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Wednesday, November 7, 2012 , Updated 10:13 a.m., November 7, 2012
Fort Worth’s music scene needs an indie makeover, residents say
Places like Ridglea Theater, they hope, will bring in big name acts to compete with the scenes in Dallas and Denton.
Photo by Josh Hogan
Crowd at Index Fest
FORT WORTH — Let’s take a moment to review the things that makes Fort Worth, Fort Worth: Billy Bob’s, the stockyards, the Fort Worth Zoo, Bass Performance Hall, Amon G. Carter, the National Cowgirl Museum, and a well known culture of independent music.
Did you catch it? One of these things is not like the other.
And in an area like Dallas-Fort Worth, where the cities could be hardly more different, this should come as no surprise: The independent music scene is more centralized in Dallas, considering the environment. But let’s not count out TCU quite yet.
Roots
Tiffani Rodriguez is a junior criminal justice and sociology double major at TCU, which in itself entails copious amounts of time and studying, but not so much that she can’t plan her way through whatever live shows she can get in her time off. From what she says, you would likely find her at the Granada Theater in Dallas before you would find her two-stepping, trading in a pair of cowboy boots and hat for combat boots and a fedora.
“I’ve been to pretty much every music venue in Dallas,” Rodriguez says. “I would say I’ve been to, at the very least, 20 concerts, and that doesn’t include the festivals I’ve been to.”
Rodriguez considers herself a big proprietor of indie music, saying she takes whatever chance she can get to make CDs for her friends to get them interested in lesser-known bands, or doing her best to convince them to go to yet another show with her.
But living in Fort Worth, finding other TCU students at those same shows is not a regular circumstance.
“I think Fort Worth’s main focus is the Stockyards and the rodeo and cowboys and Billy Bob’s,” Rodgriuez says. “Fort Worth, even downtown Fort Worth, isn’t really a place where there’s much room to have [indie] shows.”
And she could have a point – Fort Worth is known to its core as “Cowtown,” the place along the Old Chisholm Trail where millions of cattle were driven northward to market in the 19th century.
Visitors come to the Stockyards downtown on a consistent basis to learn more about the country western history of the city. Every Thursday night, hordes of TCU students brandish their boots for a night of two-stepping at Billy Bob’s.
If you want to see an artist or band outside of the country genre, you’re going to have to venture eastward.
Photo by Kevin Buchanan
Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth
Battle of the venues
In Dallas, you have the House of Blues, Palladium Ballroom, The Door, and endless other small, intimate venues like Club Dada and Trees that will give you more than enough choices of which indie artist you’ll see that day.
Fort Worth used to be void of any “big name” venues until the Ridglea Theater returned over the summer, thanks to the tireless efforts of now-owner Jerry Shults saving the historic building from demolition in 2010.
Ridglea originally opened in 1950 as a classic movie theater. It played host to its first live music show in two years on October 25, when Australian indie rockers The Temper Trap took the stage.
But does this mean Fort Worth is beginning to put up a battle of indie music venues in the DFW area?
“Having Willy Willie Nelson or someone play at Billy Bob’s, and then having a band like The Killers down the street wouldn’t really work with the Fort Worth vibe,” Rodriguez says. “But I feel like it’s up-and-coming. Fort Worth would be a good place for folk rock because it’s a good mix of country, rock, and alternative. It would be cool to have a place where all of those can come together at once.”
And perhaps Ridglea Theater can be that very place, where fans of country and alternative and indie and electronica can come and not feel out of place.
“It depends on how Fort Worth represents itself,” Rodriguez continues. “People need to promote Ridglea more, and [Ridglea] needs to bring in acts that people know so Fort Worth can be back in the competition. It’s good to have the local bands and singer/songwriters, but you have to have the big names to really draw people in first. If [Fort Worth] brings in Red Hot Chili Peppers or Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, it would make an impression on people, and they would come. That’s what Dallas gets. Even Denton has festivals and that kind of ‘hippie vibe.’ Fort Worth needs some kind of vibe like that.”
Photo by Alexandra Olivia
Black Lips performs at 35 Denton's Hot Wet Mess in Denton, Texas on September 1,2012.
Underground
In the battle of indie music venues, Fort Worth’s right hook could be utilizing that country history in conjunction with the growing indie music scene to capture the attention of TCU students and music fans alike.
“I don’t think Fort Worth will be as big as Dallas in the indie scene for a little while because Dallas is set with that already,” Rodriguez asserts, “but Fort Worth can start to bring it in with bands like Mumford and Sons who are folkish, but also indie and are sill kind of big with people.”
Mumford and Sons’ most recent full-length release, Babel, which came out in September, has seen significant radio play and album sales in the short time it’s been available, which Rodriguez attributes to the album’s hype over the summer.
“My Facebook feed since the album came out has been ‘Mumford, Mumford, Mumford,’ she says. “I think bands like them and Florence and the Machine, Of Monsters and Men, and Imagine Dragons have really gotten people at TCU to open up and start talking about [indie music]. You might not expect it from some people but Facebook is a good way to influence other people through music.”
Even online music streaming stations like Pandora and Spotify are good ways to turn people onto different, lesser-known artists, Rodriguez says, since social media allows friends to see what others are listening to, piggyback off of their choices, and even discover similar artists. And then there’s always the traditional “word of mouth” method.
“In a matter of two weeks, I heard an Imagine Dragons song, told a friend about it, and then he bought the CD not long after and is now going to the concert,” Rodriguez laughs.
Smells like indie spirit
With everything Rodriguez suggests about Fort Worth’s steady rise in the indie music world, Austin City Limits comes up as a foundation.
And rightfully so – ACL is arguably Texas’ most anticipated and celebrated live music festival every year, and Tiffani says she’d been looking forward to ACL 2012 since not long after ACL 2011. This year will be her first time going to Austin for the festival, but she seems to already know it’ll be nothing short of amazing.
“It’s exciting to see these bands live, because all I do is listen to them every day,” she says.
“It’s a spread out environment and ACL has that variety of different kinds of music that really completes the experience. Fort Worth City limits wouldn’t have the same impact, because automatically I would think, ‘Oh, a bunch of country music,” she continues. “Austin already has that atmosphere and spirit that indie music has. It’s kind of like a remake of Woodstock.”
But she says not to discount Fort Worth from the indie scene quite yet.
“It’s not as big as the country scene or top 40 around here, but there’s an underlining of people who like indie music or have some idea of it,” she says. “You just have to get people to open up and start talking to them about [indie music] and it’ll grow from there.”
So let’s ultimately call it a draw in the battle of the DFW music scenes, and continue to foster that Cowtown spirit with some Wrangler boots and a pair of horn-rimmed Ray-Bans to go along.
Pegasus News Content partner - TCU 360
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Nah. That fad is all but gone. Thay use them thar smart phones for stuff like that nowadays, I betch
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tiffinycostello, anonymous:
So, what about the venues like 1919, The Cellar, Lola's....those are not in the Stockyards and are hosting some of the best kept "secrets" (I say "secrets" because it is not much of a secret anymore) of FW - independent bands who are collaborating in a DIY effort, together! Some great stuff is coming out of FW and it is not from the Stockyards. Doom Ghost, War Party, Longshots, Bitch Bricks, Fungi Girls, Skeleton Coast....the list goes on. Lo-Life Recordings is even existent in FW - an INDEPENDENT label helping everyone have a DIY effort to create their music and propel their band to where they want to get - into people's ears. I definitely suggest checking out these bands I have mentioned - they even have promo-videos for their shows! The Stockyards doesn't have anything like that coming out of it. The sounds and music of FW is not only in the Stockyards anymore.
I mean this with respect and in the most informative way possible, by the way. I think you're/the girl in this article are both missing out on some great stuff!
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heyvanity, anonymous:
Who wrote this? Temper Trap was cancelled from playing the Ridglea.... Good to know at the college level, they no longer require fact-checking. If this person were to get out and about, he/she would see the scene is definitely growing and there's quite a few venues you can see some great indie bands play.
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polymath35, anonymous:
Willie, not Willy, Nelson. There are scads of great indie music venues and happenings in Fort Worth.
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caseymack, anonymous:
www.fortlive.com - It's a big world out there in "Cowtown" outside Bluebonnet Circle, hate for them to miss what is REALLY going on!
www.fortlive.com = Fort Worth's Indie Music Concert Calendar
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wizardvizion, anonymous:
For one thing, I've lived here for almost 16 years, and in that time, I've been to Billy Bob's exactly once. However, for ten of those years, I've played in bands and in just about every club in Fort Worth. If I only count places that have an in-house sound system and engineer, that's still like seven or eight clubs. If I add the places where bands have to set up a PA, that number doubles.
For another thing, don't ever ask TCU students anything about Fort Worth, because they seldom explore anything further afield than Bluebonnet Circle or the Chili's at University and I-30. Tiffani obviously needs to get out a lot more.
Finally, what, exactly, is "indie" about Mumford and Sons? Because their debut album sold 2.5 MILLION copies. Their second album sold 600,000 in its first week. By contrast, non-indie performer Justin Bieber sold a comparatively paltry 374,000 copies of his latest album.
To sum: please interview more than one source about the preferences of an entire city, and also, I HATE MUMFORD AND SONS.
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
heyvanity and polymath35, you are both correct, and thanks for pointing them out. I've made edits to the text above.
This article is TCU 360's take on the Fort Worth music scene and not written by a Pegasus News staffer. FWIW, I think this is great dialogue for people to point out what they love (or hate) about the FW scene.
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hrdtms, anonymous:
i stopped reading at TCU
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asddsjj, anonymous:
this article needs to be pulled down altogether. not just for the basic stylistic and fact-checking horror show that it is, but its scope is far too wide for such a poorly-researched and non-authoratative piece.
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beckrecek, anonymous:
Actually there are many venues in FTW that offer indie, local, and punk. I don't think this article is a good representation of our area at all. That's ok with me though, the longer the TCU crowd doesn't know about where I venture, the better. I definitely second Tiffiny's comment!
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Jra4611, anonymous:
Wow. Someone needs to get out in FW a little more. There are some amazing venues in Cowtown. Magnolia Motor Lounge, Lola's, the Cellar, the newly opened Live Oak. And talent out the wazoo. Quaker City Night Hawks, Cody Jinks, Whiskey Folk Ramblers, The Orbans, Josh Weathers, Foxtrot Uniform. And why does it have to be Dallas vs FW? It's really best of both worlds. More and larger venues for nationally known groups (I love Granada) and smaller, more intimate venue in FW. (Billy Bobs in FW and The Double Wide in Dallas as exceptions perhaps.) It's great seeing some national acts but the excellent local talent at lesser costs thanks to the smaller venues.
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rwindmann, anonymous:
Indie music? Who gives a rat's butt about Indie music? Since when is RHCP an indie band? Fort Worth has a great music scene - the best blues, best country, great metal, better jazz than most mid-sized cities, and yes, some indie. I'll thank the TCU students not to mess with it, and if you're going to write about, you should get out an experience it first. I'll end with my favorite TCU quote: "Six months ago I couldn't even spell stoodint, now I are one at TCU..."
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notpatchadams, anonymous:
I mean, she did mention the chili peppers....pretty indie.
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beckrecek, anonymous:
And when I say Tiffiny...I mean the first comment...not the deer in headlights in the article;)
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carolinecollier, anonymous:
Oh no. As a TCU grad and someone who covered the Fort Worth music scene for a local paper for several years, this article both embarrasses and saddens me. TCU students need to get out more and discover the community and reality around them, not sit in dorm rooms and imagine that their opinions about things equate with reality.
Mumford and Sons at the House of Blues in no way means an indie music scene. Checking out the excellent local and touring bands at the various venues all over town is the definition of indie. Fort Worth is overflowing with indie music. FortLive is an excellent place to start discovering.
Good luck with the journalism career, Taylor, but you really need to explore and learn about the world before you write about it.
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mrkilowatt, anonymous:
Change the headline to "'Fort Worth Indie Music Scene Stronger Than Ever,' Says Area Man Who Actually Goes To Shows " and you'll really have something.
Love,
Area Man
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supb52, anonymous:
Want to hear some good, old fashioned indie music? Check out Lindby at http://lindbymusic.com. We recorded all of the tracks ourselves and are currently playing shows all over DFW. Heck, you can even download our album for free at http://lindby.bandcamp.com. At the end of the day, whether you're listening to tunes at home or at a venue seeing a band play live, it's about the music. w00t!
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marenmorris08, anonymous:
Just like the big touring acts that come through Dallas doesn't define its independent music scene, Billy Bob's doesn't define Fort Worth's. As someone who frequently visits both cities for their colorful music scenes, I'm really offended that they were both summed up so carelessly. Was this article written 4 minutes before its deadline?
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Danekees, anonymous:
Jesus, this could not be any wronger.
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Tom Urquhart, verified:
I'm available for an interview about my experience seeing the Chili Peppers, Lemonheads and Depeche Mode in Fort Worth before they played Dallas; hanging out with The Shins before they signed with Sub Pop, Deathcab For Cutie, James Hall, Bo Didley; played with Baboon; interviewing Stan Ridgeway, the guys from Television and X, to name the few I can recall immediately... all in Fort Worth.
In the meantime, might want to consider interviewing more than one source and doing some field work of your own before publishing work like this.
Thanks.
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hullbass, anonymous:
Summary:
--TCU student likes Granada better than Billy Bob's, doesn't check out any other established venues in Fort Worth.
--Writer heard the Ridglea was re-opening and worked it into the article without doing any research.
--And Mumford & Sons played at House of Blues.
I'm a bit confused about what point was trying to be made here....
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BobbyZ, anonymous:
Back in October 2008 I saw and met the Fleet Foxes at Lola's with a packed house. They did all their own merch and loaded all their own gear and two weeks later they played Letterman and became huge. I believe they only played Fort Worth and Austin on that leg of their tour...doesn't get much more indie than that! Has this girl even heard of Telegraph Canyon? Has she even heard of Lola's or the Live Oak (where Dr. Dog just played an impromptu show)? Sounds like she just wants Mumford and Son's to play the Fort and that will make us somehow "indie" enough for her. I'm all for RHCP coming to town but even John Frusciante would tell you that this event would have virtually nothing to do with indie music.
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Candace Klenk, verified:
This chic is an idiot and there is a serious lack of knowledge to the "writer" of this article! Pull your head out of your TCU ass and go to some shows locally...
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codybenton, anonymous:
"Even Denton has festivals and that kind of ‘hippie vibe.’ " lol Denton kind of has way more than that as far as music goes. It's music scene wasn't featured in New York times traveller and Paste Magazine (best music scene 2008), The Guardian and Pop Matters for nothing. Hippie vibe? Try DIY vibe. And yes there is a lot more to the indie scene in Fortworth ( 1919, The Cellar, Lola's) than what you have mentioned. Just get out more. Dig in the cracks. Stay off the main roads.
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Tom Urquhart, verified:
I feel there are hundreds of artists, if not more, in NTX that deserve national, if not more, recognition. Fort Worth is no exception. The biggest challenge for them is recognition here at home, often eclipsed by reporting that seems too often correlated to the advertisement, often in the reporters' own publication.
So, our biggest challenge is supporting them here before they move away to larger "more serious" markets like NY or LA to earn whatever validity they need to be successful in the eyes of reporters back home.
You have a chance to see them now before Carson Daly features them on one of his syndicated tv shows.
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Karen_loewen, anonymous:
That's funny because I often find myself overwhelmed with bands to see in Fort Worth every weekend. Who is this poor sheltered girl?
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anthonymariani, anonymous:
This story is a few months old but includes a lot of info about Fort Worth's indie scene, written by someone who's been covering Fort Worth's music scene on a semi-daily basis for the past 10-plus years:
http://www.fwweekly.com/2012/05/09/fo...
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cammiheath, anonymous:
Give Fort Worth a break. How is Cowtown supposed to build a well rounded music scene when its "residents" apparently consist of a lone indie music soldier named Tiffany? You keep up the hard work girl! Keep getting on Facebook and telling people about Mumford and Sons and that Red Hot and Blue Peppers (is it?). Eventually someone will discover these bands besides you... single handedly diversifying TCU students one mandolin lick at a time. Like the logo above says, All TCU, all the time! Go Frogs! Gag me with a freaking spoon. This is infuriating.
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jpjonp, anonymous:
Even if we take out all the great local bands that we currently have in the scene, we still had/will be having Gary Clark Jr., Kopecky Family Band, Colorfeels, Maps & Atlases, White Denim, Marc Scibilia, The Weeks, Bad Veins, Stagnant Pools, The Kingston Springs, Exitmusic, American Sharks, D. Watusi, The Paperhead, and MANY more national touring "indie" acts play Fort Worth this year. Where were Taylor Prater and Tiffani Rodriguez at any of those shows?
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YNWAdallas, anonymous:
...TCU student commenting about the "music scene"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
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wadewoodford, anonymous:
Below is a list of NON "billy bobs/stockyards" bands that played in Fort Worth in 2 music festival that occurred in the last 4 months. These bands also frequent the multitude of live music venues in fort worth that are currently known for their indie and non-country reputation. You can ALWAYS catch many of these bands and other similar artists any night of the week in Fort Worth. This music scene is already well established in Fort Worth, and contiunes to grow rapidly in order to accommodate what the article above fails to accurately convey.
Here is the list:
Burning Hotels, Pinkish Black, Stella Rose, The Hanna Barbarians, The Phuss, The Apache 5, Telegraph Canyon, Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Luke Wade & No Civilians, Tim Halperin, Scott Copeland, Brenna Manzare & The Proper Husbands, Quaker City Night Hawks, Holy Moly, The Will Callers, Foxtrot Uniform, The Frisky Disco, Rotten Roots, Skeleton Coast, Calhoun, Secret Ghost Champion, Madràs, Mills & Co., We the Sea Lions, War Party, Beauxregard, Vorvon, The Pajammas FTW, Stoogeaphilia, Doom Ghost, Josh Weathers & The True+Endeavors, Gunga Galunga, Pablo & The Hemphill 7, Dru B Shinin’, D-Snacks, Kyeyote, KatsüK, Alan, The Cosmic Trigger, Jefferson Colby, Keegan McInroe, Gonzo City, Derek Larson & The Leavers, Cleanup, Sally Majestic, My Wooden Leg, Joshua Irwin, Kevin Aldridge & The Appraisers ,CLindby, Sons of Fathers, Wheeler Brothers, Hudson Moore, Hayes Carll, MyNameIsJohnMichael, Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Supersuckers, Reverend Horton Heat, Oh Whitney, Peterson Brothers Band, The Southern Renaissance, Soul Track Mind, The Relatives, Gunga Galunga, The Cush, Air Review, Telegraph Canyon, Charles Bradley, Dr Dog
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carolinecollier, anonymous:
In Taylor and Tiffani's defense, maybe they are not yet 21. Although some opportunities exist (FW Music Festival, First Friday on the Green for starters), acquainting oneself with the Fort Worth music scene is a tad difficult if one is unable/unwilling to spend a lot of time in bars.
This article might also serve as a wake up call for Fort Worth music - that there are consequences to hitching your wagon so closely to the alcohol industry. If you are mainly building your brand in a 21+, alcohol-centered environment, you are precluding a lot of people. Kudos to 1919 Hemphill for recognizing this far in advance.
After all, if you are out on the town watching shows and drinking several nights a week, are you really supporting an independent arts scene? Or are you mainly supporting Anheuser-Busch?
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Ken Vender, verified:
I now see the effects of the DMN owing Pegasus. They want Fort Worth to be like Dallas. Hello maybe that's what makes Fort Worth what it is and what it is not. It is not Dallas and hopefully never will be like Dallas. Plenty of good music and venues. Pick up a copy of the Fort Worth Weekly and take a look.
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Sarah Blaskovich, staff:
Ken, if I may step in, this story posted to our site has nothing to do with our current or former ownership. The story is written by one of our content partners, TCU 360, and not by a Pegasus News staffer.
TCU 360 has been a content partner of ours since November 2010 -- long before the Pegasus News/DMN merger -- and we've been picking up content in the same way before and after the merger.
I agree with you that Fort Worth is not Dallas and that it hopefully will never be, however your assertion that this story is posted here because of our DMN ownership isn't accurate.
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mezzetin_subaquatic, anonymous:
tcu is disreputable. o.k. Sarah, unleash the hounds!
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mezzetin_subaquatic, anonymous:
UTA is VERY reputable.
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cbellomy, anonymous:
It's difficult to take this seriously when the author's idea of "indie" rules out the possibility that she has ever seen local indie acts playing at local indie venues, or even that she has ever spent much time listening to KXT, whose playlists are only marginally indie but still include FW bands of which the author has apparently never heard. Worse, KTCU is right there on campus, playing lots of great indie music, plugging lots of great indie shows here in the Fort, and she apparently has never tuned in for any of that, either.
This would be like me writing reviews of local OB/GYNs. Not good.
Taylor, I know the criticism is tough, but if you learn from it, it'll make you tough, too. And smarter. Consider it part of the horribly difficult process of growing up.
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tonisaltlife247, anonymous:
I don't know what is worse, the fact that the writer only spoke to ONE person about the Ft. Worth Music Scene when there are PLENTY of people who he could have interviewed and they gladly speak to him as well or that the publication actually printed/posted it. Come on, there are SO many venues in FTW and they WILL let UNDER 21 in, so being underage does not play a factor in as to why people may not know about the various venues and various TALENTED bands from here and that come through our great city and play. Please, next time, take the time to do some research and in-depth research at that and speak to people other than TCU people.
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wishiwassnowedin, anonymous:
This article is absolutely pathetic. Have you been to Lola's, The Where House, Live Oak, FW Weekly Music Awards, Friday on the Green, or any of the venues/events where great bands play all the time? What are you doing going on and on about the Ridglea. That hasn't been a legitimate venue in Fort Worth for years, unless you're a metalhead. I'm pretty sure this girl doesn't have a clue about indie music, especially if she is referencing bands like RHCP, Mumford & Sons (terrible) and Temper Trap. Those are not even indie bands. Wow, I am absolutely shocked that Pegasus even published this pathetic attempt at an article.
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wadewoodford, anonymous:
Caroline, in regards to your comment "are you mainly supporting music, or are you supporting Anheuser Busch"..... You obviously do not understand the music industry and/or the business side of the music venues who allow these artists to be heard. Unfortunately, these artists cannot solely rely on their passion for music alone to provide the income for them to drive to the gig, replace/repair instruments, and so on. With that said, let's not regret to mention still having bills to pay and putting food on the table. It takes money. I personally, along with many other music lovers wish that this reality wasn't so. But without the adequate amount in revenue needed for these venues to keep their doors open, these bands not only don't get paid, they don't get to play. Many of these artists' income for a particular gig is dependent upon the cover charge and/or revenue of what the venue brings in. And we all know that alcohol generates revenue. It all comes full circle. So if you want to look at it as either supporting music itself, or supporting alcohol, instead look at it from a realistic standpoint. It's a basic food chain scenario. So if anything, you should be thanking Anheuser Busch for not only supporting artists, but making it even possible for them to be heard.
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kevinb, anonymous:
There is so, so much more going on in the FW indie music scene than the TCU kids seem to know...venues like the Live Oak, 1919 Hemphill, Lola's, The Grotto, The Wherehouse, Magnolia Motor Lounge...and go check out bands like The Longshots, Year of the Bear, Mailman, Jacob Furr & The Only Road, Ice Eater, The Burning Hotels, The Phuss, Skeleton Coast, Madras, We The Sea Lions, The Breakfast Machine, Cleanup, The Cush, Doom Ghost, Lindby, Bitch Bricks, The Diabolical Machines...FW might not have the world's biggest music scene but there's getting to be nearly something for everybody.
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carolinecollier, anonymous:
Thanks for the comment, Wade, but in addition to writing about the music industry regularly for 7+ years, I am also a musician who gigged in Fort Worth for several years. On top of that, I spent over a decade working as a bartender and shift manager, including in a few area venues. So ... I actually have a pretty solid understanding of how all this works.
Many musicians I know spend more money recording albums and buying/maintaining instruments than they can realistically expect to make. I wish this weren't the case, and an extra infusion of income would do wonders to get even more local music to the ears of listeners.
People would be willing to pay a cover charge in an environment that doesn't include alcohol. In addition, since they wouldn't then be shelling out $20+ on a bar tab, the listeners might be willing to tip the band a little extra. Everybody wins.
Of course the bar scene will always be a part of local music, but I am saying that it is time to get creative and branch out into new environs. If music fans at the local college don't know you exist, it might be time to rethink the approach and adapt.
Also, if you are going to drink, choose craft beer and support local everything. S/o to the Live Oak for their well-chosen selection of libations.
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heartchasers, anonymous:
As someone who is part of the Fort Worth "indie" scene, I am pretty offended by this article. There are so many great bands and tons of chances every week to catch them. Get a clue, people!
fortlive.com is the best way to stay connected or you could pick up a free Fort Worth Weekly.
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kdteakell, anonymous:
THIS IS TERRIBLE, and as a TCU student, all around embarrassing. Do not feel entitled to write an article when it's quite obvious you have never experienced Fort Worth's LIVING, BREATHING and may I add thriving music scene filled with some of the most talented musicians and ARTISTS around. And experiencing this so called "non-existent" scene, (which if you had you would quickly realize is more of a community, or family) is not hard to do. All it would take is removing your head from whatever place is allowing your vision to be obstructed and seeing the flyers all over town promoting shows at some of the greatest venues run by fantastic people. Horrible.
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wadewoodford, anonymous:
Caroline... First of all we aren't talking about recording albums, or the money these artists decide to spend to make that possible. If these artists depended on non alcoholic venues to play in, these artists wouldn't even fancy the idea of recording an album. And you obviously are incompetent in your claims as an all knowing expert who is experienced regarding this subject. How many non alcoholic music venues are out there? Not only in Ft Worth, but ANYWHERE. The sad, but realistic truth to all of this, is that no one will pay that $20 as a cover charge to watch local music unless they get more than than just music. Which is why they always have been ok with paying a $5-$10 cover on top of a $30 bar tab. And guess what?....They always will. If I'm wrong on that, then tell me where there is such a venue that is still in business killing all of these birds with that one stone. Do you think movie theaters would be as successful, popular, and abundantly accesible if they didn't charge $5 for a pack of milk duds? That answer I can promise you is "NO". With that being said, it would not only conpromise, but totally cripple the film industry. I'm not saying you aren't truthful when boasting your expertise and experience regarding this topic. What I am saying is that my expertise and experience goes much further than your claims regarding this topic I promise. In addition, mine seem to obviously be more current and up to date to accurately identify what realistically make these wheels go round. I would be more than willing to have my views backed by the musicians themselves, and the venue owners that I work with who I have close relationships with in order to show you that I'm not alone. It is what it is. Because of this being what puts food on my table, it's obvious that you are out of date with the current reality of the industry. I'm not rebutting against what I want or where I feel like things should be. I'm simply stating what is real. Not what was real whenever you are claiming, but what is real NOW. I wish you the best in leading the revolution that is responsible for changing all of that without compromising the live music scene whatsoever. If you shall succeed, I will be there with you in that transformation. Best of luck.
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mezzetin_subaquatic, anonymous:
saucer of milk, table two!!
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merchub, anonymous:
I like that the staff for Pegasus won't take ownership of this either. Get over it. It's on your site. Have better content. This is garbage and you know it. Quit trying to pass the buck on a partner. The URL has pegasusnews therefore its pegasus news. However, it is no news that you have been writing garbage for awhile now.
If you need a real editor I can recommend quite a few for the job.
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merchub, anonymous:
To Caroline: Did you recently see the Reddit post about how bands should play for free and most people are not willing to pay cover charges at all? And how artists should be playing "for the love". This was a serious debate that happened and showed that most of the public does not take music seriously or wouldn't pay more then $5 to see local bands. Cover charges of $30 is ridiculous. No one would come to local shows at that price.
If you want to save money then pay the cover charge and don't drink. It's that simple. Some people need to just control themselves instead of passing that buck.
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edens817, anonymous:
this is total sh!t, pegasus news should be embarrassed for even considering to publishing this crap. have a little pride in what you do.
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cammiheath, anonymous:
P.S. If you can't get Willie's name right the first time, you get NO respect whatsoever. Willie for prez!
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Jason Rice, verified:
And so should plumbers and dentists.
Oh, you didn't want a volunteer dentist? Why not? I'm sure they would do a great job. They love what they do or they would certainly not be doing it for free, right? Sure, maybe the equipment isn't the best... it is a hobby, after all, right?
I have to say, the article is a tad idealistic, but if you want pure pragmatism, just sit on your butts and wait to see what Disney and Ticketmaster bring to your doorstep for your convenience and stable, uninterrupted sterilized consumption.
Local arts need people. If you want to sit in front of Hulu/Youtube all day, you'll get reliable quality acts and carefully edited and produced content, but then you aren't the type that will build or benefit from local arts. But then, heck, you're sitting in front of Hulu/Youtube all day... you're not an interesting person, you're a food source for lice and bedbugs.
Um... well, calling someone "cheap" from the penny seats is funny at best. They are an aggregator... (lord, if there were a nickel for every time this comes up) -- they collect, display, and you decide. In the process, you see little ads and maybe buy something. You get free info. They sell ads. It's tricky, but that's about it - and you have this amazing edit feature called "next story." Try it!
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anthonymariani, anonymous:
http://www.fwweekly.com/2012/11/07/cl...
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donotcares, anonymous:
honestly? come on, get your facts and know what your writing about if your going to write an article. i'm not even going to tell you how i felt while reading this because i'd rather not be rude.
and stereotypes like "continue to foster that Cowtown spirit with some Wrangler boots and a pair of horn-rimmed Ray-Bans to go along.", really shows that you have no idea what fort worth is like. for someone who lived in arlington and would go to fort worth constantly for the shows, i don't understand how someone from tcu could know so little. when i'd go to the venues a lot of them were a couple miles away from tcu, no idea how it's possible for someone to live that close and not know a clue about it.
sorry but this is one of the worst articles i have ever read.
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srturtle, anonymous:
Great article in the Fort Worth Weekly Anthony!
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Jason Rice, verified:
Anthony,
I usually give Ft Worth high marks for its arts.
Your petty whining and malicious misattribution makes me rethink that.
A lot.
On the up side... he is on his way to breaking his comment record there. It will take a lot to beat his Steeler's Superbowl Game Night Party expose, but I think he could do it.
Ft Worth Weekly... Is that the one that got dumped with the Observer over that whole selling sex slave ads thing?
See - there's a lesson in implicit misattrbution. Have a nice day.
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anthonymariani, anonymous:
Jason, you're not making any sense. What "whining"? What "misattribution"? Maybe you're confusing me with another commenter. Both of my comments here are simply links to other stories.
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Jason Rice, verified:
No, I mean precisely what I say. That tends to confuse the heck out of people. You tar both publications for a single column. You hold an aggregator completely responsible for partners. And for absolute shame a "grown-ass man" [sic] picking on a college kid - in a platform that would disavow you as fast as a key debounce circuit.
Did any of you foamers invite her to a tour? No. Offer a positive redress for her apparently unforgivably egregious ignorance?.... not really. Certainly not before the vultures dove. Just fire away like a bunch of faceless cowards.
You have developed an identity of sorts over yonder and frankly, that should bring with it a gravitas of responsible action within your self proclaimed realm. But NOPE --- just shout and fling feces at the glass.
If you are really so proud of your scene, really investing in it means more than shouting down a novice and pinning the blame on a publication with which you have no other truck. It should mean not completely pissing off people a 60 minute drive from your favorite haunt. A real evangelist would have me making plans to see your recommendation this evening over a beer instead of setting up a FB filter to make sure I never stumble across your name.
Clearer?
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What do you think?