35 Conferette, Day One

The first day of 35 Conferette is over, but my ears are still ringing. I was lucky enough to sample a broad litmus of bands today – from the soulful stylings of Sarah Jaffe and all-out soul revival by Mavis Staples (both on the Main Stage), to White Denim‘s bluesy rock jams on Stage 2.

Denton’s a different sort of town. After my camera’s memory stick died I searched on foot (I was loathe to give up my parking spot) and in vain for a replacement until an SUV intercepted me. The driver’s side window lowered to reveal a smiling girl who then offered me a ride. Yes, please.

Camera operational again, I made it in time to catch Sundress’s psychadelic offering,  a summertime sound of reverb-saturated guitars and catchy phrases.

I’d done my homework, and what I’d heard from White Denim’s online songs had intrigued me. Watching them live, however, was something different altogether. This was a band bound tightly to their music in that they seemed to breathe it in great puffs of climactic release; White Denim has chops, and they were on shameless display. The drummer kept a beautiful groove, and would get a little mathy from time to time. My face  ultimately melted under the weight of this band’s mojo – I will certainly be seeing them again.

I then happened upon a lone man sitting behind a drum kit and thrumming away on pained bass compositions in the basement of J&J’s Pizza as footsteps creaked overhead. A Smile Full of Ale performed, and a great environment it was for the Pond-esque soliloquies. This was as modest as sets get, yet the basement was still packed.

I visited Andy’s for dinner and heard the terrible news that Al, my favorite Denton chef, had  moved over to Andy Bostick’s newer sports bar, The Labb. In search of the famous Al, I traveled to The Labb to see what it had going on – as it turns out, The Labb didn’t have anything vegetarian on the menu, but Michael, another chef, fashioned me a tasty balsamic veggie sandwich that will supposedly soon be widely available. The sports motif may be a turn off for some, but the staff were friendly and the food was great.

The Cush performed a spacey set at Dan’s Silverleaf, sans their usual rhythm section. The husband and wife duo made liberal use of their vintage tape delay and reverb, and the resulting warmth washed the Patio in waves that drew a very sizable crowd.

I finished the evening with a glass of Hickory Street Lounge’s house Cabernet Sauvignon (top notch) and an intimate folk set by Nicolas Altobelli, accompanied by Kristy Kruger on steel guitar.

Tomorrow the stakes will be higher. I would look out for the dancy Sextape,  the bluesy RTB2, and the mathy Babar, among others.