Pike's Peak

WED 1/21

Like many of her Austin peers who carved out a Houston fan base at the Fabulous Satellite Lounge, Patrice Pike felt rudderless when that fixture of the local music scene closed in January 2003. But Pike has gone on to thrive in her new home-away-from-home at the Rhythm Room, where she's become part of the growing community of female artists promoted in Texas and around the country by Sugar Land-based GoGirlsMusic.com. Pike's up-front bisexuality always made for an open vibe at her FabSat shows, where packs of men and women carved out spaces down front to groove along with the charismatic singer and catch a glimpse of the colorful tattoos that adorn much of her body.

Pike is working up some intriguing songs for a new CD, the follow-up to 2002's Patrice Pike and the Black Box Rebellion, collaborating with some of the musicians from the old Austin jam-band era. Tracked down at home, Pike says that since she's not packing in four or five gigs a week anymore, she's found the time to post spoken word and poetry on her Web site.

"I'm still doing storytelling kind of songs, and now, in a bizarre kind of way, I'm being seen more as a singer-songwriter, with an invitation to [the] Kerrville [Folk Festival] and other gigs like that," she says. "I actually have a personal life again, and I seem to have time to be creative. I'm having a blast." 9 p.m. Wednesday, January 21. 1815 Washington Avenue. For information, call 713-863-0493 or visit www.rhythmroomhouston.com. $8. -- Greg Barr

STIRRED AND SHAKEN

PAPPADEAUX'S ABSOLUT PEPPAR BLOODY MARY

I woke up a trifle disoriented on my friend's couch. I left her apartment without having coffee, and as I was shifting gears I caught a whiff of stale cigarette smoke and flat beer on my clothes. The jalopy was cold, and it sounded as miserable as I felt. I didn't know what I felt like drinking, but I needed something in a hurry. I wound up at the bar of Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen(2410 Richmond, 713-527-9137), not sure if a wrinkled Western shirt and mud-caked jeans were appropriate for such a place. Nevertheless, I was soon accosted by three guys who should be locked up for being so damn happy. Jeff was the first bartender to get on my nerves. I swear he asked me 20 times if everything was all right. All I ordered was some gumbo and a cocktail, for crying out loud. Then it was Kyle, going on and on about the food like I'd just gotten released from Folsom Prison. By the time Lewis got to me, I thought I'd gone to a hell made especially for the under-tipper. He proceeded to make me a Bloody Mary that would put hair on my father's damaged liver -- and his delivery could've won him an Oscar. I finished lunch and was getting up to leave when I heard Jeff yelling over the crowd, "Thanks again, and don't let that cold get you down." I should be so lucky.

2 ounces Absolut Peppar vodka
2 ounces tomato juice
Celery salt
Horseradish
Worcestershire sauce
5 to 10 dashes Tabasco sauce
Healthy, blemish-free celery stalk
3 wedges lemon or lime
Olives

Mix tomato juice with horseradish, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Add some ice to a celery salt-rimmed pint glass. Pour in the vodka and top off with your heady tomato brew. Season to your liking with the celery salt, salt and pepper. Squeeze in the juice of three lime (or lemon) wedges and garnish with celery stalk and a stray olive or two. Stir softly, as you don't want to shock all the ingredients. -- J.W. Crooker

Humpty Dance

WED 1/21

Hump days are better with a little bounce, and no music has more bounce than drum-'n'-bass -- the stripped-down, tweaked-out, bastard offspring of dancehall riddims and electronica. D&B might be standard weekend fare for ravers hopped up on...um...whatever's available, but the mid-week thump-thump goes down easy on "Suave Wednesdays" at Slider's. Resident turntablist DZ works the decks with finesse. The bartenders will be slinging daiquiri specials all night long, including "top off" shots for a buck (as if the thumping bass weren't enough to make your head pound in the morning). 10 p.m. Wednesdays. 1424 Westheimer. For information, call 713-528-2788 or visit www.slidersbar.com. Free. -- Keith Plocek

A New Spin

SAT 1/17

Robot Carnival is a masterwork of anime. Fantasia-like in form, the mid-'80s Japanese techno-classic features several animated shorts created by different, now legendary teams of producers. But the score just wasn't bumpin' enough for the folks at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. They're turning off the film's volume and handing the sound over to Austin-based DJ NickNack, who'll serve up his own blend of infectious grooves for the cleverly crafted shorts. Expect to see a good mix of geeks and club kids at the show, as well as anyone else who appreciates the artistic potential of the microchip. 10 p.m. Saturday, January 17. 1000 West Oaks Mall. For information, call 281-556-0204 or visit www.drafthouse.com. $7. -- Keith Plocek