Denton is no stranger to music festivals. Every year, there is the Blues Festival, the Arts & Jazz Festival and of course, 35 Denton.
After starting in 2013, newcomer Oaktopia continues to prove that Denton can sustain a larger, relevant music festival and retain the down-home feel that makes this college town so great.
This year's Oaktopia hearkened back to the 35 Denton festivals of years past, when the city invited artists like The Flaming Lips and Big Boi.
Oaktopia's answer? The familial super groups Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Polyphonic Spree, bass-master Thundercat, rockers Minus the Bear and many more.
Oaktopia photo gallery:
The fest kicked off Friday night by commanding tens of bars and smaller venues throughout the city. DJ Ju$trill got the crowd moving at Andy's Bar, Biographies crushed the Harvest House stage and Bukkake Moms continued to have a really interesting name and sound at J&J's Pizza.
But Saturday is when things really kicked off. With the Travelstead and Audacity Brewhouse main stages now open, festival attendees were convinced: things were about to get real.
The Polyphonic Spree took charge of the stage Saturday night and -- if Twitter activity was any indication -- made everyone feel just a bit better. DJ Mom Jeans, also known as Danny Masterson (you may remember him as Hyde on That 70s Show) was so darn popular that people climbed on stage.
In addition to the music, Audacity Brewhouse brought its specialty beers to the fest and had a unique pecan draft on tap. Local artists had tents and skateboarders shredded on the makeshift skate park built for the event.
On Sunday, Denton got a visit from hometown heroine Sarah Jaffe, who played to a crowd totally enveloped in her smooth style.
Then at 8:30 p.m., Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros made the Travelstead stage its own. With killer visuals via projector and a band you almost couldn't count the members of on two hands, Edward Sharpe was the perfect way to close things out.
Drummer 'Crash' told us that the band has an interesting way of playing shows: they don't use a setlist. So, lead singer Alex Ebert would sing a bit of the next song ahead of time so the band would catch on. It made for a dynamic, unpredictable show.
The best part? During fan-favorite song "Home," Ebert stopped singing and invited people in the crowd to tell their stories. One of those stories just happened to be someone proposing to their girlfriend. It was the closest to real magic you could get.
Then Ebert had everyone take a seat and he played a final song, closing out the weekend.
It was a soft close, but it was impactful. After a weekend of tons of artists and a commandeering of Denton's downtown area, it was nice way to tie things off.
With the support of the community, let's hope Oaktopia returns next year with an even larger lineup and continues to prove that Denton is the place for festivals like this.
