First of all, people all over DFW and especially Tarrant County will probably keep hearing about the Metrognome Collective and Untitled 1518 again and again this year, and for good reason. Not only is the space fantastic, but the organizers have ambitious plans to make it one of the centers for art and music in DFW. The 11,000 square foot space is huge, with room after room being renovated in order to house artist studios, concert spaces, film screening rooms, band practice spaces, and a place for lectures and community meetings. Not only will they have all of these things going on at the space, but they will also be releasing a quarterly journal to document all that they do over there, in addition to hosting semi regular open houses to showcase artist works and host concerts on site, which we are also told will eventually be completely green powered with solar energy and other environmentally friendly energy sources. The space isn't close to being finished yet, but when it is it will certainly be impressive.

And the concert space is great. Its probably a little bigger than the Tea Room, and has a big enough stage and strong enough p.a. system to accommodate just about any band that would want to play there. It also has a comfortable and inviting design that only these kinds of unique spaces can provide. Organizer James Watkins is a really nice guy that not only has a genuine interest in developing an artistic and musical community in Fort Worth, but also seems to have the business know-how to get things done, which is something that is often sorely lacking in such endeavors. This means that the place has a great chance of getting off the ground and really going somewhere. We hope it does.

As for the show, Bosque Brown was less than amazing, and had some early sound problems that caused a pretty long delay before their set began. They also seem like they simply haven't been playing music together all that long, which obviously is unavoidable for relatively new local bands. However they are unquestionably talented, and lead vocalist Mara Lee Miller has "Indie star" written all over her. Her vocals were terrific, and her stage presence was compelling.

Overall a fun night in Fort Worth, and one that seemed to be a preview of what might end up being a regular stop for bands, indie kids, and this website.

i'm glad to hear Metro is coming back.

Thanks for going out to the space. It's still a work in progress but James and all of the folks with the MetroGnome Collective have been the best. This is just the beginning for the space.

T

hey, thanks for coming out. we have worked really hard on the space, and the journey has only begun. We are working on the sound system, and if anyone who is reading this is talented in that department, and is interested in working with us as a volunteer to help us get the kinks out of our system, and run some of our shows, please get in touch with us on our myspace account (www.myspace.com/metrognomecollective). Likewise, we can always use help on our magazine, our video screenings, everything really. If you have a good idea, we will do our best to accomodate it.

sincerely,
james

Sounds really cool. I didn't make it out... after driving back from San Antonio I wasn't in the mood for more driving.