1. 4B pulse | www.theshorthorn.com thursday, september 2, 2010
There’s a new season
BYOC: bring your own c
Know before you go The schedule The
of free entertainment, • Pack a picnic basket or cooler –
picnicking is encouraged and patrons
• Bring bug spray or sunscreen.
• Lawn chairs, chaise lounges and
Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Free
Levi
and it’s an earshot can bring any food they want. blankets are acceptable. Sept. 2 – Brave Combo
Sept. 3 – Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights
Whe
Whe
• Snack concessions will provide snacks like • Alcohol is allowed but glass bottles are
from campus. nachos and sodas. prohibited.
• Smoking is discouraged on pavilion
Sept. 4 – Ray Wylie Hubbard
Sept. 5 – Beatlegras
100 W
Abra
• All of the parking lots in the immediate
area, like City Hall, and the public grounds but people may smoke on the Sept. 9 – Havana NRG from
library are open for concert parking at perimeter of Founders Plaza. Sept. 10 – Nelo 24-h
BY AlAnnA Quillen no charge. • Bathrooms are located on site and Sept. 11 – Kelly Willis www
The Shorthorn senior staff across Abram Street at City Hall. Sept. 12 – The Texas Gypsies
• Pets are allowed if they aren’t disruptive.
Cooler temperatures and hot music will • For bigger acts, plan to arrive at least • In case of rain, the concerts may be Sept. 16 – Rattletree Marimba F
rock downtown Arlington this fall. an hour before the show starts. For cancelled or relocated to J. Gilligan’s Sept. 17 – Telegraph Canyon
Tonight marks the start of the free Fall smaller acts, arrive 20 to 30 minutes Bar & Grill. Call the information line for Sept. 18 – EcoFest with Katsuk at 6:30 p.m. and Guy
Concert Series, which features free concerts prior. weather cancellations. Forsyth at 8 p.m. Ma
of various music genres four nights a week Sept. 19 – Bobby Duncan
until Oct. 2. At 7:30 p.m., local mosh pit Sept. 23 – Spoonfed Tribe
Ab
polka band Brave Combo will kick off the Sept. 24 – Marcia Ball
season. Sept. 25 – Cadillac Sky Pa
Communications coordinator Cathy Sept. 26 – Bob Mintzer & the UTA Jazz Orchestra
O’Neal said the pavilion wanted to start big Sept. 30 – Incendio
on opening weekend by bringing in larger Oct. 1 – Big Sam’s Funky Nation
UTA
acts like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Brave Combo Oct. 2 – Asleep at the Wheel
and Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights.
U
This season, 20 local and nationally-known
artists will perform free shows.
“We knew our good, big draws so that’s
what we wanted to do moving into Labor
Day weekend,” O’Neal said. “It’s such a
great opportunity to see a really eclectic mix
of professional music artists.”
On Sept. 18, the Levitt will partner with
the city event, Ecofest in an effort to make
it bigger and more successful, O’Neal said.
The day-long event features food, vendors,
giveaways and two free concerts.
On Oct. 2, the last day of the concert
series, Grammy-winning band Asleep at
LEVITT continues on page 6B
The Shorthorn: Andrew Buckley

2. thursday, september 2, 2010 www.theshorthorn.com | pulse 5B
chair
The bands Telegraph Canyon
When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17
Jonathan Tyler & the Sounds like: Folk, indie,
Northern Lights alternative country
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday www.telegraphcanyon.net
Sounds like: Electrifying www.myspace.com/
Rock, Soul, Blues telegraphcanyon
e venue www.myspace.com/ www.facebook.com/
jonathantylermusic pages/Telegraph-
e Fall Concert Series at www.jonathantylermusic. Canyon/79212680726
itt Pavilion com/
en: Sept. 2 – Oct. 2 www.facebook.com/group. The band is made
ere: Founders Plaza php?gid=28377647174 up of Chris Johnson on Courtesy: Telegraph Canyon
W. Abram St. At the corner of guitar, vocals, banjo and
am and Center Streets and across Having formed in 2007, harmonica; Chuck Brown on
m City Hall the Dallas-based lineup bass and vocals; Austin Green on drums, bells and keys; Tamara Cauble on violin
hour information line: 817-543-4301 consists of Jonathan
Courtesy: Johnathan Tyler & the Northern Lights and vocals; Brian McCorquodale on pedal steel, keys and percussion; Andrew
w.levittpavilionarlington.org Tyler as lead singer and Skates on organ, accordion, guitar and mandolin; and Erik Wolfe on guitar, vibes
guitarist, Brandon Pinckard on guitar, Jordan Cain on drums, Nick Jay on bass and and bass drum.
Front Street Emotion Brown on vocals. The band formed in Fort Worth about four years ago. Johnson said the group
came together slowly in the beginning because the members were working on
Center Street
Mesquite Street
The band signed to major labels F-stop Music and Atlantic in New York in
Parking their own projects. They eventually merged into a seven member band, with five
August 2008 and released its newest album, Pardon Me in April. They’ve opened
ain Street for AC/DC and ZZ Top and have also performed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in April. core members still intact.
City Hall Tyler said his band is made up of abstract artists who write music that people Johnson said he had always wanted to explore the idea of a multi-
can understand. instrumentalist band.
bram Street
“We’re laid-back guys trying to write about real things,” he said. “We try to write “We grinded on it for a while until people started paying attention, then it got
Parking Parking with soul — music people can feel and connect to.” easier from there,” he said.
Levitt After the show, the band will continue to tour, work on a full-length new
Pavilion Tyler said his inspiration comes from different things, and distributing a
message or idea usually comes from a place of overwhelming emotion. album and record what Johnson calls a “stripped down” live session album in
“You can almost sum up an entire emotion in a song,” he said. “It’s not trying November.
A Boulevard Border Street
to be something, inspiration is more of a personal attempt at hitting some sort of Johnson said the band wants to give people what they showed up for and to
target inside my head.” meet their needs.
UTA Bookstore “We try to find a place where performing is an ethereal, sincere experience
JTNL’s setlist contains old and new songs and covers from artists like The
Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. where we can convey emotion,” Johnson said. “It’s not just some people playing
The Shorthorn: Marissa Hall
Being a Dallas-native, Tyler said it’s great to come back to Texas after touring instruments and making sound, it’s something a lot more heartfelt than that.”
other parts of the nation where the band is considered new.
“Texas in general is where we would call our home,” he said. “Anywhere we play Spoonfed Tribe
in Texas there’s always more energy in the room.” When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23
Sounds like: Progressive rock, avant-
Nelo garde, psychedelic
When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 www.spoonfedtribe.com
Sounds like: Alternative, www.myspace.com/spoonfedtribe
rock, indie www.facebook.com/spoonfed.tribe
www.nelomusic.com
www.facebook.com/ Jerome57 is on guitar, bass guitar,
nelomusic drum kit, vocals; Kabooom on vocals,
www.myspace.com/ bass, drum kit and percussion; Shonuff on
nelomusic electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards,
The band formed in vocals and percussion; Egg Nebula on
2005 out of Austin and lead vocals, percussion and flute; and
is comprised of primary Gouffahtts on massive percussion, drum
songwriter and guitarist kit and the glockenspiel. Jerome Bristow
Matt Ragland; vocalist Reid Courtesy: Nelo
said the stage names are nicknames they
Umstattd; saxophonist have given each other and those names
and keyboardist Brian represent their characters on and off
Donohoe; drummer Steve Pruitt; bassist Sean Jacobi; and lead guitarist Phill Aelony. stage.
Ragland said the band has never played in Arlington and would like to see “These are the names we use when Courtesy: Spoonfed Tribe
students venture off campus to see them play. referring to the band,” he said. “It’s like
“Our shows are usually packed with students, that’s kind of our main fan base,” superheroes and their secret identities.”
Ragland said. The Arlington-based band has been together for 10 to 12 years but have only
Umstattd and Ragland met at a summer camp outside of Austin when they played in their hometown four or five times, Bristow said.
were young. The two realized they made a good fit together musically and “We’re just right down the street,” he said. “Some of the crowd has probably
eventually joined forces with other forces along the way. known us for 10 to 15 years but never seen us live.”
“We just want to make music for each other and for our band and have fun In the past few years, the band has performed at big festivals such as
doing it,” Umstattd said. Wakarusa Festival in Arkansas and Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. It’s also played
The band will release another album Oct. 12. with big names like Fishbone and Galactic.
“We’ve been working really hard on it,” Ragland said. “There’s all new songs and After its Levitt show, the band leaves for a 10-day tour through Lubbock up to
we’re gonna start playing as many shows as we can to promote it.” Colorado.
During the show the band will play a healthy mix of old and new songs off its Bristow said the band aims to deliver more than just music to their fans.
upcoming album. If you want to see them again, the band plays in Dallas often at “We want to give them an experience, something they’re really involved in,”
the House of Blues or Granada as their go-to Dallas venues. he said. “We’re not looking for a particular sound for our fans, but a feeling.”
— Alanna Quillen

3. Levitt thursday, september 2, 2010
continued from page 4B
the Wheel will finish off the season along with the Super Bowl Host Committee event, best part of their mission.
where fans can win an autographed football and meet Dallas Cowboys legends. “To look out into that audience and see elected officials and kids from elementary schools
After the season, the concerts stop but the Levitt crew will plan for the summer, raise and people from low-income neighborhoods just all sitting together as one big community
money and look for sponsors and bands. In fall 2011, the venue may add an additional tick- is the best feeling in the whole world,” she said.
eted concert with a bigger name act. Ticket prices will be set from $15 to $20. The Levitt Pavilion chose particular bands to appeal to the university’s age group.
Since it’s opening in 2008, the Levitt Pavilion on the corner of Abram and Center streets “From the beginning we have wanted to have that connection with UTA since we are
has provided the community with 50 free concerts a year, ranging in genres and fame. The on the edge of campus,” she said. “It is free entertainment, just steps away from where the
venue is part of a family of Levitt Pavilions across the nation and is the only one in Texas. students are.”
To perform at the pavilion, the performers must be an original artist and not a cover or Interdisciplinary studies junior Jeromy Bailey said he’s excited for a free music venue to
tribute band. They must also have a professionally-recorded CD and be well-established, be doing so well.
O’Neal said. “I am a working musician around DFW so I love seeing things like this pop up and watch
The Levitt employees scout for bands by listening to Myspace music, attending music as people gather for free live music,” he said. “Not to mention possible exposure opportuni-
conferences like South by Southwest, reading local entertainment magazines and reviewing ties for the various artists I work with.”
CDs and press kits. Bailey has never attended a show at the pavilion but said he is curious as to how the
The pavilion has grown beyond expectations, O’Neal said. Currently, the venue averages acoustics will sound.
1,000 to 1,500 people per show. “I’ve played several outdoor gigs and they always are hit or miss with the sound but Levitt
“Since it was has a design that should do [it] justice,” he said.
and I would have “People need a place built, the executive what we
conversations about
director
Bailey suggested the university host more student-involved concerts at the pavilion.
thought we could in Arlington where expect and we thought we would “Maybe the yearly battle of the bands could happen there and it could become a much
be so excited if we could have 500 people come to a bigger deal,” he said. “I think the unity would be good for the community around the area.”
concert,” she said. they gather and be a “And now, if we only had 500,
we’re disap- family and it be casual pointed.” AlAnnA Quillen
Jerome Bris- tow, bassist and vocalist for features-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
Spoonfed Tribe, and not cost a lot of said his band started calling the
Levitt about per- formances when it first opened.
“Levitt is the money.” first large venue built in Arling-
ton, a nice huge venue in the middle of town,” he
said. “We saw the Cathy O’neal, opportunity when it opened.”
O’Neal said a Levitt communications coordinator sad fact is that a huge chunk
of the communi- ty can’t afford tickets to attend
events at places like Cowboys Stadium, Six Flags
Over Texas or Rangers Ballpark
“People need a place in Arlington where they gather and be a family and it be casual and
not cost a lot of money,” she said. “We don’t cost anything.”
Arlington resident Rene Gunter plans to have her first free Levitt experience at the
Bobby Duncan show on Sept. 19 and has already recommended it to friends.
“In this day and time, a lot of people cannot pay for entertainment,” she said.
O’Neal said she considers providing the community with free entertainment to be the