Houston electronic act Modulator is playing this Saturday night at Fat Cat’s (Washington Ave.) with Astra Heights, Arthur Yoria, and Moonshot Radio. This will be an outstanding show–great bands on the bill. Visit Fat Cat’s website for more information. If you haven’t yet picked up Modulator’s new EP, this will be a good chance to so do. Or, go get it at Cactus for $2.98–buy a few for friends. More information on Modulator can be found at their website. Visit Yoria’s website here.

Australia’s Brother is playing this Wednesday night at Meridian. If you haven’t yet ventured out to Meridian, go check it out. This will be a great show to see. Meridian is Houston’s best new venue and is located on the edge of downtown at 1503 Chartres (not that far from Engine Room). Visit their website at www.meridianhouston.com for more information. For more information on Brother, visit their website here.

Although Fly Pan Am cancelled due to injury, you should still go see one of Houston’s best live acts, By The End of Tonight, at Fat Cat’s on Thursday night. They open for Mono and IQU. By The End Of Tonight signed with Portland’s Temporary Residence label earlier this year and recently put out their EP, Fire and Ice. Here’s what the label said about the band:

Proudly standing as the only band we have ever signed from and unsolicited demo, By the End of Tonight are a young 4-piece from a tiny town just south of Houston called Alvin, TX. The technical gymnastics are there in spades, so much so that it’s not even worth talking about. It’s like telling a crowded room that you’re naked. Not so obvious right away, however, is the passion with which this EP unfurls. Beginning like a twisted prog-rock Georgia stomp, the four songs here are equal parts hardcore, speed metal, jazz breaks, epic avant-rock and sentimental 80s soundtracks. It’s a refreshing change of pace for a scene that is so saturated with one-trick ponies. Plus, it’s loads of fun trying to guess which 80s songs some of these riffs were lifted from.

Order the EP here.

Other shows of note this week:

Tonight (Tuesday, 9.21.04)
Capital Speedway w/ The Kidnap Soundtrack @ Fat Cat’s
Death On Camels w/ Taniyka White @ The Southmore House

Wednesday, 9.22.04
Camino w/ Glen Elliott @ The Proletariat
Hot Cross, Suicide Note, Die Emperor Die, The Walls You’ve Built @ Fat Cat’s
Mono’s Jungle w/ Bad Jazz @ Rhythm Room
Fourplay @ Verizon Wireless Theater

Thursday, 9.23.04
Van Halen (Hagar) @ Toyota Center
Pete Scafidi w/ Orange Is In, Slop Jar Jr. @ Rhythm Room
Dealers @ Rudyard’s
Flash Funk Order @ The SideCar Pub

Friday, 9.24.04
Los Straitjackets @ The Continental Club
The Oots w/ Landfall, Blue House @ Super Happy Fun Land
Society’s Finest w/ Gods, The Last Starfighter, Most People Are Walking In Their Sleep, Mr. Hinkus @ Walter’s on Washington
Dirtmind w/ Dying With Angels @ PJ’s (next to Cecil’s on West Gray)
Blendt w/ Mingo Fishtrap, Tom Vickers @ Rhythm Room
Bob Log III w/ Town Bikes @ Rudyard’s
Condemned Unit w/ Dropout, Zero Heroes @ The Dive (Galveston)

Saturday, 9.25.04
Annie Lin @ Diedrichs (Hazard & Westheimer)
The Gris Gris w/ 61 Cygni, My Education @ Rudyard’s
GoGirlsRock!, featuring Camino, Bastet, & Myrna Sanders Band @ Rhythm Room
The Tie That Binds w/ Mechanical Boy (CD release), Heist At Hand @ Fitzgerald’s
Trent Turner @ Walter’s on Washington

Sunday, 9.26.04
The Cramps w/ Hank Williams III @ The Meridian
The Gris Gris @ Sound Exchange (8PM)
The Format w/ Limbeck, Steel Train, Reuben’s Accomplice, Hello Goodbye @ The Engine Room
Slivered @ Industry Cafe
Goodtrain Sessions w/ Dig @ Rhythm Room

Advance warning: Social Distortion is back! Their new album is great. They have the bassist from Rancid and are playing at the Verizon on Tuesday night (9.28.04) with Tiger Army and The Explosion. This will be a good show to see.

Next Wednesday night, Explosions in the Sky (from Austin) will perform at Fat Cat’s. If you have’t yet bothered to check this band out, do yourself a favor. They’re incredible live. Check out their albums at www.temporaryresidence.com.

That’s all for now.

If your band is playing and you want me to add them to the list, add me to your mailing list.

Now Playing In My iPod: Bill Laswell — Panthalassa: The Music Of Miles Davis

Houston’s Sound Theory has posted a couple of new songs from their forthcoming EP, Frequency, to their website. Download them here: www.soundtheorymusic.com.

For those of you unfamiliar with these Houston musicians, read this bio from their website:

…sound theory began in late 2003 with Phil and Sean, stepping out of the remains of previous band, Beautiful Losers. To complete the line-up, Todd was added on synthesizers and Ron on drums (previously from local favorite Coterie). Ron departed after the recording sessions for the ‘frequency EP, to be released in September. He was soon after replaced by Chris, who was waiting for the right situation after leaving his last band.

Before joining sound theory Todd was tucked away, exploring timbre and amassing electronic gear since his last band splintered many years ago.

There are many and varied influences at the heart of sound theory that will invariably make their way into the end result. Who can say where every idea comes from, but you can start with the things that you know and musicians that you respect. Bands such as The Church, Talk Talk, My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, New Order, Ride, Miles Davis, Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, The Smiths, Stone Roses, Coldplay, Wilco, Flaming Lips, Tom Waits, Underworld, Cabaret Voltaire, Echo and the Bunnymen, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Cure and Love & Rockets…

There you have it. Be sure to check them out.

This weekend in music:

Cat Power and American Analog Set are in town tonight (Friday) at Fat Cat’s.

Austin (or is it L.A. now?) musician David Garza plays Saturday night at Continental Club. Always a good show–if you haven’t yet checked out his music, do yourself a favor. He has a new box set, A Strange Mess of Flowers, available now.

Too bad about Johnny Ramone (R.I.P.). I recently bought the Ramones anthology CD set–so many songs I had forgotten about. Did you ever hear Joey Ramone’s solo stuff? It was a good effort–you should check it out.

I recently got a copy of the Houston band Landfall‘s Rock You Like a Hurricane EP. Not a bad band–good, catchy tunes. Apparently they’re grabbing the attention local alt-rock radio as well. Congrats. For more information on Landfall, visit their new website at www.landfallmusic.com.

More shows this weekend:

Friday
The Wailers @ The Engine Room
North Mississippi All-Stars with Dirty Dozen Brass Band and The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band @ The Meridian
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra @ Rudyard’s
Del Castillo with Los Skarnales and Acustyka @ Fitzgerald’s
Ashbury Keys @ Rhythm Room
ESE @ Walter’s on Washington
Wayne “The Train” Hancock @ The Continental Club
Lakbay Ng Pagkaalam 4, featuring Kayumanggi Pinoy Rock Band & Weapons of Mass Distraction @ Super Happy Fun Land
Rock Against Bush Benefit, featuring locust tree, Grave Robbers, A Giants Wing, Satin Hooks, Ten Crownz, Dead Roses, LDV, & more @ Helios

Saturday
“Sounds Like Houston” Houston Food Bank Benefit, featuring Los Skarnales, Bring Back The Guns, The Studemont Project, Heist At Hand, Free Radicals, & DJ Wes Wallace @ Numbers ($8/$5 w/canned good; 8PM)

Seven Mary Three with A+ Machines @ Fitzgerald’s
Sloan @ Fat Cat’s
M?t?rhead @ The Meridian
Hightailers with Scattered Pages @ Rhythm Room
Matt Hole with Chad Hogue & the Bad Habits and Bloodshot Bill @ Walter’s on Washington
Liviya Compean @ Rudyard’s
Guitars & Saxes @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Kyle Hutton @ Traders Village

Is your band playing soon? Let me know and I will add you to the list of upcoming shows.

Let me know ideas you have for the site or bands you’d like me to interview. Discuss here.

Now Playing in My iPod: Mogwai — My Father My King

I’ll admit I own Marilyn Manson’s Mechanical Animals album–felt it was some throwback to early Bowie in a way. I know, I know. Must’ve been a phase when I bought it.

Anyway, I was looking to find out when Rye Coalition‘s debut for Dreamworks will be released (they’ll be in Houston in October) and came across a link to the Marilyn Manson website. Old Bri must be feeling sorry for himself again because he apparently needed some cheering up. The schmo actually has this on the main page of his website:

“…World Famous Porn Star, Jenna Jameson, lifts the lid in her new book, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, revealing vivid details of past sexual encounters with celebrities, including Manson, with a rather flattering reference to the artist’s genitalia…”

Not that anything he does would shock or surprise me, but this just seems silly. Pathetic, really.

And has enough time gone by to redo Depeche Mode‘s “Personal Jesus” again? It wouldn’t hurt a Manson fan to pick up some Johnny Cash, now would it?

NOT playing in My iPod: Marilyn Manson — “Personal Jesus”

According to an article from Billboard, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) are finishing up work on their new album, despite having no label and no drummer.

The band’s new album will include several tunes the band played live earlier this year, including “Gospel,” “Complicated Situation” and “Shuffle Your Feet.” It will be the group’s first album since splitting with Virgin Records in April.

More information can be found here.

Now Playing in My iPod: Walking Concert — Run To Be Born

Tonight (Tuesday, 9.14.04), join Mary Jane Hancock with a meeting with the Musicians Benevolent society. The Musicians Benevolent Society is a local organization that helps musicians when they’re down and out. Come meet Steve Sucher, the head of the organization, and see what you can do to help them in their quest to make Houston a hospitable place to be for all kinds of musicians.

As always, the mixer is at the Volcano (2349 Bissonnet @ Morningside) and goes from 7pm until 11pm or so. There’s no cover, and the bar serves drinks at happy hour prices for attendees (plus free appetizers).

On to the week in music:

Tonight, The Muffs and Visqueen play at Engine Room. This should be a good show. For more information on the bands, visit this link on the Houston Press website.

Also tonight, Ministry and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult rock The Meridian. if you haven’t had a chance to visit The Meridian yet, this would be an ideal show to see there. Loud, loud, loud.

Wednesday
Australia’s export du jour, The John Butler Trio, play with Plump at Engine Room. I was supposed to have an interview posted with John Butler, but it didn’t happen.

Franz Ferdinand with Delay and The Futureheads @ Club V (Verizon Wireless Theater). This is sure to be packed, but should be an interesting show.

F For Fake @ The Proletariat
Malady with These Borders Were Drawn in Blood and The Walls You’ve Built @ Super Happy Fun Land
Her Space Holiday with Neotropic, Octavius, and Thavius Beck @ Fat Cat’s
Mark Broussard with Blue Merle @ The Meridian
The Madisons @ Rhythm Room

Thursday
The Natural History with The Wiggins @ Rudyard’s
Party on the Plaza, featuring Foghat & Zu Zu Mud @ Jones Plaza (600 Louisiana)
My Morning Jacket with Centro-matic @ The Engine Room
Four Men Walking with Camino and Corey Butler @ Super Happy Fun Land
Tony Furtado @ Fitzgerald’s
Drawback @ Rhythm Room

Friday
Cat Power with American Analog Set @ Fat Cat’s
The Wailers @ The Engine Room
North Mississippi All-Stars with Dirty Dozen Brass Band and The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band @ The Meridian
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra @ Rudyard’s
Del Castillo with Los Skarnales and Acustyka @ Fitzgerald’s
Ashbury Keys @ Rhythm Room
ESE @ Walter’s on Washington
Wayne “The Train” Hancock @ The Continental Club
Lakbay Ng Pagkaalam 4, featuring Kayumanggi Pinoy Rock Band & Weapons of Mass Distraction @ Super Happy Fun Land
Rock Against Bush Benefit, featuring locust tree, Grave Robbers, A Giants Wing, Satin Hooks, Ten Crownz, Dead Roses, LDV, & more @ Helios

Saturday
“Sounds Like Houston” Houston Food Bank Benefit, featuring Los Skarnales, Bring Back The Guns, The Studemont Project, Heist At Hand, Free Radicals, & DJ Wes Wallace @ Numbers ($8/$5 w/canned good; 8PM)

David Garza with Patricia Vonne @ The Continental Club
Seven Mary Three with A+ Machines @ Fitzgerald’s
Sloan @ Fat Cat’s
M?t?rhead @ The Meridian
Hightailers with Scattered Pages @ Rhythm Room
Matt Hole with Chad Hogue & the Bad Habits and Bloodshot Bill @ Walter’s on Washington
Liviya Compean @ Rudyard’s
Guitars & Saxes @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Kyle Hutton @ Traders Village

Is your band playing soon? Email me and let me know and I will add you to the list of upcoming shows.

Now Playing in My iPod: Megadeth — The System Has Failed

Support local musician Arthur Yoria by voting for his song “Call Me” in the “OC Enter The Mix” contest. Yoria’s song was one of 5 chosen (out of 3500 songs) as a finalist.

It only takes a second or two, so please visit this website now and cast your vote for Arthur Yoria.

Also, Yoria will be touring the west coast to promote his album, I’ll Be Here Awake. If you have not yet picked up a copy of this, you’re missing out. That’s all I can say about it.

Tour dates:

Los Angeles
Friday, 9.10.04 — Lava Lounge (1533 N La Brea Ave in Los Angeles, CA) Arthur plays at 9:00 p.m. for those 21 & up. Only $5.00 cover.

Monday, 9.13.04 — The Cat Club (8911 Sunset Blvd. on the Sunset Strip in West
Hollywood, CA. 310-657-0888) 11:00 p.m. This is a free show!

Tuesday, 9.14.04 — The Silverlake Lounge (2906 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA) w/ 8bit and Viva K. The show starts at 8 p.m. for those 21 & up. $5.00 cover.

Wednesday, 9.15.04 — The Knitting Factory (7021 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 209 in Hollywood, CA 323-463-0204) w/ Hamell on Trial. Show starts at 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $7. These two artists on the same bill is amazing!

Palm Springs, CA
Friday, 9.17.04 — KMRJ showcase at Durty Nelly’s (72-286 Highway 111 in Palm Springs 760-674-8225).

Visit Yoria’s website at www.arthuryoria.com. And please be sure to support your local musicians by purchasing a copy of I’ll Be Here Awake. Cactus had plenty of them in stock last time I checked and Soundwaves and other area record stores also carry them.

In other music info:

This Friday, Landfall (from League City) plays at Fuel Cyber Cafe with Joe Jitsu, Dividing Crisis, Last Ride In, and the Oots. Check them out online at www.landfallmusic.com.

Local rockers Casino play with Flowers to Hide and duneTX this Saturday night at Rudz. Come early for a seat. Visit the Casino website for more show information.

And while you’re in the supporting-the-local-bands mood, pick up the new CD by The Methods. Cactus has plenty of them. You can listen to the entire album (and also buy it) at CDBaby by clicking here.

Now Playing in My iPod: Gang of Four — Entertainment!

As a rule, I like my music separate from everything else. I do not care to hear a musician spouting off about how “the sheep” should vote so-and-so out of office or how much so-and-so blows. And I don’t need some coked-up manic depressive telling me how to cast my vote. Okay? So don’t do it. Springsteen, Vedder–this means you.

However, Under the Radar magazine recently released its latest issue–The Protest Issue–which features a 33-page section on the role politics plays in independent music. It plays a role? Bring out the bandwagon and let me jump on.

Might I stop listening? We’ll have to see…

Anyway, Under the Radar held photo shoots with loads of musicians (including Donewaiting favs Ted Leo and The Decemberists) holding protest signs of their own writing. Next month, the magazine plans to auction off the autographed signs on eBay and donate the profits to Music For America, a non-profit organization that uses music to encourage young people to vote.

Encouraging people to vote, fine. Telling people how they should vote, not fine.

According to their press release:

“In an election year when the country is split down the middle on so many issues, Under the Radar music magazine felt that it was an important time to examine the intersection of music and politics–how the political climate can influence music and how musicians can help sway political opinion. Many musicians have opinions on political issues, but how many of them are actually saying or doing anything about it? Do musicians have a duty to channel politics into their music? Can protest music really make a difference anyway? Amid the current political turmoil, Under the Radar decided to explore the intersection of music and politics from the artists’ point of view.

For the protest sign shoots, Under the Radar provided the musicians with poster board and paint–asking them to exercise free speech and create a slogan of their own choosing. All of the protest signs were autographed by the musicians, and these original pieces will be auctioned off on eBay from Oct. 1st through October 7th, with all profits to be donated to Music For America.

Some of the artists interviewed and/or photographed for The Protest Issue include: Badly Drawn Boy, Joan Baez, Devendra Banhart, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Billy Bragg, Bright Eyes, David Cross, Cursive, Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Ani DiFranco, The Faint, Faithless, Perry Farrell, The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Richie Havens, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Interpol, Le Tigre, MC5, Yoko Ono, Pete Seeger, Super Furry Animals, and many others.”

If you are so inclined and have money to burn, visit The Protest Auction webpage at Under the Radar‘s website.

More information on Music for America can be found here.

So remember, vote David Cobb for president.

I jest, I jest.

Now Playing in My iPod: The Essential Simon & Garfunkel

Here are some shows happening this week in Houston:

Wednesday, 9.1.04
Studemont Project/The Oots @ The Proletariat
Black Dice/Animal Collective/The Sugarbeats @ Fat Cat’s

Thursday, 9.2.04
The Queers/Dynamite Boy/The Gamits @ Fitzgerald’s
Flowers in the Attic @ Super Happy Fun Land

Friday, 9.3.04
Further Seems Forever/Brandtson/The Kicks/Salem @ The Meridian
Bottle Rockets/Nathan Hamilton @ The Engine Room
Rosta Jazz Avengers @ Super Happy Fun Land
Sammy Kershaw @ Sam Houston Race Park
Flash Funk Order @ Java Jazz Coffeehouse (Spring)

Saturday, 9.4.04
Sound Theory @ Rhythm Room (Washington Ave.)
Heart @ H-Town’s Arena Theatre
Zombilly/LDV/Saturday Nite Shockers @ Walter’s on Washington
Nonpoint/Skindread/Strata/Cellcyst @ The Engine Room
Clay Walker @ The Woodlands
Hatch @ Cardi’s
Camino @ Benton’s Bistro
Village Bluegrass Festival @ Traders Village

Sunday, 9.5.04
Levity Ball and Art Show, featuring The Hates, Band of Freaks, Zombilly, El Gato, Ten Watt Aura, & Scarecrow the Monkey @ Forgettabout It Too
Phil Collins @ Toyota Center

If your band is playing and you want me to include you on future show listings, please email me.

The Damnwells put on a great show last night at Engine Room. Anyone who hasn’t heard them yet, should pick up a copy of their Epic debut, Bastards of the Beat. A great album.

Now Playing in My iPod: Mellowdrone — ep

The Damnwells are playing tonight (Saturday, August 28th) at Engine Room with Phantom Planet. Check out the band’s website for more information on the band, and get their latest album, Bastards of the Beat.

Read the interview I did with The Damnwells’ Alex Dezen late last year here.

If you haven’t yet checked out The Damnwells, you should seriously do so. Any fan of bands like The Replacements or Whiskeytown will be impressed.

Now Playing in My iPod: Modulator — don’t hold out on me ep

From Pale:

Hey everyone! Well, this is the week — hour by hour, we’re getting closer to the official release of our brand new CD. And yeah, we have a quick announcement to make!

Thursday, August 24, The Proletariat will be hosting a listening party! For 2 hours, from 8 – 10pm, we’ll be playing our new album, “Here”. This is your chance to hear what we’ll have available on Friday as well as an opportunity for us to hang out with you. Come by and throw back a beer with us.

Pale listening party
@ The Proletariat, Thursday August 26th from 8 pm – 10 pm
903 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77006
(713.523.1199)

And don’t forget the main course:

PALE CD RELEASE !
@ The Engine Room, Friday August 27th with ENDOCHINE and ARTHUR YORIA
Doors @ 8:30, Arthur Yoria starts at 9:00.
Cover is $10, or $8 for 21+

Engine Room
1515 Pease St.
Houston, TX 77002
(713.654.7846)

Enjoy.

Now Playing in My iPod: Jimmy Eat World — Futures