FRIDAY VIDEO THREESOME

Every once in a while, we like to skim through our Vimeo, Youtube  and email archives to find some fun, Denton-related videos to share with you. Today, we have three. One of Midlake's recent Buzzsession video for their song, "It's Going Down," UNT's new rap anthem, and a video for "Robert Durand" off of Robert Gomez's Severance Songs release from last year. Grab some bad coffee at work and take a little video break. Studies show that it'll improve your productivity or something.

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Robert Gomez - "Robert Durand" from Andy LaViolette on Vimeo.

THE DEN10: JANUARY 7th

There’s something about being away from Denton that can really make you pine. It’s really hard to know exactly what there is to be missing when you're in the thick of it. Maybe it’s the subtlety that you can spend a lifetime trying to wrap your head around and never quite figure it out. It keeps you on your toes. If it’s not the random construction and street closures then it’s the weather. If the weather and traffic are fine then you’ll realize that there’s a huge percentage of the population that up and leaves every semester. It’s an oddball. But it’s our oddball, and as you can see by the glorious return of the Den10, a list of events happening in one of the greatest, strangest oddball towns on the planet. Get out there and check it out and lets keep it that way.

Questions or comments? Email glen@wedentondoit.com.

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Wednesday January 8
Whiskey Wednesday w/ Country Nightmares / Starfire On The Mountain | Dan’s Silverleaf | 10PM | FREE
Looks like Grady Don Sandlin and the notorious Justin Collins will be bringing you some 60’s and 70’s Honky Tonk Dance music. Sounds like that’ll go well with a good amount of whiskey. Our vote is Isaac Hoskins will win the dance-off if there is one.

Game Night | Rubbergloves | 10PM | FREE
Bring some board games and play with your friends. Or just sit on your phone playing candy ninja or whatever. Cheap drinks and bad decisions!

Professors Corner Presents “Octavia Butlers Science Fiction” | Denton Public Library South Branch | 7PM
Well this is a gem of an event that we’ve just uncovered. Dr. AnaLouise Keating will be leading a discussion entitled “Octavia Butler’s Science Fiction”. This looks like an ongoing program funded by a grant. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more of these for sure.

Thursday January 9
Crafternoon | SCRAP Denton | 3PM - 6PM
This is pitched as an event where the community can come in to their weekly workshop and work together on crafts. People love crafts and clever names.

UNT Men’s Basketball v. Southern Miss | UNT Super Pit | 7PM | $7 - $12
Y’all like sports right? Well if you don’t, we bet the band is probably killing it down in the SUPER PIT.

Dancing By The Light of The Moon | Center For Visual Arts | 1PM - 5PM
Check Marcellino’s work on display.

Friday January 10
Def Rain / Diamond Age / The Night Game Cult | Dan’s Silverleaf | 10PM | $5
Now here’s a show that should pique the interest of any true Dentonite. A great collection of some of the most unique and talented musicians from the past ten years. 

Three Tall Women | Black Box Theatre | 7:30PM | $15
Tickets to this 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning play can be bought at the Campus Theatre box office or by phone (940.382.1915) or by internet (dentoncommunitytheatre.com).  This has been described as a “compelling theatre experience” which is starting to make us wonder: why is it spelled “theatre” and not “theater”? 

A.Dd+ / Blue, The Misfit / Sam Lao / -topic / Lord Byron / Jaeson Green / AV The Great / Jay Clipp | Granada Theater | 8PM | $15 - $35
Hometown-Hip-Hop-hero AV The Great takes the stage down south at Granada Theater. Check out this weeks feature on AV The Great if you need some reasons why this trip is worth it.

Saturday January 11
Grapevine Craft Brewery Launch Party | OSDH&CP & ESSC | 7PM
Some new releases that wound pretty tasty will be released plus you can score a free glass. Monarch is a Classic American filtered Wheat beer and Lakewood is described as a Hoppy American Rye Pale Ale.

LYRIC LEAK: AV THE GREAT

 Article by Harlin Anderson, Photos by Will Milne 

We recently ventured out on a school night to catch the hardest working entertainer in Denton, Chris “AV the Great” Avant, doing his thing. It had been too long since we checked out the thriving, local hip hop scene, and the raucous energy radiating throughout the venue made us feel like fools for staying away so long. Avant’s undeniable talents, and the passion he brings to his trade, are sure to keep us coming back again and again and again to see what AV the Great has in store for Denton – not to mention the world. 

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AV, how would you describe your flow? 

AV: I wrote this the other day, and I think it best describes my style: "Is he Gangsta rap, street rap, trap rap, or concious?? Why I gotta choose one? I like having options!"

What's the current state of hip hop in Denton? 

It's as strong as it's ever been. Gold mine if you're looking into investing in entertainment. The artists are together. We just have to get the public to stop feeling like if I listen to this DFW artist, then I can't listen to this DFW Artist. That’s the dumbest shit ever. Like, you listen to all of these other musicians from New York, Miami, Cali, ATL, Louisiana, but you act as though you can't listen to more than one rapper from your own city. That is dumb as hell. 

How have you honed your craft over the years? 

The premise is the same, but the confidence has grown and made my delivery better. At some point in time, I just said IDGAF what nobody says or thinks about my music. I’m talking about my life and the things that affect me – not what is politically correct or the trend in pop culture.

What comes first - the rhymes or the music?

Both. There is no preferred method. With “9th Grade”, I found the beat first, then I wrote the 1st verse, free-styled the hook, the 2nd verse then came out, and then I wrote the third verse.

You mention “Brenda’s baby” at the end of “9th Grade.” Is that a Tupac reference?

Yep.

“...putting this city on the map permanently in the Hip Hop world, and becoming The Greatest artist to ever come out of this area”

— AV on his plans for the future

Who are your musical influences? 

Erykah Badu, Tupac, Jay Z, Nas, Temptations, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Scarface, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, Billy Joel, Al Green, Luther Vandross, Jodeci, UGK...a lot, I guess.

“9th Grade” is a cautionary tale spiked with anger and passion. Why is it so important for a song like this to be heard? 

“9th Grade” is all facts. People relate to facts, and everybody relates to High School. It puts the older listener in a reminiscent state, a deep emotional drift to the past, and it puts the current student in either a trance of "I feel what he is saying, this is happening now at my school" – or "I know what to look out for.” A song like this allows me to connect with the audience because when you hear it, you know I'm not lying. It's not really angry it's just emotion. 

Would you call yourself an entertainer or an educator?

I’d call myself a hip hop ARTIST.

Tell us some artists that we might not have heard of - but should definitely check out? 

My whole Trunk Pop Team is coming, and Shaheed Flow is a kid at Denton High School who has a lot of drive and ambition. 

What's next for AV? 

New album in 2014, bringing bigger and better shows to Denton, more videos, more money, and a nationwide presence. Helping as many people as I can, putting this city on the map permanently in the Hip Hop world, and becoming The Greatest artist to ever come out of this area – that’s that's the overall goal.

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AV the Great is a man with a plan. His recent track record of success – he was one of the highlights of this year’s Rock Lottery, and his video for “9th Grade” racked up over 20,000 views in the first week – suggests his master plan has a damn good shot at becoming reality. Don’t  sleep on this one, Dentonites. Get out to the club, and watch AV the Great blow the doors off the joint. You’re next chance isn't far off. AV is playing all the time - keep an eye on the Den10 for his next local show. Be there or regret it for the next 365 days. 

9th Grade by AV the Great

Who woulda thought. 

Back in 9th grade. 

Zerry be back in jail

He caught a double fault

Niggas that I grew up with is smoking wet

Kinda sad they used to be college prospects

Yeah, my Cousin Zerry almost got killed

In the pen this is real saying how it is

Over skrill and some bullshit

Niggas really dying and this game is bullshit

Yeah, they treat us like projects

Throw em in the hole and see if they make it out

That’s why they call it projects

That’s why niggas scream when he make it out

Bitch I come from a good family

We did dirty deeds but still we a good family

Granny raised me right

I know what’s wrong

But still I had to make mistakes to become my own

Man, no hating in this mufucker

I pray for everybody in this mufucker

No telling when he gonna judge us in the mufucker

Who woulda thought I’d have a family in this mufucker

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade 

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade

Who would a thought

Back in 9th grade

Back in 9th grade

Back in 9th grade

People getting money

People getting locked

Homies smoking rocks

Hoes on the clock

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade

Who woulda thought

Back in 7th grade

Uncle Kev when to the pen

Back again

I was nineteen when he seat me

Going in the wrong direction so he tried to reach me

I told him, hey I got kicked out of college

Cops wilding on me cuz I was speaking knowledge

Much later

I got them pills

I got that dro

I got skills

Then the nigga got on probation

And he was standing there with that look just waiting

The look said enough

Ever since I been eating instrumentals

Good stuff

Good luck

It’s a war zone

DFW, yeah it’s a warzone 

Who woulda thought 

Back in 9th grade

I’d lose my Aunt Jean and my Uncle James

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade 

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade

Who would a thought

Back in 9th grade

Back in 9th grade

Back in 9th grade

People getting money

People getting locked

Homies smoking rocks

Hoes on the clock

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade

Who woulda thought

Back in 9th grade

Who woulda thought

Black president

2011 and the rich still getting rich

Politician is a politician

Real niggas stand up and stay out of prison

Give my dawg a gang/game

When he come home

Stay away from him

This block more than lukewarm

Hug your girl

Kiss your kids

Look at a map

And lets plan how we gonna take this bitch

Smoke in the chest 

Screaming fuck stress

Look around the club

We all want success

9th grade 

This shit’s crazy

Who would thought we still ain't found Brenda’s baby

AV The Great on Facebook

10 THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2014

Have y'all accidentally written 2013 on a piece of paper yet? We just did. Oops. We'll eventually get it stuck in our heads that it is 2014 now. We kind of have to because there's a lot of stuff going down this year. We took a moment and typed out the ten things we're most excited about happening this year. Check it out below and let us know what you're excited about in the comments!

Rendering of the new Hypnotic Donuts store on Hickory St. 

• Hypnotic Donuts and Cultivar Coffee - yeah, we know we keep yammering on about this one, but we're just excited about having a reason to walk down that portion of Hickory St. or a spot to eat some chicken biscuits past midnight on the square. 

• New albums from Seryn (and a documentary), Doug Burr, The Eli Young Band, Robert Gomez and lots more will be pumping through our earbuds this year.

• Empty Storefronts Filled - We're super excited to see what fills the space of the recently-closed Gerhard's, Burguesa, Pizza Inn, and Grip. Lots of potential there in what some may call "cursed" spaces, but we think that it's a possibility that we just have yet to see a business that meets the needs of these exact spots. We definitely don't need another "Vape" shop (how many of those do you think opened in Denton in 2013? Eight?). 

• The Hive opening up it's doors, changing into something else, or an as-of-yet unknown third option. We dunno. @35Denton says it's still a thing and the new paint on the front is pretty, so that's definitely something. 

• New businesses on the square including the two-story NV Cupcakes/Sprocket's combo store we've heard rumors of and possibly filling up a growler at West Oak Coffee Bar when they open up on the square beside McBride's sometime in 2014.

• Cafe Herrera finally opening. Ever since we've been able to see through their windows at night (creepy enough for ya?), we've been craving Mexican food. 

• Whole Foods - We'll once again make the Denton "County" argument and be happy that 2014 will see a Whole Foods opening up in Highland Village. While we'd rather it be a little closer (maybe Central Market will open up in an old Denton Piggly Wiggly someday), we'll take what we can get. We already have lots of wonderful healthy grocer options in town (read: Natural Grocers, The Cupboard, etc...), but it's always nice to have options for more super fancy cheese. 

• Food Trucks again. The Austin St. Food Truck Park behind East Side Social Club plans to open their 'doors' this March. They will have five to seven different trucks parked there on a daily basis. With Denton's newest truck, The Waffle Wagon, set to start selling soon, and rumors of the late, great Wyld Taters resurrecting, too, we think 2014 will be a banner year for food trucks in Denton. 

• New Mayor - Love him or hate him, Mayor Burroughs terms out this year and we'll have to elect a brand, spankin' new mayor. We're hoping this race starts to heat up this next month. Maybe Eli Gemini will move back? 

• Hickory St.'s Revamp - It's possible that We Denton Do It used the term "back-in angled parking" at least a dozen times in 2013. We'll probably do it more this year when the plans to make some adjustments (more info in this past post) to Hickory St. actually happen.

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So that's what we got! What are you excited about in 2014?