The adventures and various works of a photographer, road tripper, former patron of the local arts, aspiring app developer, and late night coffee drinker and conversationalist.
This is part of a continuing series of posts exploring locations of former DFW musical landmarksImage courtesy of Central Motion Pictures
On an sweaty August evening in 1997, I headed down to Deep Ellum to meet up with some friends. After finding a place to park my car, I journeyed down Elm Street and made contact with my group, and although I don't remember whose idea it was, we ended up patronizing a coffee house to pass time before seeing some local music. In the group was my coworker, Heather, and her boyfriend at the time, Chris, her friend DeShanna, another co-worker named Glenn (a forty-something year old scenester who probably had no business being down there with a bunch of teenagers), and Björn, a former foreign exchange student turned annual visitor from Germany. Björn was excited at being able to buy brownies at the coffee shop, declaring to me that he was only able to get them when visiting America. I ordered a turkey sandwich, and after taking a few bites I realized that it contained real turkey and not the turkey slices I was accustomed to getting when ordering sandwiches. After leaving the café, our group finished off the night at Trees with a UFOFU and Bobgoblin show, and I ended up trying to bum $10 for a copy of UFOFU's with everyone coming up empty until Glenn was able to help me out. For the next few years I wouldn't recall much about that coffee shop, but I would always remember that sandwich and the brownies and the night's experiences that followed our visit. Thus was my introduction to Deep Ellum's premiere coffee house and hangout at the ripe old age of eighteen.
Continue reading "Ghosts of DFW music history: Insomnia Coffee Bar"
I've acquired a good number of autographed albums over the years, many from having purchased directly from the artist and having them signed, and some as incredibly lucky finds while shopping secondhand. These are some of the more notable ones.
The Best of LaVern Baker
Bought at Half Price Books in 2021
I bought the disc for the music, casual fan that I am. I paid no attention to the writing scribbled across the front until a day later when I actually took a good look at it, realizing to my surprise that it appeared to be an autograph. After researching and comparing my specimen with examples of her signature found online, it does appear that this one is legit.
Continue reading "Autographed albums"
Maybe it's happened to you. There's an artist or a song you really like, you come across it on a compilation CD somewhere, excitedly buy the disc, and eagerly pop it into your CD player... only to find that the songs you thought you bought were in fact shadily marketed re-recordings and not the original hits!
I'm going to express an increasingly unpopular opinion here: I like having my music on physical media. Even though most people I know have turned largely to streaming their music instead of buying CDs or other physical formats, I prefer the physical option for a number of reasons. One is simply the visceral nature of it - you don't get the same thrill of the search and eventual discovery of something in a brick and mortar store if you're just searching online through a bunch of streamable titles. You don't get the satisfaction or appreciation of being able to hold it in your hands, read through the liner notes, look at the photos, etc. Streaming, contrary to popular belief, is not as good for the artists when it comes to compensation as most people think.
Continue reading "My music collection"
I bought the disc for the music, casual fan that I am. I paid no attention to the writing scribbled across the front until a day later when I actually took a good look at it, realizing to my surprise that it appeared to be an autograph. After researching and comparing my specimen with examples of her signature found online, it does appear that this one is legit.
Julie Bunnell
Max Blair