Got some new stuff up this week, so I wanted to pop over here & mention it, as well as hit the high notes for this evening (Friday, January 29th, you non-calendar-having bastards).

First & foremost, I'm pleased as heck to announce that we've got the 2009 installment of the "WE LIKE THINGS" series, aka the Official-Shmofficial Space City Rock Best-Of Lists for the Year Past, up on the site, as of the night before last. This time out we were able to drag seven intrepid, hard-working writer types into the fray, and they've expounded on all the cool-ass musical-type stuff they've liked over the past 12 months or so -- check it out right over here. Obviously, I'm a bit biased, since I wrote part of it, but dammit, I like it.

I should mention, however, that in talking about the Greatest Musical Things of '09, I realized there's one big, glaring omission, and that's me totally forgetting to talk/rave about the Free Press Summerfest. Honestly, it really, truly made my year, music-wise (so much so that I unconsciously used a pic of the thing for these lists and then neglected to mention it; argh...). It blew me away, y'all, and made H-town feel like it was someplace where people actually give a shit about music, for once. If you've been in a band here, that's no mean feat. Take a ride in my short-term Wayback Machine right here and here. Thanks, FP crew; I've got my fingers crossed for the next one.

Now, stepping back to the near future, I'm also happy to note that seasoned vet writer Henry and talented newbie writer Preston were kind enough to write up not one but two reviews for tonight's show up at Walter's. Freaky/folky indie-rockers The Fiery Furnaces headline, and we've got a review up over here of their most recent release, I'm Going Away (courtesy of Henry), plus Preston's take on Paint the Fence Invisible, the latest from swooning psych-popsters Drug Rug, on over here. Check 'em out, then go to the show, dammit.

As an added bonus, we've got a review of local boys Female Demand's debut self-titled EP, which is four tracks of noisy, head-smacking, bass-and-drums instro rock that owes equal debts to stoner-rock sludge, lo-fi garage, and flat-out punk. And yes, it's pretty darn good, esp. lead-in track "Sweet Nothing" -- it's ringing in my head, even now. See the writeup over here. They're not playing tonight, but instead tomorrow, Saturday, January 30th, up at Mango's. Good as the EP is, it can't compare to seeing 'em live, trust me.

With that out of the way, yes, there's plenty of other stuff going on tonight -- here're some of the highlights:

The Fiery Furnaces/Drug Rug @ Walter's
Well, duh. See above, and then see here and here. Then go, and enjoy. (No, really.)

Benefit Show for Abbas from Brasil, featuring Robert Ellis and the Boys, Two Star Symphony, Grandfather Child, Chase Hamblin, GRRRL Parts, Davie Graves, Southern Backtones, & The Sideshow Tramps @ Mango's
Ah, yeah -- Mango's is playing host to a cool-sounding benefit show, tonight, a free fundraiser (huh?) for Abbas, who works at fellow cafe-place Brasil and who apparently needs hip-replacement surgery. (Which, obviously, is not cheap. Or particularly affordable for a guy who works in a coffeeshop.) Some good, good musicians are donating their time and talent; the list above is pretty much all worth seeing, particularly Grandfather Child (from whom I really want to see something recorded, and soon), Robert Ellis, Chase Hamblin (whose debut EP we reviewed recently over here, if you're curious), & Two Star Symphony. Go support.

Jonathan Richman/Tommy Larkins/Kozmic Pearl (Janis Joplin tribute) @ The Continental Club
Jonathan Richman. Holy shit. I'll admit that I don't hold the guy in awe quite like some do, but anybody my age who's into music is bound to've been affected by the stuff this guy's done over the course of his three-decade-or-so career. Like punk rock? Then you owe this guy at least a drink. (Although I'm not sure I'd approach him, if I were you; I've heard stories that he's a bit on the misanthropic side...)

Tyagaraja/The Fox Derby/The Language Room @ Warehouse Live
Yes, laydeez & gents, it's The Show That Almost Wasn't; you could almost call this a sympathy mention, since I genuinely feel bad for the locals who got A) rescheduled to two(?) months after their original date and then B) ditched by would've-been headliners Alpha Rev. Damn. Of course, I said "almost," because any praise for ex-Million Year Dance frontman Tyagaraja is in no way a pity vote -- the guy's freaking mesmerizing, truly -- and I like what I've heard so far of The Fox Derby. Go, and be sure to give Alpha Rev the spiritual, long-distance one-finger salute while you're there.

Badfish (Sublime tribute)/Scotty Don't/Full Service/Searching For Signal @ House of Blues
I know, I know -- really? A Sublime tribute band? Nah, nah -- I don't care much for headliners Badfish, sorry (just not my thing; the most I ever got into Sublime was "Santeria"), but I do like opening young'uns Searching For Signal a hell of a lot. They're somewhat of an odd fit, with their moody, eyes-wide-open space-rock/pop, but hopefully folks will give 'em some love, even still. They deserve it...

Runners-Up:
Hermit Thrushes/Free Radicals/Anna and The Annadroids/Fist of Kong/Wiggins and Risk @ Super Happy Fun Land
P.L.F./Abrupt/HRA/Obama Nation @ The Hot Dog Shop (6405 Brittmoore; 8PM, $5)
Wings Burn Away/The 71's @ Fitzgerald's
Grizzly/Radio Ark/The Blue Threads/The Mint @ Fitzdown
If The War Should End @ Dean's Credit Clothing
Morakestra @ The Mink
Cuba Gooding Jr./Kiyoshi/Le Hibou @ Boondocks
Abacabb/Molotov Solution/Upon A Burning Body/Dr. Acula/The Nephilim Terror/No Remorse @ The Junction (8302 N Eldridge Parkway)

More later on...

Labels: Features, Flyeration, H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Reviews, Things To Do

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Got another pile of reviews up too-late last night, just in time for this sure-to-be-insane weekend. I'll be hanging with the fam this weekend, myself, but if you'll be out & about, well, you're in luck. First, we've got two reviews for two different badass-sounding shows tonight, The Gary & Many Birthdays...

The guys in The Gary (which includes Trey Pool, of Sad Like Crazy/Trompedo/Celindine fame) are playing up at Rudyard's this evening, doing a kind of late-'90s indie-rock thing with nicely melodic bass leading the charge, those monotone-ish, deep vocals you know you love, and some damn fine, understated guitar work. Full review up here, for those who care. They're playing alongside half-expats The Jonx, whom I also dearly love, love, love, and who don't play Houston all that often since Danny moved northwesterly. Don't miss the chance to see both bands, folks. (Jonxites: glad to hear the new album's progressing; looking forward to it...)

Of course, I don't mean to take away from the other good stuff going on, like the other "reviewed" show tonight. Many Birthdays will be exploring the recesses of the finally-open Super Happy Fun Land this eve, with their updated New Wave-y sound and occasional Japanese lyrics. (Check Thomas McLuhan's full review up here for more details...) They also happen to be sharing the stage w/some cool local folks, particularly Perseph One, who's fairly mind-blowing in her own right.

Hard-working writer/experimentalist Michelle Yom continues her coverage of the H-town "experimental music" scene this time 'round, too, with a nice profile of the Ab Baars Trio & Ken Vandermark, who'll be playing tomorrow (Sat., April 11th) over at Talento Bilingue de Houston in the East End. It's another Nameless Sound show, which makes it especially cool -- that NS gang has really been bringing in some high-flying, big-name people lately. Read Michelle's piece about it here, eh?

Other reviews up, as well, like one I've meant to post for a long freaking time of You Me & Iowa's left-field indie-pop/rock opus (no, seriously, it's "good" as in "Robert Pollard good"), David Cobb's review of Portlandites Caught In Motion, and another overdue one, my own review of the most recent (I hope?) Andre Williams album. Full list time:

Features: Amsterdamn Meets Chicago: Ab Baars Trio & Ken Vandermark in Houston

Reviews: The Gary; Many Birthdays; You Me & Iowa; Caught In Motion; Andre Williams & The New Orleans Hellhounds; Hail The Size; Old Ghost; & Teith.

More to come, as always...

Labels: Features, H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Reviews, Things To Do

gaijin || Link || E-mail || 0 comments

Yes, yes, yes. Had to skip a day or two since they actually went up, but here's the deal on the new stuff, either way... I'm extremely proud, for one, to announce that our super-duper-official 2007 Top Ten Lists are now online. While most mags/e-zines/blogs do their best-ofs in the actual year, we here at SCR firmly believe in our music-nerd-obsessive little hearts that you can't truly judge the year 'til it's over, dammit. The people who run the Oscars know this; that's why the awards show's in Feb. In our view, then, all those best-of-ers who published their lists in '07 and claimed to know The Real Deal were full of crap, 'cause the year was not yet done. They are but poseurs, and therefore our opinion is all that matters. (Or something like that.)

Anyway, this year we've doubled the size of the damn thing from the '06 lists, with a full ten writers contributing -- big "thank yous" go out to Dwayne Cathey, David Hanrahan, Brandon Hernsberger, Mel House, Henry Mayer, Danny Mee, Andrew Perkins, Bill Reed, & the lone stabilizing force of female-ness, Brigitte Zabak. It pretty much covers the gamut of things musical, movie, and otherwise, and we think it's very, very good. Go read it now. No, really -- the rest of this blog post will still be here when you get back.

Moving on... We've also got some fine, fresh new reviews up on the site, including Damon Murrah's timely review of The Black Crowes' new disc, Warpaint -- read it here and revel in the fact that unlike some publications which shall go unnamed, our writer actually listened to the thing. Similarly, our writers listened to the rest of the reviewed discs, as well, 'cause that's just how we roll. And several of 'em are also somewhat timely.

Jonah Matranga: More on this later on, but Jonah will be coming through H-town on an impromptu visit this next Tues., March 11th, and because of the short-notice-ness of it all, he'll be playing at the warehouse/work space/studio of pal & SCR guy Mel House, located at 3612 Mangum Rd., #209. The show'll start at 8PM or so, and as per usual w/Jonah, the cover's on a "what can you pay?" sliding scale. I'll definitely rave more about this in a day or so, but 'til then you can content yourself w/reading the review of his latest disc, And, here.

Astra Heights: Another crew that's coming in from California, Astra Heights at least know their way around -- they're actually H-town expats of a year or two ago, having fled to band-friendlier climes out on the West Coast. This'll be their "homecoming" show of sorts, opening for Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Papermoons, & Parlour Mob at The Mink on Mon., March 10th, and it promises to be very cool. Check out the review of their album here.

Silverstein: And lastly, these guys are swinging through town this very Fri., March 7th, playing at The Meridian with The Devil Wears Prada & A Day To Remember. Our review of the band's latest isn't super complimentary, unfortunately, but the band still shows some promise, I think, and if you're into the whole post-emo Taking Back Sunday/Straylight Run/Jimmy Eat World cohort of rock, well, the band's probably right up your alley.

As always, there's plenty more up on the site, too; here's the list:

New Feature: We Like Things, 2007: You will like them, too..

Reviews: The Black Crowes; Jonah Matranga; Astra Heights; Silverstein; Arise and Ruin; Guns Are For Kids; Little Brian; & Not So Quiet on the Country Western Front.

More to come, y'all, so keep watching...

Labels: Admin Stuff, Features, Reviews, Things To Do, Things To Read

gaijin || Link || E-mail || 0 comments

Yes, yes, yes. Had to skip a day or two since they actually went up, but here's the deal on the new stuff, either way... I'm extremely proud, for one, to announce that our super-duper-official 2007 Top Ten Lists are now online. While most mags/e-zines/blogs do their best-ofs in the actual year, we here at SCR firmly believe in our music-nerd-obsessive little hearts that you can't truly judge the year 'til it's over, dammit. The people who run the Oscars know this; that's why the awards show's in Feb. In our view, then, all those best-of-ers who published their lists in '07 and claimed to know The Real Deal were full of crap, 'cause the year was not yet done. They are but poseurs, and therefore our opinion is all that matters. (Or something like that.)

Anyway, this year we've doubled the size of the damn thing from the '06 lists, with a full ten writers contributing -- big "thank yous" go out to Dwayne Cathey, David Hanrahan, Brandon Hernsberger, Mel House, Henry Mayer, Danny Mee, Andrew Perkins, Bill Reed, & the lone stabilizing force of female-ness, Brigitte Zabak. It pretty much covers the gamut of things musical, movie, and otherwise, and we think it's very, very good. Go read it now. No, really -- the rest of this blog post will still be here when you get back.

Moving on... We've also got some fine, fresh new reviews up on the site, including Damon Murrah's timely review of The Black Crowes' new disc, Warpaint -- read it here and revel in the fact that unlike some publications which shall go unnamed, our writer actually listened to the thing. Similarly, our writers listened to the rest of the reviewed discs, as well, 'cause that's just how we roll. And several of 'em are also somewhat timely.

Jonah Matranga: More on this later on, but Jonah will be coming through H-town on an impromptu visit this next Tues., March 11th, and because of the short-notice-ness of it all, he'll be playing at the warehouse/work space/studio of pal & SCR guy Mel House, located at 3612 Mangum Rd., #209. The show'll start at 8PM or so, and as per usual w/Jonah, the cover's on a "what can you pay?" sliding scale. I'll definitely rave more about this in a day or so, but 'til then you can content yourself w/reading the review of his latest disc, And, here.

Astra Heights: Another crew that's coming in from California, Astra Heights at least know their way around -- they're actually H-town expats of a year or two ago, having fled to band-friendlier climes out on the West Coast. This'll be their "homecoming" show of sorts, opening for Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Papermoons, & Parlour Mob at The Mink on Mon., March 10th, and it promises to be very cool. Check out the review of their album here.

Silverstein: And lastly, these guys are swinging through town this very Fri., March 7th, playing at The Meridian with The Devil Wears Prada & A Day To Remember. Our review of the band's latest isn't super complimentary, unfortunately, but the band still shows some promise, I think, and if you're into the whole post-emo Taking Back Sunday/Straylight Run/Jimmy Eat World cohort of rock, well, the band's probably right up your alley.

As always, there's plenty more up on the site, too; here's the list:

New Feature: We Like Things, 2007: You will like them, too..

Reviews: The Black Crowes; Jonah Matranga; Astra Heights; Silverstein; Arise and Ruin; Guns Are For Kids; Little Brian; & Not So Quiet on the Country Western Front.

More to come, y'all, so keep watching...

Labels: Admin Stuff, Features, Reviews, Things To Do, Things To Read

gaijin || Link || E-mail || 0 comments