Secret Headquarters: 6/03/06-10/13/07

Now that some of the dust, figurative and otherwise, has settled around the local institution that was Secret Headquarters, thus begins the venue's legacy and its potential influence on future spaces, musicians turned venue owners, show bookers, sound people, and those who could probably be considered several of those things at once. The musician in such dual roles is not specific to SHQ, of course, but everything regarding the venue is unique due to the group of people that ran the place and their unusually welcoming attitude to noise, melody, beauty, ugliness, sincerity, plasticity, the most grandiose, the meekest, the well-meaning, the mean-spirited, everybody, everywhere, anywhere, locally, globally and beyond if they could reach. And therein lies the simultaneous tragedy and triumph of a place that will be one of the most warmly regarded memories for anyone who set foot there, even years from now. A place that tries the impossible of pleasing all of the people all of the time will ultimately always fall short in someone's eyes-- in this instance, the cliched specter of an uncompromising landlord looking for a reason to pull the plug. No surprise there, but what is surprising is the aforementioned pleasing of the people all of the time bit: They came closer than anyone.

SHQ began on the opposite side of the building facing Hickory Street, replacing the Dallas bound Art Prostitute. Opening day was a surefire lineup of local favorites and all the usual faces of Denton's storied music community showed up, as expected. Many were skeptical that anything significant could fill such a void as that of the justifiably loved Art Prostitute. Secret Headquarters did the unexpected to ultimately silence any skeptics or detractors. The venue actually improved by living up to its name and shrinking, flipping its front entrance to the back of the building, and shunning any sort of actual sign or marquee. The physical transformation of the venue acts as a metaphor to the gentle way it guided rather than forced everyone to try a little harder to seek things out and give uncharted territory a chance. All the while it took some very challenging booking demands head on, and managed what was easily the most bafflingly diverse schedule week after week for sixteen months.

Secret Headquarters didn't just book their friends, they didn't pander to local legends, nor did they shun them. This was an environment free of pretense, everyone on equal footing, where drunk frat types might be slam dancing with introverted library ladies, both of them enjoying it, and everyone being generally more accepting than they would out in their daily lives. Far fewer arms were crossed or dirty looks given under that roof in comparison to the average rock show, dance club or elsewhere in the area. It was what you wished a speakeasy was like if they still existed, with everyone putting aside all of their bullshit for a common desire. And though you could bring your own, the real draw was the privilege of seeing a performance in such a relaxed, noncompetitive, and friendly atmosphere. To put it simply, Secret Headquarters was a fun fucking place to hang out, even if you weren't into the bands on a given night. People would gravitate towards it from the square and surrounding venues, seemingly drawn by the attitude and the kindness as much as the music. There was often food around. Cupcakes, cookies, vegetable trays, alcohol and barbecue. People were always celebrating. The last time I was there, a just married couple was in the audience catching a show, hours after being wed. It was that kind of place.

Not to look too much into my own prophetic prowess, but I recently lamented the fact that my long soured attitude towards local music had improved exponentially over the past couple of years, and how this unnamed "golden period" might be showing signs of waning, at least as we know it. In Denton especially, since 2005 or so, there has been a wealth of quality venues, bands, and shows. Bands move on, break up, people go to college, graduate, get married and on and on. That's a necessary part of the cycle. Secret Headquarters' departure from local music will be a little harder of a blow to absorb. When We Shot JR put on its second ever show back in January, the experience with SHQ from all angles couldn't have gone more smoothly. Over the rest of the year, SHQ started putting in overtime and actually hosting shows that had been shutdown at other DIY places, sometimes well into the extreme late hours that other venues legally can't touch. When our most recent show at The Fra House was somewhat expectedly shut down, they were there to pick up where it left off, staying open until three in the morning and still finishing its obligation to an Indiewriter.net benefit. This altruistic type of phantom booking probably put an unfair strain on the staff at times, but has solidified the reputations of venue and staff alike indefinitely.

SHQ through sheer unconventionality was straight-ahead rock venue, punk rock hangout, late night jazz club, singer songwriter opry, drag show catwalk, art gallery, psyche happening, grindcore pit, and even once hosted a toy show. I saw just about every type of show I enjoy going to there, and if a band I liked was playing there, I knew it would be the ideal setting. Recently, Secret Headquarters had really started to hit a stride by becoming a necessary ally in local hardcore, punk and garage shows of the type that 715 Panhandle throws, and by hosting more and more national touring acts and international acts as well. I consider myself very lucky to have been at the first show, the last show, and so many unforgettable moments in between. I loved Secret Headquarters as much as is humanly possible or healthy for someone to love a beat up old building with an alley full of drunks behind it. There are many fans, bands, artists and musicians alike that walked out of that place spoiled by the joy of being there, and I would just like to counter the understandable pain and bitterness that accompanied its hastened demise last week and feel free to leave a comment doing the same: Thank you, SHQ.