Denton musicians create one-time bands at Rock Lottery

by Tiney Ricciardi

• Tweet
• Email
• Print
• 0 Comments

This is one of Denton's coolest musical missions.

DENTON — Denton’s music scene has that special something, but it's difficult to describe. That innate quality will be easier to pinpoint on Saturday, November 17, when the results of the Rock Lottery 11 resound from the speakers of Dan's Silver Leaf.

Here's how it works: Twenty-five local musicians from all genres will meet up for breakfast, and, at random, be placed into five groups. They have 12 hours to pick a band name and write three to five songs that they will perform that night at Dan's. Every band has a drummer, but aside from that, the process is totally random, meaning bands could have several vocalists, or only guitar players, or none at all.

Rock Lottery is not an annual event. It was founded in 1997 by Chris Weber of Good/Bad Art Collective and comes around when the time is right, making it a prestigious, unpredictable event.

Musicians were picked because of their uniqueness, said Natalie Davila, director of programming for 35 Denton music festival and one of Rock Lotto’s committee members. “These artists were also chosen because we ultimately feel that they are the top performers in their own arenas and deserve to have their musical talents showcased.”

Jeremy Buller, guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist for Denton’s The Hope Trust, is excited about being involved -- though he's never attended Rock Lottery.

Buller loves “this idea of pulling different people together for one very unique thing that will only happen once,” he said over the phone. Musicians are asked to participate only once. They are not asked back.

“I expect there will be this instant nostalgia for what just happened,” he said.

Buller is slightly nervous about the tight deadline because he is used to being adequately prepared for a show. However, he says improvisation is something he is trying to get better at. Jeff Bernard, on the other hand, claims jamming will be an artistic necessity to establishing a cohesive rhythm. As marimba player for Dust Congress (with a proficiency on drums), Bernard aims to make bands on the whole sound better by backing up whoever decides to drive the force behind the music.

“We’ll have a long day of creativity and probably knock back a few beers,” said Bernard, who was also asked to participate. “Being able to listen to [other band members] will make it easy.”

Tex Bosley, drummer for Warren Jackson Hearne & Le Leek Electrique and The Holler Time, really digs the "shuffle" -- a style similar to a Western swing or blues style -- but plans to come to the event with an open mind. Like Bernard, Bosley believes in providing a blank canvas for soloists, singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists to paint on. He knows that aside from whom he draws, the artists will inevitably create an evening of good music.

“You don’t have to dig deep to find people who are willing to play their asses off. And you don’t have to look very far to find a reasonably-priced way to spend your evening,” Bosley said. “To a certain extent, it’s just another Saturday night in Denton."

Rock Lottery 11 features: Aaron White (Old Snack), Bill Dodds (Bukkake Moms), Chris Welch (Pinebox Serenade/Old Warhorse), Cody Garcia (The Heelers), Daniel Zeigler (Wiccans), Darcy Neal (Bludded Head), David Saylor (Terminator 2), Doug Burr, Ginny Mac (Brave Combo), Isaac Hoskins, James Washington (Peopleodian), Jeff Barnard (Dust Congress), Jeremy Buller (Bosque Brown/The Hope Trust), Judson Valdez (Chambers/Becoming), Justin Gray (Cerulean Giallo/Idiots), Mckenzie Smith (Midlake), Mike Forbes (Shiny Around the Edges), Nicole Estill (True Widow), Paddy Flynn (Deep Snapper), Petra Kelly (Spooky Folk/Hares on the Mountain), Rachel Yoder (Odd Partials, Madera Wind Quintet), Rob Buttrum (Vaults of Zin), Ryan Becker (RTB2), Taylor Kimbrough (DEEP Throat), and Tex Bosley (Warren Jackson Hearne & Le Leek Electrique/The Holler Time).

The show begins at 9:30 p.m. and costs $15. All proceeds go to Communities in Schools of North Texas, a local non-profit that works on retaining students and preventing dropouts.

Tweet