Local creative artist group and friends of We Denton Do it, Spiderweb Salon, hosted a guerrilla-style throw-down on the courthouse lawn this past Saturday afternoon. We were there to take some photos and snap our fingers at some poetry readings. Read on for more info!
A crowd gathers before the show at this past Saturday's Spiderweb Salon.
Saturday afternoon 30 some-odd people gathered around a makeshift stage created out of an old white door, some busted-ass milk crates and some clamps on the south-east corner of the Denton square. Some were there to listen to poetry, music and some works of nonfiction by some of Denton's purveyors of literature, others were just there because people are attracted to large crowds Behind the stage was a gigantic white banner that read "spiderweb salon" in all lowercase letters.
Spiderweb Salon has been doing things in a similar vein for quite a while now. They've gained enough notoriety over the past several months to even garner a 35 Denton showcase and a regular feature on an awesome local blog (read: us, duh).
Comedian Ron Lechler looks down as ponders his next non-sequitur.
This particular event marked a departure from the norm for the group (led by WDDI contributor Courtney Marie and her partner in non-crime, Conor Wallace) who normally showcase local artists at a local house and not in front of the court house in the middle of the day. Thankfully, the group was not even given a second glance by local law enforcement who just seemed to give a cockeyed glance to the comedy-stylings of Ron Lechler as they past by.
The event started off strong with local writer, Matthew Salack's account of a young romance from behind the counter of a Chic Fil-A. The crowd was engaging and laughed often. Afterwards, many local poets and musicians shared their art. Many participants who had not prepared any work in advanced even participated in an open mic after the six or seven planned performances were done. It was a nurturing, supportive environment that encouraged those attending to share - if not during the open mic, then to at least send something to read at the next event.
Local duo {we, bees} singing a duet about a girl full of trouble.
Shannon Hall reading her poem about reality.
The guerilla-style showcase went over very well for Spiderweb. After the initial greatness that was Salack's short story, the local poets, musicians and comedian (which just so happened to be the strongest one man comedy performance we've seen in Denton) mostly kept the bar at that high point. If this recap is making you sad you missed this, fret not. Spiderweb Salon's next event will be here before you know it. You can catch the largest show Spiderweb has put on yet at 2pm Sunday, March 10th at Dan's Silverleaf as part of the 35 Denton schedule. Leave your tomatoes and rotten fruit at home. You won't need 'em.