On the whole, musicians can be a rather competitive lot. How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb? Five. One to change the bulb and four to say, “Eh, I could have done it better.” In the jazz and blues communities, the concept of a “cutting contest” has always been around, with musicians vying to demonstrate their superiority. In a more contemporary context, rap battles continue this tradition. In a twist on the format, the Red Bull SoundClash series will pit Austin guitar slinger Gary Clark Jr. against Houston rapper Paul Wall on Thursday at the 713 Music Hall. In a SoundClash, each artist is required to “reimagine” songs by the other artist, with the hope that some genre-bending fun will come out of the exercise. When it’s all over, the audience will choose a winner. Let the trash talk begin!
Anniversary tours have been big business as of late. Last year, the Black Crowes launched a tour commemorating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Shake Your Moneymaker. Yes is currently touring to celebrate 50 years since the release of Close to the Edge. Blackberry Smoke is commemorating the 10th anniversary of the album Whippoorwill with a fall tour which will arrive in Houston on Friday at the 713 Music Hall. Though a 10-year anniversary might seem paltry next to multi-decade celebrations, the show promises to be a lot of fun, with Blackberry Smoke churning out its country-rock hybrid, often mixing things up with covers of songs by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, and Tom Petty.
In 1984, “I Feel for You” was the right song at the right moment. In retrospect, how could it miss? The tune was written by Prince, and the record featured a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder. Not to mention a rapped intro by Grandmaster Melle Mel which professed his ardor for Chaka Khan. “I Feel for You” was only one in a string of hits for Khan, among them “Tell Me Something Good,” “Ain’t Nobody,” and “I’m Every Woman.” The Queen of Funk will perform them all at the Arena Theatre on Friday. And by the way, if you should happen to run into Ms. Khan during her stay in Houston, please resist the temptation to greet her with “Chaka Khan, let me rock you / Let me rock you, Chaka Khan / Let me rock you, that’s all I wanna do / Chaka Khan, let me rock you / Let me rock you, Chaka Khan / Let me rock you, ’cause I feel for you” or any variation thereof. She really hates that.
It will be an “Evening of Soul” on Saturday at the Smart Financial Centre, with Patti LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade”) headlining a bill that includes Gladys Knight (“Midnight Train to Georgia”) and Stephanie Mills (“Never Knew Love Like This Before”). That’s some serious diva action going on all in one show. Interestingly enough, all three women gained fame as part of an ensemble before going on to solo success. LaBelle was in the group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, Knight was the lead singer of Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Mills created the role of Dorothy in The Wiz. Each singer will be performing as a solo act at Saturday’s show, so that means no Bluebelles, no Pips, and probably no winged monkeys.
Singer-songwriter Dana Cooper — always a Houston favorite – will be at Cowboy Surfer on Sunday evening, but before that, you should head over to the Big Easy for one of the best blues shindigs of the year. The annual Blues for Food event goes back over 30 years in Houston, and the mission is simple: gather food and raise money to benefit the Houston Food Bank and those in need. This year, the action is once again at the Big Easy, with musician Sonny Boy Terry running things and bluesman-about-town Boyd Bluestein serving as MC.
The music will run from 1-9 p.m., with a bill including Ray Cashman; Bluestown Shakedown; the Sparky Parker Band; Allison Fisher and Her Swell Band; the Tony Vega Band with Little Screamin’ Kenny; The Evelyn Rubio Band; Trudy Lynn with Mathias Lattin; the Sonny Boy Terry Band with Raa-Raa Zydeco and Annette Metoyer; and Rick Lee and the Night Owls. Admission is a bag of nonperishable food or a comparable cash donation. Laissez les bon temps rouler, and for a good cause.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
