Email Author Nicholas L. Hall

2009 Stories by Nicholas L. Hall

• Greg Ashley

  published December 10, 2009

  Standing in the shadow of Texas Psych legends like Roky Erickson and Mayo Thompson can be daunting. Standing shoulder to shoulder with them is... More >>

• Runaway Sun

  published November 19, 2009

  There's a languid viscosity to Runaway Sun's sound, and it pours out thick and strong on the Houston four-piece's debut album, The Bridge.... More >>

• Elvis Perkins in Dearland

  published November 12, 2009

  Elvis Perkins may well be the most capable performing docent in the museum of American music, as shown on his recently released, gap-filling... More >>

• The Swell Season, Rachael Yamagata

  published November 12, 2009

  Although Strict Joy may be a bit of an odd title for the sophomore effort from The Swell Season, it points to the direction the band has... More >>

• The Tragically Hip

  published October 22, 2009

  Perhaps Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip should have thought up a different name. Despite considerable popularity and critical acclaim in... More >>

• Har Mar Superstar

  published October 15, 2009

  At first, you think it's just shtick. We get it; a fat, balding, completely unsexy white guy crooning lascivious, funky R&B while stripping down... More >>

• Is and Always Was

  published October 1, 2009

  Daniel Johnston is an iPhone app. As bizarre as that might sound, it's completely true. Hi, How Are You, the game, is kind of like a... More >>

• Windsor Drive

  published October 1, 2009

  Windsor Drive is moody, but in a good way. The finely crafted indie-pop the band practices is a bit on the emotional side, but not necessarily... More >>

• Strange Fruit

  published September 3, 2009

  "Playing in the Shins is like being an astronaut in my day job," says Fruit Bats front man Eric Johnson while en route to a set of shows in San... More >>

• Heart

  published August 27, 2009

  Everybody knows Heart thanks to a handful of classic-rock radio staples, but few people consider the band much beyond "Crazy on You." While... More >>

• Soul Rebels Brass Band/Rebirth Brass Band

  published August 20, 2009

  In New Orleans, a brass band is a mobile party. Just thinking the words "second line" conjures up mental images of tubas, trombones, trumpets and... More >>

• Otep

  published August 6, 2009

  For most bands, it's not a good thing when your fans start thinking that you might be eating people and casting spells in your spare time. For... More >>

• Free Press Summer Fest

  published August 6, 2009

  Houstonians have long been plagued by a nagging musical inferiority complex, both vocally and surreptitiously wondering if their scene is good... More >>

• Th' Legendary Shack Shakers

  published July 30, 2009

  Few bands have chosen a moniker more evocative than Th' Legendary Shack Shakers. While their name's adjectival end may originally have been... More >>

• The Radiators

  published July 16, 2009

  New Orleans has always been a bit of a melting pot. From language to food to culture, it's a place where combination and commingling are the rule... More >>

• A Static Lullaby

  published July 2, 2009

  A Static Lullaby could be a case study in the question of when a band ceases to be itself. Over its eight-year career, the band's lineup has... More >>

• Cryptacize

  published June 25, 2009

  It should come as no surprise that a band called Cryptacize plays music that is, well, a bit coy. The band often seems to tiptoe around the issue... More >>

• Ear Pwr: Super Animal Brothers III

  published June 25, 2009

  It's interesting to watch a scene coalesce in real time, taking on a personal musical identity heard and felt by its denizens and noted by the... More >>

• Gipsy Kings

  published June 11, 2009

  With the release of their eponymous fusion masterpiece in 1988, the Gipsy Kings' blend of the ornate styles of traditional flamenco with Western... More >>

• Bonnie "Prince" Billy: Beware

  published June 4, 2009

  Beware isn't nearly as ominous as Will Oldham might want you to believe. Although its 13 tracks do gravitate toward themes of... More >>

• Edgar Winter

  published May 14, 2009

  If you have a thick skull, nimble feet and a proclivity toward violence, you become a prizefighter. If you have a bluesman's soul, a musical... More >>

• Searching for Signal

  published May 7, 2009

  The four (very) young men who comprise Searching for Signal think of themselves as a melodic post-rock group. There is definitely a slightly... More >>

• Linus Pauling Quartet, Hearts of Animals

  published April 23, 2009

  There's no denying the fact that polarity, whether in relationships or musical performances, generally makes things more interesting. If you... More >>

• Amon Amarth

  published April 16, 2009

  As with most genre-blending acts, purveyors of melodic death metal usually lean toward one camp or the other. This tendency has odd results,... More >>

• Neko Case: Middle Cyclone

  published April 16, 2009

  Neko Case has never been one to pull punches. Her unique, almost brash voice doesn't really lend itself to timidity, and her songwriting tends to... More >>