For all the attention Denton receives for how many quality musicians it continually spits out, and the way the small town holds its own against larger cities with rather large festival-styled events, it has always been almost comically lacking for true New Year’s Eve options. Blame it on the fact that maybe most students are back in Sanger or Allen with their parents, but I’ve had a hard time justifying it as anywhere dinner or date-worthy on this most special (and often most depressing) of eves.

However new booking venture, Denton County Proper is looking to change all that, and they are making a true effort by hosting by noted live act HEALTH along with wonderfully bizarre solo artist, John Maus, as headliners for their NYE event, to be held at the equally new Warehouse at The Panhandle House. Someone has to look into shortening that venue name, ASAP.

It’s a great pairing in that each act has been respectively innovative in overshooting the expectations of the audience when it comes to live performance. I have personally had a hand in putting together shows for both over the years, so I can tell the uninitiated from experience: you won’t be disappointed.

It seems that HEALTH has been too busy touring the festival circuit (where they have remained a lineup favorite) to release anything in a while. But John Maus put out a record this past summer, entitled We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, which will be conspicuous on the “best of” lists of countless critics by year’s end. Hats off to Denton County Proper for the lineup.

Tickets are already on sale, and for the shockingly low price of $14.50. With tickets that cheap, you’ll have plenty of money for your New Year’s dinner, and best of luck to you trying to find a five-star restaurant in Denton (one of my few gripes about the otherwise charming destination). Local act Coves, which features singer-songwriter Caleb Ian Campbell, also performs.

Though this is last minute, it should definitely be mentioned that Shuttle aka Nate Donmoyer of Passion Pit will be making an appearance at the headliner-magnet of a club, The Rio Room tomorrow night. Donmoyer has remixed a variety of artists that have achieved the same sort of notoriety as the band for which he drums, Phoenix, The Death Set, and Crystal Castles among them. Shuttle has a habit of only keeping certain remixes for the live show as opposed to releasing everything liberally, so Passion Pit fans can expect a unique experience.