Reduxion

We're baaaaaaack! After a couple of months off, our Rocks Off music blog's monthly series of local bands covering their biggest influences returns just in time to get you nice and hungover for Thanksgiving dinner. (Kidding...we think.) This month we're proud to welcome the reigning Houston Press Music Award winners for Best Progressive Rock, Tax the Wolf. After some early talk of Radiohead, Tax the Wolf — who released their trippy psych-rock palette of a full-length debut, Hold the Sun, this summer — surprised us a little when they announced their intention to cover the Velvet Underground's Loaded. Released in 1970, Loaded turned out to be Lou Reed's last album with the seminal New York art-rockers, and got its name when an especially clueless Atlantic records exec told the band he wanted the record to be "loaded with hits." It didn't exactly turn out that way, but Loaded is probably the Velvets' poppiest album, with "Sweet Jane," "Rock and Roll" and "Who Loves the Sun" alongside the proto-punk "Head Held High" and Dylanesque double shot of "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" and "Train Round the Bend." How Tax the Wolf fits the album into their Syd Barrett/Mars Volta headspace ought to be interesting, but we're guessing closer "Oh! Sweet Nuthin" might stretch a little longer than its seven-minute running time. Stay tuned to Rocks Off at blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks for updates on giveaways, special guests and more. Free show.