A Few Words on Everything Currently Going On

If you happen to live under an actual rock, you might not have been aware that Houston’s music (and journalism) world is currently on fire, largely because a major player in that scene, Omar Afra, the Free Press Houston CEO, head honcho of famed music/art festival Day for Night, and co-founder of the sadly-departed Free Press Summer Festival, has been accused of sexual assault by at least two women…

Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked: Surviving FPSF 2017, Day One

It began with a screwup. On my part, mind you, nobody else’s. Before I get to that, though, there’re some things that need to be said about FPSF, aka The Festival Formerly Known As Free Press Summer Festival…

FPSF 2017 Rundown, Pt. 3: Kay Weathers + The Wheel Workers + Party Favor + Milky Chance + The Struts + The Shins + St. Paul & The Broken Bones + Miike Snow + Jon Bellion

And now, here we go with what’ll most likely be our last installment of the random previews thing we do every year for FPSF (aka Free Press Summer Festival, although these days it’s minus the “Free Press” part), which will be happening starting tomorrow…

FPSF Preview: Khruangbin

If I were to have to write up a list of the most absolutely intriguing bands to ever come from the Houston scene, well, it’d probably be a fairly long list, but also, Khruangbin would be up there near the top…

FPSF 2017 Rundown, Pt. 2: K.I.D. + Bang Bangz + Aminé + Coast Modern + Night Drive + Grouplove + Rose Ette + G-Eazy + Frightened Rabbit + Echos

Here we are, again, back with another randomly-chosen look at the bands and musicians who’ll be up at Eleanor Tinsley Park (hopefully) on the edge of Downtown this weekend — Saturday, June 3rd, and Sunday, June 4th — for the musical festival-type thing known as FPSF

FPSF 2017 Rundown, Pt. 1: Mod Sun + Camera Cult + DREAMERS + Us. + Bad Suns + Hurray For The Riff Raff + Tove Lo + Lorde + Cage The Elephant + Solange

Alright, people — we’re doing this, dammit. If this feels like it’s getting off to a late start, well, it kind of is, partly because we here at SCR have been having to shift focus to and from all the other festivals going on around here lately, and that’s pushed this back a bit…

Look Back Into the Sun: One Writer’s Reminiscences from Eight Years of FPSFs Past

With FPSF 2017 less than a week away, it occurred to me that over the eight years this festival’s been alive and kicking, I’ve been fortunate enough to witness some really, truly awesome bands and musicians. So I thought it might be cool to trawl back through memories…

One Month Out: FPSF 2017 Is On Its Way, So You Better Get Damn Ready

It’s that time in H-town’s musical year when it feels like the festivals just keep popping up left and right and left again, y’know what I mean? Hell, we’ve already had a couple slide by, namely Houston Whatever Fest and The Munchies Picnik

Tonight & This Weekend: White Oak Music Hall Opens Its Doors, At Long Last

I’ve gotta be honest: I was skeptical that White Oak Music Hall, the new purpose-built venue for local music-promotion icons Pegstar, was ever going to really materialize. Ever since the new venue was announced a little over a year ago

Waiting on the Next Storm: (Just Barely) Surviving FPSF 2016, Day One

First Thing #1: Apologies for my slowness in getting this online; as happens with the whole having-kids thing, summertime means not only Free Press Summer Festival, but also Vacation Time…

Free Press Summer Fest 2016: Thoughts and Photos

First off, I’m very saddened to learn of FPSF attendee Megan Tilton‘s death. It makes reviews like this seem very trivial. I am praying for her family and hope they get to the bottom of the story of how she passed on…

In 2016, This Guy IS the Most Alternative Guy at Summerfest

I don’t know his name. He was just a random fat guy in an extra, extra, extra large t-shirt that read “Clinton Lewinsky 2016” and had some crude carnal phrase in smaller print below that. He was wearing a Donald Trump baseball cap that may have said “make America great again”…

FPSF 2016 Preview: Moving Units

In preparation for their appearance Sunday, June 5th, over at NRG Park for Free Press Summer Festival 2016, SCR sat down to throw some questions at Blake Miller, frontman of L.A. band Moving Units.

FPSF 2016 Rundown, Pt. 3: Zeds Dead + The Heavy + Chicano Batman + Children of Pop + The Coathangers + Against Me! + X Ambassadors + Deadmau5 + Refused + Plague Vendor + Modest Mouse

And here we are, the day before Free Press Summer Festival 2016 truly kicks off (Sat., June 4th, & Sun., June 5th, over at the mercilessly flat, heat-reflecting NRG Park Yellow Lot), back with another (and probably final) pile of previews…

FPSF 2016 Preview: King Finn

I didn’t get King Finn‘s music at first. I am a graybeard. Think: Van Halen posters and Flying V guitars. The oldest guy in this band was born after I’d crashed my first Mustang. So admittedly, this all begins with a little butt-sniffing, and finding common ground on what it means to be in a rock band in modern-day America…

FPSF 2016 Rundown, Pt. 2: Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls + David Ramirez + Leon Bridges + Matthew Logan Vasquez + Another Run + Zola Jesus + Blue Healer + Allen Stone + The National

Hey, all — sorry for the delay on Round Two of the preview-y-type things for this year’s Free Press Summer Festival, but I was knocked down flat the past 24 hours with a nasty (and hopefully quick) bout of the flu. While I’m feeling somewhat better now, I don’t remember much from about 9PM yesterday to 5PM today…

FPSF 2016 Rundown, Pt. 1: Mac Miller + White Denim + Matt and Kim + Father John Misty + Walker Lukens + Thee Oh Sees + ILL Faded + Sir the Baptist + Preservation Hall Jazz Band + Big Gigantic

And now, with less than a week to go before Free Press Summer Festival 2016 hits, here we are with our annual bunch of randomly-ordered writeups of as many of the 66 or so bands/musicians playing as we can pack in over the course of the next several days. Some of ’em we already know and love, and some we absolutely don’t, but hopefully by the time FPSF kicks off, you (and us, too) will know who to make sure to catch and who you can skip…

Holy Shit, FPSF 2016 Is Nearly Upon Us (And You Can Contribute to the Art, Tonight!)

Yep, believe it or not, Free Press Summer Festival, aka “Houston’s Best-Loved, Best-Known, Most-Bitched-About Music Festival” (depending on who you are), is right around the freaking corner. If you live under a rock — and this year? I feel like I’ve been living under a damn rock…

FPSF 2015 Aftermath: Emptying Out the Backpack & Dispensing Wisdom

I’m still recovering from this past weekend’s absolutely insane Free Press Summer Festival 2015 — and yes, it’s going to be a long recovery, ’cause dammit, I’m old — but in the meantime I thought it might be enlightening to dump out the trusty old backpack and see what the hell’s in there. I figure that, hey, I do alright at this “festival” thing, so you might get some enlightment from the unpacking process. Learn from me, my children, and be wise. Or something…

FPSF 2015 Rundown, Pt. 2: Buxton + Twin Peaks + Flogging Molly + Tove Lo + Second Lovers + Hiram + Con Brio + The Bright Light Social Hour + ODESZA + BOAN

Yup, we’re back again, as promised, with Part II of our yearly rundown/preview thing of as many of the bands playing at this year’s (and weekend’s, June 6th & 7th) FPSF as our intrepid writers Jeremy Hart and Jason Smith can cram into their respective earholes before it’s go-time and they have to trek out […]

FPSF 2015 Rundown, Pt. 1 (& Big News!): Diarrhea Planet + George West + The Mountain Goats + Iceage + Dpat + Sturgill Simpson + Sarah Jaffe + Catch Fever + Houndmouth + The Vanity

Yes, it’s that time. Time to once again brave the blistering Houston summer heat, damage our eardrums, get our favorite t-shirts filthy (Pro Tip: Do not wear your favorite t-shirt.), spend a shit-ton of money, listen to a lot of awesome music, nearly pass out a few times, high-five friends, smile at some very cool […]

Lauryn Hill Stole the Show at FPSF 2014

Outside the gates of FPSF 2014 were members of the Communist Party of America passing out one-sheet pamphlets and issuing their warnings. Outside the gates were Wu-Tang Fans, too poor or too smart to enter…

FPSF 2014 Schedule and App Now Live (Plus, Some Cancellations…)

Yes, yes, yes, yes. The kind folks who run the Free Press Summer Festival popped up today, less than a month before this year’s festival kicks off (Saturday, May 31st, & Sunday, June 1st), to release two very, very awesome things: the official schedule for the festival and the mobile app for the festival…

FPSF 2014 Lineup, Now Released

BOOM, there we go. After several months of anxious waiting from us out here in the Houston music world, the organizers of the Free Press Summer Festival (FPSF, for short) just released the official lineup for this year’s festival. And yes, it’s looking pretty damn good…

Think Like A Photographer: FPSF 2013, Looking Through the Viewfinder

I’m supposed to be on vacation! And here it is July, and I’m finally finding time to write about my Free Press Summer Festival experience. Right after FPSF I headed out on an incredible California and Oregon trip to surprise my sister for her birthday, as well as see…


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