photo by: Nikkie Marie Smith http://fineartamerica.com
As of September 11, 2014, Downtown Bryan is officially recognized and listed as a Cultural District within the great state of Texas. What does this mean exactly? It means that a visit to Downtown Bryan will make you infinitely more cultured than your peers, of course! While that may be pushing the envelope a little bit, it is important to point out that the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) now recognizes Downtown Bryan as one of twenty-six designated Cultural Districts in Texas. Downtown Austin, the Dallas Arts District, Houston Theater District, and now historic Downtown Bryan!
This new-found title solidifies what many of the people who have experienced a weekend in DB already knew: Downtown Bryan is an amazing place. To be recognized as a Cultural District, a nominated zone must show itself to be a focal point for business and cultural development, with an emphasis placed on cultural assets such as museums, theaters, art galleries, and events that support and showcase the arts. You can check out the official article regarding the TCA’s decision here.
It is all too often that I hear cohorts of mine complaining about the lack of a “scene” in the Bryan/College Station area. To that, I say, “HA! YOU FOOL!” There is always, and I do mean always, something worth your attention to be found on the quaint streets of Bryan’s downtown district.
Art galleries, theaters, venues, museums, bars, coffee, pastries, live music/comedy/poetry, booze, delicately lit streets reminiscent of a 1950s noire film, dark alleys dotted in street art, ice cream, comfortable benches, convenient parking, wonderful people here and there and there and here, and, of course, the Grand Stafford Theater. If you’re struggling to find a scene in BCS, you just aren’t trying hard enough.
FOR EXAMPLE:
This weekend, the 27th and 28th, Downtown Bryan will play host to the 8th annual Texas Reds Steak & Grape Festival. Throughout the newly defined cultural district, there will be 50+ bands (local and regional) across six stages, shops and vendors, Texas wineries and craft beers, artists, craftspeople, and a high probability that you will experience something new — and never forget where you were when it happened!
Texas Reds is just one of the many festivities that frequents Downtown Bryan. If you still aren’t convinced that the DB is the place to be, let me enlighten you on a little event called First Friday, straight from downtownbryan.com (yeah, there’s a website):
“First Friday is a monthly event held on the first Friday of each month. The event is hosted and coordinated by the Downtown Bryan Association (DBA). It is a fantastic opportunity to come out and enjoy a variety of arts & culture related activities and demonstrations. First Friday is a free event open to the public.”
But it’s so much more than that! There’s artists, there’s street performers, there’s food trucks with delicacies that your palette will forever thank you for, there’s live music, there’s crazy people wearing crazy stuff, and you can attend for FREE.
In conclusion, it was an obvious decision on the part of the Texas Commission on the Arts to classify Historic Downtown Bryan as a legitimate Cultural District. I’ve barely scratched the surface of how many facets of cultural expression and support for the arts goes down on the streets around here. Don’t take my word for it though, come out and see for yourself.
Texas Reds Steak & Grape Festival Sept. 27th-28th: http://texasredsfestival.com
First Friday Oct. 3: http://www.downtownbryan.com/play/1stfriday/
By Dylan Huddleston
Be sure to check out and follow my weekly Spotify playlist “The Weekly Dyl.” 13 tracks a week for your listening pleasure: The Weekly Dyl 9/24/2014



Tally the votes, count ‘em and recount ‘em. The Octopus Project IS the greatest band ever. Straight out of Austin, Texas, this four-piece indietronica band has been producing masterful blends of sound since 2002. Drum machines, synthesizers, guitars, basses, real drums, keyboards, theremins, glockenspiels, bells, whistles – The Octopus Project loves to experiment with noise, and their yield is always incredible. The band has spent the last 12 years developing an impressive discography (5 albums, a slew of EP’s, film scores, and video game soundtracks) and an even more impressive fanbase for their live shows. The Ocotpus Project has appeared at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, All Tomorrow’s Parties, SXSW, and many more renowned festivals as well as touring with artists like the hip-hop underground hero Aesop Rock, Devo, and Explosions in the Sky.
The O’s” dropped on Idol Records. Then came the tours: statewide, nationwide, worldwide, festivals, gigs, TV-shows appearances- you name it, The O’s have been all over it. There has never been a venue too small or large for The O’s, they travel alongside their unofficial mission statement: “make good music for good people.” In 2011, the band teamed up with Grammy award winning recording engineer, Stuart Sikes, and dropped their second album, “Between The Two,” an album in which every instrument was played by either Young or Pedigo. As the duo matured, so did their music, and their adventures around the world, all the while staying true to the mantra. Their third album released in July 2013 under the production of Chris Smith at the legendary Sonic Ranch Studio in Tornillo, Texas- an album filled with good music, made for good people.

Back in 2008 at a small Nashville campfire, homeschool met public school, two sisters met two brothers, folk vocals met rock licks, and a band was forged over the flame. The Vespers are what you get when worlds collide (properly). Composed of sisters Callie and Phoebe Cryar, and brothers Taylor and Bruno Jones, The Vespers are quite the hand: two pair of two very different suits, all led by an ace-high passion for music making. From a young age, Callie and Phoebe have been synchronizing spirit and voice. They first started singing professionally around the age of 8 and 9, and around the age of 13 years old, Callie and Phoebe performed in a children’s chorus on a Dolly Parton collaboration album. The Joneses, both ex-members of southern-rock trio Fuel to the Fire, grew up under the influence of their dad’s record collection. What you get when you mix the Cryar’s and the Joneses is what you get when you mix peanut butter and chocolate: some people don’t like it, but other people (like me) enjoy it so much that they smear it on their faces. Evidence of this perfect concoction litters the group’s latest album “The Fourth Wall,” especially so on songs such as “Got No Friends,” a rabble-rousing folk cut with just enough grit to necessitate some floss afterwards. The Vespers are performers first, writing most of their songs while on the road and playing them at shows long before debuting them on records. “The Fourth Wall” is an album that exemplifies that showmanship, as Phoebe puts it, “What we were trying to do is break that fourth wall down. Just with the way we interact with the audience. That (term) really struck a chord with us.” As for the creative process behind writing and playing shows, she goes on to say that the band is “Just doing what comes naturally.” All natural, homegrown music. The Vespers have noted
many artists that they enjoy listening to, but they tend to stray from taking anything away from their favorite acts, “We try not to feed back on anything that anyone else is doing creatively, that’s the integrity of our music is our sound. We can’t help but have that sound. It’s just what happens when we get together.” You can’t deny The Vespers of their originality, for one, because they won’t let you. The Cryars and the Joneses have remained steadfastly independent thus far, staying in creative control, and it has worked out well. “The Fourth Wall” came to be out of a successful Kickstarter campaign that reached its goal of $15,000, and much of their current popularity has been garnered simply by word of mouth and playing shows wherever they can. As Callie elegantly puts it: “We want to avoid selling out and signing away business control just in order for us to be famous, basically. We kinda want to get to where we can have some success and at the same time have our own independence, too.”





You must be logged in to post a comment.