Can Denton get weird and kooky? Oh heck yeah. Just recently, we’ve written about the hit-and-run death of UNT’s lucky albino squirrel, the eco-friendly hippie haven settlement Whitehawk, and a new card game involving Denton and Profanity. We even have four prior volumes of Denton Oddities, but here’s even more proof that there’s still plenty to gander at slackjawed whist urban adventuring around our Denton area.
Read MoreUPCOMING EXHIBIT: COMPOSITE OF THE SOUL
Have ya’ll heard of the “rule of three”? It’s the idea that things that come in three’s are inherently more satisfying, memorable and effective than any other number of things (“ready, set, go”, “lights, camera, action”, etc.). Well, we’ve got a triple decker artist feature for you today! 3 local artists for the price of one! Ka-pow!
These guys are teaming up with our beloved GDAC (Greater Denton Arts Council) to bring you their most recent works, so we sat down with them to chat about their upcoming show, the benefits of “doing art” in Denton, the importance of human conversation, and why Beyonce may or may not be the inspiration for everything. Read on to discover the truth of 3 out of 4 of those things (hint: Beyonce is not one of them).
Read MoreA SHORT HISTORY OF DENTON'S WHITEHAWK COMMUNITY
Some may have heard the rumors of a “hippie commune” somewhere in North Denton County, but longtime Dentonites likely recall stories of the Whitehawk Valley community that’s been experimenting with eco-friendly energy independence for decades. Going Green before it was a thing, the Whitehawk community were ahead of their time even back in the day.
Read MoreMAGIC AT MIDNIGHT: ARTS AND ADVOCACY CASINO NIGHT
I am writing this now because I may or may not have spent most of New Year’s Day recovering from New Year’s Eve.
I certainly considered being a bigger person and taking it easy so that I could wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and get a workout in on the very first day of the year, but here we are. I will make no excuses…Is it still fair to blame it on 2016 though?
Lil’ d NYE was an inaugural arts and advocacy casino night that happened this past weekend. The event benefited two great organizations in Denton; Greater Denton Arts Council and United Way of Denton County. Read on for more!
Read MoreTHE PLAYLIST: DENTON TXMAS HOLIDAY EDITION
GLEN FARRIS AND SHAUN TREAT
TThe fine folks over at the Denton Record-Chronicle published a mighty fine “Denton Christmas Playlist” last weekend, which got our collective gears a’turning. To us, their 5 songs seemed like a good start to throwing together a longer selection of locally-sourced holiday cheer. So our gift to y’all this year is the following WDDI Denton TXmas Awesome Holiday Mixtape (vol. 7), our extended representative sampling in no particular order.
BOWLING FOR SOUP – “FATHER CHRISTMAS”
These Witchita Falls rockers honed their sound in Denton pubs, and this take is a fun way to kick things up a notch for your Holiday party.
NORAH JONES & WILLIE NELSON – “BABY ITS COLD OUTSIDE”
Both of these music legends have their roots in the Denton scene, and their take on a notoriously slightly creepy tune is actually a welcome breath of fresh air.
BAPTIST GENERALS – “ALCOHOL”
Okay, not a Christmas song proper, but definitely speaks to a major (some would say essential) ingredient in a lot of holiday celebrations. We stand by our selection.
ROY ORBISON – “PRETTY PAPER”
Few can belt out a soulfully lovelorn ballad like The O, an old-timey tune that deserves far more holiday play than it gets.
PAT BOONE – “WHITE CHRISTMAS”
It just doesn’t come any whiter or more Christmassy than this NTSU alum. Trust us, your momma will applaud this pick.
POLYPHONIC SPREE – “HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)”
These choral dynamos deliver a pitch-perfect cover of the haunting John Lennon classic.
CENTRO-MATIC – “FUSELAGE (ITS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN)”
This Denton indy legend mixes growling pop beats with abstracted instrumentals, a toe-tapping homage to the more angsty aspects of the holidays.
EAGLES – PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
A Christmas mix without Don Henley and The Eagles? Blasphemy.
FISHBOY – “A SURPRISE RETURN”
Who else but our own beloved Fishboy could deliver a song about a zombie Christmas Tree returning for a hangout? That’s right, no one. You’re welcome.
SNARKY PUPPY – “THING OF GOLD”
Familiar holiday beats filtered through an acid jazz jam session? Yes, please.
NEW SCIENCE PROJECTS – “XMAS CALL”
One of our favorite punk blues tributes to another less-discussed holiday tradition, the drunken phone call to an Ex.
SLOBBERBONE – “GIVE ME BACK MY DOG”
The opposite of gift giving is demanding your dang pooch back, which is why we are totally counting this track on our holiday mixtape. I mean, Stephen King name-dropped this as one of his picks for the greatest rock-and-roll song of all time, so you can argue with him in the comments.
SARAH JAFFE – “CLEMENTINE”
Little known fact, Clementine is actually the name of Mrs. Claus before she… Okay, nah, just kidding. Because Glen appears in the hauntingly beautiful video for this amazing tune, we here at WDDI will always include it on every songlist ever. Always. It’s a thing, just roll with it.
If you want to sample and savor these songs along with plenty more local selections, then click on over to this WDDI MT007 playlist, or this epic YouTube mixtape variation by Shaun Treat. We went ahead and included the video for Centro-matic's "Fuselage" below because how can anyone resist all those stills from A Christmas Vacation?
As always, we love to hear your hot take in the comments in case we missed one of your favorites.
Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, and Happy Holidays from the gang here at We Denton Do It.
ART SHOW: MARIA RAZO AT BRICK HAUS COLLECTIVE
Local artist organization, Brick Haus Collective, recently featured a solo show by artist Maria Razo. The show, entitled "Mi Tierra," contained 16 pieces inspired by the natural world, Razo's personal experiences, memories, and cultural background. Many of Razo's compositions include animals and plants that invite the viewer to connect with nature in a somewhat spiritual way. Most of the work in the show is lithography, but there were also monotypes, paintings, and some mixed media. The latter even incorporated found patterns, digital imagery, and textiles. Her reception on Saturday evening included local vendors, Sarah Westrup with Tierra Firme and Mayra Martinez of Everything Living, whose goods paired nicely with Razo's artistic sensibility.
Read More
A VERY DENTON HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
It is officially almost Christmas, y'all. Do you have all of your shopping done? We don't either. Don't worry. You can get all of your non-online Christmas shopping done in Denton. Below are a few gift suggestions for your boyfriend, girlfriend, platonic buddy, parents, child, grandma, or even that one cool co-worker that helps you get through your day. All of them will help you spend your hard-earned dollars in town. If you have any local gifts you'd like to receive, let us know in the comments and maybe your sister-in-law will see it and buy it for ya!
Read MoreOM FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Step one: breathe. No, for real. Literally close your eyes right now and take a deep breath. This, my friends, will be the simplest and most helpful tool to get you through the stress (I mean joy?) of the holiday season. Whether your holidays consists of less than amicable family gatherings (that may or may not include food fights and yelling) or you’re just super busy with work and school – the holiday season can just be hard. Really hard. Like pass the eggnog and a 5th slice of pie hard. But it’s okay! I have some helpful tips on how to use yoga as a way to destress this holiday season.
Read More
DO THE DENTON HOLIDAY LIGHTING FESTIVAL LIKE A PRO
One of our favorite holiday traditions, the Holiday Lighting Festival, is this weekend. The annual free event features music, food, performances, a toy drive, and various other holiday activities. Happening simultaneously to the Holiday Lighting Festival is Wassail Weekend. Dozens of local shops extend their hours and welcome patrons to sample their wassail, a hot cider-like beverage. Wassail Weekend On Friday evening the Downtown Denton square will be shut down to traffic to make way for wassail-guzzling pedestrians to walk around and enjoy all of the festivities. You'll find us circled 'round the tree like the Whos down in Whoville, holding hands and singing with joy. We're not sure who the Grinch is in this situation, though.
If you plan on coming out to sample the wassail and find the joy of the holiday in your cold, black heart, here are our tips and tricks to making sure you get to squeeze as much holiday cheer out of the event as possible.
Read More