Email Author Nicholas L. Hall

2007 Stories by Nicholas L. Hall

• Arc Angels

  published December 27, 2007

  "More a legend than a band," a slogan devised for another of Texas's most critically lauded musical outfits, the Flatlanders, also fits the Arc... More >>

• Band of Heathens

  published December 20, 2007

  A happenstance arrangement of like-minded musicians whose bands happened to share separate residencies at the same club, Band of Heathens... More >>

• Texas Garage Rock

  published December 13, 2007

  The garage revolution of the '60s was arguably the first time in pop-music history that the idea of musical DIYism reared its subversive little... More >>

• Black Leather Jesus

  published December 13, 2007

  The leather-harness-clad teddy bears gracing Black Leather Jesus's MySpace page are a bit intimidating. In fact, BLJ scares me a little bit,... More >>

• The Literary Greats

  published December 13, 2007

  The Literary Greats have a slightly bombastic name, but their music has an understated charm. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brandon Elam,... More >>

• Ode Hazelwood

  published December 6, 2007

  Ode Hazelwood is out to create a new American Music. Well, that's not entirely true — Ode Hazelwood is out to re-­create old... More >>

• Larry and His Flask

  published November 29, 2007

  Larry and His Flask are not out to save the world. Larry and his Flask are out to start riots. This Oregon-based punk outfit calls its Web site... More >>

• Peter Bjorn & John

  published November 22, 2007

  There's absolutely nothing complicated about Peter Bjorn & John. Comprised of three guys named — you guessed it — Peter, Bjorn... More >>

• David Byrne, The Knee Plays

  published November 22, 2007

  Better to burn out or fade away? The current musical tendency to fetishize the past, creating new markets through nostalgia, has come up with a... More >>

• Glass Candy

  published November 15, 2007

  When Ida No was deciding what to call her glam-inflected, no-wave-­channeling, ­minimalist-disco, shrapnel-­shrieking dance floor... More >>

• The Light Brigade

  published November 8, 2007

  "I think we write what we do because we grew up near NASA, playing D&D, reading Tolkien and smoking a lot of fucking dope!" So says Linus... More >>

• Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers

  published November 8, 2007

  Everyone knows the entertainment industry is supposed to prepackage role models for our children. Hell, suburban moms are just too busy running... More >>

• 15th Annual Blues for Food Drive

  published November 8, 2007

  Unlike the genre it’s named for, the Blues for Food Drive revels in the positive, combining good food and good music for a good cause. Fans... More >>

• Monotonix

  published November 8, 2007

  A Monotonix show is not just a rock concert. Mind you, there will be more than the usual amount of rocking involved, but there will also be so... More >>

• Ballunar Liftoff Festival

  published November 1, 2007

  For three days, the skies over NASA’s Johnson Space Center will be filled with more than 100 fantastical flying contraptions during the... More >>

• The Lawrence Arms

  published October 25, 2007

  The Lawrence Arms are breathing new life into that most unfortunate of rock subsets, pop-punk. Having more to do with brash-yet-melodic forebears... More >>

• Chocolate Festival of Texas

  published October 11, 2007

  Selina Shadd had a simple reason to start the Chocolate Festival of Texas: “Everybody loves chocolate!” And she’s right, we... More >>

• Johnny Winter

  published October 11, 2007

  Houston has been a favorite haunt for blues guitar hero Johnny Winter for years. Back when the Beaumont native was just starting out with his... More >>

• Average White Band

  published September 20, 2007

  Some musical pairings were just meant to be, as if ordained from the beginning of time: John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Brian Eno and David... More >>

• “Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro”

  published September 20, 2007

  It seems like a thief would give up after realizing his boosted bounty is all bogus bills, but not Lupin. The titular character of Lupin the... More >>

• Tapes 'N' Tapes

  published September 13, 2007

  "The making of a great compilation tape is hard to do, and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab... More >>

• Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, David Bazan

  published September 13, 2007

  Hopefully the subtle humor involved in someone calling himself Casiotone for the Painfully Alone playing a happy-hour gig with a full backing... More >>

• David Gilmour

  published September 13, 2007

  What if Syd Barrett hadn’t lost his mind? What if David Gilmour hadn’t been there, guitar in hand, to pick up the pieces and help save... More >>

• “Jazz: A Tribute to the Big Band Era”

  published August 30, 2007

  Today a local legend, bandleader Conrad Johnson (a.k.a. “Prof”), celebrates National Jazz Month with “Jazz: A Tribute to the Big... More >>

• Jason Starr

  published August 23, 2007

  Write what you know. It seems crime novelist Jason Starr has taken this classic bit of advice to heart. A New York native, Starr sets many of his... More >>