Houstonist

Ol' Houstonian's Music Emporium, Vol. II

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-09T14:00:00-06:00

We're back with even more bands that we've come across. The amount of music in this town is astounding - our current list of active bands/musicians is nearing the 350 mark and we know that it's far from comprehensive. In the interest of fairness to bands of which we were previously aware, we'll be adding one or two of them to this post each week.

Volume II

Cavernous: Admittedly, we'd chanced upon Cavernous' blend of instrumental metal at the last Westheimer Block Party. It took us an absurd amount of time for us to recall that we needed to look them up on the old computer box, however. It certainly was time wasted, because these fellows are good.

Somosuno: Again, this is a name we'd heard several times, but we failed to do our homework. We've seen Fernando's posts on Hands Up, and he is arguably one of the most adamantly pro-Houston, pro-scene-unity guys around. Somosuno makes upbeat horn-tinged punk that is certain to lift up your day. We see a few tricks up their sleeves that will prevent people from dismissing them quickly.

Giant Princess: This week Houstonist is trying to atone for our sins of omission. This is yet another band whose name we've seen upon countless flyers, as well as stopping by their set at the previous Westheimer Block Party. Their brew of indie rock with pop overtones and a messy garage feel makes for some fun music.

Fired For Walking: A medley of hard rockers, slow burners, and fast grooves, their brand of rock & roll is diverse but coherent. We weren't certain if this band was still active until they cropped up in our web-crawling this week. Other sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter.

I-45: Self-proclaimed "slip hop" that blends some old 90s-style samples & riffs into vocals that are similar but not equal to late 90s rap-rock. Also, we definitely heard a sample of a sound from an electronic pack that came with one of our GI-Joes inside of The Bike Song.

The Bottom Four: Indie-folk with some touches of old country and reverb-laden vocals. We hear some Green On Red at work in here. Other sites: MySpace, Twitter.

From the vault

Sara Van Buskirk: Sara's a dear friend of ours, with a stellar voice and some truly great songs that draw influence from Bob Dylan, Springsteen's Nebraska, Cat Power, Patty Griffin, and Ryan Adams. Do yourself a favor and check out her tunes now, and you'll want to be at the release show for her album that'll drop in late March/early April. Other sites: Facebook, Reverbnation.

Photos: Cavernous, Giant Princess

Helmets: You know, for the kids.

Eric S. — 2010-02-09T13:00:00-06:00

It’s the President’s Day Free Helmet Giveaway! If you are 16 or younger, of course.

The Houston Parks Board is giving away fifty S-One Helmets to the first 50 riders who are 16 or younger on Saturday, February 13th at 10am in front of the Jamail Skatepark.

The Jamail Skatepark is located at 103 Sabine St. off of the Sabine Street Bridge in between Memorial and Allen Parkway near Eleanor Tinsley Park.

So bring your helmet-less kids to the skatepark to get their free helmets then skate the skatepark knowing that their noggins are protected!

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Sears

Eric S. — 2010-02-09T12:00:00-06:00

Sears
by Secret5468

Here's a rare view of the Sears sign from the old building on Fannin and Wheeler.

This photo has been brought to you buy adventurous souls, taking a risk.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-08T14:00:00-06:00

For the week of February 8th - 10th, 2010

Well, it looks like our calendar for the beginning of the week is mostly residencies. Don't fret, however, for Houstonist has hand-selected some concerts for you to attend. Allow us to offer up our professional opinion.

We're sure you've heard us rave on and on about local folk-slingers listenlisten, so we'll refrain from lauding their praises yet again. However, this is arguably the show to be at tonight. Plus, Houstonist scoped out the headliners - A Lull - and we think they make some pretty darn good music.

On Tuesday we plan to take the opportunity to see a band that had a formative influence upon us - Living Sacrfice, who'll be plowing through town with War of Ages and Shai Hulud, among others. Honestly, our hearts may pop from the excitement. We understand that metal may not be "your thing" though, and are prepared to recommend our excellent friends in Football, etc. at The Mink.

Wednesday we'll be dancing up a storm - whether that's at House of Blues for Irish-punkers Flogging Molly or at our usual haunt for Robert Ellis & The Boys waits to be seen. Definitely get off that keester and go see some tunes this week, though.

Monday, February 8th
A Lull, Listen Listen at Super Happy Fun Land
The Cor-Tet at Avant Garden
The Octanes, Glover Gill at Continental Club
Sad Gorilla at Mango's
That One Guy at Rudyard's

Tuesday, February 9th
Football, etc.; Little Lungs, Whatabreaker at The Mink
The Hustlers Brass Band at Charlie's Big Top
Living Sacrifice, War of Ages, Shai Hulud, Lionheart, The Great Commission, No Remorse at Meridian/Wired Live
Po'Girl at Mucky Duck
The Umbrella Man at Continental Club
Zydeco Dots at House of Blues

Wednesday, February 10th
Flogging Molly, Frank Turner, Architects at House of Blues
Free Radicals at Avant Garden
Patrice Pike at Mucky Duck
Peter & James at Charlie's Big Top
Retribution Gospel Choir, The Bloody Mushrooms at Meridian/Wired Live
Robert Ellis & The Boys at Mango's
Whiskey Boat, Harbingers of Happiness at Continental Club

Photos: Football, etc. MySpace, A Lull MySpace

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Week Around The Ists

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-07T18:00:00-06:00

Photo by James Calder.

DCist is busy digging out of the great Snowmaggedon of 2010.

Londonist discovered an alpine ski lodge, some abstract art, a treasure-trove of antiques and several tube-carriage offices, all in the unlikely setting of East London's rooftops and alleyways.

Gothamist was amazed when a Best Buy shopper was arrested for using valid gift cards. Oh, and when a 12-year-old was arrested for doodling on her desk. Oh, and when a 9-year-old was almost suspended for a Lego-sized toy gun. Oh, and when ?uestlove wondered about NBC's Black History Month cafeteria menu.

Phillyist reported from the Miss'd America pageant in Atlantic City, former home of the Miss America pageant.

Torontoist has been interviewing the members of the Kids in the Hall one by one by one, now that the much-loved comedy troupe is back on TV with a new mini-series, Death Comes to Town.

Shanghaiist got shoved into overcrowded subways by new professional subway shovers.

Bostonist toyed around with a naked Scott Brown action figure.

LAist was exited to announce that a light rail line and route connecting Santa Monica to Downtown had finally been approved.

Chicagoist followed PETA's battle to get the controversial "Lobster Zone" game removed from a local bar (PETA won).

Seattlest checked out the strange case of a photographer sued for taking a picture of Seattle public art.

SFist recoiled at senate candidate Carly Fiorina new campaign attack ad, which features swine, sheep and furries.

Houstonist focused a spotlight on the local music scene.

3rd Annual Rory Miggins Memorial Irish Stew Cook-Off

Mary Jane — 2010-02-05T14:00:00-06:00

Houston should have a nice, partly sunny day tomorrow. Mother Nature's timing could not be any better, as it clears up for the 3rd Annual Rory Miggins Memorial Irish Stew Cook-off, located this year at the Continental Club. The festivities will commence at 3700 Main Street at ~~high noon~~ straight up 1:00 p.m., with entertainment both inside and outside until 6:00 p.m. Admission to this fine event, for a finer cause, is only $10 and includes live music, Irish dancing, great food, a Guinness Beer Relay and more (like raffles, which means prizes). Not only is the admission a bargain, this is a wonderful afternoon activity, well, gaggle of activities, conveniently located. Your price of admission helps fund the St. Patrick's Day Parade and honors a great local Irish-American, Rory Miggins.

Official Entertainment Schedule:

OUTSIDE Stage

Noon Godfreys Rangers
1 PM The Leo Trio
2 PM The Mighty ORQ
3 PM The Blaggards
4 PM Guinness Drinking Team Relay w Lars
5 PM Announce Winners
5:30PM The Blaggards

INSIDE Stage

12:30 McTeggert Dancers
1:30 KiKi and Third Ear
2:30 Constant Billy
3:30 Cass Academy Irish Dance

We had thought about giving you some information about Rory Miggins, and his contributions to our great city. In searching for details (our memory is sometimes, well, lacking), we found John Nova Lomax, of the HoustonPress, and a great memorial, with local personalities and musicians remembrances. We really cannot do better, ourselves. HERE it is.

Come out, enjoy the weather, music, dancing, food and drink. Other than watching that football thing on Sunday evening (WHO DAT!), this is THE go-to event of the weekend. Hoist a pint for Rory, and make plans to attend this years St. Patrick's Day Parade!

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - No Trespassing 1

Eric S. — 2010-02-05T12:00:00-06:00

No Trespassing 1
by Spinning_Pixel

There's no stopping us, we're heading into the weekend. Have a great weekend Houstonist readers.

Rock Talk, Vol. XVIII

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-04T16:00:00-06:00

Houstonist got waylaid by car troubles this week [you would not believe how hard it is to find a pair of 15" 20-spoke alloy wheels for a '92 Volvo in this town], but we've been cribbing notes the whole time. Rock Talk might be a day late, but it is definitely not a bit short. Here's your weekly update on the Houston scene.

Tunes
Hospital dropped a new track called Rectal Prolapse. Don't be scared, it's just a jam - and free.

Fat Tony has some new tracks up at his MySpace.

You can grab hasHBrown freestyling over Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Rock, the second in his Free (Verses, Priceless) Styles series.

Black Congress has posted another new track, Defeated, that you can stream via their Bandcamp.

The Jonbenét might be dead, but that hasn't stopped them from posting their discography to Bandcamp. Stream the whole thing, grab albums on the cheap, or download a few rarities for free.

There's a pair of new Hollywood Floss tracks up on the Rock The Dub blog.

We already posted about it in Ol' Houstonian's Music Emporium, but you can download The Oracle Hysterical's new album, The Rake's Progress. If you search the links in the bottom of their site you'll find their first EP as well.

What's that? Two new songs from Airon Paul Dugas? Allow us to say the following: hell yes.

The Wiggins got some blog love this week, including a post at TapeBombs with some tracks you can grab.

The heavy metal thunder of Cavernous' song Leavers & Takers was picked for the opening track of a 37 song compilation put out by Error Records, that you can get for free.

Videos
Warning: Gratutious Strobe Alert! Here's a video of Kunst Fascion performing at The Temporoary Space, if you're into the trip-hop/electronic scene.

Two videos of our current favorite cover band, Whatabreaker, popped up this week.

Lady Lux would like to introduce themselves to you, and give you a glimpse into their recent photoshoot.

It seems like we've had no shortage of new music videos recently. Let's add The Watermarks' Fast Song to the list.

You can watch Tyagaraja & crew perform the song Human & The Dove, from the recent Warehouse Live show.

News, etc.
Jud Johnson Band will be releasing their new CD tonight at House of Blues.

We're particularly excited about this, because it's been a long time coming. The Gold Sounds are finally releasing an album next week. Make sure you're at Walter's on February 12th.

The internet is a pretty fascinating place: Female Demand is ~~big~~ blogged in Japan.

Check out this sweet flyer for the Little Lungs/Football, Etc./Whatabreaker show on Tuesday. And this awesome flyer for the Akron Family/Warpaint/Buxton show on the 23rd.

According to Twitter, there should be a video out for The Tontons song Leon before the end of the month, courtesy of the folks at Zenfilm.

Dirty N' Nasty have informed us that they'll have an EP out this month. No word on if they found someone to master it, though.

Chamillionaire wants to update you on his new album, Major Pain. Also, he's going on tour with Paul Wall, and he apparently signed the first 1000 copies of the album.

Insert Name Here will be releasing their album at Bohemeo's on March 13th.

Wayside Drive says they're working on a new album at that we should expect singles to start popping up in March.

Bloody Hammer's Apathy Is Bliss 7" went to pressing this week.

Trills has been collaborating with local poet Radames Ortiz.

That Lightnin' Hopkins historical marker finally got approved! Houston Press wants to know what other local music spots deserve a historical marker.

Remember that venue on St. Emmanuel? No, not Warehouse Live, the other one. Yeah, don't call it Meridian anymore - it's now Wired Live.

In other venue news, you can read a pretty good interview from Eric Dean of Walter's over at Houston Press. Of note: Walter's will remain where it is until at least April, and they're still looking for a location. Got any suggestions?

Finally, one of our favorite record stores in this town, Chuck Roast's Vinal Edge, has joined both Facebook & Twitter. Go become a fan & give 'em a follow.

Got a bit of news that you think fits in Rock Talk? Send an e-mail to marc [at] houstonist [dot] com. Please include any pertinent links for verification purposes.

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-04T14:00:00-06:00

For the weekend of February 4th - 7th, 2010

It's another weekend full of tunes for your live listening pleasure here in Houston, and we've got the skinny on what's going down. Join us as Houstonist plots a course course for our weekend, lest you leave yours in the dangerous hands of another.

Tonight we'll be sating our nostalgic heart by stepping into the Wayback Machine, which will deposit us at Warehouse Live. It'll be a trip down memory lane, taking us back to high school - when we were nerdy and uncool and didn't have friends. [Ed. Note: We're still nerdy and mostly uncool, but now we have friends]

Tomorrow brings us some tough decisions - a pretty stellar show at the Indie Houston house, featuring Ghost Mountain among others, an incredible lineup at The Husk that will see JD Emmanuel [a local analog synth-smith] play live in the U.S. for the first timesince 1982, and another Haiti benefit featuring some of our finest underground wordsmiths. But wait, there's more! House of Blues features Band of Heathens in the Bronze Peacock room as well as a CD release from locals Jud Johnson Band. Oh, and there's a show at Mucky Duck that's finally worth the $22 cover - Justin Townes Earle, who's bringing along the incredible Dawn Landes. We'll trust our friend Lance on this one, who says that The Husk is the place to be.

Saturday has some sweet shows, too - the metal kid in us wants to be at Wired Live [it's not Meridian anymore, folks] for The Chariot and Inhale/Exhale. There's a pretty fair amount of our will telling us to show up at Super Happy Fun Land's No Glove, No Love benefit just for the laughs sure to be found [as well as Cavernous]. We still have yet to see Somosuno, who'll be playing Mango's with Cosmic Sound [aka half of Ghost Mountain], and we keep hearing good things. Houstonist, however, is bound to be found at Rudyard's for Two Star Symphony, as they never cease to surprise and excite us.

As for Sunday, we hear there's some big game on the telly. Seriously - did you think anybody was going to book a show on Super Bowl Sunday? Get real!

Go see some shows!

Thursday, February 4th
Los Pistoleros de Texas at Charlie's Big Top
New Found Glory, Saves The Day, Hellogoodbye, Fireworks at Warehouse Live
Paul Sprawl, Anarchitex, Scott Ayers at Bohemeo's
Rosie Flores at Mucky Duck
Vallejo at Continental Club
Victor Manuelle at Arena Theatre

Friday, February 5th
Alligator Dave, Smile Transylvania, You're Done For, The Iveys at Fitzgerald's [downstairs]
Band of Heathens at House of Blues [Bronze Peacock]
Black Dog, Ozzmosis Houston at Fitzgerald's
Come And See My Dead Person, Giant Battle Monster at Rudyard's
Dan Higgs, Stellar OM Source, JD Emmanuel, Weird Weeds, Roomies!, at The Husk [2808 Milam]
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Warehouse Live
Haiti Benefit with Nosaprise, Fat Tony, Gormeh Sabzi at Mango's [$5 entry goes to Planting Peace]
Jimmy Lee Deen at Last Concert Cafe
Jud Johnson Band [CD Release], Dmitri's Rail, VerseCity at House of Blues
Justin Townes Earle, Dawn Landes at Mucky Duck
The Light Rock Express at Charlie's Big Top
Mt. Righteous, Giant Princess, Somosuno, Ghost Mountain at Indie Houston House [1816 Calumet, 8 pm]
Mike Perkins & Friends, Ray Prim [CD Release] at Avant Garden
Sondre Lerche, JBM at ~~Meridian~~ Wired Live
Steve Harvey at Arena Theatre
Stove Blow, Days n' Daze, James Dalton & Marissa, Chairs, U Not I at Super Happy Fun Land
Susan Gibson at Anderson Fair
Two Tons Of Steel at Continental Club

Saturday, February 6th
Betty Soo, Will Sexton at NiaMoves
The Chariot, Greeley Estates, Inhale/Exhale, Memphis Mayfire, The Color Morale, Uprise Of The Fallen at ~~Meridian~~ Wired Live [Red Room]
Chris Duarte at Dan Electro's
Crash 45, Let's Hang Jackson, A Silent Canvas, Clubhouse For Ivy, The True Value, Out Feet First, Swervy & The Nutsacks, Minerva, Maniphest, Oneway Radio, A Bubble In The Sun, Four O'Clock at Fitzgerald's
Fondue Monks, Congas By Carlos at Last Concert Cafe
Fox Derby at Cactus Music [2 pm]
G. Love & The Special Sauce, Redeye Empire at Warehouse Live
Graham Wilkinson & the Underground Township, Drew Smith's Lonely Choir at Continental Club
Greencards at Mucky Duck
Ken Gaines, Wayne Wilkerson at Anderson Fair
Mark Farina at ~~Meridian~~ Wired Live
No Glove, No Love Fest with Odessa, Cavernous, Dinner At Dahmers, Play For Keeps, On The Rag, Waverly Hills, Rise To Conquer, Rats In The Attic at Super Happy Fun Land [6 pm]
Peoplefood, The Hats at Avant Garden
Somosuno, Fiskadoro, Eets Feats, Room 101, Cosmic Sound at Mango's
Steve Harvey at Arena Theatre
Tie Dye Sky, Night Bird at Bohemeo's
Two Star Symphony, The Tiny Tin Hearts at Rudyard's

Photos: Sarah Prikryl [Two Star Symphony], New Found Glory MySpace

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Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Just waitin for a train

Eric S. — 2010-02-04T12:00:00-06:00

Just waitin for a train
by matt.harding

Photographer's Description:

OK. This is is where I got in a little trouble with the Metro Police. It seems that taking pictures is illegal from the train platform. It is also illegal to be on the platform without a ticket.
I ended up getting a formal (written) warning. Everything ended well and I went on my way - straight away from Main Street to avoid the cop. Well the day was very cold and almost no one was on the streets. The next thing I knew I had basically walked a circle around the blocks and was back at the intersection where the platform was. It turned out the cop was still there. And to my surprise he had his bomb sniffing dog out and was sweeping the entire platform. Whether he was doing this because of me or just because he had to, I don't know.

It's a shame that these platforms are off limits for photography. Houston really doesn't have many places for street style photography. So few places that I am tempted to do it again - except from a distance ;-).

How do you feel about public photography. Is there a real reason to keep photographers off platforms, was the cop really doing his job or just hassling a photographer?

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Huh?!

Eric S. — 2010-02-03T12:00:00-06:00

Huh?!
by stephanietillery

Ah, there's nothing like the look that dogs give you... it really is like a big 'ol "Huh?!"

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Pete Rose

Eric S. — 2010-02-02T12:00:00-06:00

Pete Rose
by backup1940

Woah! Here's a throwback image that was recently scanned and submitted to the Houstonist Flickr Pool. It's an image of Pete Rose at the Astrodome in 1986. We thank backup1940 for sharing this image with the group. It's a great piece of history.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Ol' Houstonian's Music Emporium, Vol. I

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-01T16:30:00-06:00

We often speak of the immense amount of music that occurs in this town, and the depth of our local talent. Allow us to introduce our newest feature covering the local music scene, Ol' Houstonian's Music Emporium. Come one, come all, and let us share with you some local music that we came across in the past week!

Note: This new feature is an attempt to expose local music of which we either weren't aware or hadn't listened to yet, accompanied by a few remarks about said artist. It is by no means an attempt at a comprehensive listing of local acts.

Volume I

Living Shred: Holy Moses. Where has this guy been hiding? We discovered Living Shred by clicking through a few MySpace friends, and were pleasantly surprised by the dance-inspiring wonderment that we came across. Other sites: MySpace, Soundcloud.

Hospital: Houstonist came across this ongoing project via their remix of a Fat Tony track that we posted in the latest Rock Talk recap. This electronic/dance/remix project features Michael Murland and Dann Miller, who comprised half of The Jonbenét lineup, so expect a few unorthodox sounds. We're pretty keen on their chopped n' screwed version of Eyes Without A Face. Other sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter.

The Wrong Ones: These punk-glam-garage rockers appear to be drawing from New York Dolls, The Buzzcocks, and The Clash with hints of T. Rex and a dash of classic rock thrown in for good measure.

// TENSE //: This dance trio embraces the synth-heavy sounds of the Eighties. It's fairly immediately evident, but by no means did that stop us from listening.

Twisted Wires: Involves at least some of Indian Jewelry, so we're automatically interested. Check this out if you're into the more soundscape/drone oriented sector. We're not quite certain how to describe it, but we like it. Recommended track: Oh Hell.

Raging Apathy: Buzz-style radio rock. We're betting that they play Scout Bar a lot, judging from their sound. Other sites: Facebook, Reverb Nation, Twitter.

Weston Brown Band: Alternative rock from the early 2000s - we gave it a listen and heard snippets of Nickelback, Blues Traveler, & Dave Matthews. Tell us if we're wrong. Other sites: MySpace, Twitter.

The Oracle Hysterical: Whoa. This duo consisting of Brad Balliet and Elliot Cole is fascinating. It's experimental, concept-driven, and slightly crazy - all ingredients that we like. Seriously though, they took a Stravinsky opera [The Rake's Progress] and retold it in hip-hop fashion over sampled beats, strings and other noise. We'll confess that we were guilty of pressing repeat after this one ended.

Photos: The Wrong Ones, Hospital

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-02-01T14:00:00-06:00

For the week of February 1st - 3rd, 2010

Well, the old concert calendar is a bit light for the next few days, and Houstonist is just thankful that our pickings will be a bit easier for a few nights. We were getting a tad overwhelmed after all the shows this week. Hah! As if that were ever true.

Fewer shows in town just means that our picks will be more precise. Tonight, Oakland's Stress Ape will bring their noisy grind-drone to Mango's, joining Somosuno and the talented Lucas Gorham's Sad Gorilla on stage. We're more excited about seeing Austin's No Mas Bodas over at Super Happy Fun Land. The show is determined to test some of the more delicate ears, featuring local avant-garde act Trills and soundscape-layering Colores en Espiral, but it's worth it.

You'd better believe that we'll be at Timbaland on Tuesday. If the twenty-five dollar price tag scares you off, however, "The Coolest Block In Town" has two free shows for your thrifty pockets.

Houstonist is pretty excited to see another good local act come out of hibernation/hiatus status, so we'll be heading to Notsuoh on Wednesday for an early show [8 pm, we're told] and watching our friends Lazlo. That'll also give us plenty of time to head back to the 'Trose and catch some free tunes courtesy of Robert Ellis & The Boys or Free Radicals. Heck, they're next door to each other, so it'll probably be both. For all the reggae fans out there, we recommend dropping by Warehouse Live for Groundation.

As usual, go see some shows! Feel free to report back to us, as well.

Monday, February 1st
No Mas Bodas, Trills, Colores in Espiral at Super Happy Fun Land
The Octanes, Glover Gill at Continental Club
Stress Ape, Sad Gorilla at Mango's

Tuesday, February 2nd
The Hustlers Brass Band at Charlie's Big Top
Timbaland, Down With Webster, Kady Malloy at House of Blues
The Umbrella Man at Continental Club

Wednesday, February 3rd
Dang We're On Fire, Floral Terrace, Starluck at The Mink
Free Radicals at Avant Garden
Groundation, DJ SupaNeil, Idiginis at Warehouse Live
Lazlo, One Wolf at Notsuoh
Peter & James at Charlie's Big Top
Robert Ellis & The Boys at Mango's
Whiskey Boat, Dead End Cowboys, Babydoll Betties at Continental Club

Photos: Lazlo MySpace, No Mas Bodas MySpace

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Psychedelic Shadow

Eric S. — 2010-02-01T12:00:00-06:00

Psychedelic Shadow
by matt.harding

Sometimes you need a psychedelic image to jolt you into the work week. So, here ya go, a Psychedelic Shadow of a tree.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Presented By:

2010-02-01T12:00:00-06:00

RSS Your Way to the Goodness

Jason Bargas — 2010-02-01T11:30:00-06:00

Did installing Istaverse on your iPhone pull forth your inner nerd? We thought so. Get your next techno fix by subscribing to our RSS feed.

Allow us to coach you into the 2000s with a quick lesson on RSS. Real Simple Syndication if you're not into the whole brevity thing, allows internet users to subscribe to content published by their favorite web sites, news channels, bloggers, etc. The content ends up consolidated in one place called a feed reader for consumers to check out at their leisure. Cool, right? Duh. But that's not the best part.

It's uber simple to set-up subscriptions to RSS feeds. You can use a computer-based application, but we prefer a web-based app (like Google Reader) so you can read your feeds on the fly. Once you've got a reader account set-up, just surf around your favorite sites. Look for in your browser's address bar. Click it. Voila. Google Reader (if you've chosen to go that route) will prompt you to add the feed to subscription list. Done.

Go forth and feed us (http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/houstonist). Follow us on Twitter as well while your at it. You can find us here: http://twitter.com/Houstonist

Houstonist: There's an App for That

Jason Bargas — 2010-02-01T10:00:00-06:00

In the beginning of Houstonist on your phone, there was plain old Houstonist.com; it was good. Then, there was Houstonist Mobile; it was better. Now there's a Houstonist mobile app. It's mo ~~betta~~ faster.

The technical wizards at Gothamist released the Istaverse application for iPhones. Users of the application can quickly flip between the 13 sites in the Istaverse. The ist app also pulls down the content locally your crack phone to enable story browsing when you're away from a cell signal - like when you're in the tunnels downtown or flying above cell signals in places like Transco Tower.

To be fair, this app is designed to be as simple as possible. In short, you get stories from the ist you choose, but that's about it. There's no commenting, sharing or tweeting of stories. You should continue to hit the mobile site to get that functionality. However, a more robust version of the application that provides increased functionality is just around the corner.

Give Istaverse a whirl and let us know what you think and suggest improvements in the comments.

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Isataverse
Free
iTunes App Store

Time For a Change at Houstonist

Jason Bargas — 2010-02-01T08:30:00-06:00

Hola, niños!

Starting today, there'll be a new skipper running the show at Houstonist. Put your hands together for new Houstonist Editor Marc Brubaker, who has distinguished himself as a valuable member of the Houstonist team during his year on staff and has all the qualities to be a success around here: he's artsy, yet semi-organized; has flexible work hours; and is passionate about being a man about town.

Jim and I have really enjoyed bringing you interviews, news, cultural happenings, weirdness, fun and odd eBay finds that Our Fair City has had to offer for the past four-plus years. We'll be lurking in the shadows if you want to send anything our way (like the chance to do a long-term media test of a Ferrari for me or a lifetime supply of cupcakes for Jim). Just saying.

As our buddy Roger Clemens says, "Peace in the Middle East."

— Jason & Jim

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Photo: flickr user cessemi

Week Around the Ists

Jason Bargas — 2010-01-31T17:57:05-06:00

Photos by Jamie Bradburn/Torontoist.

Torontoist discovered that if you don't like all the construction happening in your neighborhood, you should just put up big banners announcing how much you think that construction sucks. Boom, problem solved.

DCist took note when a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Jefferson Memorial is not a public forum where people may dance.

Seattlest looked into a state resolution that would end junk mail in Seattle.

Shanghaiist found an iPad clone that came out three months before the iPad... and now they're suing Apple for copying their product.

SFist grew hopeful after the California High Speed Rail, whose fans are fighting back against NIMBYism, received $2.25 billion this week.

Gothamist wondered if the age of the hipster had set—and that the era of the "helpster" was rising.

Chicagoist discovered that Wal-Mart and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce have been using a fake community community group to garner support for a new store on the city's South Side.

LAist found that nothing stirs up the city's passions, loyalties, are ire faster than a story declaring which 10 hamburgers are the best.

Bostonist discovered New Hampshire's official shirt (the three wolf moon).

Londonist took a geometric approach to calculating the geographical center of London, with surprising results.

Phillyist prepared for an alternative beauty pageant, hosted by everyone's favorite queer eye.

ATTN: Houston Bands, Get Out Of Town!

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-30T14:30:00-06:00

We mean that in a very loving way, trust us. The simple fact is that most Houston bands do not tour frequently, if at all. There is an overabundance of good music in this town [several of our favorite acts are playing this weekend, even], and we will do our best to avidly promote the local talent. While the internet is fairly amazing and absurd, the world is not going to discover just how great our music scene is if the bands in town don't hit the pavement and play some other cities and get people talking.

Houstonist is far from alone in this sentiment, and thankfully hardly the only folk in this glorious city that would like to see the situation remedied. Which is where Bandcampus enters the picture. Meeting monthly at Caroline Collective for almost a year now, Bandcampus strives to be a resource available for any and every local musician. There's a meeting tomorrow [Sunday, January 31st] from 2 - 4 pm for a session all about booking your band some shows, complete with an ebook (for free) that includes a venue list for Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Victoria/Corpus Christi as well as a mad-libs style email contact form and a mad-libs style phone contact form.

Basically, if you're a local musician/band trying to get shows outside of town you'd be silly not to attend this. It sounds like a winner to us.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - the tilt of an orbit

Eric S. — 2010-01-29T12:00:00-06:00

the tilt of an orbit
by B*Wag

Simple and gorgeous. The deep, rich colors and selective focus makes this image really stand out.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-28T14:00:00-06:00

For the weekend of January 28th - 31st, 2010

It's another busy weekend of music in this town, so let's get down to ~~business~~ partying. We know - it can be hard to keep up with all the tunes in this town, but fear not: Houstonist has hand-selected some shows to which your presence would be a welcome addition.

So what to do with your Thursday? Well, we suppose the obvious selection is Yo La Tengo at Warehouse Live, but truth be told Houstonist is more excited about opening act Times New Viking. If you don't want to fork out the $20 to go see the show, however, there are free shows at Valhalla, Continental Club, and Charlie's Big Top. We'd like to see somebody brave enough to hit Super Happy Fun Land and report back on Blackbird Raum - a troupe of crazy folk-slangin' kids from California. Think washtub bass, banjo, accordion, washboard, mandolin, etc.

The schedule shoots up Friday like a gangly teenager that just hit his growth spurt, with shows a plenty. There's a great [and free!] benefit show for Abbas - one of the baristas at Brasil - at Mango's, and we hope you'll go and donate as he needs hip surgery. Sure, there are some other shows on Friday, but none so worthy as this one.

Houstonist is pretty giddy about Saturday, though. Caddywhompus returns to town to play Mango's with Female Demand, and they've brought along another instrumental Louisiana act: Smiley With A Knife. We actually picked up their demo last year at SXSW, and can vouch for their prowess. There's an all-day show at Super Happy Fun Land, and Pride Kills will be unleashing a new 7-inch at Walter's. You'll find Houstonist at Notsuoh for an epic show featuring B L A C K I E, Muhammid Ali, Legsweeper - a pair of super-legit punkers from Dallas, Limb, Somosuno, and Followed By Static - another legit duo from Austin.

Now, how to cap off our weekend on Sunday? You say we should we go see Girls at Walter's? Leave the picking and choosing to the experts, because the show to see is undoubtedly Something Fierce at The Mink. They'll be launching their new 7-inch, Where You Goin' Man?, and we need a copy. Everyone in this town does, but we hear there's only 500, so make sure you're on that exclusive list of folks in the know about one of Houston's premiere punk bands.

So, for what are you waiting? Fill up that calendar and come hang out with us this weekend!
Thursday, January 28th
The Allen Oldies Band at Warehouse Live [Studio]
Blackbird Raum, U Not I, Chicken Little!, Days n' Daze, Anna & The Annadroids at Super Happy Fun Land
Chelsea Hotel, Matt Mayo at Valhalla [Rice University]
Fred Eaglesmith at Mucky Duck
Hip-Hop Krylon Society at Bohemeo's
Los Pistoleros de Texas at Charlie's Big Top
Quadraphonic at Continental Club
The Renfrees, Coby Miller at Anderson Fair
Yo La Tengo, Times New Viking at Warehouse Live [Ballroom]

Friday, January 29th
Alison Fisher at Charlie's Big Top
Benefit Show for Abbas with Robert Ellis and the Boys, Two Star Symphony, Grandfather Child, Chase Hamblin, Grrl Parts, Davie Graves, Southern Backtones, Sideshow Tramps at Mango's
The Blue Threads, Radio Ark, Grizzly, The Mint, Cold Forty Three at Fitzgerald's [downstairs]
Fiery Furnaces, Drug Rug at Walter's
Green Mountain Grass, Fahl & Folk at Last Concert Cafe
Hermit Thrushes, Free Radicals, Anna & The Annadroids, Fist of Kong, Wiggins and Risk at Super Happy Fun Land
Jason Eady at Anderson Fair
Jody Seabody & The Whirls at Bohemeo's
Jonathan Richman at Continental Club
Blues Mafia, Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine at Dan Electro's
Morakestra at The Mink
P.L.F., Abrupt, H.R.A., Obama Nation at The Hot Dog Shop [6405 Brittmore]
Randy Weeks at Mucky Duck
Tyagaraja, The Fox Derby, The Language Room at Warehouse Live
Wings Burn Away, The 71's, Cyrios, 4 O'Clock at Fitzgerald's

Saturday, January 30th
Anti-Climax, The Lion Of Wall Street, Days n' Daze, Alimanas, Archaic 3, U Not I, LSD/Picking Scabs, Molotov Compromise, Rats In The Attic, Action Frank, Pelly Rodgers, Delta Bloc, Freddie Ghonerea & The Gunz at Super Happy Fun Land [4:30 pm]
Bigga Staar, Mr. Blacc Sheep, D.R.U.M., Kosmic Steel at Continental Club
Idgy Vaughn at Anderson Fair
Caddywhompus, Female Demand, Smiley with a Knife at Mango's
Carmeci, Aftermath, Witness The Fall, Electric Attitude, The Band Foster, Melissa Savcic at Jet Lounge
Carolyn Wonderland, Richard Cagle & The Voodoo Choir, Idol Hand, Mojofromopolis at Meridian
Del Castillo, Chango Man at Dan Electro's
Doyle Bramhall at Mucky Duck
The Dukes at Bohemeo's
I Am Ghost, Modern Day Escape, We Are The Becoming, Murder FM, Misery Loves Comfort at Fitzgerald's [downstairs]
Lee Alexander, Arthur Yoria, Petesimple at Rudyard's
Lethal Aggression, Scum Allegiance, H.R.A., Termination Force, Owl Witch at The Mink
Limb, Somosuno, B L A C K I E, Legsweeper Muhammid Ali, Followed By Static at Notsuoh
Patrick Godbey, Whurm at Last Concert Cafe
Pride Kills [7" Release], Hell City Kings, No Talk, Power Trip, The Burden at Walter's

Sunday, January 31st
Exterminating Angels, The Kaboxo Heads, Organ Failure, Organic Health Monkey, Sugar Glyder, Days n' Daze, Puppetrina, Bulletproof Gatorade, Rapeworm, PSA, Thou Shalt Not Kill....Except, Muzak John at Super Happy Fun Land
Girls, Magic Kids, The Smith Westerns at Walter's
Hey Kid, Something Fierce [7" Release], DJ No Fun, King Ghidora at The Mink
Houston Funk Factory at Continental Club
Moe Hansum Band at Dan Electro's
Red Molly at Mucky Duck

Photos: Valerie Tamburri [Something Fierce], Blackbird Raum MySpace

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Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - well, now THERE's something you don't see every day...

Eric S. — 2010-01-28T12:00:00-06:00

well, now THERE's something you don't see every day...
by zippythesimshead

As the title suggests, this is not something you see everyday. When's the last time you saw a horse and rider in an unusual place?

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - 290 Silhouette

Eric S. — 2010-01-27T12:00:00-06:00

290 Silhouette
by Spinning_Pixel

This gorgeous iPhone shot was taken somewhere along 290. iPhone shots never cease to amaze us.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Reminder: New Solid Waste Rules ... April 5, 2010

Mary Jane — 2010-01-26T14:00:00-06:00

We had told you previously that Houston's Solid Waste Management Department is changing yard waste rules and adding some fines, starting April 5th. We wanted to slip you a gentle reminder, beings how the new effective date has been pushed out. We've heard a lot of opposition to the new requirement to use compostable lawn bags when putting yard waste out for pick-up. In fact, we 've heard some "why?" type complaints, as the new bags are more expensive than standard plastic lawn bags. Well, because it sorta makes little or no sense to put items that will decompose, and rather quickly we might add - into a plastic sack that won't, or at least not quickly. It's tantamount to only purchasing fair trade coffee and insisting on using a styrofoam cup. Stryofoam has a half-life, we swear. Plus, we, as a nation, toss more coffee cups, "go boxes" and meat trays into a land fill than you might think (well, just think about it, for a second). Okay, back to the yard waste issue and your options, if you are a homeowner with a lawn and all.

At present, our research indicates that approved compostable bags are only available at Wal-Mart locations (this doesn't especially make us "happy"). As we mentioned, these bags are more costly than the old plastic ones, on the front end. On the other end of the spectrum, the cost of landfill space will be offset by the City having an effective means of composting yard waste. The City expects to save $1.5 million per year by incorporating this program. While we don't believe we would see a tax break for this, the monies saved could be put to other and better use, perhaps.

There are alternatives to bagging every shred of detritus in your yard, like using a mulching mower and leaving the clippings in the yard, where they will compost and are a natural fertilizer (they also don't run-off into our water table, or treatment plants like manufactured fertilizer does). Composting your yard waste is another great idea, and you can add fruit and vegetable scraps to the mix, as well as shredded paper (no meat or animal fat, please). You can create a compost "pile" by using wooden stakes and chicken wire, or purchase a contained unit that you just have to turn every few days. You can make your own "fertile dirt" in as little as two weeks. Leaves are the current scourge of persons with lawns. However, leaves are an excellent means of mulching in your plants, as the cold is not over. In the spring, if you find the natural leaves to be unsightly, simply apply a layer of store-bought mulch and you'll have that more "manicured" look. The more you mulch, the less you water (the lower your water bill) and you won't need to pay for fertilizer, as you are allowing nature to tend to itself. Say, this is starting to almost sound "cost effective" to us. Lastly, if you compost weeds, you will grow more weeds. Our plan is to only purchase these compostable bags for weeds, the City can take those away, the rest we give back to the yard and gardens.

Recycle, compost and plant some veggies while you're at it. There's this unwritten rule that if you are in the South, you must grow tomatoes and cucumbers, if you don't eat them - give them away to friends and neighbors, they may think you rock!

Please do not place yard detritus in the garbage bin, you may be fined up to $2,000. Also, the City may not take your garbage away, which is fine, unless you just barbecued a mess of chicken and the bin smells really bad. Also, unsanctioned containers filled with yard waste will be left where they lay, on your curb.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Asymmetrical

Eric S. — 2010-01-26T12:00:00-06:00

Asymmetrical
by ss | photog

Here's a nice, slightly abstract shot of the Four Season's Hotel Downtown.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Battier Grows Whiskers To Will Rockets To Win

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-26T11:30:00-06:00

Artist's rendering of what Shane Battier is believed to look like at the moment [left], and the glory we hope to see his face become.
If you've seen Houstonist out and about of late, then you know that we're fans of a good moustache. That is why we are happy to see that the Rockets' Shane Battier is letting the ol' lip rug develop in hopes that it will spawn some magical sports juju and propel our local hoopsters into the win column.

Battier claims that he'll be keeping his bristly visage until he feels that the team is performing better. We'd like to see some Kevin Greene level of commitment, however: grow that sucker until we've won a championship, or until three years pass and we trade the aged veteran to a fledgling organization and it becomes null and void.

Here's hoping Battier's trick can give the Rockets a boost they need in the absence of their oft-injured big man.

Rock Talk, Vol. XVII

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-25T19:30:00-06:00

Yikes! It's been far too long since we've updated you. Not terribly so, but we feel pretty bad about it. Our apologies for the delay, we've had an unusually busy schedule. We've added several new feeds to our queue, so we're receiving more news than ever to date. Just know that Houstonist has a few days of bonus coverage for you this week.

Tunes
Black Congress has been hard at work recording tunes, and if all goes well they'll have five - count 'em - five 7-inchers out by SXSW. You can hear three tracks now.

Thundering metal project in the works Omotai put a few tracks on MySpace, giving us an idea of what to expect. Just what, you say? Crushed. That's what you should expect to be.

Houston-bred but currently residing in New Orleans, Chris Rehm has a new EP/cassette out called Salivary Stones. You can score a copy online, for whatever price you like.

Hospital [which appears to be a remixing/electronic duo consisting of Michael Murland and Dann Miller] has a remix of the Fat Tony track In Your Room that'll be on a single due out this year.

B L A C K I E's new tape, Spred Luv, is available for you to listen to and purchase online.

There are two new tunes from The Energy posted on their MySpace, and quite frankly if you don't give 'em a listen, Houstonist will be obliged to call you a fool.

This might be a little older, but we were just tipped off to a couple tunes up on The Julys' MySpace. If you see this before 11 pm, they're playing at Boondocks tonight, and it's definitely worth the free admission.

Finally, [phew, this is getting long already!] Dave Wrangler has already dropped several remixes this month, including a N.A.S.A. vs. YACHT EP, and several tracks from his Under the Influence album. You'd be wise to clue in via his SoundCloud account.

Videos
A Dream Asleep premiered their video for Horus Vs The Juggernauts yesterday. You can catch a trailer for it on YouTube.

American Fangs drove up to good ol' NY to record some tunes, and have announced all is finished. We'll be looking forward to new tunes soon. Meanwhile, we'll just have to be content with this teaser for My Two Richards.

World's Most Dangerous have a video for their song B&B. Looks like they had fun shooting it.

The Watermarks have been working in the studio, and you can catch a glimpse of what they've been doing. Also, their t-shirts are going to be featured on some hot girls in a movie [don't worry, it's SFW]. Nicely done, folks.

Insert Name Here put up a video for their song, Perfect Girl. They'll be releasing their album at Bohemeo's on March 13th, as this video reveals.

Peekaboo Theory brings us a video for their song, Immediate Hesitation.

We're not sure if this should be under Tunes or Video, but due to the abundance of Shrinermobiles, we're going to put this leaked tune of new band Weird Party here. They'll be making their debut at The Mink on March 5th.

And, at that March 5th show Roky Moon & Bolt is headlining. It'll be their tour kickoff, and you can watch ~~Mike~~ sing a new song in Joe Mathlete's new living room.

News, etc.
Booya! Pick up that swell new 7" from Something Fierce at Action Town Records webstore. Then make sure you mark January 31st on your calendar, as they'll be playing an official release show at The Mink.

There's some more good news about that potential historical marker for Lightnin' Hopkins.

Andrew Karnavas [whom you might know from Runaway Sun] has been hard at work finishing up recording his solo album, which will be sent off for mixing this week.

In case you've been wondering how you can score some sweet Female Demand merch [like that awesome LP we snagged on New Year's] look no further. The ripping instrumental duo now has a webstore.

For those of you who've been waiting, you can now pick up The Jonx's Vocabularian Herds. The tracks that we've heard have been quite good.

Jud Johnson Band is releasing their CD on February 5th at House of Blues, and is trying to become the first local act to sell out the venue.

Light Parade just wrapped up recording with Josh Moore. Here's proof of everyone being in the same place.

Finally, Wayside Drive announced that they're adding a new member - Jeremy & Natalie are pregnant! We hope for the kid's sake that it doesn't come out like they've predicted.

Got a bit of news that you think fits in Rock Talk? Send an e-mail to marc [at] houstonist [dot] com. Please include any pertinent links for verification purposes.

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-25T14:00:00-06:00

For the week of January 25th - 27th, 2010

Well we certainly had another fun-filled music weekend - in fact, our neck is still recovering from last night's viewing of The Sword. But if you know Houstonist then you know that will hardly deter us from getting out and seeing some more music this week. Here's where we can be found.

Tonight, oddly, contains the biggest decision for us all week. After all, the lineup at Super Happy Fun Land is a nice set of gritty local acts. In addition, we happen to know that it is Blaine from 10th Gräde Cütie's birthday, which means they might get thrown off stage even faster than usual. Sad Gorilla continues its Monday residency at Mango's - we'll have to pass and catch them another time, and The Manichean's compelling presence will be on view at Avant Garden. Houstonist will be at Boondocks, though - our friends The Julys are playing, and it's a free show. If you haven't seen them yet, there are no excuses tonight.

Tomorrow is a bit of a mixed bag - alt-metal at House of Blues, covers at Mucky Duck, local rap at Jet Lounge, and the Umbrella Man at Continental Club. It looks like a perfect night for Houstonist to finally catch The Hustlers Brass Band at Charlie's Big Top. Plus, we hear there's free red beans and rice to accompany the show. Why not?

Houstonist is happy to see the instores ramp back up at Cactus Music, and we'll stop by one this Wednesday night to see Exene Cervenka and Dexter Romweber. If you're not off work by then, you can catch them at House of Blues later in the evening. For Houstonist, it's been too long since we've headed up to Mango's on a Wednesday night for some rollicking performances by Robert Ellis & The Boys, so you'll find us slumming it with our Lone Star in hand.

No matter what you see, go see some music this week. Let us know how it went.
Monday, January 25th
10th Gräde Cütie, Muhammid Ali, Freddie Ghonorhea & The Gunz, The Wrong Ones, Cop Warmth, Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except, Yatagarsu, Nasty Dudes at Super Happy Fun Land
The James Reese Band at Warehouse Live
The Julys, If The War Should End at Boondocks
The Manichean, The Cor-Tet at Avant Garden
The Octanes, Glover Gill at Continental Club
Sad Gorilla at Mango's

Tuesday, January 26th
Five Finger Death Punch, Shadows Fall, God Forbid, 2 Cents at House of Blues
The Hustlers Brass Band at Charlie's Big Top
Krumwell at Jet Lounge
Skyrocket at Mucky Duck
The Umbrella Man at Continental Club

Wednesday, January 27th
Dexter Romweber, Exene Cervenka at House of Blues
Exene Cervenka & Dex Romweber at Cactus Music [5:30 pm]
Peter & James at Charlie's Big Top
Robert Ellis & The Boys at Mango's
Whiskey Boat, Your Amsterdam at Continental Club

Photos: The Julys MySpace, Camellia Morton [Dexter Romweber]

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Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - untitled

Eric S. — 2010-01-25T12:00:00-06:00

untitled
by blogjam_dot_org

This little guy looks like he's got a case of the Mondays.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Daily-ist Sunday: Chicken Soup Cook-off

Mary Jane — 2010-01-24T10:00:00-06:00

Not so much on the football? Looking for something fun, yummy and on the cheap to do before the Saint's game? Head on over to Congregation Emanu El at 1500 Sunset Boulevard today, between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and check out the 9th (almost) Annual Chicken Soup Cook-off! Admission? $8 for adults and $5 for the kids. Not very expensive and you can sample chicken soups from local restaurants. It's a souper day, the sun is shining and you just ought not be "cooped up" today. Proceeds benefit the temple and The Houston Food Bank.

The 9th (Almost) Annual Chicken Soup Cook-off
Congregation Emanu El
1500 Sunset Boulevard
11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
$8 bucks for adults
$5 buck s for children

Presented By:

2010-01-24T10:00:00-06:00

Houstonist Bartender: Gin and Tonic

Mary Jane — 2010-01-22T15:30:00-06:00

Okay, so, it's January and it's been hitting the 70's all week (degrees, that is...not the era). We've had to restrain ourselves from whacking all of the dead vegetation in the yard. It's still much to early for that, we're waiting for Valentine's, nothing says "love" like a good pair of garden loppers. So, since it's so marvelous outside, we need a refreshing cocktail for our weekend. We're anticipating the AFC and NFC championship games this Sunday and dreaming of Super Bowl nibbles to make for the party. All this makes us thirsty. This is a simple classic and we feel almost silly telling you "how" to make one, but, we know that some of you may not be able to boil water or operate a church key......a very small number, perhaps a modicum of you, at best. But, here goes:

Gin and Tonic

1 1/2 oz good gin (Bombay, Tanqueray)
3-4 oz of tonic (regular or sugar-free)
lime wedge

Fill a cocktail glass with ice, pour in the gin and the tonic. Squeeze the lime over the glass, careful not to squirt yourself in the eye and drop spent wedge into drink. It adds color, do it. Stir and drink.

Pretend it's very hot and you need the quinine from the cocktail to help with the possible malaria you could contract from the mosquitoes (it's our excuse).

Drink responsibly. Don't be a dumbass. No getting tossed in the clink. Remember, we like you - both of you, so have a designated driver for the drunks. Or, don't get all drunked up in the first place.

Who DAT? Saint's DAT!

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Bail (former Mexican restaurant)

Eric S. — 2010-01-22T12:00:00-06:00

Bail (former Mexican restaurant)
by mata-leão

You never know when you're gonna need it.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-21T14:00:00-06:00

For the weekend of January 21st - 24th, 2010

Holy hashbrowns, Batman! The lords of music must've figured out that we've been jonesin' for some metal in this here town, because this weekend is full of it. In fact, one might say that there is too much metal in town this weekend, but we would call that person a sissy and hit 'em with our fist of rock. Fear not, dear reader, for if it is not your brand there's plenty of other music to grace your dainty ears this weekend.

In fact, we'll be starting out the weekend on the lighter end of the spectrum, and before we've blackened our heart, Houstonist plans to open it. Tonight Taft Street Coffee is having a benefit concert for Haiti, including Derek Webb and our beloved Finnegan. Word on the street is that they'll be some artists/craftsmen selling their wares and donating a portion of their sales for relief work as well. It simply can't be understated how much need there is right now in Haiti, so we'll be there. Afterwards, our soul will be down for some carousing, however, so we'll hit up the gypsy-folk of Mark Growden at Avant Garden. This fella tells stories like Tom Waits, but without sounding like he eats cigarettes.

If you miss Mark on Thursday, you'll have another chance to see him on Friday. We'll be off raising Cain - American Sharks and the 12-bar blues rockers Big Black Spiders are at Walter's, while Warehouse Live hosts another Haiti-oriented benefit show. Seriously, donate some freaking money already! Richard Kimball of Fiskadoro has a rather intriguing show at Notsuoh, Tax the Wolf and The Live Lights are playing a free gig at Continenal Club, and our witty songstress friend Maryanna Sokol will be opening for Nightmare River Band and Chase Hamblin at Mango's. You'll find Houstonist setting our soul to sea whilst watching epic locals Listen Listen at the FPH Warehouse.

Since we'll have sold our soul at this point [hopefully for something awesome - like a lifetime supply of Pop Rocks], Saturday will be a headbanging thunderfest. A quartet of Austin riff-slinging rock groups will be hitting up The Mink, including The Blind Pets [who we caught there in September] and the pounding White Rhino, who heavily impressed Houstonist while we were up north for FunFunFun Fest. However, Saturday is full of notable shows to pick from, including Roky Moon & Bolt supporting Dax Riggs, Fat Tony & friends at Mango's, Ray Wylie Hubbard [we'll get our early start watching his in-store at Cactus and downing a Saint Arnold brew], Scott Biram at Continental Club, and a slew of metal at The Meridian.

After all that, we'll need a musical defibrillator to kick-start our heart on Sunday. Motley Crüe won't be in town, but The Sword should do a fine job with their colossal instrumental sagas. The Anvil would make a fine substitute, we suppose. If you've ever wanted to see Scary Kids Scaring Kids then don't pass on their farewell tour, which will be stopping at Meridian. For the old-school hardcore crew, Agnostic Front will be at Walter's, and while we're not sure who the acts at Super Happy Fun Land are, we'd go based on names alone. If you remain undecided after all that, Houstonist would put down good money that says you can't go wrong with Houston Funk Factory at Continental Club.

Geez, we're exhausted just typing all of that. Go see a show this weekend, for music's sake!
Thursday, January 21st
Changoman at Continental Club [free]
David Lutes, Bert Young, Sandy Sears at Anderson Fair
Give Hope 4 Haiti with Derek Webb, The 71s, David Gamboa, Finnegan at Taft St. Coffee [6 pm, $10]
Los Pistoleros de Texas at Charlie's Big Top
Mark Growden, Chase Hamblin at Avant Garden
School of Liars, Steve & Steve, Wearwuulf, Will Crum at Super Happy Fun Land
Willy Porter at Mucky Duck

Friday, January 22nd
American Sharks, Passengers, Big Black Spiders, Young Brothers at Walter's
Deep Ella, Language Room, Courier, Mahoney at Fitzgerald's
Flounder Without Eyes at Last Concert Cafe
Haiti Relif Benefit featuring The Factory Party, The Failed Attempt, Shark Attack, Versecity, DJ Sun, Kung Fu Pimp, Brad Slack, Chris Costello at Warehouse Live
Hijos de Manuela at Bohemeo's
J.T. Kerschen's Imaginarium, Fiskadoro, A Thousand Cranes, If The War Should End at Notsuoh
listenlisten, Robert Ellis, Gin City at Free Press Houston Warehouse 3412 Yupon [8:30 pm, $5]
The Live Lights, Tax The Wolf at Continental Club [free]
Malcolm Rollick at Sedition Books
Mark Growden at Avant Garden
Micky & The Motorcars at House of Blues [Bronze Peacock]
Million Stars Missing, The X-Pats, Night flight, A Silent Canvas, Winter Road, Oscuridad Social, Oncoming Traffic, This Name's Temporary at The Mink
Nightmare River Band, Chase Hamblin, Maryanna Sokol at Mango's
Ray Bonneville at Anderson Fair
Scott Miller at Mucky Duck
Subrosa Union, Changoman, Laskaretas at Fitzgerald's [downstairs]
Vanessa Peters, Matt Harlan, Krista Vossler, MC Hansen at Rudyard's
Zach Deputy at House of Blues [Restaurant]

Saturday, January 23rd
Atilla, With The Ruins, We Are The End, Waverly Hills, All The Way To The Bank, Kill The Theory, Dinner at Dahmers at Walter's
Dana Cooper [CD Release] at Anderson Fair
Dax Riggs, Roky Moon & Bolt, Fired For Walking at Rudyard's
Dead Frail Honesty, Steel Hook Prosthesis, Endless Blinding Sunshine, Violence and Metaphysics, Dead Skeleton at Super Happy Fun Land
Everclear, Clayton Senne at House of Blues
Failure To Notice at Last Concert Cafe
Fat Tony, Guerilla Foco Clan, Krylon, Simple Success at Mango's
Four Year Strong, The Bled, Fingers Crossed, This Time Next Year, Title Fight at Meridian
J. Cole, The Nice Guys, Mr. Rogers at Warehouse Live
Lazor Vision, Bro. Ernie, Conley Shepherd Band at Bohemeo's
Perpetual Groove at House of Blues [Bronze Peacock]
Project H, Meriwether, Paul Pelc, Carmeci, American Fangs at Fitzgerald's
Ray Wylie Hubbard at Cactus Music [3 pm]
Ray Wylie Hubbard at Mucky Duck
Sara Hickman at NiaMoves
Scott H. Biram, Sean Reefer & the Resin Valley Boys, Grizzly at Continental Club
The Swingfield Playboys at Mucky Duck
Texas Metal Fest 2010, featuring Lillian Axe, Vital Remains, Ninth Kingdom, Consumned, Zone of Inhibition, Uncleansed, Insidious Decrepancy, The Nephilim Terror, Convicted of Treason, Surreallism, Abolishment, Sculpting Atrocity, Take A Right At Tulsa, Lao Tzu, Rated E, Krank Shaft, 28th Street, Predominant Mortification, Anguish In Exile, Sadistic Butchering, & Blind Sanctity at The Meridian
White Rhino, The Blind Pets, Smoke & Feathers, The River Mouth at The Mink
The Wildbills, Keiko, Legacy Fails, Flight to Athena at Fitzgerald's [downstairs]

Sunday, January 24th
Agnostic Front, Death By Stereo, Killer Ape, U.Y.U.S. at Walter's
The Anvil Experience, Sid 17 at House of Blues
Flashbulb Fires, Mouse Fire, Jennifer Kay at Super Happy Fun Land
Houston Funk Factory at Continental Club [free]
Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Dance Gavin Dance, Modsun at Meridian
The Sword, Woodgrain at Warehouse Live

Photos: White Rhino MySpace, Finnegan MySpace, Jamaal Ellis [The Nice Guys]

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Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Nike Motion

Eric S. — 2010-01-21T12:00:00-06:00

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Nike Motion
by gwenturnerjuarez

Runners from this year's Chevron Houston Marathon.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - houston sunrise from the skybridge

Eric S. — 2010-01-19T12:00:00-06:00

houston sunrise from the skybridge
by clumsylady

Another gorgeous Houston sunrise captured from a downtown skybridge.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

H-Town Rock

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-18T14:00:00-06:00

For the week of January 18th - 20th, 2010

Well it was quite a weekend for ol' Houstonist: a few good concerts, closing Leon's Lounge, and a healthy serving of booze. Fortunately for us, this town never runs out of shows for us to go see.

Our apologies to the cute punker Jemina Pearl, who will be at The Mink, but did you see that Warehouse Live lineup? Oh, you haven't yet because it's listed below all of our rambling - well, Bun B has gathered together a huge ol' mess of rappers to put on a benefit concert raising money to provide relief for Haiti. With a lineup that stacked and a cause that noble, Houstonist will have no other choice but to be there.

We've heard some good things about The Hustler's Brass Band [complete with free red beans and rice] over at Charlie's Big Top. In fact, Houstonist has made a personal vow to catch them soon. However we also spied Cavernous on the lineup at Jet Lounge and we've been jonesing for some of their instrumental metal brutality ever since we caught them at the Westheimer Block Party.

After all that, we'll need something a tad more mellow in the middle of our week. We say a tad because Houstonist plans to go see the multi-talented Joe B at Bohemeo's, and if you've never seen Joe, his performances can hit pretty hard.

Come out and join us, or go see another show, but either way let us know how it went.
Monday, January 18th
Houston 4 Haiti featuring Bun B, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Candi Redd, Lil' O, Trae, Just Brittany, The Party Boys, ESG, Young Problems, Cory Mo at Warehouse Live
Jemina Pearl, Pedro Tijerina (of Springfield Riots), Magic Marmalade at The Mink
The Octanes, Glover Gill at Continental Club

Tuesday, January 19th
Calling Chase, Cavernous, Dreaming of June at Jet Lounge
The Hustlers Brass Band at Charlie's Big Top
John Evans, Greg Schroeder, Graham Wilkinson at Mucky Duck
Shores of the Tundra, Aseethe, Black Hole Caravan, Hyperspeed Megaship at Super Happy Fun Land
The Umbrella Man at Continental Club

Wednesday, January 20th
Aseethe, Shores of the Tundra, Defending The Kingdom at Rudyard's
Jack Toft with the Vegetables, Craig's Dragon Book Band, B L A C K I E, Heroine Stereo at Super Happy Fun Land
Joe B at Bohemeo's
Peter & James at Charlie's Big Top
Whiskey Boat, Spoiled Royals at Continental Club

Photos: Bun B MySpace, flickr user forklift [Jemina Pearl]

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Daily-ist Monday: Tribute to Eddie Cope

Eric S. — 2010-01-18T13:00:00-06:00

Eddie Cope was a Houston playwright who published over thirty plays and produced many more. Mr. Cope passed away on November 30, 2009 at the age of 96. To celebrate his legacy a tribute is being held tonight at Main Street Theater.

Eddie's relatives, friends, co-authors, actors and other theater professionals will gather to celebrate his life. There will be a live performance of Eddie's short comedy, BINGO.

Come out and celebrate the life of Eddie Cope.

--

What: Tribute to Eddie Cope
When: January 18, 2010 - 7:00pm
Where: Main Street Theater - 4617 Montrose Blvd.
Cost: Free

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - A Curtsy From Miss Ashley

Eric S. — 2010-01-18T12:00:00-06:00

A Curtsy From Miss Ashley
by OneEighteen

Do we have any fisherman or sea folk out there? Does a shrimp boat hang their nets like this to dry or is there another reason? We're just curious.

If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining a whole bunch of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Each day, Houstonist chooses a Photo of the Day and if Houstonist uses your photo, submit it here.

Rock Talk, Vol. XVI

Marc Brubaker — 2010-01-15T16:00:00-06:00

Each week we scour the internet, gathering morsels of awesome from the Houston music scene. This week turned up a treasure trove of songs and information, so have at it!

Tunes
Prairie Cadets recorded 17 demos last week and put several of them up on Virb. Go listen and let them know what you think.

Holy Fiction slapped a pair of new tunes from their upcoming album, Hours From It, on MySpace.

Speaking of new songs, Tax The Wolf put some up on MySpace.

Young Mammals made the weekly Music Monday post on the Urban Outfitters blog - good news for a scene constantly looking to up its national rep. Go grab their song Confetti.

Producer Jett I. Masstyr brings us Megatron Re-masstyr'd: a beat tape made up entirely of sounds from the Transformers cartoons. Pretty dope.

Videos
Light Parade gives us a glimpse into recording guitar parts for their song, Saint Era. They also announced that they have signed with Magnolia Red.

Hollywood Floss talks about his upcoming album.

News, etc.
A Dream Asleep will be premiering a new music video at Röcbar on the 24th with a show that will also feature Dickey Hands and Burn The Boats.

Muhammid Ali wants you in their new music video. Naked.

Balaclavas new LP, Roman Holiday, will be unleashed on February 13th. Go get a look at the cover.

Trills announced a new record, due out January 31st on I, Absentee Records, complete with tracklisting.

Last but certainly not least, Chamillionaire's Major Pain drops on February 2nd. Maybe he'll be following our friend GunsandTacos by then.

Got a bit of news that you think fits in Rock Talk? Send an e-mail to marc [at] houstonist [dot] com. Please include any pertinent links for verification purposes.