Email Author John Nova Lomax

2002 Stories by John Nova Lomax

• Arthur Yoria

  published September 5, 2002

  Words like "sublime" get thrown around a lot in music reviews, a little too recklessly, if you ask this writer. The overall effect is to cheapen... More >>

• Identity Crisis

  published September 5, 2002

  Well, Houston has lost another top-notch musician, and this time the Music Awards jinx can't be blamed. Mary Cutrufello -- who, believe it or not,... More >>

• Lance in Space

  published September 5, 2002

  NASA's chief of the Astronaut Corps sits behind a podium with three other space travelers. At his immediate left is one of Russia's top... More >>

• Wood Redux

  published August 29, 2002

  "For the first time in my life, I've written some love songs," says Greg Wood. He and Racket are at McElroy's Pub on a Tuesday night, talking... More >>

• Barnyard Boogie

  published August 29, 2002

  The Gourds have always been known for creative covers. The Austin rock/folk/bluegrass/country band, which revels in the description "music for the... More >>

• Golden, with Rye Coalition and *mytwilightpilot*

  published August 22, 2002

  From Chicago's edgy world-beat/ rock scene comes Golden, a semi-supergroup composed of players from Trans Am, Royal Trux and Six Finger Satellite.... More >>

• No Mo' Pogo

  published August 22, 2002

  In the very same night Racket sat down with the Suspects at the Garden Oaks home of vocalist Thomas Escalante to talk about their last show ever,... More >>

• Home from La-La Land

  published August 15, 2002

  When he arrives for his brown-bag lunch date with Racket, Tony Avitia of Broken Note Records apologizes for his clean-cut appearance. His huge,... More >>

• ¡Viva Compadre!

  published August 8, 2002

  Just under a year ago, Racket predicted a rosy future for Brad Turcotte's local label Compadre Records, and like blind pigs, even lowly music... More >>

• Baby, You're a Star

  published August 8, 2002

  Talking to Simpleton's downtown headquarters from the Press's offices can be scary. At the nearby bus station, the Texas Department of... More >>

• Bill Chambers

  published August 1, 2002

  Bill Chambers may be from the other side of the world, but in a way, this show is a homecoming for one of God's natural Texans. After all, what is... More >>

• Long, Hot Sunday

  published August 1, 2002

  Racket's goal at this year's Houston Press Music Awards Showcase was to see things he hadn't seen before. He even wrote out an... More >>

• Big John and Little Joe

  published August 1, 2002

  Like the record-breaking Sunday-afternoon showcase, the Wednesday-night awards show was hot, hot, hot. While Garden in the Heights'... More >>

• The Real Battle of the Bands

  published July 25, 2002

  Some time back Racket wrote about the trouble nightclubs have filling Tuesday-night slots and the way one club, Paesanos, took care of the... More >>

• Prodigal Hijos

  published July 25, 2002

  Texas music history swarms with stories of Texans who went to Nashville dreaming of fame and fortune. The most celebrated stories hinge on... More >>

• Grimm and Bare It

  published July 18, 2002

  It's a little-known pop culture fact, but Houston has a tenuous claim as "the birthplace of psychedelic rock" and also the use of the word... More >>

• Hot Tunes, Summer in the City

  published July 18, 2002

  It's time for another round of Houston Press Music Awards jinxes. Considering that last year's big winners were Japanic (who broke up six... More >>

• Gary Primich

  published July 11, 2002

  Rare indeed is the blues harp player who knows as much about taste and restraint as Gary Primich does; rarer still is one who combines that trait... More >>

• The Anti-Clapton

  published July 11, 2002

  The last thing I want is another story where it's 'Rocky's checked out of secret Cirrhosis-By-The-Sea and he's doing well,' " says a gruff, deeply... More >>

• Strangelight

  published July 4, 2002

  About a year ago, this prog Brit rock band arrived in the States seemingly fully formed. They already had a little Lite-Brite-looking sign they... More >>

• Damming the Streams

  published July 4, 2002

  It's the end of Internet radio as we know it. Librarian of Congress James Billington, the man charged with administering copyright laws for music,... More >>

• Vans Warped Tour

  published June 27, 2002

  Punk, the soundtrack of American suburbia. From Broward County, Florida, to Orange County, California, two-car garages next to manicured lawns... More >>

• Smoke Damage

  published June 27, 2002

  Yes, there was a small fire at No tsu oH late on the night of June 12. And yes, the Houston Fire Department has shut down the king-hell funky... More >>

• Rock and Ruin

  published June 27, 2002

  In its day, Westbury Square was more than a strip center, it was an attraction. In the late '60s and early '70s, it was the kind of place where... More >>

• Various Artists

  published June 20, 2002

  Yes, this CD is dominated by the steel guitar, in both its pedal and lap variants, but check your twangy expectations at the door. Unless... More >>