Advertisement

arts entertainmentPop Music

Edgefest or Denton Arts & Jazz? 20 quick questions tell you which is your jam

Two of the area's biggest and longest-running music festivals take place this weekend: The 26th annual Edgefest on April 30 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco and the 36th annual Denton Arts & Jazz Festival, April 29-May 1 at Denton's Quakertown Park.

Aside from their timing, these two fests have almost nothing in common.

A fan dances during Brave Combo's set at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival on Sunday, April...
A fan dances during Brave Combo's set at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival on Sunday, April 26, 2015. Photo by Kristen Watson/DRC

Edgefest is KDGE-FM's annual spring rite of distorted guitars and exposed skin for teens and 20-somethings. Headliners this year include the snarling Kentucky garage-rock band Cage the Elephant, the punk-pop act Good Charlotte and the moody, synth-driven group Chvrches (pronounced "churches").

The Denton Arts & Jazz Festival, on the other hand, has sounds for all ages and tastes. There's tons of jazz (of course) from musicians at the University of North Texas and other schools. But the lineup is incredibly eclectic, including R&B singer-pianist Patrice Rushen (who headlines on April 29), the country-rockin' Flatlanders ( April 30) and Denton's anything-goes dance band Brave Combo ( May 1).

If you're still unclear on which festival is for you, ask yourself these 20 questions:

Advertisement

DO YOU ... ?

Own the new album by the 1975? Edgefest

News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

Own actual LPs released in 1975? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Want to hear the latest sounds from England, Wales and Scotland? Edgefest

Advertisement

{"type":"Event","title":"Edgefest: Cage The Elephant / The 1975 / Chvrches / Bastille / Silversun Pickups / Good Charlotte","_id":272263,"html":"

","providerType":"guidelive","providerLink":"http://www.guidelive.com/oembed"}

Advertisement

Want to hear the latest sounds from Brookhaven College, UT Tyler and the Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Like vocalists who learned to sing by listening to Frank and Ella? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Like vocalists who learned to scream by listening to field recordings of howler monkeys? Edgefest

Tolerate incessant sax solos? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Tolerate incessant crowd surfing? Edgefest

Appreciate watching famous indie rock musicians throw mock tantrums onstage? Edgefest

Appreciate watching random 3-year-old kids throw real tantrums in the ice cream line? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Prefer to sit on a blanket, in the grass, under a shady tree? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Advertisement

Prefer to stand and push your way to the front of a giant, sweaty mob? Edgefest

Enjoy watching nerdy student-musicians who know every episode in Ken Burns' Jazz?Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

{"type":"Event","title":"Denton Arts and Jazz Festival","_id":273521,"html":"

Advertisement

","providerType":"guidelive","providerLink":"http://www.guidelive.com/oembed"}

Enjoy watching self-styled hipsters who know every lyric on Radiohead's OK Computer? Edgefest

Want to impress friends with some cool jewelry you bought from a juried local artist? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Want to impress friends with a cool T-shirt you bought from a tattooed merch guy named Spike? Edgefest

Advertisement

Like to do the Hokey Pokey and shake it all about? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Like to do the Pogo Slam Dance and shake it like a Polaroid picture? Edgefest

Have $45 to $75 for tickets or up to $225 for VIP seats? Edgefest

Have massive credit card debt and only go to festivals that are free? Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Advertisement

Thor Christensen is a Dallas writer and critic.