Musician Alex Dezen releases his new album under The Damnwells moniker today (Tuesday, 3.15.11). After label deals with Epic and Rounder, the band opted for a less traditional route for its new album: No One Listens To The Band Anymore was funded completely by the band’s fans via PledgeMusic.

No One Listens To The Band Anymore […]

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Dallas Observer has some good things to say about Robert Ellis & The Boys‘ performance last night at Club Dada, opening for Lucero.

Immediately thereafter, Houston’s Robert Ellis & The Boys, a more traditional and less rowdy outfit recently signed to New West Records, pleased with the least rocking, but perhaps most refreshing and […]

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A friend recently turned me on to Nashville musician Quinn Erwin, whose music blends a tinge of alt-country (even some very early R.E.M. on opener “Hold On Tight”) with Britrock influences like Starsailor and Travis. His album, A Million Miles Away, was released in 2010 and is worth checking out.
Buy the album via CDBaby or […]

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There’s a GREAT show at The Mink on Monday, 2.21.11:
Local instrumental rockers Co-Pilot–whose The Course Of Empire EP was among my 2010 favorites–plays with Unwed Sailor (whose Little Wars was one of my favorites a couple of years back), Warbler Pl, and Giant Cloud.
Cover is $8 for 21+ and $10 for under 21.
Should be an […]

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Last year I wrote:

2009 was the best year for local music I can recall since I started Houston Calling nearly seven years ago. The range of music coming out of the city is impressive–experimental rock and hip hop, punk, noise rock, folksy singer-songwriters, electronica, and indie pop–and Houston’s musicians […]

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2010 was another great year for music, with more musicians blurring genres and creating wild and interesting styles and sounds. It’s simple for lesser-known bands to spread the word about their songs these days, and hopefully this widespread availability and new ways of finding out about and distributing music continues to expand. It will be […]

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Castle Lights Paint the Stars EP Magnolia Red
From the outset, the members of Houston’s Castle Lights make no bones about the torch they carry for the semi-recent wave of brooding, radio-friendly Britpop bands, and the group’s songs reflect the Coldplay-Snow Patrol-Keane-Starsailor-Travis school of pop songwriting. The thing is, Castle Lights’ songs are every bit as […]

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Roger WatersThe Wall, live at Toyota Center, Houston11.20.10
Much has been written about the impetus behind Roger Waters writing Pink Floyd’s The Wall. From the death of his father in WWII, to feelings of alienation and self-doubt, to stardom and the trappings of fame, the album was Waters’ way of coming to terms with his childhood […]

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The Wall hits Houston this Saturday (11.20.10) at Toyota Center. Roger Waters and band will perform the classic Pink Floyd album in its entirety.
Here’s a review of the tour kick-off show in Toronto. Highlights below:

Roger Waters kicked off his massive 30th anniversary tour of The Wall last night in Toronto. It was the first time […]

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Co-Pilot The Course of Empire Self-released
For a band that’s never released much music, the buzz surrounding the Houston/Austin-based instrumental rock group–guitarists Derek Lemons and Mike Byers, bassist Brandon Lemons, and drummer Brandon Zavala–has always been positive, mainly due to its impressive live sets. With its new EP–five tracks of sedate, lush soundscapes punctuated by moments […]

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