Tex Message

  Well, the 2009 Summer Reading Club is winding down but the friendly folks who comprise the band Tex Libris are winding up for the upcoming Adult Summer Reading Club Party this coming Tuesday, August 4th @ 7:00pm at The Emily Fowler Public Library.

To give you a little taste of the Tex, here are a couple YouTube videos they put up of a rehearsal. The first is a version of the Woody Guthrie/Billy Bragg/Wilco tune ‘Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVTvTT78Mh8

…And Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOL735BTORM

(Its rumored that these videos were shot secretly and bootlegged for their obsessive fan base out there in the blogosphere.)

–posted by Chuck at the Emily Fowler Library

Denton Calling: 30 Years of Indie and Alternative Music

The Emily Fowler Library has a display up for February and March highlighting the history of indie music in Denton.  In March, the collection will move from a display case to large boards in the upstairs atrium area.

Everyone knows about the Jazz scene here but I thought it might be cool to put up a collection of ephemera and realia relating to the Rock, Alt, Indie and just downright uncategorizable music that sprouts in these parts.  There appears to be a resurgence of interest in the Denton music scene with recent articles in the New York Times and Paste and the upcoming North By 35 (NX35) music conferette created by local musician Chris Flemmons.

 As much as I would love it, there’s no way that every band, musician or club that has called Denton “home”  could be represented, but hopefully the varied nature of the music here will come across.

What you will see: old fliers, cassettes (remember those?), local label releases, many photos, CDs, articles, etc. representing bands and clubs such as: Schwantz Lefantz, Last Rites, Centro-Matic, Little Jack Melody, The Library, The Rock Lottery…In fact, if you have some old pics, vinyl, fliers or whathaveyou from back in the day, contact Chuck at 940-349-8752 or e-mail me (better) at chuck.voellinger@cityofdenton.com and perhaps we can get it included. We can scan your items if you are reluctant to leave the originals.

The Cartoons at The Library, 1985. Photo by Alec Williams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special thanks go to Alec Williams for the use of his photos and Leslie Couture for research and demolishment.

Cool Music For Your Kids

Are you sick of listening to the CDs that your kids love, but you loathe?  If so, you should give the Jellydots a listen.  They prove that kids music doesn’t have to be pedestrian and annoying.  Their music is hard to categorize; if the Foo Fighters spent a week with Jack Johnson and Ben Harper, I think they would sound a lot like the Jellydots.   The Jellydots  also prove that Queen is not the only band that can write a rockin’ song about a bicycle.  I’m not ashamed to say that I’m putting their album “Hey You Kids!” on my ipod, and I don’t have any children.  I’m also very excited for their next album, Changing Skies, that comes out in March.

 -Dana