 p.m. $10. Billy Bob’s. Matt Dunn, 10 p.m. The Garage.
p.m. $10-$20. The Campus Theatre. Strange Towers, Air Review, Chambers, Robert Gomez, Biographies, Mary Walker, 8 p.m. $7-$10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Oso Closo Christmas show, 9 p.m. Hailey’s Club. The Holler Time, 10 p.m. $7-$11. Lola’s. Robert Cray, 10:30 p.m. $15-$25. Billy Bob’s.
Hanukkah: Dec. 8-16
16 It’s a Wonderful Life, 2 p.m.
Monte Montgomery, 7 p.m. $16-$32. Granada Theater. Karma Jonze, “Manson Music,” T.A. of Team Next, 8 p.m. J&J’s Pizza. Consider the Source, Human Groove Hormone, Jean-Claude Van Jamme, 9 p.m. $12-$15. Hailey’s Club. The Hope Trust, Salim Nourallah and the Travoltas, Missing Sibling, 9 p.m. $10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Cerebral Chauffeurs, Panic Volcanic, 10 p.m. $6-$10. Lola’s.
STAGE & SCREEN
WEDNESDAY 5
1
Sessions,” 7 p.m. Free. The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub. Marina & the Diamonds, Icona Pop, 8 p.m. $20-$38. Granada Theater.
Banter. Our Daily Bread benefit: Scotty Thurman, Aubry Lynn, 8 p.m. $5. Rockin’ Rodeo. Dazey Chain, 10 p.m. $10-$14. Lola’s. Cody Jinks, 10 p.m. The Garage.
Virgin Wolves, Trebuchet, Mothership, the Phuss, 7 p.m. $5-$10. Hailey’s Club. This Will Destroy You, True Widow, the Angelus, 7 p.m. $15-$25. Granada Theater. Los Lonely Boys, 8 p.m. $25-$59.50. House of Blues.
Parker & 50 Peso Reward, Statesboro Revue, 7 p.m. $16-$30. Granada Theater. It’s a Wonderful Life, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. The Campus Theatre. Ouis Bis, 8 p.m. Free. Banter. Coat Rack, Kid Beer, Top Hat Ted, Beaver, 9 p.m. $6-$10. Hailey’s Club. Petty Theft, 9 p.m. $10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Baring Teeth, Megatherian, Enormicon, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
Punch, Dropped Cause, Fairbanks, 9 p.m. $5-$8. Hailey’s Club. Better Than Ezra, 9 p.m. $24-$45. House of Blues. Jack Ingram, 10:30 p.m. $12$20. Billy Bob’s.
Winter solstice
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24 Christmas Eve
30 Josh Weathers Band, 9 p.m. $12. Billy Bob’s.
Free. The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub.
31 Jonathan Tyler & the
Northern Lights, 8 p.m. $20-$70. Granada Theater. Matt Dunn, 10 p.m. The Garage. The Charlie Shafter Band, Daniel Markham, 10 p.m. $10. Dan’s Silverleaf.
New Year’s Eve 4
26 County Rexford, 7:30 p.m.
25
27 Center Divider, Sisson, 7
p.m. $5-$7. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. The Damn Quails, 9 p.m. $10. Billy Bob’s.
28 The Mavericks, 7 p.m. $29-
$85. Granada Theater. Robert Earl Keen, Terri Hendrix, Lloyd Maines, 8 p.m. $33.75-$97.50. House of Blues. Pinkish Black; Center Divider; Sisson; Eyes, Wings & Many Other Things, 10 p.m. $8$12. Lola’s. Kevin Fowler, 10:30 p.m. $15-$20. Billy Bob’s.
29 Bob Schneider, Wheeler
Brothers, 7 p.m. $21. Granada Theater. Diamond Dust, 10 p.m. The Garage. Randy Rogers Band, 10:30 p.m. $15-$30. Billy Bob’s.
Christmas
Little d After Dark
December 2012
A year that both rocked, mused
D
enton’s music scene has seen a productive 2012, and in looking back, Little d After Dark is ready to holler back with some of the raves for the hardworking artists who put their money where their hearts are. The year produced a few anticipated albums. Sarah Jaffe released The Body Wins, and Mind Spiders gave us Meltdown. Both albums produced a bumper crop of excellent tracks. Jaffe’s title track and “Sucker for Your Marketing� were earworms-in-waiting. Mind Spiders scored a few sessions with the repeat button with “Play You Out.� (We should point out that we tend to be dubious about punk.) But there were other albums that earned Little d love. Bethan, a new Denton acquisition for production/recording
Shock Therapy Sessions. (The record was an utter guilty pleasure, and only because the lyrics kick every last one of our feminist sensibilities in the shins.) Honorable mentions go to: “Prayer Party� on the Birds of Night’s Snaps; “Sidewalk Bird� on Mathew Grigsby’s Restless & Waiting; and “Push Push� on Ella Minnow’s Honey Sweet Devils. We saw plenty of good acts at shows this year (though Fergus & Geronimo weren’t nearly as fun on stage at Hot Wet Mess as they were on the band’s latest record). There is one act that is shaping up to run away with the title of “most entertaining.� Bone Doggie & the Hickory Street Hellraisers throw one hell of a party. Now, let’s see who charms our old (but very, very hip) bones in 2013. Bring it.
There is one act that is shaping up to run away with the title of “most entertaining.� Bone Doggie & the Hickory Street Hellraisers throw one hell of a party. company Spune, was top-notch from start to finish with Chapter 1. Jessi James, the cool blonde behind this fantastic record, takes on tough topics (the end of love, bad love and emotional meltdowns) through those five stages. In “I Have Nothing to Say� she does anger with resolute vocals and that quiet, potent feminine force. Another winner? “Pyewacket.� (And not because we love Bell Book and Candle and grew up with a moody cat named Pyewacket, either. OK, maybe that has something to do with it, but the song wins
on its own merit.) Honorable mentions go to Boxcar Bandits for the stellar Live at Dan’s Silverleaf and Ormonde’s Machine. If Denton’s Robert Gomez and Seattle’s Anna-Lynne Williams never make another record together, well, that would be sad. But Machine would be all the evidence anyone needs to understand this was a musical match made in heaven. As for singles, Little d couldn’t stop listening to Team Tombs’ “Made by Sharks� or “What Would You Do?� from Xegesis’
— Lucinda Breeding
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Little d After Dark
I3
5
but please don’t sue me
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by cody robinson
Staying power Give a defunct guitar a second chance at electrifying a room
I
t’s no small secret that I have a special place in my heart for wayward pawnshop guitars. I have friends that play guitars that cost more than their cars. And not a single guitar I play was purchased for more than $100. It’s not because I’m cheap, though I am. It’s because there’s just something about that pawnshop gem that gets me going. That overlooked misfit, that poor guitar that looks a little like a more famous brand but carries some unrecognizable name from a company that went out of business (likely from lawsuits) before I was even born. But sometimes I end up with a guitar that can’t be saved. Which is exactly how this little project got started. I was browsing around a recent “Booze and Barter” swap-meet-style sale at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, sipping on a Bloody Mary, when I came across a no-name guitar for sale. $25.
I didn’t even ask if the guitar worked. Honestly, I never even tried to plug it in. It was destined to be repurposed. And who doesn’t need a guitar lamp? Nobody, that’s who. Here’s the thing to remember about this project: Everything’s open to interpretation. You may find a slightly different guitar or lamp fixture. You may find a better piece of hardware to attach the fixture to the guitar. Since I can’t predict all of the possibilities, I’ll keep it simple and explain step-by-step how I made my lamp, and you can go from there. Imagination and surprises always make for the best projects anyway. And if you get stuck, you can always e-mail me, and I’ll give you any bad advice you may need. CODY ROBINSON is the production director at the Denton Record-Chronicle as well as a local musician. He’s never met a power tool he couldn’t use or a warranty he couldn’t void. His e-mail address is cbrobinson@dentonrc.com.
Materials guitar (so unplayable you won’t even blink while taking a drill to it) “build your own lamp” kit (available at most hardware stores) black round polarized power cord (to look like a guitar cable) clamp or bracket (to attach lamp fixture to headstock of the guitar) lampshade light bulb guitar stand drill/screwdriver variety of different-sized drill bits screws/screwdriving bits knife or box cutter wire cutters wire stripping tool router (optional) The upcycled guitar, ready to light up your life
Before >>
6
Little d After Dark
Continued on 7 December 2012
Continued from 6 >>
Directions 1. Unwind and remove the guitar strings, setting them aside for later. (No sense in wasting a package of new strings if there are already some on the guitar.) 2. Remove the pick guard and the neck. You want to find the best path for the power cord to get from the bottom of the guitar to the top. In my case, I was lucky enough to find a guitar that had a truss rod that ran the entire length of the neck, so I removed that as well. 3. Clip out the inner wiring, leaving the knobs, pickups and any switches in place. This is mostly for safety, just in case your lamp ever develops a short. 4. Remove the input jack and thread your power cable through the hole. I was able to find a cable just small enough to put the nut and washer from the input jack (and a metal sleeve from an old guitar cable) over it before threading it through the hole, just for an added bit of realism. Run your cable as far up the cavity behind the pick guard as you can — up the length of the neck, if possible. If there isn’t enough space in the neck for the cable, drill a hole big enough for your
power cord through to the back of the guitar, still inside the cavity behind the pick guard, as close to the neck as possible. The goal is to make the power cable look as much like an instrument cable as possible, conceal as much of it inside the guitar as you can, and hide the rest along the back of the guitar all the way up to the headstock, where the lamp fixture will attach. Leave a few inches of cord sticking up above the headstock of the guitar. That way, you’ll have plenty of extra wire when you’re ready to connect the lamp socket. 5. Reattach the neck, pick guard, and any other hardware you may have had to remove. Replace the strings (or add new ones if they were missing before) and tighten them just enough to look natural. Don’t overtighten them; doing so may cause the neck to bend if you removed the truss rod to make way for wiring. 6. Time to wire the thing. (I have found it is easiest to do the wiring first and then attach the assembly to the guitar’s headstock.) Most make-your-own-lamp kits come with a polarized two-wire cord, and even though I replaced mine with another cord, I stuck with that type of plug. A two-wire cord consists of a hot wire and a neutral one. In your standard lamp kit, the neutral has a ribbed sleeve and the hot is
Step 7
smooth. In other cords, the hot wire has a black insulating cover, and the neutral is white. The hot wire should go to the narrowest prong of a polarized plug, and the neutral to the widest. If you are uncomfortable telling which is which, listen to your gut and maybe just have a handy friend do the wiring. Standard warning: Electricity is a cruel mistress, and spiked hairdos have been out of style for a while now. Please don’t mess with electricity if you’re not comfortable with it. Once you have determined which wire is which, attach the hot wire to the screw leading to the “tab” at the bottom of the socket. The neutral wire goes to the sleeve,
or the threaded bit you screw the light bulb into. The reason for this is that the hot wire is always delivering electricity, even when the lamp is switched off, and the tab at the bottom of the socket is the place you are least likely to touch when turning the lamp on or changing the bulb. So you are far less likely to receive a shock in the event any part of the lamp wears out. And electrocution isn’t as funny as Tom and Jerry would have you believe. 7. With the wiring done successfully (absolving me of any liability in the event of electrocution), attach the lamp assembly to the headstock of the guitar. You can be creative with this part. I found a C-shaped clamp in the plumbing department of a hardware store that worked perfectly. The point is to attach the lamp so that the bulb is centered at the top of the guitar. 8. Add a lampshade and put the whole thing on a guitar stand. I had an extra Fender logo badge from an amp I cannibalized earlier, so I glued that to the lampshade for added effect. The more you keep with the theme, the better it looks.
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Little d After Dark
December 2012
bacon, bourbon and hazelnut hot chocolate
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by rachel mcreynolds
The drink 4 thick-cut slices of bacon 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 tablespoon granulated sugar Pinch kosher salt 3 cups whole milk 4 ounces milk chocolate chips 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips 4 ounces Frangelico 4 ounces bourbon Whipped cream and chopped toasted hazelnuts for garnish Cook bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over mediumlow heat until crisp and rendered. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour fat into a small bowl and stir in corn starch with a fork. In medium saucepan, stir cocoa with sugar and salt. Stir in reserved bacon fat-cornstarch mixture, milk, milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is hot. Gently whisk to completely homogenize mixture. Add Frangelico and bourbon. Pour into individual serving cups. Top with whipped cream, chopped toasted hazelnuts and a strip of bacon. Serve immediately. Makes 4 drinks. — recipe via seriouseats.com So we’re supposed to snark here, but ... Bourbon. Bacon. Hot chocolate. Let’s be real: Most of you started salivating and blacked out after reading the ingredients list, so jokes would probably be wasted. Take an afternoon to put together this bad boy (seriously, this recipe ain’t for the faint-hearted), then relax in front of a cozy fire with your latest dude or dudette and get hammered, Christmas style.
The tunes While you’re sipping, listen to these odes to December holidays: Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” (because if you’re not listening to the ’50s crooner this time of year — and we don’t mean in that you-have-to-because-you’re-waiting-in-line-at-the-mall way of “listening” — you probably kick puppies in your free time), Sufjan Steven’s “Joy to the World” (the indie singer-songwriter’s electronica take on a Christmas music staple, which somehow gets away with having a xylophone and Auto-Tune in the same song), Seryn’s “Go Tell It on the Mountain” (try not to smile at the Denton band’s deft, folksy jubilation; go on, we dare you).
December 2012
Photo by David Minton
Little d After Dark
9
Courtesy photo/Chris Avant
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Little d After Dark
December 2012
11
av the great
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by lucinda breeding
G
Track for track: Poetry THE CONVERSATION
etting real is perhaps the most problematic cliche in all of hip-hop. Hip-hop is, after all, the domain of preening macho fantasy, shopped
to the kids with a side of easy sex, gold-plated guile and designer labels. For AV the Great, emerging Denton hip-hop artist Chris Avant, “getting real” means dropping the
ego and using the mic as a confessional. Poetry, AV the Great’s latest album, is the artist’s open journal. Like the form itself, Poetry the album is free of frills. It’s all essence, staking a claim for the rapper’s hopes and dreams and speaking truth to power. Life has Avant in the middle of a swift current. At 25, the artist is a father, a boyfriend and a man who would like very much to leave this place better than he found it for his little girls. That’s some big strides away from Live From the Struggle, a debut album that had the artist weighing his considerable skills against a music business that avoids originality in favor of a quick buck. “Live From the Struggle was an album of singles,” AV says. “All those tracks were all singles. With that record, I wanted to do a five-mic song. I wanted to cover politics. I wanted to talk about being from the South. I wanted to show that I can make you dance.” AV set about making Poetry as the nation readied itself to nominate presidential candidates. As the first term of the country’s first biracial president came to a close, this American life was still murky. Businesses were shuttering their doors, unemployment lines were still too long for comfort. A so-called “postracial” country grappled with the killing of Trayvon Martin. “Yeah, when I got ready to make this record, I was like, ‘Let’s explore some topics.’ But it seemed like everybody was scared,” AV says. “I don’t understand it, how we’ve come to this. You can have a conversation and say what you think. We don’t have to go to war over it.” Something has clearly changed for AV since Live From the Struggle. At his studio — a microscopic room in the apartment he shares with his girlfriend and two young daughters — a stack of books on philosophy and religion sits next to his computer. Since he started work on his latest record, AV has graduated from college and landed a job as on-air talent for “K-104” KKDA-FM (104.5). AV shares credits on Poetry with local MC and beatmaker Juicy the Emissary. Last year, Juicy released Cultural Refugee, an instrumental rap record that stitches urbane beats together with bits of dialogue about records. As in vinyl records, those dinosaurs of recording that used to contain art, music and lyrics in a single 12-inch square pasteboard sleeve. On its own, Cultural Refugee is a coherent album of short but substantial tracks. The 12
music on it is a sonic passport full of stamps from New York City’s stewpot of cultures. Just when you get used to Juicy’s jazzinfused beats, he switches it up to pop-inspired rhythms made of wavering synths, lazy hi-hat cymbal knocks and treble voice effects. And when the beats make way for musings on records, the effect is that music grounds us, as hardy as a rock in spite of its ephemeral nature. If Poetry is gentler fare, it has the beats to thank for it. This isn’t an album laced with throbbing bass lines and AV’s signature vocal aggression. On Poetry, the vocals are softer. The beats ascend to the head instead of dipping to the groin. “Juicy’s an incredible beatmaker,” AV says. “He’s on his own level. If someone catches wind of him, it’s over. He’s gonna be big.” The rapper says that he used the rage that built Live to make Poetry. “But it’s very controlled,” he says. “It still has that aggression, but it’s mellowed out.” The record opens with AV stating his case in rhymes about his here-and-now over Juicy’s beats. This is a body of work that’s meant to provoke thought and talk. In “Conversation With Pac,” AV dreams that he meets his fallen idol, Tupac Shakur, and gives him the truth — which includes good news and bad. The good news is that Tupac’s surviving loved ones and musical proteges have lived to see a black president. AV connects Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech to Tupac’s dream that change would transform all communities. The song leads into a spoken-word piece, “Inauguration,” which the artist started writing as he watched the event. (Incidentally, Juicy the Emissary attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama.) His biggest reservation about the swearing-in? That the election of the president was an end instead of a means. In the final spoken-word piece, “Propaganda,” AV explains his suspicions of politicians, up to and including Obama. The artist >>
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The sixth track on Poetry is a glimmer of the AV who claimed his spot on the Denton scene. With assertive vocals and hot meter, AV isn’t enticing the listener to lend an ear; he demands it, trading thoughts about politics, religion and the world his baby girls will inherit (“horny-ass boys” better stay away, he warns). He challenges his listener to “spread love, not opinions” and to hold our institutions responsible for the divisions they nurture.
BALLOT OR THE BULLET For all Bill O’Reilly’s rhapsodizing about a “traditional” America wrested from the colonial fathers’ cold dead hands, this song could be the bright light of truth on O’Reilly’s anxiety. A soundbite from a Malcolm X speech insists that America is a rare nation that could stage a bloodless revolution. That leads into a monologue about what AV wants “for free.” And it isn’t “things.” AV wants full citizenship in a country that finds him suspect on the grounds of youth and race: “You mean even though I young, black and diligent/I still woulda gotten shot by Zimmerman?” If only O’Reilly could hear that question. Some people never have to answer for others’ suspicions, and AV is weary of the tax on his dignity.
COOL This is the one song not set to music from Juicy the Emissary’s Cultural Refugee. “Cool” is AV’s sermon to a truly mixed-up audience. Gorgeous, Celtic-sounding keys are laid over African hand drums. AV makes an accounting of his past sins — petty drug charges, small-time hustling and ill-spent ennui. He also cops to his present plans: honesty, writing from his experience and standing in for fatherless middle-school boys who look up to him. Oh, and the one thing he’s certain of? Work worth doing and work done well are a wealth and currency all their own. “Don’t nobody wanna grind/but everybody want the loot/Don’t nobody keep it real/but they all respect the truth?/The truth is most rappers every town coppin’ QPs but they rappin’ ’bout pounds/instead of rappin’ ’bout what they’re selling right now.”
AV THE GREAT ONLINE For news on the upcoming release of Poetry: facebook.com/av.the.great. avthegreat.com.
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Continued from 12 >> craves what plenty of others want, honest and authentic leadership. Perfection isn’t required, but accountability would be nice. AV gets more local in “Rumors,� a song about wanting, getting and having. Jealousies are part of creative life, and by now, AV is ready to let detractors deal with their ill will without his help. The album gets most personal in “The Conversation,� in which AV answers questions from his hip-hop contemporary AD (Alan Minter). It’s here that AV holds forth on the hidden costs of probation and the transforming possibilities of fatherhood, and explains the twoparty political system as a well-funded Bloods-Crips scenario. Jesse Coulter, a.k.a. Juicy the Emissary, says he’s listened to Poetry. Cultural Refugee has attracted a few other rappers, with beats “The Turnaround� and “You Should Doo� getting the most use from
rappers. “The biggest impression I had was how open and honest it was,� Juicy says. “I’ve heard AV do that, and he takes a socially conscious tone. There’s an erudition to it, and I think AV really proves something on this record.�
one from the struggle of potential and uncertainty,� Juicy says. “When I used the Clang Association sample in ‘Lasted Forever,’ singing, ‘I thought a dream lasted forever,’ I was lamenting the death of physical media culture and the dreams it inspires. But AV's interpretation seems to
sure of who he is as he navigates it: a dad, a citizen and a grown-ass man. “Wherever you go, you have to be cool with who you are,� he says. “I had to take this moment to say what was in mind. Poetry isn’t for the radio. It isn’t for the club. It’s straight rapping. There aren’t any
By the close of Poetry, AV has made a contract with the listener. He’ll be real and hold off judgment on people who prefer honesty over brand loyalty. “I’m not about following trends,� AV says. “I’m about staying in my lane.� He isn’t sure where that lane leads. He’s sure of who he is as he navigates it: a dad, a citizen and a grown-ass man. Juicy says Live established AV as a master of the danceable party track. Poetry is the artist unloading heart and mind. “Poetry shows that he can do both really well.� Juicy says his favorite track on Poetry is “Conversation With Pac.� “The title is pretty self-explanatory, but what's interesting about it is the dynamic created between two young men, one speaking from a tragic, early grave, and
allude to the civil rights movement ... and offers a more optimistic message of perseverance, arguing that a dream does last forever.� By the close of Poetry, AV has made a contract with the listener. He’ll be real and hold off judgement on people who prefer honesty over brand loyalty. “I’m not about following trends,� AV says. “I’m about staying in my lane.� He isn’t sure where that lane leads. He’s
hooks on this album. “But sometimes, there’s more than shaking your ass and getting high. There are some things that are bigger than that, and that’s where I am.� LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached by calling 940-566-6877 or e-mailing cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
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shiny around the edges
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by megan radke
Sharper than ever Shiny’s new album the result of a good friend’s gift and some quality living-room time
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he beautiful noise of Denton’s Shiny Around the Edges hasn’t been dulled in the past two years, between the release of 2010’s Denton’s Dreaming and its third full-length album, The Night Is a Disco. But though the sound harkens back to the old Shiny, the process of making the album was slightly different this time around, says guitarist Michael Seman. “Most of these songs were written by Jen on a piano,” says Seman, referring to his wife, multi-instrumentalist/ vocalist Jennifer Seman. “That hadn’t happened before.” Michael says it all started when a friend offered the couple a piano. They accepted, and as is her habit with any new instrument, Jennifer took to it immediately and started writing. Much of the group’s writing process is done separately, Michael says, with other elements added bit by bit when the entire band comes together. After working on Jennifer’s songs as a band and with other members of the Paperstain Records family, Shiny started recording. Though the group used a traditional studio, the Echo Lab near Denton, they did take part of the process on the road, recording in four local living rooms. “We could have recorded everything there [at Echo Lab], but we wanted a mix of sounds from the living rooms,” Michael says. “It’s a very Denton-centric album.” True to that spirit, The Night Is a Disco was even released at a Denton house show. Although the band is often called “experimental,” Michael says he doesn’t consider his music so; he prefers the term “eclectic.” The group’s list of influences seem to back him up, with Michael Seman referencing Black Flag and other ’80s punk, Jennifer Seman drawing inspiration from Motown and jazz, and saxophonist Mike Forbes coming from a metal, jazz and
Although the band is often called “experimental,” Michael says he doesn’t consider his music so; he prefers the term “eclectic.” The group’s list of influences seem to back him up.
Courtesy photo/Gutterth Productions >>
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shiny around the edges
Continued from 14 >> classical background. Outside of Shiny Around the Edges, Michael Seman has become a vocal advocate for Denton as an arts and music hub. Seman says he and his wife made the move to North Texas years ago because of family connections, but after discovering Denton’s music and arts scene, the pair found their home. The Semans are both doctoral candidates, and Michael is currently writing his dissertation on Denton’s growing music scene and how it compares to the technology revolution of Silicon Valley. So, with a new album and an already-packed schedule, is there anything left for Shiny to tackle? As a matter of fact, yes: short films. “We thought we were going to do a video for the album and her [Jennifer’s] research deals with the borderlands of the Southwest,” Michael Seman says. “She had heard a folk story about tying seven knots into a sash and each representing a worry you have and then burying it to get rid of it. Why make a video when you can make a short film?” Seven Knots will be scored by Shiny, and its members will appear in it, too. The anticipated release date is early next year. In the meantime, Seman says the group hopes to tour in support of The Night Is a Disco.
Track list: The Night Is a Disco CARLOS FUENTES SUMMER WALTZ WAR LOVE SONG TLOQUE NAHUAQUE THE WEIGHT OF SUNSHINE IS IMMENSE QUICKLIME SEVEN YEARS BETWEEN STATIONS MEXICO BUTTERFLIES CANYON SONG LIKE A BLADE OF GRASS SEVENTEEN
MEGAN RADKE is a University of North Texas music graduate who’s obsessed with music. She lives in Dallas.
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glen’s gingersnap icebox cake
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by alyssa jarrell
Glen Farris in the Junkie’s kitchen. Photos by Chris Newby
Santa comes bearing cake Glen Farris’ tireless efforts to deliver musical gifts inspire gingersnap-bourbon dessert 2. You write Santa a letter listing what you want. 3. You leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. 4. Gifts, some you may not have asked for, magically appear. Our alternative solution goes like this: Enjoy awesome tunes, festivals, shows and bands all year right here in our sweet Little D, make super fun friend Glen Farris some tasty dessert, and ask him very sweetly to keep the good tunes coming. Glen is much more invested in our happiness here in Denton than Santa is, so he obliges us and asks for
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weet, dear Dentonites, we here at Little d After Dark are perfectly aware of how naughty you’ve been this year — so we figured we would help you out a little bit this Christmas. Since all of your bad behavior will only get you coal with dear old St. Nick, we decided to ask for something even better for you from our jolly friend Glen Farris. The typical Christmas transaction goes something like this: 1. You behave all year. 16
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Glen’s Gingersnap Icebox Cake
Continued from 16 >> another slice and a little more bourbon to top it off. I think I prefer the Glen method. Thank goodness we have him, because Glen has been the man behind some of the best bookings we’ve seen here in Little D. We also have him and Spune to thank for the amazing Untapped Fest and Index Fest that were put on in nearby Dallas this year. Glen has been working hard for our listening pleasure for years, and I personally would like to not only thank him, but make sure the man stays on a constant sugar high so that he can bring us more. So in an attempt to keep the good tunes coming, I asked Glen what his favorite holiday desserts where. It seemed he really likes gingersnaps and other ginger-based treats. Well, gingersnaps are easy enough and all, but why not make that simple cookie into something even more impressive — and spiked with bourbon? Because, really, it seems that the way into Glen’s heart may be not only through cookies, but also with excellent booze. Here is my gift to all of you: Glen’s Gingersnap Icebox Cake, a delightful and fun dessert to serve to friends all season long, and way more fun than the starshaped sugar cookies you would have left
2 boxes gingersnaps (or 5 dozen homemade) 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt 2/3 cup sugar, divided use 1/4 cup bourbon 16 ounces mascarpone cheese 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Photo by Chris Newby
It seems that the way into Glen’s heart may be not only through cookies, but also with excellent booze. for Santa. So thanks, Glen Farris, for bringing us
ALYSSA JARRELL is an adventurer in the kitchen who enjoys giving her culinary creations to family and friends. Her website is thepinkantler.com.
$2.50 Miller Bottles on Cowboy Game Days!
We are sad to announce that Ramen Republic has closed.
Enough Said.
Thanks for the great years, Denton!
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great music all year long. Because of this, you are our Santa of choice.
Grease a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust lightly with sugar. Lay out an even layer of gingersnaps. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, 1/3 cup sugar, bourbon and mascarpone. Mix until smooth. Spread some of the mascarpone mixture over the layer of gingersnaps until completely covered. Top with another layer of cookies, then another layer of mascarpone mixture, adding layers until the mascarpone is used up. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Immediately before serving, combine the heavy cream and remaining 1/3 cup sugar, whipping until peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake and sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs.
115 Industrial St. Denton, TX
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denton holiday lighting
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by lucinda breeding
Sounds of spectacular Holiday music gets a tune-up at Denton’s annual lighting festival
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or David Pierce, the first Denton Holiday Music Spectacular was a laboratory. “Last year was definitely a learning experience,” says Pierce, who composed and arranged the music for the spectacular for the first time last year. “Everything I set out to accomplish, I feel like I accomplished.” Pierce is giving the spectacular a tuneup for this year’s Denton Holiday Lighting Festival. And now he has his sights set on a new accomplishment: giving downtown Denton revelers something to dance to. “I noticed when things would hit a lull,” he says. “I watched the pacing of the show and enjoyed some of the really beautiful songs. But this year, we’re definitely going to include some up-tempo music.” Last year’s lighting festival was a smorgasbord of local talent — of the Grammywinning and indie sort. Bonnie Norris scored crowd affection with “Santa Baby,” and Jeffrey Barnes quieted the crowd with “Santa Got Lost in Texas.” Bubba Hernandez showed off his bluesy voice with an R&B number, and Sarah Jaffe sang Pierce’s moody arrangement of “O Holy Night.” Steve Wiest, director of the University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band, got off to a pitchy start with a jazzy solo, thanks to a trombone-molesting cold front, but warmed up and made up for the faltering start. And a portion of Denton’s Midlake gifted festivalgoers with a rousing, hopeful rendition of John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” before sending Denton home. Much of that lineup returns to the Nov. 30 lighting’s Holiday Music Spectacular. Pierce will conduct the 11-piece Holiday Lighting Orchestra to accompany artists. New additions are regulars on the stage of Dan’s Silverleaf: A Taste of Herb, a Herb Alpert tribute band; bluesman Guitar George Woolard; jazz singer Rosana Eckert; Denton indie staple Robert Gomez; and local rocker Brent Best. Paul Slavens, a Denton musical institution and host of The Paul Slavens Show on KKXT-FM (91.7), also returns. Last year, he did a reading from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! 18
Bonnie and Nick Norris at last year’s lighting. Photo by Al Key
DENTON HOLIDAY LIGHTING 5:30 p.m. Nov. 30 on the downtown Denton Square. Free. Parking available at Wells Fargo Bank, 101 S. Locust St.; and the Bayless-Selby House Museum, 317 W. Mulberry St. Free parking also available at DCTA’s MedPark Station; commuters can take a free, short Atrain ride to downtown Denton using the code word “mistletoe.” Disabled parking on the west side of the Wells Fargo Bank lot at Austin and Hickory streets.
“We zipped through it,” Pierce says. “It’s not a short piece, but Paul was great. And I’d love for The Grinch to become a big visual thing for the kids.” Members of Midlake will be back, too, as will Barnes and Wiest. Pierce says he recruited Best, an alumnus of Slobberbone and the Drams, to the
stage and got a dose of serendipity. “I was talking to Brent about doing the show, and he says ‘I even have this holiday song called “Gumdrop.” I could do that if you wanted.’ Of course I wanted him to,” Pierce says. If he gets his fair share of Denton magic on stage, Pierce says musicians might start offering to perform at the lighting. That, he says, would be a best-case scenario. “I envisioned this thing as more or less a concert where these talented musicians who live in Denton perform holiday music they’ve written, instead of it being their take on a famous Christmas song. You want that, too,” Pierce says, “but part of the reason this event looks a certain way — almost like a Norman Rockwell painting — is because it’s about Denton. My vision has been for this concert to be Denton musicians doing original holiday music. How cool and how magical is it to
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have this kind of little town where you have this vibe, where people get together and play music and it’s great?” The holiday music won’t be confined to the spectacular, though. The Denton Community Band will take its traditional post as the lighting festival’s opening act and accompanist of the Christmas carol sing-along. After that (and before the spectacular), revelers need only find a stage on the courthouse lawn or inside the Commissioners Courtroom to hear music by a buffet of community performing arts groups. LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached by calling 940-566-6877 or e-mailing cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
December 2012
a look back at 2012
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photos by ed steele
The shows Clockwise from top left: Wee-Beasties show, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Def Rain, J&J’s Pizza. Brave Combo, Denton Arts & Jazz Festival. Lovesick Mary, The Abbey Underground. The Atomic Tanlines, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Brave Combo, Dan’s Silverleaf.
December 2012
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