3 SONGS - JUNE

will milne June 27, 2013

Every month, we like to take a quick look into the Denton music scene and highlight three recent songs from current Denton bands. Last month, we heard from Daniel Markham, Biographies and Bashe. This month, two of our three entries harken back to Denton music of the recent past. A pretty big Denton band released a nice single yesterday and we'd love to share it with ya, but it's streaming exclusively on Paste right now. Oh well. Read on to hear music from the likes of Paul Henry North, Savage and the Big Beat and Strange Towers.

Savage and the Big Beat is our local pop rock band. They write extremely bombastic rock songs that wouldn’t sound out of place on A Night At the Opera. Heck, lead vocalist, Max Brown, even sounds like Freddie Mercury. This song is as dynamic as anything off of their new EP, We Are Defenders, which you can pick up at their album release show on June 29th at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.

Strange Towers

So, we’ve been waiting for these dudes to put out a song for us to feature on this column for a while now, and we’re still waiting. That said, we’re just going to grab this low quality video recording of a recent Strange Towers practice off of their Facebook page to share with you. We normally like to stick to embeddable songs, but we're making an exception in this case. The video should give you a good idea of what to expect from this soon-to-be Denton powerhouse. Strange Towers marries the technical proficiency of one-time Denton rockers Record Hop with the spastic wonderful weirdness of The Undoing of David Wright, and it doesn’t end up like that new Omar Rodriguez Lopez band, thankfully. By the way, if those two name drops haven’t piqued your interests, go do yourself a little Googlin’ and come back. You can hear more Strange Towers (and bug ‘em for recorded material) at their next show this Thursday, June 27th at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.

Paul Henry North is one of the few remaining Sleepwhale/Mom side-projects in what was once a sea of incestuous bands that all were great. This track showcases just how far North has come as a songwriter in the years since he earned his Pitchfork stripes back in 2009 with his song Waving Hands. Back then, North was recording under the moniker Sunnybrook, but he's since grown as a musician and lost the name. While maintaining the same lo-fi ramshackle sound, North has really managed to create a sort of reigned-in manageable chaos in this beautiful tune that is really easy to get lost in. “The Lonely One” was recorded using one of the much sought after Copperphone copper microphones North helps manufacture through Placid Audio.

GEAR'D: LAST SUNDAYS

will milne June 26, 2013

Words by Aaron White, Photos by Will Milne

Samuel Clemens, infamous Foghorn Leghorn impersonator, once quipped, “Son, I say, a career in music has about the life span of a quail egg in the presence of Tim Love, boy.”

Odds are that most who attempt to make a living in music will fail to do so, for myriad reasons, yet tens if not millions of hopefuls move to Denton each year with designs on just that; their vision narrowed by the enthusiasm and delusion of youth, mental illness and/or THC. It stands to reason that with the large population of musicians, both independent and those attending the UNT Jazz program, there are several established instrument sales and service businesses in town. While the mainstays are readily apparent in a google search, there are some custom, more nimble shops and tradespeople we think are worth noting.

In a remarkable development for a music community with deep, old roots, Tex Bosley and Tom Miller, brother-proprietors of Tex’s Tubs Drum Co. and Miller Guitar Works, respectively, are providing DIY-minded musicians something new and innovative. While both offer a host of services for repair and custom builds of drum kits and guitars, they are opening their shop to the public. A potential godsend for those without the work area and tools required to properly maintain what most neglect - the instruments of their trade.

Starting on Sunday June 30th, from 11am to 2pm, pros and amateurs alike can benefit from a new program/hang-out/workshop aimed at educating and providing the necessary (and expensive) materials to the music community, while highlighting the more professional technical services they provide. For those willing to sacrifice a beater guitar in order to learn how to shape a compound fretboard radius, or simply glean from the experts how to evenly round a bearing edge on a floor tom, there is now a guided DIY space available.

Tex described Last Sundays as such, “We open the shop, you bring your instruments and have at it. We will help you, to a point, and the regular menu of professional services are open to everyone. We are there to help people make their instruments sound and play how they want them to. Come out for hot dogs, beer and shop access, then we’ll all go to Dan’s to see Hares On The Mountain afterward.”

There's free shop access, professional guidance, and a hang with someone you most likely know. Throw in some refreshments and free knowledge and you have a recipe for some amazing results. If you hit a snag or realize you’re in over your head, Tex or Tom is there to take it off your hands and provide their services. If we sound a bit wide-eyed and reverent, it may be because we’ve had a growing list of things to resolder, align, repair, replace, sand down, etc... and without dropping serious wads of cash, we're looking at tedious, disjointed sessions here and there. This especially appeals to the person who feels like they’d rather learn the work for future reference, rather than just take it in and pay the money, and we know a lot of folk in Denton like that.

We will be covering the specifics of both Tex’s Tubs and Miller Guitar Works in an upcoming Gear'd column, but for now, go to Last Sundays and rest assured that you’re in good hands (after signing the necessary waivers). With sufficient interest and attendance, Last Sundays will be a monthly event and could even lead to an ongoing appointment based maker-space type of thing.

Facebook Event for June's Last Sundays

The United Daughters of the Confederacy Monument erected in 1918.

BACK IN THE DAY: QUAKERTOWN PART 2

Alyssa Stevenson June 25, 2013

READ PART 1 OF THIS STORY HERE.

Every local knows and has enjoyed our beloved Quakertown Park, but few may recall the haunted history of an African-American community that once thrived there as a township-within-a-town. In part one of this series, Shaun Treat offered a glimpse into the fascinating early history of Dentons’ Black pioneers and the growth of “The Quaker.” In part two, Treat explores the troubling demise and slow recovery of Quakertown’s historical significance to Denton.

This is the second portion of a two-part story. If you missed part 1, click here to check it out.

Most Denton residents recognize the Confederate Monument on the South side of our courthouse square, and at least two unsuccessful attempts have been made to remove it, but it stands as a physical reminder of Texas episodes both sinister and tragic that some would rather forget while others intentionally misremember. Quakertown at the turn of the century was its own remarkably thriving and self-sufficient community. It was the business center for Denton’s five African-American neighborhoods, carving out a post-Civil War haven for freedmen and former slaves in the post-Reconstruction 1860s even as KKK violence festered in nearby counties. For reasons that are complex and historically contested, the racially-charged political tensions of the early 1900s and Denton’s own internal conflicts would soon seethe into a full-blown eradication of the “Quaker.”

When Denton’s new “Girl’s Industrial College of Texas” opened in 1903, just a few blocks north of Quakertown, the stage was set for a confrontation. With constant need for expanded facilities as the school quickly grew, school president F.M. Bralley began courting state officials for legislative appropriations as a full-fledged liberal arts college (renamed in 1905 as the College of Industrial Arts). But the close proximity of the all-white women’s college to the African-American Quakertown was believed to be an obstacle to such a lucrative formal recognition.

Contextualized within the public beautification efforts of the New South, and the bigotries fueling racial segregation, the City of Denton soon found itself embroiled in the troubling politics of its time. In 1913, The Colored Teachers County Institute run by Fred Douglas Moore was burned to the ground on the eve its first day of classes, the official cause “unknown” but the fire was accompanied by a racist warning nailed to a church door.

City beautification drives to establish a public park in Denton had begun earnestly discussing Quaker as a possible site by 1915, the same year D.W. Griffith’s wildly influential silent film Birth of the Nation would romanticize the “Lost Southern Cause” of the Ku Klux Klan, and only three years before the United Daughters of the Confederacy Monument was swiftly designated a Texas Historical marker then donated to the city in 1918. By the early 1920s, KKK membership in Texas swelled into the tens of thousands as its hooded “invisible empire” openly paraded through cities and towns, became a dominant force in state politics, and intimidated the public with acts of brutality, violence, and cross-burnings. Soon, their attention turned to Denton’s Quakertown controversy.

Ad for KKK Day at 1923 Texas State Fair. Yes, this actually happened.

Quakertown was being surveyed in 1919 as the preferred site for a city park, at precisely the same time the College of Industrial Arts for women seemed poised for its long-sought state accreditation. CIA President Dr. Bralley insisted to local Rotarians in November 1920 that Denton “could rid the college of the menace of the negro quarters in close proximity to the college and thereby remove the danger that is always present so long as the situation remains as it is, and that could be done in a business way without friction.”

A few weeks later in December, when presented with the city’s plans for a bond issue to fund either forced relocation of homes or municipal purchase of Quakertown properties at a ‘fair’ current market value, an altercation erupted at the African-American Lodge over the issue that resulted in five arrests for aggrevated assault. By January of 1921, The Denton Chamber of Commerce with the support of numerous civic groups petitioned for a bond election to fund the Quakertown eviction, and the April vote succeeded by a mere margin of 127 votes. An editorial in the DRC urged Dentonians to “give the negroes the benefit of unselfish assistance in protecting them from profiteering,” but this public plea betrays the predicted inequities to follow. By 1923, every resident of The Quaker had involuntarily relocated or moved out of the state, the CIA finally became an accredited member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and the Denton City Park began construction.

These troubled times were punctuated by epic acts of racist intimidation and courageous displays of heroic defiance. As the city park campaign raged in 1921, a rolling caravan of hooded Kluxers travelled from Ft. Worth to Denton, taking 30 minutes to thunder through the Square and Quakertown as courthouse alarm bells rang before arriving at the Robert E. Lee schoolhouse to make a symbolic $50 donation toward city beautification charities. This was done, they explained in a communique to the DRC, in “protection of the sanctity” of “young college girls” who are “without immediate parental guidance.”

KKK Night Riders continued an overt campaign of terror and arson while Quakertown residents who refused to sell also faced ruthless City Commisioners condemning disputed properties for demolition. Will Hill boldly enacted his motto to ‘respect every man but fear none’ by publicly suing the City of Denton for undercompensation yet, as dissenters faced threats to their families and moonlight arson, he soon dropped his lawsuit and moved out-of-state along with many others denied legal recourse under Jim Crow laws.

70-year-old Henry Taylor, former-cowboy-turned-gardener for Denton elite and inspiration for the quasi-fictional Quakertown novel White Lilacs, was likewise underbid on his lush arboretum homestead then forced to move despite protests to Solomon Hill in East Denton. Stubbornly refusing to vacate for compulsory relocation, Mrs. Mary Ellen Taylor sat unmoved in her living room rocking chair as her home was forcibly dragged away on mule-drawn sleds to its new location. Similarly, educator Fred Douglas Moore and a few other African-American leaders remained to defiantly forge a new community on far less desireable land and amidst institutional inequities that persisted well into the 1960s Civil Rights era.

It wasn’t until the 80s and 90s that this rich yet troubled legacy of Quakertown was actively recovered by dedicated local historians, researchers, and descendants. Due to their efforts, and the courage of Denton’s resilient African-American communities, the story of Quakertown serves as a cautionary reminder of past triumphs and tragedy. Today, with a new historical marker in Quakertown Park and an African-American Museum that chronicles the struggles of Denton’s Black pioneers, we can be proud that these stories are preserved for future generations.

Next to the Confederate Monument on the South side of our Courthouse Square there also sits a far more humble plaque as “testimony that God created all men equal with certain inalienable rights” and a reminder that “We are all one, citizens of Denton County.” For such noble sentiments to ring true, however, requires the dedicated vigilance of every citizen. After all, if Denton is to grow into a stronger and just community for all our neighbors, its essential that we look to our future as we also remember hard-learned lessons from a sometimes unflattering past. Luckily, that past provides us with some darn inspiring teachers: Mrs. Taylor would help revive her church, Fred Douglas made it his life’s mission to educate and inspire the children of his community, and ole Henry Taylor in the twilight of his long life delicately transplanted his rare lilac bush to grow a new lush green garden.

Shaun Treat is a former professor at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Doc has written about numerous local places and personalities at his Denton Haunts blog, and is forever indebted to the great work of our local keepers of history like Mike Cochran and Laura Douglas at the Emily Fowler Library for their tireless work in helping preserve Denton’s intriguing past. Be sure to check out our local museums curated by the fine folks at the Denton County Office of History & Culture, and follow @Dentonaut on Twitter for local happenings.

MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: JUNE

Alyssa Stevenson June 20, 2013

Glen Farris inspects the custom made industrial smokers inside of the forthcoming Goldmine BBQ.

211 E. Hickory has been on the hazardous building list for the last little while. It's that little older building right in-between Storried Productions and Travelstead by Mellow Mushroom. A long time ago, they roof damage due to an AC unit falling through. Oops. Now, the owners of the place are attempting to get it back up to code in the hopes that they can turn it into retail space. Here's to hoping its not more auto parts and lawn mowers.

Love themed restaurants? Sure hope so, because we're about to have an influx of them. Gold Mine BBQ opens in early July. This place comes complete with a newly renovated space made to look like an old mine shaft, some very well trained BBQ-ers, a hidden patio and a very lively looking canary in a cage. We're pretty excited to try it out - mostly because their giant industrial smokers stocked with pecan wood seem pretty promising. Don't worry. We'll get back to you with an official opinion after they open in a few weeks.

A peek inside the forthcoming Goldmine BBQ in the old Vigne space on Hickory St.

Speaking of themed restaurants, word on the street is that there is a themed pizza place about to happen, too. After Bosses opened last month, you know we're at least interested to see what kind of tantalizing treat "olde English style" pizza will be. Last Drop Tavern will be Denton's own English style eatery and wood-fired pizza haven opening on Elm Street just off the square, and coming soon.

More on restaurant news, Rusty Taco Denton had the highest grossing opening week of any Rusty taco. Whoa guys - we knew you liked tacos and all, but geez. We're not ashamed. We were caught there are few times ourselves in the first week. Maybe they're onto something with those cheap margaritas.

Signs on the square have been called into scrutiny recently. The Subway sign is being replaced with something that will blend in a little more with the current signage on the square, and now Lone Star Attitude (the burger place in the old Denton County spot we talked about two months ago) is having trouble getting their sign approved. We're not sure why. Maybe it sticks out too far, is too bright, or has just rubbed someone the wrong way, but we're pretty pumped to see what they end up replacing the current 'Denton County Hamburger' signage with - so that the new restaurant feels a little more real. Also, did y'all get a chance to see that paint job on Mad World and Beth Marie's? Not sure who thought that would be a good idea.

Hope you installed a smart thermostat to get you through summer this year. Apparently utility prices will be going up pretty soon. You might be needing all the extra help you can get. Electric is going up 2.5% due to a rise in the wholesale price of energy, water and wastewater are rising a little due to much needed improvements on our infrastructure and solid waste and recycling will be taking a small hit for increased costs and cart replacements. And you thought your bill was high already... According to Kevin Roden, city councilman of District 1, it unfortunately takes our poop overflowing for us to concern ourselves with all those pipes underground. It is never easy for us to take on increases in cost, but we're at the point where major replacements, upgrades and expansions are necessary. Some have already been done. Luckily, we live in a city whose rates are pretty low compared to the rest of the metroplex, so we were knocking on wood last summer as we bragged to our friends in Lewisville, Flower Mound and Plano how much lower our utility bills were compared to theirs. This year we may be keeping a closer watch on our AC consumption in the dog days of summer.

If you're a friend to the furry (no, not those people - just cats and dogs) you'll be happy to know that the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation will be getting a new building that is costing a little over four million dollars. It'll live way up north on 77 by UNT's Research Park. Hopefully, this means that all of those sweet strays will have a nice place to lay their little heads when they're between homes.

BACK IN THE DAY: QUAKERTOWN PARK PART 1

Alyssa Stevenson June 19, 2013

JIVE FIVE: THE DIME SUMMER BAZAAR

Alyssa Stevenson June 6, 2013

Rachel Aughtry and Shelley Christner of The Dime Store have been hosting the Etsy Denton Summer Bazaar for a few years now. This weekend, our favorite handmade market is sure to please. We're excited for some of our favorite local makers and artists to all be under one roof where we can find art for our walls, pillows for our couches, gifts for all of those summer weddings and new hand towels for the kitchen since ours seem to always be stained from chocolate, wine and darker colored alcohols.

This isn't our first time at the Summer Bazaar. We've gone elbows to elbows with other handcrafted patrons before. Thusly, we took it upon ourselves to assemble some do's and dont's in the form of a Jive Five for you to abide by when you hit up the Bazaar on Saturday. Read 'em below and add your tips in the comments!

The talented Mandy Cave will have a few Denton-centric watercolors available

TO DO'S:

Get there early. The first 50 people in line get a 'goody bag' stuffed with fun things, like 'free drink' cards from Jupiter House and stickers from us.

Come a little hungry. Plenty of food vendors will be around. Make sure to grab a bite at one of the food trucks while you're waiting in line to get in. If you see Shiitake Swerve around, try their original taco!

Smile! We'll be out there taking a few photographs and want to see happy, peppy people buying goodies.

Encourage your friends from Dallas to take the A Train in and join you at the market. Then, hike across the parking lot to Hoochie's for cold PBRs and a po-boy afterwards.

Make sure not to miss the Dowdy Studio Wagon - aka the world's smallest handmade shop - setup outside of the Greater Denton Arts Council building.

TO DON'TS:

Don't complain about the line. Just be friendly and be excited that local artists are drawing such a great crowd.

Don't overlook Fuzzy Muffins, located behind the plushie octopus. There is likely hiding a stuffed grenade and dinosaur, both of which are way too cute to handle.

Forgot to grab cash? Don't worry about it too much. Just about all of the vendors use Square now.

Don't take a snack from the 'honor snack bar' provided by Amitea and the Cupboard without leaving a little cash. That's just rude.

Father's Day is just around the corner. Don't forget to grab a gift for your pops or grandpops while you're there. We can personally vouch for the beard oil from Austin St. Apothecary for the hairy old men in your life.

3 SONGS: MAY

will milne May 21, 2013

The cover of Daniel Markham's upcoming record, Daniel Markham Ruined My Life — The cover of Daniel Markham's upcoming record, *Daniel Markham Ruined My Life*

Every month, we like to take a quick look into the Denton music scene and highlight three recent songs from current Denton bands. Last month, we heard from Terminator 2, Skagg Phillips and Chambers. This month, our three entries are slightly less disparate from one another, but are a great cross-section of what Dan's Silverleaf might be like any day of the week. Read on to hear music from the likes of Daniel Markham, Biographies and Bashe.

Denton transplant via Lubbock, Daniel Markham, has quickly found his territory in the Denton music scene. During his short time here, he’s been prolific enough to put out two releases. Last year’s Hexagons EP found Markham layering fuzzy guitar over simple drum loops, sounding something not unlike Jesu. His latest, however, is a different beast, altogether. In "My Favorite Band" (track four out of Daniel Markham first full-length solo record entitled Daniel Markham Ruined My Life), we find Markham exhuming a very specific portion of the sounds heard on Hexagons. Anything resembling a distortion pedal has been done away with in favor of pedal steel guitar, honest-to-goodness drums and honest-to-goodness earnesty. The sound evokes Cardinals-era Ryan Adams or Denton’s late Current Leaves, both of which should leave you with anticipation. While the subject matter at hand still remains a “bummer,” this tune is sure to be great company to that bourbon and porch night you had planned.

Biographies represents what we’re going to call the post-Seryn folk scene in Denton. Large, coed bands with vocals coming from every possible angle, and choruses that build until your eyes bulge. Biographies, however, is thankfully a bit different. These young twenty somethings have reached further back than their memories can reach and harken sounds not unlike Sunny Day Real Estate and other mid-90’s emotional hardcore. On Looking Inward is the centerpiece of their recently-released self-titled EP. The track manages to jam pack all of the different themes represented on the album into a quick seven minutes. The song climaxes about three-quarters of the way through with unintelligible screams and a gigantic wall of sound and then saunters it’s way out with a slinky bass line and a haunting female voice that washes away all the screaming. This is very promising for a band so young. Catch these kids live if you get the chance, too. They put on a great show.

Bashe features an ex-member of Peopleodeon. If you thought Denton was missing a good math rock band, Bashe is the solution to your problem. Seapunk is the first single Bashe has released and is also featured on the recently-released DFW compilation No Metro. While some may be put off by the term math rock, let it be known that Seapunk is poppy and disco-y enough to get even the un-bounciest of butts a-shakin’ and is catchy enough to leave with you a bad earworm for hours after listening.

MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: MAY

Alyssa Stevenson May 16, 2013

*This sign will soon dot the landscape of the Denton square.*

Remember how Denton County Hamburger was never open past 3pm, and no one ever knew why? Turns out the HVAC barely worked - so they just didn’t stay open longer than the AC unit could handle. Crazy huh?

On that same topic, Denton County Hamburger's square location is no more (RIP, sweet, greasy prince), but the big news of the day is that Lone Star Attitude is moving in. The head chef from Fireside Pies and Hibiscus is carefully crafting a burger concept built around a traditional burger that doesn’t include extra love sauce or throwing on a chalupa. They are spending roughly $750,000 on renovations to get it up to code, open, and running. Apparently the seat count will be up to 178 (that's a lot of seats y'all). They'll be able to accommodate all of those brand new fancy-sch'mancy seats because they will also have a rooftop patio. To get there you'll have to hop up some new stairs designed by UNT students that look like piano keys and make music as you go up. We already can’t wait to have a burger and a beer on the rooftop while watching Twilight Tunes and the sun go down... sounds kinda great doesn’t it? We hope the burgers hold up, too.

Vigne, the wine place tucked-away behind Gerhard's, is moving into the old Cellar 22 space to develop a higher-end wine bar concept. We always love a place where we can swirl our cabs and not sound like snobs when we talk about it's legs, terroir and compare the size of our pocket squares and we hope that's what this place will be. So what happens to the old Vigne spot? A BBQ place is moving over in. Hey future BBQ restaurant, can you do us a solid? Texas Monthly recently did a feature on the top 50 BBQ places in Texas. Guess what town wasn't represented on that list. Denton. Some would argue that if From Tha Heart BBQ were still around, it would've made the list, but it's now long gone. Sure, you can drive up to Tioga and give Clark's a try, but it's not really worth it, even with the horse-shoe as corn holders. We need an open-pit, smoke-heavy BBQ place that people will wait in line for. We're not talking Franklin's level here, but something to at least give Pecan Lodge, Lockhart's or even Angelo's in Ft. Worth a run for it's money. I don't know about y'all, but our current Denton brisket selection just ain't cuttin' it for us. Don't let us down as-of-yet-unnamed place. We have high hopes for you.

Along with the pains of a growing city come the perils of parking in a busy and bustling downtown area. We've already mentioned the East Hickory Parking Plan before (you can catch up on it's many features over here on Kevin Roden's blog), but guess what y'all - it's about to get messy before it gets better. Get ready for lots of lane closures, road blockages and people with yellow hats blocking your way. Start following our twitter feed if you aren't already. We’ll be giving out live updates from the city during this painful process of fixing the parking situation. Don't forget to start practicing your back-in angled parking now, so as not to embarrass yourself when it's all done.

Hey - remember that time that past mayoral candidate and alleged troll under Goat Man Bridge, Bob Clifton, tried to take down newly elected Joey Hawkins during the city council elections? Yeah, that happened. Luckily, Joey is a class act, and he turned a nasty and false attempt at a smear campaign into lots of people with free coffee and a hefty donation to Serve Denton. Great job Joey. We liked the way you handled that and we look forward to more of that kind of positive and progressive creativity as you continue to serve our city from your new council seat over District 4.

On the topic of city council, Jim Engelbrecht, Dalton Gregory, Joey Hawkins and Kevin Roden will be serving you as representatives for Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4. Congrats y’all! If you did vote, thanks for your willingness to participate in the democratic process! Two thumbs up to you! Believe it or not, voter turnout was still pretty low this year. Start gearing up for next year, y'all. There are some pretty important seats up for grabs and maybe another party or something.

CROWDFUNDING: MAY

will milne May 14, 2013

Denton Juice Co. wants your cash so they can buy a pair of those pants that says "Juicy" on the rear.

Every once in a while, we like to take a look into the crowdfunding (sourcing money from local friends, family and invested peoples to help fund your project or idea) scene in Denton. Last month, we highlighted Bookish Coffee's campaign for a new roaster, Rabbit Hole Brewing's biergarten plans and some lady's horse movie-thing. Two of the three we discussed were funded. We'll let you figure out which won't be fully-funded by the end of it's run (hint: it's the one that doesn't involve a stimulant or depressant). Four weeks later, and we have another in a long list of projects Dentonites have in the works. Have a look through the following three Kickstarter campaigns (nothing from Indiegogo this month) and decide for yourself if one tickles your fancy. If so, hurry over to their Kickstarter page and donate.

Top Notch Juice for Denton Juice Co.

First up this month, we have a campaign started by Denton Juice Co. Much like Bookish Coffee last month, your favorite mobile juice bar wants to step up their machinery for larger production. They’re looking to purchase a few new-fangled juicers, a trailer to haul ‘em around in and a few odds and ends, as well. They need $10,000, altogether, and they have until June 9th to get it. We wonder if they can get a juicer that’ll keep their famed "Unicorn Blood" juice blend from staining our t-shirts, but we're not holding our breath. Pledge $200 and you get to create your own juice concoction. As little as $5 gets you their eternal gratitude. So if you’re the type that feels under-appreciated on Saturday mornings, go ahead and donate to this campaign. Then, head down to the community market every Saturday from here to the end of time to be thanked profusely by the folks behind Denton Juice Co. Eternal gratitude is no small feat.

REM - An Independent Feature Film

REM is being billed as a Denton film-making super project of sorts. While at this point, we’re not sure if that’s something to shake a stick at or not, Remington Blake and the group behind REM have already garnered the attention of many fine folks (they even got district 1 city councilman, Kevin Roden, to host a fundraiser for them at his house). While the video description leaves us feeling the movie has the potential to be a little collegiate and affected, the talent involved leaves us hopeful and we know for sure that it will look pretty at the very least. REM is looking to raise $8,000 before June 4th. A pledge of $25 gets you a digital copy of the movie after it’s hopeful festival run.

Robert Gomez - Earth Underfoot

Having recently released an album full of adaptations of Robert Olen Butler poems about decapitated heads (2012’s Severance Songs), Gomez has once more turned to Kickstarter to fund his new record. Gomez previously ran a Kickstarter promotion in the summer of 2011 for his aforementioned Severance Songs album. The campagain was successfully funded in Denton and the album was great. This time around, he’s looking for a total of $2,100 to assure this album is “well recorded.” If Gomez is involved, we’re sure it will be. $500 nets you dinner prepared by Señor Decapito, himself, but as little as $1 gets you a, “Thank you” blurb on his website. Funding runs through June 7th.