Words by Danielle Longueville, Images by Shaina Sheaff
This past Sunday afternoon, Sofar Sounds DFW, a live music discovery group, invited us out for a little backyard show in one of the Denton's most beautiful backyards. Sofar alwasys features three young acts from around the metroplex. Yesterday's event featured performances by Nite, Doug Burr, and Gollay. Read on for the full scoop on how SofarSounds gets down.
In 2009, Sofar Sounds launched a venture dedicated to showcasing the talents of up-and-coming musicians from specific areas. They looked to provide an intimate setting for a handful of audience members and then share samples of audio and video from the performances for all the world to see. In 2011, Sofar made its way to DFW. Sunday's performance marked the second show for Denton and we couldn’t be more impressed by the large turnout of Dallasites and Fort Worthians in our neck of the woods.
Nite
Denton-natives Kyle and Myles Mendes of Nite (they’re twins, by the way. Check out their twitter handle.) kicked off the night with a toned-down version of their typical set. They still managed to impress their highly-attentive audience despite the fact that it was...daytime. With dueling Korgs and a collection of 80’s-centric percussion samples, Nite laid out a rather eccentric set that reminded us of a well-mixed blend of M83 and Neon Indian with some Tears for Fears thrown in for good measure. Their haunting lyrics were carried by a somewhat ominous, tone came as a pleasant surprise.
The familiar, talented face of Doug Burr kept the wheels a rollin’ along with an emotionally delicate and heartfelt set that showed off a few tracks from his upcoming album to be released in January. We fell especially in love with Doug’s song “Country Girls in City Dresses,” which paints a sensational image of a man’s adoration of an unknown girl on a train, whose demure personifies the phrase “you can take the girl out the country, but not the country out of the girl.”
Fort Worth indie rock group, Gollay, closed out the afternoon with a quaint, harmonious set. Frontlady and serial performer Rachel Gollay was an absolute treat. With a voice likened to Laura Marling and songs of love, hope, and the idea of being a receptionist, we loved everything about her performance. Her fellow bandmates Taylor Tasch and Russell Jack did an excellent job of accompanying Gollay’s lead vocals with some serious falsetto harmonies.
We were genuinely impressed with the integrity of artists, welcoming crowd, and even the awesome backyard we were in. Be on the lookout for more Sofar shows in the Denton area starting in January. For more information on how to get involved or to sign up for the waiting list – yes, we said waiting list – for future shows, visit SoFarSounds.com. We look forward to hitting up the next show!
