The newly opened East Side Social Club is our newest weekend hang out in town. They have a seemingly unending beer list, more whiskey than we could ever dream of and they even use those really great ice spheres when we order a double bourbon on the rocks.
It seems though - that they weren't the first "ESSC" on the Denton scene though. Lucky for us, our friend Addison Day helps clear up the confusion in his newest video.
It's been a few years since they teamed up and started playing together - now Joey McClellan and McKenzie Smith have started a recording studio together. They've had local and international acts come through to record and produce in their studio, tucked away quietly in north Denton - now we're looking forward to seeing and hearing what they'll be doing next. Lucky for us, we didn't have to go far to catch up with the dynamic duo.
What brought you to Denton? What keeps you here?
McKenzie Smith: I moved to Denton in 1997 to study jazz at UNT. During those first few years, the beginnings of Midlake were already forming, and by 2000, I had quit school to focus on the band and make a living as a full time musician. It wasn't exactly easy, I had to work a full time job teaching music at a school up until April of 2006, when the band began touring heavily for our second album, "The Trials of Van Occupanther."
There are a lot of things that keep me in Denton though. This is a great town to be creative in, with an amazing community of artists and musicians, and it continues to grow and thrive. It seems to be heading in a direction that is going to make me stay here even longer. The band, the studio, and the bar we own are three key factors of why I'm still here, but I think it might just be the fact that I can get the best sushi I have ever had anywhere right here in Denton at Keiichi.
Joey McClellan: I moved to Denton from Brooklyn after playing guitar with Midlake on a couple of tours in the US and Europe. After work on the new Midlake album began, it just made more sense to move here rather than traveling back and forth all of the time. At the same time, Mckenzie and I had talked about building a recording studio and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do both.
Denton is a great little town, with a lot of growth potential, and its exciting to be here watching it develop so rapidly. As with any great town - it's the good people that make you want to stick around, and Denton has that in spades. People here are passionate, have a thirst for knowledge, and are driven to express themselves creatively. I have no doubt that national recognition is on the horizon for Little D.
Can you give me a brief history of your career in music?
JM: I co-founded a band with my Brother Aaron called The Fieros that received two Dallas Observer Music Awards before relocating to Brooklyn in 2008. From there we were able to sign on with a music licensing company owned by MTV and have had songs featured in numerous television shows and even one Simpsons commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.
In NYC I began playing bass for a band called Hymns and did a tour with Texas legend Daniel Johnston that kicked off with a performance at ACL in 2009. Mckenzie called me in 2010 after the departure of their then lead guitar player Max Townsley and asked if I'd be interested in touring with Midlake. After two tours with Midlake I relocated to Denton to begin working on the newest Midlake record that is slated for release this November.
MS: I started drumming at the age of 5 and never looked back! I went to the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, TX, where I was born and raised, and then got a full scholarship to the UNT Jazz program. After playing in the 1 O'Clock Lab Band, my interest in school started to wane drastically . I left to work on the band and begin trying to figure out how to make a living playing music.
Along the way, I have been really fortunate to play with some great artists such as Regina Spektor, St. Vincent, and Sondre Lerche, to name a few, and being a studio musician has become a huge passion of mine. Midlake is my main priority in the music world, but I stay busy with lots of other projects as well, drumming, producing and mixing.
What is driving you to switch gears into becoming a producer? What does your role as producer for Redwood really look like?
MS: I started messing around with the producer thing about 10 years ago, when my sister was working on some music. I tried my hand at helping her complete some songs. Over the years, more and more people began to give me the opportunity to help flesh out their ideas and collaborate. I started to really fall in love with music production.
When Joey and I started talking about our mutual dream of opening a studio, it seemed like a good chance for both of us to work on projects we are passionate about. It didn't hurt that we would be able to work right from my back yard.
Every recording situation is different, so defining an exact role is difficult. Generally speaking, producing is helping facilitate someone else's music. At Redwood, we love to work closely with the artists that ask us to produce, which can be anything from co-writing, arranging, playing, and hiring the right musicians for the song or album.
JM: Music production has been a passion of mine since I first started writing and recording songs in my late teens. My approach is always to bring the experience I've gained over the years in the studio and touring while trying to not stifle the vision of the artist that I'm working with.
Tell us about the history of Redwood - how did it get started - what really drove you to start your own recording studio?
JM: Mckenzie and I began talking about the idea at the end of 2011. The building was once a wood working shop then a motorcycle shop. We opened the doors by September 2012 with our first client being Daniel Hart's new project Dark Rooms.
MS: When my wife and I were house hunting, this house stood out almost immediately because it had this big backyard with another house in it. It wasn't built out much on the inside, but the shell of a building was there. That pretty much sealed the deal for me - and I made my wife buy this house!
Joey and I spent almost an entire year gutting the inside, hammering, drilling, making huge rookie mistakes, and asking for a lot of help from family and friends. It took a lot of work to get the studio to look like what it does today. We still have big dreams and plans for what the studio will eventually become.
The space itself is really cool - very different. Who designed/built it? Who or what played major roles in your design decisions?
JM: We put our heads together on this, and came up with a design that we felt created the best sonic environment, while maintaining vibe that would make you feel like you're somewhere special. We wanted to avoid creating the generic and sterile environment that you find at most commercial recording studios.
We built it ourselves - we spent countless hours cutting wood and hammering nails in the midst of the Texas summer. We had help from some very good friends and family. It was an unforgettable experience.
MS: If I had the time and energy for it, I would be an interior designer! I'm not kidding, I love design, architecture and spaces that make life more enjoyable. Joey and I share in this passion and wanted to make the studio not only highly functioning, but also a really inspirational space.
We wanted the vibe of the rooms to be cozy - but not cramped, stylish - but not stuffy, and also feel lived in, all at the same time. So many recording studios feel like a spa or a doctors office. That is not what we were going for.
You’ve built quite the team for staffing the studio. Can you tell us more about everyone who is a part of the Redwood team?
MS: We are fortunate in that we all bring something to the table. I love working with Joey and Jordan and feel blessed to have such creative people around me all the time. It doesn't hurt that they also happen to be some of the nicest guys I have ever met.
JM: We were lucky to find our house engineer Jordan Martin through a mutual friend. He has been an invaluable part of this since the day we opened. He's a super talented, intelligent guy, who works really well with our clients. Mckenzie and I co-produce, perform, and sometimes engineer as well.
“People here are passionate, have a thirst for knowledge, and are driven to express themselves creatively. I have no doubt that national recognition is on the horizon for Little D.
”
You’ve got a lot of bands coming in and out of the studio right now - including a few local favorites - Chambers, Seryn, Sarah Jaffe. And you just had a band from Sweden recording. What is it that makes your space the right recording studio for them? What kind of musicians are really attracted to what Redwood is offering?
MS: We are so happy that some really amazing artists have chosen Redwood to work with, even though we haven't even been open a year yet. There is so much local talent that we love, and there are some great studios in the area that people could choose over us, so we are definitely humbled and grateful.
Our plan is to continue to reach out to amazing artists, big and small, and hope that they will consider us for their next recording project. We have a great staff, a great environment to record in, and we're right here in the middle of Denton.
JM: Our initial vision was to always have bands and musicians recording here that we are actually fans of. It's been extremely rewarding to have some of our favorite local and international acts come through the doors and give such positive feedback about their experience here.
We were very selective in the gear we brought into the studio. Our tracking room has high vaulted ceilings which provide a great warm sound. Bands that are looking for a very organic recording experience fit well in this environment.
When bands from out of town come in to record - what are some of your favorite places to take them around Denton?
JM: The first place we took Johan Orjannson when he arrived from Sweden was Chuy's, which he loved and made sure to hit again before leaving town. We also like to take people to Keiichi if we can get in. Taco Lady and Sabrocitas are favorites for tacos, and Paschall Bar, Dan's Silverleaf, and Oak Street Draft House are great for drinks after a long session. We also like to show guests the Greenbelt and the swimming beach at Lake Ray Roberts.
MS: The Mini Malls! We also love taking people to Seven Mile, Loco Cafe , Greenhouse, Dan's Silverleaf, The Cupboard, Jupiter House, Hannah's, Hailey's, Oak St. Draft House, and of course our bar, Paschall's. Oh, and lets not forget... Keiichi.
Is everyone ready to drink from the firehose? Because that's what's about to happen. With school back in, the town's population seemingly doubled overnight - along with the amount of events that are totally worth your time to attend. This week, it wasn't hard to find ten. So now may be a good time to make the public service announcement that if you've got a hot tip for a show, shoot us an email. While we're at it, make sure and remember to #WDDI your Instagram and Facebook pics if you want to be included in our weekly Monday morning What We Did post.
Questions or comments? Email info@wedentondoit.com
Wednesday September 3
I Love Math Records Free Week
Showcase | Rubbergloves | 9PM |
FREE
One of our most prolific
musicians, Tony Ferraro, headlines tonight at Rubber Gloves' Free Week with his "Satans of Soft Rock." He's a true force of nature and the package deal as far as
musician/human goes. If you don't catch this performance, be sure to check out
any of the other dozen projects he's involved in because they are all pretty top
notch. Get on some free week action.
Thursday September 4
Intermediate Painting Review | Cora Stafford Gallery
| 5PM | FREE
There's usually snacks and artwork from students at these sorts of things. We dig both.
Drink For The Kids | Paschall | 7PM | FREE
A portion of proceeds go to the Splash Park this Thursday so go grab a cold one so kids can cool off next summer.
Friday September 5
Pan Ector Industries Presents: RGRS Free Week w/ Brain Gang / New Fumes / Black James Franco / The Days | 9PM | FREE
More free week fun to be had. Have we mentioned that it's free yet?
Alejandro Escovedo & The Sensitive Boys | Dan's Silverleaf | 9PM | $15
It's not every day a Texas rock legend plays Dan's. Alejandro Escovedo has been around a few times and shouldn't be missed if you can help it. There will be no shortage of boutique amps on stage.
Photographs of Denton | UNT On The Square | 5:30PM
First Friday Gallery Opening w/ Spiderweb Salon | Jupiter House | 7PM | FREE
Been wondering why the artwork up at Jupiter House has been better lately? Well, it's because the busy folks at Spiderweb Salon have been curating the hangings. Stick around and meet folks in the midst of art, music and artsy folk drinking coffee. While you're out - make sure to check out SCRAP and The DIME Store for more First Friday events.
St. David's Music Series Presents: Isaac Hoskins,
Ryan Thomas Becker, Chambers | St. David of Wales | 6PM
Here is a uniques chance to see some some artists
do what they do in a beautiful Anglican chapel.
Monday September 8
Keep Denton Beautiful Fundraiser | Oak St. Draft House | 12PM - 2AM
Ten percent of sales go to the non-profit Keep Denton Beautiful. You have the hardworking folks here to thank for the dumpsters on Fry St. that magically turned into a planted tree and a ring of bike racks. This was no easy feat, so stop by, pat them on the back and thank them for doing what the can to Keep Denton Beautiful.
DTCTV / Danny Rush & The Designated Drivers / Tony Ferraro | Dan's Silverleaf | 10PM | $13
DCTV features James Greer (ex-Guided By Voices, Roi, Complete Portion Control, etc.).
Eric Michener, front man of the band FishBoy, has done it again. Not only has he put out a cool new album and been busy playing show after show, but he's also been teaming up with local artists and letterpress company Triple Threat Press to create jackets for his new 7" vinyl. He liked their work so much that he even made a 'Making Of' video to show us all how they created a piece of local music history.
Make sure to watch the video, get to know some great local artists, and listen to more of Eric's music over here. Oh, and you definitely want to watch all the way to the end! Lest you miss out on hearing our friend/printing guru, Laura Drapac, meowing like her giant cat Milo.
This weekend was a strange one. While for many college freshman, they had their first full weekend of hanging out in Denton. They had their choice to hit up the UNT football game (which people were tailgating for hours beforehand) or to hit up one of the many businesses that opened up during the month of August. Those that read the paper, however, were were met with an onslaught of horrible news stories around Denton County that just didn't seem to stop pouring in.
We got around quite a bit, ourselves, hitting up the newly opened Shift Coffee and More Fun Games, in addition to some tried and true activities. Look below to check out photos from us and our readers and to get some in depth commentary on what we got to check out.
The location and exterior of Shift Coffee leave a little to be desired, but we've tried to have an open attitude in regards to location ever since the Better Block meeting and were very pleasantly surprised by what we found inside.
Reader Sarah Adams (@SarahAnneAdams) shared her Mean Green Pride with us. Did any of y'all go out there early to enjoy some tailgating?
Reader, Joshua Piers (@joshpiers), was one of many to hit up East Side Social Club during their opening weekend to enjoy one of the many beers and whiskey options they offer.
We had heard rumors that the hiring of a new sushi chef at Denton-institution, Mr. Chopsticks, had revitalized the cold fish scene. We checked it out for the first time in a long time and weren't disappointed.
September 1st marked opening day of dove hunting season in north Texas.
Doug Burr hard at work on his upcoming record.
We spent a little time at Redwood Recording Studio, checking out what McKenzie and Joey have going on in there...
@davekoen caught Radioactivity kicking off Free Week at Rubber Gloves.
FishBoy also made the Free Week scene at Rubber Gloves last night. Luckily @davekoen was there to catch it all.
We popped by Geryn Roche's ceramics reception - we're totally in love with her work.
We're pretty pumped that The DIME store is looking into carrying a few of her pieces.
We’ve all heard stories of the legendary 1969 “Summer of Love” and swarms of groovy hippies who descended upon the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in rural New York, defining images for how recent generations remember the flower-powered 1960s. But today’s young’uns may not know that during the 1969 Labor Day weekend, just two weeks after Woodstock became legend, Denton County played reluctant host to its own Texas International Pop Festival just down the road. According to those who attended (from what they can recall), it was really truly far out, man.
Lewisville in 1969 was still a small farming community of about 9,000 when the Dallas International Motor Speedway opened in July. With the help of Six Flags amusement park heir Angus Wynne III, partners in the Dallas-based concert promotion company Showco approached Atlanta Pop Festival organizers about co-sponsoring a three-day outdoor music festival to make use of this new venue, which attracted a stunning 150,000 peacenik hippies, bikers, and music-lovers from all over the US. The Texas International Pop Festival showcased 25 musical acts on its main stage, and there was also a free public stage built five miles north at the Lewisville Lake public campground, where most concert-goers and many musicians stayed. The first event ever recognized with a state historical marker in Denton County, the mind-blowing musical line-up is recapped in the submitted historical narrative by sponsor Richard Hayner:
These kids were digging your favorite music before hipsters were cool, man.
More flower-power to ya, “Nightingale”
While scantily-clad audiophiles swooned before the ascending Rock Gods in the August heat, and 60s icon Wavy Gravy would acquire his monicker on the campground’s free stage, other concerned locals squawked about this apocalyptic plague of moral deviants. A Dallas Morning News editorial huffily denounced how “the lewd and loose in Lewisville will swing and sway… assembling in unspeakable costumes, half-naked, barefooted, defying propriety and scorning morality.” Radio DJs were defiant of such pearl-clutching; "Neither rain nor hail nor public opinion deters the savage attack on ear drums, public morals, private morality or just plain decency." Both predictions never really came to pass, since the event even by accounts of its vocal critics had been a serene assembly for peace, love, and groovy tunes. In a savvy countermeasure, however, the concert promoters had paid outgoing Police Chief Ralph Adams to head security, which became quite the post-concert scandal in Lewisville. Still, unlike the overcrowding difficulties and drug-fueled lapses in public hygene at Woodstock, the TxIPF had no violence and only a dozen or two arrests of kids trying to sneak in. On-site EMT sent just a handful of non-lethal drug overdoses to the hospital and another 40 for heat exhaustion, but mostly treated cuts to relentlessly dancing bare feet. Exactly one person died of heatstroke and, in a bit of karmic irony, one baby was delivered at the Speedway that weekend. Despite blue-haired squares’ fear of riots, the only real confrontations were between skinny-dipping Flower Children chastising the swarms of bawdy rubberneckers gawking from boats on the lake.
Historic Marker by the A Train Station
photo by LeAnne Taylor
Aside from the epic music, participants also shared numerous heartwarming stories. One barefooted kid lacking the $7 he needed to buy even a one-day ticket appeared at the festival gate to turn in a wallet he'd found, containing $80 and tickets to the event. Impressed by the young man's honesty, the promoters rewarded him with a a free day pass. Other youth, grouping themselves into "families" at the campgrounds, shared with each other whatever they had that someone else needed. The generous sharing of Texas barbeque by the local “Hog Farm” commune contributed to the festival's generally groovy vibes to outsiders. Regardless, the next day’s headline on the front page of The Lewisville Leader declared: "A Nightmare: 'Pot' Festival Ends, Citizens Sigh In Relief." The Dallas papers were no less critical, despite the Lewisville Mayor’s reluctant admission that the 3-day event had been largely free of incidents. Only weeks after the original was held, the Lewisville city council passed an ordinance forbidding any future outdoor music festivals. Such disdain was answered with Flower Power and some Free Love. In a letter to the Lewisville paper to “Chief Adams and the people of Lewisville” on behalf of his “family” collective, a fella named Donald Stokes expressed genuine gratitude: “We came here, not knowing how we would be received” but “were welcomed and made to feel at home… We're saddened that certain factions find it necessary to find fault with the way things were handled. For our part...we feel that...Chief Adams...did a marvelous job of protecting not only the people of your city, but all of us workers, participants, etc. of the festival. Thank you!" The letter was signed, "Peace and Love, The People of the Pop Festival."
The Texas historical marker memorializing the Texas International Pop Festival was placed at the Hebron Station stop on the A-train in 2011, near the very spot where the event blew Denton County’s collective mind nearly 45 years ago. There are some videos and a few books about the event at Denton’s Emily Fowler Library, but the best stories are told by the locals who braved the heat to hear songs of legend.
Back In The Day is an ongoing contribution from Shaun Treat. Treat is an assistant professor in Communication Studies at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. He has written about numerous local places of note and various large personalities on the Denton Haunts blog. In addition, Treat says he is forever indebted to the work of the fine folks of the Denton County Historical Commission and local keepers of history such as Mike Cochran and Laura Douglas at the Emily Fowler Library for their tireless work in helping preserve Denton’s intriguing past.
Labor Day Weekend is upon us. We're not sure about y'all, but we definitely need the long weekend. As we make our way through Friday, we're filling our headphones at work with local rappers AV The Great and Juicy The Emissary's newest single, "The Conversation." The video for which was filmed right here in Denton. We like that it makes us take a step back and reflect for a moment before we head into September - full speed ahead!
Watch their video and if you like what you see and hear, make sure you keep up with AV through his Facebook or Twitter to keep an eye out for his upcoming shows and new singles.
Our favorite little house on the square, all empty and ready for a new business.
I’m not sure how you guys accomplished anything in August. It was just too hot. We tried to go outside the other day, but just couldn’t handle it. When does fall start in Denton? January? Somehow, though, a lot of stuff got done in the month of August.
First and foremost, August saw the launch of a project we had been working on for a while. Mentor Denton, an educational partnership with lots of various organizations in Denton, was started with the lofty goal of getting 10,000 mentors in Denton ISD for the 2015 - 2016 school year. In the meantime, they want a paltry 1,000 mentors for this current school year. They aren’t there yet, but hope to be soon. Have you signed up yet? We did - heck, we even went to training. It was awesome.
Aside from new beginnings, August also saw Denton saying goodbye to a couple of things. Boyd Girls, the late, great vintage clothing and furniture store on Oak St. closed it’s doors a few weeks ago. Sadly, it housed one of our favorite vintage sellers in town, Vintedge, as well. Thankfully, they’re still operating through their Etsy store and we hear that a new location may be found soon - so all is not quite lost. It’s sad they couldn’t hold on just a month or two more until East Side Social Club opened it’s doors next door. We’re hopeful that we’ll see much more foot traffic down that portion of Oak in the very near future. So let’s not let that big beautiful house stay empty for very long, Denton! Something cool better open up in there and fast. Our vote is for a pie shop.
While we’re on the subject of Oak St. More Fun Comics and Games has recently opened an extension of their comic book store down by Oak St. Drafthouse. The imaginatively titled, “More Fun Game Center” should be open now for you to stop by and pick out one of the many excellent card or board game selections to play at the bar of your choice. We grabbed a set of Fluxx cards and have been enjoying them ever since. If you’re lucky, they sometimes have Cards Against Humanity in stock.
On the restaurant side, August saw the opening of both Last Drop Tavern and Irish Boozer. Both reside in the newly renovated shopping center anchored by Cafe Galaviz. We’ve checked out both places and we’re fairly pleased. Much to our surprise, we found out that the Irish Boozer is owned by the same person who owns Delaney's Irish Pub in McKinney. He saw lots of potential in opening a Denton space and went ahead and did it. While the name had us very worried about what we’d find inside, the drinks were plentiful and the food was as greasy as it was tasty. We’re excited to check out their brunch menu soon. Last Drop Tavern didn’t disappoint, either. Their brick oven lives up to our expectations. Feel free to get your pizza extra crispy. We can’t wait until the weather drops ten degrees and we can enjoy some carbs and dairy out on their patio.
August also saw us welcoming new faces to town. We tried to help them out by discussing our thoughts on pizza in Denton, sharing a few secrets with ‘em and even giving them a little history lesson on education in Denton. Aside from school-related stuff, we also listened to a few new(ish) Denton songs that had been gaining some national buzz lately, checked out the photography of Thorpe Griner, got super excited that From Tha Heart BBQ is back, busted into secret pools, learned about several crowdfunding projects (including a super cool one about getting a splash pad in Denton), actually found a local comedian funny and checked out what was hot at the DIME store. Oh, and there was that little incident with all the guns, too, that we’d really rather just forget about, if it’s all the same to y’all.
As you can imagine, it’s been a busy month for us. September doesn’t look much better. First on our minds is the upcoming 1st anniversary of The Day We Forgot to Open the Time Capsule. We hope that you’ll meet us on September 12th to celebrate our newest Denton holiday in perfect Denton fashion at midnight outside the Wells Fargo building. More info here.
As part of our "Back to School Week," we thought it pertinent to take some time and talk about the fuel of many college students: the circle-shaped combination of delicious dough, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce otherwise known as "the pizza." In traditional Jive Five form, we've weeded through what the pizza scene in Denton has to offer and come up with five "do's" and five "do not's" that ought to help out Dentonites hungry for some high-caloric intake. Read through to find out the best and worst of pizza that Denton has to offer.
The classic cheese pizza at Last Drop Tavern.
Pepperoyay:
Pepperonay
The white pizza at Luigi's.
Bonus IMAVOLCANO pizza-related video from Fishboy.