In case you haven’t been keeping up with my 35 Conferette recollections, by Friday at 10PM, I was running off about three or four hours of total sleep but I had gotten to enjoy Thursday’s outdoor and indoor festivities, and spent my Friday morning as a chauffeur. Instead of going home to recharge and prepare for a full day of volunteering, I forged ahead after jamming out with Dr. Dog and doing my best to ignore this tall couple in front of me (barfaroonies):

I swung by the newly opened Hickory Street Lounge where my friend was already enjoying The Lonesome Heroes. And I agreed, a gal rockin’ a slide and pretty dress while singing is quite a pleasant sight! I made my way to Banter to check out Ivan and Alyosha and was met with a line as they were at capacity. For good reason, too, as the five-piece made the most of Banter’s tiny stage. I was able to make it inside and enjoyed the rest of their set, one that pleased those who were lucky enough to find a seat at Banter. Of course, I managed to record my least favorite song of their set but they ended it so well:

I made my way back to Industrial to catch Fishboy at Dan’s. Shhh, it was my first time to catch Eric Michener and his crew live even though I keep up with his comics on a regular basis. I stood dangerously close as he brought some kids to a frenzy with his sugary sweet pop songs. (Eric, I hope you didn’t bust your ankle, I saw that!) It was all quite fun until a dude with a STAFF shirt and a camera stood right. in. front. of. me. Dude, I understand your need for good photos but a simple acknowledgement of my existence would have been nice. Too much to ask? Oh well.

It was at this point that sleepy slapped me in the face hardcore and I debated on whether or not I could sneak in a nap in my car before devouring more live music. I realized the folly in my thinking as it was already 11:30PM with less than three hours of shows to hit up. So, I finally caught Paper Robot in action. It was only a year ago that I met Cody Robinson as I decided to join the army of volunteers that ran NX35. I quickly came to know Cody as the guy that gets things done because that’s what he does when he’s bored. And, I think, that’s how Paper Robot was born – out of the ashes of boredom and a desire to bring more rock into Denton. Aside from wanting to see them thrash about, I welcomed their distorted riffs into my life.

Instead of hunting down Michael Cera, I ended my night at Sweetwater where a few came to pay their respects to Dave Smalley. He was punk before the most of us could say, “punk,” and one of the kindest people I met throughout the entire weekend. (And I met more people this weekend than my brain can remember!) He kicked off his set early with some Irish folk songs and ended with a few stripped-down versions of songs past, ending with All’s “Wishing Well” which he claimed to not have performed since 1988. Although the crowds were elsewhere that night, I know the dude that sat to my left was a die-hard fan who sang along with most of the set and will never forget hanging out with Dave Smalley afterward. (Dave, it was a pleasure to meet you, see you live in action, and I hope that you can treat me to a Northerner’s meal one day!)

My 35 Conferette stats by Friday morning: 6 hours of live music, 2:30AM bedtime, 5:30AM alarm. Not bad… minus the alarm. For those following along, I had spent the first day reeling from Mavis Staples’ performance and I enjoyed a satisfying evening of music. Among my many tweets, this was among them:

The sentiment was shared across the board but, due to a chance encounter with one exhausted core volunteer, I was one of the few and the proud that was granted this honor. See, the 5:30AM alarm was set so I could shower the smell of Denton bars off my body, replace a broken headlight, and ensure that both Mavis and Yvonne Staples made it to their exit flight. I’ll spare you all the fun details but if you can imagine me grinning from ear-to-ear while my sweaty palms maneuvered the steering wheel through morning rush hour traffic, that just about sums up my journey with the Staple Sisters. And, you know what? I didn’t have to ask for a hug. Before we parted paths, both Mavis and her sister opened their arms wide, invited me into a warm hug, and said, “We’ll see you next time.” She also made it a point that I say goodbye to Jaime, Ramon, and Jesseca, so there you go guys. And if you were wondering if she packed the “Keep Denton Beard” shirt? She did.

But, my morning was not over and I chugged a Red Bull and awaited my next task. I ensured another legend, Dave Smalley, made it safe and sound to Denton, Texas. Both he and his companion were sleep deprived as well but that did not stop us from having a good time. Friends, if a Northerner asks you to take them somewhere that is absolutely Texas, you can’t go wrong with Old West. Unless they don’t like food. Luckily for the three of us, they did and I got to cross off “Have a freakin’ awesome breakfast with a freakin’ punk rock legend” off my to-do list.

By the time we wrapped things up, my pancake-ladened body wanted rest more than it wanted to see Spooky Folk at Cool Beans. Sorry, duders. You know I love you long time. I snuck in a restless nap, plagued by thoughts of missing out on 35 Conferette, so I headed out for more. Sadly, I missed RTB2 but my consolation, MiniBoone, was a pleasant surprise. With the Denton square as their backdrop, the New Yorkers brought a very fun vibe to the onlookers who increased in numbers as their set went on. The video I shot is an unfair representation of how well they performed as they battled to get their keyboard on but you can still see the bassist rock a neon shirt harder than anyone has before him:

I grabbed a sandwich from Weinberger’s (who, from what I know, were completely awesome about having 35 Conferette all up in their area) and popped a squat near Main Stage 1 for Telegraph Canyon who were fantastic as always. Feeling the effects from my tiny naps, I took it easy then went to Main Stage 2 to check out Mister Heavenly. Yes, it was nice to have the King of Awkward, Michael Cera, up on stage, along with members of Man Man and Modest Mouse, but can I admit that I wasn’t into it? Okay, I wasn’t into it. I made my way back to Main Stage 1 and had a primo standing spot for Dr. Dog, who was able to show us how to really handle a bass guitar. (Sorry, Cera.)

You’d think that after a wonderfully long set from Dr. Dog (including an extended encore), I would have had my share of music for Friday. No! When you have a music festival in your backyard, you keep going, people! You keep going! …Stay tuned…

It’s still hard for me to imagine much else happened after seeing Mavis Staples on stage but believe me, 35 Conferette was just getting started. By the end of her set, I had slept for five hours, worked at my day job for four, and had four hours of live music in my system. I took my excitement to the evening venues. Also, this was the day I pulled the “irresponsible parent” card and left my puppy, Noodles, at home. Many thanks to my roommates for keeping her company and for capturing her excitement here:

I headed to The Labb for the final Eaton Lake Tonics show but since the stage wasn’t even set up when they arrived, I took my antsy self all the way across the tracks to Rubber Gloves. See, there is a special bearded guy who has spent half a year traveling around South America who made his way back to Denton in time for the festival. Said gentleman simply signed up to volunteer as I saw him at meetings. Less than a week before the festival (and a few canceled bands later), Jacob Metcalf was officially set to play at 35 Conferette. Being his first time to play in Denton since his “bon voyage” show, I wasn’t going to miss it. Accompanied by fellow Dallas Family Band members, Petra Kelly and Dan Bowman, Metcalf brought a wonderfully intimate set to Rubber Gloves, making the long trek worth it. This is one album I hope comes into fruition soon.

Everyone kept talking about ending their night at Hailey’s with Cut Chemist so I hoofed it back to ensure I didn’t miss out. I was able to catch a bit of Dem Southernfolkz who had the crowd jumping. They ended their smooth set with style:

As I was being treated to one of the very few drinks I had all weekend, music started filling the air. I checked my phone and confirmed it was not time for Cut Chemist to start but apparently, he didn’t get the memo that as a musician in Denton, being on time is not expected. However, the bodies at Hailey’s did not care and the next thing you know, a circle formed as a few dudes started breakdancing.

The rest of the crowd lost themselves, aurally and visually, in Cut Chemist’s genius. I’ve only seen a few turntables spun live in my lifetime but there’s a big reason I tend to stray away from those shows. You can only watch a dude stand on stage, moving his arms and bobbing his head for so long until your eyes wander and the rest of your body does, too. Besides his brilliant beats and sound samples, Cut Chemist separates himself from the rest by purposely linking his music with video clips, leaving you with no excuse but to move your legs, shake those shoulders, and enjoy the night.

And, I did exactly that until he ended his set shortly before 2AM. In fact, it was a good thing he ended early because what I failed to mention was a chance encounter earlier in the night that meant I had three hours to get home and take a nap… Stay tuned, bat kids!

I’ll go into the craziness of the weekend later and explain why I slept for almost 24 hours yesterday but for now, I’ll recap the only day off I had at 35 Conferette.

Due to poor planning on my part, OK Sweetheart wooed the crowd while I sat at my optometrist’s office, answering that dreaded question, “1? Or 2?” My new eyes and I made it to Main Stage 1 (yes, two “main stages” do exist much like American Idol’s Randy Jackson believes in percentages over 100%) as Sarah Jaffe proceeded to do what I’ve seen her do many, many times. She fearlessly brought tunes, old and new, to her loyal crowd and increased anticipation for her new EP which is expected to be released sometime this year. ‘Twas good to see a certain Robert Gomez has returned from Seattle as well.

I had the pleasure of meeting a Dentonite in training, Harper, who braved the chilly air for her first musical festival ever. Best way to celebrate your fourth month of living, kid. Your parents are doin’ it right.

The estrogen continued to fill the air as The Secret Sisters brought their angelic harmonies from Muscle Shoals, Alabama to Denton, Texas. Two gals, one guitar, so simple and pure. Although Thursday’s early evening crowd was a bit sparse, they quickly understood why T-Bone Burnett holds these sisters in such high regard. On top of their genuine kindness, they showed that their young age doesn’t mean they can’t appreciate their roots as they included some Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline covers. In fact, later in the evening, Mavis Staples unashamedly praised their name on stage as well.

I wanted to catch The Pains of Being Pure at Heart while I chowed down on some pizza slices from Gio’s but they started so late, I abandoned them to ensure I had a good spot for Mavis Staples. I have no regrets about this decision as I was against the front gates for a perfect view of the legend, Mavis Staples.

Can I confess something? I didn’t know who The Staple Sisters were until 35 Conferette booked Mavis Staples. Agh, I know, embarrassing. I mean, after googling around, I realized I knew their tunes without knowing their origin. Even then, I thought it was odd that she would be booked into a music fest full of indie rockers and local talent but I went with it. Within seconds, I understood. I think within seconds, everyone understood as we found ourselves baptized with the truth by Staples’ distinctly low, yet joyful voice. As she conquered the stage and the youthful audience, I whipped out my phone to verify her age. 71. Old enough to experience the Civil Rights movement. Old enough to have over sixty years of music experience under her belt. Old enough to warrant an excuse to sit down… but she could barely sit still when she did. At 71 years of age, Mavis emitted more energy than any act I saw this weekend. And it was infectious. By the end of the set, Mavis and her crew (including her older sister, Yvonne) led the crowd to a fifteen minute version of “I’ll Take You There,” somehow sneaking in a Happy Birthday to Young and Brave‘s drummer, Ramon. See, she met Ramon when she arrived into town, somehow found out it was his birthday and managed to surprise everyone as she seamlessly incorporated the birthday song into the mix. Unfortunately, Ramon wasn’t there but the sentiment was not lost as she completely won over the hearts of Denton that night. And who could forget that “Keep Denton Beard” moment? Her joy is genuine and as my friend, Jesseca, explained afterward, “It’s her spirit,” a spirit that refuses to stay still, a spirit that was made for music, a spirit that was made to love others. You win, Mavis Staples. You win 35 Conferette 2011.

Edit (3/16/7:58AM): So, Ramon was there! My other sources were wrong. Also, Jaime, I knew something was up when you waved your festival hat at Mavis. The next thing you know, Mavis was scared that someone thought they were at a Tom Jones concert!