Ten Things I Love About the Houston Music Scene

4. Numbers. Even if I wasn't bananas about the artists who form the bedrock of Numbers' legendary '80s night — the Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Echo & the Bunnymen — I'd still have to give the Montrose mainstay, marking its 30th anniversary this summer, its propers. Even after all this time, and with a lot more competition from the LiveNations of the world, Numbers still manages to draw in bands (the Slits, British Sea Power) that might otherwise bypass Houston altogether. And best of all, its doors are always open to local musicians, whether through events like the Westheimer Street Festival or Free Press Houston's recent run of "Recession Thursday" shows.

3. Hands Up Houston. This lively Internet message board is invaluable in finding advice on everything from scooter repair to a good dentist, with loads more personality than Craigslist to boot. But since it's populated largely by the movers and shakers of the local music scene — mostly indie-rock, though metal and hip-hop get plenty of face time, too — it's absolutely indispensable when it comes to finding out what's really happening, be it an instant concert review, last-minute booking opportunity, occasional flame war, directions to that house party everyone's talking about or sharing that hilarious clip you just found on YouTube.

2. Entrepreneurialism. Houston has plenty of clubs, many of them excellent, but one of my absolute favorite things about the scene here is how many great shows happen nowhere near a nightclub. Besides multipurpose venues like DiverseWorks, the Orange Show and the new Caroline Collective, it's not unusual for shows to happen in art galleries, museums, warehouses, parking lots and people's freaking houses. Sometimes it seems like the entire city is one giant venue.

1. Potential. Forsaken or otherwise misbegotten by the fickle gods that govern other cities' music scenes, Houston routinely shrugs off slights that would cripple lesser locales. Though it acts as a spigot spraying homegrown talent all over North America (and beyond), Houston always keeps more than enough to itself to surprise natives and newcomers alike.

Just about everyone I've met here, no matter how they're involved with the scene, seems to be constantly thinking about what they can do to make it better. And like I said, I've been here a year and feel like I've only scratched the surface of what this city has to offer. I look forward to delving much deeper in the months and years to come.

chris.gray@houstonpress.com