Okay, so what the hell am I supposed to make of these listenlisten folks, anyway? They're a cryptic bunch, playing live only sporadically, keeping a low profile in the Houston scene, capitalizing their name a ridiculous number of ways -- over the past few years, I've seen Listen Listen, listenlisten, LISTEN!LISTEN!, and ListenListen!, myself -- and then releasing a beautifully-done self-titled EP this past year that's a CD sleeve glued to a slice of honest-to-god wood with the band's name (and EP title) burned into it... (listenlisten plays at Rudyard's on Saturday, March 15th, along with Citay & Sunburned Hand of the Man.) [more] || [Jeremy Hart] || [02/28/08]

As the lights lifted from behind the stage, it was apparent right away that it was a different Foo Fighters show for Houston. The stage, backed by four screens, was packed with an eight-piece band. Guitarist (ex-Foo) Pat Smear, organist Rami Jaffee, percussionist Drew Hester, and Jessy Greene on strings joined the band for the opener. "Let It Die," off latest album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, seemed like an odd way to start off, but as soon as the distortion kicked in, the growl was heard. It became the Dave Grohl Show... [more] || [Dwayne Cathey] || [02/01/08]