Photos by Chris Gray
Is Spain Colored Orange the Badfinger of Texas? Why not?
Thursday at the Continental Club, the local quintet's heavy, lush pop was dense and intricate, but never at the expense of melody. Its members have also heard at least one jazz album in their lifetimes, evident in their frisky interplay and consistent groove.
Multiple Houston Press Music Award winners in 2006 and this year, SCO has been tagged as one of Houston's most likely to break out for years, and that still ho
[Note: This is the final installment of Aftermath's survey of memorable 2008 concerts - the ones he attended and reviewed (mostly, but not always, by him) anyway; kudos to Valient Thorr, Ice Cube, Dr. Dog, Son Volt, Journey/Heart, Wilderness, the HPMA showcase and many others. Don't miss parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and here's hoping 2009 is as bountiful.]
Black Crowes, House of Blues, November 20: "Of course, the Black Crowes are a band for whom no two set lists
Here they are, folks. You nominated 'em, we mulled 'em over and sorted out the stuffers, and now the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards ballot is set. Normally Rocks Off would say something cute like read 'em and weep, but since we've been listening to almost nothing but '80s hard rock and new bands that totally sound like '80s hard rock (Low Man's Joe, The Answer, Charm City Devils) for the past couple of days, we'll just say this: Eat 'em and smile.
Just kidding. We know this is serious stuff, an
Here they are, folks. You nominated 'em, we mulled 'em over and sorted out the stuffers, and now the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards ballot is set. Normally Rocks Off would say something cute like read 'em and weep, but since we've been listening to almost nothing but '80s hard rock and new bands that totally sound like '80s hard rock (Low Man's Joe, The Answer, Charm City Devils) for the past couple of days, we'll just say this: Eat 'em and smile.
Just kidding. We know this is serious stuff, a
Photos by Shea Serrano
5:08 p.m.: About two weeks ago, vocalist Kammera Franklin broke her ankle. It has not stopped her hustle. Sunday, she sang for Heptic Skeptic, Umbrella Man and every single other band on the HPMA schedule.
5:27 p.m.: The Skeptics, who have always been a little more soulful than the average indie-rock band, are sampling soulful crooner Anthony Hamilton's "Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens." Very cool. With Kam relegated to swaying back and forth in a chair, guitarist An
Chris GrayFive hours is not a long time. It is if you're driving from Houston to Texarkana or Uvalde, maybe. But when hopscotching all over downtown trying to take in as much of the Houston Press Music Awards showcase as you can until your feet and your ears cry uncle, those 300 minutes go by in a heartbeat.
But every once in a while, in the words of Bob Dylan, "the next 60 seconds can seem like an eternity." Those fleeting moments are the keepers, and tops on the list Sunday was Ozeal &
