I recently found out about a local band called Libra 3. The band members are heavily involved in the Houston music scene, playing with other musicians in addition to their own band.

Libra 3 will play this Thursday, April 7th, at Rhythm Room (Washington Ave. near downtown). Be sure to come out and support local music. You can listen to some of the band’s music on the Libra 3 MySpace website or find out more about the Libra 3 on their website.

I recently asked Libra 3 a series of questions for Houston Calling. Michael Poulos (bass, vocals) and David Garcia (guitars, vocals) kindly answered them for me. Enjoy.

Ten Questions for Libra 3

HC: How did Libra 3 get started?

DG: The idea began in 2002 after frustration with working with people who had a lack of vision. Originally I was playing drums in bands for 9 years prior to L3. I started recording ideas that eventually became songs from guitar ditty’s that I had…recorded the ideas and eventually hired or asked friends to join the project to represent it in a live format. I met Poulos in 2004 and our chemistry has been perfect!

The band name was inspired by a Charles Mingus book called “Beneath The Underdog.”

HC: What do consider to be your musical influences?

MP/DG: Probably 70’s prog-rock more than anything. I grew up listening to Pink Floyd and Yes. Of course the Beatles, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, U2, David Bowie & Radiohead and the Who are also big influences of ours. Lately we have been pretty open to my listening. You actually can discover some good new stuff out there on the radio.

HC: What’s your take on the Houston music scene? What would you do to change it?

DG: Most musicians tent to fend for themselves & complain about how the Houston market is weak, I did something about it. I book talent for Helios. People who complain about the music scene here are incomprehensibly….well, stupid, delusional or misinformed …there is a market here, just check the Helios website and view the list of acts I consistently book.

MP: I think there is a lot of really good talent here to be discovered, but I think this town needs a lot of work as far as establishing itself as a place to hear good music. People often associate Houston as a big hip-hop town, or that the rock scene is nothing but punk and hardcore. Both of those things are true to a good extent, but recently there have been a lot of really good rock/pop/singer-songwriter groups that have been creating this network of alternative music. I think it’s healthy for a city that has been so lacking for so long.

HC: Mike, I know you often play bass with Tody Castillo, in addition to your duties in Libra 3. How do you guys feel being working musicians? Not a lot of people can pull that one off.

DG: Poulos & I played w/ Cameron Dezen last year w/ myself on drums, it was great. Recently we have been working w/ Casey McPherson (formerly of Endochine), again w/ myself on drums. It’s all about inspiration and creativity…when you open yourself and let go of the ego you can learn so much by others interpretations to the gift of music.

MP: I usually play with Tody about 2-3 times a month, depending. Since my schedule has gotten so busy with other things, it really depends. I love being a working bass player in demand, though. I love the challenge, and I’m always learning something new. I think the biggest challenge is writing material for L3, because I’ve always been more of an arranger of sorts and now I’m having to step up to the plate and focus more on singing and writing good tunes and bass parts.

HC: What’s your favorite place to play in Houston?

DG: Helios, Numbers, Rudyards (soon Verizon Wireless Theater)

MP: The Flying Saucer with Tody, otherwise the Rhythm Room. While the pay is anything but great, it’s the best sounding club in Houston in my opinion. I love dives.

HC: What’s your take on the state of the music industry? Are you for or against the MP3 “revolution”? How are you using the internet as a tool to market yourself?

DG: If you musically exist you must keep up and be aware of what is going on. There is no excuse not to have your project involved in media, internet, or radio…it’s all about hard work ethics, research, and effort — you do get what you put in!

MP: I’m kind of up in the air with that issue right now. On one hand, while I think it is a great marketing tool for unknown talent to get their stuff out, I think it can really hurt the established artist financially with free filesharing. But right now, since we make practically nothing, it’s essential in promoting ourselves. We have a few tunes on MySpace, which is a great site.

HC: If you could have any band cover one of your songs, what song would it be and what band?

DG: What?

HC: What is the one description that you hate to hear about your music?

DG: “Do you guys sound like…Alternative or something?”

HC: What’s in store for the band in 2005? Recording any new stuff?

MP/DG: We plan on doing a couple more tracks at the end of April, and then putting out a nicely packaged EP with 5-6 tracks. Right now we are burning CD’s ourselves and using the tracks we did back in December as a promo/marketing tool to get our music out there.

HC: What is in your CD player right now?

DG: …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, The Mars Volta, Bright Eyes, Blonde Redhead, and Wilco.

MP: My girlfriend has recently turned me on to T-Rex. Also, I’ve really been digging on Lee “Scratch” Perry. Of course, I still listen to my old influences, Chris Squire and Geddy Lee. I can’t seem to get enough of ’em!

Thanks to David and Mike of Libra 3 for taking trhe time out to answer these questions for Houston Calling. Be sure to check out the band’s music on their MySpace website and get out to Rhythm Room this Thursday night (4.7.05) to catch Libra 3 live.

Now Playing in My iPod: Skittish — …from my parents basement