Features/Reviews
EL LAGO, Pyramid
Sometimes, to progress, you don’t necessarily need to burn everything down and start all over again. You don’t need a full-on reinvention, but a tweaking, a subtle shift; it’s …
X Ambassadors, Orion
I’ve got a bit of a complicated relationship with NY trio X Ambassadors; it’s been kind of an up-and-down thing, to say the least. I’ve been a fan since …
The Appleseed Cast, The Fleeting Light of Impermanence
Even back when they were Yet Another Band with Melodic Guitars and Shy-Boy Vocals on an Emo Diaries comp (that’s where I first heard ’em, at least, literally 20 freaking …
The Wheel Workers, post-truth
It hasn’t even been a full decade since the first time I heard The Wheel Workers — which was then less a “band” and more just frontman/songwriter Steven Higginbotham yelling …
We Were Promised Jetpacks, The More I Sleep The Less I Dream
It’s bizarre to even type it, but it’s been longer than I’d realized since I last heard anything from one of my favorite bands, Edinburgh’s We Were Promised Jetpacks. …
The Ex-Optimists, Drowned in Moonlight
Hey, Ex-Optimists crew; look, we need to talk. I mean, I love y’all — you know I do — but it’s starting to creep me out having you rummage …
Andrew W.K., You’re Not Alone
Andrew W.K. has always been an enigma, at least to me; truthfully, it’s part of his charm. Is he serious about his whole “Party Hard” shtick? How can …
Matt Costa, Santa Rosa Fangs
I may have underestimated Matt Costa. No, scratch that — going by Santa Rosa Fangs, I definitely underestimated Matt Costa. I’ve only seen him live once, back in …
Ruiners, Typecast
Once upon a time, there was an awesome, promising young indie-rock band called Ruiners; they released a handful of songs, one of which, “One,” lived in my head for about …
Live in Pictures: Styx/Tesla
We’re stepping forwards a bit in time for this installment of Live in Pictures, with pics from photographer Marshall Forse Walker of the relatively-recent show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell …
Live: POND/Fascinator
The backstage door opened, and a young woman wearing sunglasses peeked out. I thought to myself, “Perhaps the show is about to begin.” She wore a saxophone around …
Jody Seabody & The Whirls, Hawksamillion
The first time I saw this band play, they were, well, pretty damn different from what they are now. See, if you’d asked me back then what Jody Seabody …
Live: The Suffers/The Tontons
I know it’s been years in reality, but it seems like yesterday that we were treated to The Suffers and The Tontons on the same night together at the Houston …
The Wiggins, WATERWORLD EP
When I first listened to WATERWORLD, the newest EP from The Wiggins, aka Jon Read, a surprising thing happened. I was in the car, driving my 8-year-old around, and …
Live in Pictures: Julien Baker/Half Waif/Adam Torres
Back again with the Live in Pictures series we’ve been doing, this time with photographer Marshall Forse Walker’s photos from the reportedly-excellet Julien Baker show…
The Suffers, Everything Here
The first time I listened to The Suffers’ new album, Everything Here, I was sitting on a desert island in the Caribbean; no, seriously, that’s what happens when you’ve got …
Live: Caroline Rose/Cardioid
I’ve been eagerly waiting to see Caroline Rose live again since first seeing her at Stubb’s in March during SXSW. The act was by far my favorite takeaway from …
Live in Pictures: ZAO/Eyeagainst/SLEEPERDRONE
And here we go once more, with Marshall Forse Walker’s pics from back in December when ZAO, Eyeagainst, and SLEEPERDRONE hit the now-shuttered Walter’s…
Rebirth In The Springtime: Checking Out In Bloom Fest 2018, Day One
Hello, SCR friends! It took a little while to get beyond the allergies, but now I’m ready to get started with my field report on Houston’s newest “big field …
Live in Pictures: Wye Oak/Bayonne
Took a brief breath there in the post-Madness on Main, um, madness, but we’re back. Here’s the next in the “Live in Pictures” series, courtesy of Marshall Forse Walker, …
Posts
Big, Bad News: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Canceled, As of Today
Well, wow. I’ve got to admit that I didn’t see that coming… The City of Houston held a press conference this afternoon to announce that this year’s …
Yr Friday Night: PUP + Miears + Ancient Cat Society + Tee Vee + The Tontons + Flower Graves + Bottom of the Food Chain + More
Holy shit, y’all. Yeah, it’s been a while — back in the fall, I had every intention of getting this ship righted …
Tonight: Go See Matthew Sweet at The Heights Theater
Okay, y’all. I know that there is a lot of stuff going on tonight (Friday, September 13th) — and I mean, a lot, like, seriously, just freaking look at …
Check Out Zine Fest Houston, Tomorrow at Lawndale
Hey, folks — it’s been very quiet around here, I know, and I’m really sorry for that. There are multiple reasons, some …
SXSW Overflow Fest Kicks Off Tonight, With The Escatones, Darwin’s Finches, & Free Pretzels
Hey, all — apologies for the quiet these past couple of months; yours truly got swallowed up by work and home stuff and …
Tonight: The Western Civilization + REZZ + Satanic Overlords of Rock n Roll + Blackgrass Gospel + More
Yes, friends, is Thanksgiving Eve — or so I’m told; I’d never actually heard that term ’til this month — Wednesday, November 21st, and while it’s not as crazy as …
Good Thing to Do Time: Help Punk Rock Stacy
This is heartbreaking… I can’t claim to know Punk Rock Stacy (aka Stacy Hartoon) personally, but I’ve long been a fan. She’s been a rock in Houston’s punk scene …
Texas Piano Man Robert Ellis Is Fucking Crazy with His New Video
Oh, wow. I know he doesn’t live here anymore, but like a handful of other luminaries (Jana Hunter and Carolyn Wonderland, for two), I will always, always consider …
Mid-Week Awesomeness: Drivin’ N Cryin’ (x2!), MAE, & Ian Sweet, All Playing Tonight
So, it’s a Wednesday — November 14th, to be precise — and that’s not normally a big day/night for shows, at least not around here. Mid-week tends to be …
This Weekend: Wide-Eye Music Marathon Hits East Downtown, and It’s Gonna Be Beautiful
Hey, y’all — been quiet lately, I know, and I’m sorry about that. I’ve been somewhat preoccupied with, um, other things lately…[mumble]thefateofthecountryandtexasturningblueandbetoandlizzieandstufflikethat[mumble]… So I’ve kinda fallen behind yet …
Tonight: DUCKWRTH Blasts Back Into White Oak Music Hall with a New Video (& Deem Spencer, Too)
A few months back, the kid and I were able to catch one of her favorite DJs, What So Not, up at White Oak Music Hall. …
Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: The Suspects 25 Anniversary + The Ex-Optimists + The Cryptographers + A Sundae Drive + Wild Moccasins + VODI + John Allen Stephens + More
Sigh. So, I’d hoped I would be out and about this evening — Saturday, October 6th — but it’s looking less like that and more like I’m going to …
Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Hobo Johnson + Rose Ette + EL LAGO + Astragal + Good Old War + The Bright Light Social Hour + DAZE + More
I dunno what it is lately, but there’ve been a ton of excellent, excellent shows happening in our hot-fog-enduring city, more than I’d generally expect for this time of year; …
Get On Down to the River: River Revival Music Fest, Starting Today
I’ve been sadly remiss in posting about it before now, which sucks, but I wanted to at least give a big-ass thumbs-up to the excellent-sounding River Revival Music …
Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: The Western Civilization + Cool Moon + texture: Yellow + Young Mammals + Velveteen Echo + Löwin + Sevendust + More
This weekend, y’all…damn. There is a veritable shit-ton of awesome shows happening, starting with tonight, Friday, September 21st, so I feel compelled to try to blather about some of …
Tonight, In Videos: Jade Bird + Frankie Cosmos + TOKiMONSTA + The Phantom Royals
Hey there, People My General Age, we need to talk. See, I’ve been talking to The Kid, just asking her curiously how she listens to music these days; she …
Tonight: First Aid Kit & Julia Jacklin at WOMH
We’re headed face-first a hell of a busy week, music-wise, and I’m honestly feeling kinda frantic, not wanting to let any of it slip by (even though, yes, I almost …
This Sunday: Canned Acoustica Re-Emerges as Unplugged, with Jealous Creatures, Christian Kidd, Pecos Hank, & More
I’m going to hang my head and admit with sadness that no, I never got to check out the old Canned Acoustica series of shows. I know, …
Rudz Turns 40, This Weekend: VODI, The Wheel Workers, Jealous Creatures, The Hates, Poor Dumb Bastards, & More
Being a music fan in this city is a hard, heartbreaking thing. As good as things are now when it comes to the people making music in and around …
Tonight: Jonah Matranga + Friends Play Far’s Water & Solutions at The Continental Club
I know that for a long (long) while there, I kinda cringed every time somebody brought up the whole “nu-metal” wave of the late ’90s; I couldn’t help it, y’know? …
