5 | Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
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Denton | Bands
A&E | Campus
Get up and dance with the Grooves Our
Cultural Campus
Local band puts the funk in funk-y, with high stage energy while keeping chill with their fans Katie Olson Editor-in-Chief molson4@twu.edu Something groovy this way comes in Denton. If you enjoy a funky sound that makes you want to get up and dance, then you should check out local band West and the Grooves. First formed in 2012, the band’s origins stemmed from a social media post written by Grooves vocalist Ally Barnes. Grooves bass guitarist Julia Mason described the group’s formation: “She posted on Facebook ‘all the ladies come over and jam,’ and then I went over there and jammed with her and a couple other girls.” She added: “Our friend Bonnie, who was working at Abbey at the time, randomly got us a show and said, ‘Oh you have a month to prepare,’ so we committed to the idea of forming a band.” The band is currently comprised of eight members: vocalist Barnes, bass guitarist Mason, lead guitarist Tessa Kisielews-
ki, guitarist and vocalist Reid Kisielewski, drummer Aaron Poret, keyboardist Micah Perkins and vocalist Madison Norris. The group performs a variety of funk and grunge covers as well as original songs that reflect their funky style that is as inventive as the band’s name. Barnes explained: “We kind of tossed around a lot of ideas. We liked the name ‘Groove’ because we wanted to make groovy music, and I’m from West Texas so we just decided ‘West and the Grooves.’” West and the Grooves play at various Denton venues along with previous shows in Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. While they have not gone on tour yet, the members of Grooves continue to play at gigs while keeping their dreams huge and expectations high. Barnes shared: “We definitely have fun jamming, but we definitely keep the focus on making money and getting more of a fan base outside of Denton.” However, West and the Grooves always keep in mind the enjoyment of
TWU offers multiple outlets for creativity
Jabari Hendricks Social Media jhendricks@twu.edu
Photo by Sierra Taylor
Caption: From the left, Aaron Poret, Madison Norris, Reid Kisielewski, Ally Barnes, Julia Mason, Micah Perkins and Tessa Kisielewski.
their fans. The musicians encourage the audience to come up and join them on stage, providing them shakers to use during the performance. The crowd participation adds to the atmosphere that Grooves wants to create. Poret shared: “The reaction from the crowd, actually playing on stage and seeing a whole crowd of people having a blast is the best.” Though its goal is to become more widely known
as a band, West and the Grooves ultimately feeds off the excitement and devotion of their fans. Poret said: “Personally the most rewarding thing for me is seeing people having a good time with the music we’re making. Sheer fame and fortune could be there, but frankly if I could just make enough money to go on tour with these guys and see a bunch of crazy places and see all these different people get down and dance and have
the time of their lives that night that we’re playing then that’s good for me.” For those looking to bring out their funky side on a Friday night, West and the Grooves wants to bring the party to their fans. Barnes concluded: “Our goal is to make you dance and bring you to have a blast.” West and the Grooves will play at Abbey Underground on August 28th and September 18th.
Denton | Bands
Open mics provide local artists a setting to showcase their talents Denton venues cater to a wide variety of performers including students Katie Olson Editor-in-Chief molson4@twu.edu For students seeking to improve their performance ability on stage, open mics in Denton are abundant in opportunity. The various venues include LSA Burger, Muddy Jakes, The Labb, Audacity Brew House, Abbey Underground and The White House. Each open mic offers its own variety of unique performers included, but not limited to musicians, poets, rappers, performance artists and comedians. If looking for an 18 and up atmosphere, Audacity Brew House caters to the community and students looking to better their skills in their respective arts. Local artist and Audacity Brew House Open Mic host Caleb Coonrod shared: “One can learn just as much from an Open Mic as they can in class. Watching other artists and observing their approach seems to enhance an individual’s knowledge and creativity, which will improve their work.” Abbey Underground, a 21 and up venue also caters to these artists. Local artist and Abbey Underground Open Mic Host Jake Steinburg explains from experience that Open Mic also provides a setting for artists, both local residents and students, to improve on their performance ability. Steinburg said: “My introduction to the music community came through open mics. A blues friend of mine by the name of Pete Miller broke me from my stage fright by taking me to open mics, completely unprepared, and told me just to play with him.” He added: “As the social function works, you meet
more people, and you become more and more a part of this community to where everyone wants to just continue to cultivate that same feeling of freedom and expression.” Open Mic events are advertised through social media, flyers and word of mouth. Sign ups for Audacity Brew House begin at 6:45 while Abbey Underground Open Mic starts at 7:30. Coonrod elaborates that there are many regulars who attend open mics at Audacity while others come and go. Coonrod elaborated: “Some artists decide they are not serious about it and quit while others continue getting better and better.” He added: “In this sense the ‘regulars’ kind of change, but true artists, even those who have moved on, still drop in from time to time to scratch the itch.” Overall, the experience of open mic itself is a moment where different groups of people come together and express their talents freely with other artists and even those in the audience. Steinburg shared: “You can go from a single performer to a full band to a spontaneous jam of people who’ve never met one another, maybe even borrowing instruments from another person just to participate.” He concluded: “It is very much a forum for people to express their own creativity, to express themselves in whatever way that they want to get better at. To me, that’s the most important part.” For more information check facebook for venue times and locations.
Photo by Tabitha Gray
LSA Burger opens their stage to local talent every Monday night.
Photo by Tabitha Gray
A local musician and open mic host sings to the crowd at Muddy Jakes.
Photo by Tabitha Gray
Another performer steps up to the mic on the roof at Lone Star Attitude.
TWU has many artistic offerings for students, staff, faculty and visitors, ranging from visual arts and music to drama and dance. The TWU Visual Arts Department is home to The East and West Galleries. According to their mission statement, the galleries are “dedicated to understanding and promoting contemporary art as a tool and catalyst for education.” Its high light fixtures and spacious room embodies the feeling of being in a real New York gallery. July 6 to September 9, the gallery is showcasing, “Mother’s Milk, Father’s Blood” by accomplished alumna Elizabeth M. Chaffey, who received a Master of Arts Degree in Photography. An additional student-run pop up gallery, Gallery 010, is located on the lower level of the Student Union. Students looking for a more musical experience at TWU can check out the university’s Music Department webpage for a list of ensembles for the 2015-2016 academic school year. Divided by instruments and vocal groups, the Music Department offers a diverse range of ensembles that can cater to any student’s personal musical taste. Students in search of a little drama can head over to the Red Bud Theater during the semester to support the TWU drama students as they apply class room knowledge to hands-on projects. The first play to be showcased is on October 14-18, titled “Seven” by Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff and Susan Yankowitz. The play will be directed by associate professor and program director of the Drama Department, Patrick Bynane. Tickets prices are $5 for kids, students and seniors and $10 for adults. Those on a budget can attend the Saturday matinee shows, which offer a pay-whatyou-can option. Students who love to dance should check out TWU Dance concert page to keep up with upcoming shows, which are separated into two categories: Dance Up Close concerts, which are held in the TWU dance studio, and DanceMakers concerts, performed in Margo Jones. Students can keep up to date with the TWU online calendar and take advantage of the many events held on campus, especially those that exercise artistic license and show creative spirit.