Interview by Lee Escobedo.
Alli Lowe has been one of THRWD’s favorite all-around musicians, artists, curators, promoters, and people since we’ve started. There are few within the DFW music scene that do as much, and as well, for the local LGBT, female, and minority bands, artists, and musicians. As editor and co-founder of THRWD Magazine, I am thrilled to be collaborating with her at this Saturday’s Susan Sleaze Fest & VHS Swap at the new location for Vice Palace, 500 Singleton in Trinity Groves. This event is the first for a new collaboration between Lowe and I on a new, innovative booking company. THRWD chatted with Lowe on the state of the booking scene in Dallas and this weekend’s event.
1. When you were observing the local booking landscape, what did you find lacking, what did you want to improve?
At the moment there’s a lack of house venues in Denton. Ever since Taqueria Picante was shut down it’s been harder and harder to find spaces other than bars to book in Denton. J&Js pizza has really been wonderful and started letting punk shows happen there but if it wasn’t for them and Gatsby’s Mansion, punk shows would be as rare as a Bigfoot sighting. On the other hand, the rest of the DFW booking scene has really flourished in the past few months which I think is promising. The Denton, Dallas, Fort Worth punks have been really great lately about traveling to shows in different parts of the Golden Triangle. But Denton could really use a new spot for rowdy shows.
2. I’ve seen book swaps, art swaps, but never a VHS swap. What is it about VHS tapes that interests you as a collector? What are some of your best VHS possessions?
VHS collector culture is a beautiful vibrant world but even though I prefer analog over digital, and own a rather large collection of tapes, I do not identify as a collector. As a cinephile, finding a tape of a rare film or performance makes me ecstatic, but I am not the kind of person to spend a couple hundred on a tape or stay up all night bidding online. I really appreciate the cinema freaks who stop at nothing to get their most prized piece of cinema on a format they love. As for me, my most prized VHS is probably Fellini’s “Satyricon” or “Born in Flames”. Maybe even “Con-Air”. Who knows?
3. What local bands did you see a lack of reverence for, that you wanted to come in and make sure they were given proper exposure through shows?
I like to book bills with bands in the area who don’t play together much and probably never would have if I didn’t booked them together. I booked a show for a amazing band called Downtown Boys on July 12th at Macaroni Island with a pretty varied bill. A new local hardcore band called Prowl is playing with the Spaz Math Lords and Drug Mountain. Downtown Boys are a female fronted punk band from Providence, R.I. I book bills that have variety not only in genre, but in many other ways too. Yes, this means less straight white guys.
4. What other individuals in the DFW do you respect in terms of throwing rad shows?
I respect the people who are throwing shows to have fun and hangout with their friends as they watch a band they are excited to see. I don’t respect the people in the DFW who are putting money in their own pockets off the bands they book.
5. Where did the origins for the VHS swap come from? What was your involvement in the horror film?
The swap and the show is for a upcoming horror film called “Lazy Susan” I am interning on. I needed to get an internship for school this year and my utter disgust with the industry I study has left me too bitter to work unpaid on a film set putting up with Hollywood copycats and sympathizers. (Everything my major has trained me to be) “Lazy Susan” is the ideal film set I want to work because the director has a vision for his film and can careless about its appeal to a mass audience. It’s fun, low budget and there is a lot of hands on hard work that I can learn from. My duties include fundraising as well as all things. Production and the director liked me enough to write me a small part but not enough to get in the way of everything I will be doing behind the scenes. The director, Kelly Hughes, had a popular public access show in the 90′s called “Heart Attack Theater” that was released on VHS. Hughes being a VHS collector, and myself being friends with multiple cinephiles and VHS freaks in the DFW area, I figured it would be a good idea to get all those folks together in one place to have a good time and to fundraiser for “Lazy Susan”.
6. What is your ultimate show? In terms of venue, bands, amenities that you could throw in DFW?
I guess it depends on the kind of show I’m trying to throw. For a punk band all you need is a PA and a willing or unwilling location to plug in.
7. what spaces, houses, venues, not yet explored do you want to mine for shows?
I travel back and forth from DFW to New Orleans and most punk shows out there are in abandoned spaces or outside. Abandoned malls, under bridges, on the train tracks, in the middle of a wooded area, literally everywhere. I’d like to see more of those around here. I’d also like to see more local businesses open up their establishment to host shows. It really brings the community together.
8. There seems to still be a prejudice against hip-hop shows with local curation. Kessler Theater just had their first hip-hop show since almost January. I rarely see hip-hop shows at even the DIY spaces. Why do you think this is? How can we change it?
If you don’t see a hip-hop show at a DIY space it’s because the band isn’t booking it. Its called “Do It Yourself” for a reason and if bands aren’t actively booking themselves and booking shows themselves in spaces like that than I can’t do much to change it. I can book a show in a space like that if the Hip-Hop artist and fans want that but if they did, they probably would have done it by now. I just looked up Kessler Thetaer and why would anyone want to play that place anyway? But, if their is curating prejudice at a certain space then fuck that and that space and find another place to book at.
9. What is your year long goal for Total Twit, and our newest endeavor, as enterprises?
I want to continue to book more all ages shows for women and queer bands in the DFW area. As for our newest endeavor I want to explore more spaces and experiment with locations and times to really challenge people to seek something different from their regular show experience. I want it to me more than people looking for something to do after work to numb the day. I want things to be memorable and for folks to interact with people they normally wouldn’t and in different ways than they are use to. Whether that means having shows with no alcohol allowed or having a party with loads of free food where you aren’t allowed to feed yourself so you have to ask a stranger to feed you. The possibilities are endless and a lot of good times are ready to be had.
10.The contemporary art scene and contemporary hip-hop scene in Dallas are both flourishing and receiving national attention. What is your favorite Dallas-based hip-hop artist, collective, or group?
I mean I’m gonna love Erykah Badu till I die, but as far as more this decadem the Brain Gang kids are always really nice to me, but I don’t have a favorite anything.
