Evan Henry will keep BHC up to date on all things musically local in this recurring column.
By Evan Henry
Music Editor
As 2014 came to a close, so did DIY venue Two Bronze Doors.The building was a former psychic’s home converted into one of Dallas’ finest performing arts spaces. Two Bronze Doors was born out of necessity. At the time, there were no noteworthy houses in Dallas to play shows at. Plus, the residents needed a place to live and work.
Bands from as far as Los Angeles reached out to me, as founder of local record label Dallas Distortion Music, and asked, on multiple occasions, “Hey, we’re coming to Dallas on so-and-so date; we want to play that house, Two Bronze Doors. Can you make that happen?”
Most often, I made it work. The shows I hosted normally drew more than 50 show-goers, who’d cram into the home.“What we wanted was for it to be a platform for emerging artists to connect with Dallas and its community,” former owner Jonathan Foisset said. Two Bronze Doors was that and more.
For a time, the venue was smack in the middle of a Dallas DIY renaissance. If experimental culture fit your aesthetic and you weren’t sure where to go, Two Bronze Doors was where you went.
“I didn’t have to leave my own house to see a great show,” former resident Nash Vaughan said. “It was the only house space I had a true connection to. I’d say it was the highlight of 2014.”
To see Two Bronze Doors emerge as a staple of local DIY art in such a short time was unreal. It quickly became the most requested venue in the scene.
“It was exactly what I was looking for and exactly what I needed at the best possible time,” William Sarradet, who curated a series of experimental performances titled “Viral Fantasy” at Two Bronze Doors, said. Sarradet inspired others to reach out to the owner.
After “Viral Fantasy” ended, anyone could come and witness all types of performances. From spoken word poetry nights to all-out buzz saw five-minute noise sets, Two Bronze Doors was the place to be.
The house in the middle of Lower Greenville will truly be missed, but it continues to inspire Dallas’ ever-changing scene. Foisset said he and his wife Natalie Foisset are “going to take a well-deserved break and make some babies.”
Luckily for us, Two Bronze Doors isn’t the only venue housing the experimental sounds of Dallas. Local artist Arthur Pena’s Vice Palace continues to roam from warehouse to warehouse and, as of late, former RadioUTD station operator Evan Gordon has opened “the cOoompound house” at his home in far North Dallas.
