august little d after dark

OPENING SHOT

Bug Chaser at Andy’s Bar onJune 14. Photo by Ed Steele

2 Little d After Dark August 2012

the alchemist In a cold sweat over the new school year?

Here, have a Summer Breeze and a music fest. >> 7

>> work the room Hailey’s Club. >> 11

flavor junkie Boozy ice pops. >> 14

the buzz Caffeine, jams and food. >> 15

For 28 days, Robert Gomez and

Anna-Lynne Williams shared a tiny adobe house in Marfa. They pledged not to

leave until they’d made an album as a duo called Ormonde. Machine, the result-

ing album, confronts human intimacy — that fragile connective tissue of enduring

relationships of every kind — and it confronts it with no net. No cushion. No first

responders to mop them up should everything come crashing down. Nearly

strangers when they arrived “in the middle of nowhere,” as both artists call

Marfa. You’d never guess they were basically casual acquaintances when they

agreed to hole up and write like hell. Story by Lucinda Breeding

COVER STORY

AUGUST 2012VOLUME 1, ISSUE 12

Courtesy photo

Publisher Bill Patterson

Managing Editor Dawn Cobb

940-566-6879 | [email protected]

Features EditorLucinda Breeding 940-566-6877

[email protected]

Advertising DirectorSandra Hammond 940-566-6820

[email protected]

Advertising ManagerShawn Reneau 940-566-6843

[email protected]

Classified DisplayJulie Hammond 940-566-6819

[email protected]

Contributing Writers Alyssa Jarrell,

Rachel Watts

Photographers David Minton, Ed

Steele

Designer Rachel McReynolds

On the cover Courtesy photo.

The contents of this free publication are copy-

righted by Denton Publishing Co., 2012, a sub-

sidiary of A.H. Belo Corp. (www.ahbelo.com,

NYSE symbol: AHC), with all rights reserved.

Reproduction or use, without permission, of edi-

torial or graphic content in any manner is prohib-

ited. Little d After Dark is published monthly by

Denton Publishing Company, 314 E. Hickory St.

opening shot >> 2

good dates >> 4

editor’s note >> 6

party people >> 6

love for the live set Denton’s Birds of Night have shed the complicated audio equip-

ment of their previous incarnation to better fit the new group’s love of live performance. And the

results of the revamp? Snaps, a stripped-down debut album that gives off a half-Creedence, half-

Hendrix vibe. >> 12

FEATURES

Photo by David Minton

THE ELEMENTS

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Terminator 2, Bludded Head,

Forbes/Young/Gonzalez Trio,

9 p.m. $3-$5. RubberGloves RehearsalStudios.

County Rexford, 7 p.m.

Free. Abbey InnRestaurant & Pub. The

Tallest Man on Earth, Strand

of Oaks, 9 p.m. $20-$25.House of Blues.

Greg Schroeder, 6 p.m.

Free. Love Shack.Reckless Kelly, the King

Bucks, Collin Herring, 7 p.m.

$15. Granada Theater.Bungled and Botched, 8

p.m. The Basement Bar.Afro Deezy Axe, 10 p.m.

Abbey Underground.Brutal Juice, Dope House,

10 p.m. $15. Dan’sSilverleaf.

Chris Watson, 6 p.m. Free.Love Shack. Babe Bash 3:

Please, Please Me; Sol Tax;

the Red Death, 9 p.m. $5-$7. Hailey’s Club. Natural

Child, Birdcloud, 9 p.m. $8-$10. Rubber GlovesRehearsal Studios.Charlie Robison, 10:30 p.m.

$12-$16. Billy Bob’s.

Luke Wade, noon. Free.Love Shack. Kottonmouth

Kings, Big B, Pozak, 7 p.m.

$20. Granada Theater.

Foxtrot Uniform, noon.

Free. Love Shack.Telegraph Canyon, Birds &

Batteries, Air Review, 10

p.m. $10-$13. Lola’s. Ted

Nugent, 10:30 p.m. $20-$40. Billy Bob’s.

Rod Balch, noon. Free.Love Shack. John Mayall,

Hunter Hendrickson, 7 p.m.

$25-$50. GranadaTheater. The Cab,

Parachute, Katelyn Tarver,

7:30 p.m. $14-$16. Houseof Blues. The Black Dotz,

voltREvolt, Bad Design, 10

p.m. $7. Dan’s SilverleafDwight Yoakam, 10:30 p.m.

$20-$45. Billy Bob’s.

Bobby Duncan, 6 p.m. Free.Love Shack. Jake Dester,

6 p.m. Free. Banter.Shonen Knife, 8 p.m. $12-$15. Dada. Blaggards, the

Jakeys, 10 p.m. $7. Dan’sSilverleaf. Kopecky Family

Band, 10 p.m. $7-$10.Lola’s.

Rudy Cervantez, 6 p.m.

Free. Love Shack. Link

Chalon, 6 p.m. Free.Banter. Fang Island, 7:30

p.m. $11-$14. Dada.


Free. Abbey InnRestaurant & Pub.Langhorne Slim & the Law,

Jessica Lea Mayfield, 9 p.m.

$12-$15. Dan’sSilverleaf.

Luke Wade, noon. Free.Love Shack. TheThreepenny Opera, 3 p.m.

$10. MurchisonPerforming Arts Center.Perdition, Red City Radio,

How’s My Driving?, Fat by

the Gallon, 8:30 p.m. $6-$10. Lola’s.

Rad Company, Tight Bros,

Talked Out, Special Guest,

the Half Truths, 8 p.m. $3-$5. J&J’s Pizza. Mister

Joe, Le Not Quite So Hot

Klub du Denton, 8 p.m.

Free. Banter. Little Jack

Melody, 9 p.m. $5. Dan’sSilverleaf. Big Mike’s Box

of Rock, 10 p.m. $2.Lola’s.

Relient K, Hellogoodbye,

William Beckett, House of

Heroes, 7 p.m. $16-$20.House of Blues. Earl

Bates, 7 p.m. Free. AbbeyInn Restaurant & Pub.

Mike Calaway, 6 p.m. Free.Love Shack. Aesop Rock

with Rob Sonic and DJ Big

Wiz, Edison, Dark Time

Sunshine, 7 p.m. $18.Granada Theater.Psyborg, DJ Don’t Know

and Foolish 2, Soccer Mom,

VJ Trek, $helby Woo, 10

p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf.

Stella Fest: True Widow,

Sundress, Ronnie Heart,

Cozy Hawks, Freak the

Mighty, Goblins, Holy Wave,

Blood Witch, Holy Mam-

moth, Ari Roar, 5 p.m. $5-$10. Hailey’s Club.Acoustic Distortion, 8 p.m.

Free. Banter. The Virgin

Wolves, Kentucky Knife

Fight, Mazy & the Mob, 9

p.m. Andy’s Bar. Dale

Watson, 10 p.m. $12.Dan’s Silverleaf. Gary

Allan, 10:30 p.m. $20-$80.Billy Bob’s.

Stella Fest: Ringo Deathstar,

Darktown Strutters, DJ

Yeahdef, Soviet, Skeleton

Coast, School of Rock Sum-

mer Tour, Gal Pals, New

Science Projects, Sacco and

Vanzetti, Terrestrials, Feath-

er Face, 2 p.m. $5-$10.Hailey’s Club. Caterpillars,

8 p.m. Andy’s Bar. Dana

Falconberry, Warren Jackson

Hearne & Le Leek Electrique,

Spooky Folk, 10 p.m. $7-$10. Dan’s Silverleaf. Sara

Evans, 10:30 p.m. $15-$35.Billy Bob’s.

The Threepenny Opera, 8

p.m. $10. MurchisonPerforming Arts Center.Bludded Head, Terminator 2,

Akkolyte, Shiny Around the

Edges, 9 p.m. $1-$3.Rubber Gloves Rehear-sal Studios. The Memori-

als, the Mission Bells, 9

p.m. $8-$10. Hailey’sClub. Whiskey Folk

Ramblers, Salim Nourallah,

10 p.m. $8-$12. Lola’s.Team Tomb, Sam Robertson,

Savage and the Big Beat, 10

p.m. $5. Dan’s Silverleaf.

Earl Bates, 6 p.m. Free.Banter. The ThreepennyOpera, 8 p.m. $10.Murchison PerformingArts Center. The

Flatlanders, the Orbans, 8

p.m. $25-$50. CenderaCenter. Outernationals,

Effinays, 9 p.m. $8-$10.Hailey’s Club. Sarah Jaffe,

9 p.m. $15-$20. Dan’sSilverleaf. Stella Rose, 10

p.m. $6-$10. Lola’s. Idler,

10 p.m. The AbbeyUnderground.

Link Chalon, 6 p.m. Free.Banter. Greg Reichel, 6

p.m. Free. Love Shack.Stefan Prigmore, 8 p.m.

The Basement Bar.Advance Base, New Science

Projects, Hello Shark, Kaleo

Kaualoku, 9 p.m. $7. Dan’sSilverleaf.


Free. Abbey InnRestaurant & Pub.Recycledpalooza: Hares on

the Mountain, Kaleo

Kaualoku, Shiny Around the

Edges, Delmore Pilcrow,

Willie Dees and Andy

LaViolette, Forever Home,

Mariachi Quetzal, 8 p.m. $5.Dan’s Silverleaf. Bukkake

Moms, Not Half Bad, the

Pajammas, 9 p.m. Free-$5.Hailey’s Club. Frontier

Brothers, Deadbeat Darling,

10 p.m. $7-$12. Lola’s.

Lindsey Buckingham, 7 p.m.

$35-$75. CenderaCenter. Ottamar Liebert

and Luna Negra, 7 p.m.

$32-$47. GranadaTheater. Nothing More, the

American Tragedy, Paco

Estrada, the Commotion, 8

p.m. Andy’s Bar. Old 97’s,

Those Darlins, Rhett Miller,

9 p.m. $26-$49.50. Houseof Blues. Birds & Batteries,

Chasing Kings, Señor Fin,

10 p.m. $7. Dan’sSilverleaf. Lee Brice, 10:30

p.m. $10-$15. Billy Bob’s.

Big Mike Richardson, 6 p.m.

Free. Love Shack. The

71’s (CD release), the Red

100’s, Johnny’s Boy, 10 p.m.

$10-$14. Lola’s.

Earl Bates, 7 p.m. Free.Abbey Inn Restaurant &Pub. Steve Nichols Band,

10 p.m. The BasementBar.

Willie Nelson, 8 p.m. $50-$77.50. House of Blues.

have your people call our people >> to submit an event for little d’s calendar, e-mail [email protected]

THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

National Smile Week: Aug. 5-11

National Radio Day: Aug. 20

National Panini Month

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

26 27 28 29 30 31

AUGUST 2012MUSIC at Denton venues MUSIC at UNTMUSIC elsewhere STAGE & SCREEN

1 2 3 4

Luke Wade, noon. Free.Love Shack. Bad Veins,

Stagnant Pools, 9 p.m. $7-$10. Lola’s. Cafe Tacuba, 9

p.m. $25-$55. House ofBlues.

19 20 21 22 23 24 25


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August 2012 Little d After Dark 5

rude king at hailey’s club (july 7) >> photos by ed steele

Mediating the Gainsbourg effect

W hat in the world does SergeGainsbourg have to do withMachine, the debut album of

Denton-Seattle band Ormonde?More than you think, as it turns out.Denton’s Robert Gomez, the party responsible for the

conception of Ormonde, has a thing for the late Frenchartist, composer, singer and filmmaker. Gainsbourg —father of actress and singer Charlotte — is well known andwell loved in France. In the States, he has a cult following.

At first blush, Gainsbourg’s music sounds like the stuffof Lawrence Welk — perhaps without the bubble machineand with that hard-to-define French attitude, that trace ofdepressive sense that every good thing in life is fleetingand always, always has a shadow side. But giveGainsbourg a shot and what emerges is a sadness shroud-ed in beautiful harmonies and dancing vocals. And

Gainsbourg’s music allowedhim to be a provocateur.(His famous duet with JaneBirkin “Je T’Aime Moi NonPlus” in 1969 might makeEminem shift uncomfort-ably in his seat with its rawsexual buzz.)

Gomez — and Anna-Lynne Williams, his part-ner in Ormonde — hasclearly marinated inGainsbourg’s music. Machine tends to be melancholy andlonely, but is sweetened by the Gainsbourgian touches —Williams’ ingenue soprano, Gomez’s more worldly bari-tone and all the shuffling tempos throughout the record.The most blatant is the cover of Gainsbourg’s weird father-daughter love song, “Lemon Incest.” The influence is moresubtle on the rest of Machine, but there nonetheless.

Machine succeeds on its own, fleshed out by Gomez’s

studious devotion to song craft and lightened by Williams’vocals and sage writing. Maybe Machine doesn’t have aneasy single, but it’s unapologetically accessible while beingintimate and thoughtful.

Just as Gainsbourg would have like it.

— Lucinda Breeding

Gomez — and Anna-Lynne Williams, his partner

in Ormonde — has clearly marinated in

Gainsbourg’s music. Machine tends to be

melancholy and lonely, but is sweetened by the

Gainsbourgian touches.

visit facebook.com/littledtx and

littled.dentonrc.com.

Add us on Facebook andread our music blog:


summer breeze >> by rachel mcreynolds

The drink 1 part Maker’s Mark bourbon1 part ginger alea splash of Cointreau1 orange slice

Muddle an orange slice in an old-fashioned glass with asplash of Cointreau. Add in equal parts bourbon andginger ale. — recipe from cocktails.about.com

Temperature-wise, summer won’t be over for at leasttwo more months. But for many in (or headed to) our faircity, come Aug. 29, summer will be snuffed out, smoth-ered under a pile of books, papers and campus parkingtickets. That in mind, send your freedom off with a bangwith this bourbon-ginger ale cocktail and a music festivalthat’ll broil your brain.

Next month’s Hot Wet Mess music fest promises to bethe one last hurrah you crave before the semester revs up.

So slap on some sunscreen, squeeze into that too-smallbikini and head to the North Texas State Fairgrounds onSept. 1 for a day of water play and tunes. This festivalcomes from the same folks who bring us the noise bonan-za 35 Denton, so you know it’s gonna be good.

Mosey on over to prekindle.com and buy your $15 tick-ets while they last.

The tunesWhile you’re sipping, listen to these tracks by headlin-

ing Hot Wet Mess artists: the Black Lips’ “O Katrina!”(garage rock with few complicated riffs and even fewerworries), Reggie Watts’ “Get Your Shoes On” (Stream-of-consciousness lyrics over dubstep beats? Check. A soulfulvocal range from Michael Jackson falsetto to Barry Whitebass? Check. Squirrel jokes with no punch line? Check.),Big Freedia’s “Booty-Whop” (the Queen Diva of Bounce’shigh-energy meld of hip-hop and electronica will leaveyou sweaty, smiling and satisfied — and in the right statefor some cooling off).

Photo by David Minton


8 Little d After Dark August 2012 9

or 28 days, Robert Gomez and Anna-Lynne Williams shared a tiny adobe

house in Marfa. They pledged not to leave until they’d made an album as a

duo called Ormonde.

Machine, the resulting album, confronts human intimacy — that fragile

connective tissue of enduring relationships of every kind — and it confronts

it with no net. No cushion. No first responders to mop them up should

everything come crashing down. Nearly strangers when they arrived “in

the middle of nowhere,” as both

artists call Marfa.

You’d never guess that Gomez

and Williams were basically casu-

al acquaintances when they

agreed to hole up and write like

hell.

And yet Machine is a work

between two relative strangers, a scrapbook of two platonic friends putting them-

selves on the line and harvesting 10 quiet songs in just four weeks.

Gomez brought a lot of his last solo album into the project. Concepts and

chords from the Denton musician’s Pine Sticks and Phosphorus make appear-

ances on Machine in the form-ebbing guitar reverb, blunted percussion and

Gomez’s vocals, which rarely rise above a whisper or groan. That same ephemeral

sonic fleece that makes Pine Sticks a soft and brooding record is the batting of

Machine.

It’s not a sequel to Pine Sticks by any means. Williams, a Seattle artist perform-

ing as Lotte Kestner, gives Gomez’s less-is-more approach the weight it begs for.

Where Gomez’s voice seeps into the floor, Williams’ soprano rings out plain. And

somehow, this austerity is pleasing. Williams doesn’t go for baroque. Hers is a

hint of reed-like vibrato, levitating over the fading percussion knocks. On much

of the album, William’s voice is the real thing, while Gomez’s is its shadow.

The musicians met in Denton when Williams traveled to Denton to lay some

vocal tracks on John Grant’s Queen of Denmark. >> Continued on 10

by lucinda breeding >> features editor

F

Courtesy photos

“Robert showed up in the studio to laydown the guitar for ‘Chicken Bones,’”Williams says, “and after that we keptbumping into each other. Because, youknow, Denton isn’t the biggest town. Ikept seeing him at the shows I was goingto at Dan’s.”

Meetings turned into conversations,and conversations turned into an artisticsimpatico. Back in Seattle, Williams invit-ed Gomez to send her his album BrandNew Towns. She wrote about the recordfor Identity Theory, a literary magazinewhere Williams is the music editor.

Their friendship was firm, and a part-nership wasn’t far off, the musicians said.

“We’ve played with some of the samebands, and when you are in the same cir-cle as other artists, everyone says, ‘Weshould fly to Europe and play some showstogether,’” Williams said. “But people don’tfollow through on that. But Robert did.He asked if we could work together and Iagreed. Just a little while later, I get a callfrom him and he said he found a place in

Marfa.”Williams knew nothing about the

famous small Texas town, where fine artsare prized as much as the mysteriouslights that can be seen on clear nights.Tourists can sometimes see the lights asthey look southwest into the West Texasdesert.

Gomez said friend and musician JasonReimer talked up Marfa as a cool littletown with atmosphere conducive to cre-ativity. The Chinati festival brought goodbands through the city, too, Gomez said.

“We were going into this kind of blind,”Gomez said. “Rather than be in a place

where one person was familiar and theother was unfamiliar, I kind of wanted togo to a neutral place. I wanted to be some-place where neither of us was familiar.”

At the time, around 2008, Gomez saidhe felt stuck. The monthlong stay in WestTexas turned into a retreat.

“It had been a while since I felt creative,and I was kind of worried. I wanted to getout of town,” he said. “Marfa was a reallycreative place. We didn’t know anybody.There were no bars. And even during theday, half the time my cellphone didn’twork. You have to realize that when you’reat home, there are so many distractions.

“West Texas, it’s just magic. There’ssomething mysterious about it. Somethinghaunting about it.”

Gomez and Williams traveled to Marfawith one plan: to make the most of thetime they were living in the little house.Gomez said he wanted to capitalize onWilliams’ crystalline voice and musicalintuition. Williams said she was eager toget out of Seattle, where a bad breakupsapped her strength. (And that was on topof a wrist injury that forced her to neglect

the guitar — which happens to beGomez’s chief instrument.)

The duo got to the adobe house and setup the mobile studio Gomez hauled fromDenton. Williams bunked in the house’sonly bedroom; Gomez camped out on thesofa. They got to work immediately.

“We didn’t talk about how anything wasgonna work out with any of this stuff,”Williams said. “At first it was tentativebetween us. We were kind of shy and evensat in different rooms. At one point, wewere writing things down and passingnotes to each other. I think each of us hadwritten a song each before we got there.

But there was no plan.” Williams said their contrasting styles

were a wellspring for the record. Williamstends to write and record songs in a singlesitting, without much second-guessing.Gomez’s approach is the opposite.

“I write lyrics over and over. I’m alwaysrevising. I write a song and then work itand work it and work it some more,” hesaid. “I’m always revising, always lookingfor a better way to make the music.”

There was common ground betweenthem. Williams was on the mend fromthat soured relationship; Gomez was sep-arating from his then-wife, painterMelanie Little. (The split was ultimatelyfriendly.) They both discovered thatNabokov’s Lolita was one of their favoritebooks — Ormonde is Lolita’s slip of thetongue when trying to say or du monde.

“I feel like she’s [Williams] inspired meto write better lyrics,” Gomez said. “Andshe’s a great singer, and because of her, Ifeel like I’ve become a better singer. She’spassionate and prolific. And then therewas her sense of when a song was what itneeded to be. I was ready for that.”

Williamssaid the pairdidn’t clash.There weredifferences,but theywere alwayscommittedto making analbum thatwoulddemand

both share the songwriting, the singingand the editing.

“If we ever disagree, I usually bend inhis direction,” Williams said. “Which isweird, because I’m not like that in any ofmy other projects. In my other projects,when I feel like something is right — or ifsomething needs to be done differently —I insist that that’s what needs to happen.So when differences came up, he wouldwin. I think that’s fair, given that this proj-ect was his idea.”

Machine is a lonely sounding record,full of craving for connection in spite ofthe risk. Williams said she wrote the title

track for Gomez.“I think at times I was even maybe a little

desperate to connect with him,” she said.“I’m really super affectionate and Robertisn’t, and when we first got there he told meI was allowed to hug him once a day.”

The title track is a revelatory song, withWilliams singing, “The machine onlyworks if all our parts give in.”

“I told Robert, ‘This song is about you,’and he didn’t really say anything at first. Ifanything, I was trying to impress him andwin him over,” she said.

And eventually, she did. Gomez hasroomed with Williams both times he’sgone to Seattle for a change of scenery anda creative recharge. Williams learnedsome new chords from Gomez, and nowher music collection includes a fair num-ber of albums by the late SergeGainsbourg, a French singer and song-writer who has influenced Gomez’s latestwork.

For his part, Gomez co-created a recordone song at a time in the cool little house,which sounded like being “in a little mis-sion.” He touched up the record slightly,with the help of musicians from Denton’sMidlake. A harpsichord here, drums thereand even a mellotron were finishing flour-ishes.

Machine comes out Aug. 7 throughHometapes, and Gomez said he andWilliams will likely perform a CD releaseshow in September, after he finishes atour. For her part, Williams will releasefour records in the next six months. Still,Machine changed them a little. The riskyielded a reward.

“I’ve known Robert so long now, and Ithink it’s the 28 days of being there inMarfa that really changed my life. Even acouple of the guys I met there, I still talkto them every day. Whenever Robert and Igo somewhere together, good things hap-pen. Maybe it’s him. Or maybe it’s some-thing we have together. But we work welltogether.”

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached bycalling 940-566-6877 or sending an e-mail to [email protected].


Continued from 8 >>

Machine is a lonely sounding record, full of craving forconnection in spite of the risk. Williams said she wrote thetitle track for Gomez. “I think at times I was even maybe a little desperate to connect with him,” she said.

LEMON INCESTThis French wordplay song is set to a Chopin etude, with lyrics abouta slightly creepy father-daughter relationship. Ormonde translated theoriginal Serge Gainsbourg song into English, then perform a cover thatis raw without being rough, creepy without being shocking. Williamshandles the part originally sung by Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter ofSerge, while Gomez covers daddy Gainsbourg’s part with a deep,throaty baritone that is kind of pretty, but mostly frightening.

MACHINEWilliams’ lyrics are universal enough, but the pleading quality of hervocals gives the listener that awkward feeling that he’s walked in on acouple in the middle of a tectonic relational shift. Her sincerity savesthe song from what could be cloying sentimentality.

Track for track: Machine

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hailey’s club >> by lucinda breeding

Downtown hideout

Y ou know how your friendsmove all of their furniturewhen they’re prepping for a

keg party? Hailey’s Club, a downtown Denton bar

and music venue, pretty much follows thatlogic in the small club.

Once you’ve stood in line, handed yourID to the staffer at the door and finallygotten your paper wristband, you’re at thelong, curved bar where you can buy liquor,draft beer and mixed drinks. (Oh, and youcan also help yourself to the scuffed coolerof water, too.)

If you want to sit down at Hailey’s Club,you best get there early. There are only afew cushioned-seat booths across the bar,

and in the main room, you can find seat-ing for 10 people — 15 tops.

But the point of being at Hailey’s isn’t torelax and get a buzz. Well, it is, but therelaxing and getting buzzed is meant tohappen while you’re on your feet, in frontof the stage.

Hailey’s Club is about getting funky onthe floor when DJs spin dance tracks, orholding your ground, arms folded andface inscrutable when a band plays theserious stuff. Hailey’s main room can turninto a mosh pit in a split-second when the

Intimate Hailey’s Club packs a big punch in a little package

HAILEY’S CLUB122 W. Mulberry St. Doors open 8 p.m.,

earlier for special events. All ages.

haileysclub.com.

Revelers at Hailey’s Club in March. Courtesy photo/Eve Edelheit>> Continued on 13

Back to the basics

the birds of night >> by rachel watts

“We said, let’s just make analbum that is snapshots, and let’smake them sound like momentsthat are real and that fit together,and sound like they’re actuallycaptured, not produced,” he said.

A longtime obsession ofRothlisberger’s, toy cameras andfilm photography played a bigpart in Snaps’ development. Theband wanted to make a recordthat sounds the way a toy cameratakes a photo, he said.

“It’s never going to be perfectand you’re never going to get asuper striking photo that is takenwith a toy camera, just like you’renever going to get a clear recordthat’s not recorded in a recordingstudio,” he said. “But that’s part of

the charm, and that’s part of whyyou like it — because it’s not per-fect.”

The fact that there’s not muchediting, automating or individualtrack mixing on Snaps was delib-erate, the band says, and sort ofthe point for a group looking tosimplify its sound. The musicianswanted the tracks to seem likethey fit together in the same room— Rothlisberger’s room to beexact, where the recording wasdone on his Macbook.

At a time when mixers, synthe-sizers and other sound manipula-tors are available to any band withan Internet connection, some can

BITEWith its loosened drum heads, simple guitar riffs and happy, upbeattempo, "Bite" sounds like the kind of jam you'd play over the back-drop of go-go dancers and an old Venice Beach video montage.

GREAT PLAINSCarried by persistent cymbals and rhythmic bass, this song is asstripped down as the vast expanse it suggests, with the exceptionof the projected cries of lead singer Andrew Rothlisberger's some-times throaty, Fogerty-esque vocals.

LOVE YOU ON THE WEEKENDThis slow indie love ballad is not only a refreshing one-off on thealbum, but it’s also like the modern-day “Unchained Melody” by theRighteous Brothers. (You know, the song from the movie Ghost.)

With ‘Snaps,’ Birds of Night decide not to sweat the little imperfections

Track for track: SnapsD enton’s Birds of Night have shed the complicated audio

equipment of their previous incarnation to better fit thenew group’s love of live performance. And the results of

the revamp? Snaps, a stripped-down debut album that gives off a half-Creedence, half-Hendrix vibe.

Inspired by photography, Snaps is saturated with themes of growingup, the West Texas desert and “nonsense,” as lead singer AndrewRothlisberger puts it.

Courtesy photos/Chance Foreman

>> Continued on 15


“You’re nevergoing to get aclear recordthat’s notrecorded in arecording stu-dio. But that’spart of thecharm, andthat’s part ofwhy you like it— because it’snot perfect.”

— Andrew Rothlisberger

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• Music Store• Lessons• Rehearsal Rooms

• Consignment• Booking• PA Rentals

www.metromusichub.com1809 N. Elm Street

940-566-6610August 2012 Little d After Dark 13

Store Hours: Mon-Sat 10-5 • 413 E. Oak(NE Corner of Bell Avenue)

940.383.8267 • www.twiceasniceresale.comBenefiting Woman to Woman Pregnancy Resource GR

• Furniture • Housewares• Clothing • Accessories

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Check out our online calendar for

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hailey’s club

metalheads and punk rockers hold court. Hailey’s is small, yes. But it’s been rec-

ognized as one of the best live music ven-ues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by localmusic magazines. And it’s earned fans forits commitment to a rotating selection of52 standard and rare beers (the club hasalso employed two beer sommeliers).

Music fans with wide-ranging tastes cankeep Hailey’s Club on their radar, becausethe venue offers everything from dancenights to live classic rock, indie music,folk, hip-hop and rock ’n’ roll. OnMondays, DJ Questionmark spins classicsof Motown and RCA. And Tuesdays arealways ’90s nights. The weekends, though,belong to bands, be they local acts or tour-ing groups with buzz in Rolling Stone,

Spin and Paste. During the 35 Dentonmusic festival in March, the humble clubis reserved for electronic music.

A word of caution: Don’t come toHailey’s hungry — the bar doesn’t have agrill. But wear comfortable shoes (or suf-fer while working those platform heels)and be prepared to bust a move.

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached bycalling 940-566-6877 or sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Continued from 11 >>

Main Attrakionz at Hailey’s Club in March. Courtesy photo/Eve Edelheit

Hailey’s is small,yes, but it’s beenrecognized as oneof the best livemusic venues inDallas-Fort Worth.


boozy ice pops >> by alyssa jarrell

Get smashed on ice

Courtesy photos/Chris Newby

T hese are officially the dogdays of summer, friends. Inthis heat, I am drawn to the

siren song of the ice cream truck, to thefrozen treats waiting inside.

But no matter how lured I am by thenostalgia-inspiring songs, I am not goingto be satiated with those fruit-and-sugarsticks.

So I’ve decided it’s high time to reclaimmy favorite icy summer treat. I’m takingback frozen pops and making them moreadult. You know what that means: alcohol.

It’s time to trade in the post-work cock-tail for something even more refreshing —something I can enjoy in the backyardwhile contemplating a run through thesprinklers.

Now, I know what you’re thinking:Since that bottle of vodka sitting in yourfreezer hasn’t frozen solid, how is it possi-ble to make an alcoholic ice pop? Won’t Ijust be eating cocktail slush? But worrynot, friends; I did the math. And lucky foryou, my math was spot-on.

Straight vodka doesn’t freeze, but whenmixed with fruit and juice, it does. Justmake sure your concoction is less than 20

percent booze, and you’re going to have aperfect, not-too-hard, not-too-soft icytreat. Twenty percent alcohol per pop maynot sound like it would pack a punch, butdon’t be fooled by the math, dear reader.While these frozen pops don’t taste likethe $2 wells you drink at happy hour, theycome with a kick.

So, get hold of some wooden sticks, bustout the bourbon and start enjoying yournew poolside snack. There is no end to thepossible combinations of fruit, juice andliquor, but to start you out, I’m sharing twoof my favorite boozy ice pops.

ALYSSA JARRELL is an adventurer in thekitchen who enjoys giving her culinary creations to family and friends. Her website is thepinkantler.com.

Bored and hot? Make your own fun with liquored-up freezer pops

The junkie herself, Alyssa Jarrell

Strawberry crush pops1 pint strawberries, cut into halves2 sprigs fresh mint1/2 cup lemonade3 shots vodka 3 shots elderflower liquor 1 cup ginger ale

Put the strawberries, mint, lemonade,vodka and elderflower into a blender andblend until smooth. Stir in the ginger ale.Pour into 6 ice pop molds. Freeze untilhard (about 6 hours).

Bluegrass bourbon pops1 cup lemonade 3/4 cup ginger ale2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemonjuice1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 3 shots bourbon 2 shots amaretto

Combine all ingredients in a small mix-ing bowl. Pour into 6 ice pop molds.Freeze until hard (about 6 hours).

Around UNT

� � � ART SIX COFFEE HOUSE 424

Bryan St. 940-484-2786. facebook.com/art

sixcoffeehouse

� BAWARCHI BIRYANI POINT 909 Ave.

C. 940-898-8889.

� � BIG MIKE’S COFFEE HOUSE 1306

W. Hickory St. 940-383-7478. bigmikescoffee

shop.com

� BULGOGI HOUSE 408 North Texas

Blvd. 940-382-8060.

� CENTRAL GRILL 1005 Ave. C. 940-323-

9464.

� � COOL BEANS 1210 W. Hickory St.

940-382-7025. facebook.com/coolbeans

dentontx

� CROOKED CRUST 101 Ave. A. 940-

565-5999.

� � CUPS AND CREPES 309 Fry St. 940-

387-1696.

� FERA’S 1407 W. Oak St. 940-382-9577.

� � FRY STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 125

Ave. A. 940-323-9800. publichousedenton.com

� � FRY STREET TAVERN 121 Ave. A.

940-383-2337.

� � THE GARAGE 113 Ave. A. 940-383-

0045. thedentongarage.com

� KATZ’S HAMBURGERS 901-A Ave. C.

940-442-6200.

� LUCKY LOU’S 1207 W. Hickory St. 940-

484-5550. luckylousdenton.com

� MR. CHOPSTICKS 1633 Scripture St.

940-382-5437.

� � NARANJA CAFE 906 Ave. C. Suite

100. 940-483-0800.

� NEW YORK SUB-HUB 906 Ave. C. 940-

383-3213.

� OLD HOUSE BBQ 1007 Ave. C. 940-

383-3536.

� ORIENTAL GARDEN RESTAURANT114 Ave. B. 940-387-3317.

� RASOI, THE INDIAN KITCHEN 1002

Ave. C. 940-566-6125. dentonindianfood.com

� RIPROCKS 1211 W. Hickory St. 940-382

3231.

� � ROCKIN’ RODEO 1009 Ave. C. 940-

565-6611. rockinrodeodenton.com

� SUKHOTHAI II RESTAURANT 1502 W.

Hickory St. 940-382-2888.

� SUSHI CAFE 1401 W. Oak St. 940-380-

1030.

� TJ’S PIZZA WINGS & THINGS 420 S.

Carroll Blvd., Suite 102. 940-383-3333.


Around downtown

� � THE ABBEY INN RESTAURANT &PUB 101 W. Hickory St. 940-566-5483.

� � THE ABBEY UNDERGROUND 100

W. Walnut St. 940-565-5478. facebook.com/

theabbeyunderground

� ANDAMAN THAI RESTAURANT221 E. Hickory St. 940-591-8790.

andamanthairestaurant.com

� � ANDY’S BAR 122 N. Locust St. 940-

565-5400. reverbnation.com/venue/andysbar

� � � BANTER 219 W. Oak St. 940-565-

1638. dentonbanter.com

� BETH MARIE’S OLD-FASHIONEDICE CREAM AND SODA FOUNTAIN 117

W. Hickory St. 940-384-1818. (second loca-

tion at Unicorn Lake, 2900 Wind River Lane)

bethmaries.com

� BURGUESA BURGER 214 E. Hickory

St. 940-442-6113. burguesa.com

� CASA GALAVIZ 508 S. Elm St. 940-387-

2675.

� CELLAR 22 219 E. Hickory St. 940-435-

0149. thecellar22.com

� � CRAZY HORSE SALOON 508 S.

Elm St. 940-591-0586.

� � THE CHESTNUT TREE 107 W.

Hickory St. 940-591-9475. chestnuttearoom.com

� � THE CUPBOARD 200 W. Congress

St. 940-387-5386. cupboardnaturalfoods.com

� � DAN’S SILVERLEAF 103 Industrial St.

940-320-2000. danssilverleaf.com

� � � DENTON SQUARE DONUTS 208

where to find � music, � caffeine and � food/drink in denton >> for more listings, visit wimgo.com

W. Oak St. 940-220-9447. dentonsquare-

donuts.com

� EL CHAPARRAL GRILLE 324 E.

McKinney St., Suite 102. 940-243-1313.

� EL GUAPO’S 419 S. Elm St. 940-566-

5575. elguapos.com

� � � THE GREENHOUSE 600 N. Locust

St. 940-484-1349. greenhouserestaurant

denton.com

� � HAILEY’S CLUB 122 W. Mulberry St.

940-323-1160. haileysclub.com

� HANNAH’S OFF THE SQUARE 111 W.

Mulberry St. 940-566-1110.

� � J&J’S PIZZA 118 W. Oak St. 940-382-

7769. jandjpizzadenton.com

� � JUPITER HOUSE 106 N. Locust St.

940-387-7100. jupiterhousecoffee.net

� KEIICHI SUSHI 500 N. Elm St. 940-382-

7505.

� � THE LABB 218 W. Oak St. 940-293-

4240. thelabbdenton.com

� LA MEXICANA 619 S. Locust St. 940-

483-8019.

� � LOCO CAFE 603 N. Locust St. 940-

387-1413. locodenton.com

� THE LOOPHOLE 119 W. Hickory St.

940-565-0770. loopholepub.com

� � LOVE SHACK 115 E. Hickory St. 940-

442-6834. loveburgershack.com

� MAD WORLD RECORDS 115 W.

Hickory St. 940-591-3001.

� MELLOW MUSHROOM 217 E. Hickory

St. 940-323-1100. mellowmushroom.com

� MI CASITA 110 N. Carroll Blvd. 940-891-

1932.

� NV CUPCAKES 118 E. McKinney St.

817-229-3031. nvcupcakes.com

� OAK STREET DRAFTHOUSE 308 E.

Oak St. 940-395-1950.

� RAMEN REPUBLIC 210 E. Hickory St.

940-387-3757. ramenrepublic.biz

� � RAVELIN BAKERY 416 S. Elm St.

940-382-8561.

� � ROOSTER’S ROADHOUSE 113

Industrial St. 940-382-4227. roosters-

roadhouse.com

� � RUBBER GLOVES REHEARSALSTUDIOS 411 E. Sycamore St. 940-387-

7781. rubberglovesdentontx.com

� � SEVEN MILE CAFE 311 W. Congress

St. 940-808-0200. sevenmilecafe.com

� SIAM OFF THE SQUARE 209 W.

Hickory St., Suite 104. 940-382-5118.

siamoffthesquare.com

� � SWEETWATER GRILL & TAVERN115 S. Elm St. 940-484-2888.

� VERONICA’S CAFE 803 E. McKinney

St. 940-565-9809.

� VIGNE 222 W. Hickory St., Suite 103. 940-

566-1010.

� WEINBERGER’S DELI 311 E. Hickory

St., Suite 110. 940-566-5900. weinbergers

denton.com

� WINE SQUARED 110 W. Oak St. 940-

384-9463. winetimeswine.com

� � YOGURT FUSION 209 W. Hickory St.

940-597-6367. yofusion.com

� � ZERA COFFEE CO. 420 E. McKinney

UNT College of Music music.unt.edu

UNT Dance and Theatre danceandtheatre.unt.edu

Winspear Performance Hall, Murchison Performing Arts

Center thempac.com

Texas Woman’s University Theatre twu.edu/drama

Dada, Dallas dadadallas.com

Granada Theater, Dallas granadatheater.com

House of Blues, Dallas houseofblues.com/dallas

Kessler Theater, Dallas thekessler.org

Palladium Ballroom, Dallas thepalladiumballroom.com

The Basement Bar, Fort Worth basementbarstockyards.com

Billy Bob’s Texas, Fort Worth billybobstexas.com

Lola’s, Fort Worth lolasfortworth.com

Cendera Center, Fort Worth cenderacenter.com

Music here, there andeverywhere else

take it too far, Rothlisberger said. Butthat’s not what his Birds are about.

“The album is a secondary product toour live show,” he said. “It’s tough toalways measure how successfully you’redoing based on your album. To me, Imeasure our success by how peoplerespond to our live shows.”

Though it’s a young band, Birds hasalready received airplay for both Snapsand the group’s earlier work, Fulton St.,on Mark Schectman’s Sunday night show,Local Edge, on KDGE-FM (102.1). Thatalone has generated a lot of attention forthe band.

“After he played us that first time, wehad a show at the Liquid Lounge and wehad people who drove out from Tyler whowere like, ‘Yeah, we heard you on theradio and just wanted to check out yourshow,’” bassist Brooks Martin said. “It’sgreat having your friends and family at ashow, but it’s awesome having repeat cus-tomers who you don’t know personally.”

Brooks said that since the radio airplay,he and his fellow Birds have seen a spikein album sales and traffic to group’s web-site. But, he said, the group’s more focusedon making sure the album and live showare connected and cohesive, not howmany albums they sell.

“Ultimately, nobody’s buying our albumbecause of the masterful recording tech-nique,” Rothlisberger said. “They’re buyingit, hopefully, because we made them feel acertain way during our show and theywant to feel that on their way to work.”

RACHEL WATTS enjoys participating in thelocal music scene and co-owns a smallindependent record label called I LoveMath Records. She lives in Denton.

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the birds of night

Continued from 12 >>

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august little d after dark

Documents

love shack

free publication

dope house

house of blues

billy bobs

granada theater

cover courtesy photo

resulting album