Becca Walther

Hello! My name is Becca and I’m the Public Services Graduate Services Assistant at the UNT Music Library. The UNT Music Library is interested in collecting, preserving, and providing access to music that originates from Texas, especially the DFW area. This semester, I am working with another student assistant, Gabi, on a campaign about the Local/Independent Music Initiative of Texas (LIMIT) and we will be going to shows in the Denton area to explore the local music culture. Through exploring different types of shows, we will share a little taste of Denton’s multi-faceted music scene in this blog and the Music Library Instagram page.   

To begin our journey, Gabi and I attended a house show. House shows are smaller concerts, usually hosted by people who live in the house. While Denton is well-known for the UNT College of Music and local professional venues, house shows are a great way to see underground local acts of all different genres. 

A 2017 North Texas Daily article expands on the subject as it chronicles a weekend of house shows where $3,500 was raised for a local charity. It highlights the inclusive nature of these shows, saying, “House shows are where many bands start to build a following. Because there is no age requirement at these house venues, nearly anyone and everyone shows up to such events” (Spicer & Martin, 2017, p. 5).  

Spicer, A. (2017, January 26). Recapping band together Denton. North Texas Daily, p. 5.

When I think of local and independent music in Denton, my mind immediately goes to house shows. I am connected to the local music scene through my band, TERMITE!, and thought a perfect place to start my local music exploration would be a house show that featured us. TERMITE! was invited to play a show on August 8, so that’s where Gabi and I began our journey. Additionally, we had the opportunity to interview the show organizer to discuss how to put together a house show and what it means to be part of the DIY music scene in a college town.  

Holmes, J. (2025, July 12).

This is Alex. They play with the band 42Scratch and organized the show. We asked Alex what was important to them when putting together this show, and they said, “I really want to create a house venue that not only is a safe space but has vendors—like local vendors. And then also I wanted it to be all femme-fronted bands, just because I think that’s so important in our community right now.” You can view the entire interview with Alex on our Instagram account.  

The show’s entrance fee was “pay what you can” and all the funds went to the Genesis Women’s Shelter. The contributions totaled almost $500. It felt really good to know that we were playing for an important cause. That is one noteworthy thing about putting on a house show—you can do things like donate to a cause of your choice. It also instills a sense of community with the other bands and the audience. We are all here to see a great show and support a good cause.  

Several bands played that night, including Alex’s band 42Scratch, Andromica, Endorphin Report, and my own band, TERMITE!. Like Alex mentioned, every band was fronted by a femme-presenting person, which I thought was so neat to be part of because I see a lot of bands with all male members and those are not the only types of punk-rock bands in Denton, TX! Getting to see and hear so many strong treble voices singing alternative music really inspired me. 

This show rocked, and when it was TERMITE!’s turn, we were ready. It had been eight months since we played. Personally, getting to put on a cool outfit and fun makeup gives me an avenue to express myself in ways I would not in my everyday life. I feel so confident and connected to myself and my friends when we play together. To hear people in the crowd singing along to words I wrote and seeing them do my little dances with me is one of the best feelings in the world. This little house show gave everyone the opportunity to come together as a community, listen to some great music, and do it all for an important cause.  

Poole, A. (2025, August 8).

Make sure to follow the UNT Music Library on Instagram @untmusiclibrary to follow our adventures while exploring Denton’s music scene. Next up, local venues, Denton Arts & Jazz, and UNT concerts!  

References 

Orr, A. (2018, September 20). Jagoe house reopens under new name. North Texas Daily, pp. 1–5. 

Spicer, A. (2017, January 26). Recapping band together denton. North Texas Daily, p. 5. 

Spicer, A., & Martin, K. (2017, January 26). A weekend full of music leads to a $3,500 local charity donation. North Texas Daily, p. 5.