Flatlanders in Denton

The Flatlanders played an excellent set at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival last night. I had never seen Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, or Jimmie Dale Gilmore live, and I must say that they are incredible in tandem. They are so good, in fact, that I will make sure to catch each member individually when he comes to town. What I love about the Flatlanders is their powerful energy and synergy combined with lyrics that are meaningful and informed by their musical predecessors. They even played a cover of "Sitting on Top of the World" to close out their set. "Sitting on Top of the World," incidentally, was first recorded by the Mississippi Sheiks in 1930 on the Okeh label. Of course, any band with a member named after the "Singing Brakeman" Jimmie Rodgers would have to know a bit about our nation's musical heritage. The Flatlanders also sang their song about that "suburb of Denton" as Joe Ely put it.  

The weather was pleasant. Our view of the stage was great. The folks around us were mellow, and all was right with the universe. Here are some pictures Martina took during the show: