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. 35 Denton is organized by a core staff of volunteers. The music festival has featured many nationally-touring acts, such as 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 and Best Coast. 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 organizer Chris Flemmons was running a South by Southwest showcase for Denton artists called North by 35 (or NX35 for short). Flemmons said as to the origins of the festival, "This started out as an afternoon fest at South By Southwest... We'd have this late afternoon party of acts from Denton that deserved to be seen along with groups that had a critical draw." After talking for years about having a festival in Denton a week before SXSW, Flemmons and a team of volunteers made that dream a reality in 2009. . 35 Denton has since been a pre-SXSW affair centered around the historic Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square. 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,"

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.

Band list for NX35 in 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

The 2010 NX35 Music Conferette featured 250 acts and attracted an audience of 20,000. This years line up featured the Flaming Lips as the close out band playing a free show with Midlake and Stardeath and White Dwarfs, opening the show. This performance took place at the North Texas Fairgrounds. The original location for this closeout show was slated to take place at the Courthouse-on-the-Square but was switched to the Fair Grounds about a month before show time. Local authorities figured that a 9,000 + estimated crowd count, as a result of the draw of the Flaming Lips, would potentially create an unstable situation being that the courthouse square area would not be adequate to fit such a large number of people plus the load in traffic. Despite the the show having to be moved to the North Texas Fairgrounds (to accommodate the prospected attendance and traffic), it went off well without any other major hitches while Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips closed out the festival in proper fashion complete with space bubble, confetti and balloons. . The Flaming Lips free show was one of the most memorable performances in the history of the festival.

Notable keynote speaker for NX35- 2010 was Steve Albini.

List of the bands that performed NX35 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

Named changed to 35 Conferette. 35 Conferette for the first year in its history, was presented completely in the college town's downtown area-near and around The Square, just as Flemmons and his fellow organizers had always envisioned. This allowed for the festival audiences to directly support the local businesses that allowed the festival to take over that part of neighborhood. An economic-centric mentality seemed to be the overriding theme of this year's 35 Conferette.

List of the bands that performed 35 Conferette 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

Big Boi said of the festival "Love it, some of the best energy, man, some of the best crowds, they’re receptive – not saying other crowds aren’t – but it’s a little bit more loose...It’s free flowing music and energy, all about a positive experience.”

2012

As of July, 2011, the festival was renamed to 35 Denton, and will feature acts such as Devin the Dude, Bun B, Built to Spill, G-Side, and more.

On February 7, 2012 it was announced that The Jesus and Mary Chain will be the headlining band. It will be their first US performance since 2007 and first Texas performance since 1990.

On Jan 17, 2012- 35 Denton announced 111 new bands to be added to the lineup. http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2012/jan/17/35-denton-lineup-dfw-bands-music-festival/

On Feb, 14, 2012 - 35 Denton announced that Best Coast will be joining the festivals lineup. Also included in the final round of band confirms are Teengirl Fantasy, Cowboy and Indian, Millionyoung, Typhoon, David Ramirez, Pond, the Rassle, American Royalty, Holy Fiction and Danny Malone.

A subject-to-change schedule of the the 35 Denton line-up for 2012 can now be found here: http://35denton.com/schedule/

35 Denton Performing Artists

• 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/

Name change history/reasons for the name changes:

"NX35 (North by 35)", 2005-2008
Festival started as a day party in SXSW showcasing Denton bands. This name was the address of how to get to Denton from Austin, as in go North by 35.

"NX35 Music Conferette", 2009
NX35 would morph from afternoon party at SXSW to a small, walkable, alternative festival in Denton. The name "Conferette" was a neologism/made up name for "small conference".

"NX35 Music Conferette", 2010
Second year for the festival using this name. This year the festival organizers agreed that this was the last year that they would share a name with the behemoth that is SXSW. Referred to as "derivative apron-stringing on behemoth SXSW’s name/identity" from the 35 festival organizers themselves. This was agreed upon the summer of 2009.

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 theirs. NX35 Music Conferette's festival organizational leader Chris Flemmons figured that they would be getting a call from SXSW. The next morning SXSW, Inc did call. The conversation was said to be informal and amiable. The marketer that called Chris Flemmons said SX had a trademark issue with the use of the "NX" in NX35. Chris Flemmons agreed and wasn't surprised and said that it was already changing. The SXSW marketer wanted Chris Flemmons to have the name change on the spot, about a month away from the 2010 NX35 Music Conferette. Chris Flemmons explained it would be impossible, and that they didnt have the money or resources to switch gears that quickly. Chris Flemmons was also quoted as saying to the SXSW marketer "and quite frankly that SX would look like the Disney Corporation telling a daycare center to get Mickey Mouse off their cyclone fence — P.R. disaster." The marketer laughed and they both agreed that the use of NX in NX35 would cease after 2010.

"35 Conferette", 2011
Festival's name changed to 35 Conferette. It was a solution. But it was a solution for only a week. A number of people had different problems with pronouncing and spelling "Conferette", not to mention trying to figure out what it was, and thus just called it NX or NX35 again.

"35 Denton", 2012
The festival's name changed to 35 Denton. This festival had always been about Denton and it's music culture, therefore the name was proudly reflected in the title.

See also

• South by Southwest
• Denton, Texas

External links

• Official website