Cory Graves
The 35 Things You Should Know Heading Into This Year's 35 Denton.
This weekend, following a one-year absence, 35 Denton makes its triumphant return.
That's good news, sure, but make no mistake: Much has changed for the fest since it lost so many of its key figures back in 2013. In many ways, 2015 marks a whole new beginning for 35 Denton, with a new booking philosophy, new venues, fewer days and other changes afoot.
With that in mind, we decided to run down everything you need to know about the new-look 35 Denton heading into this weekend's rebooted fest.
1. The Zombies formed before the word “zombie” referred to reanimated dead creatures. The Zombies formed in 1961 and released its first single, “She's Not There” in 1964. It wasn't until George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead that zombies took on their current definition. Prior to that, the term was most often applied to living people under voodoo spells.
2. Unlike the first five years, this year's 35 Denton only lasts three days. The main stages will only be used on Saturday and Sunday.
3. Over 260 bands will perform in Denton this weekend. And that's not including folks playing unofficial house shows.
4. At least nine countries will be represented at the fest. Beyond America, those would be Italy, Haiti, Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Switzerland and Netherlands.
5. There are more Austin bands playing 35 Denton than bands from Dallas and Fort Worth combined. In addition to 98 Denton bands, 40 acts are from Austin, 26 are from Dallas, nine are from Fort Worth and, hey, one is from Grapevine!
6. Five new venues will be used by the fest this year. Those would be LSA Burger, Harvest House, Service Industry, West Oak Coffee and Greater Denton Arts Council — most of which didn't exist the last time there was a 35 Denton.
7. It's not on the menu, but festival venue West Oak Coffee serves up a sriracha latte. Trust us: It's a lot better than it sounds.
8. New to the 35 Denton booking team this year is 18-year-old Evan Henry. But don't hold his age against him; Henry launched Dallas Distortion Music when he was in 9th grade.
9. This year marks the sixth go-round for 35 Denton, and third under its current name. The fest was known as NX35 from 2009-2010 and 35 Conferette in 2011 before adopting its current moniker in 2012.
10. On Friday, Andy's will host the Den10 Hip-Hop Royal Rumble II. Three Denton rap collectives (read: Trunk Pop Click, Gitmo Music, Cash and Respect) will all share the stage.
11. At least four of the fest's headliners have broken up at some point. Brutal Juice, Slobberbone, Ten Hands and The Zombies will be playing the main stages this weekend.
12. There's more than just bands. Daytime programming includes panel discussions on female musicians, local labels and DIY. There's also yoga, a fun run and a cigar box guitar workshop, among other happenings.
13. This year, bands hailing from 20 different states will perform at the fest. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
14. The Singing Bowl Lady will perform three different sets during the fest. She says her nine 18-inch quartz bowls can be both heard and felt, like “an internal massage.”
15. The A-Train drops off less than half-a-mile from the festival grounds. Too bad it doesn't run on Sundays.
16. Spanish garage rock trio Capsula named itself after David Bowie's “Space Oddity.” The band doesn't try to hide its love for the Thin White Duke, either, having previously re-recorded Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars in full.
17. The members of England trio Happyness say they've never seen the film The Pursuit of Happyness. They do make a pretty absurd brand of slacker rock, though.
18. Layer Cake performs Saturday evening at Rubber Gloves. It's the same venue the band played its EP release/farewell show eight months ago.
19. For a price, you can skip lines at late-night venues. That is, if you're willing to shell out a hundo for a Fast Track Pass.
20. Former Ten Hands drummer Mike Dillon will play a couple different times over the weekend. Over the years, he's played with Les Claypool, Ani DiFranco, Brave Combo, Polyphonic Spree and Hairy Apes BMX among others.
21. The main stages and several venues are all ages. A few late-night performances will take place in bars that are strictly 21-plus, though.
22. The Comfort Inn is offering a discount to festival goers. Just be sure to mention you're attending 35 Denton when making your registration.
23. Aside from penning the all-time greatest song about Dallas, headliner Jimmie Dale Gilmore was in The Big Lebowski. He played Smokey, the bowler that Walter pulled the gun on.
24. There's no need to drive drunk. First time users can enter the code “35Denton” to receive a free, $20 ride courtesy of Uber.
25. Los Angeles garage rockers Cobalt Cranes released their debut album via Dallas Distortion Music. In December, the band released a follow-up via LA's Lollipop Records.
26. Wristband pick-up this year will be located near Hickory and Industrial Streets. For point of reference, that's not far from Hoochie's.
27. Wax Witches is the solo project of Bleeding Knees Club frontman Alex Wall. They just might be the snottiest punk band playing this year's fest, too.
28. Parking at the fest is free. And if you can't find any on the street, there's free parking and a shuttle that'll run between Fry Street and the square.
29. Once again this year, the Instant Film Society will host a 35 Denton Polawalk. The vintage camera gathering is free and open at all experience levels.
30. Austin high school band Residual Kid might be the youngest outfit playing this year's fest. Its members range in age from 14 to 16-years-old.
31. Brooklyn's hottest new band is Dreamers. The grungy psych-rockers are getting set to tour with Stone Temple Pilots.
32. Alt-country outfit Two Cow Garage has its fans to thank, partly, for being able to make its headlining set this year. Its fans recently donated over $9,000 to help the band buy a new van.
33. There have been two Oaktopia festivals in Denton since the last 35 Denton. There have also been two Thin Line Fests and a Canned Festival.
34. Since leaving their posts following 2013's fest, 35 Denton's programming director Natalie Davila and creative director Kyle La Valley each landed jobs at Chicago's revered Windish Agency. How's that for skins on the wall?
35. Tickets, which range from $25 to $100, are available here. Single-day tickets run $25 for Friday, and $35 Saturday or Sunday. A three-day general admission pass runs $65, and VIP passes are available for $100.
