Big News Time: .belville Reunion Tonight + Fitz Under New Management
Hey, all — still mostly offline at the moment, but I managed to get a spare second at a computer, so I figured I’d better post about a couple of things while they’re hot(-ish)…
First off, it appears that much-beloved yet under-appreciated indie-popsters .belville are reuniting tonight, Thurs., July 29th, up at The Mink — which is a very cool thing for folks like me who never got to see ’em live back in the day. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like it’s a prelude to anything more lasting, which means yours truly will have to go without, even now. sigh.
Anyway, the show’s 21+, it’s free, and it’ll also feature local indie-rock/poppers {The Watermarks}, “along with a few surprises” (per frontman Jonathan Updegrove). Should be damn cool.
For the other news, it appears that the {Free Press Houston} crew has made yet another epic move in their quest to eventually rule Houston with a silky-smooth iron fist: they’ve teamed up with the good folks of Pegstar.net to buy venerable club/venue/whatever Fitzgerald’s. Holy crap.
While I generally shy away from just re-posting press releases, hell, I can’t explain the details any better than they can themselves, so here you go:
- Free Press Houston and Pegstar.net Concerts, the people who brought you Free Press Summer Fest, are proud to announce they will be the new owner-operators of legendary Houston live music venue Fitzgerald’s effective September 2010.
After 33 historic years of live music in Houston, owner and founder Sara Fitzgerald will be retiring and passing the torch. Having opened its doors in 1977, Fitzgerald’s has hosted such legendary acts as James Brown, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Ramones, R.E.M. among countless others. The new owners will carry on that fabled tradition while adding an energetic new vigor the venue has not seen in some years.
The ‘current’ Fitzgerald’s will continue its operations through early September yet close its doors for a couple of weeks for renovations. Besides aesthetic changes to the nearly 100-year-old building, crucial improvements will be made to the sound system despite it being one of the best sounding rooms in the city.
New website, full lineup, and details on grand re-opening will be released in coming weeks. Expect big things.
There you go, folks — not sure what the “new” Fitz will be like, and I must confess that I already feel a twinge of pre-nostalgia for that rickety-ass place with its wobbly floors and bathrooms with urinal-height holes to the outside world, but I’m thinking this’ll be for the better.
That’s it for now, y’all; I’m off to eat some obscure British candybars and listen the Courteeners album I just picked up. Have fun…
Holy twizzles – can’t wait to see the rebirth of great music in a great venue that’s locally owned.