Houston Calling

Entries Tagged as 'Reviews'

Review: Southern Backtones, La Vie En Noir

May 10th, 2012 · No Comments

Southern Backtones La Vie En Noir ZenHill Records In 2004, Houston’s Southern Backtones released a self-titled EP that marked a radical shift in the band’s sound. Originally a rockabilly project–with a fairly rabid fanbase–the Backtones instead channeled glam-era Bowie and late-80s college rock, alienating some fans but gaining many more in the process. In the [...]

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Tags: Miscellaneous · Music · Reviews · Show listings

Reminder: Roger Waters performs The Wall in Houston tonight

May 1st, 2012 · No Comments

Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters brings The Wall to Houston’s Toyota Center tonight (Tuesday, 5.1.12). If you missed the show here in November 2010 (a review of which you can read here), be sure to check this one out. Here’s a trailer from the tour:  

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Tags: Music · Reviews · Show listings

Review: Benjamin Wesley, Think/Thoughts + win tickets to release show

April 4th, 2012 · 1 Comment

Benjamin Wesley Think/Thoughts Self-released/The Convoy Group With Geschichte, Benjamin Wesley’s debut solo release, the Houston-based musician introduced himself as dark and talented, with songs that did ample justice to his wild and impressive one-man-band-style live performances. On his latest album, Wesley thankfully doesn’t stray far from the inventive songwriting that’s made him one of Houston’s [...]

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Tags: Miscellaneous · Music · Reviews · Show listings

Review: Kasabian, Fitzgerald’s Houston, 3.15.12

March 20th, 2012 · No Comments

Kasabian Live at Fitzgerald’s, Houston, TX 3.15.12 The vibe was celebratory at Thursday’s sold-out Kasabian show, and with good reason. For one, it’s been nearly six years since the Brit-rockers played in Houston, and–perhaps more importantly–seeing Kasabian in a small venue these days is a rare occurrence. In fact, it seemed like a surprise to [...]

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Tags: Music · Reviews

Review: The Jesus and Mary Chain, House of Blues Houston, 3.13.12

March 15th, 2012 · No Comments

Given the odds of ever being able to see The Jesus and Mary Chain live again, a definite sense of trepidation surrounded me before Tuesday night’s show at Houston’s House Of Blues. The stories of the Scottish band’s explosive, short, and often half-assed concerts are something of legend these days, and while I wasn’t expecting [...]

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Tags: Music · Reviews · SXSW

Review: Buxton, Nothing Here Seems Strange + album release show

February 2nd, 2012 · 1 Comment

Buxton Nothing Here Seems Strange New West Records Buxton’s music has never quite fit into a single genre. Broadly labeled as “Americana,” the band–which got its start in the Houston area in 2003–steadily built a name for itself with solid live shows, and the organic nature of the band’s instrumentation–which includes banjos, mandolin, and multiple [...]

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Tags: Music · Reviews · Show listings

Houston Calling’s favorite Houston releases of 2011

December 30th, 2011 · 3 Comments

Musicians in Houston had plenty to be happy about in 2011. With the revamped Fitzgerald’s leading the charge for the expanding music scene and various new venues and spots to play around the city–along with relatively simple ways to spread the word about new music online–the Houston musical landscape is as fertile and vibrant as [...]

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Tags: Miscellaneous · Music · Reviews

Houston Calling’s favorite albums of 2011

December 19th, 2011 · 1 Comment

This year was a a bit of a blur. Starting off 2011 with the birth of my son–while awesome–isn’t exactly conducive to going out and seeing live music on a regular basis. However, this didn’t keep me from at least trying to keep a finger (albeit a tired finger) on the pulse of what was [...]

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Tags: Miscellaneous · Music · Reviews

Introducing… The Answer Page

October 3rd, 2011 · No Comments

Orca, the debut album by The Answer Page, was released by Houston-based musician Nate McKee in July. A single listen was all it took for me to realize that Orca was something special and that it would be a shame if no one else in Houston heard it. It’s an album I have continually returned [...]

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Tags: Interviews · Music · Reviews

Advance warning: Kaiser Chiefs coming to House of Blues

August 20th, 2011 · 1 Comment

English band Kaiser Chiefs plays in Houston on 9.19.11 at the House of Blues with Walk the Moon. The Chiefs released its new album, The Future Is Medieval, earlier this year in one of the most interesting ways I’ve seen–they let you choose the songs you want to buy for a unique version of the [...]

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Tags: Music · Reviews · Show listings