SHQ! || May 31, 2007

Many months ago, Scott Porter was updating the MySpace events list for the DIY venue he co-founded, Secret Headquarters. On the online calendar, he jotted down a show for the first anniversary weekend, and he titled it "One Year of Losing Our Asses." But the silly title wasn't entirely a joke--the venue had its fair share of growing pains, including public cries for financial help and a prolonged battle with a roof leak.

But as the concert approached for this weekend, Porter had a change of heart. "You know, that's not the right title," he says. "As I started looking at it, as we started taking more pride in our venture, seeing that it was starting to succeed, if you will...I don't feel like we're losing our asses at all."

As Porter is among my favorite local musicians to interview, I've included an unedited MP3 of our SHQ birthday conversation. Click the link below for Porter's take on the venue's surprising success and streak of national bands, its plans for relative expansion, its evolution into a rehearsal space and even some news about Porter's own bands, Record Hop and Spitfire Tumbleweeds...not to mention some Halo smack-talk.

Interview with Scott Porter (13 minutes, 4.2 MB)

SHQ is where you want to be this weekend, either for Friday's Halo 2 gaming tournament or Saturday's lengthy concert/party, which is pretty talent-packed the whole way through. If you're a local music outsider who's wondering just what Denton's independent music scene is like, this is the ultimate crash course in the best and most intriguing material the city has to offer (along with some Austin guests mixed in). Here's the complete Saturday schedule:

4:00-6:00 - Wild in the Streets
6:00-6:30 - Emil Rapstine (The Angelus) and friends
6:30-6:50 - Chris Flemmons (Baptist Generals)
6:50-7:10 - Daniel Francis Doyle
7:10-7:30 - Aaron White (Current Leaves) and Chris Garver Song Swap
7:30-8:00 - Jenny Seman (shiny around the edges) and friends
8:00-8:15 - Gigi
8:15-8:45 - Christian! Teenage Runaways
8:45-9:05 - Ashley Cromeens (Record Hop)
9:05-9:35 - 2MAI
9:35–9:50 - Jason Ashbaugh
9:50-10:20 - Deep Snapper
10:20-10:50 - Dana Falconberry
10:50-11:20 - MC Router
11:20-12:50 - Brent Best
12:50-1:20 - Burnt Sienna Trio
1:30–2:00 - Nouns Group

Wait, is Brent Best really playing for an hour and a half? Or is that just space for if/when the show goes over schedule? Either way, Denton, lend me a couch. I will be sleeping over on Saturday. -SM