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Have you ever needed a plumber, electrician, or lawn service and didn't know who to call? Scott Ballard did. And he did what any of us would have done: he went online and Googled it. He hoped to find an abundance of local businesses from which to choose and support, but instead he saw a bunch of big businesses and non-local names. So, he launched Only In Denton.

Michael Briggs does just about everything. For years, he's been a fixture at local shows, usually located right up against the stage no matter how many people were in attendance. With his old label, Gutterth Records, he recorded, released, and promoted countless local acts like New Science Projects and Daniel Folmer. While the label is now gone, his presence and contribution to local music continues. Michael continues to record bands and has moved to video work with his impressive Violitionist Sessions project, which records live performances of artists in his living room. His guests so far have included artists like Mikal Cronin/Ty Segall, R. Stevie Moore, and Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman, along with numerous other emerging national and local acts. He maintains one of the last regular house show venues in Denton, Macaroni Island, and has also started his own small-batch coffee roasting label, appropriately titles Macaroni Island Coffee. Proceeds from the coffee go to local charities. How does one guy do so much and in so man directions? That's what we find out in this episode of the Talk Denton podcast.

Adam and Amber Briggle are involved in so many areas of Denton, it's almost impossible to include them here. But I'll try. Amber serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Denton, and she's also a small business owner. Her massage business, Soma Massage, is growing and making quite a presence for itself. Amber's also involved with a group to raise funds for a splash park to give local children a new and fun way to keep cool during the Summer months. Adam is an assistant professor at the University of North Texas with a Ph.D in Environmental Sciences. His research in the area of gas drilling techniques in the Barnett Shale has led him to assume more of an activist role. He's recently worked with Frack Free Denton in order to pass an all-out ban on fracking within the Denton city limits. His efforts have also garnered international attention and brought a spotlight on Denton's current stalemate with the gas industry. In this episode, the Briggles discuss their efforts to make Denton a better, and cleaner, place. We also discuss the fracking issue in great detail. For more information after listening to the episode, follow the links below. Amber: Soma Massage: http://www.somadenton.com/ Splash Park: www.indiegogo.com/projects/denton-community-splash-park--2 Adam: http://frackfreedenton.com/ Video Resource 1: http://youtu.be/yLksrL_YV4I Video Resource 2: http://youtu.be/JigsQ6tQWIY

If you follow the North Texas music scene, you've heard of Daniel Markham from Denton. Over the past 18-24 months, he's risen steadily in the ranks of DFW singer/songwriters, and his solo debut, "Ruined My Life", received universal praise. On top of all of that, he's a super sweet guy. In this episode of Talk Denton, we talk to Daniel about his discovery of music, his upcoming album, his love of heavy metal music, and the long and winding road that led him to Denton, TX. Take a listen and let us know what you think!

Eric Pulido has his hands in a lot of different areas of Denton life. First, he's the (new) frontman of the internationally renowned Denton-based band Midlake, but he's also one of the managers of one of Denton's leading cocktail bars, Paschall Bar. And, yeah, we talk about those things a little in this episode of Talk Denton, but if you really want to learn more about Midlake you can read here, here, and here, and you can check out Paschall Bar's growing reputation here. No, instead, we wanted to talk to Eric about his service on Denton's Historical Landmark Commission. As North Texas continues to grow and develop, Denton has seen bits and pieces of its history and character go away, especially on Fry Street near the UNT campus. Other older, beautiful buildings are in disrepair. Eric shared his thoughts on what the HLC is doing to preserve Denton's character and how all of us can get involved.