North Texas Daily

Alec Spicer | Staff Writer

Throughout the many house venues and abundance of performances that Band Together Denton brought fourth this weekend, the sense of the community’s love for Denton’s music was apparent.

Both days of the festival brought something unique and different, showcasing something for everyone.

Load In | Friday night

8:27 p.m.

Nestled back on Riney Road, just past a high voltage Denton Municipal electricity lot, sits Load In, a veteran amongst the Denton house venue scene. William Austin Clay paced back and forth in sunglasses at the start of his set.

“I wear them because my future is so bright, I can’t see the haters, you know?” Clay said.

The crowd was immediately engaged as Clay, the only solo artist on the bill, easily commanded attention by asking everyone to get down low as he tapped each of them on their head. Laughter could be heard in between each of Clay’s songs due to his nonchalant one-liners.

Local artist William Austin Clay performs a set at Load-In as a part of Band Together Denton. Sara Carpenter

“His music is good, but he’s actually a really funny guy too,” festival attendee Lydia Martinez said.

Although his 80s-esque, synth heavy sound was a stark contrast to most of the other bands on the bill, Clay’s music was still right at home as he heard the end of his set, singing “you get a job, pay your bills and then die.”

9:21 p.m.

As Monogamizer set up for their performance, people were quickly making their way back in the house to catch the trio. It was the progressive rock band’s first time playing at Load In, though you would have never guess based on the audience’s enthusiasm.

Monogamizer’s sound is heavy, yet rhythmic.

“The way I would describe it is weird metal, I guess,” guitarist and vocalist Zach Collett said. “Manic.”

The band has been together for nearly three years, and it is apparent. Three fourths of the way into their set, the band noticed bassist and vocalist Randall Day’s microphone had cut out. Despite the shortage being out of their control, Day is unfazed and continues the show through its remainder with vocals just as loud as before.

In fact, it’s the same commitment to their sound that lead the crowd to applaud even louder at the end of their set, with someone from the back of the room exclaiming that they could still hear the band just as clear.

The Rabbit Hole | Friday Night

10:29 p.m.

The white picket fenced yard of The Rabbit Hole is nearly empty just as headlining band Biographies finished their sound check on the other side of the front door.

The living room was met with undoubtedly the biggest crowd it has seen all night, emphasizing that it was clear the band had built their following beyond Denton.

“I know they’ve opened for Lydia before, so my friends and I drove here from Frisco to see them,” festival attendee Kaitlin Pennell said.

Though the band, made up of Katie and Michael Slosarski, Chance Maggard, Ethan Mclure, JD Perry and Kollin Weaver, performed in extremely close quarters, they utilized every inch of space they had.

At one point, Perry put his guitar down to hit the drums back and forth with Weaver. The band interacted with each other just as much as they did with the crowd.

Biographies ended with the loudest audience reaction of the night, matched with the most fitting lyrics of the night.

“Let my voice resonate within-side the house.”

Yellow Sub | Saturday Night

8:20 p.m.

Although Yellow Sub housed one of the smaller spaces for shows, the band Mink Coats packed the room with heads trying to poke through the front doorway just to get a listen.

The crowd was just as diverse as the line-up, which was something the band even noticed.

“What’s cool about this venue is that it’s not your normal house party, it’s bringing all genres [together],” guitarist Taylor Copeland said.

It was this same diversity that the band attributes to how well their set went.

“It was a cool experience to have a band of kids who were like nine-year-olds play right before us,” guitarist and vocalist Jared Starcher said about the band prior to theirs, Marathons and Unicorns, which features Midlake keyboardist Eric Nichelson and his sons, Owen and Tate.

It’s clear that Mink Coats was a crowd favorite as several people stuck around after their set to let them know how much their sound was appreciated.

“I actually stayed all the way until the end for this band, they were good” UNT alumnus John Bush said.

Mink Coats’ latest release, “Cashed Hits,” can be found at bandcamp.com/minkcoats.

Dane Manor | Saturday Night

9:13 p.m.

Across town at Dane Manor, the girls of Pearl Earl had a crowd spilling out from the living room into the kitchen and dining room.

The self described new-wave psychedelic rock group was originally asked to perform by the festival founder herself in the early stages of planning. After a short break from performing at the end of last year, the trio were delighted by the attendance in their first show back together.

“This is our first show in about three months, and the turnout for us with this festival was way more than we thought it would be,” guitarist and vocalist Ariel Hartley said.

Among the overwhelming support was UNT junior Emily Berger, who was no stranger to a Pearl Earl show.

“This is my first time at Dane Manor, but I’ve seen Pearl Earl before,” Berger said. “They put on a great show”

The mood of the room was infectious as it was not hard for the crowd to pick up on Pearl Earl’s obvious chemistry.

Drummer Bailey Chapman attributed this sense of chemistry to their close relationship beyond music, something that is important in every band.

“We’re so close,” Chapman said. “We aren’t just band mates, we’re best friends. We’re sisters.”

Jagoe House | Saturday Night

10:54 p.m.

Before Ella Minnow could even get a note in, bodies gathered shoulder to shoulder in the room with anticipation. This was the band’s first show in three and a half years, and people were ready to hear what they had to offer.

Though the seven-member band’s sound is difficult for even them to describe, it added to the overall unique-vibe that Band Together Denton wanted to spread.

“We couldn’t all decide on one dynamic,” vocalist Courtney Marie said. “We all have such different tastes which resulted in our own sound.”

The group is versatile if nothing else. It was only a matter of minutes and a few songs into their set before the audience began chanting for song requests.

The crowd engagement came as little surprise to guitarist Corbin Childs.

“We’ve always had a really loyal fan base that supports us,” Childs said.

Regardless of genre mixing or extended hiatus, if there was one thing made clear by the end of the night among the audience, it was that Denton was longing for Ella Minnow’s presence.

Featured Image: Local band Monogamizer plays a set at Load-In as a part of Band Together Denton. Sara Carpenter