SPACE CITY ROCK: SCR Blog

ABOUT THIS BLOG

The official Space City Rock Blog, featuring news on local Houston musical happenings and occurances, random venting about various things, and fervent ravings on the wonders of music, art, film, and anything else.

E-mail news, info, death threats, etc., to "gaijin" at "spacecityrock dot com"

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New Teenage Kicks, Up Now [8/28/2008 12:10:00 AM]:

Got a recent note from John of local power-pop/punk trio Teenage Kicks about new songs they've got up on their Myspace, saying that we SCR folks were apparently among a select few who really liked the band's demo earlier this year. And frankly, that's fucking ridiculous, because these three guys craft some of the best, smartest, savviest songs I've heard in the past few years, local band or no.

The new songs are no exception, either -- with "I'm Not Surprised", "Make It Short", "(I Wanna Be) Your Enemy", and "Genocide", Teenage Kicks further cement their place in the pantheon of truly cool power-pop bands of any era. They wear their early-Britpop/proto-punk influences proudly on their collective sleeve, channeling the best elements of The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, The Boys, & most of all, The Jam.

The latter really comes through in these new tracks, in particular; the band's not aggressive enough to be the Buzzcocks, but are instead the more thoughtful, socially-aware cousins, just a few steps down the block from Paul Weller & co. They manage to get a message into their songs, but they do it with subtlety and without feeling like they have to beat you over the head with it; I'm fairly sure "Genocide"'s about, well, genocide, but there's no strident/ridiculous fist-pumping going on. It took me three listens to realize "I'm Not Surprised" is about ending a war (the one in Iraq, I'm guessing?). This is politico-punk the way the aforementioned Jam and big brothers The Clash were often able to do it.

Through it all, there's the band's trademark sharp-edged (but still melodic) guitars, rock-solid rhythms, and endearingly cracked, embittered vocals, all mashing together to make a hell of a consistently-good sound. And then they get to the murky-yet-catchy chorus of "you've got / blood on your t-shirt / blood on your t-shirt" at the end of "I'm Not Surprised," and I'm left shaking my head in amazement.

The band reports that the new songs'll be ending up on various 7-inches over the course of the next few months -- do yourself a favor and listen now. (And then buy the vinyl when it's out, duh.)

Oh, and in the meantime, the band'll be playing in a couple of weeks (September 18th, to be exact) at Walter's, with The Queers, The Independents, & fellow awesome local boys/girl Something Fierce. Start pleading for permission to leave the house now...

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

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

Seaweed Postponed 'til the Cold Winds Blow [8/27/2008 11:38:00 PM]:

Crap. It's been a long, long, looooong time since I listened to any Seaweed, but the announcement that they'd reformed & were coming through town had me pretty excited -- felt like I'd stepped into the Wayback Machine and rewound back to college, all of a sudden. I was rarin' to get my mid-'90s indie-rock on. Now, though, it appears the show (which was scheduled for October 18th at Walter's) is postponed to a later date.

From the I Heart U crew comes this terse message:

Scheduling conflict with the band.
Tickets will be refunded this week,and they are working on a make up date.

The upside, of course, is that there are at least plans for a makeup show, so that's cool -- better than cold-turkey Andrew W.K.-ing us unfortunate Houstonians, yo. Per the band's Myspace, they're hoping to swing back through Texas (it's all TX dates, not just us, that're being pushed) sometime around Christmas.

In the meantime, now I've just got to dig up a copy of Spanaway. Because sadly, no, I own no Seaweed in any form other than crappy-sounding, half-melted tapes I dubbed in secret up in the old KTRU Music Library. I was but a po' college student on work-study, after all, w/little $$$ to buy the millions of albums I desperately wanted...

Labels: Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Random Rambling, Things To Do

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

Metal, It's Worth It: A Defense of Rock The Bayou [8/27/2008 11:08:00 PM]:

From SCR Writer Scott Whitt: In a recent blog, our erstwhile leader showed extreme displeasure with the ticket prices for the Rock The Bayou fest (August 29th-September 1st). Jeremy stated that even though he was once a longhair ne'er-do-well, the price tag out weighs the chance to relive his youth. I want to show that even at $125, it's still a worthwhile deal. If you look at the amount of bands that are playing, it's mind-boggling. Every day there are 4 stages with someone on them. While some of them are local or regional favorites (Mighty Orq and Victim, just to name a few), the main stage is packed with bands that haven't played here for years.

Y&T -- c'mon, who doesn't love "Summertime Girls"? -- have reunited and will be making their only Houston appearance. Queensryche headlines on Friday, and if you see them at the Verizon you have to fork over at least $40 for them and maybe one other band.

Moving on to Saturday and the second stages, there is one of the best band names out there, Wolfeblitzer, and Vain. Vain is one of those bands that got lost in the shuffle when Seattle happened, and then the only way to get their stuff was to buy imports at Soundwaves.

On the main stage there's Dokken, whose latest album, Lightning Strikes Again, shows that they still have it after all these years. Plus, you may get to see the incredible weave that is Don Dokken's hair. Also, there's Lita Ford, who has not been seen in the States in a decade and still looks like she could kick your ass. For all those people that insist on listening to those crappy-sounding chick bands -- Le Tigre fans, I'm looking at you -- why not go see an artist that can actually play her instrument? The night is headlined by the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar, another act that would cost you $40 to see him at the V.

Sunday is no day of rest, as legendary Houston metalers Helstar headline the Bud Light Lime stage. Most do not know of the legacy this band has left except for those of us that frequented Cardi's and Backstage. Of course, if you spent too much time at those places, you might not remember much yourself. Keeping it somewhat local, on the main stage there's Louisiana's Lillian Axe, back from an extended absence. After them is Austin's Dangerous Toys. I know what all you hipsters are thinking: yes, there is a metal band that dared to show it head in the land of pompous poseurs and burnt orange. Later there's Scandinavian fretboard wizard Yngwie J. Malmsteen. The "J" is to differentiate him from all the other Yngwie Malmsteens. Alone he would cost you $25 at The Meridian or Warehouse Live, not to mention that this way you can sing "I Am A Viking" in unison with 30k others. That night's headlined by Alice Cooper, but his last album sucked, and he's become a parody of what he once was.

Monday, the grand finale features Ultra Siberian Pant Factory. I have no idea what that is, but for coming up with a name like that, you should pay $125. The main stage features the chainsaw-wielding Jackyl. Where else can you see a band that uses power tools as an instrument and is actually white-trashier than their audience? The whole shindig gets wrapped up with rock frontman turned reality star Bret Michaels. Now, this could be a bad thing if some of those skanks turned "stars" show up. Of course, there will be plenty of female entertainers at the show, so at least there will be plenty of eye candy. Even if you hate his music with every fiber of your being, who doesn't like watching scantily-clad women dancing provocatively? By watching these ladies dance for free, you can save the money that you would normally spend at the Crystal Pistol or Pink Pussycat or whichever establishment you frequent.

Rock The Bayou was birthed out of the success of Rocklahoma, a similar festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. This year, its second event drew over 100k people. Think how many more people would come if was held here and not in Pryor, Oklahoma. If it wasn't for the concert, no one would have ever heard of Pryor, Oklahoma. People that live in Oklahoma don't want to live in Oklahoma.

Lastly, when was the last time you felt like you were 19 again? Several months ago friends and I went to see Iron Maiden. For two and a half hours, I felt like the denim jacket-wearing youth I once was. For the time of the show, you forgot how old you were, the car payments, mortgage, gas prices, bad jobs, fat wives, whiny kids, and all the realities of life. The $35 I spent on the ticket plus the $14 I spent on overpriced beer and another $10 I spent on gas to get to that venue that is seemingly just south of Dallas was worth it. Just think of the savings you get when seeing all those bands over four days at Rock The Bayou.

Labels: Entertainobabble, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Things To Do

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

Narcoterrorism in the Austin Scene? [8/24/2008 10:55:00 PM]:

Nope, it's not here in H-town, but it's still damn ridiculous. I've been a fan of Austin rockers The Boxing Lesson for a few years now, since their 2005 EP, so the news out of Austin about the band left me stunned.

Apparently Boxing Lesson drummer Jake Mitchell got busted for growing pot and has been declared...um, a terrorist? The hell? Regardless of what you think of the farcical "War on Drugs" (hooray for trying to claim victory over a nebulous, unbeatable "enemy"!), it's utterly ridiculous to think that somebody could be branded a "narcoterrorist" and tried under the fucking Patriot Act for growing marijuana.

I mean, c'mon -- if the guy's a pothead, fine. But most of the potheads I've met could barely muster the energy to get off the couch, much less engage in any kind of "terrorist" activity. It's nuts. And, uh, don't first-time offenders generally get probation for shit like this? Or is every two-bit pot-smoker now the moral equivalent of Pablo Escobar?

Here're the details from the Lesson's PR guy, Ryan:

You know The Boxing Lesson aren't ones to keep their mouths shut after several interviews and appearances since the release of their full length LP Wild Streaks & Windy Days. The real truth of the matter is that The Boxing Lesson have kept one of the most important parts of their story a secret. It is with much sadness we make this announcement but its time the public knows what is going on. It is with much sadness we make this announcement but its time the public knows what is going on.
Jake Mitchell, drummer for The Boxing Lesson and most importantly, a dear friend, will be put in Federal jail at the beginning of Sept for some marijuana growing charges. What makes this story unique and what has enraged every single one of our close friends, is that Jake has been branded by our government as a Terrorist under the Patriot Act. In fact, they have thrown the Narco-Terrorist tag on him. What this does legally for a defendant is mind blowing in terms of the new laws waged against them. If you are branded a terrorist, your wife doesn't get spousal protections and will go to jail. If you are branded a terrorist, each party involved in the crime gets full responsibility for the scope of the crime. Then there are strict sentencing minimums. And remember we are talking about Marijuana here.
It is obvious from anyone who has ever met, hung out with and gotten to know Jake Mitchell that he is anything but a terrorist. This incorrect and unfair branding on our own US citizen and friend, Jake Mitchell, is a disgrace and this has caused untypical hardships on his life. He has sold his house, lost his cars, and his freedom. We are asking our friends in the media, in bands, in t-shirt screen shops and really, anyone who can help, to send the message of his story to the public eye. We know there was a crime involved but branding him a terrorist has set unfair sentencing guidelines on a person who is anything but a terrorist.
We are accepting PayPal donations to help Jake's mounting legal bills at : freejakemitchell@gmail.com
Jake Mitchell is available for interviews before jail or in jail and has a lot to say right now about the music biz, The Boxing Lesson, the system, playing drums, recording, Fecal Shock, Austin bands, marijuana laws, and life in general. Final performances from Jake Mitchell until he gets out will be next week in Austin,TX!
August 27, 2008 @ Emo's Lounge 101x Homegrown Live show w/ Frontier Brothers
August 28, 2008 @ Carousel Lounge (Monkey Wrench Benefit)
Come out and celebrate life with Jake before our government intervenes. Fans of The Boxing Lesson have no fear, you can keep hearing your favorite songs live. Keeping the seat warm for Jake Mitchell behind the drums will be Kevin Sparks, a veteran of the Austin music scene who has played with many bands including Bad Motivators, Say Hello to the Angels and Megatron Triggerdick. Until next time, we?ll see you on the Dark Side of the Moog.

Do what you can, folks; this guy and his family need all the help they can get.

Labels: Entertainobabble, Musical Crap, Political Stuff, Public Service Announcements

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

Cancellations & Moves, Tonight: Recession Thurs. + Xiu Xiu [8/21/2008 05:07:00 PM]:

Bad news + possibly-confusing news, I'm afraid, w/a couple of tonight's shows. First off, just got word from Jason, bassist for Alkari, that tonight's Free Press Houston Recession Thursday show is a no-go. Something Fierce, Generation Landslide, Alkari, & Television Skies were all supposed to be braving the torrential downpour tonight at Numbers, but A) one of the bands playing got sick and B) one of the bands playing broke up. Dang.

Not sure yet which band broke up, although it's definitely NOT Alkari (sorry! messed that up the first time!), which is good (no offense to Television Skies or Gen. Landslide, but I really hope it's not Something Fierce...), 'cause they've got a cool-sounding show coming up a little ways down the road at Rudyard's on October 10th, with Orents Stirner & the ever-awesome Hearts of Animals. Mark yr calendars now and make grand offerings to the gods of illness and bad band breakups, y'all...

Now, if you were planning on going over to The Orange Show to catch Xiu Xiu, Carla Bozulich's Evangelista project, & Common Eider, King Eider, you're not totally out of luck, but you will need to re-Google. Due to the pounding rain most of the city appears to be experiencing, the outdoor stage at the Orange Show just wasn't gonna work, so the bands have all relocated to The Mink's Backroom (3718 Main). If you already got tickets, you're fine, but if you're planning on going & haven't gotten 'em yet, you might want to snag 'em here, 'cause apparently they're selling pretty fast ($10, I believe). Doors at 7PM, show at 8PM.

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

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

Is Pandora Next? [8/21/2008 03:11:00 PM]:

Dammit, dammit, dammit. Yes, it makes total fucking horribly perfect sense that once the Powers That Be (in this case, the Copyright Royalty Board, rather than the RIAA, but they're all heads of the same terrible beast) took down Muxtape, they'd go after dear, sweet, kind Pandora. And yes, they are. Crap, crap, crap, with an extra side helping of crap.

Man, this frustrates me. It's starting to smell like there's some kind of Vast Bad-Music Conspiracy dedicated to forcing you, me, my little brother, and all our coworkers from ever listening to anything other than horrible, awful mainstream radio stations ever again. Can somebody please explain to me why, exactly, places like Pandora are forced to pay insanely-expensive per-song fees, when plain-old radio stations (the satellite stations apparently pay fees, too, but they're smaller) have to pay squat?

"Want to hear some new music, based on stuff you already know you like? Whoops! Not any more, sorry...here, listen to some Nickelback -- you'll love it, trust me. You went out and downloaded that obscure-as-hell album by Grammar Debate!, and now you'd like to create a virtual mixtape so you can share it with your friends? Uh, no, that's not actually allowed, either. What was that? You're fed up and want to start your own radio station, so you can let other people listen to the cool music you like? Well, heck -- good luck with that! No law against it, of course, but I hope you've got some friends with deep, deep pockets, 'cause we Americans don't hand over our airwaves to just anybody, y'know..."

One final interesting wrinkle: it turns out that the Powers That Be don't really like radio all that much, after all. Back in June, the recording industry group musicFIRST laid the smackdown on broadcasters nationwide, claiming that they were themselves pretty much pirates because they didn't pay for the songs they play. Hoo-ah. So, not only do the labels & their cohorts want to kill The Little Guy, but they want to hurt The Big Boys, too. (I wouldn't be fooled by the fact that actual musicians/bands are signed up w/musicFIRST, by the by; when the RIAA is involved in anything these days, that makes me question the group's overall motives.)

Now, the thought of The Buzz & its ilk getting shot down by their pals in the record industry makes me snicker a little, it's true, but I'm totally mystified as to what the hell they think they're really going to accomplish with all this. What's the end goal of this whole mess, anyway? To destroy any outlet for music other than Wal-Mart?

(Thanks to Hear Ya for the link...)

Labels: Entertainobabble, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Random Rambling

gaijin || Link || E-mail || 4 comments

Mux No More? [8/20/2008 12:01:00 PM]:

Ah, fuck. I knew it was too good to be true for long... Apparently the joy-sucking, soulless, we-drowned-our-inner-child-in-the-bathtub-for-$5 jerks at the RIAA have taken down the very-popular Muxtape site. Ah, yes -- another well-placed strike on that dastardly segment of the music-listening population that actually likes music they can't hear on the similarly soulless radio and enjoys sharing their tastes in music with others. Who might, in turn, go out and buy said music, using real-live money, or use that money alternatively to experience the makers of said music first-hand in a live setting. Great job.

If we're lucky, Muxtape will survive and emerge from their "problem" with the RIAA -- they've got a message up saying that the site is not closed indefinitely, so that's good to hear. I'm not holding my breath that there aren't some changes in the way the site works, though; guess we'll see how it shakes out. Apparently the Muxtape crew might be able to take a page from YouTube and use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, which makes some sense, as I've never been clear quite how Muxtape expected to make any money from their cool little gadget (if they ever did).

Oh, and I feel like I should note that not only is the main Muxtape site currently down, but all muxtapes hosted on the site are down, as well. Including ours, despite the fact that zero of the people/bands on it are on major labels and/or have anything to do with the RIAA, as far as I know. Double fuck.

(Kudos to Indieblogheaven for the link...)

Labels: Cool Web Junk, Entertainobabble, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Random Rambling

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

Insect Warfare Lives On [8/20/2008 01:00:00 AM]:

Some more good news, even if it's a little bit late for the band. Ramon over at the Free Press posted last week that iconic local grindcore act Insect Warfare, who called it a day earlier in the year, was finalizing a deal with grind/power violence heavyweights Earache Recs to reissue the band's World Extermination album. Too fucking cool. Is it too soon for an IW reunion?

Labels: Entertainobabble, H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements

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

The Sperlings' Triumphant Return [8/19/2008 11:50:00 PM]:

Got a brief email a week or so ago from Mike Fuller, ex-lead singer/guitarist of back-n-the-day H-town power-pop band The Sperlings, with some pretty neat news:

The Sperlings are being resurrected from the dead.
All four members
Mike Fuller
Carl Sandin
Rob Smith
Bruce Stone
Will be working on new material for release at the end of the year.

Very cool. For those who missed the band the first time out, trust me when I say that they were damn entertaining. They were a bit of an anomaly at a time when Houston's scene seemed torn between proto-emo, pop-punk, ska, and the occasional noise/indie band; rather than get heavy or throw on a ton of horns, the Sperlings wore their love of full-on power-pop on their sleeves, channeling Cheap Trick, Big Star, & The Kinks with insane sincerity.

The guitars were downright fiery, esp. on 1997's excellent Sea of Sarcasm, the vocals were sweet and earnest, and the melodies drilled right into your (well, my) brain. To top it all off, the four guys in the band were the nicest, friendliest, most down-to-earth guys you could hope to meet, with no rockstar egos in sight. Every time I saw 'em play, they were unfailingly cool. They always felt, though, like they were a bit out-of-sync with the rest of what was going on in Houston at the time; they never really seemed to get their due.

The band started out a little hit-and-miss, I'll admit (I was kinda "eh" on Glidepath to Normalcy, I'm afraid), but after Sarcasm and Green Manilow, they looked poised to do some really great things. Life in the H-town scene and the pull of real-life adulthood took hold, though, and the band imploded right around when Green Manilow came out; drummer James headed off to law school, while the other guys kept at the musical stuff.

Fuller and bassist/vocalist Carl Sandin went on to do solo things, while lead guitarist Rob Smith dumped the guitar in favor of keys and went on to the ill-fated (but brilliant) Japanic and solo techno-noise deal LOW.Z.

Anyway, this little bit of news just plain makes me smile. Keep your eyes out for more; I'm seriously curious to see what these guys come up with after close to a decade off doing their own things. (BTW, the band's old website does still exist, but it seems a little weird these days; no sign of any Myspace presence just yet, but heck, it'll probably happen soon...)

Labels: H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Things To Hear

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

Wreckless Eric! Amy Rigby! [8/17/2008 09:23:00 AM]:

I feel almost sacreligeous mentioning this right now, given the bad-bad-bad local news of the day/weekend, but fuck, I need the good to balance out the bad. And the good is that Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby (who happens to be Eric's wife, as of this past April) are apparently playing September 14th at The Mink, along with Mom & Voices + Organs. Holy fucking wow.

If you've got no clue who Eric is, well, he's one of only a handful songwriters left from the big wave of British power-pop back in the late '70s & early '80s, up there with the likes of Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, & Elvis Costello. He's best known for his one real "hit," "Whole Wide World," which is a beautiful bit of pop songwriting genius that is so unpretentiously simple and straightforward that it hits that perfect spot right between your heart & gut, something few songs ever do. Check it here:

Of course, girlfriend-and-now-wife Rigby's no slouch, either -- hell, our man Marc actually interviewed her a few years ago, and we've long been impressed w/her music, too. It does my soul good to see two talented-yet-underrecognized people like this meet and get together, seriously, especially when it means they put out new stuff and tour all the way down here to Houston. Kudos to the Pegstar people for making this happen. I'm over the moon, seriously.

(Oh, and ignore the tour dates listed on Wreckless Eric's website, btw; apparently the duo canceled their New Orleans show to play Houston. phew...)

Labels: H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Random Rambling, Things To Do

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

Beatdown at The White Swan! [8/16/2008 03:54:00 PM]:

Holy crap. Got this forwarded from good pal Mel, who apparently knows one of the women involved; apparently late Thursday night the co-owner & the sound guy over at local loud-shit club The White Swan attacked a group of kids who'd been at the show, one of whom had knocked on the club door to see if she could get the car keys she'd forgotten inside the place. The White Swan staff reportedly got violent, the whole thing escalated, & it all sounds really, really fucking bad. Damn.

Here's the start of the original LiveJournal post on the whole thing:

Last night (Thursday Aug. 14th) a couple of friends and I went to go see my friends' bands play at The White Swan. It's a venue I've been to before and it was a fun night up until girls started getting brutally beaten.
It all started when a (female) friend of mine who will remain nameless for now accidentally left her car keys inside and knocked on the door after closing and simply asked if she could get her keys... then for no reason, one of the OWNERS and employees started to brutally assault her and at least four other people (two of which were girls).
One of them was beaten in the head by the butt of a shotgun so badly that she had gashes in her head pouring blood all over and had to be taken away in an ambulence.
What sort of low-life scum beats women with the end of a shot gun?
There's never a good enough reason for something like that to happen.

Read the whole thing for the details... Jesus freakin' Christ. Now, I know this is second-hand and all, but the poster's a friend of Mel's and was one of the people attacked. The pictures on the original post are pretty damning, as well.

This really, really disturbs me. I know full well how easily things can get out of hand, esp. when folks are tired and/or drunk, but I can't honestly think of a reason to beat somebody with the butt of a shotgun unless they're trying to hurt somebody I love. Fuck.

Whether or not these guys suffer any legal consequences from this, I can tell you that I'm boycotting The White Swan, effective right now. All show listings for the place will be taken down, they'll be removed from the Venues page, the whole deal. It ain't much, but it's what I can do, at least. Supposedly some bands have already decided to boycott the club, and I'm guessing booking people are going to think twice before booking shows there. Could be the end of the place, if this spreads far enough; H-town's hardcore scene is a relatively small, close-knit place.

Nice going, morons. And to the folks who were injured: I seriously hope y'all are doing okay. Nobody deserves to be attacked like that, no matter the reason.

Labels: Admin Stuff, H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements

gaijin || Link || E-mail || 5 comments

Afternoon Time-Wastage For You: New Co-Pilot Video (+ Belated Southern Backtones) [7/30/2008 03:27:00 PM]:

I tend to not watch a whole lot of videos these days, partly because I get bored watching some band pretend to Rock Hard while actually just miming at their instruments (sorry, folks, but playing electric instruments in the rain just does not work the way you wish it would) and trying to look Badass and partly because, hell, I work a day job where I'm lucky I get to listen to music, much less have the time to sit back & watch it. Takes too much attention, y'know?

That said, things lately have been looking pretty damn good, at least here in town. First there was the Southern Backtones video for "Forever" (which I think might've won an award, although I'm not positive), then The Dimes/Young Mammals had a fun little video shot in a local Kwik-E-Mart, then Sharks and Sailors got all moody in their video from a little while back (see here).

And now, local space-rockers Co-Pilot have thrown their hat in the ring, with a cool, contemplative video for "Low Earth Orbit" created by Norwegian filmmaker Morten A. out of band footage and footage he shot while driving around the States. Now, I love-love-love this song, so seeing the sound put to images had me a little nervous at first, but it fits absolutely perfectly. Makes me just want to drive off into the sunset down some lonesome Texas Hill Country road, windows down, playing the song on infinite repeat.

(And yes, I love the Backtones' video in part because they filmed it at Foodarama, esp. because it looks like the Post Oak location nearest to our new house. Foodarama rules; I always know where to find things there, unlike at, say, the Wal-Mart Grocery down the road. Heck, I think I'll embed that video, too, even though it's fairly old by now...)

Labels: Cool Web Junk, H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Random Rambling, Things To See

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

Twotennany On Its Way! [7/15/2008 04:14:00 PM]:

Mark yr calendars, all & sundry -- Saturday, July 26th will see the cataclysmic return of The Skyline Network's Hootenanny, rechristened the Twotenanny this time around. Once again The Mink Backroom will play host to a slew of H-town's best & brightest as they live out their totally un-ironic rockstar karaoke dreams. (I mean, c'mon -- any guy who's ever picked up a guitar and actually tried to do more w/it than pound out a few power-chords has at least once in their life fantasized about being Alex Lifeson. Anybody who says otherwise is lying out their ass.)

Here's the current lineup:

American Sharks as The Cars
Buxton as Björk
Custom Drinker (Marshall Preddy) as Rod Stewart
Flowers to Hide as The Cure
The Kimonos as Blondie
Paris Falls as Rush
Sharks and Sailors as The Police
Tody Castillo and Friends as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Welfare Mothers as Johnny Cash
Wild Moccasins as The B-52s

No idea as to the schedule, but y'know what? It doesn't matter, not a bit. Just show up, hang out, and grin like an idiot to local yer indie-rocker/punker buddies bash out songs like "King of Pain" (um, please?), "Ring of Fire" (well, duh), or "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" (whoo, boy...). Caveat: Yes, I am totally guessing at what songs these good people will be playing. And again: it doesn't matter. Just go. I went last year and was over the moon to witness Panic in Detroit's note-perfect impersonation of Jawbox and The Jonx living out Danny's dream of being NoMeansNo. It was beautiful, truly.

Not sure how much this thing'll cost, either, but odds are that it'll be cheap, cheap, cheap, 'cause that's how these guys (organizers ADR & Ben Murphy, specifically) roll. Oh, and if you're still undecided, here's the "laugh so hard your coworkers will wonder why you didn't forward them the joke, too" ad:

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

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Last One Out of Houston's Scene, Please Turn Out the Lights? [7/09/2008 09:29:00 AM]:

Okay, so maybe it's not that bad, but check out Ramon's chilling rundown of all the talented musician-type people leaving Houston for other parts. Danny from The Jonx I knew about, of course, but Sabra Laval, too? Papermoons? I know I mentioned before that one-fifth of The Church of Philadelphia's now living in Uganda (he wins the award for longest escape route from this city); now Carrie Ann Buchanan's gone, too? Dang. Hopefully Young Mammals don't call it a day after Iram leaves...

What the hell's going on, y'all? People by the thousands are finally actually moving here (some from places with much more cohesive scenes than ours who might -- just maybe -- be looking for some good H-town music), and yet cool music-makers are still fleeing town? sigh. I mean, I know Seattle and Austin and all those other places are plenty nice to live in, but damn. From what I've seen of the state of the scene these past couple of years, I thought H-town's music climate was looking up; are things that bad? (Of course, that's assuming people aren't moving for Day Job/Family-type reasons, as Danny did, but y'know.) Is the rain of toads at hand?

Labels: H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements

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Creature Comforts Art Show & ArtStorm Rule! Please, Stop the Hurting! [7/07/2008 02:57:00 PM]:

Okay, so it seems I inferred incorrectly from a very-very-very brief conversation w/Jacob Calle that he was also doing some kind of organizing for the Creature Comforts Art Show this coming July 12th, and I'm currently feeling like a big ol' idiot. Per more informed sources than me, Jacob's not running the show, but just happens to have some artwork in it...whoops. Just to be clear, I'd like to say that this was totally me drawing incorrect conclusions from a half-garbled conversation in a club, and Jacob in no way tried to claim credit for the show, so please-please-please don't bug him about it. This was me being a dumbass, without any help from anybody else -- mea culpa, y'all.

So, big apologies to the people who are actually behind the Creature Comforts show, the ArtStorm crew, who will hopefully not sneak up on me at some random point in the future and deliver a crushing kidney punch or something to my out-of-shape ass (you know how artists can be, yo). I didn't mean to misinform, and I am a fool -- kids, this is what happens when you frantically speed-blog a bunch of crap up on a site so you can go help your father-in-law lay down vinyl flooring...gah. (Every time I think nobody actually reads this damn thing but me, I swear, it bites me on the ass...)

Here's the actual info, just to clarify things -- the Creature Comforts show's a cool showcase of art & music that features a bunch of excellent H-town artists and music types, as well as Torontoan (Torontoite?) Michael Deforge. Local artists include Eli Sebastian Brumbaugh (who I think is the show's primary organizer, as well), Lisa Marie Godfrey, Rene Cruz, Shane Hillman, and yes, Jacob Calle, and there'll be bands on hand at the opening reception on the 12th (which runs from 7-10PM), like the ever-excellent Young Mammals, Wicked Poseur, News on the March, & L.A. band Hard Place. It'll be over at the recently-opened Caroline Collective at 4828 Caroline (where ArtStorm currently lives), and it sounds like be a good time. If you can't make it, though, the art (although not the music) will be on display 'til August 9th (check the ArtStorm site for hours).

Labels: Admin Stuff, Arty Shit, H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Things To Do

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Keene St. Update: Modified, Moved, & Minimized, But It's Still On [7/05/2008 11:18:00 AM]:

Okay. So...it is on, albeit in a much-changed form. The Keene St. Warehouse Party has so far had its headliner (Andrew W.K., for those not paying attention) cancel, discovered that the venue (the Keene St. Warehouse -- duh) had not been rebuilt/renovated after it got hit by a fire a while back and was soaked with water, gotten canceled completely, had a bunch of local bands bow out, and then lurch back to life at a new location.

Here's the new info, as of this last night: the show is now going to be up at Notsuoh in downtown, with local cool folks By the End of Tonight, The Riff Tiffs, O Pioneers!!!, The Watermarks, Lisa's Sons, Welfare Mothers, Limb, and B L A C K I E still playing. It kicks off at 5PM, instead of 1PM, and looks to be ending a lot earlier than the original 4AM shutdown time. Dang. I'm bummed The Octopus Project & Bring Back The Guns aren't playing (and AWK, naturally, but I've already vented about that), but BTEOT, Riff Tiffs (who we've got a new review for up here!), and Watermarks are all very much worth checking out, so get on out and support 'em. See the schedule over to the right for times...

Big, big, big thank-yous, by the way, to Ramon over at Free Press Houston for playing detective yesterday & tracking down Eric at I Heart U to get the lowdown on the sorry state of the warehouse itself -- check out the writeup & pics if you want to see what it looks like. I'm thinking the switch to Notsuoh's a good thing.

(I'm a little irked, I should note, that SCR was a sponsor of this whole deal and yet I/we have had to find out what the fuck's going on at every stage of this either from the Free Press & the Hands Up board, with zero actual contact from the show organizers. I know y'all have been swamped, but still, a quick update for your sponsors would've been nice...)

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

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Damn -- No AWK for H-Town, After All... [7/03/2008 01:37:00 PM]:

And here I was, all gearing up to rant & rave, only to swing by the Hands Up board and learn that Andrew W.K. will now not be playing the Keene St. Warehouse Party this coming Saturday, July 5th. From AWK's Website:

"I'm very sorry that the Houston show fell through. We did our best to salvage it, but the opportunity vanished. I'll come back to Houston soon and the party will be better than ever. We were advised by some of the show organizers that their original plans had fallen through, and in their opinion, we should cancel, rather than show up and not be able to play. I was sincerely looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and old friends, and I've been deeply frustrated by this turn of events. It wasn't meant to be this time, but there will be a next time, and it will be great."

This really, really, really bums me out. Seriously. I'd been psyched as hell for the show, folks, in a way that I have for few shows outside of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' Houston appearance a while back. sigh. Oh, well -- least we got to chat with the guy, albeit briefly.

On the positive side, it looks like the show will go on, although I'm a bit confused, in that case, about reports of permits not being appropriately obtained; if a lack of permits stops one guy from playing, uh, wouldn't it stop everybody? Anybody know? Whatever the story is, it still promises to be a heck of a show -- it's hard to go wrong with The Octopus Project, Bring Back the Guns, The Riff Tiffs, Papermoons, & The Watermarks on the bill, I've meant to catch O Pioneers!!! for a very long time, and I've heard really good things about Welfare Mothers, American Sharks, & B., as well. (Dunno much about the rest, sorry.)

So keep it penciled in, people, and go celebrate the fuck out of our great, strange, sometimes misguided but always hopeful country. Happy We-Kicked-the-English-Out-of-America Day, y'all.

(And yes, I do realize AWK's still playing tomorrow night up in Austin. Fuck Austin.)

Labels: Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Things To Do

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

This Saturday: Uncle Charlie's Poster Art @ Sig's [6/20/2008 02:39:00 AM]:

Damn...my head's spinning and I really, really