It's been a while since I've been to a real punk rock show. There was that Misfits 25th anniversary debacle a while back, and then I saw X with the Rollins Band, but by and large, it seemed as if my punk days were firmly behind me. Like most 31-year olds, I had kind of gravitated away from snotty three-chord diatribes somewhere in my mid-to-late 20s. I think the only "punk" bands I listen to on a regular basis these days are Black Flag, Bad Religion, and the Ramones. But back in the day, I was a pretty big fan of both NOFX and No Use For A Name, so I figured what the hell -- I'll take a little stroll down Memory Lane... [more] || [Mel House] || [04/02/08]

Walter's on Washington is an interesting place -- it seems to be the only venue in Houston where the smaller the audience, the better the show. And it's not hard to figure out why. Artists at Walter's seem to feed off the intimacy that only a small audience can bring. Try going to the Meridian, for example, and see a band actually engage the people in the crowd with conversation outside the normal banter that musicians love so much. That's what makes Walter's the type of venue where bands know that, regardless of how small the crowd is, those in attendance will be rabid... [more] || [Brandon Hernsberger] || [04/02/08]