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In any music scene, the underground always seems to be evolving. Playing the gauntlet of house parties or backyards can be futile, but sometimes a consistent DIY venue can singlehandedly power local music's ecosystem.
Katherine Paterson, a talented local songwriter, recently played a set at a cool, intimate-looking space that wasn’t on our radar. She said it was called West Side Art Collective, located in White Settlement just outside of Fort Worth. She confirmed it was new, and said it was well worth a drive to check it out.
A few nights after receiving the tip, we visited the space with a young man named Jon McCloskey for a local goth show. The conversation ranged from the kind of music we liked (he’s a big Midwest emo fan) to the fact that neither of us was really goth at this goth show, his band (Wilted Lillys), and a new DIY music venue he was starting in White Settlement.
“The west side place? I’ve been meaning to go,” we said.
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McCloskey looked confused. After checking the address, he was stunned to see that the place we had asked about was only a five-minute drive down the road from his space. His spot is called One Eyed Cat, located at the former home of Metro Music, a jukebox repair shop owned by his grandfather.
We made the drive to White Settlement on a dreary weekday afternoon, first stopping at West Side Art Collective. It’s located in an unassuming strip on the side of the road, close to a tattoo shop. Inside, the space is a smorgasbord of opportunity for all types of artists.
There’s a small stage in the back of the room, equipped with a PA and stage lights. To the left, it has cushy theater seating for watching the shows. To the right is a photography bay with pull-down backdrops and lighting gear. In the front of the room by the door, there are three chairs and microphones, resembling a mini-podcast studio. It’s as if every inch of the room is being put to good use. It all presents as very clean and well-organized, a rarity for hubs of underground art.
West Side’s founders are a father-daughter duo, John Chavers and Faith Thompson. By day, Thompson works as a photographer and sings, recently taking home the "Best Photographer" prize at the Dallas Entertainment Awards. Chavers worked as a truck driver for years and performs as J.N3on
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“We have our saying, which is to create art and see art created,” Thompson says. “That’s been our dream for a while, to create that safe kind of home feel, where you can walk in and just be yourself without any restrictions or judgment.”
Originally from the small town of Farmington, New Mexico, Chavers picked up on her musicality early.
“They had a coffee shop,” he says, referring to the town. “She would get up there with me on stage as this little 5-year-old while I played guitar. That began this incredible journey between her and I doing music together.”
The two played for years together as an electronic duo called Neon and Red. Thompson is multifaceted, so having a space open to all mediums was a priority.
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“People’s authenticity, their words and their freedom is inspiration,” Chavers says. “Not only to us, but to everybody who’s sharing in that moment. Each event has become a memory. It’s that moment, that one night that counts. We want everything that happens here to be a moment etched into the memories of people’s hearts and minds.”
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“I really like the intimate NPR style, MTV Unplugged setting,” Thompson adds. “We’ve taken the distraction of alcohol out of it because we want the focus to be on the artist and the music. We want it to be intimate and focus on the musicians and what they’re singing about.”
Most shows at West Side have been low-key singer-songwriter nights, with an audience sitting on the floor in a relaxed environment.
Coming from Farmington, the two still operate with a small-town mentality, reaping the benefits of being close to big markets in North Texas.
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“That’s just how I was raised,” Thompson says. “We’re all a community, we all know and encourage each other.”
That love and encouragement come from the top down. Throughout our interview, Chavers almost never talked about himself. He was brimming with excitement to brag about his daughter and how lucky they are to have the space.
“She’s as much my best friend as she is my daughter,” Chavers says.
When we told them about another new DIY venue down the road, they hadn't heard of it either. It didn’t take any convincing to drive over together for a visit.
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One Eyed Cat is daunting. It’s only about the size of a living room, with walls painted a hellish red and covered in Sharpie drawings from visitors. One jukebox is still inside from Metro Music, plus a Pac-Man arcade machine. It’s grungy, that’s for sure, but in the kind of way that immediately makes you feel like you’re part of something special when you step inside.
Thompson goes straight for Pac-Man, while Chavers picks McCloskey’s brain. It’s an unexpected meeting of the underground music minds, one that’s held in mutual respect and excitement for each other rather than competition.
“I originally wanted to call it Metro Music,” McCloskey says. “But my friend drew a one-eyed cat, and then everyone just really liked the idea of it being called the One Eyed Cat. We just ran with it.”
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He recently graduated from Brewer High School, just down the road from his venue.
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“In high school, I didn’t really do a whole lot,” he says. “I just kind of skated by. But I poured my soul into music.”
McCloskey’s current band is Wilted Lillys, a three-piece where he serves as frontman and lead guitarist. Last month, they released their first EP, disenclosed contents, featuring four sad grunge ballads, including one telling the story of the band’s name.
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“There was this girl,” he says. “We both knew we liked each other. I was gonna ask her to prom. Her favorite flower was lilies, so I bought her lilies and asked her to prom. Then she gave me this whole long story of why she didn’t want to go with me. So I just sat there and I was looking at the vase of lilies that was wilting away.”
The moment became a song, which became the namesake of the band. One Eyed Cat is now their home base for rehearsing and recording, and they’ve put themselves on most of the bills. The first show was on Feb. 1, featuring local metal bands Natural Napalm and Held in Contempt.
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“Finding people to come to shows is really the hard part,” McCloskey says. “So when people say, start from the bottom, it's really impossible, because nobody wants to come see the little guys anymore. You know what I mean? Nobody wants to come to the DIY shows. That's why they're free.”
McCloskey made the decision to make all shows at the venue 100% donation-based, with a small dropbox outside accepting as little as a penny, or nothing at all, for entry. Shows at One Eyed Cat are growing substantially, tending to lean toward local rock and metal, with a recent show featuring Arlington-based Yellowbelly drawing nearly 100 people.
“I feel like White Settlement doesn’t care about anything other than football,” he says. “The music scene here is just totally gone, and I don’t want to drive 40 minutes to Denton when we could have a Denton here. They could be doing something about it and they don’t, so you take it into your own hands.”
If there were a blueprint to shifting the cultural tides of an entire town, it might start with grassroots organizations like One Eyed Cat and West Side Art Collective. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but only a few months in, the future for music in White Settlement looks bright.
“I know there’s fans of music here,” McCloskey says. “Because they come to all the other shows we go to. There are bands here, and we shouldn’t have to drive an hour away. We should be able to play in our hometown.”
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