WDDI STAFF
Doug Burr will return in 2015 with a new record.
Denton's music scene ebbs and flows. Some years we pump out great new bands that are quickly embraced and other years go by without too many bands making a splash. 2014 was a little too slow for our tastes. We heard plenty of great local tunes, but none made as big of an impact as some of the bigger Denton bands from the past decade. Heck, Central Track even published an article last year calling the Denton music scene "in need of fixing." Were they actually as far off as we felt they were at the time? Maybe not. Denton is no stranger to the strong, local scene. There are always plenty of awesome, incestuous bands that share members and influence one another to create awesome music. The fact that many of the members of the Denton scene are often college students does present a bit of a problem. People come and go. Influencers move off to Brooklyn, Portland, Oakland, or back into their old bedrooms at their folks' and scenes die. That, or maybe we're just old and out of touch now. We do have heartburn now, after all.
That said, things are looking up. 2015 looks to be a strong year for music in Denton. Last year, saw many interesting new bands in Denton beginning to play shows and release material. Let's take a quick look at what is making us excited about music in Denton in 2015.
Two Knights is one of the best of Denton's emo-revival scene. They play plenty of shows, release lots of raw material, and write songs that almost hold up to their titles. Catch Two Knights in 2015. "Shut Up" below, is one of our favorites from these dudes.
2015 will see a new album from Denton's Doug Burr. His first in five years, actually. From what we hear (and our sources are pretty close, y'all), this one will be worth the wait.
Ser-... Wait no they moved away.
Raised Right Men
One time Denton folk band, Seryn, announced preorders for their new album this morning. Sadly, these folky folks moved to Nashville a while back for "better opportunities." Midlake seems to do okay here.
2015 will hopefully bring lots more Raised Right Men shows. Have y'all caught these dudes live yet? Who would've thought that a honky tonk cover band could be this much fun?
Here's what we said about Plunge in October:
"Super heavy, super low, and full of atmosphere, this is definitely the soundtrack to your Halloween party this year if you give a damn about what people think about your music taste. Stoner metal comes and goes on a seven year cycle it seems, and with "Burnt Reynolds," we're so happy it's back. The riffage comes hard in this trio and it's only magnified in this recording by local doer of things, Michael Briggs. Put this on, turn it up, and lose five minutes with the opener to this EP as fast as you can."
We hope to hear more from The Plunge in 2015 and catch some shows, as well.
Claire Morales
Claire Morales after a few recent collaborations, Morales is releasing an album this month. We've heard a couple of songs off of it and dug it.
Jungle Ruckus
Frontman, Colton Quillicy, is a master of many musical trades. His vocals are gritty, passionate and loud. They have a very bluesy sound that isn't seen around the block these days. Jungle Ruckus is also working on their first EP. We'll share the word when we get more info about it.
The Orcanaut
The Orcanaut are a really great sounding band with an active and growing following. Dudes are heavy, too. Think The Sword, but screamier. Their shows are consistently full of lots of energy, and their riffage is melodic. Just all around awesome band that's going to keep growing by the week. They have an EP coming out soon called Spacefire so be on the lookout for that.
Freak the Mighty
These guys are making a comeback after an almost year and a half hiatus from the scene due to relocation of their drummer, who just came back from playing with a variety of bands in New York. This is a serious instrumental band with talks of lyrics being added into the mix for the first time, so we'll see how that works out in their favor. Freak the Mighty are a psychedelic rock band on the higher tempo side with lots of funk and variation in their compositions. Definitely recommend people keep their eyes peeled for this one.
Here's what we had to say about Criminal Birds last year:
“Chill Out” is a dynamic song from a group of highly proficient young musicians who play like they’ve been doing so together for decades. Some internet research shows that these dudes get the term “ethereal” thrown at them quite a bit, and while that may be a valid description, it certainly didn't prepare us for the level of rock Criminal Birds attains. Sure, there are plenty of ambient bits to “Chill Out,” but about a third of the way through, it wakes the heck up. Jazzy rhythms, reverb-laden guitar noodling, and vocals that reach some pretty impressive heights abound here. It’s got kind of a Foals thing going on, too, so if you were digging them in 2013, jump on the Criminal Birds train, too. "
It's been a while since we heard new recorded material from Criminal Birds, but we're sure 2015 will bring some good tunes and plenty of live shows, too.
Fun Button
Fun Button have enough hair above their necks that they receive automatic admittance to this list. Check 'em out in 2015.
What Denton bands are y'all excited about in 2015?