OPENING SHOT
Ronan Delisle performs with his jazz band at Hailey’s Club on April 16. Photo by Leah Gray
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Little d After Dark
May 2012
M AY 2 0 1 2 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9
Courtesy photo/Dylan Hollingsworth
Sarah Jaffe’s Suburban Nature set the Denton singer-songwriter on a trajectory toward critical success — not to mention that certain cachet among music lovers who take pride in discovering unavowed talent off the beaten path. Jaffe is no cookie-cutter idol. Suburban Nature revealed a prodigious songwriter with an uncanny ear for melody. 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
F E AT U R E S >>
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5
the alchemist Test your resistance
through the lens The saying “If you
to annoying-yet-catchy ’90s pop songs
love what you do, you’ll never work a day in
with a piña colada and Saved by the Bell-
your life” could be the motto of the guys
era tunes.
behind Amandus Films. As students in the
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6 11
University of North Texas’ Radio, Television
work the room Banter.
and Film program, Chuck Crosswhite,
flavor junkie Earthwise Gardens
Jonathan Darr Heath and Bryan Walior met
provides the black-thumbed among us
through mutual friends and bonded through a
with fresh, organic offerings.
mutual love of film. The trio, who worked together while attending UNT, carried that bond with them after graduation.
bargain bytes Courtesy photo
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 Designer Rachel McReynolds Photographers David Minton, Leah Gray On the cover Courtesy photo by Dylan Hollingsworth.
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The contents of this free publication are copyrighted by Denton Publishing Company, 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 Co., 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
TUESDAY
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
Ferry Tales screening, 7 p.m. Free. UNT. Florence + the Machine, Blood Orange, 8 p.m. Sold out. Palladium Ballroom. Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society, 9 p.m. $30$40. House of Blues. Paul Slavens and friends, 10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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Ferry Tales screening, noon. Free. UNT. Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free. Abbey Inn & Restaurant. Ingrid Michaelson, Scars on 45, 8 p.m. $25. Palladium Ballroom. Mister Joe & Friends, Le Not Quite So Hot Klub du Denton, 8 p.m. Free. Banter. The Neeks, 9 p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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Fiddler on the Roof by Musical Theatre of Denton, 2 p.m. $10-$20. Campus Theatre. Pool (No Water) by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Art Six Coffee House.
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Lambchop, 8 p.m. $10. Dada. Whitnye Raquel, the Freebie Kings, 8 p.m. The Basement Bar. Racebannon, Vaults of Zin, Akkolyte, Bludded Head, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Paul Slavens and friends, 10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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Nick Lowe, the Autumn Defense, 7 p.m. $25-$41. Granada Theater. County Rexford, 7 p.m. Free. Abbey Inn & Restaurant. Tennis, 8 p.m. $12-$15. Dada. Left/Right, Bastard Mike, 4D, 8 p.m. Abbey Underground. The Polyphonic Spree, 10 p.m. $20-$29. Lola’s.
10 Hank Hankshaw, 6 p.m.
11 Fiddler on the Roof by
12 Wise Ruby, 6 p.m. Free.
Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free. Banter. John Housewright, 6 p.m. Free. Love Shack. Greg Lake, 7 p.m. $41-$70. Granada Theater. Social Distortion, the Riverboat Gamblers, Lindi Ortega, 8 p.m. $30-$45. House of Blues. Dirty River Boys, Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward, 8 p.m. Free-$10. Rockin’ Rodeo. Tragedy, Wild//Tribe, Garuda, 9 p.m. $10-$12. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. DJ J Clipp, 10 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club.
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Fiddler on the Roof by Musical Theatre of Denton, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. Campus Theatre. Pool (No Water) by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Art Six Coffee House. Mike Luzecky, 8 p.m. Banter. Renzo, X, June, Smitty and J-Whoa, 9 p.m. $6-$11. Hailey’s Club. Fox & Bird, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, Kernal, 10 p.m. $8$12. Dan’s Silverleaf. Uncle Kracker, 10:30 p.m. $15-$20. Billy Bob’s.
SATURDAY
1
Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Week: May 1-7
SUNDAY
FRIDAY 5
Sarah Jaffe, John Singer, Sergeant, Zhora, 7 p.m. $16-$29. Granada Theater. Joe Pat Hennen, 7 p.m. $7. Dan’s Silverleaf. Fiddler on the Roof by Musical Theatre of Denton, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. Campus Theatre. Pool (No Water) by Sundown Collaborative Theatre, 8 p.m. $8-$10. Art Six Coffee House. Mary Walker, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club. Fishboy, the Treelines, the Cozy Hawks, 10 p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf.
MONDAY 7 National Bicycle Month
Free. Love Shack. Whiskey Myers, John David Kent, 8 p.m. Rockin’ Rodeo. Grupo Fantasma, Chico Trujillo, 8 p.m. $20. The Kessler.
Musical Theatre of Denton, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. Campus Theatre. Memoryhouse, 9 p.m. $12$15. Dada. Color of Aum, the Spectacle, Red Light Kills, History of the Universe, 9 p.m. $6-$8. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Joe Ely, Brent Best, 9 p.m. $20$30. Dan’s Silverleaf. Fatty Lumpkin, 9 p.m. Abbey Underground.
Love Shack. Natasha Leggero, 7 p.m. $25-$30. Granada Theater. Fiddler on the Roof by Musical Theatre of Denton, 7:30 p.m. $10-$20. Campus Theatre. Ivory Jean, 9 p.m. $5$7. Hailey’s Club. Rocky Votolato, Jeff Pianki, 9 p.m. $10-$12. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Eleven Hundred Springs, 10 p.m. Dan’s Silverleaf. Tracy Lawrence, 10:30 p.m. $15-$25. Billy Bob’s.
13 Fiddler on the Roof by
14
15 Spiritualized, 7 p.m. $25-
16 Snow Patrol, Ed Sheeran, 8
17 Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free.
18 Larry Carlton, Rhett Butler,
19 Jackson Eli, 8 p.m. Free.
20 M83, 8 p.m. Sold out.
21
22 Paul Slavens and friends,
23 County Rexford, 7 p.m.
24 Ian McFeron, 6 p.m. Free.
25 David Garza, Dan Dyer, 7
26 Foxtrot Uniform, 8 p.m.
Musical Theatre of Denton, 2 p.m. $10-$20. Campus Theatre. Sinizen, Sally Majestic, Gonzo City, 7 p.m. $7-$14. Lola’s. Supersuckers, the Back Sliders, 9:30 p.m. $10-$13. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Granada Theater. Guns 4 Roses, 9 p.m. $12-$15. House of Blues. Across Tundras, FTW, the Velia Shrine, 10 p.m. $10-$14. Lola’s.
$41. Granada Theater. Paul Slavens and friends, 10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
p.m. Sold out. Palladium Ballroom. Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free. Abbey Inn & Restaurant.
Free. Abbey Inn & Restaurant. The Dandy Warhols, 8 p.m. $18-$25. House of Blues.
Banter. Ricky Fugitt, Jeff Palmer, 6 p.m. Free. Love Shack. Shawn Mullins, Salim Nourallah, Chris Holt, 7 p.m. $16-$26. Granada Theater. Stryper, Supernova Remnant, 8 p.m. $15-$55. House of Blues. Josh Weathers, Big Casino, 8 p.m. $5. Rockin’ Rodeo. DJ M Knight, 10 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club.
Love Shack. Milkdrive, 9 p.m. $12. Dan’s Silverleaf.
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27 Cody Bailey benefit, 8 p.m.
$12. Hailey’s Club. The Darkness, 8 p.m. $25-$35. House of Blues. Plants and Animals, 8 p.m. $10$12. Dada.
29 Forward, 9 p.m. $10-$12.
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Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. Paul Slavens and friends, 10 p.m. Free. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Rachel Stacey, 6 p.m. Free. Love Shack. Two Door Cinema Club, 9 p.m. $22.50-$25. House of Blues. DJ Sheka Booker, 10 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club.
7 p.m. $20-50. Granada Theater. Sol Tax, 10 p.m. Banter. Robert Earl Keen, 10:30 p.m. $15-$22. Billy Bob’s.
p.m. $20-$25. The Kessler. Theory of a Deadman, Pop Evil, 8 p.m. $20-$29.50. House of Blues. Sol Tax, My Kickdrum Heart, Bone Doggie and the Hickory Street Hellraisers, 9 p.m. $6. Abbey Underground.
Love Shack. Bone Doggie and the Hickory Street Hellraisers, Sonar Lights, Sol Tax, the Red Death, 8 p.m. $6. Andy’s Bar. M83, I Break Horses, 8 p.m. Sold out. Granada Theater. The BoomBachs, Sore Losers, Human Groove Hormone, GB’z, 9 p.m. $5$7. Hailey’s Club. The Effinays, 10 p.m. $6-$10. Lola’s.
Free. Love Shack. Joe Nichols, 10:30 p.m. $15$20. Billy Bob’s.
30 Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free.
Abbey Inn & Restaurant. Toys That Kill, Gas Chamber, Culo, Joyce Manor, Koward, 9 p.m. $10-$12. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
MAY 2012 MUSIC at Denton venues STAGE & SCREEN
MUSIC elsewhere
Memorial Day 4
Little d After Dark
May 2012
The song that knew my secret “When nobody’s around, I try not to care. I must deliver. When nobody is home, I will not get the door. I’m a pretender.”
W
hen I was 18 years old, a friend told me Justin Hayward wrote “Nights in White Satin” when he was just 19. My father and I would listen to the Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed. All of it. When I was a snotty teenager, listening to music with my dad was somehow easier than talking. I hadn’t felt that awe about Hayward writing such mature poetry about the discovery of love as a teenager (and how it guts you when it ends, or isn’t returned) in more than 20 years. Then I heard Suburban Nature and “The Pretender,” which Jaffe wrote while she was in high school. This one little track — by no means the crowd favorite on Jaffe’s debut — took me back to the very moment talking to my dad turned scary. It wasn’t until I was an adult work-
ing on a drinking problem that a therapist told me that adolescence changes fatherdaughter dynamics. Would that I’d known that then. When I heard “The Pretender,” and Jaffe’s single, shaking voice confessing that she was living a lie about something essential and scary, I went right back to 15. The age I figured out that my preoccupation with feminism was partly a distraction from my own queerness. I was pretending not to be gay. My father? Maybe he was pretending he didn’t know my teenage heart was breaking. Or that my biggest fear was — and is — that one day he’d stop loving me. Maybe “Nights in White Satin” was our admission — in overwrought verse — that we were on to one another. Maybe not. But now it’s Jaffe’s “The Pretender” that undoes me. I remember pretending. When Jaffe plays in concert, everyone erupts over “Clementine” and practically shouts the lyrics. Not me. I hold my breath a little, needing to experience “The Pretender,” but hoping she might skip it this time. Sometimes, hurt exhumed from adolescence is still too keen to carry.
When Jaffe plays in concert, everyone erupts over “Clementine” and practically shouts the lyrics. Not me.
— Lucinda Breeding
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May 2012
Little d After Dark
5
piña colada
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by rachel mcreynolds
The drink 2 ounces light rum 6 ounces pineapple juice 2 ounces canned coconut cream ice cubes 1 pineapple spear and 1 cherry for garnish Combine rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds of the way with ice. Shake until smooth. Strain into a hurricane glass. Add the pineapple spear and cherry. — recipe via WilliamsSonoma If you like piña coladas (oh yes, we just put that in your brain space), you’ll love this recipe by the cast iron skillet masters and tea towel weavers of Williams-Sonoma. Savor what’s left of our tolerable daytime temperatures with this tart concoction — preferably in the company of a few june bugs, a porch swing and good friends who, like you, enjoy getting caught in the rain.
The tunes While you’re sipping, listen to these “fruity” artists who hit their height in the ’90s: Blind Melon (pretty, vaguely bluesy guitar melodies from a rock band that likes “watching the puddles gather rain”), Fiona Apple (vinegar in human form, this petite popster huskily delivers piercing lyrics — “Hunger hurts, and I want him so bad, oh it kills/’Cause I know I’m a mess he don’t wanna clean up” — among ferocious, grinding, piano-heavy instrumentals), the Lemonheads (Evan Dando’s hard-partying ways mostly keep his plucky, upbeat rock tunes unpolluted, though he sometimes strays into darker territory, as on “Ride With Me”). Photo by David Minton
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Little d After Dark
May 2012
amandus films
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by megan radke
Spliced together Filmmaking trio fast-forwards company to success with 35 Denton partnership AMANDUS FILMS ON THE WEB
T
he saying “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” could be the motto of the guys behind Amandus Films. As students in the University of North Texas’ Radio, Television and Film program, Chuck Crosswhite, Jonathan Darr Heath and Bryan Walior met through mutual friends and bonded through a mutual love of film. The trio, who worked together while attending UNT, carried that bond with them after graduation. The three men agree that they have evolved together, both as friends and collaborators. Whether shooting film for a corporate promotion, live music, sports or a music video, Crosswhite, Heath and Walior say their ability to work together is certainly one of the many things that set them apart from others in their field. “I think we’re all so comfortable with each other, we just take opinions and take them well,” Crosswhite said. “I think I am very lucky that the people I would like to hang out with outside of work are also the people that I get to work with creatively. “ Heath agreed, saying that even a “bad day at the office” isn’t really a bad day at all. The talented crew has always been able to keep it local. Each has his own ties to either the Denton music scene or the entertainment industry: Crosswhite was known in the local music scene for his music venue, the Fra House; Heath worked for Sony and Universal Music from 2004 through 2008; and Walior held a monthly art show at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios from 2008 to 2010. Their Denton connection became even more pronounced with their work on 35 Denton in March. Amandus Films handled a lot of the live footage seen on the main stage’s big screen, and the company produced the Mountain Goats’ cover music video, featuring local musician Jessie Frye, before the festival. “35 Denton is so attractive to us because it’s exactly what we are but on a bigger scale — it’s local artists, local music, it’s the community supporting itself, it’s local business,” Walior said. “We live, work and play in this town and we want to support every aspect of it.” May 2012
vimeo.com/amandusfilms
Courtesy photos
The Jessie Frye video stirred a bit of controversy due to its edgy content, earning a “not safe for work” warning when passed around online, but it proved to be one of the festival’s most artfully produced promotional films. As filmmakers, the three men each cite their own influences and favorite genres. Crosswhite is a self-described sci-fi nerd, while it’s Westerns for Heath and horror for Walior. “Our dream project would be a Western film that deals with a horror creature that’s set in space,” Crosswhite said. At this, Heath laughed. “One that’s not Cowboys & Aliens,” he said. The name Amandus Films has an otherworldly origin of its own. A friend of Crosswhite’s once sincerely believed that someone named Amandus Oscar Bobble haunted his home. Crosswhite, Heath and Walior say their company and partnership are so tightly knit, they couldn’t do as individuals what they do together. “It takes an incredible effort from friends and family. It’s just a collective experience,” Walior said. “We can’t do anything without help. The production company is not solely us three.” As far as future plans go, the guys say as long as they’re able to continue on with cameras in their hands and working together, they’ll be happy. “Sixty years from now, I just want to be able to sit down and reflect on the fact that we’ve made a living doing what we love,” Heath said, “whether it’s on a large or small scale.”
“35 Denton is ... exactly what we are but on a bigger MEGAN RADKE is a University of North scale — it’s local Texas journalism graduate who’s obsessed with music. She lives in Dallas. artists, local music, it’s the community supporting itself, it’s local business,” Walior said. “We live, work and play in this town and we want to support every aspect of it.” Little d After Dark
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by lucinda breeding
Courtesy photo/Dylan Hollingsworth
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Little d After Dark
May 2012
9
S
arah Jaffe’s Suburban Nature set the Denton singer-songwriter on a trajectory toward critical success — not to mention that certain cachet among music lovers who take pride in discovering unavowed talent off the beaten path.
Jaffe is no cookie-cutter idol. Suburban Nature revealed a prodigious songwriter with an uncanny ear for melody.
The North Texas artist spoon-fed audiences nuggets of her sophomore album, The Body Wins, before she finished the record, which reunited her with producer John Congleton in the studio. She experimented with a loop pedal onstage, remaking songs by Swedish pop-electronica empress Robyn and Drake into her own reticent monologues. She gave fans a glimpse of what was in store on last year’s EP/DVD The Way Sound Leaves a Room. The record included demos of “The Way Sound Leaves a Room,” “When You Rest” and “Sucker for Your Marketing” from Body, as well as alternate versions from previous recordings “Clementine” and “Better Than Nothing.” She also shared new pieces, including her cover of Drake’s “Shut It Down” and the Cold War Kids’ “Louder Than Ever.” Anyone who paid attention knew Jaffe’s second album wasn’t going to be another indie-folk project. The Body Wins is a bigger record with a cooler touch. Jaffe’s not a teenager anymore, and her songs are the stuff of a woman who expects just as much of herself as her fans do — if not more. Purists who love “Clementine” are sure to suffer second-record letdown. But fans who are drawn to the artist’s curiosity and habit for writing stick-in-your-head melodies will find Body a record that challenges and satisfies. This album isn’t a confessional. It’s personal, the artist said, but not revelatory. “Honestly, there was no preconceived notion for this record,” Jaffe said. “There was no plan to do something just for the sake of doing something different. I wanted to make a record that would be big, but not just to do something different. I still wrote songs the same. A lot of the songs started with me writing them on the guitar, even. “I’m the same person but I’m growing, and I hope that’s what people experience on this album.” 10
SARAH JAFFE IN DALLAS With openers John Singer Sargeant and Zhora. 10:20 p.m. May 5 at the Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. in Dallas. Cost is $20-$35.Call 214-824-9933 or visit bit.ly/HWrDmH.
Jaffe resumed the creative relationship with in-demand producer Congleton for her follow-up to Suburban Nature. She also collaborated with musician and composer Fiona Brice, whom Jaffe met through Denton band Midlake. Brice is married to Midlake bassist Paul Alexander, and she and Jaffe talked shop while the latter toured with the band through Europe. “Really, we were just talking about music and what we really love,” Jaffe said. “You know, like we talked about what we love about certain songs, like how we both love Serge Gainsbourg and how he uses strings and [makes them] sound so good in his songs. I was telling her how I wanted this record to have a bigger sound.” Brice composed arrangements for horns, some woodwind work and strings on The Body Wins. Jaffe’s no stranger to strings — she’s made ample use of violin and cello, as well as Denton solo artist Robert Gomez’s romantic accordion work, in her live set. Body employs these instruments to a more cerebral effect. But as big a sound as those instruments create, The Body Wins makes the most dramatic use of piano, at times evoking the ballsy Bosendorfer that Tori Amos abuses. In fact, Brice fleshed out the album by building on the piano-heavy title track. “I remember explaining how I felt ‘The Body Wins’ was this big thing,” Jaffe said. “I pictured it as this giant with this big body and these long arms dangling down and these robotic moves. It might sound >>
Continued on 14 Little d After Dark
Courtesy photo/Dylan Hollingsworth
May 2012
banter
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by lucinda breeding
BANTER’S MENU OF MUSIC
Sam Robertson at Banter during 35 Denton. The Dallas Morning News/Gary Barber
Denton musician Bone Doggie hosts open-mic night every Thursday. Sign-up is at 7 p.m. and performances start at 8 p.m. Local and visiting musicians and ensembles play jazz at 8 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday. Mister Joe & Friends and Le Not Quite So Hot Klub du Denton play at 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Richard Gilbert and Friends play acoustic folk at 1 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month. IIWII Sufi Hand Drumming is at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Classical guitar performances are at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. Harp and drum Irish sessions are at 3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
Angling to tease all our senses Banter alive with food for the body, music for the heart, art for the soul
B
efore it was Banter, the snug coffeehouse, restaurant and music venue was a natural magnet for creative types in Denton. When it was Brickhaus Cafe, you could catch Karen MacIntyre dancing near an upright piano painted floozy red and bearing a big yin-and-yang symbol. You could watch her perform while enjoying a Guinness, a rich cup of coffee or a delicious bowl of ash-e, a flavorful blend of vegetables, thick broth with the barest hint of mint and lots of lentils. Now that Ellen Ryfle owns the joint, you can still enjoy all those things. Only the soup is even better. (Trust us. We were so taken with Banter’s pumpkin soup last winter that we ate it four times in one week.) Banter is fortunate to be in one of the city’s historical sections. Bare brick walls, May 2012
Photos by Lucinda Breeding
concrete floors and a metal ceiling make for an atmosphere that is stylish in a humble — if not markedly noisier — sort of way. And yet actors, dancers, painters and poets (as well as the occasional journalist and gallery director) brave the loud, reverberant space because it just fits. Joe Pinson, the musician behind Mister Joe & Friends, has been playing Banter for years. “It started when my university students encouraged me to participate,” he said. “I haven't missed many Thursdays since that time.” For years, Pinson has taught music therapy at Texas Woman’s University and has led the Denton Bell Band, a traveling handbell ensemble made up of musicians with developmental disabilities. The Mister Joe Trio and Mister Joe & Friends performances were a moment to indulge in his own tastes. Even now, Pinson brings his music therapy practicum class to Banter for performances. Pinson said he’s seen Banter change Little d After Dark
ownership three times, with each new owner improving on what the last had built. “The current ones are the best, because they have upgraded the sound system, added a lot of visual art, and incorporated a PG-13 policy to discourage profanity on stage,” he said. “I think this is good, because each week several children show up for the event.” For those who like to end a show with a sweet treat, the Denton Vegan Cooperative keeps Banter in vegan cookies. We haven’t tried them, but at least two of our vegan sources give them an enthusiastic thumbs-up. LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached by calling 940-566-6877 or sending an e-mail to cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
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earthwise gardens
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by alyssa jarrell
Courtesy photo/Chris Newby
Salt of the earth Farm peddles organic goods to the good-intentioned but black-thumbed among us EARTHWISE ON FACEBOOK
T
he sun is shining, temperatures are rising and all of those great tomato plants in your raised bed in the backyard are starting to produce shiny little red things. If they don’t get eaten by the bugs or burned up by the surely-to-be-scorching sun, you’ll have quite the little bounty of fresh vegetables and maybe a few fruits to munch on all summer long. But if your bounty isn’t as plentiful or if you just don’t care to dig in the dirt, don’t 12
facebook.com/earthwisegardens
EARTHWISE ON THE WEB earthwise-gardens.com
worry — someone else has already done all the digging, watering and caring for you. Ryan Crocker at Earthwise Gardens has
been hard at work growing fresh, tasty, organic produce right here in our very own city — and what he doesn’t grow himself he finds for you from other excellent farmers in North Texas. What I most appreciate about Ryan is not just what he’s doing right now, but that his vision for what sustainable grow-
Little d After Dark
ing and farming in the greater Denton area can become for future generations. He isn’t just growing beautiful produce in a few small lots; he’s also working toward making something big and beautiful out of our local food economy. On top of offering a beautiful weekly community-supported agriculture (CSA) and co-op box, Earthwise also has a stand at the Denton Community Market all summer long. Ryan is working on opening a produce shop that has all of the same carefully cared-for foods. The shop will >>
Continued on 13 May 2012
What I most appreciate about Ryan is not just what he is doing right now, but his vision for what sustainable growing and farming in the greater Thin, crispy corn bread 1 tablespoon lard or unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat buttermilk 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 12-inch skillet with one tablespoon of the lard or butter, leaving any excess in the pan, and place the pan in the oven. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg until frothy, then whisk in the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix thoroughly. Melt the remaining butter in a small skillet (or your microwave) and whisk the butter into your batter. When the fat in the large skillet is smoking, carefully remove it from the oven and swirl the fat around to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Pour the batter into the skillet; it should sizzle. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and the edge has pulled away from the side of the skillet. Remove from the oven and either serve hot, in six wedges, or let cool and reserve for corn bread salad (right). Recipe adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook.
Grilled ribeye in marinade
Corn bread salad
2 pounds ribeye steaks 1/2 cup Chipotle and Pepper-Flavored Olive Oil 1/4 cup Pecan Balsamic Vinegar 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion salt and pepper In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. (Don’t be shy, this steak can handle it.) Let marinate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Fire up the grill and allow to reach a medium heat. Put the steak on and cook to your desired doneness. (We grilled ours medium-rare.) Allow to rest for 10 minutes off the grill before slicing into long, thin strips. Note: Olive oil and vinegar are from Texas Olive Ranch and the meat is from Hudspeth Farms — all available for purchase from Earthwise Gardens.
1 recipe crispy corn bread (left) or 3 cups of 1-inch corn bread cubes 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (4 to 6 medium) chopped into 1-inch wedges 6 cups spring salad mix 2 cups bitter greens, such as arugula 1 large sweet yellow onion, trimmed, peeled, sliced crosswise as thinly as possible and separated into rings buttermilk-lime dressing (below) Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Scatter the corn bread in a single layer on a half-sheet pan and bake until the pieces are lightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Place lettuce, greens, 3 cups of toasted corn bread, onion and tomatoes to a large bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle with buttermilk dressing, season with salt and pepper, and toss again. Serve immediately.
Buttermilk-lime dressing 3/4 cup whole or lowfat buttermilk 1 cup sour cream 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 cup finely minced fresh cilantro 1/4 cup finely minced green onions 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Can cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to two days.
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Denton area can become for future generations. Continued from 12 >> open on Elm Street in a renovated house and will have everything you need to build a great meal — produce, meat, dairy, olive oils, vinegars, honey — all grown and crafted in sustainable farms with farmers who are passionate about what they do. So get to planning (our amazing summer menu, that is), because we’ll be gifted with the blessing of prime produce all summer long from these guys — and our time at the dinner table will be richer because of it. And here’s a not-so-subtle hint: If you want that shop to open sooner rather than later, visit Kickstarter.com and send Earthwise some love as soon as its campaign starts up. As for the menu, Ryan fired up the grill and I made a salad with Southerninspired summer flavors. We made beautiful ribeye steaks marinated in olive oils and vinegar from right here in Texas and a salad to go with it, full of produce and herbs from local farms in the North Texas region. ALYSSA JARRELL is an adventurer in the kitchen who enjoys giving her culinary creations to family and friends. Her website is thepinkantler.com. 13
Continued from 10 >> weird to think of a song like that, but that’s really what I saw. And there are a lot of noises that Robert is doing. When we were doing this take on a track, there were these crazy noises and it was like it almost became a character. I knew they had to be part of the song.� “The Body Wins� indeed takes up space. Sonically, the track moves the way Lewis Carroll describe the creature in Jabberwocky. It’s a messy, dangerous song — and in the end, poetic. Gomez delivers guitar effects in the spacious opening strains of “Limerance� that are positively creepy: a sound like a violin, long nails squealing down a window pane, or a supernatural black bird. Synth chimes, a piano and a few faint howls lead into strings and a single drum rapping out no cadence in particular. Jaffe sings “oohs� here and there, but no words. The track evokes the trembling prelude to Kate Bush’s psychotic, agoraphobic tantrum on “Get Out of My House� in a manic way that’s too familiar and primal for comfort. It ends without resolution. Jaffe said the album is personal, but not too personal. On Suburban Nature, there’s no guesswork involved in the meaning of the track “Luv.� Using texting acronyms and methodical yet lyrical spelling work, Jaffe explains a relationship that has ended badly.
The title track in her latest release is more ambiguous. “The phrase [‘the body wins’] came from a conversation my sister and I had about a relationship,� Jaffe said. “It boiled down to my kind of saying how the love was not enough. And my sister, she has these really wise things that she says off the cuff. She’ll say them and I’ll be like, ‘Do you realize what you just said?’ We were talking about this and she just said, ‘Well, you know the body always wins.’ That phrase, it just went down my chest like an anchor and I couldn’t forget it. “Taken by itself, it’s a phrase that can mean so many different things. I loved how that translated into a song. It could be about love or it could be about the physicality of life. It could be about loss, and then there’s this question about does the mind control the body? Or does the body control the mind? I really liked how the song could go all these different ways.� Jaffe said she completed some of the album before recording, and other songs were finished in the studio. The songwriter confessed to suffering a tweakish boredom when she came back to Denton after touring in support of Suburban Nature. “I don’t want to sound like I had this crazy tour schedule, because there are some artists >>
Track for track: The Body Wins HOORAY FOR LOVE This track sounds a bit like the Tori Amos song “Iieee�on the 1998 release From the Choirgirl Hotel. It’s spooky and flirtatious, sexy with just shade of something sinister. “Hooray for Love� could be a genuine cheer, or it could be a jeer at its latest casualty.
FANGS Before you gag on yet another could-be reference to True Blood or Twilight, let’s get something straight: The “fangs� Jaffe mentions are sheer metaphor. In this song, the most beautiful and soulful on the album, Jaffe muses over the human habit of being attracted to relationships that are passionate but damaging. “She can be mean and unkind,� Jaffe sings. “The good needs a place to hide/Lonelier times/there are fences to climb/water to wine/water to wine/water to wine/... She’s got fangs like mine.� The worshipful chorus brings gravitas to the track.
FOGGY FIELD Brice and Jaffe kept the impulse to write ballad-like music to this song. A pretty harp intro leads into a song about memory and dreams. “You’re my bird/I’m your token cloud,� Jaffe sings, and you can almost see two people lying on the ground, eyes on the sky. “We’ll stay there in a dreamlike state/ ... Sometimes second chances haunt me/In a moment, in a dream.� It’s the one track on the album that could fit comfortably on Suburban Nature.
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Continued from 14 >> who tour their brains out. Like, they’re on the road 300 days of the year, and that certainly wasn’t the case for me,� Jaffe said. “But when I came home for like a month, I kind of didn’t know what to do with myself. A lot of what you hear in this record comes from me trying to figure all that out, when I was just kicking my feet in the dust not knowing what to do. I was bored.� When she started working on the record in earnest, Jaffe said, she did have to cope with the anxiety of a new project. “Yeah, sure. There was anxiety. There always is, regardless of what I’m working on,� Jaffe said. “It’s not overwhelming, but it’s there. I did have a few small meltdowns in the studio.� Her uncertainties melted in the face of her colleagues’ wisdom and creativity, Jaffe said, as well as the occasional dose of tough love from Congleton. “I remember a particular time in the studio when I was having kind of a freakout, and John told me something like, ‘Quit being a baby and just do what you do.’ He told me, ‘If you’re going to have any kind of career, this is going to happen again and again and again. It’s part of
this, and you just have to get over it and do what you do.’ I can’t solve my own anxiety. I have to surround myself with people who are extraordinary at what they do — and that pretty much gets me out of it.� The Body Wins might not feel like the most logical next step for a singer-songwriter who still shines behind a guitar and a microphone stand. And yet the album lends Jaffe a certain mystique. She could reinvent herself with each new project, but Jaffe said she’ll serve the music. “I don’t think of myself as an electronic artist,� Jaffe said. “I think of myself as a songwriter and an artist. In a lot of ways, Suburban Nature was a minimalist record. This record needed to sound bigger to me, and we used what we needed to use to get there. “But I consider myself a songwriter, and you do what you have to do to create the music.� LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached by calling 940-566-6877 or sending an e-mail to cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
new releases
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by lucinda breeding
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enton musicians have been busy producing new music and winning over crowds with old favorites. Exit 380, a band with musicians living in Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton, has been anthologized. Hand Drawn Records — the Dallasbased label that represents and records Exit 380, W.A. Fite and Secret Ghost Champion — just released Bedrooms and Backdoors: Friends and Neighbours. Exit 380 leads off the compilation album with the opening track, “A Song About Us.� The album is available for a free download at bit.ly/HWQhCQ. Exit 380 is Dustin Blocker on vocals, Aaron Borden and Jeremy Hutchison on guitars, Bobby “Shoes� Tucker on drums and Jon “The Hutch� Hutchison on bass.
The Gypsy Bravado, a hard-rock band from Denton, won the regional title in the Hard Rock Cafe’s 2012 Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands and joins another 85 finalists in the global contest. After coordinating live shows across the country to determine which 86 bands would represent communities all over the world, Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands has made the Web its next stage. Local listeners can sample the band’s five-track EP on Spotify and at the band’s ReverbNation page, bit.ly/HUzblJ. The Gypsy Bravado is Lou Anderson on drums and mandolin; Jeff Dacus on bass, classical guitar and vocals; Mo Myles on keyboard and vocals; and Shawn “Burgandy� Bratton on lead guitar and vocals. Contest winners have a chance to perform in concert with Bruce Springsteen.
Add us on Facebook and read our music blog: visit facebook.com/littledtx and localspinblog.dentonrc.com.
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