Attention Houston area drummers, this one’s for you. From 3-6pm on Sunday, 9.7.08, Houston Percussion Center and Hard Rock Cafe present a registration party and jam session for the Texas BigBeat event.

Door prizes include snare drums by Worldmax and HPCustom Drums.

The Texas BigBeat drumming charity event takes place at George Ranch Historical Park 11.2.08, at which the group hopes to break the word record for most drummers playing sets simulataneously. The first 200 drummers who register for the event will receive a Five-Star Drumshop goody bag.

The money raised by the Texas BigBeat goes to Cherish Our Children International and to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which provide educational programs and musical instruments for underprivileged and at-risk children.

More information can be found at www.texasbigbeat.com.

The show is at Warehouse Live this Saturday (8.30.08). Visit the band online here.

Local rock band DuneTX, who you may remember from their Goldenarm album from 2002, recently posted some demos of new songs on their website. This is the first new music I can recall from the band in a while, so it’s good to know that they’re still writing new music.

Check out the band’s new demos here. [Read more →]

Tonight’s show features The Dolly Rockers, Bring Back The Guns, and The Trian Woodburns.

Should be a good one.

Cardinals (formerly Ryan Adams & The Cardinals) play in Houston at Verizon Wireless Theater on Tuesday, October 14th. After I heard such great things about his last show here, I will definitely be checking it out.

Listen to Adams’ latest offerings at his website.

Now, I know nothing’s going to top the Whiskeytown shows at Satellite Lounge, but here’s hoping he has another great Houston show.

Check out this video:

Tickets go on sale at 10am today.

More info on The Skyline Network or Free Press Houston.

You can stream clips from Forth, the new album by The Verve, below. I recommend starting with “Sit & Wonder” and “Judas”. Dreamy…

Or, listen to the whole thing on their MySpace page this week.

My review to come sometime soon.

Southern Backtones frontman/guitarist (and Houston Press Music Awards nominee for best songwriter) Hank Schyma plays a solo gig tonight at Boheme (307 Fairview at Taft). Showtime is 8:30pm.

Here’s a video of what you can expect:

Awesome.

Tonight (Wednesday, 8.21.08), Bun B does a free show at Warehouse Live with Orgone and DJ Ayres. Also tonight, Sound Exchange hosts the Ditchwater Zine #2 Release Party, which features Chocolate Crucifix. This runs from 7-9pm. Buy some vinyl while you’re there.

Thursday (8.22.08) is another session of “Recession Thursdays” at Numbers, sponsored by Free Press Houston. This week’s show features local punk favorties Something Fierce, along with Generation Landslide, Alkari, and Television Skies. Doors at 8pm.

Also, The Orange Show hosts Xiu Xiu, with Carla Bozulich, Common Eider, and King Ider. Showtime is 7pm.

This weekend is Rudyard’s 30th Anniversary Party, which features a lot of local bands. Spain Colored Orange, Bring Back The Guns, and Three Fantastic are scheduled to play on Friday. Poor Dumb Bastards, Linus Pauling Quartet, and Something Fierce play on Saturday.

Saturday night (8.23.08) is Rad Rich’s Birthday Bash at Notsuoh, which features Machete, Luxurious Panthers (where have these guys been hiding?!?), Streetwise, The Takes, UYUS, Smugglaz, American Sharks, Full Contact, and more.

Also on Saturday, Fitz’s hosts “You Ain’t Grunge,” which features bands covering other, better-known bands (novel concept). The line up includes: Smoke Eaters (Foo Fighters), Deus Machina, Full Release (The Toadies), Sun Machine (Stone Temple Pilots), Darwin’s God (Soundgarden), Dine Alone (Deftones), Cellcyst (Korn), Numero Unos (Screeching Weasel), Brown vs. Board (Rage Against The Machine), and Meaningless Conflict (Helmet). Should be a good time.

[Read more →]

The Alarm
Guerilla Tactics
Twenty First Century Recording Company

Say what you will about Mike Peters, the man doesn’t give up. From slogging it out solo for years after leaving The Alarm in the early 90s to reforming the group at the turn of the century (with different members) to battling cancer, Peters thankfully just won’t quit. On his latest release with The Alarm, Peters employs the same “us against the world” theme he’s been hocking since 1984’s Declaration, but his current songs are about the battle for his life. Peters has never been that strong of a songwriter—to his credit, he’s too honest for that—a fact that unfortunately has kept him from reaching the heights of early peers U2 (which the band was often compared to in the 80s). On Guerilla Tactics, that same honesty will undoubtedly keep the masses from paying much attention. Not that Peters cares, mind you. He’s been struggling against naysayers from the beginning and refuses to let anything hold him back. Songs like “Fightback,” “Kill To Get What You Want [Die For What You Believe In],” and “Watching Me Watching You Watching Them Watching Us” offer glimpses into the singer’s mindset and give long-time fans another reason to respect their underdog hero.

Peters, along with guitarist James Stevenson (Generation X), bassist Craig Adams (The Mission), and drummer Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers), whip up crowd-pleasing anthemic songs that hearken back to the punk spirit of the late 70s/early 80s. These legendary musicians haven’t softened a bit and keep the raw-edged riffs and short, punchy songs alive (production by Gilby Clarke doesn’t hurt). It’s vintage Alarm; the more I listen to The Alarm’s early music it’s evident Peters was a fan of The Jam, but whereas Paul Weller has mellowed with age (albeit very gracefully), Peters refuses to go out without a fight (to nab lyrics from the band’s 2006 release, Under Attack). Without the irony and depth of songwriting of his contemporaries, however, it simply doesn’t measure up–but if Peters did it any other way, it’d be dishonest. –David A. Cobb

You can listen to and buy Guerilla Tactics at www.thealarm.com or download from Amazon.