Attention Houston motorists: If you find yourself in the vicinity of lower Westheimer this weekend,please be careful.
What you are likely to find, besides a traffic snarl of rush-hour proportions, is a parade of hippies, hipsters, indie-rockers, acid casualties, crusty-punks, street artists, trustafarians, walking tattoos, homeless people, people who only look like they’re homeless and probably at least one guy in a diaper.
That’s right, it’s Westheimer Block Party time again.
Buoyed by the success of SummerFest this past August, Free Press Houston editor/publisher and Block Party honcho Omar Afra has expanded the semiannual event to Saturday and Sunday, allowing more than 200 mostly local and a few Austin acts to perform. It’s all free, save the Saturday-evening show at Numbers headlined by New York agit-rappers Dead Prez, Jersey garage-punks Japanther and Austin shoegaze folkies the Eastern Sea.
Frankly, to Noise, this weekend sounds like a recipe for chaos, of both the good and not-so-good varieties. As entertaining and colorful as the street scene always is at the Block Party, those sidewalks along Westheimer are awfully narrow, and Houston drivers aren’t exactly known for their courtesy toward either pedestrians or biyclists — who, in turn, aren’t exactly known for always watching where they’re going.
Although closing down Westheimer would be the safest option, there’s little chance of that ever happening because there’s no feasible detour route to divert traffic anywhere close by. Afra has tried pleading his case to the city time and again on that count, to no avail.
However, Afra says he has convinced the city to make the Block Party at least a little more pedestrian-friendly by closing down Taft Street for a few blocks north and south of Westheimer. Beyond that, he asks, do everyone a favor and just ride your bicycle.
“You avoid running into the cops, if you get drunk you avoid hurting anybody else, and there’s tons of places to tie your bike up,” Afra says. “Bikes are ideal for the Block Party. If you drive, there’s no telling how far you’ll have to go to park.”
Block Party’s unpredictability is a considerable part of its charm. Every time it happens, you can pretty much count on running into people you never thought you’d see (but secretly did somewhere in the back of your mind), as well as seeing performances by people you’ve never heard of before that will both send you screaming from the venue/parking lot and running up to the stage when they’re done to buy a CD or T-shirt.
Ever since Afra and the Free Press crew reinstituted the Block Party in October 2005, they’ve managed to pull it off come the hell of sound problems, scheduling backups and noise complaints or just high water. It is a rain-or-shine event, somewhat — Afra says all the indoor shows will take place regardless, and that performers who get rained off the outdoor stages will be moved inside “wherever we have space.”
Noise hopes this coming weekend is no different. Houston needs the Block Party — there’s still no better way for anyone to get a sampling of what an amazingly diverse, plentiful and idiosyncratic music scene we have here. Expanding it to two days means, of course, that partygoers will be able to sample twice as much talent.
It also means that there’s twice as much time for something to go awry. Noise has his doubts about whether or not this weekend will go off without a hitch, but as far as that goes, there’s really only one way to find out. See you on the street.
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STAGE GUIDE
Subject to change. Recommended artists in bold.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14
KTRU/FPH Main Stage
Numbers, 300 Westheimer (parking lot)
12 p.m.: Generation Landslide
12:50 p.m.: Caddywhompus
1:40 p.m.: Robert Ellis
2:30 p.m.: Marzi
3:20 p.m.: Hollywood FLOSS
4:10 p.m.: Defend the Ghetto
5 p.m.: Young Mammals
5:50 p.m.: Roky Moon & BOLT
6:40 p.m.: Buxton
7:25 p.m.: Golden Axe
Numbers Inside
300 Westheimer
12 p.m.: The Live Lights
12:50 p.m.: 10th Grade Cutie
1:40 p.m.: Fucking Thief
2:30 p.m.: Legendary K-Otix
3:20 p.m.: T.H.E.M.
4:10 p.m.: Guerilla Foco Clan
8:30 p.m. (cover required): Dead Prez, Japanther, Eastern Sea, Black Congress (upstairs), DJ Melodic
Funwunce Stage
Mango’s, 403 Westheimer
12:30 p.m.: The Wrong Ones
1:15 p.m.: Skurge
2 p.m.: Battle Rifle
2:45 p.m.: Ghost Town Electric
3:30 p.m.: DISSENT
4:15 p.m.: Leg Sweeper
5 p.m.: Muhammid Ali
5:45 p.m.: The Energy
6:30 p.m.: Born Liars
7:15 p.m.: PLF
8 p.m.: Chocolate Crucifix
9 p.m.: In Beds
10 p.m.: Satannabis
11 p.m.: Corners
12 a.m.: DJ Meshak
SHFL Stage
Mango’s, 403 Westheimer (parking lot)
12 p.m.: The Handshake
1 p.m.: Behind Buildings
2 p.m.: Searching for Signal
3 p.m.: Components of the Modern Age
4 p.m.: Gamma Ringo
5 p.m.: HRStrut
5:50 p.m.: Wighead
6: 20 p.m.: Delta Block
7 p.m.: Rusted Shut
8:30 p.m.: Organ Failure
9:15 p.m.: Dustin Wes
Music Heals Stage
Austin Layne Hotel, 408 Westheimer
12 p.m.: Chin Xao Ti Twon
12:50 p.m.: Tony Bananas
1:40 p.m.: Make Your Own Escape
2:30 p.m.: Dead Roses
3:20 p.m.: Pistoleras
4:10 p.m.: Alkari
5 p.m.: O’Doyle Rules
5:50 p.m.: National Electric
6:40 p.m.: listenlisten
7:25 p.m.: Perseph One
IndieHouston Stage
AvantGarden, 411 Westheimer (parking lot)
12 p.m.: Holy Hand Grenades
12:50 p.m.: Nosaprise
1:40 p.m.: David Lascoe
2:30 p.m.: Mermaids of Judaism
3:20 p.m.: Ghormeh Sabzi
4:10 p.m.: Literature
5 p.m.: Springfield Riots
5:50 p.m.: 100 Flowers
6:40 p.m.: Flowers to Hide
7:30 p.m.: Paris Falls
Helios Upstairs
AvantGarden, 411 Westheimer
12:50 p.m.: Together, We are Instruments
1:40 p.m.: Football, etc.
2:30 p.m.: Uzoy
3:20 p.m.: The Niyat
4:10 p.m.: The Manichean
5 p.m.: Winter Wallace
5:50 p.m.: MyNameIsJohnMichael
6:40 p.m.: Peekaboo Theory
7:25 p.m.: The Gold Sounds
8:15 p.m.: Chase Hamblin
9 p.m.: Co-Pilot
9:55 p.m.: Focusyn
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15
KTRU/FPH Main Stage
12 p.m.: More Cowbell
12:50 p.m.: Springfield Riots
1:40 p.m.: Dirty N Nasty
2:30 p.m.: Tyagaraja
3:20 p.m.: I am Mesmer
5 p.m.: Grandfather Child
5:50 p.m.: Wild Moccasins
6:40 p.m.: D.R.U.M.
7:25 p.m.: Spain Colored Orange
8 p.m.: Sideshow Tramps
8:45 p.m.: Woozyhelmet
9:30 p.m.: Giant Princess
Numbers Inside
12 p.m.: The Cocker Spaniels
12:50 p.m.: The Swervys
1:40 p.m.: Margot
2:30 p.m.: Flow Factory
3:20 p.m.: A Dream Asleep
5 p.m.: Journey Agents
5:50 p.m.: Fired for Walking
6:40 p.m.: Lisa’s Sons
7:25 p.m.: Satin Hooks
8:15 p.m.: Forests
Funwunce Stage
1:15 p.m.: Room 101
2 p.m.: Bowel
2:45 p.m.: Cavernous
3:30 p.m.: Future Blondes
4:15 p.m.: The State vs. Judd Nelson
5 p.m.: Female Demand
5:45 p.m.: Fight Pretty
6:30 p.m.: The Burden
7:15 p.m.: Hell City Kings
8 p.m.: Two Star Symphony
9 p.m.: The Bamaz
10 p.m.: Fat Tony
11 p.m.: V Zilla
SHFL Stage
12 p.m.: Jane Frequency
1 p.m.: The Watermarks
2 p.m.: The Cadences
3 p.m.: Clement
4 p.m.: Jody Seabody and the Whirls
5 p.m.: The Misfires
5:50 p.m.: Poopy Lungstuffing
6:20 p.m.: Free Radicals
7 p.m.: Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except
7:20 p.m.: Cop Warmth
8 p.m.: Exterminating Angels
8:30 p.m.: Love Field
9:15 p.m.: Hero
Music Heals Stage
12 p.m.: A.T.W.
12:50 p.m.: White Guilt
1:40 p.m.: Jennifer Grassman
2:30 p.m.: TSU Jazz Ensembles
3:20 p.m.: TSU Jazz Ensembles
4:10 p.m.: Framing Strangers
5 p.m.: Tax the Wolf
5:50 p.m.: Something Fierce
6:40 p.m.: Check Other
7:25 p.m.: The Julys
IndieHouston Stage
12 p.m.: Holy Fiction
12:50 p.m.: Horse
1:40 p.m.: Giant Battle Monster
2:30 p.m.: Eddie Terrell
3:20 p.m.: Wine and the Revolution
4:10 p.m.: Elaine Greer
5 p.m.: The Sour Notes
5:50 p.m.: Alpaca
6:40 p.m.: Sings
7:30 p.m.: Ghost Mountain
Helios Upstairs
12 p.m.: Fiskadoro
12:50 p.m.: The Goods
1:40 p.m.: Smoky Mountain
2:30 p.m.: News on the March
3:20 p.m.: Idigenous
4:10 p.m.: Left of the Dial
5 p.m.: Benjamin Wesley
5:50 p.m.: Bright Men of Learning
6:40 p.m.: Some Others
7:25 p.m.: Whorehound
8:15 p.m.: Mechanical Boy
9 p.m.: Come See My Dead Person
Saturday and Sunday
Helios Downstairs
AvantGarden, 411 Westheimer
Reprogramm Music Stage, hosted by Ceeplus Bad Knives
Helios Front Patio
AvantGarden, 411 Westheimer
Joe B. and the Rebel Crew
Get complete coverage of the Block Party — or as complete as we can manage, given the legion of performers — on the Press‘s Rocks Off music blog at blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks and on Twitter at @hprocksoff.
This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2009.
