Lifestyle Guide – Local Blogs

I’m a big believer in community. Part of that comes from getting older, I suppose – I like seeing that my city has grown and advanced rather than regressed in the ten-odd years I’ve lived here. Part of it comes from having a firm, ultra-leftist belief in social capital (bowling leagues are civilization!) and I guess the rest is that I just like people.

Let's Roll

Since all of these things are truths about who I am, they naturally compliment the rest of my life: a high-technology RPG played aggressively at everyone else’s expense, every day. I love the capabilities of the internet and social media. Not only do they make the whole world smaller, bringing the rest of the Earth into your living room; they also explode the community in which you live, allowing you to explore mysteries and wonderful accidents of providence in your own backyard.

Texas is unique among many states that aren’t New York, Massachusetts, and California in that it has a vibrant online community. Texas organized politically on the internet before most other states and people have been crowdsourcing the chronicle of what’s going on in Austin and Dallas since the dotcom days. Our Denton has cultivated some excellent digital community in the last few years despite being a little late to the party.

(THAT WAS A JOKE ABOUT HOW NOTHING IN DENTON STARTS ON TIME AND NO ONE SHOWS UP TO STUFF ON TIME, ESPECIALLY PARTIES)

Not all blogs / sites are good, of course, but Denton’s batting average is pretty high. Most of the websites are primarily concerned with nightlife and shows, but there are exceptions if you want to talk about something other than Midlake.

If you USE the INTERNET and live in Denton, adding these to your reading list is worth it. I been in this blog game so damn long, I recognize game, you know what? Here’s some shit that’s looking pretty familiar:

• WE DENTON DO IT
  Not traditional, not necessarily cohesive, but still producing quality interviews with and profiles of interesting acts around town. Plus, they produce good video. That’s what the future of interweb is.

• THINK DENTON / DRINK & THINK
  Kevin Roden brings you smart reportage and insightful writing about how Denton works, as well as larger issues like culture, philosophy, and politics. Also, you can check out what the topics of discussion will be at upcoming Drink & Thinks, which is sort of like Denton’s bowling league for smart, talky people that don’t like to bowl.

• BIKE DENTON
  Shit just got real. The writing is quality, content output is strong and regular, and these dudes are serious enough to affect change in their environment. They socially organize for biking advocacy at city council meetings and even convinced the Denton Police Department to track stats on bike accidents. Bike Denton represents like you wish you did – this is how this stuff is supposed to work.

• DAYBOWBOW
  If you want to dig deep into the Dallas / Denton / Fort Worth music scene, DayBowBow is to it what Bike Denton is to bikes and shit. There’s all kinds of interesting takes on shows, albums, bands and happenings, Track Of The Day does it to you in your earhole (often with stuff that you normally wouldn’t shove in there) and they hit you with it basically 24 hours a damn day. Their previews and coverage of NX35 were a treat.

• SUBSERVIENT EXPERIMENT
  Don’t let the design (blogspot Fantasy circa 2003) fool you. SubEx is a very good local music blog and they will whip a dolphin ass without thinking twice. Even better, the dudes that write it are genuinely funny. The old tymey design combined with good writing has made me think of SubEx in the past as “blog noir.” Did I mention that both guys are named Cory? That’s pretty much boners, right?

• YO DENTON!
  Wondering which barstaurant has specials today? Curious about shows happening around town tonight? The prime directive of Yo Denton! is to fulfill the role of “quick reference guide for what is all up in your town right now.” Also, Yo Denton! is the latest good work of Nina Chantanapumma, a mystical Denton unicorn who writes for everyone and seemingly glues all the disparate dance crews together.

As a final word, consider this – if you’re going to be a part of something larger than yourself, these days the easiest and best window for seeing what that could be is more often than not the internet. Being involved in your community or block or town always pays off, and you always get more out of it than you put into it. If you live here among us in Denton, these portals are a good place to start.