You’ve probably seen those clickbait links that have been showing up online, with headlines that make it sound like a prominent celebrity who is elderly, in poor health or both has just died. They can be distressing and, once you figure out that you’ve been had, annoying. Well, one of the “victims” has jumped up to announce that he is, in fact, still very much with us.
Speaking on his family podcast, Ozzy Osbourne, “The Prince of Fucking Darkness,” has assured fans that he is just fine, borrowing some verbiage from Monty Python and stating, “’I’m not dead. I’m not really dead. Just a little flesh wound!’” Osbourne’s wife Sharon threw in her two cents, adding, “There’s so many sick fuckers out there.” Hmm. Who would have thought that I might ever agree with Sharon Osbourne?
Ticket Alert
Dave Mason is a badass by any standard. He was a founding member of Traffic, playing guitar and writing the hit “Feelin’ Alright.” Additionally, Mason contributed to George Harrison’s album All Things Must Pass, played guitar on “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix and provided instrumentation on the Rolling Stones’ Beggar’s Banquet. Tickets are on sale now for his appearance on Friday, April 12, at the Heights Theater.
Plenty of good tickets remain available for a double bill featuring hit machines Earth, Wind and Fire and Chicago at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, August 24. Both bands are offering a variety of VIP packages, which include photo opportunities, autographed merch and more.
Concerts This Week
The Toadies came out of Fort Worth in the mid-90s, utilizing – as did many bands of the era – the alt-rock musical blueprint established by Nirvana (creative use of dynamics, alternating clean and crunchy guitars) to gain airplay and significant record sales. What distinguished the young Texans, though, were creepy-ass songs like “I Burn” (cult members, self-immolation) and “Possum Kingdom” (ominous woods, serial killer). The hits tapered off after a few years, but the band has remained active aside from a couple of breaks, touring and hosting a Texas music festival, Dia de Los Toadies. The band will perform on Friday at the House of Blues.
Texas guitarist Hadden Sayers (known in some circles as the Dopamine Machine) performs in a variety of settings: as a solo acoustic artist, as the leader of the Hadden Sayers Band and as half of the duo BoomChank. The latter configuration (Sayers on guitar and Brannen Temple on drums) will be at the Mucky Duck on Saturday. And just to crank up the intensity level a notch or two, BoomChank will be recording a live album that evening.
The Dosey Doe will present a couple of hard rocking shows this weekend at the Big Barn. On Saturday, San Antonio’s Two Tons of Steel will take the stage for its hopped-up brand of rockabilly and old-school country. Sunday (New Year’s Eve) brings acclaimed blues guitarist Mike Zito, who, after spending the first part of his career in his native St. Louis, now calls Nederland home. In addition to maintaining a busy touring and recording schedule, Zito is also one of the founders of Gulf Coast Records, a label that focuses on blues, roots and Americana.
And speaking of New Year’s Eve, you’ve got a couple of fine concert options if the blues isn’t your cup of tea. The Boomtown Brass Band will be at the Heights Theater on Sunday, ushering in 2024 with a show featuring jazz from the ‘20s and ‘30s. Alternately, the Continental Club will present a New Year’s bash featuring Bayou City Funk performing a blend of originals and funk classics. Whatever you do, have fun and be safe. See you in 2024!
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
