Houston Calling

Entries Tagged as 'Reviews'

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

February 2nd, 2012 · 2 Comments

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 guitars–coupled with by-the-numbers […]

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Tags: Music · Reviews · Show listings

Houston Calling’s favorite Houston releases of 2011

December 30th, 2011 · 5 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 · 4 Comments

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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SPIN magazine reviews Robert Ellis’ Photographs

August 16th, 2011 · No Comments

Local musician Robert Ellis, whose superb new album Photographs was recently released on New West Records, get the review treatment in the latest issue of SPIN magazine (with St. Vincent on the cover).

Check it out online here.
Ellis plays in Houston at Fitzgerald’s on 8.24.11 with Dawes.

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Tags: Miscellaneous · Music · Reviews · Show listings

Two Star Symphony celebrates the release of fan-funded Titus Andronicus this weekend

August 3rd, 2011 · No Comments

Earlier this year, Two Star Symphony–a band I had the privilege of seeing up close and personal a couple of years back on episode 8 of Live From Sugar Hill–asked its fans and well-wishers to help fund the recording of its new album, an original ballet score composed for the Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre’s […]

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Reminder: Robert Ellis CD release show tonight at Fitz’s

July 6th, 2011 · No Comments

You can read my review of Ellis’ new album, Photographs, here.

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Tags: Music · Reviews · Show listings

Review: Robert Ellis, Photographs

July 1st, 2011 · 5 Comments

Robert EllisPhotographsNew West Records
Making him a name for himself with a stellar debut (2009’s The Great Rearranger) and a weekly residency playing old-school country covers at Houston clubs, Ellis’ latest release is full of snapshots of a man growing more mature. Some of the songs are actually downright cute, with Ellis singing […]

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Introducing Ninja First Class

June 30th, 2011 · No Comments

The thought of watching a cover band makes a lot of live music fans immediately cringe, and usually with good reason. For some, memories of sloppy college party bands come to mind (ever hear a drunken 20-year-old fumble though “Run Like Hell”?). For others, maybe it’s having to sit through a band crucify a Pearl […]

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Tags: Interviews · Music · Reviews