3 SONGS: SEPTEMBER

We're chiming in before the month ends with 3 Songs, our monthly column featuring three tunes from local artists that we've been digging lately. Read on to get a quick glimpse into the current Denton music scene. We dig 'em. Hope y'all do, too. 

Dome Dweller's song "My Halo" caught us by surprise this month. 

The Days - "Loose Knots"

(Editor’s Note: We Denton Do It shares a few members/contributors with The Days, but none of them are writing this, none of them asked for this, and we're diggin' it quite a bit. Conflict of interest be damned. While we’re at it, you wanna buy a couch from us on Craigslist?) If you’ve yet to catch The Days live or hear them in any capacity before, you’ve been missing out. These dudes sound as if The Band was fronted by a younger, less smokey Mark Lanegan. "Loose Knots" is particularly driven single - possibly the first we’ll hear of their upcoming full length. Throughout the track, lead singer, Robby Day, laments in his baritone all that he’d do for a girl which just so happens to be quite a bit - so much so that by the end of the song, we believe him and we want to hear more.

Dome Dwellers - "My Halo"

To be honest, y’all, we had a hard time writing this column this month. Things didn’t come together too easily and we spent easily an hour last night crawling through SoundCloud and Bandcamp, listening to various recent tracks from Denton bands and nothing was sounding good to us (let's leave it at that). We were getting pretty bummed and then we just so happened to stumble across "My Halo" from Dome Dwellers. Everything was immediately right with the world. Seriously, this is great stuff and hopefully a precursor of more that we’ll be seeing from this trio of dudes who have a full length coming in late October. "My Halo," itself, reminds us a bit of the Canadian band, Women, before they imploded a few years back - mathy and disjointed in the best of ways. The guitars are full of 90’s-era chimey-ness and tremolo and the math rock aspect of this tune acts as more of a hook than it does a headache - let’s just say that it’s more Algebra 1 than it is Pre-calculus. Whether they’re aware or not, this slightly epic track harkens back to the days of Denton space rock and we couldn’t be happier to be reminded of that era. Do yourself a favor and give this a listen. Heck, you can even download their entire EP for free from their bandcamp. 

Ella Minnow - "We Got Moves"

Longtime Denton rockers, Ella Minnow released a slow-burner of a track this week. This duet, dubbed We Got Moves" (we’re hypothesizing that it’s the “We” part of their new single, “We and Them”), starts off slow with a slight western twang and some reverb-laden guitar before making way into the dueling male/female vocals. Eventually, they lead the way into the rest of the tune that kinda sounds as if an old surf rock record got played at the wrong speed, but in a good way. As the song goes on, it starts to give off a later era Jesse Sykes-vibe and that ain’t a bad thing either.  

REVIEW: VIET BITES

The tacos at Viet Bites have the perfect amount of crunch. 

We’ve started to get a bit of a reputation as haters as far as the Denton food scene goes. Honestly, nothing could be further from the truth. Surely, our Monday morning What We Did posts exemplify how much our fat little selves like to eat in Denton. We figured we’d take some time to talk about a recently opened place that we dig quite a bit instead of complaining about BBQ for a while.

Anyway, Viet Bites opened down on S. Elm by Eagle at the beginning of this year. Our initial outings left us feeling pretty neutral about the place. The space and location were wonderful, but the food wasn’t as good as we had wanted it to be, but we didn’t give up. Heck, anything off the beaten path (AKA the square) deserves at least a second chance. We’ve gone back quite a few times since our initial outing, and sampled most of the menu.

It’s pretty simple. Pick a carb - noodle, rice, or French bread for banh mi, get a protein to throw on top of it and then (for some dishes) pick a sauce to pour on top. We’re gonna go out on a limb and say the best of the bunch is the banh mi. The noodle or rice bowls are great, especially with the ginger citrus sauce,  but can potentially suffer the same “build it yourself” fate that many felt at the hands of the late Ramen Republic. The banh mi, however, is delicious. We’re not sure we’d compare them to The Pickled Carrot standards yet, but we loved the freshly-baked bread with plenty of veggies to go on top. The Pickled Carrot doesn’t, however, have shrimp chips. The puffed shrimp-flavored crackers provide a nice crunch as a side to your banh mi experience - get the right sauce and you’ve got a great shrimp chip dip. Seriously, though, these things are worth obsessing over.

The crab wontons are gooey gobs of deliciousness encased in a perfectly crunchy wrapper. 

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Sponsor: 

The Denton County Museum in the courthouse. Go check it out, it's free! 

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Honestly, Viet Bites had us at pho. Denton has long struggled with this Asian soup, and no one seems to have gotten it right yet.  Mr. Chopsticks has had pho on the menu, but doesn’t live up to the expectations of those densely Asian populated cities. The day Viet Bites opened, their pho immediately became the best in town. While we’re on the topic, though, can we as a society officially end the era of the pho pun? ‘Pho-king good,” “pho-get about it,” “pho-nominal,” these seem like rejects from a mid 90’s SNL sketch with Rob Schneider. They don’t make our taste buds yearn for broth and noodles at all. Let’s just stop it, folks. There are plenty of other pun-possible Asian words that we can work with. Anyway, Viet Bites has quite a few pho options, from a brothless pho to a couple of vegan options, so there’s something for everyone. The noodles are nice and thick, and never soggy.

Photo by Naomi Wood

Viet Bites is best when they get weird with it. The off-menu specials keep us enticed and begging for more. The taco appetizer exemplifies this perfectly. It’s not anywhere on the menu, but 9 times out of 10 its in the list of specials your waiter will describe to you. Four crunchy tacos with your choice of protein adorn a plate covered in a Vietnamese salad. They’ll be gone before you know it. But the steamed buns are where it's at - especially if you happen to be there on a day when they have them with pork belly. Why these aren't on the normal menu, we have no idea. We have dreams about the pillowy-soft bun and the salty brunch of the pork belly and pickled veg inside and we have to stop now because we've got too much drool going on.

The Shaken Ribeye is also quite tasty. It’s cubed pieces of well cut ribeye, tossed around in a generous portion of Vietnamese spices with a side of veggies. The meat was tender and moist, and the flavors perfectly balanced.

Desserts at Viet Bites are things of dreams. Plenty of traditional Vietnamese treats with a little Texas-zing along with ‘em. The coconut and pandan waffle exemplifies that sentiment perfectly. It’s a waffle flavored with coconut and the sweet, flavorful Asian plant, pandan. The pandan gives it a wonderful vibrant green color and did we mention it’s in the shape of Texas? Even better are the crisp on the outside, pillowy on the inside beignets. Get ‘em with nutella and they’ll give Cafe Du Monde a run for their money. The shaved ice fruit bowl is even more interesting. It’s basically a really good snow cone with fresh fruit, ice cream and sweetened-condensed milk drizzled on top. The texture combinations are what really drive this dish home. The crunchy shaved ice on top of the ice cream will have you yelling at your local snow cone dealer to start pedaling Blue Bell if they don’t already. The fried bananas a la mode are the perfect ending to a well balanced meal, too.

All in all, we’d like to see Viet Bites shake things up a little more as far as their menu goes, we want some of their “specials” to make a permanent appearance on their menu. It’s obvious they have the expertise in the kitchen to handle more authentic Vietnamese items and we can’t wait to see what they still have hiding up their sleeves. All in all, it seems that the little green shack on Elm has had a warm embrace from a community full of people with international taste buds.

THE DEN10: SEPTEMBER 25

Its hard to believe we're staring into October already. Once it gets going it really doesn't slow down until you find yourself trying to figure out how to get home for the holidays. Well there is once again plenty to take advantage of in our 'tiny little boring town' this week. From a Breaking Bad watch party at Dan's to a pop-up Wine dinner at Chestnut Tree, there is a ton of variety to keep you busier than you should be. Make sure to hashtag #WDDI in your Instagram or Facbook pics from the weekend if you want to be featured in our Monday post, What We Did. If you happen to run an establishment and are a little clever, this could be a way to show off your stuff on one of our most popular posts of the week. Just an idea.

Questions or comments? Email glen@wedentondoit.com

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Wednesday September 25
Midlake / Doug Burr  | Dan's Silverleaf | 8PM | $15
As of this moment there are six tickets left to the second night of Midlake's World Tour of Denton 2013. They should be wrapping up their first set as I write this and I'm wondering if there will be a positive reaction to there being half as many flutes as previous lineups of this hometown favorite. I also wonder which show Jason Lee will be at. At any rate, we'll always be a sucker for their 2004 effort, Bamnan & Silvercork.

Thursday September 26
Daniel Markham / Brent Best / Christian Lee Hutson | Dan's Silverleaf | 9PM | $7
Christian Lee Hutson's got a voice with some serious songwriting chops. At least enough to hang with the other heavy hitters on this bill. Be prepared to be impressed by the craftsmanship of everyone that gets on Dan's stage this Thursday.

EYE PLAY | UNT North Gallery | 5PM | FREE
Holli Noelle Hays will be displaying some of her favorite prints accompanied by light refreshments. 

Friday September 27

Ella Minnow / Savage & The Big Beat / The Cozy Hawks | Dan's Silverleaf | 9PM | $5
Remember Jurassic Park The Musical? Classic Denton.

Babar / Blessin' / Feverbones / Dome Dwellers | Rubbergloves | 9PM | $5
Here's a pretty diverse lineup of some of the most talented active bands we've got. I also really approve of their event page because it's got everything I need as far as info about where, when and how much it is PLUS it's got some links to all of the band's music. Really good work fellas; on the music and the promotion.

Sparkling Wine Dinner | The Chestnut Tree | 6:30PM | 

Each course of this dinner will be served with a different sparkling wine. Most of the items seem to be locally sourced even down to the Kurobota Pork Loin that they'll be stuffing with spinach. Chestnutt always knocks it out of the park with these sorts of special pop up dinners so be sure to take advantage of them when they pop up.

Saturday September 28
7th Annual Oktoberfest | Cool Beans, Riprocks, Lou's | 6PM | $12 

For a measly dozen dollars you'll get a commemorative t-shirt, 3 authentic steins and all you can eat germanish food like brats and kraut. All this plus live polka music and you've got yourself an Octoberfest situation on Fry St.

Sunday September 29
The Dramatic Final Episode of Breaking Bad | Dan's Silverleaf | 7PM | FREE
From what I hear and if you've been watching this show, you should probably watch this one so why not have a few drinks up at Dan's while you're at it.

Last Sunday's Open Shop | Tex's Tubs Drum Co | 11AM - 4PM
Feel like fixing something with some tools at a shop and having a potluck also? This has turned into quite a gathering of folks handy with tools, handily handing them to those without so they can fix their gear. We love that this happens. It needs to happen more.

Tuesday October 1
The Tuesday Night Bike Ride | The Language Building UNT | 9PM | FREE
This has been going on for longer than I can remember. A mass group of riders taking over the mean streets of Denton on a Tuesday night. Seems like it'd be a pretty good time if you've got a bike.

MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: SEPTEMBER

As we settle into fall, we think more about our community. Maybe its because we start spending more time outside, maybe it's because we get more Facebook invites that we aren't able to delete quickly enough. Whatever the reason, the fall makes us all the more likely to take a walk, ride a bike, or pack a picnic lunch during these times that the weather is cool enough to enjoy the outdoors without sweating through our picnic blanket. In doing so, we have the chance to notice the abundance of historic landmarks, small hidden businesses we never see from the main roads, spots where the sidewalks need repair and even small side streets that have become ideal places for photo ops. When we get away from the car we finally have a chance to really get to know Denton for who it (she?) really is, even in spite of her flaws - sometimes actually because of them. 

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If you were under the impression that the forthcoming Hickory St. improvements were a big deal - guess what! The floodplains are an even bigger deal. We know what you're thinking, "What?! Floodplains?  What are these people talking about now? Who cares about something like a floodplain? Certainly not I, Johnny B. Dentonite. I only care about beard growth and quality tacquerias." Trust us though, its a big deal. Our city is reviewing the problem of the floodplains - areas adjacent to bodies of water that are subject to flash flooding during storms - and they're making sure that they are FEMA compliant, not only to ensure the safety of its citizens, but to protect the property of the city. The reason we are currently concerned is because there are areas that studies show will be in big trouble when flooding occurs. Not only do we care that Pecan Creek will be under completely submerged under water, but we also care that the way the floodplains in the downtown areas are currently functioning is preventing new development around the square and the A-Train. Yeah, you read that correctly, until these problems are addressed (and we're talking big expensive problems here), we'll have a lack of new businesses and stunted growth in one of the city's most thriving areas. 

The downtown traffic safety report has been presented at the request of district 1 councilman Kevin Roden and the Denton Downtowners association. The biggest concerns that were asked to be addressed were pedestrian safety, red light violations, unsafe lane changes, and backing out without safety. The residents of downtown felt like more and more accidents were happening, and there were more near misses than they would have liked to see. The report started to address some of those concerns. Apparently 62% of the red light-related crashes involved the flashing red lights that come on at night. Therefore, there is a possibility that the city will be changing the times in which the flashing red lights turn on. They will also be cracking down on bicycle violations around the square. So if you're cycling on the square, make sure to use those hand signals, stop at the red lights, and walk your bike around the square sidewalks. The report is also causing concerns about the intersections where pedestrians are walking. Hopefully, this will result in making the crosswalks safer and more visible by painted stop blocks and maybe in the future outlawing cars turning left on red. 

There is also a group of citizens who are trying to imagine the possibility of Walnut St becoming a pedestrian plaza. The street as it stands right now is a sort of service alley. It houses the dumpsters, services the grease traps, service entrances for wait staff/deliveries, and is lined with utility boxes. It's also a little bit of an eyesore. As for parking, there is parking allowed, but the lines aren't clear and neither are the signs that show where parking is and isn't allowed. So, it's become kind of the wild west for people who park back there. There is always trash on the ground from people littering, there is an untamed forest of grass and weeds growing through the cracks of the side walk and there are numerous potholes in the road. Apparently a few people think this alley way would be better used as a pedestrian plaza - with tables and umbrellas. They want to turn those  aforementioned service entrances into a back entrance to serve patrons from or through. While this is a noble vision, there are several obstacles to overcome if there is any future permanent closing of the street to cars. In addition, there are several areas in other parts of town (away from the square) that could definitely benefit from a little TLC, too. Where would you guys like to see something like this go down? In the meantime, we would love to see that little street have a general make over, maybe some murals on the backs of buildings, taming of the weeds and a little more landscaping, and repainting the lines for parking in the back would improve the look of the side street exponentially.

Hypnotic Donuts and Cultivar Coffee are teaming up to bring us hand-crafted coffee, tasty donuts, and chicken biscuits. Even better, they're rumored to have hours that keep them open until 2am. Since we love the DFW native roast, we are pretty pumped that they are making a little home in downtown Denton. They'll be setting up shop on Hickory Street, right across from Gerhard's and next to Natalie's. A few citizens have commented that it seems woefully far from their favorite bar, and almost on the wrong side of the square, but we're pretty pumped that someone great will be re-energizing an oft-forgot block. Plus, we'll have one more place to grab caffeine and a tasty treat on our way to all of those meetings. 

Canned Fest announced that its going to be 100% wind energy thanks to the help of Denton Municipal Electric being way awesome and donating the wind energy. Alongside DME coming in and helping out, the Keep Denton Beautiful team will be there making sure that your recyclables get to where they need to be. We're excited about Canned being Denton's first super green music and beer fest. Oh yeah! We're pretty excited about the beer selection too. Make sure to grab your tickets now. You won't want to miss a moment of one of our new favorite festivals. 

That's it for us this month, y'all. We'll keep hitting up those meetings for ya, though. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

WHAT WE DID: SEPTEMBER 23rd

Y'all have been busy. Hard not to be with that first discernible drop in temperature in the fall. The town seemed to be jam-packed with people listening to blues chord progressions over at Quakertown Park or taking in some food and drink on the square this weekend. Take a look below to see what Denton was up to this weekend.

Make sure to tag your photos with #WDDI over the next week, and, as always, thanks for sharing your photos with us.

We took the North Lakes Park frisbee golf course for a whirl for the first time in a while. While it may need a few repairs (or a good mow), it's still plenty of fun.  

Hares on the Mountain rocked the patio at The Labb Sunday evenin'. Sara Button was there to nab this pic. 

Ravelin's flaky chocolate croissants make for good morning fuel. 

 The Denton, Dallas and Beyond podcast celebrated their first year of existence with a trip to East Side Social Club. 

Jessica Chavolla had our second favorite cinnamon roll in town from Loco Cafe.  

Sunday's brunch bout of Pamfood (Pam Chittenden's sometimes bi-weekly food happening at Paschall's Bar) was chicken and waffles and full of people. 

In preparation for Better Block - Denton, we made the trek over to Oak Cliff to check out the site where a better block was held a few years ago. It's currently undergoing much revitalization and is awesome. Here's a shot of the inside of Davis St. Espresso at the corner of Tyler and Davis. Check out a video of what they went through for Better Block here. Hopefully, we can take it as a precursor for what to expect for our own Better Block undertaking. Read more here. 

 Rachel Aughtry and her husband Bo enjoyed a #40 and some football at the non-campus ESSC on Sunday. 

 Improv comedy pusher, Sarah Adams, turned 30 and drank some coffee in celebration. Interesting that she went the stimulant in lieu of a depressant in this case, right? 

Denton did Dallas this weekend when Bad Sports and the Marked Men played Three Links.  Luckily Dave Koen was there to catch all of the action. 

photo by Dave Koen 

VIDEO: SEE YOU AT THE TIME CAPSULE

Video by Addison Day 

http://www.wedentondoit.com We take this time to look back at the past year, at our hope, dreams, and expectations. I'm sure we all remember exactly where we were on September 12, 2012 when we first heard that they had forgotten to open the time capsule.

A week and a day ago marked an anniversary of sorts. It's a story that's hard to explain and that many people don't really even care about, but we do. On September 12th, 1992, the late First State Bank buried a time capsule at the corner of Hickory and Locust. This capsule was to be exhumed in twenty years. Eventually, September 12th, 2012 rolled around and the day went by without any shovels, jackhammers or digging tools of any sort. The time capsule stayed buried. 

Time Capsule Awareness by Aaron White

No one was organized enough to get a simple tube out of the ground. Of course, First State Bank had closed many years prior and Wells Fargo (the current inhabitant of the building on that sidewalk) had nothing to do with the time capsule, but you would have thought that surely someone, somewhere would have had the wherewithal to put a plan in place to get that time capsule up and out of the ground. After all, we had 20 years to plan for it. At midnight that very evening, several Dentonites met at the site, right on top of the time capsule. We poured one out for the capsule and talked about our own stupidity, prowess and lack of forethought. Then, we decided that we would protect that time capsule from ever being taken out of the sidewalk to preserve it's memory. We wanted to be able to walk over it and see the inscription with the date "September 12th, 2012" on it for the rest of time. The time capsule was unearthed a short while later. 

Last Thursday was the first anniversary of that day. Once more, we met up at the spot the time capsule used to be. Councilman Kevin Roden and We Denton Do It-er, Glen Farris gave speeches on the subject, Fishboy was there to sing some epic tunes, and many others gathered to share in the anarchy. Above is a video documenting that evening. If you want to learn more about the Denton time capsule, you can read our story on it from last year, Kevin Roden's (great comments on this one) or even the Dallas Observer's article. Please share time capsule awareness with your friends and make plans next year to meet us over at the corner of Hickory and Locust to celebrate one of the most Star's Hollow like moments Denton has ever had. 

BACK IN THE DAY: THE LEGEND OF POPS CARTER

by Shaun Treat   

Denton Blues icon ‘Pops’ Carter, photo by Marcus Junius Laws for the Denton Record Chronicle 

This September marks the crystal anniversary of the Denton Blues Festival, one of our community’s many music events. In celebration of this landmark fête, here’s a look back at a Denton legend who for four decades was a major force of bringin’ the Blues to Denton.

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Tom “Pops” Carter (1919-2012) was a well-known and much beloved mainstay of the Denton music scene for decades, but his beginnings read like a page outta Delta Blues mythology. Born June 6th along the Louisiana banks of the Red River in a long-vanished Bossier Parish cotton town, a precocious 10-year-old Carter began sneaking out to hear the tent pole blues shows that would drift through Shreveport. When he and his friends were about to be tossed from one show by gruff tour roustabouts, a bluesman, whose name has been lost to time, intervened. “You let them kids stay,” Pops remembered the old musician growl that hot night, “They’s gonna sit here by the stage and get schooled in th’ blues.” Young Tom Carter was lucky enough to be exposed to the sounds of traveling legends like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lead Belly and T-Bone Walker.

He despised picking cotton in the family fields and received frequent beatings from his daddy for sneaking off, so the wily teen packed a pillowcase and hitch-hiked to Houston. Living with an aunt and uncle while working menial daytime jobs, Carter quickly became a fixture in the vibrant blues scene of Houston’s Third and Fifth Wards within a few years. His first band, The House Rockers, began by playing in the streets outside the hot clubs but Carter was soon jamming onstage with the most prominent bluesmen of the era. Lightnin’ Hopkins became a huge musical and personal influence. Hopkins even introduced Carter to his first-cousin, Minnie Lee. It was no surprise that the two hit if off right away.  “She was telling me about all these men who done her wrong,” Pops later recalled, “and I said, ‘Mama, I can treat you better’n that.” By the time Carter died a widower at age 92 after being married three times, it was Minnie Lee, who he always called ‘Mama’, that he considered the greatest love of his life. Carter would perform in Houston’s blues clubs during the 1940s and 50s alongside luminaries such as B.B. King, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, Freddy King, and Little Milton.

Despite his musical notoriety in Houston’s blues circles, Carter still had to cover the bills. When a good-paying construction job drew him to Denton in 1969 he was smitten by the energy and creativity of the music scene, and preferring the small-town intimacy of Denton, Carter decided he didn’t want to live anywhere else. By now, almost fifty with a lifetime of musical experience playing with blues legends, Carter came to be known as “Pops” by the campus musicians who frequented his circuit of local pub gigs during the 70s and 80s. Over the next four decades, ‘Pops’ Carter became a one-man institution of Fry Street’s music scene as a friendly mentor and jam companion to two generations of Denton musicians. Among the many future talents that ‘Pops’ influenced were Robin “Texas Slim” Sullivan, The Baptist Generals, and a young Stevie Ray Vaughn, who used to travel from Austin to the dive bars of North Texas State University when making a name for himself. Always dressed to the nines, flirty with the foxes, and singing into the rafters, the smokey-voiced ‘Pops’ electrified audiences with his smiling disposition, high-energy onstage dancing, and trademark “Hey Hey Now!” callback that made him a mainstay for years. ‘Pops’ passion was the blues, but he never hesitated to sing with rock, jazz, or punk bands when asked. “He was a local icon,” recalled one festival organizer, and while acts “were whittling about, he wanted to be on stage.” Forming his own band Pops Carter and the Funkmonsters in 1990 when he was 70 years old. The group offered a uniquely Denton fusion of blues, roots, soul, and funk with a festive campus music vibe. “The music was in him,” Funkmonsters From Outer Space member Clarence Pitts grins; “He brought the energy every time he performed. He never did stop.”

It was 1997 when accountant John Baines became chairman of the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce and co-founder of the Denton Blues Festival. After having tried to establish their own banner community event with African-American Jazz and Gospel, the newly formed group rented a sound system and solicited volunteers to put on a Blues program “held together by prayer, chewing gum, and a shoestring.” That, and a favorite Denton Blues icon. “We had Pops Carter the very first year,” Baines recalled in 2005; “Then one year we didn’t have him, and the community got on our case. So we always make it a point, as long as Pops is alive and able, for him to play the festival. He’s a local legend.” True to their word, ‘Pops’ played alongside revered Blues headliners such as Tyrone Davis, Sam Myers, Denise LaSalle, Smokin’ Joe Kubek, Johnnie Taylor, Bobbie ‘Blue’ Bland, and Jimmy Ray Vaughn well into his 80s. “I open up for them guys every year,” Pops proudly noted of his endowed Blues Festival spot; “Its been good to me and good for everybody.” Indeed, the Denton Blues Festival is still today one of our community’s biggest and most anticipated events of the year, one of the best in Texas.

Yet aside from his unquestionable musical influence on Denton, ‘Pops’ Carter was by all accounts notoriously charitable to acquaintances and strangers alike. “He treated everybody like they were family or close friends,” insists ‘Texas Slim’ Sullivan; “He was certainly someone that didn’t have an awful lot, but he would share anything that he had.” In a 2008 short documentary titled Pops Carter: Keeping The Blues Alive, Carter spoke of giving meals and supplies to people in need. “I believe in helping people if I can. If I can help them, I’ll help them,” Carter told the filmmakers; “I was taught that you can’t live in this world by yourself.”

In 2011, Denton mayor Mark Burroughs recognized Pops' many decades of contributing to local culture and community by declaring June 5 “Pops Carter Day.” Although formally “retired” for years before his oft-rumored passing, ‘Pops’ Carter made irregular appearances into his 90s as the spirit moved him, ambling in on a cane, which became impromptu “happenings” by text message or social media invitation only when he was sighted onstage. It was just such a spontaneous appearance that we last saw ‘Pops’ at Riprocks on Fry Street the September 2011 evening before moving to Houston to live with his son Tommy. The farewell song of his set was the James Brown tune “I feel good,” fittingly enough, which he crooned in his own unique style swaying in a chair, beaming with glee. He passed away the following April but that’s how we remember him, physically feeble yet as vocally powerful as ever, inspiring a parade of booty-shaking from a cheering standing-room only crowd. Sadly, not unlike the blues travelers of old who inspired him, ‘Pops’ didn’t leave much recorded music behind when he was buried alongside his sweetheart Minnie Lee. The Denton Blues Festival is a grand continuation of ‘Pops’ Carter’s legacy, a yearly celebration of the Blues ambassador of Denton who for 40 years was as essential to our local music scene as a B flat.

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Back in The Day is an ongoing WDDI contribution from Shaun Treat, an assistant professor in Communication Studies at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Doc Treat has written about numerous local places and personalities at his Denton Haunts blog, and is forever indebted to the great work of the fine folks with the Denton County Historical Commission and 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.

THE DEN10: SEPTEMBER 18

It's going to be a beautiful weekend, y'all. So much is happening and the weather will be in the 80's after some rain on Friday and the dew point  will be just about perfect. It'll be the perfect opportunity meet up with friends for a night on the town and make plans to cap it all off with a late night dance party. It's also a good time of year to change things up a bit. Get unpredictable and go rouge by untucking that shirt, getting that septum pierced or just being little adventurous by checking out some venue or eatery you've never been to before. The Summer was great and all but change is good and the Fall is quickly approaching and is going to be as amazing as you're willing to let it be.

Questions or comments? Email glen@wedentondoit.com

Wednesday September 18
Stardeath & White Dwarfs / Spaceface / The Breakfast Machine | Dan's Silverleaf | 8PM | $10

Hailey's Does Denton Comedy Collective | Hailey's | 9PM | FREE PIZZA
We absolutely love comedy. We think it's hilarious. Plus there's no greater lure to draw a hungry college kid into a once glorious venue than by offering free pizza.

Thursday September 19

Distinguished Lecture Series Presents: Rainn Wilson | UNT Coliseum | 7PM

Friday September 20

Bethan / The Calmative / Plastic Habit | J&J's | FREE

Saturday September 21

Run Boy Run / AM Ramblers | Dan's Silverleaf | 9PM | $8

 2013 Denton Blues Festival | Quakertown Park | Sept 21-22 | FREE

Greenhouse Art Show | The Greenhouse | 1PM | FREE

Canning Pickled Okra with Courtney Jacobs | Cardo's Farm Project | 12PM | $20
Did you know Cardo's Farm Project moved out to 1599 Mingo here in Denton? Check out the new property and learn how to can that pickled okra. You can pickle that.

Tuesday September 24
Heartwarmer / Senor Fin / Robert Hokamp | J&J's | 8PM | FREE

Destruction Unit / Ukiah Drag / Sin Motivo / Glow God | Rubbergloves | 9PM | $7

DIME FEATURED ARTIST: SHEENA CROFT

Interview by The DIME Store, Photos by Sheena Croft 

1930s beaded silk chiffon dress with trompe de l'oeil bow bolero

For this month’s feature, DIME caught up with the amazing Sheena Croft of No Carnations Vintage. This lady is made of magic. There has to be at least 27 hours in her day. Not only is she the nationally-praised executive chef of Hannah’s Off the Square, but she also runs one of the best-curated vintage shops on Etsy. Read on to find out why this southern gal could give “the most interesting man in the world” a run for his money.

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Sheena, what originally drew you to vintage?

It was quality clothing that was affordable. I would find great labels to mix into my modern clothing. But more to the point it was about the trends at the time. I remember watching 'Desperately Seeking Susan' and seeing Madonna find that second hand jacket with the eye on the back. Suddenly the thrift store find was way cooler than before. We won't talk about the brightly colored crinoline I think I once wore to the seventh grade as a skirt.

1950s Lanz Swimdress

Did you come a vintage collector and by default a vintage seller, or visa versa?

I started collecting before I started selling. I sold jewelry on the side that I made and someone told me about Etsy for my jewelry. Not long after I realized I could sell vintage on Etsy. The first few items in the shop were from my own collection. Not really even clothes or items that would suite/fit me but items that I could not leave behind at an estate sale or thrift store. I just had to have them without never really knowing what I would do with them.

You're also the executive chef at Hannah's Off the Square. How do you balance having two very creative, very different jobs?

Both my love for vintage and my love for cooking fuel my creative side. Every day I think about how lucky I feel to do these things. Finding that perfect balance is everything but perfect. I try to use my down time away from the kitchen in a positive way. Vintage takes up a lot of that time, but selling has allowed me to set more financial goals for myself and that is a great freedom in and of itself. It helps that the vintage is considered a self-employment, so when my professional life needs attention and takes over I can adjust and set the Etsy job at a slower pace.

No Carnations logo

Your vintage clothing Etsy shop is highly successful. What makes your shop stand out from other vintage shops?

I tried to create a brand from day one. I also did lots of research about good cameras, taking quality photos, using photoshop for lighting issues. When it comes to vintage fashion, learning about labels and quality craftsmanship of textiles is equally as important. You need to know that a dress with a Ceil Chapman label can be sold for four times as much as another dress of the same style. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring Etsy sellers or vintage collectors?

My suggestion to other sellers is to research your medium to the fullest, and create a 3 year plan for yourself with attainable goals. I also want to say that social media is a huge part of what you can do to brand and get your product seen. Even when I neglect my shop for a week, I try to re-list five items each day, mention something about my shop on twitter and send out a few Instagram shots. I've had quite a few direct sales from social platforms.

1950s Silk Estevez evening dress with yellow rose print

Where can folks shop your collection?

There is a limited collection of items that rotate in and out at the DIME Store. You can find me on Etsy, and I am happy to take appointments to view and purchase from my personal collection, most of which is not available online.

Sheena Croft, Chef Extraordinaire and Vintage Collector Queen

Do you aspire to someday have a brick and mortar vintage boutique? Or would you rather stay creative in the kitchen full time?

I look forward to my older years, a retirement I suppose, when I can have an encore career. I dream of a nice little flower shop with a wall of vintage wedding & party dresses from the 20s-50s. Kind of a one-stop-shop for the vintage bride. I imagine friends hanging out as well, so I'll keep the kettle on and always have cakes, scones, soups and sandwiches waiting with a smile.

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The DIME Store is a shop and artist collective in downtown Denton, featuring art, craft, and vintage from 40+ local makers. Rachel Aughtry and Shelley Christner act as the "curators and purveyors" of the shop. When they're not at DIME, you'll find them behind their sewing machines or enjoying a margarita at Greenhouse.