▼ Music Deep Trouble L BY DANNY GALLAGHER ive music still provides the beat that summons crowds to Deep Ellum. The neighborhood at the heart of Dallas’ nightlife scene is end- lessly changing. The Anvil Bar and the Liz- ard Lounge are long gone, but new places have shuffled onto the stage, such as the Wingbucket franchise on Elm Street and Ru- ins on Commerce Street. A block south on Main Street, you can play video games and down shots at the Select Start arcade bar, suck spiked popsicles from Picolé Pops and treat your hangover with New Orleans style beignets and chicory coffee at Le Bon Temps. Meanwhile, old favorites like Three Links, Trees and the swanky Twilite Lounge music and cocktail bar all light up the nights on Elm Street, drawing live music fans from across DFW. But a sour note is spoiling the “IN LIGHT OF ALL THE CRAZINESS ... I WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE TO MY FRIENDS TO ... STAY SAFE OUT THERE.” - MUSICIAN JAH BORN neighborhood’s soundtrack. Some musicians say they’e not planning gigs in Deep Ellum anytime soon because of the fear of crime. “Deep Ellum dangerous AF these days,” musician Jah Born posted on his Facebook page in mid-May. “Stay safe fam.” The two-time Grammy winning pro- ducer says he and other musicians have seen crime rising in the neighborhood, and it’s making them reluctant to lug their gear there for a late-night show. “I posted that because first off, I got wind of a few violent attacks in Deep Ellum,” Jah Born says. “My concern was with them first: my music family and friends who have to go down there to work. ... In light of all the cra- ziness and shooting and violence and ran- dom crimes down there, I wanted to send a message to my friends to stay vigilant and stay safe out there.” Joe Schillage, the drummer for the Den- ton death metal band Lament Configuration and percussionist for Acoustic Devil, says he’s noticed a change in the neighborhood that’s made him wonder if he should go there. “I’ve already been going [often] for some- 16 body who lives pretty far away,” Schillage says. “There are events that happen down there that you can’t see anywhere else. I wanna see my friends play if it’s a good Some musicians don’t feel safe in Deep Ellum and that’s not good for a neighborhood fueled by live music. Mike Brooks Above: Police look into Three Links in Deep Ellum to check its capacity. The show’s promoter had to ask that 14 people leave the bar. Left: Musician Jah Born says he just wants his fellow artists to be vigilant. thieves ran over him with their vehicle be- fore they sped off. No one has been arrested. Even before that attack, Franklin says her last trip to Deep Ellum had already left her uneasy. She and musician Poppy Xander were walking through the neighborhood be- fore the pandemic lockdown in stage cos- tumes, “so we didn’t go unnoticed,” she says. She and Xander stuck close to each other and witnessed “at least two loud and rowdy crowd fights that broke out,” and there were “not enough cops to break it up. “I just remember getting harassed,” lineup, but I feel hesitant. I don’t go as much as I would if it was safer. It also makes me feel sketchy about bringing my girlfriend around. It just doesn’t feel safe.” Scott Beggs, a talent buyer, concert pro- moter and part owner of Three Links, says that sometimes it seems as though shootings are weekly occurrences in the neighborhood. “It definitely seems to be a lot more ac- tive this year than in the past and earlier in the year,” Beggs says. “A lot of this stuff doesn’t start to go on until the summer.” Violinist Sharla Franklin says she thought about making a return visit to Deep Ellum until she heard about the burglary of the band Brother Moses’ tour van at the Deep El- lum Art Co. last fall. Drummer Corey Dill and bandmate Moses Gomez discovered a man inside their tour van. He ran. Dill chased him and ended up critically injured when the Franklin says. “A sketchy, non-valet guy wanted to park my car and was upset when I said no. Later, I found a sticky substance all over my door handle. He must’ve splashed something on it.” Is their fear of crime in Deep Ellum sup- ported by numbers? Crime statistics from the Dallas Police Department are a mixed bag. During the period of January-May this year, DPD reports that overall crime in the neighborhood is up by 2.7%, but violent crime is up by 28% while the number of 1 dallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 JUNE 16-22, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com
