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.

DENTITANS: KEN WILLIS

Alyssa Stevenson May 20, 2013

Story by Naomi Wood; Images by Dave Koen

Beth Marie's is more than just great ice cream. Here, owner Ken Willis prepares an orange phosphate for us.

The number of local businesses that have already closed in 2013 can no longer be counted on one hand. Opening a local business that not only makes it through it's first year, but is able to expand to the point that local ice-cream shop, Beth Marie's, has must have something special going on behind the scenes. Beth Marie's owner, Ken Willis, is the wizard behind that curtain. Not only is he as sweet and inviting as his beloved ice cream, but he's also a cunning businessman, too. With two stores and a bevy of ice cream now sold inside local grocery stores, Willis has a lot of experience under his belt and is still going strong. We sat down with this veteran of local business to see what advice he had for future entrepreneurs about opening up a business in Denton. He even let us try his new Red Wine and Blue Cheese-flavored ice cream which was way more delicious than our brains thought it would be.

What about your business model has kept your customers loyal to you all these years?

I think with Beth Marie’s it’s more about the nostalgia that keeps people coming back. We implemented the look of a 1950’s soda shop that made people feel something special. Also, the fact that we make our own ice cream from scratch in the back, and how fast we try to serve our customers makes them very happy. I’ve owned other restaurants where I may have a good or bad day with my customers, but with Beth Marie’s it seems like we just lucked out. I guess ice cream just makes people happy, which results in our employees being happy as well.

What would you say is the single most important thing a new business can do to establish themselves in a city like Denton?

Even though Denton is big, it still has the small town atmosphere. So with that said, I think a new business needs to understand who they are trying to cater to. I’ve seen some people come in, and think they understand who Dentonites are, and they really don’t. I can’t generalize an entire city of course, but Denton has a very special population of people who care about community and don’t like feeling like consumerists.

I think a business needs to get involved, even if they don’t have the money at first to spend, it’s the time that they can invest in the community that matters. I don’t know of a single organization that doesn’t appreciate an hour of your time. Getting your name out there is important, but also letting people know you care about the city is probably of even greater importance.

How important has the location on the square been to your success?

We’re fortunate to have our location on the square where there’s more than 30 events per year. Mainstreet Denton has a tremendous draw, and what’s great is that most of Denton’s activities are free. One thing I like to say is, “If you can’t find something to do in Denton, there’s something wrong with you.”

What was the motivation in opening your other store in Unicorn Lake?

We had a good idea at a really bad time, and unfortunately our grand opening was in 2008 right after the economy tanked. It would have made our life a lot easier if the timing wasn't so off, but today, people in those suburbs really enjoy that location. They get their families and their dogs out, and walk down there to have a cone. All the dogs in that area inspired our launch of the sugar free dog biscuit, and now people come buy them by the dozen.

Another benefit to having that location is the Cinemark and Chuy’s. Those two businesses alone bring a lot of customers our way, and when school’s out, Friday and Saturday nights look like a hill full of little ants. They love to sit on those hillsides with their ice cream cones, and its a really neat thing. Overall, we’re having our best years yet, and we hope that will continue.

What is unique about Denton as far as opening a business goes?

How well the business owners get along with each other! Downtown, we operate more like a family or a neighborhood. You always have those few neighbors who like to isolate themselves, but our city is really cool because we all want to help each other out. I don’t think I've ever felt like I was in direct competition with one of my storefront neighbors.

Another great thing about Denton business culture is that our chamber of commerce is so strong, and I've been in towns where the chamber doesn't do that much for you. Denton’s Chamber brings our town together, truly. I like to think that we all have the same goal of making Denton a better place.

SPACE CAMP DEATH SQUAD

Alyssa Stevenson May 17, 2013

Ryan Darbonne went to school at UNT where he mainly hid out in the Radio, Television and Film building for four years. Now, he lives in Austin, working for the Austin Film Festival and rapping about racism in a highly entertaining group called Space Camp Death Squad. On second thought, maybe Darbonne actually got out of the RTVF building every once in a while. After all, he is best buds with plenty of people who still live in town, including our talented friends over at Amandus Studios. In fact, it was some of those great guys that introduced him to the incredible music and creative culture that make up our humble abode.

You may have caught Space Camp Death Squad playing one of their two shows during 35 Denton, but if you didn't, we highly recommend that you make your way over to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios this Saturday to check them out.

You live in Austin now, but you lived in Denton for years and still have a community and friends here that brings you back up pretty often. Tell us about your history with Denton.

In 2004, I moved to Denton where I attended the University of North Texas. In 2009, I graduated cum laude and received my BA in - Wait. Hold on. Jesus. This sounds like the formulaic dust jacket synopsis of my future autobiography (which, b-t-w, I have tentatively titled: “Oh no! There’s a Negro in my Wife! The Ryan Darbonne Story”). Here’s the real scoop: I went to UNT because my grades were shit and no one else would have me. Took some film classes and junk or whatever. Got to direct a thesis film. Had a crush on my French professor. Made sketch comedy videos with some of my best friends in the world. Had sex…once…and went to house shows. That’s it. No. Seriously. My history with Denton is pretty, preetttyy, preeettttyyy, pretty boring yet those five years were some of the best of my life.

I love Denton. It’s my home away from home. My, short lived, time there not only helped me grow as a person but as an artist. The town’s dedication to its creative community served as a continued source of inspiration. Moreover, I was fortunate enough to meet an amazing group people (I knew Neon Indian before he was famous!!!! LULZ!!! SMH!!! FML AND MY BUTT!!!!) who became like family to me. I left Denton with an overabundance of fond memories (my favorite being the time Chris Flemmons, having just seen our sketch comedy series “Hello Optimism”, drunkenly accosted me at RGRS to tell me that was some of the funniest shit he had ever seen) and I miss it dearly.

Does that answer your question? I don’t think it does. Whatever. Eat a dick.

Space Camp originally started as a kind of social commentary... Can you give us a little more insight into why you started Space Camp - why hip hop?

Noah Swords (founding member who left the group in February to build mosques in Lubbock, TX) and I originally started SPACE CAMP as a joke. Nothing more. We had no intention of ever playing shows or even being a hip-hop group proper. We both loved Das Racist and just wanted to rhyme about non-sequiturs (our first three songs were about pooping in space) over electronic dance beats. We chose hip-hop as a medium because it was a cheap, and relatively easy, way to make music.

Eventually, SPACE CAMP (we added the Death Squad later) became a lot more involved. We got a DJ (Murk Jones AKA I’m Legally Obligated To Stay 400ft Away From Schools) and started playing shows. We started to take the writing more seriously and out of that the sociopolitical aspect of the group was born. Noah and I both hated hip-hop culture and wanted to lash out against it in the most aggressive way possible. So we evolved into a group that represented all the worst parts of hip-hop (the materialism, the violence, etc…) and we, in turn, became id personified. However, we had rules in place. We would never refer to women as “bitches, hoes, or cunts” nor would we ever advocate violence against women. In addition, we would never use the word “fag” or any other derogatory term against the LGBTQ community. Everything else was up for grabs. Soon race became a defining factor in our lyrics and whatever else we wanted to make fun of. SPACE CAMP Death Squad has gone from a tactless joke to a satirical performance art piece.

After Noah left local (white) rappers P-tek and Secret Levels joined the group.

Most of your lyrics really seem to center around racism... Tell us about why and how you attack such a heady issue in such an entertaining way.

This goes without saying but racism is absolutely fucking ridiculous. I am continually horrified and humored by its existence. I write about it because it’s a way for me to explore why it exists, as a social construct, and why it’s such big deal for me (sometimes I feel like the black Woody Allen when it comes to racial paranoia). Even though the lyrics are heady it’s really important for me to approach race in a comedic and entertaining way; I want an audience to like the music and not feel alienated (although screaming “fuck white people and their cargo shorts” doesn’t help). There’s something to be said about a group of strangers who can all come together and post-post-ironically mock racism. Also, for us as a group, it’s important we don’t take ourselves too seriously. For every line about apartheid or black on black crime there’s a doo doo joke in there. At the end of the day we’re performers who want to put on a good show.

Outside of your role in Space Camp Death Squad you have some other pretty creative pursuits... tell us about those.

In addition to being the sixth best rapper in Austin, TX, I am a repertory film programmer and filmmaker. I’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort to the art of filmmaking. Writing, directing, film theory/criticism/history are all things I’m insanely passionate about and will, probably, spend the rest of my life trying to master. For me, it’s much more than a hobby; it’s my raison d'être. Given the opportunity I would drop hip-hop in a fucking heartbeat to make films full time.

I sound like an asshole.

How does a creative community come into play when you’re writing lyrics, filming a short, or planning a feature?

A creative community means fuck all to me when it comes to writing rap lyrics. SPACE CAMP is a self-indulgent project. It’s a semi-healthy outlet for me to exorcise aggression and all the things I hate about myself. I could care less about the homogeneous music community in Austin.

However, in saying all that, the creative community is absolutely essential when it comes to filmmaking. Film, by design, is the most collaborative art form there is. As a director, you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Whenever I direct a new project I am beholden to my crew, to my cast and to anyone who offers their free time to help. Austin is an ideal place to shoot a film because the community support is overwhelming and without that making a GOOD film would be virtually impossible.

Biggest creative influences?

The Cohen Brothers, Mark Twain, Sugar Ray

Favorite three things about Denton...

1. All the overeducated college grads that still make minimum wage

2. All the ugly white guys with beards

3. Waffle House

Details about Saturday’s show at Rubber Gloves:

Saturday’s going to amazing! In addition to us (SPACE CAMP Death Squad Bang Bus Squad We Whip Our Dicks Out For Money And Smash Mouth Tickets), the lineup includes: MC Sex, Tijuana Bible and that other band no one I know has ever heard of. It’s $5 to get in. $7 if you’re under 21. Doors open at 9pm. Show starts at 10pm. If you like watching mediocre bands in a mediocre venue then you definitely want to check this show out!*

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire

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.

ELECTION LAUNCH PARTY

Alyssa Stevenson May 15, 2013

We love democracy. Kind of a lot. You might already know this. You also might already know that we think voting and local politics are important - not just because Kevin Roden forced us to, but because they impact our most basic needs in our city - way more than national elections. These are the men and women who make the big decisions about bike lanes, food trucks, smoking in bars and restaurants, public works of art and grants for new/or burgeoning businesses!

We like local politics soo much that we decided to throw a big party to celebrate democracy at the local level. With the help of some fine friends, we partied through the night and congratulated our newly elected officials on their success in returning to or obtaining new city council seats to proudly serve their districts (each of which we had already endorsed with our video a few weeks ago).

A huge thanks to Meat Guns, Armadillo Ales, DJ Five Easy Pieces, Doug Burr, photographer Amelia McBride, videographer Addison Day and of course Little Guys Movers. Without you we would not have gotten to see Jim Engelbrecht in patriotic suspenders and a flat top straw hat and heard Kevin Roden say, "Denton is a woman."

If you were there - you can find your photo booth photos here. If you weren't check out that video up top and make sure you join us next time!

THE DEN10

Alyssa Stevenson May 15, 2013

The traffic got a little lighter this week. Our already sleepy town got a little sleepier and then with the heat, sleepier still. After spending an hour staring into the sun at the Denton Creatives Mixer on Monday, you're probably ready to not really leave the house until the sun's down. It's time to start finding those apartment pools to sneak into for late night swimming and drinking warm PBR's. It's time for chili cook-offs, Fourth of July plans and vacations near the water. There's the way the sun hits the square in the summer that makes it smell like even the dust is getting a sunburn. Somehow that's just a reminder that summer is here and it's not going away until the town gets flooded with fresh young faces clad in the latest Urban Outfitter's catalog - who heard that Denton had a really great "scene", who are "really excited about classes" and have adorable questions like "what's your major?". As inevitable as all that is, the only thing there really is to wrap your head around is how to fully, and slowly, soak up the very unique Denton Summer experience. Time to start making plans.

Wednesday May 15
New Science Projects / Old Potion / Claire Morales / Daniel Folmer | Gloves | 9PM | $5
There's been quite a trend of solid shows at the Gloves lately and we're hoping it continues.

Sculpture Collective Show | UNT On The Square | 6PM
Put on by the Institute For The Advancement Of The Arts and The College Of Visual Arts And Design. Check out UNT's talent pool while enjoying Vietnamese food at this opening reception.

Thursday May 16
Savage & The Big Beat / Bashe / Sophmore | Dan's | 9PM | $5
The fellas that brought you Jurassic Park The Musical are headlining Thursday at Dan's with the intention of fully entertaining you for five dollars.

Friday May 17
Wayne "The Train" Hancock | Dan's | 9PM | $12
Wayne's commanding performances of the classic country swing form will be on display this Friday on Dan's stage. If you haven't caught him, you need to. Learn how to two-step and get to it.

Saturday May 18
Space Camp Death Squad / Tijuana Bible / M.C. Sex / Catastica | Gloves | 9PM | $5

The Ladies of Spiderweb Salon Showcase | J&J's | 8PM | $3
Comedy by Sarah Vaughn? Yes, please! Of course there's also a shadow puppet performance among the readings and playings of instruments. This is going to be a zany night of local zaniness that will be well worth your hard earned 3 Washingtons.

Taco Fest 2K13 | Taqueria El Picante | 2PM | $5 both days
This is our type of fest am I right? Dollar tacos, vegan tacos, raffles, a mustache seesaw, rad games and activities and - oh yeah, 2 stages of bands playing into the wee hours of the morn. There will also be a first aid kit on standby which is good because some people say "safety first" but I say "safety always".

Natural Beauty Products with Ayrton Chapman | Cardo's Farm Project | 10AM | $45
Tips that go beyond "consider bathing daily" like how to make your own natural lip balm, deodorant and lotion. This three hour workshop presented by Ayrton sounds like a nice and educational way to spend a Saturday morning. Register at www.cardosfarmproject.com.

Duchman Family Wine Dinner | The Chestnut Tree | 7PM | $50
A wine dinner hosted by Chestnut Tree and featuring pairings with offerings from the Duchman Family Winery. The cost includes four courses of Italian inspired food featuring local produce and four wines to go with it. Of course a Duchmen rep will be educating you about the tastings which, if successful, will finally have you thinking more than "that tastes like grapes" afterwards.

Sunday May 19
Theatrum Sub Rosa Presents: Wet Hot American Summer | Paschall Bar | 5PM | FREE
The secret society of film enthusiasts that is Theatrum Sub Rosa returns this Sunday with the start of their summer series kicking it off with the comedy classic, Wet Hot American Summer. Sip your sazeracs and old fashioneds and enjoy this film to kick off what is sure to be the best summer of your entire life ever.

Taco Fest 2K13 | Taqueria El Picante | 2PM | $5 both days

Monday May 20
PANTS Steamroller Printing Extravaganza | Cool Beans | 11AM
Hosted by the always industrious Printmaking Association of North Texas, this event seems to be continuing the live printing trend. There's nothing wrong with folks getting together and making art now is there? There's nothing wrong with those Cool Beans chili dogs either.

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.

DENTON CREATIVES MIXER

Alyssa Stevenson May 13, 2013

Tonight, Heather Gregory and Tristan Bynum of Maker Space (read our Maker Space Denton Interview) are teaming up with recently re-elected city councilman Kevin Roden and the brains behind the Denton Community Market to host the second Denton Creatives Mixer. If you missed the first one last October at Oak Street Draft House, we suggest not making that mistake again.

Our fine friends from Triple Threat Press, The DIME Store, Pan Ector, The Denton Community Market and Maker Space will be sharing their unique perspectives of starting a creative business in Denton. Each of them have their own set of challenges they've faced and their own set of challenges in their different fields. We love that through this mixer the creative class can come together and celebrate the progress in this city - which is so beautifully strengthened by its diversity.

We recommend making your way down to Oak Street Draft House tonight at 5:30, grabbing a Quakertown Stout and chatting it up with the other creatives in our city. Children are apparently welcome at Oak Street until sundown, so if you're unable to get a sitter, it's time to introduce your son or daughter to the game of cornhole. Make sure to come prepared, though. Have your business card in your sweaty little hand and gel disinfectant at the ready. There will be lots of hands to shake. Who knows - maybe you'll meet just the person you've been looking for to launch your next endeavor. At the very least you can hear Kevin Roden tell you why, "Denton is a woman," or buy some endive off of Pete Kamp.

DAYTRIPPIN' WITH CHET

May 10, 2013

DAVE KOEN

If you’re having a hard time finding things to do in the state of Texas, there is one man who’s got you covered. His name is Chet Garner and he is the host of The Daytripper on PBS. He has made it his mission to visit every fun and exciting place in the great state Texas and he brings a film crew along with him to document his exploits. On his recent Denton day trip, Chet and crew visited the Texas Motor Speedway, Beth Marie’s, Recycled Books, Rooster’s Roadhouse, and Dan’s Silverleaf among other places.

On May 4th, Chet came back with a bus full of fans to show them some of his favorite Denton locations. We were able to catch up with him and get him to answer a few questions about Texas day tripping and his thoughts on Denton. Be sure to check out Chet and all of his day trips on KERA, Saturday mornings at 10:30 or on his website, thedaytripper.com. ¡Vaya con dios amigos!

Denton Day Trippers, photo courtesy of the Daytripper Facebook page

You’ve visited a lot of cool, crazy and interesting places in the state of Texas. What makes you decide to visit a city?

Eventually, I want to visit every town in Texas. But the main things I'm looking for are good food, interesting culture/history, and exciting adventures/outdoors. Every town has those things. It's just a matter of how hard you have to dig.

Have you ever arrived in a city and found out that it wasn’t nearly as exciting as you thought it was going to be?

Sure. But the boring cities never make the show. I do a lot of scouting. I've gotta visit everything and eat everything to know what is worthy of making the show and what isn't.

What has been your favorite day trip so far?

I've had a ton of awesome day trips. My favorite depends on what I want to do at the time I get asked the question. With the weather heating up, I'm eager to start visiting swimming holes again. So, my answer at this second is Burnet. I could spend days swimming and cliff jumping in the Devil's Waterhole on Ink's Lake.

"Stone Cold" Chet Garner enjoying some Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream

We all know that Denton is pretty neat but what, specifically, made you decide to do your first group day trip here?

This was our first group day trip from Dallas. We've done group trips from Austin and Houston. But we picked Denton because of the diversity. Where else can you drive on a NASCAR track, visit a historic square, eat homemade ice cream, and travel to hell and back….all in a day.

“Austin is full of people who...aren’t necessarily doing anything cool. To me, that marks the beginning of the end. Some city will rise next. Maybe that’s Denton.”

Your show started out as a more Austin-centric show called the Austin Daytripper. A lot of people have compared Denton to the way Austin was a decade ago or more. What do you think about that?

I really do feel that visiting Denton is like visiting Austin in 1975. We all have to realize that things are cyclical. And the epicenter of cool in Texas moves. It currently happens to be Austin, but nobody wanted to move to Austin in the 80's. Denton is full of cool people doing cool stuff who don't have to be part of the "scene." Austin is full of people who want to be associated with the "scene" and aren't necessarily doing anything cool. To me, that marks the beginning of the end. Some city will rise next. Maybe that's Denton.

We noticed that you’ve never visited any of Denton’s many delicious taco establishments. Surely, you’ve heard of the East McKinney Taco Corridor (EMTC) and are excited to try some of its delicious offerings. What taco place are you most looking forward to trying someday? (If you are unfamiliar with the EMTC, here is a guide written by the folks at We Denton Do It.)

Chet: Dang. I didn't know anything about the EMTC. All those taco places sound awesome. Looks like I'll be headed back to Denton very soon.