WDDI X STOKE: SHEPHERD DOG

Stoke is a co-working and entrepreneurial center in Denton, TX that plays host to a hotbed of some of Denton's most creative folks working in the tech scene. In this collaborative series, we speak with some of they key people that put in work at Stoke. In February, we spoke with President of TechMill and Drupal developer, Kyle Taylor. This month, we pick the two minds behind Shepherd Dog: Brandy Thomas and David Brunow. Shepherd Dog works with small businesses and non-profits to help them with technology services such as websites and app development. We talked with them about items such as working closely with a partner, their favorite small business projects, and whether or not they could win in an arm wrestling match with Kyle Taylor. Read on for more!

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TENDING BAR: ROY ROBERTSON

In Tending Bar, we like to take a moment and get to know those folks behind the counter at your favorite bar, coffee shop, juice bar, or other beverage-making establishment. Afterall, you probably see these friendly faces more often than you'd like to admit and there's a lot more to them than just the way that craft their drinks. Roy Robertson is a barista at Cultivar Coffee. One could easily make the argument that the little shop on Hickory St. inside of a doughnut store serves some of the best coffee in town (definitely top three). Robertson is also a musician (you probably know him best from the recently defunct Denton band Pageantry) and just an all around solid dude. We stopped by Cultivar last week to talk with Robertson and grab a few photos of him at work to document his process. Read on for more...

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INTERVIEW: KANDACE SPRINGS

Last night at Dan's Silver Leaf, Kandace Springs wore her influences on her sleeve with a commanding performance that even illicited a shout of,  "You should run for president!" from the Monday night crowd. 

Flanked by Dillion Treacy on drums and Jesse Bielenberg on bass, Springs flexed her musical agility, seamlessly switching between soul, gospel, and blues but somehow always landing solidly on her female jazz vocal influences such as Nina Simone, Billy Holiday and Eva Cassidy. We chatted with Springs a bit before the show about how she got started, influences, and what it is like to have Prince reach out to you via Youtube. Yes, that Prince. 

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INTERVIEW: CHRIS BROWN OF REFUELED MAGAZINE

Chris Brown is the publisher and creative director of Refueled Magazine, a publication working hard to share the life of artists and community members with its readers. Although not from Denton, Brown is connecting with and contributing to the Denton arts community in significant ways, and to us over here at WDDI, that makes him fair game!

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INTERVIEW WITH MERCURY REV

I first heard the song “Chasing a Bee” from Mercury Rev’s debut album, Yerself Is Steam, in the early '90s. The song finds symphonic grandeur in a droning, looping psychedelic wash of noise that intermittently envelopes instruments such as acoustic guitar and flute creating a seven-minute capsule of blissed-out experimental rock. Two and a half decades later, Mercury Rev continues to release albums that veer stylistically from the dense, sonic explorations found on Yerself Is Steam and Boces to the often stunning, orchestral statements found on Deserter’s Songs and their recent, The Light in You. In preparation for their upcoming show with Josh T. Pearson at Dan’s Silverleaf on Sunday, March 20th, I had a chance to talk with one of the band’s founding members, guitarist/clarinetist, Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak. Read on to hear what he had to say.

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PAINTINGS WITH A TWIST: TALKING WITH ARTIST TIM KERR

The Perot and the DMA are must-see museums, but you probably won’t find an international art exhibit entitled “That’s What She Said?” at either space. Luckily, to see shows that mix quirk with conscience, all you have to do is stroll down to the Square. You’ll even be able to grab a latte once you get there.

Jupiter House Coffee pulls double duty. It’s half café, half art gallery. Manger/curator Cameron Cox brings together local and global painters, photographers and other artistes to create a space that epitomizes inclusivity and ingenuity. As Cox says, “anything goes,” and the space has quietly become a hot commodity in the city’s ever-growing art community

“Most people approach me, because they’ve been here and seen the work, or heard about it through other people,” Cox says. She is eager to point out that Jupiter House is a hot spot for myriad Dentonites; everyone from politicians to college students, young professionals, teens, train hoppers and the homeless” have come through the front doors for a signature coffee brew and a look at the rotating shows adorning the brick walls. And since Cox came aboard a year and a half ago, those shows have been as diverse as the customers.

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PEOPLE OF DENTON: CARMEN CRUZ

Every now and then we meet someone who stands out among the crowd. In this case, it was Professor Carmen Cruz on Friday June 26, 2015 at the gay marriage rally on the square.

After the Supreme Court Ruling passed, an LGBTQ rally began on the square in which several marriages took place spontaneously. Dr. Carmen Cruz was ready for the decision and helped facilitate these marriages on the Courthouse steps, this is where we noticed her. We asked about her past, her present, and what she sees as a future for equal rights in this special WDDI edition of People of Denton. 

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INTERVIEW WITH JEFF AMANO OF SERENDIPITY

We sat down with Jeff Amano of one of our favorite stores on the Denton downtown square, Serendipity, recently and he gave us the what's what and the how's how about what they've been up to in there relatively short history of being open on the north side of the square. Read on to get schooled about "shabby chic" and check out some images from a recent painting workshop they held in their store. 

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