A coworker of mine said, “You write about music.” (Yes. Guilty as charged.) “What’s the deal with Daryl Hall? Why does he seem so angry all the time?”
A good question. I assumed that she was referring to a recent and widely quoted interview in which Hall (again) went off on a rant decrying the use of the term “yacht rock.” Hall told the “Broken Record” podcast, “This is something I don’t understand. First of all, yacht rock was a fucking joke by two jerk offs in California and suddenly it became a genre. I don’t even understand it. I never understood it.”
The jerk offs in question are JD Ryznar, David Lyons, Hunter Stair and Lane Farnham, who launched the “Yacht Rock” web series in 2005. Each of the show’s 12 episodes was introduced by music journalist “Hollywood” Steve Huey, who would pretend to be surprised by the camera in a variety of settings. “Hi, I’m Hollywood Steve, and you’ve caught me relaxing in my music nook.” Or “Oh, hi! I’m Hollywood Steve, and you’ve caught me taking a shit.”
From there, tales from the annals of yacht rock would be presented, depicting the (fake) stories behind yacht rock classics like the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes” or Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright,” with the famous musicians portrayed by actors looking nothing like them dressed in goofy costumes.
Hall and Oates did show up – as characters – in an episode of the “Yacht Rock” series, when they squared off against Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins in a songwriting contest. They lost. And Hall got his ass kicked by Loggins. After being repeatedly bitch slapped by Oates.
Maybe that’s the problem. Hall is still butt hurt over a (self-proclaimed) stupid series of YouTube videos. Oates, on the other hand, is totally cool with the whole yacht rock concept and has even performed at yacht rock events. So, in answer to my coworker’s question, maybe Daryl Hall, in the words of the Bard, “doth protest too much.” Or maybe he’s just a dick.
Ticket Alert
Singer Rob Thomas – of Matchbox Twenty and “Smooth” fame – will bring his “All Night Days” tour to the Smart Financial Centre on Saturday, August 30. Tickets are on sale now, with VIP experiences available for those desiring “priority entry” and “priority merch shopping.”
Tickets for a couple of major Toyota Center shows are now on sale. On Thursday, September 18, singer-songwriter Benson Boone (he of the glittery jump suits) rolls into town, and on Friday, September 26, Bring Me the Horizon will present its brand of British deathcore. On Instagram, Boone declared, “SOLD OUT. IN 9 SECONDS??? Bruh. (Pees himself) THANK YOU THANK YOU.” However, I just checked, and there are still seats remaining for his show in Houston, so maybe Boone’s celebration and urination were rather premature.
And speaking of metal – death metal in this case – Cannibal Corpse will play at the House of Blues on Friday, October 10, with tickets on sale now. Since the ‘90s, the band has been the target of harsh criticism from politicians like Bob Dole, who accused Cannibal Corpse of damaging the moral character of the United States, and Joe Lieberman, who called the act “deplorable,” citing the fact that “they have a song about having sex with a severed head.” In the world of metal, that’s called having some bona fides.
And, oh what the hell, one more metal concert for the list this week. Mudvayne, a band which favors horror movie styled face and body paint, will perform at the Bayou Music Center on Monday, October 13. The group hails from Peoria, IL, so it is safe to assume that its wild-ass act does, in fact, play in Peoria (see the Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera). General admission tickets are still available.
Troubadour Shawn Phillips will show off his incredible vocal range and stellar guitar chops at the Mucky Duck on Thursday, November 20. Even during this heyday, Phillips never sold a ton of records, but he always had the respect of his peers, writing songs with Donovan, recording with the Beatles (backing vocals on “Lovely Rita”) and giving George Harrison his first sitar lesson. Tickets are on sale now.
Concerts This Week
The world of rock and roll has always been a haven for weirdos, and they don’t come much weirder than Buckethead, a guitarist of blazing technical ability who performs wearing a white mask with a KFC bucket on his head (hence the name). He has played with a number of different bands, including Guns N’ Roses, which he left after growing frustrated with Axl Rose. Hmm. Maybe he’s more level-headed (so to speak) than he appears to be. Catch Buckethead tonight at the House of Blues.
Not sure why someone didn’t think of this earlier, but Kingfish Ingram and Samantha Fish have joined forces and embarked on the “Gone Fishin’” tour, which stops in Houston on Thursday at the House of Blues. Both guitarists are leading exponents of contemporary blues, so it should be a night of serious string slinging.
Two singer-songwriters of note will be performing in town on Thursday, so if that’s your jam, a decision is before you. Shawn Colvin (“Sunny Came Home”) will be at the Heights Theater, and Jim Lauderdale (“The King of Broken Hearts”) will perform at the Continental Club, backed by his band the Game Changers. Colvin is a bit more folky and Lauderdale is a bit more country, so maybe that information will help with your decision. Or you could flip a coin – there is no wrong choice here.
Carolyn Wonderland is celebrating the release of her new album (Truth Is) with a hometown gig at the Heights Theater on Friday, with Houston band Moses Guest opening. Wonderland’s most recent effort (her second release on Alligator Records) is a gem, featuring a number of songs that she wrote with producer Dave Alvin. For additional information, check out this week’s Houston Press interview with Wonderland.
There will be plenty more blues in the Houston air on Friday, with shows from Mike Zito at the Dosey Doe and Lowdown Brown at the Big Easy. Zito is on a roll these days, having just won an award for Blues Rock Album of the Year (Life is Hard) at the 2025 Blues Music Awards. Brown will be celebrating another trip around the sun this week with his “Birthday Bash.” Again, either way, you can’t go wrong.
