With record sales a fraction of what they were in the glory days, merchandising has become a key revenue stream for many bands, particularly those of the classic rock variety. We’re talking T-shirts, caps, hoodies, sweatshirts and bandanas, but also more exotic items, like cannabis grinders, at least in the case of the Black Crowes.
So what’s the latest? Well, it seems that the Rolling Stones have just announced their first signature fragrance, RS No. 9. And, the Stones being the Stones, it’s a unisex thing. How to describe it? Fortunately, we have verbiage from an over-caffeinated PR type. The new fragrance is, according to the scribe, “a scent that evokes London’s Soho in 1962: a throbbing metropolis bustling with excitement as a new cultural era emerged…the year the Rolling Stones played their first gig at the Marquee Club. Bourbon-infused notes of velvet swagger onto center stage, as warm leather brawls under electric musk while tempting patchouli and sultry oud seductively linger.”
All that is well and good, but I don’t believe that it is historically accurate. In 1962, the Stones (most of them, anyway) were living in a cold-water flat that could charitably be described as disgusting. The space was recreated in 2016 for the museum installation “Exhibitionism,” complete with piles of crusted dirty dishes, ash trays filled with cigarette butts, empty beer bottles and piles of soiled underwear. So if that’s the scent you’re after, RS No. 9 may be right up your alley. But you had better hurry – only 999 bottles will be produced, at $99 a pop.
Ticket Alert
Carlos Santana has announced a brief tour for next spring, which will stop at the Smart Financial Centre on Wednesday, April 23. Interestingly enough, the only other Texas date is in San Antonio, so take that Austin and Dallas! The presales start tomorrow, with the general sale on Friday.
Much like Spinal Tap and its roster of drummers, Yo La Tengo had a bit of a revolving door thing going on with bass players during the band’s formative years, with 14 bassists in the lineup at various times. Unlike the Tap, however, there have been no reported cases of spontaneous combustion. Check them out on Saturday, April 26, at the Heights Theater.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds are riding high these days, with a Grammy-nominated album, Struck Down by the Blues, and a renewed sense of vigor. In an interview with the Houston Press, vocalist and harmonica player Kim Wilson said that the record “is the best thing we’ve ever done.” Tickets are on sale now for the band’s gig at the Dosey Doe on Sunday, May 4.
Or if you prefer your blues with a bit more rock and roll thrown in, guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd will be performing on the same night, May 4, at the House of Blues. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
While some classic rock bands are winding things down, Styx is cranking things up. Guitarist Tommy Shaw reports that the band has been working on new material and will have an album out next year. Which means that Styx may be able to choose from ten or twelve songs guaranteed to send people to the bathroom when they play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Friday, June 6. Kevin Cronin (of the recently disbanded REO Speedwagon) and Don Felder (formerly of the recently Vegas-residency-ing Eagles) are slated to open.
Concerts This Week
Nick Lowe “Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll,” and now he is enjoying his status as a grand old man of the music biz. And he’s earned that distinction, producing albums by Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Pretenders and the Damned. Not to mention releasing a string of his own records, including the brand-new Indoor Safari. Lowe is on the road with Los Straitjackets, longtime purveyors of surf rock with a south-of-the-border twist, by way of their signature Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masks. Get ready to rumble tonight at the Heights Theater. And for a deeper dive into the Lowe / Straitjackets collaboration, see Gladys Fuentes’ Houston Press story from earlier this week.
While The Wood Brothers are generally classified as a “country” act, there’s really more at work here, genre-wise, with folk, blues, some gospel and a hint of jazz in the mix. The band will perform on Friday at the Heights Theater, and you can find more information in Bob Ruggiero’s Houston Press interview with guitarist Oliver Wood. And yes, the band does actually contain brothers.
Another option on Friday is Patterson Hood at the Dosey Doe Big Barn. The co-founder of the Drive-By Truckers is taking a break from full band gigs, performing acoustically with multi-instrumentalist Scott Danbom providing musical support. And wouldn’t you know it, Bob Ruggiero talked to Hood last week. So if you are in search of more details regarding the show, check out this interview in the Houston Press.
And if you love the holiday season but are looking for something a bit more hip than, say, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with that annoying wannabe dentist Hermey, head over to the Mucky Duck for Ian Moore’s Annual Acoustic Family Christmas on Saturday. Or if you live up north and don’t want to make the drive into town, you can hear Moore do his Christmas thing on Monday at Main Street Crossing in Tomball.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
