35 Denton

Sarah Jaffe performing at NX35 2009

The Flaming Lips performing a free show during NX35 2010

35 Denton (formerly named NX35 and 35 Conferette ) is a walkable 4-day music festival that takes place every March in the heart of downtown Denton, Texas. The festival is programmed each year on the week prior to the music portion of SXSW in Austin, TX four hours South by way of I35.

35 Denton is organized by a core staff of volunteers. The music festival has featured many nationally-touring acts, such as The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Local Natives, Portugal. The Man, The Flaming Lips, The Jesus and Mary Chain, !!!, The Mountain Goats, Bun-B, Devin the Dude, Dr. Dog, Big Boi (from Outkast), Reggie Watts, Miami Horror, Best Coast and A Place to Bury Strangers. Likewise, it also has a roster of notable local acts, such as Neon Indian, Midlake, Riverboat Gamblers, James McMurtry, New Science Projects, Ella Minnow, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Here Holy Spain and more.

History

From 2005-2008 festival founder Chris Flemmons hosted a South by Southwest showcase titled North by 35 (or NX35 for short) as a means to promote Denton musicians. In 2009, Flemmons organized a group of volunteers to bring the event to Denton full time under the same moniker, although it was later changed due to legal reasons to '35 Conferette' in 2010. In 2011 under new leadership the festival was again renamed 35 Denton and has since been programmed around the historic Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square and surrounding neighborhoods. A publicist for 35 Denton said as to the goal of the festival "Our goals are to enrich and foster the local music and arts scene and to improve the economics and quality of life in Denton,"

2005-2008: NX35: The Afternoon Party of the Other, Smaller, Music Town in Texas

Location: Austin, TX. Big Red Sun (2005) Club DeVille (2006) Momo’s (2007, 2008)

35 Denton began as an exclusive, invite-only, day party to showcase Denton musicians during the SXSW Music Festival and Conference in Austin, TX.

2009

The first year of NX35 Music Conferette in Denton, featured 124 bands and over 4,000 fans.

NX35 also included a panel led by American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar.

NX35 Performing Artists 2009

• 100 Damned Guns
• The All Get Out
• The A.M. Ramblers
• American Werewolf Academy
• The Angelus
• The Baptist Generals
• beep beep
• Black and Gold
• The Boom Boom Box
• Bosque Brown
• The Botticellis
• Boyfriends Inc.
• Brave Combo
• Bridges and Blinking Lights
• Doug Burr
• Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
• Centro-matic
• Chameleon Chamber Group
• Cocky Americans
• Bart Davenport
• Dave Palmer
• Dead Twins
• Delmore Pilcrow
• The Diamond Center
• Dirtfoot
• The Drams
• Dust Congress
• Electric Toy Danger
• Ella Minnow
• Febrifuge
• Daniel Folmer
• Laura Gibson
• Robert Gomez
• Grassfight
• The Grey Company
• Ham1
• The Heartstring Stranglers
• The Heelers
• Hello Lovers
• History At Our Disposal
• The Hudsons
• Mathias Isassi
• Sarah Jaffe
• Kaboom
• KatsüK
• LA GUERRILLA
• Last of the Interceptors
• Sabra Laval
• Leatherwood
• Like Trains & Taxis
• Low Anthem
• Lydia
• The Mad Scientists
• Madeline and the White Flag Band
• The Make Believers
• Matthew and the Arrogant Sea
• James McMurtry
• Mike Miller
• Mom
• Monotonix
• Dan Montgomery
• Moth!Fight!
• The Naptime Shake
• The Neighborhood All-Stars
• Nervous Curtains
• The New Science Projects
• Clint Niosi
• The Odd Primes
• Opaque
• The Orbans
• Parata
• Pinebox Serenade
• Possessed by Paul James
• Record Hop
• Riverboat Gamblers
• RTB2
• Shiny Around the Edges
• The Show Is The Rainbow, The Silver Arrows
• The Slow Burners
• Claire Small
• The Spectacle
• Spooky Folk
• Starhead
• Stumptone
• Sugar and Gold
• Swedish Teens
• Sybris
• Tame . . Tame, and Quiet
• Telegraph Canyon
• The Theater Fire
• The Timeline Post
• Tomorrowpeople
• True Widow
• The Uptown Bums
• Vortexas
• Warren Jackson Hearne and the Merrie Murdre of Gloomadeers
• We Are Villains
• Young Mammals
• The Zest of Yore

2010: NX35 Music Conferette

The 2010 NX35 Music Conferette featured 250 acts and attracted an audience of 20,000. The event’s second year gained national acclaim and drew an estimated 20,000 music enthusiasts to Denton for the 4-day festival and music conference. More than 200 up-and-coming acts at- tracted near max capacity crowds at a dozen venues within walking distance of Denton’s historic courthouse square. The main attraction was a first for North Texas, a free outdoor concert with the Grammy award winning Flaming Lips at the North Texas Fairgrounds.

Notable keynote speaker for NX35- 2010 was Steve Albini.

NX35 Performing Artists 2010

• The Flaming Lips
• Midlake
• Horse Feathers
• Neon Indian
• Health
• The Black Angels
• Trespassers William
• Ola Podrida
• BigBang
• Pigeon John
• Unwed Sailor
• Jupitor One
• Feathers
• Via Audio

+ more: www.mydentonmusic.com/buzz.php?page=nx35-official-bands-1.19.10

2011: 35 Conferette

The event’s third-year saw an expansion from venue shows to three outdoor stages realized the festival’s unique potential. A downtown worth fostering shined through 35’s new presentation and included a 250-deep band lineup featuring Mavis Staples, Dr. Dog, and Outkast’s Big Boi among the headliners, which drew upwards of 11,000 people through the festival’s ten indoor venues and three outdoor stage areas.

35 Conferette 2011 Performing Artists 2011

• Big Boi
• Mavis Staples
• Local Native
• Dr. Dog
• Pains Of Being Pure At Heart,
• !!!
• Portugal the Man
• Gayngs
• Cut Chemist
• Reggie Watts
• Secret Sisters
• Dan Deacon
• Miami Horror
• Kid Koala
• A Place to Bury Strangers
• How to Dress Well
• Esben & the Witch
• Big Freedia
• Japanther
• Damien Jurado

+more: http://www.mydentonmusic.com/buzz.php?page=35-conferette-1.21.10

2012

File:35 Denton 2012.jpg

As of July, 2011, under new leadership the festival was renamed 35 Denton. The festival released several viral videos to announce headlining artists, covered by local DFW musicians as a part of its 'cover series.' 2012 headliner The Jesus and Mary Chain were set to perform last on the outdoor stage Sunday evening but were rescheduled due to visa issues for the following Wednesday at the North Texas Fairgrounds.

35 Denton Performing Artists 2012

• The Jesus and Mary Chain
• Built to Spill
• Bun B
• Best Coast
• The Mountain Goats
• Devin the Dude
• The Raincoats
• John Vanderslice
• OM
• Atlas Sound
• Thee Oh Sees
• Dum Dum Girls
• Danny Brown
• Designer Drugs
• The Hood Internet
• El Ten Eleven
• Class Actress
• Oberhofer
• Light Asylum
• Gardens & Villa
• Peaking Lights
• High Places
• G-Side
• Main Attrakionz
• Wooden Wand
• Cowboy and Indian
• Teengirl Fantasy
• Night Beats
• Bleached
• Finn Riggins
• Bare Wires
• Cities Aviv
• Julianna Barwick
• R. Stevie Moore
• Milo Greene
• The Pass
• Psychic Ills
• Pond
• Millionyoung
• True Widow
• Evangelicals
• White Fence
• Wet Hair
• Woodsman
• Dinosaur Feathers
• Purling Hiss
• Sleep ∞ Over
• M.A.K.U SoundSystem
• RACES
• Mikal Cronin
• Mannequin Men
• Xray Eyeballs
• Natural Child
• David Ramirez
• Psychedelic Horseshit
• American Royalty
• Aan
• the Rassle
• Chapter 24
• Danny Malone
• The Romany Rye
• Tropical Ooze
• Sun Araw
• True Widow
• Twin Tigers

+ more : http://35denton.com/artists/page/3/

The Hot Wet Mess

In May 2012, 35 Denton announced a one day end of summer party to take place on September 1, 2012 entitled 'The Hot Wet Mess.' The festival's first venture into event production outside the 35 Denton festival will take place at the North Texas Fairgrounds.

Naming history

From 2005 to 2008, the festival was known as "NX35 (North by 35)". The festival began as a day party at SXSW showcasing Denton bands, and the name indicated how to get to Denton from Austin, as in go North by 35.

In 2009, the festival changed from an afternoon party to a small, walkable, alternative festival, and the name changed to "NX35 Music Conferette". "Conferette" was a neologism for "small conference".

In 2010, the name was changed slightly to "NX35 Music Conferette". The festival organizers agreed that this was the last year that they would have a name based on SXSW's. Referred to as "derivative apron-stringing on behemoth SXSW’s name/identity" from the 35 festival organizers themselves.

On a Friday in February 2010 before the festival, Austin's The A.V. Club published an article saying that the NX35 Music Conferette Lineup was better than SXSW's. SXSW called NX35 organizers within days of the article being published and stated that they took issue with the 'NX' in the title of the Denton born conference's name. Festival organizers opted to change the name to avoid legal difficulties.

In 2011, the name was changed to "35 Conferette", although many attendees just called it "NX" or "NX35" again.

In 2012, under new leadership- the festival's name change to "35 Denton".

See also

• South by Southwest
• Denton, Texas

External links

• Official website