Is Denton A 'Breeding Ground For Musicians?'
DENTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Whether you're talking about four-time Grammy award winners Snarky Puppy, or any of the other musicians and performances coming out of the University of North Texas and Denton as a whole, it makes some wonder if there is something in the water there when it comes to cranking out top-notch musicians.
Snarky Puppy, keyboardist Shaun Martin spoke about the city as a music destination and enclave rich with talent saying, "Denton is a breeding ground for musicians. So at the end of the day the University of North Texas alone is a breeding ground for musicians."
Rosanna Eckert the Principal Lecturer for Jazz voice at UNT echoed the statement.
She added, "Sometimes I've heard it referred to as little New York or little Austin. There are a lot of places to play."
Eckert says while COVID-19 restriction may have shut down or limited many of the local music venues, Denton has no shortage of places to absorb all of the music.
Big or small Denton has venues for all kind of musicians and performances.
She said, "Bands can come in, and you're having everything from traveling bands to local bands and cover bands and original bands and it's neat there are a lot of different venues like that."
The appreciation for the music scene has created a lot of support for musicians themselves and for enthusiasts alike in Denton.
While the music community continues to grow and new venues pop up, it's a sense of community and appreciation for the arts that Eckert says is allowing music to thrive in Denton.
Her appeal to any music lover who hasn't experienced the music scene in Denton, her advice is straight forward: Give a lot of different venues a try. Support local music. Support different bands.