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Sam 11/23/2008 11:22:00 AM
I feel like one of the mythical young people this article talks about. I'm going to graduate from Rice with a chemical engineering degree in May, and I've only applied to companies with locations in more culturally-mature cities. I can't picture myself not being bored to tears living here all my life.
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wmsmith 09/11/2008 9:20:00 PM
A quote from Daver Flaver below, responses below that.
Ah, Daver Flaver, hmmm. Do you play in the Kanude's band? If he's slaying them at SXSW why can't he do it here? In fact, why doesn't he never play any gigs period? His site currently lists 3 gigs; there's bands in this town who are still struggling to get known that play more gigs in two weeks than he'll play all year. It might come as news to you, but real bands play. That's how they get good. But it also helps if the singer can sing.
Secondly, I must've missed the chapter in journ school that said the newspaper should support "a scene", although i think if you've read the Press long (and obviously you have since you offer such an insightful -- and I might add, negative! --critique) you probably are aware that, while we may not sound trumpets and all bow down before every local act with a record like Joey Guerra and Chronicle tend to do, we do not often go negative on local acts. I haven't counted them, but i'd bet there haven't been 20 negative reviews of local acts in the Press in the past ten years. I don't know what other Press writers do or what their criteria are, but about the only thing that will make me go negative on locals is 1)club owners grousing about an act, or 2) the act's hype and/or attitude being ridiculous to the point of insulting one's intelligence. Knudson qualified A+ in both areas.
The other crucial criteria is that the cd or show is just plain mediocre and/or bad (believe it or not, there are lots of mediocre and/or sucky acts in town -- there I said it!). HPress writers perform so many acts of kindness to local acts and to the local scene by NOT REPORTING on them, by just quietly slipping the cd back in the jacket and filing it away or just walking out of a show and going home, because believe me we could go infinitly more negative than we do. But more often that not, the reasoning goes something along the lines of 'why drop an atomic bomb on an ant?' I tell almost every act who hands me a CD or send me some over the top press release, 'be careful what you ask for.' My job is not to report that a cow patty smells like a rose.
Anyway, I've written for the Press since 2002 and can only recalling going negative myself on local acts 3-4 times. By the way, if your reading habits require only articles that make locals sound like the next Elvis Costello or Nickelback, you might try Envy Magazine.
Lastly, as anyone seriously in the business of writing about music and art knows, to praise all is to praise none.
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Brian 09/03/2008 6:56:00 PM
It is a tough scene - we've been writing in an event notice and emails for the Heartless Bastards at Last Concert Cafe for a month now and haven't even gotten a response - although I can't blame Houstonian's lack of participation on lack of knowledge.....
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Audrey 08/06/2008 2:11:00 AM
Actually, Super Unison used to be very good about using the email list to inform people of there shows. But after the Two Gallants incident, you rarely ever get an email about SU shows these days. I try my hardest to keep up with shows by checking promoter websites, Space City Rock, individual venue websites (which some just don't much at all) but some times you just miss out.
I think the problem is all around. It's the people for not going to shows. It's the lack of good venues and it's the promoters for obviously giving up because times suddenly got tough. Shit happens but you have to rebound from it. You can't keep reminding people that one day two years ago some cop in a 'roid rage tasered some people and arrested some mouthy vegans from San Francisco. It shouldn't have happened but it did. It was atypical of how shows run here and people need to realize that.
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Jason - Bass, Alkari 07/28/2008 5:44:00 PM
Funny I should come upon this article in looking for the schedule to yesterday's awards showcase and the day after the incredible Twotennanny! I had so many reactions to reading it that I just had to let it simmer, go to the shows and walk the dog this morning thinking about it!
As far as getting touring bands to come to Houston, I feel your pain, Ryan. I know that must be a near impossible task and I applaud those (like Pegstar Concerts along with SU) who continue to beg and cajole booking agents to have their bands drive that extra few hours and spend that extra $40? on gas and $50 on a motel or figuring out a floor to sleep on instead of heading straight up to Dallas or Austin.
Buzz is the only thing that will bring the people out. That takes a lot of work and time, and very little money or recognition comes back in return! Speaking of Buzz, the two best Super Unison shows I have seen so far this year (Sharon Jones in January which was SOLD OUT, and Fleet Foxes in March which was woefully under-attended) were recommended to me by Levi at Guitar Center. If you want a great �word of mouth guy� with a truly positive outlook, look no further than Levi. My suggestion for everyone is to be more like Levi, who considers Houston a music haven compared to Idaho (or is it Montana?) where he�s originally from, and research/listen to every band that Super Unison and Pegstar and the others who put on shows of whatever style you like and if you like what you hear then �program the tivo� and get out of the house to hear them in person! All these bands are just a few clicks away and you�re going to actually like some of them and admire a few more. Other champions of the Houston scene are theskyline.net, spacecityrock.com, houstoncalling.net, free press houston�s ramon and omar, chron.com�s Sara and Joey. Damn, that�s pretty good competition for the Press! I obviously check out those other websites more often seeing as I�m commenting on this 3 weeks after it was written.
As for local bands, of course they cover the gamut of quality, from good bands that are my tastes to good bands that aren�t, to not so great, to the downright �how did they get this gig, and they�re nominated for what?!?� But the great thing about Houston that is not true in San Francisco where I used to live, is that at least here you can get a gig on a weekend night (though at Rudyard�s you better book it 3 months in advance). There are so many touring bands coming through town in SF and SO SO MANY local bands fighting for that one local support slot that it�s near impossible to get shows that aren�t �Tuesday night and beg your friends to come�. So it�s a hard road for local bands no matter where you live (don't romanticize other cities!)
Here are my top 15 bands of the moment in no particular order, and since several of them were not nominated for awards you may not have heard of them � The recently departed Penny Royal, The Gold Sounds, Paris Falls, Something Fierce, The Soarce, Pale, Spain Colored Orange, Basses Loaded, Dune.tx, Heist at Hand, The Western Civilization, The Riff Tiffs, Perseph One, Antarctica Starts Here, Wild Moccasins, Sharks and Sailors. Guess what, I can stay pretty busy on these bands alone even without national acts! Add other Houston bands like Bring Back the Guns, The Tontons, and the list goes on and on. No time to complain � go see these people for yourself.
As for local venues, yes, I would love to see some more powerful PA systems (and money sunk into them would mean higher cover charges right?) at places like The Mink and Walter�s, better lighting at Rudyard�s, and better smells at Walter�s and NotsuoH (now that IS a stench!) But that�s not enough of an excuse to stay home when a band you want to see is playing.
I just checked in at Super Unison on myspace and they haven�t even signed into their account since this article was published. I hope you guys aren�t giving up, because some of us really do appreciate what you bring to the scene. See you soon!
Jason � Bass, Alkari
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LB 07/28/2008 10:28:00 AM
This article has kind of been a running joke among everyone I talked to at the 8-10 local music shows I've attended since it was published. I agree with part of it, but I also agree with many others that much of this seems to be negativity for negativity's sake. It reminds me of a former Lomax article about how much local radio sucks, especially KTRU (as a KTRU DJ at the time, I did not agree).
I am so impressed with all that Houston folk have started relatively recently: Secret Saturday Shows, Hootenanny, local music performances on KTRU, Recession Thursday concerts, Backroom concerts (I used to go there like 3 years ago...dead), the new Caroline Collective events, etc. etc. etc. And don't get me started about how awesome the last Westheimer Block Party was. Any of those, plus the websites previously mentioned in comments, are great places to find out about Houston music. I can think of more than 5 bands whom I would pay to see...hopefully other people at HoustonPress can too, since way more than 5 bands played the HoustonPress showcase today.
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Liz Simone 07/27/2008 8:45:00 PM
The Houston music scene is doing well only with underground hip-hop and perhaps, zydeco, to whatever importance that means. The city is too spread out to have an indie scene that matters. Hip-hop thrives amongst the urban, where everything in the city happens and accumulates. Who wants to drive to Humble or Tomball to see a mediocre band play?
Do we blame it on the commute and gas prices, or on the fact that people in Houston are not passionate enough about live music because there isn't much music here to be passionate about?
Basically, Houston has horrible promoters and not enough quality talent to bring in the masses. When there are amazing bands in Houston, no one knows about it. I have seen many legendary bands in Houston that didn't even have close to a full house such as The Circle Jerks, Peter Murphy, and Saul Williams. The Houston Press has pretentious and boring writers, although I did enjoy this article. Rarity. Also, local bands are too lazy to even promote themselves, besides throwing up a few myspace bulletins.
The venues are okay. These shouldn't be a problem unless the venues can't promote their own shows. The cliques and the fighting amongst various genres or groups of musicians/scenesters is ridiculous and puts people in a hostile situation to where it is not about the music, but about social standards.
We can point fingers and blame this or that about how the music scene in Houston is barely in existence, or we can do something about it as a community.
Go to gigs.
Make friends, not enemies.
Be yourself and have a good time.
Support local talent.
Don't be a douche.
Bands to check out:
Paris Falls
Wild Moccosins
Peekaboo Theory
Deus Machina
Satin Hooks
Studemont Project
Karina Nistal
All from Houston.
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travies 07/25/2008 5:50:00 AM
GiantLeap- You couldnt sound more ridiculous with the comments you made about The Decemberists. You my friend are what gives Houston a bad name.
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Eric Burns Dick 07/24/2008 5:02:00 AM
No hard feelings but I'm sorry that it's difficult to make a living with music. The scene here is a whole lot better than other places. Spend some time somewhere else - I suggest Lansing, Michigan. You'll be glad to hear live music. That or cut off your ear, mail it to a prostitute, and wait until you die to become famous. Let us not forget the point of making music - to have fun.
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GiantLeapForMankind 07/24/2008 1:14:00 AM
The Commie Decemberists couldn't have been beaten enough. Get out of Houston with your pansy ass commie crap. I'm glad they will never some back here. Good riddance. This is Houston, not your dipshit west coast hippie garbage. Leave if that's what you want Houston to be.
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ct 07/22/2008 7:27:00 AM
1. Houston music scene has sucked since about '94. Wasn't much better before then, either, but the '80s were pretty good.
2. Gabriel M. Rodriguez is a 'roid-head douche bag. Lose the badge and taser toy and your ass would be wiped with your face. Pussy.
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Eddie C. 07/20/2008 12:36:00 AM
Sorry, correction: forgot about KHits.....
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Eddie C. 07/20/2008 12:31:00 AM
I think Dave Flavor makes some very valid comments about Houston Radio and the Press taking the lead. I would just like to add my two cents on the radio issue.
Why in God's name do we have FIVE different radio stations playing the SAME CRAP!!! Mix 96, Sunny 99, Jack FM and The Point all play the exact same shit! I swear one day not too long ago I flipped from one station to the next and 3 of those stations were playing the exact same song. WTF?
Now, I know what you're gonna say: it's Clear Channel's fault, corporate consolidation, blah, blah, blah. But in the midst of this barren wasteland you have Rice Radio with the perfect opportunity to do something about it and what do they play? Noise. No, literally noise! You flip through the channels and you come across 91.7 and they're playing some ambient bullshit that sounds like some kind adjusting the bunny ears on his TV set. Is that really what College Radio is supposed to be about? I mean, hell, Texas A&M's college radio station is better than that!
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in it to win it 07/18/2008 8:09:00 PM
good lord there are a lot of idiotic comments in here. lets hit some main points:
1. if you're one of those "indie music sucks" people, this article was not meant for you. if you dont know any of the venues lomax referenced and have no idea what hands up was, you can just stop. you're just making us look worse. lomax was comparing the houston indie scene to indie scenes in other cities, which is valid. discussion of going to football games and funk music is not.
2. the whole article was absolutely silly. why? because it admits, IN THE ARTICLE, that not so long ago, houston had a thriving, successful, energetic, fun indie scene. when hands up was at its peak, there were shows all week! all promoted, all with incredible posters, all with enthusiasm behind them. so why then does the rest of the article focus on how much houston is never going to amount to anything, how much it sucks, etc etc? it makes absolutely no sense. houston had it before and it can have it again. things changed when hands up disbanded, but that doesnt mean it cant go back. it's obvious that one tired and disheartened man who undertook the endeavor with the idea of making money is not going to have the same success as a group of energetic, happy, well-connected young people who did it just because they wanted to see good music in houston. that's all there is to it, and it's NOTHING more than that.
it's harder to make things happen in houston, but it's not impossible. overwhelmingly negative articles like this dont make things any easier. up until very recently (chris gray), the press has been an absolutely pathetic "supporter" of the indie scene, and here lomax is waving his negativity flag about a situation that he helped create, almost proudly! it's embarrassing that bands and bookers in other cities will read this and use it as proof that, yep, they were right to skip houston. honestly, this is just one last "fuck you" from lomax to the indie scene. it deserves to be given no weight whatsoever.
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Carie 07/17/2008 8:40:00 PM
What a great article, and on an issue I believe needs to be addressed.
While I am sorry that the Hands Up/SuperUnision promoter that stayed in Houston seems to have lost a lot of his hearts and ideals, I am glad he has stayed here to keep up the good work.
I have always felt that Houston failing has been at venue level because of bad sound and an often uncomfortable layout, as mentioned in the article.
We'll see, I for one am not moving away anytime soon :)
great article kudos to you.
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Louis 07/17/2008 7:32:00 PM
one of the best shows of our last tour was in houston... the crowd was awesome, supportive and crazy about music! our experience was fantastic!
The Los Dos Bros
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Paul 07/17/2008 7:17:00 PM
So Houston is lacking in the music scene. I really don't care; to me, Houston overachieves in the other facets of the arts. Austin may have plenty of venues and bands and larger audiences, but most of the scene there is totally contrived to live up to their stupid mantra. Seriously, it's fake. We don't HAVE to support every shitty band just to be cool.
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disappointed 07/17/2008 6:32:00 PM
Personally, I'm tired of Ryan Chavez being the primary source of Lomax's seemingly endless articles about how bad the scene sucks, how lame the bands are, etc. etc blah blah.
These guys need to look inward a little more..
I played a Super Unison show awhile back and they did ZERO promo done for it...the only place I saw it mentioned was in the small Walter's ad in the Houston Press. He didn't even bother to show up until very late into the event and the touring act was pretty amazed and disappointed at Super Unison's seeming apathy and lack of interest - needless to say that act skipped Houston on his recent tour..
Where's the creativity? Obviously the business model of charging $10-$20 cover for a show at Walter's isn't working - how about trying some sponsorship with some giveaways...some kind of enticement to get people to spend $10-20 on gas, $10-20 on cover, $20+ on drinks?
I am a friend on their myspace page and a member of mailing list - I NEVER get any updates about shows and I've frequently missed something that I would have gone out for if I'd been aware. Seems like their idea of promo is to list the show on their website and leave it at that...then bitch when it isn't well attended and blame it on the scene.
I guess it also goes without saying that The Houston Press doesn't do much to help the situation - local album and show reviews take up so little space in comparison to the articles bitching about how we all suck, the scene sucks, everything sucks...except of course the local music press. How said is it that I've had much more luck getting coverage in the Chronicle than the Press?
Count me as one of the artists looking to get the hell out of here - though not because of the audience but because of the media and promoters.
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07/16/2008 3:49:00 PM
For ticketed shows, anything that doesn't use TicketBastard is pretty key for me. I find that ticket prices now double when going through them--a $15 ticket suddenly jumps to $30 when all the inconvenience fees are added. If there's no option to buy at the box office without going through TicketBastard, I forego the show.
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Rugrash 07/16/2008 3:35:00 PM
After leaving Houston in the late 90's whatever scene we had as well as the venues seemed be on the outs. When I came back to in 2006 at least there were more quality venues and things seemed better to me. Local bands and venues seem to be on a cycle of sorts (ups and downs) here and just b/c some 135lb indie folkie(??) mouths off to a cop...now Houston has this "label" of being a bad place to play? I always thought bands skipped Houston for the lack of audience enthusiasm. I remember alot of shows where people just stood around and didn't even bother clapping. Maybe it's just my imagination.
I'm not sure I agree with article and I particularly don't agree with the Chavez character. His quote "My passion leads me to buy the record and stay in my air-conditioned home and listen to it" maybe shows his true colors and lack of dedication. I've never even heard of his Hands Up Houston collective or whatever it is. Maybe it's b/c they label it "indie". To me, pretty much every band that I like and go see live are underground and they all come to town.
I totally agree with previous posters who made excellent points about how to "fix" things and other's hypotheses as to why Houston is in this position. I also agree that there are many reasons (horrible radio, poor promotion, poor public transportation etc) why Houston is behind other cities of similar size with regards to live music. My brother has been a professional musician since he was 14 years old and has never had a straight job in his life. He plays a lot of local shows and also tours both nationally and internationally.
Finally HP is probably the last place I would ever look to find out about new music. I do like picking up your paper if only to use it when I clean my guns.
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Former Houston Resident 07/16/2008 3:20:00 AM
Houston does not have the right types of venues to foster a music 'scene'.
Austin, San Francisco, and many other places have areas of town where you can walk from one good live music venue to another. Rudyard's, Walter's, the Mink, etc., all require a drive to shuffle between them. The areas of town that have music bars you can walk to cater to a different audience.
In addition, most places that are going to have 'indie' bands have completely shit sound systems. Rudyard's does well, but otherwise ...
Lots of good bands played at the Proletariat. And lots of those good bands haven't been back since.
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m 07/16/2008 2:38:00 AM
Yes,Houston is the wild wild west. Their are certain places in the city you dont go and other places where your alright,their are definate boundries in Houston its almost like being in different states.
The music scene here is rough,everything is so controlled
and the beer prices so high you cant smoke anywhere.You dont want to travel to see a band to be in a stressed-out enviroment.
Alot of people feel like if they are going top make the effort to go ,it better be a kick-ass show.
Houston really needs more house/drum n bass DJS to pass through and do more shows.
When BAD BOY BILL comes in town the club or venue packed in -standing room only.
Yes 90% of the crowd if their to watch his awesomness that never grows old,but the other 10% come just because their IS a show to go to.
One of the attractions Houstonions enjoy is having the option to buy your ticket early online you will pay around $10 bucks for PRESALE! or you pay at the door the night
of the show for 20-25 bucks. That is another thing Houston has becomed use to with Indie acts.
Its funny reading how bands usually do avoid Houston(i totally agree) but BAD BOY BILL tour dates this summer he has skipped AUSTIN and DALLAS to come to Houston.This is a first. I must say...
If you can get Houston to pack you in you are a
BAD BOY BILL!
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isaiditfirst 07/15/2008 8:16:00 PM
(enter) my soapbox..
omar - high five my man..because i couldnt agree more. let the friggin two gallants story die already! i felt like i picked up an HP from 2006. dejavu anyone? and most importantly, why bring back the pain of it all? its like calling the ex just to stir up bad memories. better to just leave it in a box at the top of your closet.
move on lomax, dwelling doesnt do you justice.
instead of writing about how BAAAAD our music scene is..and spreading the word even more, so the 'indie bands' will continue to avoid our talentless and uninspired city, how about rallying for us. put on your rally hat and write an article about why they SHOULD come here. there are a lotta friggin people in houston. a LOT of music lovers. tell them precisely why they why the MUST come here. berate them for not comeing..not us for not going.
or here's an idea..talk to the better venues like warehouse live (the 'studio' reminds me so much of a 'cleaner' satellite lounge)that is a perfect venue.
AND did i mention LOWER THE PRICE OF ADMISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its like 15-30 bucks to get in anywhere. people are gas-ass poor these days.
and chavez is right, i will give him credit for that - most of the bars have been established mainly as music venues - but that's really only the bars he books at - he rarely books outside of walters..maybe meridian sometimes. never a rudyards or mink where there is a regular draw. besides most of the bars in houston are free bars. people arent' use to paying a cover. also he does very little promoting. i love music. i'm on myspace - and even a superunison 'friend' and i NEVER get an email or a posting about ANY of the shows. he can't place all the blame on the concert goers.
if ya don't tell us they comin' how we suppose ta know ta go?
noone likes a naysayer lomax. how about something positive for a change.
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07/15/2008 5:04:00 PM
Dear Tomas Esquivel's father,
Your son probably knows the difference between its and it's and would have used the correct form had he written that comment himself.
Ms. Pants
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Eddie C. 07/15/2008 8:19:00 AM
I have to agree somewhat with The Birds, however, I also think young Mr. Chavez is wrong. Yes, you CAN blame Houston concert goers. Want a better music scene? Live in Houston? Try this list:
1. GO TO A DAMN SHOW! Educate yourself. Check out the MySpace of some band you've never heard of before. Meridian, The Warehouse, Verizon and The Continental do a good job about listing their up and coming shows in this very weekly. Look them up. Go out and support Live Entertainment instead spending too much money on overpriced vodka and Red Bull at your local "lounge" bar gawking over chics in sequined dresses that aren't going to screw you anyway.
2. SHUT THE FUCK UP! When you get to the show, WATCH the show and LISTEN to the artist. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some poor guys on stage singing their little hearts out while some stupid-ass bitch next to me is talking at the top of her lungs about some flip-flop wearing moron she's dating. If you want to talk, go the lobby!
3. BUY THE BANDS STUFF at the show. Make them feel welcome. They're guests in our town! By a freakin' koozie or something for crisske.
4. DO NOT LEAVE RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST ENCORE! This NEVER happened when I lived in Austin. It's disrespectful and there's probably gonna be an accident on I-10 anyway so you're not gonna get home any faster.
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figlio 07/15/2008 7:09:00 AM
Many times I've picked up a Press out of habit wondering 'what's in it for me'? And I have to admit the cover illustration of a guy flipping me the bird gave no clue. So thanks, John, for coming clean so early in your piece: the indie music scene that's passing us by isn't immaterial; it relates to our city's ability to recruit young, educated independent thinkers, those who would become the entrepreneurs in any number of businesses here. This is an intangible that's surely overlooked, but evident when you ask whether Houston or Seattle.
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Tyrone Green 07/14/2008 10:15:00 PM
What this article fails to mention is that a lot of indie bands really suck! Just because you cop a tude, wear black mascara, talk in a monotone voice, paint your fingernails black and criticize all the nerdy conformists doesn't make you a freakin genuis; it sometimes means you're a pathetic loser. What we need in Houston is more Nawlins funk with heavy, sticky, sweaty bass! We need more woman "shakin dat ass" out on the dancefloor and then us dudes will follow. Ditch the "I'm so freakin cool cause I wear vintage clothing" tude and get real, most people go out to have fun and blow off steam, not to be screamed at by some wanna be Sid Vicious snotty nozed teanager who "wears black" cause he's a non-conformist/conformist!
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Jorge (that's Hawr-heh) 07/14/2008 7:22:00 PM
Um, ronnie... MLS has been in Houston for 3 years already... 2 MLS championships... I do not live in Houston (yet, I might move there) and yet I know this and you don't??? LOL.
As for bad indie scenes, if Houston is bad you don't know the indie desert that is PR.
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Ronnie 07/14/2008 1:52:00 AM
After reading your article, I have a few comments to say.
1. If your band sucks, then dont come to Houston.
2. If you're singer's tone deaf, and doesnt know it, make sure someone can tell him. And dont come to Houston.
3. Dear bands, want people to come to your show? PROMOTE YOUR SHOWS YOURSELF instead of acting like rockstars thinking people are just going to show up because YOU are coming to town..
Ever hear of Myspace? Or making your OWN flyers and getting a street team started for yourself? Aside from what the promoter is going to do for you?
I'm working with a band right now that is from North Mississippi. Their myspace page is getting hit almost 100 times a DAY from people in Houston asking when they are performing live.
Are they mainstream sounding? yeah, BUT. that doesnt take from the fact that the band talks to every single fan personally, as many as they can in a day, and they make the connection to get people to want to see them live.
I'm so sick of indie bands thinking they are just gonna walk into the 4th largest city in the US and draw 400 people in a place and town they've never been in or marketed to. It's stupid and irrational thinking.
The promoters can only do so much. The bands have to get off their lazy ass and promote their own shows too.
You know, if they post an add on backpage.houston.com, they can have it reposted every 3-4 days for as little as $.50/ a post. And have it posted in Houston Press for $20. That's NOTHING to reach a large reader base. Nothing. Except laziness on the bands part for NOT trying to find as many media outlets as they can to DIY promote.
So they can get 400 people to show in Hayfield, Arkansas.
Probably because their is NOTHING else to do in that town so everyone goes to see a live show. EVERY market is different.
And trying to treat Houston like other markets is biased.
Austin is known for indie music. and more power to them.
Maybe indie music doesnt work in Houston because their is SO much to do, why go see when indie band when the Astros are about to get into the playoffs? The ticket price is about the same..?
Or during football season, it's just easier to pack up and goto Reliant for a Texans game and drink beer and BBQ. During the winter, you're competing against the Rockets.. Come on, man.. Get REAL. And for some newly entrenched Houstonians, I'm from Baton Rouge. So on weekends during the fall, I head to Tiger town for LSU games. And how many people are from Louisiana now that werent here 3 years ago?
So honestly, look at ALL the factors. On top of Houston getting a MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER team soon, there is just simply too much to do here. The city is vibrant in so many ways, that you really have be creative and you just simply have to WORK HARDER to get the draw you want in this market.
I'm sorry to be the bearer of work-related news, but that's the facts. Even for the local bands.
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ReverendEd 07/13/2008 7:33:00 PM
One of the other readers hit problem number one for the Houston music scene, lack of radio support for bands. Hell, The Buzz will hang up a banner at some shows but hardly mention the bands appearance on the radio. They damn sure won't play indie bands hardly at all. Certain venues in Houston just plain treat bands like crap, even ones that have had regional/national airplay. Local fans aren't the problem nearly as much as the venues themselves. If I get treated like crap at a club, I won't go back. Furthermore, this article doesn't go into why so many big stars skip Houston. Bowie finally played here a few years ago after skipping this town for over 10 years. From what I understand trying to book a show sucks in Houston even for big acts, so why should it be any different for indie acts?
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nana 07/13/2008 6:15:00 PM
Thanks for this article you guys. I like to thank Ryan Chavez for trying to put Houston up there...I just hope that people can get it through their heads that Houston is worthy of good bands too.
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nana 07/13/2008 6:02:00 PM
Thanks for this article you guys. It goes to show that there's so much people who feel that Houston does get the scraps of bands. I thank Ryan Chavez for trying to put Houston up there...I just hope that it can get through people's minds that good music can approach our city.
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Tomas Esquivel 07/12/2008 9:47:00 PM
Dear Houston Press,
I'm an eight year old boy and I saw the Houston Press cover. I saw the person with the middle finger sticking up. I'm sure parents read this and kids do see this, probably. Its a bad idea to put this on the cover because kids might learn to stick up their finger and think its funny. Please do not do anything bad like that again.
Sincerely,
Tomas
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motm 07/12/2008 4:22:00 PM
John:
Great article. Thanks for putting this discussion on the map. We need Houston to be a the destination for great live music.
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BillyDeez 07/11/2008 8:13:00 PM
Thing is, none of this matters to anyone who doesn't give a rat's ass about "indie music." Houston is doing well, plenty to do. So maybe the square-black-rimmed-glasses hipster doofus complains that there isn't an indie rock scene, but 98% of us here could care less. We make our money, conduct our business, have fun, and whether or not this so called "problem" is corrected, it won't make a difference in anyone's lives. Most businesses don't rely on revenue from this sort of stuff, not like its a huge tax base that the city is losing out on, and its great to have a hobby and all, but move to the other places you mentioned - Seattle, Austin, LA wherever.
it was an interesting read. I learned that the indie scene here sux. In other news, there is hunger, natural disaster and other ailments, so it was a nice distraction.
Living large and loving this OIL town!
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omar 07/11/2008 6:29:00 PM
Say it aint so Lomax!?
Is Lomax is really stretching for articles cuz he is wayyy better than this.The first problem with the article is the GLARING OMISSIONS. Was there a mention of the stranglehold Live Nation and AEG have on touring music in Houston (Bigtime HoustonPress advertisers)? Did he mention Hatetank? Did he mention the Westheimer Block Party? Did he mention the new lil' click of bands ala the Mckenzies, Wild Moccassins, and friends that drive tons of kids out to shows? The second problem with Lomax's article is that when comparing it to his last 'scene' article about the altrock folks at Fiz, he really just fits the skew of the moment. He juices the whole Two Gallant story that is old hat. Look, the 'scene' will always ebb and flow. People will always have some convoluted notion when the scene was in it's heyday and when it started sucky. HandsUp was a great phenomenon but it had to ultimately go away. Don't lament, rejoice. Twas crunk but had to go bye bye. The next big thing is around the corner. It does not matter though, because someone will always have a gripe about how "fill in the blank" was better. These are not qualitative remarks, rather vain attempts to act like they know and did something better. Bottom line: weaksauce article Lomax. Don't get me wrong, Lomax is a nice guy and cranks out some excellent commentary but you can't give free passes...
Lastly, I challenge Lomax a fight. No touching though. Kinda like touch football, but without all the aggression.
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Jimmy 07/10/2008 8:51:00 PM
Anecdotal evidence against Houston: of the acts that I more-or-less-recently saw, Spoon/The New Pornos, Peter Bjorn & John, Dan Deacon, and Ladytron, all but Ladytron and Spoon had decidedly lackluster attendance. Dan Deacon's show last March(?) had like maybe fifty people there at most, and Warehouse only got like 3/4 full for PB&J, with the side room empty. Ladytron did pretty well, but that venue was smaller than Warehouse. Spoon's show was packed... by the time Spoon showed up - most kids there probably hadn't heard of the New Pornos and weren't ready to take a chance on an opening act. (This can be justified - the act before TNP was only so-so, and I hated the openers for PB&J [any time a band has to say "everything's bigger in Texas, right?" to gain crowd support, you know they're sucking up for a reason])
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the birds 07/10/2008 8:46:00 PM
You're wrong RJ. Indie bands don't get played on the radio, because they aren't corporate creations, marketed to a demographic and are total products. Music is art, not a product. CCC can keep offering Thomas Kinkade and you can buy them, that's your choice. But don't knock real music, when you're into products.
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rj 07/10/2008 8:31:00 PM
Well, it wouldn't really be a Houston Press issue without something saying "Houston's music scene blows", yeah? If a bunch of bands only 2% of the Houston population has heard of decide not to tour here, should i join the HP chorus saying "our radio and music scene suck!" Whatever... most of these no name bands stay on the indie scene for a reason: they suck. Out of tune, screaming like cookie monster or wailing the same "the world is so cruel and i'm so sad about it" lyrics that every other crying teen with an acoustic is screeching out does not a good band make.
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07/10/2008 7:09:00 PM
Excellent article! Made me rather nostalgic and I haven't even been in Houston a full decade yet.
While I'd personally like to wallpaper the world with Uncle Charlie's excellent artwork, I do however feel for your receptionist who must be dealing with an influx of disgruntled calls from people who have nothing better to do than to get pissed off at the cover illustration. (Seriously people. Get a hobby.)
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the birds 07/10/2008 6:44:00 PM
Just want to clarify:
If you listen to a good internet station, you'll know what's great earlier and give yourself a chance to catch someone great, before they decide not to play Houston.
Bonus is, you can help Houston become a better place to play. It doesn't matter if some Moronic hippies (Two Gallants, they aren't even that good) get in a cops face, that's never going to be a good idea. Just make Houston a profitable place to gig and everything will work out.
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Daver Flavor 07/10/2008 6:02:00 PM
There are 4 big problems with Houston's music scene. First, we lack a forward thinking radio station that plays minor and local acts. Face it, Pacifica is more concerned about their political agenda than music.
Second, geographically huge and demographically diverse. Urban/hip hop, Spanish language and country are by far the most popular music styles here. If you haven't noticed, not many "indie" kids get into that music.
Thirdly, our college kids blow. Seriously, the Rice kids are way too dorky and studious to get behind music. The majority of UH kids don't have free time to hit shows once they are done with their commuting and night jobs.
Fourth, well, lets face it. The Houston Press is horrid. You guys do a terrible job of promoting any sort of scene. Do you organize a rock fest? No. Do you do anything positive? No. I still cringe thinking about the personal assasination you pulled on Chris Knudson a couple of years ago. Yeah, while you were dissing him he kept working and slayed them at South by Southwest this year.
So, not much the Houston Press can do about the first 3 problems, but you sure as hell can do something about the first. Take the lead. Put together a collection of shows. Support your local artists instead of running them into the ground. Because, honestly, with friends like you and whining articles like these..... Why bother?
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drake 07/10/2008 6:02:00 PM
How do I get a job at the HPress ??? You get to write about crap that nobody cares about.. most of the time you aint gotta be to smart and have good english... and you get to do nothing and call it a job...
Sign me up.
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Daver Flavor 07/10/2008 5:54:00 PM
There are 4 big problems with Houston's music scene. First, we lack a forward thinking radio station that plays minor and local acts. Face it, Pacifica is more concerned about their political agenda than music.
Second, geographically huge and demographically diverse. Urban/hip hop, Spanish language and country are by far the most popular music styles here. If you haven't noticed, not many "indie" kids get into that music.
Thirdly, our college kids blow. Seriously, the Rice kids are way too dorky and studious to get behind music. The majority of UH kids don't have free time to hit shows once they are done with their commuting and night jobs.
Fourth, well, lets face it. The Houston Press is horrid. You guys do a terrible job of promoting any sort of scene. Do you organize a rock fest? No. Do you do anything positive? No. I still cringe thinking about the personal assasination you pulled on Chris Knudson a couple of years ago. Yeah, while you were dissing him he kept working and slayed them at South by Southwest this year.
So, not much the Houston Press can do about the first 3 problems, but you sure as hell can do something about the first. Take the lead. Put together a collection of shows. Support your local artists instead of running them into the ground. Because, honestly, with friends like you and whining articles like these..... Why bother?
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april5k 07/10/2008 5:12:00 PM
first off just an fyi regarding ian's post - it's awesome that you suggested the monocles and they are now playing the 16th with the warlocks at walters and now the 14th boondocks show is being playing by guitars (with memeber of monocles, alarma, and lenny briscoe)
hey thanks for totally ignoring the fact that there are tons of good bands that can't get show because promoters are afraid to take a chance on unknown acts which would blow up if allowed to play on a bigger show and then would multiply the number of people who attend the shows!
also, thanks for offering all the useful advice on how to remedy all our problems...oh wait you didn't
it must have a been a slow week because this negativity for negativity's sake. maybe if you stopped focusing on the same 5 bands until you got bored with them you would see that there are tons of great bands in this city that you've never even heard! have you ever been to a secret saturday show? did you ever go to dean's on a sunday night back when that was going on? these shows are/were consistently good and no one is there because the local music press is ignoring them.
yeah, it's tough as far as bringing local acts, but don't tell us we're not trying. more exposure for a bigger variety of bands would give more people reasons to come out to see touring bands. i can't tell you how many times i've put off showing up to a show for a touring band because i could give a shit less about the same old locals playing and ended up just missing the show all together because it got too late or i was having a better time wherever i was. but if bands that were better suited rather than "kinda have a draw" or are "friends with the promoter" maybe i'd show up when the doors open. you can't blame the promoters for being afraid of losing money but maybe it's time that they try something new because they're losing money anyway.
promoters should be going to these free shows that seem to be the only break new bands can get. they'd discover an untapped pool of resources from which to make their shows more successful.
and the audience is another problem. for one, many promoters are booking shows that are geared to an older audience. back when hands up was strong you had a team of promoters putting together shows for a younger crowd. more young people go out to see live music, older music fans are often too busy or too tired. who is promoting these younger people's shows now? they're all out at java jazz and the like it seems. see how strong the crowd is there, see how big a touring show is. it's not anything i like but it's huge. go to walters on any night that a "cool" band isn't playing it's packed! there is tons going on in this city that is getting attention it's just that it's nothing that "our crowd" likes (and i didn't even mention the horrors that are rocbar, scout bar and kobain, but these might as well be sports bars since eyeliner rockers are the new quarterbacks). until we can either get younger show goers to like better music or get the scene vets to stay out late on a school night it looks like our time is over...which i'd really hate to think is the case since i haven't gotten a record deal yet...
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titotillis 07/10/2008 7:32:00 AM
thank you for making this a cover story, its something that needed to be addressed seriously. Im also complicit in not playing my part in attendance and promotion of artists that come to Houston. Ill be better in the futuro...
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adr 07/10/2008 5:59:00 AM
But, to clarify, WE MUST NOW QUOTE JOAN JETT.
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Ian 07/10/2008 3:27:00 AM
I DJ for the Local Show (8-10 Tuesdays) and the Revelry Report (6-7 Fridays) on KTRU 91.7 fm. We seek out, feature, - and on the Local Show play almost exclusively - music by Houston-area bands. Since it was asked, here're some great Houston bands, who are all happen to be playing within a week:
Wicked Poseur, Thursday July 10 @ Numbers
Papermoons, Friday July 11 @ The Mink
The Hates, Saturday July 12 @ Fitzgeralds
Young Mammals, Sunday July 13 @ The Mink
Monocles, Monday July 14 @ Boondocks
Why not check them out? They all have myspaces too. See who they're playing with too, I don't know if the press wants too much of an advertisement here on their boards.
You can go to KTRU.org, SpaceCityRock.com or TheSkyline.net for a better list (and up-to-date local scene coverage).
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adr 07/10/2008 12:17:00 AM
Excellent article. Thank you for this.
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rad rich 07/10/2008 12:11:00 AM
Yo! I am sorry man but this was a weak article. Not that Houston sucks because it does as a music scene. But you could have went beyond Super Unison to see why Houston sucks. You ignored Willow and the Hate Tank guys who have been doing shows for years now.THe list of hardcore and metal bands that are now on the who's who list of big tours played here because of them. There are also smaller promoters that are doing shows also. I think you would have done a bigger service talking to those guys also. I talk about this before and the fact that Houston is not viable becasue there are not that many places to play. Especially all ages shows. Walters,Notsuoh,White Swan and it gets really limited from there. Whos fault is it? Its not the cops comming down on a folk band. Houston has had problems for a long time and shows have been down since EMoes. Yes Emo's Houston! WE have not had a venue that you can go and hang out and still see a show like that in a long time. One thing I notice about AUstin is the amount of venues that do shows and the support venues get from the city. Those who dont rember we could have had a SXSW style music fest here years ago. WE did it one year and stoped. This does not just go for the rock scene but the rap scene also. AS far as Radio goes we still have Ktru, and to a lesser extint KPFT. Hate Tank did a good job of getting the wrord out to its audience without HP back. I have been saying that Houston is lame but when you go to other places you notice it more. What to do to bring it back? I have started doing shows again for the most part but getting people out again as the scene has grown older and witht he kids and the internet. People just would rather stay in. Thats going to change hopefully. WE have the kids to come out just look at the Warp tour and see how many come out for that. (Maybe bad example)
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benjamindavismurphy 07/09/2008 11:14:00 PM
mr lomax, sounds like we see eye to eye on this one. this is exactly the kind of thing every person in a houston band, every show promoter, every employee at every local venue and every houstonian who calls him/herself a music fan needs to read.
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DAC 07/09/2008 10:59:00 PM
This article makes me sad.
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Simon 07/09/2008 10:51:00 PM
John-
Great article, thanks for bringing this to us. Can you tell us what the 5 or so worthwhile local bands are? Honestly, I think it would be helpful. I'm always left a bit disappointed with the Music section of the Houston Press. Sure, there is some local coverage, but it's inconsistent and often lacking.
Honestly - I think there are more than 5 local worthwhile bands/groups/artists in Houston. The problem is, it's basically luck to find out about them.
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the birds 07/09/2008 10:51:00 PM
I can break down what's wrong with Houston's failure to attract Indie bands, its certainly easier than what's been said in this article. First of all, lets start with the fact that its not entirely true. There are plenty of great indie bands that come here. Its just that they do it relative obscurity. And they do it before most Houstonians know about it. 2nd Hottest new US band this year? I saw MGMT at Walter's in January. But they are just now making the mainstream take notice.
The biggest reason Houston's stature has slipped a bit, is because there is NO radio support for bands. And no decent print publicity for good bands, like it or not HP, you just aren't all that good at pimping bands before they get here. I know its not your "job," but if you want to complain, you've got to take your lumps too. Our "media" (using that term as loosely as possible) has got to step up to the plate. Lived here all my life and seen a lot of great rock and roll, and met loads of the best indie acts in Houston clubs (Feist, British Sea Power, twice, Yeasayer, Doves, Ash, etc, etc.) If our radio is going to totally suck, someone's got to pick up the baton, HP.
One more thing, you're missing the boat if you're not listening to music on the net, period. XM and Sirius are poor substitutes.
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Kam 07/09/2008 10:29:00 PM
I loved this article.Boo the two gallants show you can't let one unfortunate event ruin you and your drive.After reading this it only makes me want to work even harder as a local,independent musician to get myself heard and deliver more at my live shows.
Sunday,July 20th,come catch me at the Meridian!
I'm opening for Portugal the Man,RX Bandits,and Facing New York!!!!
