4B pulse | www.theshorthorn.com thursday, september 2, 2010

The schedule

Shows start at 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 – Brave ComboSept. 3 – Jonathan Tyler & the Northern LightsSept. 4 – Ray Wylie HubbardSept. 5 – BeatlegrasSept. 9 – Havana NRGSept. 10 – NeloSept. 11 – Kelly WillisSept. 12 – The Texas GypsiesSept. 16 – Rattletree MarimbaSept. 17 – Telegraph CanyonSept. 18 – EcoFest with Katsuk at 6:30 p.m. and Guy Forsyth at 8 p.m.Sept. 19 – Bobby DuncanSept. 23 – Spoonfed TribeSept. 24 – Marcia BallSept. 25 – Cadillac SkySept. 26 – Bob Mintzer & the UTA Jazz OrchestraSept. 30 – IncendioOct. 1 – Big Sam’s Funky Nation Oct. 2 – Asleep at the Wheel

BYOC: bring your own chair There’s a new season of free entertainment,

and it’s an earshot from campus.

BY AlAnnA QuillenThe Shorthorn senior staff

Cooler temperatures and hot music will rock downtown Arlington this fall.

Tonight marks the start of the free Fall Concert Series, which features free concerts of various music genres four nights a week until Oct. 2. At 7:30 p.m., local mosh pit polka band Brave Combo will kick off the season.

Communications coordinator Cathy O’Neal said the pavilion wanted to start big on opening weekend by bringing in larger acts like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Brave Combo and Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights. 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

The venue

Free Fall Concert Series at Levitt PavilionWhen: Sept. 2 – Oct. 2Where: Founders Plaza100 W. Abram St. At the corner of Abram and Center Streets and across from City Hall24-hour information line: 817-543-4301www.levittpavilionarlington.org

LEVITT continues on page 6B

Front Street

Abram Street

Main Street

UTA Boulevard

UTA Bookstore

Parking

The Shorthorn: Marissa Hall

Know before you go

• Pack a picnic basket or cooler – picnicking is encouraged and patrons can bring any food they want.

• Snack concessions will provide snacks like nachos and sodas.

• All of the parking lots in the immediate area, like City Hall, and the public library are open for concert parking at no charge.

• Pets are allowed if they aren’t disruptive.• For bigger acts, plan to arrive at least

an hour before the show starts. For smaller acts, arrive 20 to 30 minutes prior.

• Bring bug spray or sunscreen.

• Lawn chairs, chaise lounges and blankets are acceptable.

• Alcohol is allowed but glass bottles are prohibited.

• Smoking is discouraged on pavilion grounds but people may smoke on the perimeter of Founders Plaza.

• Bathrooms are located on site and across Abram Street at City Hall.

• In case of rain, the concerts may be cancelled or relocated to J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill. Call the information line for weather cancellations.

The Shorthorn: Andrew Buckley

5Bwww.theshorthorn.com | pulsethursday, september 2, 2010

BYOC: bring your own chair The bands

Jonathan Tyler & the Northern LightsWhen: 7:30 p.m. FridaySounds like: Electrifying Rock, Soul, Blueswww.myspace.com/jonathantylermusicwww.jonathantylermusic.com/www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28377647174

Having formed in 2007, the Dallas-based lineup consists of Jonathan Tyler as lead singer and guitarist, Brandon Pinckard on guitar, Jordan Cain on drums, Nick Jay on bass and Emotion Brown on vocals.

The band signed to major labels F-stop Music and Atlantic in New York in August 2008 and released its newest album, Pardon Me in April. They’ve opened for AC/DC and ZZ Top and have also performed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in April.

Tyler said his band is made up of abstract artists who write music that people can understand.

“We’re laid-back guys trying to write about real things,” he said. “We try to write with soul — music people can feel and connect to.”

Tyler said his inspiration comes from different things, and distributing a message or idea usually comes from a place of overwhelming emotion.

“You can almost sum up an entire emotion in a song,” he said. “It’s not trying to be something, inspiration is more of a personal attempt at hitting some sort of target inside my head.”

JTNL’s setlist contains old and new songs and covers from artists like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan.

Being a Dallas-native, Tyler said it’s great to come back to Texas after touring 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 in Texas there’s always more energy in the room.”

NeloWhen: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10Sounds like: Alternative, rock, indiewww.nelomusic.comwww.facebook.com/nelomusicwww.myspace.com/nelomusic

The band formed in 2005 out of Austin and is comprised of primary songwriter and guitarist Matt Ragland; vocalist Reid Umstattd; saxophonist and keyboardist Brian Donohoe; drummer Steve Pruitt; bassist Sean Jacobi; and lead guitarist Phill Aelony.

Ragland said the band has never played in Arlington and would like to see students venture off campus to see them play.

“Our shows are usually packed with students, that’s kind of our main fan base,” Ragland said.

Umstattd and Ragland met at a summer camp outside of Austin when they were young. The two realized they made a good fi t together musically and eventually joined forces with other forces along the way.

“We just want to make music for each other and for our band and have fun doing it,” Umstattd said.

The band will release another album Oct. 12. “We’ve been working really hard on it,” Ragland said. “There’s all new songs and

we’re gonna start playing as many shows as we can to promote it.”During the show the band will play a healthy mix of old and new songs off its

upcoming album. If you want to see them again, the band plays in Dallas often at the House of Blues or Granada as their go-to Dallas venues.

Telegraph CanyonWhen: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17Sounds like: Folk, indie, alternative countrywww.telegraphcanyon.netwww.myspace.com/telegraphcanyonwww.facebook.com/pages/Telegraph-Canyon/79212680726

The band is made up of Chris Johnson on guitar, vocals, banjo and harmonica; Chuck Brown on bass and vocals; Austin Green on drums, bells and keys; Tamara Cauble on violin and vocals; Brian McCorquodale on pedal steel, keys and percussion; Andrew Skates on organ, accordion, guitar and mandolin; and Erik Wolfe on guitar, vibes and bass drum.

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 their own projects. They eventually merged into a seven member band, with fi ve core members still intact.

Johnson said he had always wanted to explore the idea of a multi-instrumentalist band.

“We grinded on it for a while until people started paying attention, then it got easier from there,” he said.

After the show, the band will continue to tour, work on a full-length new album and record what Johnson calls a “stripped down” live session album in November.

Johnson said the band wants to give people what they showed up for and to meet their needs.

“We try to fi nd a place where performing is an ethereal, sincere experience where we can convey emotion,” Johnson said. “It’s not just some people playing instruments and making sound, it’s something a lot more heartfelt than that.”

Spoonfed TribeWhen: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23Sounds like: Progressive rock, avant-garde, psychedelicwww.spoonfedtribe.comwww.myspace.com/spoonfedtribewww.facebook.com/spoonfed.tribe

Jerome57 is on guitar, bass guitar, drum kit, vocals; Kabooom on vocals, bass, drum kit and percussion; Shonuff on electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, vocals and percussion; Egg Nebula on lead vocals, percussion and fl ute; and Gouffahtts on massive percussion, drum kit and the glockenspiel. Jerome Bristow said the stage names are nicknames they have given each other and those names represent their characters on and off stage.

“These are the names we use when referring to the band,” he said. “It’s like superheroes and their secret identities.”

The Arlington-based band has been together for 10 to 12 years but have only played in their hometown four or fi ve times, Bristow said.

“We’re just right down the street,” he said. “Some of the crowd has probably known us for 10 to 15 years but never seen us live.”

In the past few years, the band has performed at big festivals such as Wakarusa Festival in Arkansas and Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. It’s also played with big names like Fishbone and Galactic.

After its Levitt show, the band leaves for a 10-day tour through Lubbock up to Colorado.

Bristow said the band aims to deliver more than just music to their fans.“We want to give them an experience, something they’re really involved in,”

he said. “We’re not looking for a particular sound for our fans, but a feeling.”

— Alanna Quillen

The venue

Free Fall Concert Series at Levitt PavilionWhen: Sept. 2 – Oct. 2Where: Founders Plaza100 W. Abram St. At the corner of Abram and Center Streets and across from City Hall24-hour information line: 817-543-4301www.levittpavilionarlington.org

Front Street

Levitt Pavilion

Abram Street

Main Street

UTA Boulevard Border Street

Cen

ter Street

Mesq

uite S

treetCity Hall

UTA Bookstore

Parking

ParkingParking

The Shorthorn: Marissa Hall

Courtesy: Johnathan Tyler & the Northern Lights

Courtesy: Nelo

Courtesy: Telegraph Canyon

Courtesy: Spoonfed Tribe

thursday, september 2, 2010

the Wheel will finish off the season along with the Super Bowl Host Committee event, where fans can win an autographed football and meet Dallas Cowboys legends.

After the season, the concerts stop but the Levitt crew will plan for the summer, raise money and look for sponsors and bands. In fall 2011, the venue may add an additional tick-eted concert with a bigger name act. Ticket prices will be set from $15 to $20.

Since it’s opening in 2008, the Levitt Pavilion on the corner of Abram and Center streets has provided the community with 50 free concerts a year, ranging in genres and fame. The venue is part of a family of Levitt Pavilions across the nation and is the only one in Texas.

To perform at the pavilion, the performers must be an original artist and not a cover or tribute band. They must also have a professionally-recorded CD and be well-established, O’Neal said.

The Levitt employees scout for bands by listening to Myspace music, attending music conferences like South by Southwest, reading local entertainment magazines and reviewing CDs and press kits.

The pavilion has grown beyond expectations, O’Neal said. Currently, the venue averages 1,000 to 1,500 people per show.

“Since it was built, the executive director and I would have conversations about what we thought we could expect and we thought we would be so excited if we could have 500 people come to a concert,” she said. “And now, if we only had 500, we’re disap- pointed.”

Jerome Bris- tow, bassist and vocalist for Spoonfed Tribe, said his band started calling the Levitt about per- formances when it first opened.

“Levitt is the first large venue built in Arling-ton, a nice huge venue in the middle of town,” he said. “We saw the opportunity when it opened.”

O’Neal said a 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

best part of their mission.“To look out into that audience and see elected officials and kids from elementary schools

and people from low-income neighborhoods just all sitting together as one big community is the best feeling in the whole world,” she said.

The Levitt Pavilion chose particular bands to appeal to the university’s age group.“From the beginning we have wanted to have that connection with UTA since we are

on the edge of campus,” she said. “It is free entertainment, just steps away from where the students are.”

Interdisciplinary studies junior Jeromy Bailey said he’s excited for a free music venue to be doing so well.

“I am a working musician around DFW so I love seeing things like this pop up and watch as people gather for free live music,” he said. “Not to mention possible exposure opportuni-ties for the various artists I work with.”

Bailey has never attended a show at the pavilion but said he is curious as to how the acoustics will sound.

“I’ve played several outdoor gigs and they always are hit or miss with the sound but Levitt has a design that should do [it] justice,” he said.

Bailey suggested the university host more student-involved concerts at the pavilion.“Maybe the yearly battle of the bands could happen there and it could become a much

bigger deal,” he said. “I think the unity would be good for the community around the area.”

AlAnnA Quillenfeatures-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Levittcontinued from page 4B

“People need a place in Arlington where

they gather and be a family and it be casual and not cost a lot of

money.”

Cathy O’neal,Levitt communications coordinator