Houston Calling » Miscellaneous

Free Press Houston and Pegstar to take over Fitzgerald’s

David A. Cobb — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:31:05 +0000

This just in:

Fitzgerald’s of Houston, Texas announces new ownership effective September 2010
Free Press Houston and Pegstar.net Concerts team up to become new owners of Fitzgerald’s

Free Press Houston and Pegstar.net Concerts, the people who brought you Free Press Summer Fest, are proud to announce they will be the new owner-operators of legendary Houston live music venue Fitzgerald’s effective September 2010.

After 33 historic years of live music in Houston, owner and founder Sara Fitzgerald will be retiring and passing the torch. Having opened its doors in 1977, Fitzgerald’s has hosted such legendary acts as James Brown, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Ramones, R.E.M. among countless others. The new owners will carry on that fabled tradition while adding an energetic new vigor the venue has not seen in some years.

The ‘current’ Fitzgerald’s will continue its operations through early September yet close its doors for a couple of weeks for renovations. Besides aesthetic changes to the nearly 100-year-old building, crucial improvements will be made to the sound system despite it being one of the best sounding rooms in the city.

New website, full lineup, and details on grand re-opening will be released in coming weeks. Expect big things.

Wow. Congrats guys…

Vote for Houston Calling…

David A. Cobb — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:25:56 +0000

Click the image to cast your vote for Houston Calling.

Thanks.

Arthur Yoria’s Protest Jingle

David A. Cobb — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 14:44:06 +0000

More information at www.arthuryoria.com.

Admiral Radley releases I Heart California

David A. Cobb — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:46:17 +0000

Admiral Radley, an indie “supergroup” made up of members of Earlimart and Grandaddy, officially releases its debut album, I Heart California, on July 13th–but you can already purchase the digital version at iTunes.

AdRad was one of my favorite picks at this year’s SXSW. You can buy I Heart California from iTunes for $7.99 right now.

Here are some videos from SXSW on All Songs Considered.

Check out the band’s music at www.admiralradley.com.

On location: Pale, “Catastrophic Skies” video on Rocks Off

David A. Cobb — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:54:31 +0000

Houston Press has posted an article I wrote about Pale‘s recent video shoot and the video for its new song, “Catastrophic Skies”–check it out on the Rocks Off music blog.

More information on Pale may be found at www.palerocks.com.

Ahead Shot features Channel K

David A. Cobb — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:29:29 +0000

Local band Channel K, which featured Phuz’s Ken Sarmiento and singer Haydee Lou, was featured on the show Ahead Shot. You can watch the interview and an acoustic performance from the band on Vimeo.

More information on Channel K may be found at MySpace.

Watch video for Pale’s “Catastrophic Skies”

David A. Cobb — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:06:56 +0000

Here is the extended cut of Pale’s video for the band’s latest song, “Catastrophic Skies”:

I went to one of the days of the video shoot and will post more about it soon. Enjoy.

An insider’s perspective on Tyagaraja’s trip to Bonnaroo

David A. Cobb — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:42:00 +0000

Tyagaraja recently played at Bonnaroo, and band member Meghan Hendley has written an interesting piece about it for Houston Press‘ Rocks Off music blog.

Check it out here.

Tyagaraja’s album, Open Book, was released earlier this month. More information at www.tyagaraja.com.

Learn how to market and license music this Thursday

David A. Cobb — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:40:29 +0000

This just in from the Texas Music Office:

A class called “How To Market & License Music For Film & TV” is being offered this Thursday (6.17.10) at HCC’s Spring Branch campus at 7pm.

Here’s more info:

With declining record sales, the focus on placing music in film, TV and other media has skyrocketed. Song placement is the new radio. We have invited three experts to face off in a live negotiation of key deal points in a music license agreement. We will discuss marketing music for film and TV, how to make it more attractive to buyers, where to find them and how to put yourself in line for the best deal.

NARIP’s program de-mystifies deal-making and enables the lawyer and non-lawyer alike to come away with a clear grasp of the most important deal points and leverage available. Better than merely READING about it, see the deal duked out and DONE right before your eyes. Most importantly, you will see HOW a music license deal is negotiated and be involved in the process. Get educated about the art of deal-making!

YOU WILL LEARN:

The right time to make a deal and major areas of negotiation, including:

- Terms

- Options

- Fee ranges

- Deliverables

- Clearances

- Things to avoid

- Closing the deal

- Making the pitch: necessary elements

- What music buyers such as music supervisors, ad agencies and gaming companies really look for

- How to increase the impact and marketability of music

Sample agreement provided.

ATTN ATTORNEYS: This event has been approved for 2.5 MCLE credit hours.

With Guest Speakers:

- Tracy Matthews, COO, Exclusive Solutions Management

- Al Staehely, Esq., Music Lawyer

- Barry Coffing, NARIP Houston Director, Founder MusicSupervisor.com

More information at www.narip.com.

Pale video premiere tonight at River Oaks Theater

David A. Cobb — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:58:50 +0000

This just in for tonight (Monday, 6.14.10):

Critically-acclaimed Houston rock band, Pale, is hosting a premiere screening of the video for their groundbreaking single, “Catastrophic Skies”.

Date: Monday, June 14th

Location: The historic River Oaks Theater on West Gray

Breakdown of events:
• 6:30 pm – 6:55 pm: Interview/Press Time (meet the band, video directors and Grammy award-winning music producer) – in front of River Oaks Theater

• 7:00 pm – 7:20 pm: Red Carpet (cast & crew) – in front of River Oaks Theater

• 7:00 pm – 7:25 pm: Initial Meet & Greet – upstairs lounge & bar area, River Oaks Theater

• 7:40 pm – 8:25 pm: “Catastrophic Skies” Premiere – upstairs theater, River Oaks Theater

o 7:40 Documentary

o 7:55 Catastrophic Skies – short version

o 8:05 Catastrophic Skies – long version

o 8:20 Outtakes

• 8:25 pm – 9:00 pm: Post Meet & Greet (Q & A: Cast and Crew)

• 9:00 pm – ???: After Party – Cecil’s Pub on West Gray

I went to one of the days of filming–you can likely expect an apocalyptic/Mad Max theme. It was definitely a big production, with a guest appearance by Southern Backtones’ Hank Schyma.