Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link.

Who? On the Rocks Off 200, we like to give our subjects the opportunity to air a grievance or two about the local music scene. (Happy Festivus, everybody!) In the year and a half or so we have been doing this, some of the complaints we get are legitimate, others can be a tad overblown, but most people who respond come up with something.

But not Another Run. The progressive-leaning modern-rock quintet, which combines the jagged riffs and irregular time signatures of post-hardcore with the more garage-based anthemic approach of the White Stripes or Kings of Leon -- tempered with a few pretty, introspective ballads -- is bursting with enthusiasm for their Houston peers. They don't have a cross word to say about much of anything.

"The truth is, Houston is the place to be," gushes lead singer/keyboardist/auxiliary drummer Adrian Grammer. "There is really so much talent in this city, it's crazy to say that Houston doesn't have a good music scene."

Grammer is not shy about the exclamation points, to put it mildly, but he's got good reason to be so optimistic. As they mark ten years as a band -- their lineup solidified with the addition of a lead drummer and second guitarist in 2009 and 2010 -- Another Run is going full steam into 2014. Their 2011 EP I'll Be There has seen airplay on 94.5 The Buzz, Pandora and cable's Fuse channel. They even have their own MTV.com page.

Last but certainly not least, they just happen to be the Houston Press Music Awards' reigning Best Modern Rock champs, and holders of a Texas Buzz Music Award for Best Alternative Rock for good measure. This year they've shared bills with the likes of Hawthorne Heights, O Brother, Girl In a Coma, New Politics and Glassjaw in October, a show Grammer says made them especially excited. Friday they will officially release a single from their upcoming EP Just Pretend, "Hunt Me Down," at Warehouse Live.

"We are very grateful to Houston for giving us these honors," says Grammer, naturally with an exclamation point.

Home Base: Another Run's enthusiasm for the local scene could well spring from the fact that the five members have lived pretty much all over this area. According to Grammer, that includes Richmond, Rosenberg, Missouri City, Sugar Land, Katy, Spring Branch, Downtown, the Heights and Montrose. They've probably played every place with a PA system and TABC license in those places too, but Grammer says their favorites are Warehouse Live, Fitzgerald's, Walters and Scout Bar.

Good War Story: Somewhat like Jesus, Another Run had just left Chicago, on their way to Austin. It was Grammer's shift to drive.

We headed out into the night on the longest stretch of the journey thus far. The sky started changing as everyone began to fall asleep one by one. Aware of the fact that I was now the only one awake, I began to realize what was happening.

The atmosphere around me was transforming from black to green, to blue and back. It soon became apparent that I was in the middle of a tornado storm! I didn't stop for anything! I just kept driving as fast as I could possibly go through the pounding rain and howling winds, and somehow we all made it out alive!

Story continues on the next page.