A peak at the Upstairs Gallery at the Deep Ellum Community Center. Photo courtesy of the Deep Ellum Foundation.
The final installment of Deep Ellum’s ongoing Behind the Music exhibit series has opened.
“Behind the Music: 2000s” will be on view through October at the Deep Ellum Community Center. The series has explored the musical legacy of Deep Ellum, and this chapter will feature several venues, both large scale and intimate and most of which are still around today: Adair’s Saloon, AllGood Cafe, The Bomb Factory, Curtain Club, Gypsy Tea Room and Sons of Hermann Hall. These are spaces where artists like Robert Plant, Patti Smith, Beck, Eminem, Willie Nelson, Philip Glass, Erykah Badu and the Old 97’s once performed, according to a press release. (Fun fact: Sons of Hermann Hall is where Kelly Clarkson auditioned for American Idol.)
“Together, they tell a story that is not only about who took the stage, but about the spaces that gave artists room to become themselves and audiences a place to belong,” reads the press release.
Also on display is photography by Jason Janik and Mike Brooks of Deep Ellum musicians over time in the Upstairs Gallery at the community center, plus a tribute to Cabe Booth featuring his band portraits and artwork.
“The bands, the venues and the fans who shaped the early 2000’s era of Deep Ellum are truly unique,” Janik said in the press release. “Many of these shows happened before the smartphone and our modern social media obsession to document everything. So many great musical moments could’ve been lost to time. I’m proud to see this part of Deep Ellum’s rich history shared with the world. I feel like these photographs and paintings help preserve this overlooked era in Deep Ellum, and more importantly Texas, music.”
An opening reception will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16. You can reserve your spot here for free. The exhibit will be open to the public from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Visitors can also contribute their Deep Ellum music collectibles and stories to the community wall to be part of the Deep Ellum Archive.
